Tomorrow from 10am

Trails are mint round here at the moment. We have had a bit of rain but not enough to make any mud.

Went out last night with the intentions of only being an hour but had so much fun I stayed out and only went home because I’d no front light with me.

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Sky[/url] by S1mmy1[/url], on Flickr

I have used them and find them fine.

They would be my LBS if the traffic in Wigan wasn’t so unpredictably bad, as it is, it’s easier to jump on the motorway to Merlin.

Regarding the returns etc, I got a 661 helmet off them which I found uncomfortable and returned it no problem. I rang them and they didn’t answer but they must have a system in place or dialled 1471 as they rang me back.

This was over the counter at the shop so can’t comment on the mail order.

Will keep a lookout as well mate I’m in Bolton so not too far but travel around a lot with work.

Was just after quiet day TBH and Gisburn is likely to be rammed and I don’t do crowds :D

I was going to go Gisburn on Sunday, but think I’m going to go here instead.

Anyone else coming ?

Chip Barm from Chippy

Going for a Pub Meal later as well but it my birthday tommorow so sod the calories 8)

Forgot to put in my last post, even with the inadequate driving test at the moment, a candidate could fail for going too slow and not overtaking for example If they are stuck behind a HGV in a NSL and don’t take a opportunity to overtake.

They are unlikely to fail if they miss one opportunity but could fail for the second or third.

If they sat at 40 themselves instead of getting upto NSL, if safe, they will fail and it would be marked under progress appropriate speed, possibly undue hesitation depending on the circumstances.

Looking away from the test, could driving under the speed limit be considered driving without due care and attention or driving without due regard for other road users ? I’m not too sure as I don’t know the exact circumstances in law.

In ranking order of most used :

1 ) needs new brake pads but otherwise never run better having just spent a fortune having Hope stuff fitted.

2 ) needs a front derailleur, chainrings, new fork but still works.

3 ) is the shopping / pub bike – just give £40 for it with a full service and 3 months guarantee. Looks rough as but that’s what I wanted as I want people to feel sorry for me and not nick it.

4 ) is my first ever mountain bike from 1989 and it could do with a new headset apart from that its perfect.

I think a bigger problem is that not many people know what a single / dual carriageway actually is.

Very valid point

Firstly I’ve not read every page of this thread as my attention span would just drift so if I’m repeating I apologise.

From what I have seen, I agree with what I call ” my speed ” drivers eg 40mph everywhere, but overtaking is a subject that a lot of people don’t understand.

I’m not going into a who’s right and who’s wrong debate, as I would rather look at it from an educational point of view. Around here, with a learner driver, I would have to drive a 20 mile round journey to get them to 70 mph legally and even then they could only keep it up for 10 seconds before coming to some traffic lights.

National speed limit roads are rare in this area, and especially ones long enough to overtake on. I do try to get them all to have a go at overtaking but it doesn’t always happen. There’s no way I could keep saying to them ” oh well we didn’t get an overtake in so let’s try again next week” and then the opportunity doesn’t arise again so go back week after, week after and so on. No one would stand for that as they would just see it as milking money.

The driving test in this country is simply not good enough. How can someone I’ve trained be expected to drive on roads of NSL for miles and miles when we simply cannot do it round here ? All they want to do is get through the test as quick and cheaply as possible and, at the moment that is achievable as they know they won’t be tested on NSL roads so they won’t pay to go on them.

OK you do get the odd few who will pay for more lessons but in this area it is very rare.

The test needs to be more structured towards modern driving with a minimum amount of hours for each learner before they could even think about test. This would make sure they have experience of all types of roads.

This time last year it was announced that learners would be allowed on motorways with an instructor ” towards the autumn time ” then came a change of transport minister and that all went quiet. How can people be safe when they have never put the theory into practice ?

Returning to the ” my speed drivers ” if you want flashing lights and abuse off one of them, overtake one who’s doing 40 in a NSL in a fully marked up driving school car – not many people actually know that the NSL on a single carriageway for a car is 60 ( most think its 40 ) so they think the driving school,car is speeding……..

My mates had the oil pump and injector issues sorted on his after the oil pump went and wrecked the engine and VW wrote to him and offered him new injectors FOC.

His engines now rebuilt with an upgraded oil pump.

AFAIK, from what I’ve been told via my mate, the handbrake is basically a motor that needs to be wound back by computer even if you change pads.

Whether a new part comes wound in or out, I don’t know, too complex these new cars for me give me points and plugs and a normal handbrake 8)

There’s an habit around here of getting a really nice Audi ( ahem ) Merc, BMW, etc and painting them Matt Black.

Horrible.

Will try to get some pics.

Worst one around here is some guy who must be 30 if he’s a day, driving some bright green Nissan 300 or Skyline or something with a massive body kit and a ” batear ” spoiler on the back.

Bet he looks out every day, clicks his fingers and goes ” yeah…….”

Edit, that Calibras gotta be a joke, WTF would you put a convertible mini roof on a coupe ?!?!?!?

Freezing here in Bolton, but the trails are dry and dusty, well the route I’m going on is.

Blue sky so it would be a crime not to go out especially as I was woken at 7am by some delivery guy wanting to drop a washer off and he had the wrong address…….

Who the ? Arranges to have a washer dropped of at 7 am on a Sunday 8O

I got a pair of the Livestrong Fakeleys and they are good quality but I have put genuine lenses in which do make a big difference.

Has anyone got a link to the E Bay ones or any search terms as I’d like a pair in Black or Grey now as I think the Yellow ones are a little OTT now lol

Is he still on target ?

simmy, that pit disaster is terrible mate…..never heared of it.
truly terrible.

Yeah it’s one of them that you either know about or have never heard of. Think its still classed as one of the biggest mining disasters in the world.

The pits are now capped, but its obvious where they was and there are still the ruins of some buildings on the site so its quite moving to think what happened.

The Wiki link only tells part of it, locally there’s a lot more info that’s been passed down the generations. Apparently, there was a farmer ploughing the field and the force of the blast underneath lifted him, plough and 2 shire horses a couple of feet in the air and the hedges in the fields were sucked into the ground.

Devastated the local towns and villages as everyone knew someone who had lost a loved one.

He had 3 hours sleep overnight think they were climbing Shap about 1am and he got some rest after that, mind you anyone would need a rest after Shap.

They are approaching Edinburgh ATM and, judging from the tweets, are working out a way of getting round legally as the Bypass has a no cycling rule.

Follow them @hoppo347 is Chris @themartincox is in the support car / van

Some good pictures being tweeted today and I’m hoping to see them on the way back

Just getting into Preston but they are aiming for Lancaster by 10pm 8O

The blue plaque above the bike is a tribute to Robert Shaw, most famous for playing Quint in Jaws

The brass one is for Pretoria Pit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretoria_Pit_Disaster

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Memorial 2[/url] by S1mmy1[/url], on Flickr

Another for Pretoria Pit

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Memorial 1[/url] by S1mmy1[/url], on Flickr

Looks like he’s pulled over in a lay by in Coppull, not moved on the live tracking for an hour or so.

He’s between Wigan and Preston at the moment so what time is he going to stop for the day ?

Surely he gotta sleep sometime 8O depending on what I’m doing in a bit, I might go for a drive and catch him up

Traditional working class for me.

Quite happy with that at least they didn’t class me as a pauper :D

I parked my car on a car park at the back of some shops whilst I nipped for a sandwich, got back, literally less than 5 mins and someone had hit the rear of it and cracked the bumper.

It was icy so I’m guessing they slid into it.

Nobody around so just left it at that stuck some tape on it and left it till it was ready to go back hoping that someone would hit it in the meantime who was insured :wink:

That didn’t happen so about a week before I returned the car I got it fixed.

If it was GMP anyone remember X Cars on BBC 1 around 1996 ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuWhmrtBLI4

That’s the one absolute classic :D

Proper Bobbies

If it was GMP anyone remember X Cars on BBC 1 around 1996 ?

Followed the TVCU – what a top bunch of officers. They had Max Power posters in the rest room and proper loved caning the cars like the Cavalier Turbo, Escort RS2000, Sapphire Cossie.

There was some clips on You Tube but they are not on now.

Classic lines like whilst caning the RS down the M63 to catch upto a chase ” we are doing 135, if him in that Volvo pulls out we’re dead ”

Bombing along the East Lancs with a Starsky and Hutch type light on the roof which comes off leaving it swinging by the wire to which the passenger rolls the window down and drags it in without unplugging it first.

Driver says ” I can’t see now !!!!!”

Don’t make em like that no more

Mech hanger – suppose I could have bodged the chain to single speed it to get home but couldn’t be bothered and rang for a lift

CRCs new I Tech bike checker…….

http://bit.ly/itechbike

Nothing like Rivi local round Aspull as I know off just farm tracks, old railways and canals.

I did a loop today going upto Blackrod, through to the canal, Haigh Hall then dropped over the fields back to Hindley

Nice chilled ride and I usually do it for an hour before work to get some calories burned but its pretty flat compared to Rivi so depends what you feel like doing.

Borsdane Woods down the side of Gerrard Arms – can get through in about 10 mins though – leads to Hindley so can then head out to the old railway at the back of Hindley Green ( turn right at the lights at the Bethal its on the left near the Bus Stop ) which can lead out as far as Monton in Salford all off road.

Various farm tracks between Hindley and Westhoughton for gentle riding – all on the OS maps – and there’s always the canals etc

Obviously Rivi is near if you want more excitement

Deciding to give my Raleigh Burner a really good clean, taking the front wheel off to clean the forks and forgetting to tighten it back up

Faceplant onto cobbles in the back street, still got 2 chipped front teeth from that incident, call it character.

Oh yeah that was about 28 years ago.

Most stupid one recently was adjusting the dials on the top of the Rockshox and bouncing the front to see what difference it made and next thing being on the floor.

Think i slammed the front brake on :oops:

Not a crash but nearly winded myself today.

Coming down from the pike using the route behind the high school, took the path that cuts the corner off, went into a puddle I’ve gone into loads and it was a lot deeper than last time.

The front sunk in but luckily didn’t dig in so no OTB moments but the impact felt like my arms and shoulders had been pushed back in their joint.

Felt sick riding back.

Trouble is driving is 10% skill 90% attitude and its a generation thing coming from parents and grandparents.

“They have never driven before so they have no bad habits” absolute classic, sorry love but if you drive like a clown, your kid will as well no matter what they are taught when learning to drive.

I’ve done the IAM and found it really good but one thing I was told that stuck was Advanced Drivers have less accidents but when they do have one they do it proper…….. Normally involves excess speed.

Yeah I loved doing the course, and I scared my mate after when I showed him how I’d been taught to drive by them, legally but by reading the road, it felt sooo much faster and smoother.

They don’t condone speeding and I actually got pushed out of the way by someone a while ago with a IAM badge in his windscreen whilst I was overtaking in lane 3 he was doing 90+ and came bombing up behind so when I moved back into lane 2 i recognised him as one of the observers from the local IAM.

I happened to ” bump ” into the chairman of the local IAM when he was washing his car outside his house by taking a planned diversion on the bike and informed him of what had happened and he wasn’t happy…….

And who would have thought it figured

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14032013[/url] by S1mmy1[/url], on Flickr

Besides the main road

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Untitled[/url] by S1mmy1[/url], on Flickr

Tractor clearing it

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Untitled[/url] by S1mmy1[/url], on Flickr

Cheers guys yeah just took it apart and it was full of dirt and drier than……. :D

Greased up now and smooth as silk.

Thanks a lot 8)

Yeah it feels rough off the bike as if it doesn’t want to spin more like forcing it to turn.

How do I go about regreasing ?

Cheers

Pedal Reflectors are Amber most reflectives on clothing are white.

I’ve not trawled through the legals, but guess there will be some loophole saying that anything on the pedal area has to be Amber.

Same on HGVs, Sprinters etc where the side running lights are amber ?