I once went into the gents toilet of one of the local gastropubs and deliberately pissed all over the floor after being served chips in a crappy little metal bucket.

I did exactly the same thing because they weren’t.

Sorry for the stupid question, but what is “650b”?

Legend has it, it discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it 650b which of course means ‘a whales vagina’.

Yeah liked that. Don’t think it needs to be any longer.

Ignore that guy, do the trapeze thing.

high performance computing

Is that when you type fast? Or when you make Voderman look like a brick? Or when you have an awesome gaming laptop?

You can get a decent TomTom XL for £79.39 at Halfords.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_categoryId_165685_productId_780765_langId_-1?istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=iwrtwri&istBid=tzwt&_$$ja=cgid:8475776884%7Ctsid:35522%7Ccid:166296844%7Clid:49285674122%7Cnw:search%7Ccrid:33910835764%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:1o1%7Cbku:1&gclid=CJiEq-GIq7sCFYbHtAodC3YAtg

My mum is gay and she, along with her partner love munching on crisps! I am pretty sure they wouldn’t smash their way through a tube of Pringles though. Half a bag of Kettle chips…maybe…but I suppose that would be tantamount to admitting to middle class homosexuality, the worst kind of homosexuality to be sure? Or maybe not, I don’t know. Help me binners you are my only hope.

Jaegar sweater and some natty slacks

This sounds about right but be sure to wear the sweater over your shoulders and tied at the front in a nice bow. I would also recommend driving gloves and a tweed flat cap. Also be sure to have the top down what ever the weather and have some appropriate music playing as you waft through the small towns and villages.

I’m going to be mean… don’t waste your money on a new camera, it won’t make you any better. If you really are interested in taking better pictures you have a lot to learn before a different camera or lens choice has any effect. I suggested starting a blog but on reflection you might be better joining a club. You are at the snap shot stage, like it or not so go and learn with and from others in a club. If you want a head start read or watch on Youtube Ways of Seeing ( John Berger).

Got the Flux now, great lid. Had Giro’s before that Hex I think. Fox feels a bit nicer although nothing wrong with the Giro quality. Think you need a head test!

That is such a good deal….I have been wanting to build up a long travel HT for ages.

I think fd3chris has it. 29er would be a lot of expense and you might not find it works for you. Loads of frames on pink bike and also quite a few offers about too now. Build your new whippet up for summer!

OOOOR… and hear me out…start collecting cheap but decent parts (now) for a new build in summer. Pick and choose the good bits (from each) and that way you would have a good bike for ‘summer’ and a hack for the mud.

Ignore.

“I’ve got 27.5 inches that could make you come alive”

I’ll get my coat.

You could join a photo blogging community. That way you can upload images you like and receive comments, comment on others and generally get inspiration and tips from others.

It’s a really good way to plot your photography too. Projects are a great idea, maybe set a goal of producing a set of 3-5 images on a theme.

Reading up on the basics is a good idea, if you don’t understand the fundamentals you could easily end up going round in circles and getting frustrated. The only other thing is just experiment, take hundreds of pictures on a day out, work out what works and what doesn’t.

After a while (if you start a blog) you can look back to see how you have improved. I think that is really important, as you improve you can look at older images and see different way you can approach and improve them for next time. I’ve been doing it professionally for over 15 years and still do this, blogging keeps me interested and there is always something new to try and learn. That is one of the best things about photography.

I’m 6ft with long lanky 34 inch inseam. Presumably between sizes?

I’m 5,11 with a 32 inseam and had an 18 inch Five. I would think it might feel a bit cramped for you on longer rides, unless you like a smaller bike for chucking about.

Plus one for a Sansa Clip. I have just put mine through the washing machine 🙁 If I have killed I will buy another.

Not epic in length but…

La Jette

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Delicatessen

City of the lost children

Fitzcarraldo

Encounters at the End of the World

Can you tell I like Herzog?! All worth watching with an open mind!

Dune!

+1 for Giant trance, I have the 26 inch model which is fantastic, the newer versions should be even better.

I had a go on the new 650B version last weekend. Mate got a demo for a couple of days so we went out and swapped every five miles or so. I took my 13 Zesty 314 for comparison. I have been sceptical about 650B so jumped at the chance to try it. There is a lot to like about the bigger wheel, climbing is easier and in general it felt like it took less effort to ride. Going from one bike to another (and doing our best to concentrate only on wheel size) was an eye opener. we decided that a 26 wheel felt more nimble and more fun. The 650 just had a more XC feel…. We both came away very unsure about buying a 650B bike, there was nothing about it that really stood out, in fact it made things a bit easier and took the edge off the fun stuff if anything.

To the OP. There are organised events where you can try a lot of different bikes and now, different wheel sizes. I would make the effort to get out and get an idea of what your options are. If nothing else you might find out what you don’t like.

and my special home made guacamole

I want to think that is as good as it sounds, just so long as you haven’t had a funny tummy today.

150mm on a hardtail is just too divey,

Shirley this has little to do with the frame and more to do with the forks in question. For instance coil forks with a medium spring and a heavy rider will dive. Air forks not set up correctly will dive too. Then you just get shitty forks that dive no matter what you do (FOX Evolution CTD) I had em…trash. FIT are better but still tinkering to find the best balance. My eyes are looking towards the X-Fusion Slant RL2 DLA. 130-160. getting some very good reviews. At £440 much more affordable than pikes. Just my thoughts… 😀

I had an iPad mini now have an iPad4 retina. The screen is nicer on a bigger tablet but having gone between the two you get used to the non retina iPad mini quickly. I loved it for it’s size and weight, kind of miss it really. End of the day it is still a very good device despite Apple telling us otherwise! I had the 16GB and found it limiting, if you can afford a 32 or more it will give you the opportunity to use it in many different ways rather than cluttering it with apps and no space for music or video!

giant trance.

That was my first thought too!

I read this article not long ago and found it really shocking. I don’t have kids but as my friends are getting their kids tablets and smart phones etc we have talked about their security online. It’s pretty mad what children have to be aware of these days but I think awareness is the key.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25000800

Something like a 24-105 L is a great walkaround lens.

Very good lens but also very expensive, good glass make all the difference but you can great kit lenses these days.

Have a look at this site. It has comprehensive reviews of all things canon!

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-Lens-Reviews.aspx

DC is something to do with the motor in the lens, IS is image stabilisation. I don’t think Dc lenses have IS. IS is a nice feature for shooting in low light.

5D Mk1 seems a good idea

Great cameras, had one and then 5d2 and now got a 3. They are old tech now and if you think about her keeping it for a few years it will be ancient. 50mm prime is the way to go if you don’t get a kit.

Edit. The newer cameras now have a lot more features, video, better in low light, bigger screen etc. I would get her something less limiting.

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/beginners/index.aspx

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-600d-vs-Canon-EOS-100D

Bit of reading for you to do! I would be looking at 600D or the 100D.

Finished our ride around Calderdale with a lovely sunset too, phone pic’s only 🙁

the Japs

🙄

What else are you into, other than bikes?

Yeah, camera as a body inc charger, battery and cards as a nice bonus unless you need them, then just include the crap ones! Lenses sold separately.

Humm…

Posh rotors.
A stem.
Some grips and some new gloves.
Helmet if yours is getting smelly!
Any tools you fancy that you would not normally just go and buy?
Waterproof shorts

Thats all I can come up with after work today!!

A reeeeally nice pedal. You could get the other one for your birthday?

Hello. Did you keep hold of your bike? Is it ready to go?

is it that much of a tough call… a bike from a brand built upon a name for a car accessory retailer or a bike from a brand built on riding?

orange all day for me.

Your views are interesting and I would like to subscribe to your news letter. Please explain your real world experience of using both bike brands!?

If the Spicy doesn’t snap first, I’m guessing Calderdale conditions will eat its pivots on a regular and expensive basis.

We are Calderdale riders, my mate has been using his 2011 Zesty through all kinds of winter crap and no pivot or cracking problems. It has also done the Alps and Spain. I have been doing the same on a Five but recently went for a new Zesty (same frame as a Spicy this year). Both great bikes.

One thing to consider is as you would not be the original buyer spare frame parts might be harder to find. I called Hotlines to find a part and had to go through the shop I bought the Zesty from. Buying second hand could make finding pivot/frame spares harder, google it, some people have had issues.

One thing that stands out in the listing is frame size.

LAPIERRE SPICY 216 BOUGHT NEW IN JUNE 2011 FRAME SIZE SMALL BUT IS MEDIUM IN OTHER MANUFACTURERS SIZES.

I would want get on it and see how it feels. Or at least do some research in to your current bikes geo/sizing and this one.

Meh…..

Yep. 😉