BF3 and Arkham City. BF3 looks incredible and apparently the multiplayer footage released at E3 was taken from console which is re-assuring.

Shibboleth – you win 🙂

Roadie – thanks for the advice – will have another crack with a better camera and a bit more imagination.

Awesome, thanks for guffing in my biscuit tin.

I’m 6’4” and have a large with 100-130 uturn revelations and layback post. Fits perfectly and inspires a lot more confidence than my old previous bike. Brilliant bikes.

30 today!

Thanks Jedi, will give that a go.

Lucien – varies. Normally on the ground. Sometimes I have five metres of run up an exit, sometimes they’re on a corner. Normally on fairly flat ground.

Agree with single breasted but IMO a dark navy is more versatile and a bit cooler. Two button also, and as few redundant details as possible.

If you’re in the south east Bicester retail village is worth a look. Avoid at the weekend though.

Not sure how helpful this is but i’ve got one of the newish AX 2.0’s and I love it. Great spec for the money and it’s able to handle anything I’ve ridden it on, including rooty singletrack, tarmac and steps.
Not sure about the CX 30 but mine hasn’t got rack mounts and only one set of bottles mounts which is a bit annoying.

Bus174 and The Filth and the Fury are cracking documentaries. As is Scratch if you like hip hop. The Louis Theroux box sets are great.

I’ve just had hope X2’s with braided hoses and floating rotors fitted to my Soul. Not sure on weight or performance but they look bloody marvellous and compliment the general high tech feel of the brakes. The rest of my bike suddenly looks a bit old.

Did a chunk of the South Downs and ended up doing the leg home with hundreds of people doing the London-to-Brighton. Weird but great way to end a ride.

Still loving multiplayer on Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Best online gaming fun I’ve had.

It’s not cheap and a bit bigger than a proper cycling gilet but this Finisterre one is ace. I’ve got one and it fits into its own pocket and weights next to nothing.

Indeed – I always get punctures when I lose concentration and go smashing into roots. Looking at the Maxxis Raze – seems like a good mix of fast running with mud-friendly knobbles.

As an aside what kind of tyres do most of you use for general riding?
I’m still using the conti cyclocross tyres that came with mine as they’re fast on road and can handle basic singletrack. I’m getting a lot of punctures though so I’m thinking of getting something more knobbly but wondered how much slower i’ll be when getting to and from the trails on roads.

Depends on the industry and those around you. I work in a creative job but mostly with finance clients so opt for the Clarkson look of smart jeans, shirt and jacket. Half of my clients wear ties and half do not.

Here’s mine – glad I got one with the second set of brake levers on the flat part of the bar. Helps my confidence hugely off-road.

I do like the look of that Cotic X above. Would make a nice set with my Soul.

Another vote for Bad Company 2. Both the original and the Vietnam add on are awesome. You need to be online to the most out of it.

On my phone so can’t post photo but i have a Focus Mares AX2 and love it. Mostly use it for singletrack and general exploration. So much fun and more versatile than I expected. Brakes are rubbish though if you’re used to discs.

Maxxis advantage +1

Not so cheap but rayban wayfarers are pretty indestructible and look coooooool.

Yep, photo taken in the car park just off ditchling road next to the White cottage. I daren’t use my own garden as it’s in a shocking state and I knew the STW massive would pull it apart.

A few friends have just done a day with Jedi and say he’s amazing so I might give that a go. I’m hoping to have the Soul for a long time so would be worth seeing what it (and me) are capable of.

timnwild – might take you up on that once it’s built – i’ve walked around chanctonbury a few times recently and spotted some awesome looking trails.

bol – good to hear – have just bought one from the classifieds. STW is fantastic.

I’d recommend exploring the free platforms that exist, like Google Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, SocialGo etc. It’s amazing how easy lots of sites and functionality can be built for free. The important thing is to properly think about the purpose of the site; is it to sell things, host conversations (like this forum), or simply act like a shop window? Knowing this will help you determine functionality.
While the above platforms are free (except SocialGo), think about how much time you can invest, and whether you’re a designer or not – the web is already crammed with ugly, badly thought out websites and doesn’t need another. Depending on your skillset I’d definitely recommend a professional developer, designer or both, if only just to bounce ideas off.

chiefgrooveguru – me and a few friends normally go riding at 10AM on a Sunday – set off from the white cottage just off Ditchling road – look out for a gangly bloke on a black Soul – or a black Focus CX for the next few weeks.

Vortexracing – the revs are 100-130 – I imagine most of the time they’ll be 100 except for the occasional trail centre visit. Like the look of the 2×9 set-up.

stevede – thanks for the list – I definitely feel like I’ve bought more than just a frame – there’s something a bit special about it, and I’ve not even ridden it yet.

topangarider – will look at the salsa – thanks.
cy – thanks for the response – it’s a beautiful frame so huge credit to you and the team for producing it – will look into the bars you’ve suggested.
chiefgrooveguru – I’m 6’4” – thanks for the advice – will look out for another soul in Stanmer – i’ve been riding there for two years and have seen a few so perhaps that’s you!

Thanks both, makes perfect sense now.

I use spd’s, and wear cheap DHB shoes from Wiggle – have been using them regularly for the past 18 months and they’ve been through the washing machine twice and they’re still pretty much pristine. Rubbish in the wet though, huge vents that let every bit of water in.

JRTG – awesome thanks. I’m planning to rope in my usual riding friends but we’re mostly useless at anything more than a flat so might just drop you a mail if I get stuck. Otherwise look out for a tall gangly guy on a (hopefully) solid looking black Soul.

Thanks for all the tips. Will definitely post a photo once it’s complete.

gazc – I’m in Brighton and there’s a great place called Crank run by knowledgeable volunteers so will bear them in mind.

Thanks again.

Thanks everyone – park tools looks perfect.

Thanks.
Realman – indeed – have checked and they’re SRAM.

just got a couple of hours of Battlefield 2 in. Ace.

cruzheckler – to be honest we didn’t think of that. In hindsight that makes a lot more sense. I think we were too giddy from solving the problem to think about improving the solution.

Realman – painfully true – legs are still sore.