Ah – well I have loads of images which people have already given me permission to use, and these are pretty much all jpegs.

I am not expecting to necessarily attract a huge publisher, but I do have a couple of smaller specialist ones who will be interested.

Thanks for any help offered!

You could always post here and ask the question?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7stanes/

I don’t know if it counts, but I made this animation of a bean growing:

You’d think the shuttle would melt being that close wouldn’t you?

Well cheers flange but I am not too sure we need more SimonRallis. SimonRalli was me and not someone else. I misread the instructions when STW moved to the new forum and I thought that we would not be allowed our old user names for some unknown reason. I think that in the great scheme of things, none of the moderators think that reinstating my old user name would be a good use of their limited time.

And anyway, there are a lot of good riding videos here. I always look forward to the sweary northerners, and now we have Go pro there seem to be a lot of really well made vids giving you a feel for people’s rides.

But the one thing that rarely comes out is steepness, hence me checking out Ae, and sliding down even while just walking it.

And that photo of me at the bottom of the Slab. Anyone not there would wonder why on earth anyone wouldn’t ride down that tame slope 🙂

Hi MrGroll – cheers for your comments – I missed this thinking that no one was interested in these pics.

The forest is a small one called Dalswinton woods, and it is the other side of a moor to Ae Forest. If you keep on riding, you end up at some windmills, and then you can go down the other side into Ae Forest and you end up at Ae Village.

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26th February[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

Rich – a few rides are getting planned maybe for April so look out for them if you are around.

Northwind – it’s not like I did (or am capable) of photoshopping and, as expected, I got busted in the very first posts.

I have this outrageously huge ego that makes me think everyone knows me here and that everyone loves my pootling photos of me out and about on my bike, but when people like you believe that I would ever in this incarnation in this life launch myself off that jump, well it only makes me realise just how few people in this world actually know me at all 🙁

Hopefully you found it funny and if you ever did go riding with me you would really then be able to appreciate the gap between my own dire lack of skills and what you see in that photo!

I only took it so people would find it extraordinarily silly and maybe have a laugh. I do enjoy my biking a lot you know, but am very happy just being in the woods, listening to the birds, breathing fresh air and whizzing around.

But it was an amazing experience walking down the course with my bike. I think I could have probably ridden a little bit more than I did, but with around 100mm of suspension, I just don’t have any compensation for my lack of skills and have to walk over a lot of the stony stuff too.

Here you go, this was my ride last week, and as you can see I tend to be slow and look out for things to photograph 🙂

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/great-little-ride-today

What are you talking about?? 🙂

Well true. Here’s another photo of me at the bottom of the Slab at Dalbeattie. Again, I can’t seem to find the photo of me half way down it, maybe it was too blurred

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The Slab – Dalbeattie[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

Northwind, I am kind of guessing you have not actually been riding with me on any group rides ay? 😕

an awful lot of people wouldn’t even think of doing a downhill course on a smaller bike It’s just riding your bike

** cough ** there may have been an element of walking down the sketchier parts.
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Which in my case was really quite a large part 😮

Kona Caldera HT, 2004 🙂

I was so stoked that even though I had a gear problem and could not get out of top gear at the front I still rode all the way back home! Now that is stoked 🙂 Oh and I was fuelled by white chocolate muslie bars from Poundland. Stick them in your pipe and smoke them!

I just think people should remember mountain biking is fun and we don’t need so much trolling and stuff here. I had a great day today and even really enjoyed the snaky bit through the first bit of the woods that I did genuinely ride! 😀

Oh sorry – I forgot – it’s the national championship isn’t it. Shows you how much I know about DH 😀 But world class riders have ridden it which is pretty much the same thing in my mind.

are we all talking about the same Ae here?

Ah I keep forgetting that the world championship DH track at Ae is a mere towpath for ye riding gods of STW 😀

Heh

Just thought I’d have a bit of fun today. I must have walked down around 70% of the course I reckon. It is totally different to seeing it on the tv or youtube where you just can’t get a feel for the steepness and gnarliness! Maybe I could ride a bit more of it with a DH bike who knows? 🙂

Last week I got up to 60, but was really tired and only did 15 in the final set. So instead of progressing to week 3, I am now back to week 2 column 2 again. Still feeling like I am progressing though.

Born in Dumfries and now “stranded” in Dumfries at my folk’s due to not being able to be in Brazil until May with my fiancee as visa rules mean you are only allowed to be in Brazil for 6 months out of every 12.

However, if you are going to be stuck somewhere, Dumfries is pretty awesome. I’ve been working very hard writing a new book, and been keeping fit on my bike with some most excellent fellow mountain bikers and tracks we have up here. I don’t have a car so been mainly doing road rides with some fire roads type riding
🙂

I’m waiting for a big ride tomorrow – had stuff to do today. It is supposed to be sunny up here tomorrow – fingers crossed.

Oh right OK – I guess I have missed something then.

It is tragic, but I keep saying to my fiancee that it really is encouraging that there are groups trying to make a difference.

Last week (I forget his name) the founder of Critical Mass came to Brazil to speak at a conference on cycling.

I don’t know if any is interested in this story, but this report has a good video with footage of the evening’s protests.

http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/noticia/2012/03/video-mostra-protesto-apos-morte-de-ciclista-atropelada-por-onibus-em-sp.html

Some speak of the dangers to cyclists, the lack of respect, and others talk about the eco benefits of biking and the benefits to the city.

Cheers folks.

i am writing a piece on the holons, and wanted to have short piece looking at the different uses of this word in different disciplines, but I may have to rethink this!

I was thinking about buying a netbook. Would I be able to upgrade next year when a netbook version comes out do you think?

Can anyone recommend a good search engine then that isn’t google and that is at least quite good?

I really would not want to read a magazine that I was featured in. Given that no one commented on my ride photos today, I feel that this observation is bourn out with evidence 🙂

Yeah, that is fair enough, but the Flower of Scotland theme was meant for Scottish people, in so far as the campaign is mainly focussing its efforts in Aberdeen. It was meant to provoke a reaction in Scottish people, as opposed to anyone not Scottish. Also, my blog is widely read in the US and Latin America, and hence written with an international audience in mind too.

Also, I just felt really sickened by Alex Salmond now getting into bed with Rupert Murdoch and saying how he was fighting for Scottish people. No he isn’t.

Martin

My understanding was that the BBC’s Panorama team were invited to make a documentary because the system designed to protect Hollie had failed. However, the team were told that if they continued they would never work again.

So what we have here is not an isolated case I feel. These people have friends in very high places for this co-ordinated effort to have taken place.

And now we see just how bad the systemic corruption is with the phone hacking scandal. Same story – Police not interested in investigating.

The British public put really make a difference overnight if they stopped buying the Sun, but it seems that that is not going to happen any time soon.

Cheers folks. Robert Greig died in a car fire in very suspicious circumstances. Robert Green looked after Hollie and her mother after they escaped to England. He was prosecuted last week for handing out leaflets, and is now in prison for one year.

This Friday there is a court meeting in secret, and the result could be that social services take Hollie away from her mother. I have a second article here[/url].

I feel quite sad. I feel quite sad at the systemic corruption, and I also feel quite sad that it seems that The Sun on Sunday sold around 3 million copies, although that was an estimate and could be over estimated by News International.

But to put Church’s payout into perspective, I have been campaigning to get justice for Hollie Greig, a Down’s Syndrome suffered who was sexually abused, but who the police refuse to help. I have written an article about the case here:

Where are Scotland’s Bravehearts?[/url]

These are just not such glorious days for the UK.

Well, I was only joking about the Ratner reference. Hope no offence was taken.

In all honesty, I showed the photo to my fiancee and she thought that it was very creative 🙂

Oh no, STW has its very own Gerald Ratner moment!! 😯

Thanks, makes a change from the tasteless tat I often get asked to make

Another great video – I doubt I could ride most of that!

That looks great. I had a quick ride on Trekster’s Dawg and just loved it. He has the same frame. I am sure you will have many hours of fun riding on that : )

Had a fantastic ride today exploring new hidden secrets in Daleswinton woods 🙂

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26th February[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

What a crazy day of football all round! Three mad games.

Brilliant! I am not exactly too sure what your job entails, but if you’re happy then I’m happy – well done 🙂

I know I should start collating this info and get writing but I am in the middle of my current book and have also been commissioned to write a 10,000 word piece for a journal! Maybe I should try and get some interviews down on video for people to watch.

I am going to be doing my second set later today. My god my muscles were aching yesterday!!

And yeah, I can’t wait to try out the new Mabie. Does anyone know when it will be ready and officially open to ride?

What a great little thread this is! Trekster and I were chatting some weeks ago about how it would be great to have the history of the Stanes recorded somewhere as I was asking him the same question.

If you are in Leeds then definitely it is worth a visit!