@dirtydog, going by Steve’s website and info, I think you’d see even more of a performance increase on a Five (with it’s more linear suspension than my spectral).

Yes, I bought direct and using PayPal it cost me £93.61 I didn’t have to pay any customs charges etc when the postman delivered it.

Interestgly it seems that Fox are prototyping a new shock at the moment which has an air can that looks similar to the Corset. Who know’s whether this will ever become a product, but perhaps they too are trying to emulate the Rockshox Debonair air can ?

Thanks for all the feedback chaps.

Went for a set of Hope Tech 3 E4 in the end.

A few rides in now and I am very happy with them. Lovely progressive feel at the start of the lever pull and enough power to really stop when needed.

Set up was fairly easy, but I did find that piston setup and pad position in the calipers makes a massive diffence to the lever feel and performance.

you might want to have a look at This (Vorspung Corset)

Thanks for the feedback chaps.

Just disassembled and refitted a pair of new main pivot bearings. I had a set of bearings Canyon sent me as replacements a few months back. I took the bearing seal off one side of the new bearings to pack them with grease, but they were already pre-loaded, I don’t know if the last replacement bearings were greased however. Wasn’t too bad a job.

The old bearing on the drive side was completely totalled, to the point it was difficult to turn by hand.

Back end is now nice and tight again. Although i think I will strip the whole back end and replace all the bearings when spring is over.

what bike?

It’s interesting they don’t describe the problem as being mainly in ‘Road Cycling’ although obviously the description in the articles is focusing on road racing, as opposed to Indoor Track or MTB.

I wonder how prevalent drug abuse is in the Mountain Bike Racing world? ….I can imagine the same temptations must be there for top XC riders etc

The only thing I have done to it is change the volume spacer following the guide on the pinkbike forum for a bigger one ?

did you remove the metal bushing from the shock before you took the air can off? If not you have probably knackered the seal (ask me how I know this… I ended up with the same end result as you)

Easy Fix, just buy a Float seal service kit (from mojo or ebay) and replace the seals, it’s an easy 20 min job anyone can do, no need to send off for a service

I don’t claim to be paragon of virtue, I’m far from perfect, but darwins laws mean that business professionals in a competitive commercial environment (technology solution sales in my case) don’t last very long if they don’t perform.

At 300 quid an hour I expect a decent service and find it very disappointing when it isn’t forthcoming. Eg. Bizzare that communications take place by postal letters which take a few weeks each to draft (matters that could be resolved in 20 minutes in a normal business environment).

To be fair I have used the services of another solicitor (not family law) who was brilliant, very efficient, proactively explained process and risk and communicated via email….he even would return calls promptly…or text back within minutes if he couldn’t. The guy was a star, by anyone’s standards.

To add – another useful bit of advice…realise from day1 that solicitors are in business to make money.

They are not your friend, they are not a councilor, they have little motivation to see you resolve your situation quickly and efficiently – it is in their interests generally to string things out for as long as possible. You won’t get many straight answers to your legal questions and it will be up to you to be proactive, ask the right questions and try to drive matters to a conclusion.

One of the few professions left where the customer is sold a service with little regard for prompt communication or customer satisfaction and with little certainty of outcome.

Not a rant against solicitors, but advice I wish I’d heeded a year ago.

HTH

Difficult times, good luck OP

Ref Mediation – don’t bank on this, as your ex may not wish to attend and participate.

Regarding the rest, there is no right or wrong path to take, but be careful of wasting years of your life battling and arguing with your ex. It’s a waste of time and energy….and money, lots of money, which later you may realise was totally wasted on legal fees, for little or no benefit

I’d suggest making sure you live so that you can gain fairly easy access of the kids, see them as much as you can – but also realise that you have your own life to lead and you need to make sure you focus in that too. Your kids are important, but so are you.

HTH, it will get better

Be the best man and dad you can be.

good advice. In my experience, you’ll end up a better person as a result of this, although it may not feel like it right now

LMT

On the other note, there is nothing stopping me taking the lump sum then leaving 3 months later as that’s all im required to work as part of the payoff. Its worth more than redundancy.

this is exactly what I was going to suggest, plus take as much sick as your contract allows. It sounds from the brief info you’ve given that they are messing you around – well, that can work both ways. Plenty of jobs out there at the moment in most sectors. Go for it and realise your full potential

Ok, so if I were you I’d have a ‘firm’ discussion with them.

My advice – keep it friendly and positive, but explain that you will need money to live on, finding a job will take time etc and that you think getting the bare minimum is unreasonable and for them adding a few months pay on is a drop in the ocean etc

Depends on several factors inc how long you have been there and what role you have carried out, but I’d definitely be pushing for more than the statutory minimum. You should be asking them to help you make the most of your UK tax-free redundancy entitlement. Also make sure holidays owed etc are paid. Good luck

I’m the same height as you but with a 82cm inseam and went for a 2014 large, wouldn’t want it any smaller fwiw

I definately like the idea of the engineering/quality of the Hopes.

Rocket man – when you say the E4 have a firmer pull, is it a lot firmer – and if you really want to burn off some speed very quickly, do you find it a struggle sometimes with the E4s (eg. Having to apply a load of brake lever force, when compared with the Zee’s)?

Mactheknife – thanks, have you found that the lever position and bite point have changed much, as the pads have worn ( my current brakes really suffer from the bite point changing as the pads wear down and it’s something I’d rather avoid)

Agreed, but to strike with enough impact to shear a tooth off I’d expect other damage (eg. Derailer)

Really enjoyed that. Amazing Scenery, who wouldn’t want to ride there.

You could tell the filmmakers and riders passion for the project in the end result – Brilliant.

Nice photo, looks almost fun there ….. but I guess it doesn’t show the unrelenting, bitter ice-cold wind that is extracting every ounce of warmth from your chilled body :-)

Kudos for going up there today…bit o’ character building fo’ lad!

I’ll wait till all the snow has gone – I guess around April time then….

Cragg isn’t worth it IMHO

As per the other reply above, I prefer Cragg over Lee Quarry. Cragg Quarry is a good place to develop trail skills and more fun to ride IMHO as you’ve got to really pump the course to get the best flow out of it.

….neither place is very welcoming in the cold/wind/rain though.

Another option is to miss Lee Quarry altogether, drive to Waterfoot and then go up the pennine bridleway to Cragg Quarry. A gruelling climb (I push most of it) but a fun and fast descent on the way back down to Waterfoot after a few laps of Cragg Quarry.

Both Lee and Cragg desperately need some better signage and route marking, real shame they’ve spent the time/money on the trails and not finished off the details.

Have fun!

I’m pretty sure it’s midnight

+1. Easiest option is probably Dalby Forest

Has anyone spent much time there to know what it’s really like for your average Joe Bloggs/Comrade Bloggski?

I recently spent a year, going there every couple of weeks, a week at a time.

It’s grim, very grim.

There is a strata of society who have a massive amount of money (mainly from oil and gas) but the masses seem to have a very mediocre existence.

It’s almost like going back 30 years in terms of culture and attitudes. Their media seems to be very effective and most people I met genuinely believed the UK was more corrupt and backward than Russia.

Some of the infrastructure is very good, much some is very primitive. eg. I flew into airports of major cities, where the airport was just a few cabins and little in the way of emergency facilities.

As an example of the grimness – I was walking down a Main Street in Moscow, summertime and middle of the afternoon. I saw a middle aged couple, both dressed very smartly, he had a suit a tie on. They were laid on the pavement, her tights were all ripped, knees bleeding etc. I stopped thinking WTF but realised that they were both pissed out of their heads and had merely collapsed after an extended lunchtime drinking session – the crowds were walking past them, just ignoring them

I like my POC VPD2’s

+1 they are brill and very comfortable

I wonder how many will vote UKIP out of sheer frustration, as a ‘protest vote’…unless the rest of the parties get their acts together and start influencing the electorate better?

You want an inclusive society, apart from the unemployed, the sick, immigrants

Please read my posts again, you are misrepresenting what I am saying.

Unemployed – fwiw I am unemployed at the moment :-) I am commenting on those who proactively decide not to work, but claim benefits instead.

The Sick – I am commenting on those who’s poor lifestyle choices have led, or will lead, to their sickness.

Immigrants – No, not all. Those who integrate are welcome, those who don’t/won’t are not welcome.

No problems aracer.

Ref Crime, let me change my comment – I’m up for any solution that genuinely lowers crime and deters offenders, especially those who are regular/repeat offenders.

Immigration – Good question. Apart from offending me it probably has little impact, other than possibly erode England’s anglo-saxon culture. But it does offend me, so I maintain my views.

Health – Not saying everyone at my GP falls into this camp, of course they don’t. But a significant minority do. My point being people should be accountable for their own actions and health – I have a relative who was a heroin addict (now methadone) she has led a life of petty crime and has been a drain on society in every respect (police, healthcare, social, benefits). There has to be a safety net in a civilised society, but why should the community have to fund her, given her choice to lead the life she has?

Benefits – no psychic powers, just an observation of some of the lazy benefit claiming skanks living nearby. Impact on me already explained – why should i work and fund them, when they won’t work ?

+1 above

It’s great fun and you’ll really enjoy it.

The blues are all fairly straight forward, everything is rollable. If you are unsure regarding the reds, I’d suggest taking your time and doing a slowish run on each one, followed by a fast run when you’ve seen what is what and where the main obstacles are and what speed you can hit them at.

One thing to add – the trails are generally quite rocky and you’ll be travelling fairly fast at times. I’d recommend considering wearing knee/elbow pads and a Full face helmet if you can. Your call.

let’s keep it clean and respectful guys and have an adult dialogue…everyone is entitled to their own views, even if you don’t agree with them, eh?

Regarding

it’s pretty clear from posts like yours and skydragons that for the vast majority of people getting het up about them it’s largely a problem of perception, based on an over-reliance on things they’ve read/heard about in the media or been told about by Dave down the pub.

and

skydragon » The reason i make these comments is because they all do affect my daily life.
Really? Give us an example for each point please…

Crime – My local area is blighted by crime . Examples – a) our garages have been broken into several times. My next door neighbour who is disabled had his bike stolen, then had the insurance replacement stolen. b) The village has a set of stone steps in the centre of it, they’ve been there for over 100 years, last year some f&ckwits decided to steal the bottom set of steps. c) Fly tipping is rife, truck loads of building waste getting dumped on the edge of the village d) the Co-op store in the village has been robbed three times in the last year – in each instance the police have done little or nothing, because they are undermanned and underesourced. The idiots carrying out the crimes will continue as they no nothing will get done about it and even if it goes to court they will most likely get away with it. The system is failing. the Government and local authorities need to sort things out.

Immigration – My local area is multicultural, my next door neighbour is of asian origin. I welcome a diverse society, but hold the view that if you relocate to another country you should integrate. The system they promote in Australia seems to be the most sensible – move here by all means, but become an Australian in all respects, or don’t bother coming here. I find it offensive when people in my local community who have been here years, can’t be bothered to even learn to speak English.

Health – You only have to visit my local GP’s waiting room to see that much of his/her burden and budget is caused by people who haven’t taken the responsibility to look after their own health. Either by over-eating, smoking or over-drinking. On a related theme, I used to notice a neighbour standing outside her back door smoking. A year later she’s heavily pregnant and still doing the same, turns out that her landlord won’t allow smoking in the house… so she’s bothered about not upsetting her landlord, but not about affecting her own health or the health of her unborn child – Grade A f&ckwit.

Benefits – I see people in the local community who are capable of working and paying their way, sponging off the system. I don’t see why my tax payments should go to fund this, when they could be better used for Education, Supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable people, helping blind and disabled, providing care for old, etc, etc.

Back to the original question -The UK has many talented and intelligent people who are great leaders – why is UK politics a waste land of talent?

There’s a simple solution to all of your ‘issues’ – stop reading newspapers and watching the news. None of these things actually have any impact on your life whatsoever

The reason i make these comments is because they all do affect my daily life.

I don’t really care what the UK media says, but i do care when it impacts my quality of life, or my children’s life.

The crime, immigration, benefits claiming and healthcare issues I mention all adversely affect my local area.

And if you want to live in a society where people work together and work hard for a better future then get on with it. What are you doing in your local community?

Nothing, other than trying to support my neighbours as best I can. The only way change will come, is from the top.

[quoteTo me all of the views you have expressed there will make Britain worse. Both collectively and for individuals.[/quote] I disagree with some of the points you make. But then it is a great thing that we can both have the freedom to express our respective points of view openly.

I’m sick of benefit claimants being blamed for the ills of society. The bill pales into insignificance when compared to the huge price of paying rich elderly people unnecessarly huge sums to live in their windfall of a house; while we punish the young and the unfortunate. Funding the odd scrounger is a price I am willing to pay to live in a tollerant society

100% agree that benefit claimants are not the full picture when looking at unfair drains on UK society. But I do feel the current system allows too many scroungers. Those who really need help and especially the disadvantaged and vulnerable should be properly supported in all respects.

– I don’t want to discard the greatest premise of our healthcare system because of the predjudice against a few “lazy fatties”

I believe the NHS is a great institution and should be grown and improved. However, we have an impending Tsunami of healthcare needs, from a strata of society who have been too lazy to look after their health – why should other’s pay for that? It comes back to the key cultural point of making people accountable for their own actions [/quote]

– I don’t want to see petty crime being punished harshly, irresepective of circumstance becuase it doesn’t work, is a waste of money and punitaive for punishments sake. Rehab is cheaper and more effective but politically incendary in our “eye for an eye” society

But I don’t want to see petty crime go unpunished and live in a society where significant numbers of people regularly break the law, in part because they know they will get away with it and there a few consequences. Again – back to the key cultural point of making people accountable for their own actions.

– I want immigrants to want to come to UK as we are a prosperous and tollerant society, they add value and cultural diversity is a benefit to us all in comabting hate and predudice

I welcome those immigrants who genuinely add value – all others, no thanks. I live in UK and have British values which I expect an immigrant to respect and abide by. I support a tolerant and inclusive society.

Binners – The problem I have with Nige is that he’s not a credible leader for UK, especially on the business side of things and his views are too polarised.

I’d suggest that the real solution lies somewhere between his approach and the mainstream.

Edited to add – it’s not just about Immigration, it’s about the culture, education, healthcare and policing/legal system and this crazy PC society we are moving increasingly towards.

skydragon I though UKIP and the BNP had cornered the market with a similar platform .

I was suggesting that mainstream politics would do well to debate and address these core issues head-on, so that we have a moderate, sustainable and well-considered approach.

The fact that politically taboo issues like this are largely ignored or paid lip-service then only forces that agenda and discussion to the extremes which I personally don’t think is a healthy thing for UK.

If the phrase “hard working taxpayer/family” was banned until June the whole campaign would be a lot more bearable

Why?

– I’m sick of low-life benefit claimants leaching from society

– I don’t want to fund the future healthcare of lazy fatties

– I want to see petty crime being punished harshly, irresepective of circumstance

– I want to live in a society where people work together and work hard for a better future.

– I don’t want immigrants to come to UK who add no value and have no desire to learn English and integrate into UK society.

etc

Awkward and non-politically correct in UK today….but what many people actually think….not addressed head-on by UK politics….If the politicians actually debated and addressed these issues openly, it would be a good start.

If you look at the careers of some of our greatest leaders Churchill etc, they’d have never lasted 5 minutes in the current climate. They would have been lynched on twitter for an off the cuff comment or drunken incident long before they got anywhere near the front bench.

We get the politicians we deserve.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. ‘The problem’ is as much to do with the UK’s media and their portrayal of the cultural values they perceive the UK masses want.

Whilst most people in UK want an intelligent and open discussion about the core issues the country faces, however the UK media, government and establishment have made so many areas taboo subjects that the issues never get properly addressed.

Politicians and public figures are frightened to speak out openly for fear of offending someone….Make a comment about as asian taxi driver in Rochdale and there is outcry and hand wringing from the politically correct. Try to discuss benefit claimants and the fairness of the system and suddenly this is seen as an attack on the poor. Speak openly about poor practices in NHS and you hate nurses and doctors…

It’s madness and I’d suggest doesn’t actually represent what most people in Uk want to see.

Only watched the first 20 mins, utter drivel and an opportunity lost to make a decent program that genuinely explored some of the bigger issues.

Product of Ch4’s camden-living media luvies trying to mock UKIP

For an extra £100 I’d suggest a Canyon Spectral AL 6.0

I went through the exact same thought process as you, after getting frustrated with the wifi quality of the sky router.

Best solution IMHO is….

Keep the open reach modem. This is not the bottleneck, the area that needs improving is the poor routing and wifi performance of the sky box

Discover your sky username and password by using wire shark ( Google how to find sky username and password, there are several guides and it’s fairly easy).

Configure your wifi access point of choice with your sky username and password and connect to to the LAN port of the open reach modem – job done

I used an Apple AirPort Extreme, as I use Apple products and wanted a centralised backup via wifi solution too.

Decent all in one units still might not be as good as a seperate solution and more expensive. no need to mess with wireshark either…

the sky box does the authentication, not the open reach modem, so whatever you use to replace the sky wifi box with, you will need to discover your sky username and password

Bluegrass Goldeneye.

Now reduced to around £60, was originally well over £100 see here

Great helmet, good head coverage and excellent ventilation….unlike a Bell Super (or 2R) you won’t sweat like a grandad at a gangbang.

No more midweek movies….. :roll:

Call me a creature of habit, but I’m genuinely gutted

A drip feed isn’t as good as a slap-up helping