If you were taking the bike, I would have recommended a ride around Shouldham Warren and then food and drink at the King’s Arms. Great pub, community run serving superb locally sourced food, beers and cider. The Hare Arms also in the same area at Stow Bardolph has always had a good reputation. Both pubs would be on your way back from King’s Lynn towards Thetford. The wife has reminded me that Biltons on the A10 at Tottenhill, recently opened and has quickly built a good rep locally, not been so can’t give you a true review of the food. Another is The Berney Arms in Barton Bendish but I believe it has recently changed hands.

Castle Acre near Swaffham has a Castle and old Priory and there is an Iceni village at the nearby Cockly Cley all within 20 miles of Lynn

There is Castle Rising near King’s Lynn and the town itself, has much historical interest with some beautiful Tudor and Georgan buildings and a museum about the history of the fishing industry and the port which I believe to be one the country’s most important at one time. It would be easy to spend a whole day there, about 45 minutes drive from Thetford.

Beautiful beaches on the north Norfolk coast with world famous areas for bird/wildlife. Along the main coast road you will find lots of interesting places to have a look around with many pubs serving great local food which are dog friendly. Norwich is well worth a day out, the Castle Museum often has art exhibitions and other things of interest and there is always the Broads nearby. As has already been said, it’s quite a large area, not a problem if you enjoy driving around. Tell us what you enjoy and I can be more specific.

I paid £650 for mine on the advice of a mate who said to try Fat biking before investing big money (canyon dude). I have had it since last summer and I love it. Not ridden either my 29er or SS since. It’s good fun, lots of grip and comfort from low pressure tyres but can be hard work. They will never be about speed but if you ride for fun, you can’t go wrong and you won’t loose too much money if you have to move it on.

The quality of the steel on old chisels is far superior to what you get now unless you are spending big bucks. The ones I inherited from my Grandad hold an edge for ages and the wooden handles are lovely, just remember to use a mallet. Hard point tenon saws are very good and not worth the time or cost of a buying a file to sharpen a normal saw. Planes are easily cleaned with wet and dry or steel wool and once done, keep wrapped in an oily rag to prevent it doing the same again. Buy a good quality diamond stone for honing chisels and plane irons. Decent squares and gauges can be got from Screwfix or have a look at Axminster online?
Weird, I was writing my post while the above was being posted!

I’m 45, kind of grew up a bit and got all serious about life when the kids were born but now they aren’t babies any more (11&8) I have quickly reverted back to the same attitude to life I had in my twenties. Still training hard and pushing myself on both the road and off it and living life to the full. No intention to change just yet!

A SDS with roto-stop is a handy feature especially for chasing out for cables. Very easy in breeze block, bit more difficult in concrete but will still do the job.

Are you using an SDS drill? Never had a problem even into solid concrete. Normal masonry bits in a regular hammer drill sometimes struggle with floor screed!

Got mine primarily to ride the local coastline, marshes,beaches and dunes but soon found it great on the single track. I have been using it to take the dog along the riverbank as it is slower than the crosser and at a pace that suits him. I never thought it but the other bikes haven’t got a look in since last August.

A biscuit jointer is your friend. Makes constructing units easily without screws.

5’11” here and my medium fatty is very comfy. In fact, I don’t recall it ever feeling anything other than perfect.

Recently bought a Garmin 800 off here advertised in good condition where the seller failed to mention 3 quite visible scratches to the screen. I have just sucked it up but was quite disappointed at the time!

A very hazy memory but it was an indie band Kingmaker and it was in a Social/Working men’s Club somewhere in the Tipton, Wendsbury, Darlaston area in the West Mids around 90/91. I went to loads of gigs around a Wolves/Brum at that time.

Too difficult to take this in! Why?? All my love goes out to his wife and children. RIP Dave.

At that age, my two loved baking. Flapjacks, fairy cakes and jam tarts (pre-made pastry) are all very easy to make. They get to have fun, make a mess but get a nice treat to eat in an hour or so. Just a suggestion!

I got a cheap one (£8) from TKmax a few years ago after they were reccomended by my masseuse. I use it a couple of times a week especially after a long or hard ride. It can be painful at the beginning but after time it gets easier and I find it can help with muscle soreness and overall recovery. It is also important to drink water while and after rolling to flush out all the toxins.

Thanks Slackboy, you have just solved me a big problem. It’s my mates 40th in April and you have just found the most perfect gift. :-)

It’s customary for newbies to buy the coffee and cakes!

2×26″ here

I have one.

Not wearing clean shorts for every ride is a great way to get saddle sores and other bacterial nasties!! It is also important to get out your kit and shower as soon as you can afterwards for the same reasons.

Done, happy to be of assistance.

I love the wildlife, especially the different birds I see at different times of the year, the barn owl and king fisher are 2 that I have the pleasure of seeing all year round. The owl, in the winter waits for me on a fence post, until I turn the corner and uses my light to illuminate the dyke along which I ride for just over a mile. This time of year it’s the many different species of wild fowl and lapwings and field fares on the fields and flocks of gold finches and long tail tits along the lanes I ride adjacent to the Great Ouse. Last summer I saw what I thought could be a Montagus Harrier so a small pair of binoculars were kept in my rucksack in case I saw it again. About a week later I was able to confirm that it was. Lots of gulls, herons and cormorants. I feel very lucky!!

A very sad day! I’m sure that in 20 years, people will remember where they were when they heard the news.

Amazing place, like no other country I have had the pleasure of visiting. The wildlife, especially the birds is something else. We saw white tailed Eagles which were like 8’x4′ sheets of ply flying around. The geology and geothermal activity is unlike anything I experienced in New Zealand or anywhere else. The 24 hour daylight (May/June)is a bit weird at first but you soon get used to it. The fish and other seafood is the best I have ever tasted. I could go on and on, go there, I promise you will enjoy it!

I’ve not been on here that long but compared to other internet cycling forums, there seems to be a real camaraderie between us and a genuine intent to help and advise others. It is special and long may it continue.

My physio explained that the paracetamol and citric acid react to cause the body core temp to increase which helps to fight off infection. His advice was to get wrapped up in blankets/sleeping bag and sweat it out.

I purchased the very same book a few years ago at Mildenhall Cycling Festival and have used it extensively. I don’t do all of the stretches/exercises but feel that I am a lot stronger, more flexible and recover much faster than before. Worth every penny of that £2.99.

Planet X had some for about £20-25, they even had some cheaper than that but only in one size. I got some for the boy for his introduction to SPD’s.

Unless you want to look at something specific, you would have a far better time going for a ride.

The wife was 40 in February last year and like you, I had no idea what to buy her. I know that she loves to spend time with her friends which is not always easy as many are spread across the country. I found a big country house in Suffolk which could accommodate everyone and brought some very nice food and drink for the weekend. I had a good foil which everyone worked with so when we arrived at the house, everyone else was there. Granted, it cost me a fair penny but she loved it and memories are always better than possessions. All of her friends really appreciated it as well. Oh, I just read that you only have 7 days. Good luck!!

Kids are back on Tuesday so I will be on Dad duty. Not too bad as they want to visit High Lodge at Thetford after I told them it was a mud fest!!

There’s someone selling on on the Peterborough bicycle trading hub on Facebook. An Enigma, almost forgot to say which bike.

Health and happiness for myself, family and friends. Spending quality time with my kids while they are still kids and trying my best to guide them into their futures. Sounds easy!

If you can’t remove the shelf, I would pump some gap filling adhesive (no nails/ grip fill) behind it and the cut some timber props which you could wedge back of an opposite wall until the glue has cured. Just hope you never need to remove the shelf as you might have a bit of plastering to repair.

[list]I wonder if they have similar price variations across the whole stock

I’m sure that if you called them and offered the lower price, the bike would be yours.

If you are concerned about gaining access in the future, you could fill the main void with polystyrene leaving it about 10-15mm from the floor level and simply top up with self levelling compound or grout.

You could also wrap some foam around the pipe before you concrete to form an expansion gap to prevent any damage in the future if there is any movement (although this would be highly unlikely).