Elfinsafety – Member
Who do I write to?

The Powers That Be… Obviously. 🙄

If the couple where a heterosexual black couple do you think it fair that a racist proprietor could refuse them a bed for the night because they are black?

If they were unmarried, fine. Because they were black, obviously, not fine. You’re as daft as cougar. 🙄

The B&Bs website makes it quite clear that they insist that all guests are married, the gay couple knew full well and decided to make a political point.

My mother was an occupational therapist that made house visits. Muslim house owners would insist that she removed her shoes in accordance with their religion. The NHS trust she worked for insisted that she wore her shoes for health and safety grounds.

In the end, the Trust backed down and said that she had to ignore common sense health and safety laws so as not to offend muslims.

It strikes me that ‘the law’ of which you hold in such esteem, is far more likely to be bent in favour of muslims’ views and wishes, but not the other way – which is what has happened here.

Cougar – Member

Well, no.

a) “the powers that be” generally imply some sort of government or ruling body. If I said “the powers that be told me I can’t have a dog” then I’d be unlikely to be refering to my girlfriend, unless I was trying to deliberately mislead.

b) you were talking about “the powers that be” removing pigs from toy sets, it wasn’t in reference to the B&B’s decision, so your bathroom has no relevance here.

You can stop rolling your eyes, too.

The “powers that be”, if we study the expression carefully, means the “POWERS” (as in “the powers”) that “BE” (as in “to be”). So, to put it another way, actually, feckit, there is no other way. It’s simple. Powers that be! Those that be in power! Decision makers, people with the power to be! You absolute moron! If your girlfriend has enough power over you to insist that you don’t get a dog, then she IS the powers that be!!! Christ! (Am I allowed to say Christ? Or will that upset the powers that be…)

And I’ll stop rolling my eyes the minute you stop being an absolute moron! 🙄

but what have grandparents got to do with the original idea of this thread? also what the deytookourjobs have muslim and ELC pig toys got to do with it too?

My grandparents and great grandparents HAD to be prepared to fight to the death to protect freedom in this country, Europe and the rest of the world.

I’ve always held the opinion that if I was put in the same position, I too would be prepared to make the same sacrifice for freedom.

Now, on one hand, we afford other culture and religions – who generally come to us to enjoy those freedoms that they might be denied elsewhere in the world – so much respect that people would remove pigs from kiddy’s farmyard sets, and yet a Christian couple are being persecuted, under our own laws, for wanting to insist that people who share a bed under their roof, should be married in a way recognised by their religion.

No matter how many holes you want to pick in my hastily cobbled arguments, there’s no denying that this is a completely unfair situation.

Cougar – Member and what does that even mean anyway?

I decide whether the toilet paper should hang next to the wall, or away from the wall. That’s because, in my bathroom, I am the powers that be.

Hope this clarifies things. 🙄

iDave – Member

I suspect the OP couldn’t fight to save his own life let alone someone stranger’s religious freedom

You would have probably said that about my grandmother. She worked at Bletchley Park decoding Enigma machines and probably did far more to end the Second World War than any drafted man with a Lee Enfield and a bayonette. 🙄

Pig Story

🙄

Would you be happy for a commercial enterprise to turn someone away because they were Jewish, Muslim, black? I know I wouldn’t.

No, and this country prides itself on its willingness to respect other people’s religious beliefs. The owners didn’t turn them away because they held different religious beliefs, but because they weren’t joined in matrimony in a way recognised by their own religion.

The gay couple singled out the hotel BECAUSE of its stance on this, purely to make a political point. It’s completely unfair.

Yes, sorry, ELC not Toys R Us. The ‘Powers that Be’ to whom I was referring were in fact the powers that be. Idiot. 🙄

Captain Jon, they’ve removed pigs from farmyard sets in Toys R Us as they might offend muslims, who naturally must believe that pigs don’t exist.

FuzzyWuzzy – Member

You’d fight to the death over religion?

No, I’d fight to the death for freedom of choice. 🙄

Am I missing something, or is this just going to raise the price of really nasty cheap booze to the same price as mediocre stuff?

So the winos will just buy the better stuff…

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up opening it right up (bending it) and then closing it back up with crimping pliers once it was on. Seems to have worked.

3fish, the cut was clean, but where each braid overlaps, it splays out ever so slightly at the very cut. This makes it wider than the olive.

Frustrating, but it’s sorted.

Cheers!

It is, but you can only open it so much. What a PITA. I think I’ll strip the plastic right back on the next one and slide the olive down to the right place.

Still can’t get this fecker on though, so any more help appreciated!

I sometimes ask my pit crew to have a few tyres of softer compounds waiting at the top of climbs so they can swap them over for me so I can enjoy the descents a bit more.

And if my helicopter pilot sees bad weather coming in, he radios through to the crew who adjust the tyre choice to suit.

I’ve just ordered a Park PC10. £120 at Fawkes Cycles so I bought the tool tray to go with it.

I’ll report back when it arrives…

Aren’t Cervelo built in the US?

Maybe it’s because I live in Lancashire, but there’s always a couple of them outside the usual roadie coffee shops in my village…

They are lovely, don’t get me wrong, but they’re a big seller because they’re such good value.

I have a Giant TCR carbon (I don’t do much road biking anymore so it’s adequate for my needs – light, comfortable and fairly cheap) but if I ever got back into road biking, it would have to be a top end Cervelo for me. Or a Pin… Or a Colnago…

Thanks chaps, I’ll give them all a coat of looking at…

GJP – Member

Some very interesting pics there FoxyRider. Looking at the websites the geometries also match for a M/52-54.

Budget Far East bike manufacturers in ripping off Italian company’s R&D shocker! 😉

If you’ve had a ‘proper’ look at the likes of Pinarello etc, you’ll see they’re a class apart compared to the cheap Ribble/Planet X etc.

The stays – and even the forks – on the Dogma are asymmetric to provide more strength on the drive-side. Whether it makes any difference at anything less than the highest level is debatable, but that could be said for the vast majority of top end anything.

You want prestige, kudos and exclusivity, you pay the price. If you’re happy to ride a bike that you’ll see dozens more of leaning up outside the café, buy the Ribble.

+1 for Alta Rica, it’s really not bad and certainly comparable to mediocre fresh coffee. It kicks starts my day because I really can’t be arsed with all the faff first thing in the morning…

I’d say the pleasure you’d gain from owning an exotic Italian frameset would be unquantifiable. If you can afford it, go for the boutique frame – I’ve never once regretted spending more for something special, but I’ve often regretted settling for run-of-the-mill.

My first ‘proper’ mountain bike was is a 2003 Blur. It was a toss-up between that, a basic Orange 5 or a Spesh at the time. I still own and love the Blur, and I’m glad I chose to go down the slightly more special route – I’m convinced that owning beautiful, interesting and slightly exclusive bikes is what has kept me so enthusiastic about all forms of cycling.

The new pads are bigger. I just replaced some of the older ones with a new pair (large and I’m 6’1″) and there’s an awful lot more padding in there. Hopefully it’ll settle down a bit as it softens. Still a decent enough fit though…

tazzymtb – Member

@ shiboboleth, is there a problem youth? or are you just being a nobber for the sake of it?

Ooh, ooh, look at me! I’m niche!

“Which red or silver bars” would have sufficed… 🙄

Broke Back Mountain Bikers

🙄

A Cotic Soul, some Hope Hoops, Hope X2s, Hope Eternity seat post, Hope stem, some floaty rotors, so Easton carbon bars…

But I have been a VERY good boy…

Absolutely Poppa, but I was surprised just how light the Chameleon frame is for such a burly bit of kit…

I didn’t expect an 853 frame to be particularly heavy, but when you look at the 2 frames side by side, the Santa Cruz looks like it’s going to be heavy: The massive headtube gussets, the box section chainstays/chainstay bridge, and the seat stays which are about twice as thick in diameter as those on the Cotic.

My riding mates were always surprised at the lightness of the Chameleon when helping me over fences/stiles etc, and that was with a heavy wheelset and bigass tyres. I wish I’d weighed the full build before dismantling, but I’d guess it was around the 28.5-29lb mark…

nickc – Member

I know it’s a teeny amount, but this surprises me.

It surprised me a bit to be honest. With headset and seat clamp, the Soul is 2309g and the Cham 2247g.

The total build for the Soul is 27.5lb.

I suppose the extra gusseting on the latest Soul accounts for some weight, but I think this confirms what a brilliant frame the Santa Cruz is: to have that much strength for such a low weight.

I have to say though, the finish on the Soul is superb; beautiful welds and can’t fault the paintwork.

The steering response is perhaps marginally quicker, but the way the back end responds feels smoother and less twitchy.

I’d always been skeptical about the mythical ‘steel feel’, and perhaps you’d be less likely to notice it moving from a more compliant frame than the Chameleon, but it definitely feels more compliant…

Just for reference, the Soul is 50 grams heavier than the Chameleon frame.
I suppose a lot of the ‘abrupt’ could be put down to the more rigid wheelset used on the Cham too.

Had a look at Sandersons before choosing the Soul, they seem to tick an awful lot of boxes, it’s surprising they’re not as popular as Cotics and Pipedreams…

Beanie, I didn’t mean falling off, just being forced off line and ‘dabbing’ in places where the Soul just seems to soak it up and carry on.

The BB doesn’t ‘feel’ much lower, but I didn’t measure the Cham before I dismantled it.

Bump… Hope you get that one back Rick…

If you work for me, don’t bother coming back from lunch… ;o)

What about a Chameleon? I have an XL that’s going to be for sale…

EDIT: Sorry, 130mm fork is ideal on this…

billybob – Member
Rumour is the Blackburn owners want Maradona to replace him. They really don’t understand the English game…

I heard that the new owner had a cousin living in Shadsworth that fancied working in football… Innit.

I hate poor people.

First impressions of the Soul are that it’ll be more enjoyable to ride all day, but I’ll miss the short-sharp-blastability of the Chammy on dry trails on summer evenings.

I’d keep it, but I really can’t justify another build that would be so similar to the Soul…

I’ve just un-built mine after buying a Soul. It was an amazing bike and I loved every minute of riding it but I fancied a change and Souls come so highly recommended.

First impressions of the Soul are that it’s a softer ride, but apart from that, I’m gonna miss the Chammy.

If anyone wants to buy a pre-EBB US-built XL in Dog Knob red, email me…