It seems an awful lot of trouble to make something that looks like a bash ring!

I bet the hells angels couldn't keep up with him on their harleys

crazy-legs – agree totally. This is where lack of considerate trail use could really hurt us (n.b. "trail" = bridleway AND footpath, and anything else we ride on for that matter).

If we're seen to be dangerous or inconsiderate of the other users in anti-social ways, there's always a risk there will be pressure to move us into the centres exclusively.

Cycling is niche in this country, mountain biking is a niche in a niche, and cheeky trails is a niche in a niche in a niche. The article was right about arbitrary categorisation of bridleways and foot paths. How flipping silly eh? The argument for open access is legitimate, but:

1. We aren't exactly popular with some other trail users
2. We have no effective single voice, and ain't going to win a straight up debate easily against well organised groups like the ramblers, NT, National Parks etc.
3. There's a risk lack of considerate use of trails actually pushes our cause backwards.
4. It's not like the Kinder Trespass. We will not get mass law breaking events going, and even if we did, we'd not get much sympathy from the wider public in the short term.

If we genuinely want to legitimise the cheeky stuff, I think the thing that will most help our cause in the short term is developments like CyB, GT or the Adrenaline Gateway in Lancashire. This shows that mountain biking can be used as a re-generation tool in areas that really need it. It needed people sympathetic to our cause in positions of influence to get this going. They are the visionaries!

If local businesses see an increase in trade due to mountain biking, they'll come over to our way of thinking eventually, cos money talks.

The other thing we should look at in the short term is infiltrating other groups to get a say in things. Thinking here of the example where the anti-hunt people joined the National Trust en-masse to get hunting stopped on NT land. We need to work the systems already in place. Use the force Luke.

Longer term it'd be great to have a powerful lobbying body, but see niche issue above – we're too small in number at present to pull this off without backing from other bodies who have influence.

Oh yeah, and in the long term we'll all be dead, so in the meantime I'll continue to use cheeky trails…..

What we need is something sonic powered. You know, something that emits a noise of an appropriate frequency that makes dirt fall off bikes.

I think I've seen prototypes being tested in the South Africe World Cup

Superstar Kevlar pads – the business

I think if we spent more than £300 I'd be surprised. We had 8 of us, including me and my wife. Well 8 and a half actually. And it wasn't exactly a massive planning challenge. Registry office, then we all went
to a pub in Kirby Lonsdale.

My brother was late, he rang in and was being guided in to the registry office by passers by. We were huddled round a mobile phone with the registrar listening to his progress cos he'd accidentally left his phone switched on. "scuse me mate, which way to the registry office?" [pitter patter, running sound etc etc]. We cheered him on, he wasn't aware…

There was heckling/banter throughout. High point was when the registrar said "you know what to do now". I think in retrospect he expected me to kiss the bride. I actually took my trousers down at this point.

When I see the hassle/stress people go through for a posh bash, I'd rather our approach, but having said that a trip to somewhere like the ice palace would've been good, and I've been to a few good weddings which were expensive too.

Yeah I know, they should make a chick flick about it right?

Three stars signify you are a quite good but not excellent mcdonalds crew member.

I reckon it's a physio job too. These guys are v good http://www.worsleyphysioclinic.co.uk/team.html

That's a Liverpool shirt she's wearing incidentally

We could blank out his eyes to retain anonymity of course…

Adam – let's do the t-shirts. Please can we have a pic of the kebab featured somewhere though?

Ooops- missed this bit – preferebly Dave scoffing his second, in black and white, or maybe the unfurled kebab – see linky here:

http://twistedwheels.myfreeforum.org/sutra6266.php#6266

Thinking kebab tomfoolery may get us some freebies at Turkish Delight. Now that's what I call proper sponsorship….

Rusty Spanner you are rubbish and I claim my £50.

Adam, I lurve you! I'll ask the boss. We're thinking a similarly easy paced curry ride Weds night if you're interested, in the inner city region of Manchester known as Brook Bottom?

I forgot to mention Turkish Delight. End of debate.
[Now where are those kebab ride photos?]

Geronimo – spot on! 🙂

If you want a city life, within the M60 (i.e. in Manchester, as opposed to the places Rusty Spanner lists which are most definitely not in Manchester), there are relatively few recommends, but the popular places like W Didsbury, Chorlton etc in the south are relatively expensive because they are great places to live. Talking small geographical clusters in a big city, lots of people want to live in the popular bits, pushes prices up.

The view Binners expresses is very typical of pretty much everyone I know round here tbh.

A lot of Manchester's satellite towns seem to have had the life sucked out of them because they're so close to the city – think Altrincham or Stockport.

There are hillbilly towns further out where for sure there is nicer riding from the door, prices are cheaper and you get more for your money – if that's your priority? But if you moved from London to Darwen, Bury, Rossendale etc, you'd think you'd landed on Mars.

You need to look and see obviously.

Or put another way, no one "lives" in N Manchester, they just exist. Wot wot?

Rent first and get a feel for the place. S Manchester is v different to n Manchester, salford's an easy bike commute from either. Riding wise, it's pretty academic – from either you're a relatively short drive from great riding in all directions. South Manchester to the peaks is doable by bike but it'd be a bit daft. Most people drive

They shop together

Oh yes. This year we are many – 13!

Achtung. Dis ist groundhog day

Call him Steve.

I am a leper. I ring my bell aggressively. It's in every one's interests.

Liked this a lot, there's a certain "penis cam" aspect to it which is fascinating! 😉

I went to Chennai once, and it took me a few days to be able to hold a conversation in the taxi – I was too focused on the madness around me. You're brave to ride in Indian traffic mate.

Snails or any mollusc type thing. And fish lips. Like spaghetti hoops for the seriously deranged

+7 of us who did a day with Ed yesterday in sunny Gisburn. A real eye opener, got lots of homework to do now!

It's brilliant to have to think about your riding like that, and we all really enjoyed it.

Worth every penny……..

The guy leaving man traps is an idiot for sure.

The bigger debate is interesting – no one originally defined a route as bridleway or path to secure walkers safety from bikes or anything like it. At the time biking wasn't even a thought. It was pretty arbitrary, and we all know of footpaths that should be bridleways.

We share bridleways, on the understanding we show consideration for other users which is fair enough.

It's stoopid we can't use footpaths, so long as if we do so we show same consideration as on bridleways. These laws need challenging, how come Scotland did it?

But doesn't matter whether we ride bridleways or footpaths, if we are perceived to be shredding at high speed especially in large numbers in areas heavily used by other trail users, this will be used to illustrate a trend of turning public rights of way into race tracks, putting other users at risk and causing erosion etc. Doesn't matter what the facts are, the perceptions will be enough to damage our cause.

If we want to do this sort of riding, we need to choose our times and locations carefully, avoiding other trail users like good little boys and girls, or we might see biking pushed into trail centres and time bans like on Snowdon.

Maybe it's time to organise and challenge access rights properly?

Jason and the scorchers – lost and found or fervor

We should have an original jedward thread. I've recently turned up some pics of me with similar height flat top

interesting to see trouble funk mentioned. They were an amazing live band.

Transfering entries is no big deal at all.

Kill her

I was on a kibbutz, throwing oranges at students who'd travelled a long way to find themselves. Maaan

Just come in from a fab ride round walsden. In dust we trust…

They are re-incarnated souls and they have selected your dog for ritual slaughter. Probably.

My step dad used to trap them and dispatch them by hand. He got a cage with a simple trap door, divided in 2. Put a magpie from another area into 1 section and he kept it fed and watered. The local magpies heard its' squawks, came to beat its' head in and got in the trap. Then he'd beat them on the bonce with a brick. Which is incredibly cruel, Probably illegal, & the equivalent of getting rid of a wasps nest by picking them off one by one with an air rifle, but it seemed to make him feel better. Til they got him in his sleep….

It's easy. Just set the sat nav, and ignore it when it sends you through Paris.

Trouble funk – supergrit

I always hated crystal tips and alastair. They walked so wrong

One of my best mates lives in mossley. When an airplane flies over the locals stop and point

You eat muscles???