Just got a TA21 + 18650 battery – large one! Mainly for the variable settings (12 selections!), & using in other 'night-time activities…'. A bit hefty, but the 2-fish holder seems good. Yet to get it out on a night ride though 🙄

Will catch you around Bonaly whenever yer passing guys – is Ian suggesting a detour down white hill?? Might take the pitch then, can't look totally inept without a decent bike, can I? 8)
Will 'mail you my mobile no. Kit, I presume you'll be heading for Torduff / Clubbiedean…?

+1 pmsl for GrahamS

Pole danc.. vaulter Elena Isinbaeva

& doe-eyed Vicky, with tool in hand 😯

Yay, a wanderer returns!

If you mean merciless ribbing, then yes, fairly normal Legoman – esp. for them that digs their own graves… This one has demanded a little extra vitriol, however.
Trick is to avoid putting one of these on –

I don't get out much…

Was – GTress black just before the radio mast (Britney Spears?)
Then – Inners-Minch Moor down to the valley fire-road (slowing down ='d much more fun)
Now – sheep track on the steep north side of Castlelaw in Pentlands ('FOCUS or fall off') –

(pic- crtsy Kit, of this parish)

Abroad – Gisburn canyon (in the dry..)

'Home' is a great watch, & far more real-world, as you say Z1ppy.

I'm not suggesting you need tuition Kendal, but the Dirtschool DVD is good too – plays like a film (I think) & might give you / new-5-year-old riders some good visual pointers, assuming a usual attention span; + you could come back to it again & again.
Not quite the rad action so beloved of the young newcomer though…

tr – wasn't on that Clova ride, think that was during a severe hiatus from the forum while work went bollocks-mental!

An xc racing-mate did Golspie on his RockyM Vertex 70, reckoned he just couldn't find the flow of the place & it would've been far better on my pitch. He did recommend Balblair for stunning use of the bedrock, if you've time for 2 courses!

This recent thread might be useful – pics etc.

Aint rode it myself though.

Try this thread Iain.

Nice photies there, will have to get myself up sometime. If I may post the link to your photostream: Iainc's Golspie[/url]

Go for it if it's tickled you Kit, we'll keep the Pentlands warm in your stead…
(could now be referred to as the 'sinking ship' ride!)

I only get to ride once a week, usually wkends, if i'm lucky…..

…..kids n work, kids n work, kids n work……..

i'd be out everyday if i could.

Pretty much in the same vein as Earthquake, me (except it's just work, no kids, yet…)
Though I feel ok riding 'fairly hard' @ weekends, often wonder if it's doing me more harm than good?
Gonna go for a decent set of lights soon & try to lessen the gaps between rides, if I can be arsed after work! Now, which lights to buy… 😉

Being completely un-qualified to comment on 'hardware', I will have to confine myself to clothing…
– Gore jerseys; worn almost every weekend for 3 years & decals not even stressed
– Gore windstopper gilllet; always surprises me how effective it is & doesn't lose ability through washing
– Columbia casual wear – like the style & hard wearing
– Salomon walking boots; last & last & suit my foot shape!

Got up the hill last night to attempt 1st night landscape pics; no skill (shutter speeds, aperture settings etc.) involved, just camera settings. Not much results to speak of but these were the 'better' ones, best viewed with the lights off… First, Spotted some night-riders on the North side of Allermuir –

Panorama across the town –

A short slideshow here[/url] if interested…

Nail Trail – haven't ridden it, don't know exactly where it is, but I'll muck in with any underground improvements (am a construction manager so could get hold of a few implements / pipes / theodolites etc.)

Paul – I guess the route will stick to resilient paths, us being the responsible types (esp. with mud-chopper tyres on..!) or those already shredded beyond repair – Dreghorn army road, anyone..? 😉

Local Pubs For Local People! 🙂

depends if you intend to fight 'terrorism' locally in the wood of britain or plan to go in the middle east

I'll keep 'em guessing by wearing desert camo in the darkest Pentlands.. 🙂

Sealskin socks are feckall use

Might try my motorbikin' tip of sticking a freezer bag 'twixt sock & shoe next time too. Must be worth a try..?

Jedi – you ought to send 'em that clip; they could double their money in spectator fees alone!

Thanks for that link robhughes – gonna have a pair of those myself, can't go wrong at that £ (hopefully). Do we know of any 'performance' difference between brown / green?

I went for a similar position 3 or 4 years ago; kind of a*sed the interview though, they'd said specific training would be given, but many of the questions centred around what you already knew about trail-building – for me at that time, zero. I've heard conflicting opinions on FC as an employer too….

Still, if I weren't reasonably happy in current position, I'd be on this like the proverbial.

i spend the worst of the winter nights, hiding in the trees

…prepares for impending thread twist…

I'd have me another one of these –

& do some effective work on it… maxton suspension, bar risers, stiffer swingarm etc. Owned 2 so far…

AArrggghhhh…

Planned all the way home to head into the hills & get some great landscape shots with new fancy camera too; full moon, wispy cloud, there were some night riders up around white hill too.

Then SHE starts; "it's my birthday, what about my birthday" etc. etc.

😈

Maybe this rain'll clear up & we'll get another crack at it tonight! (yeah, right!)

I'll be in for this Kit, hoping we cover this 'nail trail' I haven't ridden yet

986 views, somehow

However, until Kits moonlit initiation pyre is erected ( :-)), the map posted by much-missed sorceror-of-the-Pentlands DruidH is good –

Pentlands Trail Map

There's a few who've been doing recent group rides etc. Dair, try searching 'pentlands' in the forum box ^^>> & you'll pick up some names.
eg. the end of this thread from a couple of weeks back.
Quite a few go in from Bonaly, which aint far off, but I think we're due a couple of starts from the Balerno end soon. Looking to obtain some proper lights meself soon too…..

It annoys me no end too, endemic in the field it seems. I listen to 5-Live most of the time commuting, & they're all at it. Generally switch off as get quite enough aggression / intimidation at work. At least half the 'innocent' interviews end up with them trying to enforce the reverse view on the interviewee.
I don't mind if the opponent is genuinely trying to cover something up, but it seems things have to be sensationalised, rather than debated.

Here, get yer own thread! 😀

I think 'Nibbler' is in fact white hill (home-made dh tracks); there's a tiny wooden plaque on a tree-trunk at the top says 'Nibbler' – appeared a few years ago, I took it as being a pets grave!
As ever, I'll be up for any group action at the weekend…

does it look like they'll be putting a gate in?

At the top end Kit, aye. But not where it bi-sects the track.

You clearly need to ride the Pentlands more

Would argue with that Al, DGOAB knew tracks I'd not seen before & now use as regular links 🙂

Saw this weird black & white one last night, made in a very old style. Employed a lot of techniques seen many times before, & the storyline copied ideas from 12 Monkeys – started with a guys death then worked through the events leading to it. Not sure it'll do that well though.
'Citizen Kane', it was called…

Dougal – good suggestion for speaking to the ranger centre; I tend to climb scalextric rather than descend, but I know it's been wide open for years. Would be interesting to find if there's more access-restriction going on, will have to go in the next time I pass.
A wide gap was left where the fence adjoins the reservoir perimeter, unclear if a gate was going in.

Manitou,
I think it depends what size you've selected from all-sizes & taken the url. eg.
this was 'small'-size url –

this was 'medium'-size url –

Still can't get the link back though…

It's fairly far up the track, so 'disruption' is probably the right word; still get plenty speed on the other side.

I usually climb the track, which makes it more of a pain in't ar*e. Just hope it's not a sign of worse to come…

Massive Agressive by Municipal Waste. Fast…? oh lordy yes!

(may not suit listeners of a quiet disposition)

bang out a quick turbo session

Local dialect? 🙂

I think Martina deserves her own thread… though google images is a little disappointing!

Just watched the video Jedi linked to and realised i can't actually ride my bike!

Me too – in fact, how do you ride a bike, and stay balanced? My parameters have just been chewed up & spat out!

Ah, perhaps the Gisburn ones are on the Black route – or I've completely missed something at Lee Q. SFBarnes had a belting photo of them up on here somewhere…

Hope you've not done the Gisburn ones MDwarf, 'cos you're in for a great surprise 🙂

Always Traveller by Devin Townsend band,
dum, dum, dum, dum, dum-dum…. Life is good

Martina Jancikova, if you like that sort of thing…

'teeeeeeeeeen-SHUN'

(sound of bullet ricocheting off rock)