Links, 2,3,4 – Rammstein

Davidian – Machine Head

War Ensamble – Slayer

Olympia – NoFX cover of it is much better than the Rancid original!

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erbii, ok I am the son of god, worship me by sending dontations so I can buy new bike stuff. Oh and have Sundays off for biking and cake.

Off to do some smiting now…

His Holiness SSP – the incarnation of the flying spaghetti Monster*

*ladies will be touched by my noodly appendage.

erbii, why doe it take the exsistance of god to make something amazing? Would amazing stuff be mundane with out a god there? Can't you enjoy this world and your life with out having to "thank" some one for it?

Please re-read what I wrote in the post above before replying again.

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus
said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a
level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the
Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.

Well mental illness would explain it, but please refer back to my first post in this thread that good people will always do good things and evil people will do evil things. But to get good people to do evil that takes religion.

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from people who spend above average time in the wonder of creation too

exactly, is this wonderful planet with all the amazing forms of life on it, the beautiful skies and mountains spinning through a huge and spectacular universe not enough for you? Can't you take it at face value and just enjoy it with out demanding a "why" all the time like a toddler smacked up on Sunny-D and demanding reasurnace that you are some how "special".

And to respond to erbii, yes I am special and I do make a difference. I know this and the people who matter to me know this. Outside of that I really could not care and don't expect the universe to care or give me special treatment either.

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Its all down to enforcement of the law and there is a standing order (somewhere on the web…) from the head of the police that fines for cycling on the pavement should only be applied for dangerous behavior, not because some one is avoiding a busy road or junction. I know in theory the maximum fine is £2000 and this decree was made when this came in to force as there was a bit of disent about it.

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"Hows my posting? 1-800-drivel"

;)

Fine so far according to the toothfairy!

Ha! I must cheated my way through my science and engineering degrees then.

No, but if you atribute those results to talking to a 2000 year old Jewish zombie via telepathy you would be.

Please do not project your ignorance on others, I have explored all sorts of religions and have found them all very "unsatisfactory" I have had, what some would call, a "religious moment" but my rational mind put it down to dehydration, exhaustion and heat-stroke…but I enjoyed it anyway! The feeling of empathy, love and contentment was amazing. Does it have to be caused by "god" or is the explanation that its just electrolye deficiency not "special" enough.

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32:20 here for hilly stuff / winter mud. 32:18 for fast flowing hardpacked trails in the summer*

Not tried tubeless as I use tubes and Slime sealant…I know the weight is holding me back (but not as much as a Wok would!)

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*ie holiday in Caliornia / Colorado!

Marcus Brigstock is playing Cheltenham soon…might book tickets!

Mr Woppit: Science evolves with increases in understanding – religion is stagnent and fixed.

I know which I prefer.

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"Good people will do good, evil people will do evil. But to get good people to do evil it takes religion"

Hmmm…not heard great things about it. Dressed up brianwashing by do-gooders. Think for you self, the universe could not give a flying **** about you. Get over it.

This

and this

are worth watching :)

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Oh, so many to choose from. I have only read The Wasp Factory from his real world stuff.

From the Sci-Fi stuff The Algabrist is a great book with good pace but lots of detail. Matter was a great start and end (if hurried) with lots of nothing in the middle filled up with unnecissary species and travel arrangements. I will re-read it at some point but not my fave.

Consider… is a great book with amazing scope and quite an accomplishment for a first book in a style. Player… and Look to Windward are both great and interesting.

The outstanding ones have to be Excession and Use Of Weapons. Excession for all its high tech stuff and ships minds (including the ammusing bit where a Mind starts trolling a private "web forum" discussion!) has a lot of human story. Same for "…Weapons" which had me crying at the end. Probably the book the wife will end up reading as its most like a regular fiction book.

Ok choose 1? Use of Weapons for a Culture novel and The Algebrist for another universe.

I.m.B fans might like this short film too, shame it was not developed further.

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Sorry for the double post, hamsters are tired.

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Surly Constrictor seat clamp and never worry about it moving again :)

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Waxoyl, available from automotive places (and Halfrauds) I have always done my frames even though they probably don't need it.

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Vassago Jabberwocky – nice steel frame and not big $$$. FixieDave / Slowerthensnot rides for them…reason enough :)

I have the Triad stove but I have just seen they have sold out :(

Very light, can use meths or hexy tabs does not need too much fuel to boil a brew and easy to use. Down side is that the legs sit quite far out so for cooking in 750ml Ti mugs you need to crimp the leg hinges so they open to vertical but not past it…this is not an issue with bigger pans / mess tins. A wind shield is a must unless its really sheltered.

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Some nichewhorefreeridemincelite rider stuck it on when I wasn't looking :)

Depends how tall you are (but rumors are that different sizes are in the works) but the BlackBuck frame from OS Bikes is the best riding bike I have ever had (and on a parr with the Jones fugly bike I test rode) Swoopy steel frame, super-tight tollerance EBB, gear hanger, black and silver with red pin stripe paint :) Only one other in the UK….

I have the 18.5" one (only size available at the mo') and have run it with the rigid forks and Maverick SC32 29er forks. By far it is best with the rigids, it handles like a super quick lively 26" bike but with big wheels and that unstoppable juggernaut feel :)

What you would expect from Mark Slate of WTB Pheonix fame, he sure knows how to design a frame.

$500 + $60 for the forks, email Mark for shipping info. Website here[/url]

Pics of mine here

With bike packing kit

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Bear fence? Why not make sure bears don't find you (like not cooking / eating near camp etc…) because lets face it there might be 17000 bears in the Yukon but there is onyl 1 of him so a bear would be really lucky to spot him given his luck at spotting them ;)

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FoD on Sunday. Me on a singlespeed with flats and Becca on a horse :)

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All I'm reading here is a bunch of armchair critics TBH. Fairly typical STW know-it-alls.

Yep, people who think that Mayhem with a bit of mud is like the Somme…with out the Germans and gas attacks. Seriously some people here need to get some f**king perspective or just STFU as they are making tits of themselves.

People do tough things for all sorts of reasons and one of the things that makes them such worhtwhile experiences are the bad bits, where you run out of water, or injure your self or just plain fall apart. You just have to take a breath and carry on OR sit down and die. If it was all good times and fully bellies it would be a 2 week all inclusive vacation to Spain and every one would do it.

Rant over.

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Perhaps its just you RD. Where abouts is that as I think I recognise it….

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Black Squadron member here :)

The reason I have read for the high number of deaths on the Afgan side is that the traditional method of Afgans having a war was to meet up after lunch in the middle of nowhere, wave their AK47s in the air and fire at passing clouds then go home feeling better for having a war.

This has been proved to not work against squaddies as they do sneaky things like "take cover" and "aim" which spoils the out come.

I guess this is why they are resorting to "road side bombs"

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I have an Iron Maiden T-shirt that is faded through age and washing…not because I paid £40 for it at Cult Clothing!

That sh!t is just Jack Wills for the kids who want to rebel a bit with out loosing their allowence :)

I am old…

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There was a cafe in Digbeth, Birmingham called "Big Baps" pretty innocent except it was next door to a sex shop…I sniggered every day for 3 years when I went past it to work :)

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I, was the same in the 08 – 09 change over, people asking for silly money off the last bikes in the shop in August when we knew that the next shipment would be the end of September! Even when we explained this they argued. All the bikes went at full rrp in the end…often hours after we turned down the silly offers!

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Not much about this year as the bike manufacturers were pretty cautious about the pre-orders for the '09 model year. As it turns out the bike trade has had a great year and many main bike companies are desparately trying to pull '10 bikes forward.

Canondale should have folded years ago

'Dale have been in chapter 11 more times than I have had hot meals!

Some people view of the bike trade is pretty far from reality if you think there is a "Marin Factory" anywhere.

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The only people prepared to work for minimum wage + crappy bonus (hence the package deals they push) and take abuse from the great unwashed who think they are better than them because they don't work in a shop.

I am sure some of them are rubbish but I am sure there are quite a few people on here who are sh!t at their job :)

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Snuf
NoFX
Dead Kennedys
Vandals
Sick of it All
MXPX
Gorilla Biscuits
…and most of the above too…

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TBG – Taiwan Bicycle Guide. Big catalogue of far eastern bike stuff you can buy (with or with out your logo on it) pretty much where lots of the "branded" stuff comes from!

Not sure about custom stuff but I know one UK small manufacturer that is building test frames with specific tubes and having them tested and then applying a weight limit for that tube set. Although I guess that sort of thing comes under "For Racing Only" :)

AFAIK (and this is going back a few years when this was being thrashed out) custom one-offs are not covered as it was not economical to build two frames only to have one trashed!

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Boy am I glan I'm out the bike trade (and esp the bike design side of things!)

The CEN testing is a great example of a simple premis (test different types of bikes differently depending on their intended end use) being taken and transformed into a cobbled monstrosity that serves no perpose except the committe-whores who made it up and whos pay packets depend on an unweildy document that looks good onthe shelf.

Sorry but the test procedures are a joke and bare no relation to real life use of the bike! Even a first year engineering student (who are all drunk most of the time…I know I was) could pick holes in it.

All it has done is provide another way of driving people to buy "off the shelf" frames from the TBG which all come with a CEN certificate rather than try and design something new which is great for the big players in the TBG… The traditional place for innovation was small companies turning out specialist components (think Marinovate V-brakes, the Action-Tec fork or the A-Headset desinged by Pace!) before they got accepted by the main stream (and ripped off…but thats another story!)

Rant over…

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Yeah big wheels with only one gear are a stupid idea on hills. Three words: MTB. Himachal. 3rd.

Only you can decide if it will be fun and that depends on your mind-set and what you want to get out of the holiday.

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Emperors new clothes:

It was not that funny 15 years ago and it's not that funny now

Sorry…

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There is no such thing as coat hanger pron….that was me busy for 2 mins.

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Yeah, but do we all believe everything we read on the 'net?

No but if you can back it up with evidence of IP addresses, phone numbers, names, links etc…its probably safe to.

Some people make a job out of it you know….

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I would say that a WTB Stout 2.3 at low pressure is a great help. Line choice becomes more critical and being able to ride light on the bike help. I have my bikes (both rigid 29ers) set up so I am "draped over the bike" in a relaxed position…don't go for the head down XC race position or the DH all the weight on the saddle set ups.

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Just my $0.02 worth.

Stick with the SPDs as they will halp you ride better once you are used to them (but don't be afraid to change the pedals for certain rides / trying stuff!)

I have heard great things about the courses Stuart at ForestFreeride runs, lots of ladies in the local club have got lots of confidence and skills from them. He is based in Mid-Wales so the other half could always ride some trails while you get the lessons.

Bike set-up is key, and even bike choice. My wifes riding was improved a lot by her 29er with 100mm forks = much more stable, less chance of going over the bars and smooth in the tricky stuff.

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Socialist Track World?

Some miserable people over Leckhampton today but no obvious "toffs" although even chavs in Cheltenham might be considered toffs by some of the Proles on here :)

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