Blimey! We took our 2 Rhodes foe 2 weeks and one of which fell in term time. We toured the ancient sites,absorbed the culture and did a bit of beach & snorkeling.

Back at school they had a non-competitive sports day, a film and various other non curriculum based activity. I would suggest that they both increased their world view, and knowledge of a great civilisation. However, we received a letter from the Educational Welfare officer advising us that the school had dobbed us in for “unauthorised absence” – we had written 3 letters to school explaining but they refused to respond as the did not “authorise” the absence.

To add insult to injury the school was closed for strike action only a few days afterwards, of course that was over pensions not the welfare and education of children. This was then followed by one teacher taking 3 weeks extended vacation to see family in the US.

Pot, kettle and mucky arse springs to mind!

Both my two are at the top of the top set (they don’t get this from me!) and when they have finished their work they are then told to find something to fill the remaining time – has been up to half an hour on too many occasions.

Perhaps if the school system was a little better organised and showed more interest in developing all their pupils abilities across the board, then parents may take their petty diktats with a little more seriousness.

Ok quick update on the Corratec rebuild.
Been in touch with Corratec who have been great with info and are supplying me some new decals but in black and the new style – so it’s going to be powder coated brilliant white later in the week.

Rainer at Corratec has been a fountain of information, which leads me to ask a few questions.

The original bottom bracket was a Shimano XTR 1996. BSA 112,5mm – is there a decent modern equivalent – internal or external would be fine, the lighter the better – going for an updated resto using the lightest bits I can afford to get the best out of a very nice frame.

Also for info have been quoted £20 to powdercoat the frame by these guys, they seem to have done plenty before http://www.meadowhallpowdercoatings61.co.uk/.

So, the Kona was project based upon green, the Corratec is going monochrome – the only pain at the moment is finding a 30.6mm seatpost in white at 400mm long – anyone got any ideas?

Dorchester – mate lives there – loads of lovely rides and the sea is close.
Buxton – right on the edge of the peaks.
Hope? – Sambob – it’s a village, and a small one at that, I work there!!!

Update: I invoked my rights as a Yorkshireman to do this for as little as possible. The Corratec was cleaned of all paint in quick time by POR15 stripper – £15 for a can and a plastic sprayer (like ones used for indoor plants) not a trace of old paint/decals anywhere. The frame looks in great nick other than one small dent on a chainstay. Pic below of it in the stand. I have some nice etch primer (£8) ready and some paint (leftover from the singlespeed). So let’s see how it turns out.

Anyone got any tech info on these bikes? before I start cross threading and using the knocking stick to make things fit?

Incidentally did you see the Peak District Green Lanes Alliance was formed late last year and they seem to be making huge strides.

Will look this up, we have green lanes all round us and I live in the Peak. NIMBYS – often people who have moved into the area – have already managed to close access to two popular trails for MX/Trials/4X4 but that did not stop several MX/Trials bikes passing me on both of them last week.

The biggest cause of erosion round here is walkers – just take a peek at the footpaths up and around Mam Tor, Kinder, Win Hill, etc – decades of being tramped by the vibram soled jack boot of the Ramblers Association membership!

And breath…

live in a National Park – we get lots of everything – MX, Trail Bikes, 4×4, MTB and squillions of walkers.

They all transgress on occasions, some days are worse than others.

Easiest thing would be to widen access rather than restrict, that dilutes the problem and dissipates the users.

There is a very active section of the RA that is moving against 4×4 and Trail/MX bikes. Very subtle shift in message recently from this to “wheeled traffic” adn that’s us. They cite too many “cheeky trails”, well done guys we are now being put into the same cohort as 4×4 and Trail/MX bikes.

I will be very upset if I lose hte ability to hit any number of bridleways and ride right from my front door. It’s why I moved here.

Consideration and a bit of thought is all that’s required.

I got bitten by a f*****g dog today

Multitasking!

Mine

I think that this ends the discussion – 29er singlespeed Ti and a Kona – job jobbed!

Hmmmm…ban Banns, they only lead to arguments and divorce.

Not quite pirates but equally as devastating when in range:

What about pointy sticks?

Ye Olde Bowling Green at Bradwell has some small units attached or try
http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/peak-district-bed-breakfast-newview-bradwell-nr-castleton-hope-valley-i554.html
small but friends and their 2 daughters stayed for a few days.
There are loads – Samuel Fox also is Bradwell very nice and smart.
Or fill yer boots here: http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/peak-district-accommodation-c2063.html

Ride into work cancelled – flooded roads and fallen branches call for the 4×4 to be fired up, glad it’s got a snorkel.

Light rain, interspersed with drizzle and the occasional downpour, all under a very fetching grey sky here in the Hope Valley!

I think everyone should ride trail centres.
Leaving the rest of the wild places for me. 😀

I’m all for a celebration but that was 10’s thousands of pounds worth of fireworks,

I think that little lot was much closer to a few hundred thou – a small village display for 12 mins, 2 people operating and one location is £1500.

ASK1974 – what I meant was, that you have aired something you believe is a problem of hers on a public forum, the rest is immaterial.

My ten penneth – leave her alone to get on with it, if she’s as nice as you say and gets out and about it will happen in its own time.

ASK1974 You could be setting yourself up for one hell of a family bust up if she ever sees this thread! Just about all the 30 somehthing single women I know would kill me if I ever did this to one of them. I admire your selfless courage!

Cheers Stoner – new year’s mission to ID the owner and deliver an offer they cannot refuse – share of the fuel!!

Just back from my local loop – quick spin around this end of the Hope Valley, bit wet but the weather makes it moody. Valley bottom – Great Hucklow – Windmill – Bradwell Moor – back down into the valley – mixed road and trails, just enough before tonight climb up Mam Tor for Midnight. Couple of pics:

Great Hucklow towards Ashford in the Water

Windmill’s infamous junction:

Bradwell Edge from Bradwell Moor:

Have a great New Year!

Now that’s impressive. Top effort. May see if we could use the spare land behind us, it’s just wasted space at the moment.

Get yourselves over to the Hope Valley – Peak District and base a route on the Derwent reservoirs – it’s the right distance with some opportunity to add some “extra” bits in if you fancy a bit more. Go clockwise – tarmac start, then broad trail. When at Slipper Stones you could push on a bit over the back and then head back, There’s also a nice pastie stop at Fairholmes.
route

Top of Mam Tor in the Peak District at midnight.

Yep. My 92 Kona Cindercone reinvented as a singlespeed – revived my love of lightweight simplicity and [cliche] brought me back to the reason I started riding [/cliche].
It’s also improving my ability to judge pace and cadence as well as route selection.

Cheers for the help everyone.
Have ordered some POR 15 stripper and I’ll see how far I get. (up in the Peak District so a bit of a drive to get to you Mooman but thanks for the offer.)
Once this is done I will investigate the powder coating – seems as many mixed views here as there are elsewhere on the web. May be worth an email to Corratec to see what they say.
Thanks again, more dumb questions will follow, rest assured!!!

Heard some misgivings re the temps used in powder coating having an effect upon the integrity of aluminium frames – anyone heard of this?
Also any recommendations for blasting & coating?

It’s all bunkum, this light speed thing.
If the light is the fastest thing in the universe, how come the darkness is always there before it?
Answer me that one pretty boy Cox.

Ace round Ladybower & Derwent reservoirs at sunrise.
Love winter riding.

LOL – just a distant memory.

Eldest never woke early – youngest up and into our bed until 7 yrs old – I now look like a 65 year old.

Our pattern has switched now – try getting a 13 year old to wake up before 10am!!
But I still wake at 6am, agree best bit of day – partial inversion in the Peaks this morning, light frost, scoot around the local bridleway, back for a full breakfast.

Anyhoo – just wait till the teeth start, it’s just bloody relentless.

Used to like Moyles when he had novelty, that’s worn of and he’s now just an irritating noise. Evans is ok, easy listening.

But, if they want quality, they should bring Radcliffe & Maconie in from their 8-10pm slot on R2 – I go and hide in the garage to tinker with bikes and vans just to listen to them – as close to Our Lord Peel as you can get, good music interspersed with brilliant humour.

Thanks folks – and that's a very kind offer Tazzy, will drop you a pm when I get back from Wales (a week in the Surf in Pembrokeshire then a week biking in mid Wales – does life get any better?!) 🙂

I have:

a helped make happy family
produced 2 fine sons
remained true to my wife since the day we met
bought a home in MTB heaven
set up my own small but beautifully formed business
acquired sufficient toys to keep me amused
an enormous level of contentment

🙂

Take a tame mechanic or make friends with one, fast.
Recipe for pain otherwise.

As a veggie of some 28 years I do love good veggie/omnivore set to.
Cougar, I was with you right up to the "I wear leather" bit.
If you buy and wear leather then you too are responsible for the farming of animals, after all leather is just another part of the "product".
The best argument I have heard on this one went:
"I don't eat meat because it's cruel to kill animals"
"But you are wearing leather"
"Yes but it's just a by product"
"So using a by product like leather is ok"
"Yes"
"You'll be delighted to know that you can now eat mink as the meat is justa by product of the fur trade"

Needless to say this did not go down well but it was entertaining.

Choosing to eat meat is a personal thing – but if you do it on moral grounds, at least be consistent.

Have 2 small businesses both seeing an upturn, both quoting a lot of work and some converting. Recruited to one company and looking to recruit in the other. So for us things are on the up.

Jesus wants you for a sunbeam

Two mates have them and I have been close.
Uber basic, pretty crude design compared to a Westfield or Caterham, may as well bin the soft top as it will leak – but if you can get it for under a grand with T&T it will be a hoot.

Some people however actually stalk deer, which sounds like far more fun to me.

Does this involve following them home, calling then and hanging up when they answer, going through their garbage and wearing their used underwear?