My gearbox was whining terribly in lower gears and my steering went very heavy (felt like power steering reduced by 50%). It my not have been the full steering column, but something expensive was replaced that I was glad I didn’t have to pay for.

I really like the 8speed auto box. Its intuitive and fast to engage I have never found myself wishing I had a fancier double clutch job. I literally never use the paddles.

I love mine. Surprisingly economical considering how fast it is.

Mine has had a new gearbox, steering column, window actuator and two brake calipers replaced in the past year though. All on warranty thank god.

Such good fun to drive though. Best fast hatch I’ve ever had.

An M135i will never appreciate. Far too many of them and they’re not really considered true “M” cars.

A diesel car is just not the same. My last car was a 335d and it was blistering fast but just not exciting to dive.

I’m 5 10 and riding a large with a 35mm stem. It’s perfect for what it do.

I’ve ridden a friends medium and it felt small in the wheelbase

I’m 5 10 and ride a 56cm Cube Agree SLT Disc. Size wise it’s perfect for me. A 58 would definitely be too long for me.

I really like mine and as you say the Cube specs for the price are great. Very well made bikes in my opinion.

Incidentally I’m only in my 30’s but my car does have big alloy wheels so make of that what you will.

For healthy weight gain eat a calorie surplus (obviously) e.g 2500/3000 calls for a 100lb person. 3-4g of carbs per lb of bodyweight, 0.8g to 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight and the rest in fats (4 cal per gram of carbs/protein,9cal per gram of fat). Get a PT to prescribe some resistance training 2/3 times per week to build a bit of muscle mass.

Just drinking protein shakes won’t help. You don’t store excess protein, you just piss it out. You need to use the muscles to need the additional protein in the diet. Eat more starchy carbs and healthy fats. Those get stored.

Get her to eat more often too. I eat 6 meals a day. Noms. Meal replacement shakes are useful for squezing in extra cals. Whole milk too. Cheap and calorie packed.

My powerlifer pal likes to pour olive oil over all his food when he’s on a bulk because it’s so calorie dense.

Do you really want to improve your standing through charity? Wouldn’t the potentially improved position and resulting sense of success be somewhat hollow?

I regularly travel to Denmark to get tattooed. I usually do 7 hours at a time (on my ribs/back) to make the most of the trip. It hurts. A lot.

I find sugary food and drinks consumed throughout the session really help, as does a combo of co codamol and ibuprofen during the later stages.

What sort of cash machine lets you take out a grand?

Ordered a bike showing in stock with distributor. They emailed few days later to say that actually it was out of stock in my size. No problem. Understandable.

Same size still being displayed as in stock on the website a week later.

But my wife bought a road bike from them a few weeks ago nae bother. Was even delivered early (without any notice or warning)

6 tablespoons of concentrated tomato puree?!?!?

And you’re surprised it tastes excessively of tomatoes?

one tablespoon in a large casserole type stew is plenty… (maybe two at a push) and yes you want to cook off the raw puree as you sauté the onions etc.

I’ve got an Fenix 3 HR and it’s great. No issues with the fit, comfort or accuracy.

Try ESI Chunky non loc on silicone grips. Really helped me with my hands.

So they tightened your headset for you?

I have never even thought of going to my GP with a muscular/sport related issue.

For the sake of £30/£40 I would always just go straight to a private specialist (physic/Orthopaedic therapist/Chiropractor/witch doctor…whatever you think is best).

Assuming its a minor/typical issue you will most likely only need one or two treatments and they will give you a plan to follow to self manage.

If it’s been sore for a year why have you not gone to see a physio or other such specialist?

The shoulder is quite a complex joint. It could be a number of things.

Go and see someone in person and get a diagnosis and treatment plan.

Scolty Hill in Aberdeensire yesterday. Gloriously dusty.

Les Gets will be a great place to take the family. There is a lot to do both in the town and in the immediate area ( I assume you will have a car – if not hire one).

Highlights include:

Rafting in the Dranse river down towards Thonon
Canyoning in Nyon gorge in Morzine
Paraponting
Lake at Montriond (and little lake in Les Gets)
Tennis courts in Les Gets and Morzine
Skatepark in Morzine
Pump track in Les Gets
Lots of pretty places to walk & picnic (everywhere) Cirque at Samoans, Mines D’or in Morzine, Chappelle du Jacquie Cours in Les Gets
Lindarettes goat village.
Via Feratta in Avoriaz
Horse riding
Summer luge in Morzine

all sorts to do…

All a bit relient on nice weather though…

A trip to lake geneva is good too – I recommend a visit to Yvoire. Beautiful spot.

Lots of places to rent bikes – biggest shop in Les Gets is Evasion sports although there are several other shops.Bike hire aint cheap though. Kids bikes are available.

I agree. For losing fat, a carefully planned diet that is strictly adhered over a prolonged period of time is more important than increasing exercise. Of course exercise helps but if all comes down to energy in – energy out And most people underestimate what they eat.

I have been at my heaviest during some of my most active periods (training for half Marathons etc).

Your stubborn chest fat could be a combo of fat and glad (gynocomastia) and this is usually only completely fixed with surgery.

It might just need bled but mine has just gone back to SRAM for this very reason.

As above. Rode it on Friday and it was fine. Didn’t even see the signs.

So the buyer is not trying to back out?

All you need to know is know is what courier to use and if its reasonable to charge him for the postage?

Yes it is reasonable, but a courier will probs cost you more than a tenner.

I hear Yodel are reliable…

Im pretty sure that swearing has been shown to reduce acute stress I believe.

Hare is delicious. One of the tastiest game meats for sure.

I do hope though that they aren’t being culled needlessly or being wasted.

Is it not illegal to kill Hare during certain times of the year?

Every pair of Hayes brakes I ever owned had a strange habit of self adjusting the level pull grub screw so that by the time you got halfway down a particularly long dh track, the lever hit the bar.

Good riddance.

As others have written, Hungary isn’t noted for its cuisine.

I’m sorry but Budapest has some outstanding restaurants. Its one of the best value and consistently high quality culinary destinations I’ve ever been to. Amazing local wine too.

Just avoid all the tourist traps flogging goulash.

I recommend:

Borkonyha wine kitchen – Michelin star and not expensive.
Alabardos – more formal but proper old town charm.
Fausto’s – amazing home made pasta

The indoor market is great as previously mentioned.

What? Like a remote controlled drone with a go pro?

The recovery “For Goodness” shakes are 3:1 sugar to protein. Only about 18gm of protein per 500ml bottle.

So you might as well drink chocolate milk from the supermarket and save yourself some cash.

Watched on my iPad on the train yesterday nae bother. Was wearing headphones though.

Enjoyed it.

Protein drinks are designed to be a suppliment to a balanced diet.

For a bodybuilder or strength athlete that means they are an easy/convenient way to hit a high daily protein requirement to build, maintain and repair muscle mass. Athletes like rugby players etc aim for up to 2 – 2.5gm of protein per kg of bodyweight per day. That gets both expensive and tough to achieve using just solid food if you’re a big unit.

For a typical mountain biker protein shakes would be useful post exercise to aid recovery (or during extended periods where eating real food is not so convenient). But they’re not really essential.

Another handy feature of protein supplements is that you can get a big dose of protein without a significant amount of any other macro nutrient (if you want). This is also tricky to achieve just with food (and turkey/chicken breast gets boring quickly). Sweet flavours of protein help beat cravings if you’re dieting too.

Not all protein supplements are fast absorbing. Some, like casein, are absorbed slowly and thus make effective nighttime suppliment to drip feed the body protein whilst the body is in the most optimal recovery mode (deep sleep).

As with most things, they are perfectly safe to use in moderation. Real food is usually better. Better sense of satiety.

There are lots of different types of protein sourced from different origins and the cheaper brands can definitely mess with your guts.

There is really no cause for mocking protein suppliment consumption (or the containers that they are consumed from). They make perfect sense is many situations (plus a lumpy protein shake is bogging and those shakers are the most convenient way to get a smooth beverage).

Thoroughly recommend Borkonyha Wine Kitchen. Michelin star, fantastic food and wine and very reasonable.

Alabardos for a very traditional fine dining experience.

Fausto’s for some amazing Italian.

Reccomed a trip to Monument park too. Very interesting.

I love Budapest. Genuinely one of the best value and highest quality food and drink destinations – If you avoid the tourist traps. Really safe city that’s great for exploring on foot. There is some fantastic sights to see.

strange how many are complaining about car parking when they own a car on a bike riding forum, perhaps sell the car and get more bikes or move.

Really? Cycling is a hobby for me, not a mode of transport.

I wouldn’t be able to go mountain biking if I didn’t have a car.

Back squat and strict bodyweight pull up both enable maximum recruitment of muscles in the core.

You also get the benefit of training other parts of the body at the same time.

Any ab/lower back isolation exercise will be limited in the amount of intensity that you will be able to achieve whereas with a squat the intensity can be increased indefinitely (within reason) as the weight you lift increases.

Any exercise that promotes excessive thoracic flexion (sit up, crunch etc.) is not good for your back.

If you do want to do an isolation exercise then roll outs or hanging leg raises are best as the back remains in a neutral postion.

If you want to just do one exercise with the most amount of benefit then to a proper barbell back squat with good posture. Start light and build up and your core will become strong.

I made it from Morzine to Carlisle in a oner. It was hell. I was intending to stop somewhere north of London but for some reason just kept going. I don’t r commend it.

Have driven Aberdeen to Morzine numerous times. Often aim to hit Dover late on, get a late ferry then kip in the car at the first French motorway services for a few hours (about 45 mins south of Dover). Then crack on. Usually stop again a couple of times for coffee, fuel and French biscuits.

With a co driver it would be much easier.

“Where” instead of “were”. Drives me nuts!

captainsasquatch:

Which one?

Root not route.

None. You bought the bike second hand so you’re not entitled to a warranty.

Ondine?

Great seafood. Nae cheap.

http://www.mathtutor.ac.uk

Lots of vids, practice exercises etc.

Well there is definitely not a great deal of rear leg room in a 3 series.

Fair enough. I figured a 3 series was compatible to a Mondeo but obviously I was obviously wrong.

I had a 335d Touring and I could get loads of stuff in it. Multiple bikes etc. But I guess in retrospect it wasn’t massive.

It was also ultra reliable the entire time I had it. And unbelievably fast. My days of stuffing bikes inside cars ruining are over though. Just trashes the interior.

I have/had Time MX8’s.

I liked the feel of the pedals but I annihilated the left hand carbon pedal body when clipping a rock with my foot.

Wont be buying another pair – too fragile. I am currently waiting for the Crankbrohters Enduro ones to come out.