Yeah, I mean who would complain about being refused a free cup of water

Superb…

That Specialized above is lovely…..

I had a Saracen Kili comp back in the early 90’s, whether it rode well or not I can’t remember but I don’t think any bike since has been through so much or been as enjoyable….. That was a pure utility bike, my only form of transport (and one I could use under the influence of whatever….)

Thanks for the replies chaps…

Wanted 26″ so I can just transfer parts over. Also small frames and out back kiddie seats don’t play nice with 29″ wheels.

An Inbred or Soul was my first thought but wanted something a little posher, for no reason really… The Hummingbird popped up because I have a Swift and love it.

Tried a wtd ad but no joy…. Who even goes to the classifieds now after the powers that be took the great decision to mess with the format? I guess small frames are rarer to….

I’ll keep hunting…. But if anyone has a 16″ steel hardtail frame drop me a message.

Ta

Just curious – why don’t you wear a watch?

A few reasons…. Safety, habit, no real need and I just don’t like having things on my wrists.

I own a sawmill and joinery business and a watch can get caught or snagged on timber or machinery. I used to but ripped so many off that I just stopped wearing them…. Then got used to not wearing them.

I also don’t like constantly clock watching, most of the time it doesn’t matter, i’m on my own schedule, no set timings to keep to.

Thanks guys…. As I expected really.

Seems a shame to just throw it in a drawer when someone may get some use from it.

I’ll put it up on eBay and see what comes of it, will be something to add to the kids travel fund if nothing else.

Thanks again

If its a beautiful looking thing why would you not wear it?

I don’t wear a watch…..

Thanks for the info, kind of what I thought really. I’m in no rush to do anything with it, asked more out of interest.

As above, epoxy floor paint…

Why France?

We looked all over the usual countries in Europe and nowhere looked as though it would give us the life we were looking for for a price that wasn’t crippling.

We looked further afield, to the more unknown areas and ended up finding a home in rural mainland Croatia. It was cheap as chips, the weather is great (if you like proper seasons), it is safe with little crime to speak of, truly beautiful and most importantly somewhere we were happy to start a family (the UK wasn’t).

It is not without it’s frustrations and far from perfect but is home and we love it….. A million miles away from life in the UK. We live a cheap and healthy life, have some of the best of ‘new’ Europe on our doorstep and, most importantly, my little uns (both born in Zagreb) have room to grow and flourish in a safe, healthy and wholesome environment.

Depending on your circumstances you could also keep your place in the UK and live off the rent…. Places here can be had from as little as 5k euro. Then you have the option to try without having to sell up in the UK to fund your new life……

The harsh reality is that at 40, you’re at just the same age as all the joiners who want to quit to become maths teachers because the physical nature of the job means that it’s destroying their bodies and they can no longer compete with guys 15 years younger in an industry where payment is largely determined on output rather than skill.

I’d think carefully about it and perhaps try and get a few trial shifts labouring to a joiner during the school holidays to see if you can hack it physically  before you commit to a full career change

This….. I’ve been a Joiner and furniture maker for 17 years, not as physical as site bashing but at 35 I feel it every morning.

It’s not something you can jump into and expect to start making money straight away…. You’ll need years to build up the skills and the fitness/specific muscle strength to compete with the young lads and veterans…. Even then pay is low unless you are quick/highly skilled/prepared to do nasty boring work.

I’ve mentioned before on here but if you want some experience you are welcome to come out here to Croatia and do some work at my place…. It’s pretty chilled but the pay is shit and the boss is a wa***r :)

Here’s what we do http://www.facebook.com/oaktreemill

Always best to ‘balance’ your finishes so a good idea to apply to the underside prior to installation…. But not too long before they are to be fitted.

As for application…..hand sand prior to applying the finish, 180g then 240g is enough. Wipe on with a lint free cloth, leave for a few minutes then remove excess with a clean cloth, working with the grain. Get your eyes level with the work stop and you should be able to see any streaks. Once dry denib lightly with 400g or above, wipe down and repeat above….. 3 or 4 coats should be enough. Shouldn’t be any real need to denib after the 2nd coat….

Lots of thin coats are much better than fewer heavy coats. Pay particular attention around the sink…..

What are your walls built from?

Sorry OP….. Didn’t mean to hijack your thread….

We have a website at http://www.oaktree-mill.com

It has not been updated for a while but all our info is there….. Feel free to drop me an e mail or give me a call.

Are you supplying direct to the U.K. or going through a distributor here?

We supply direct in the UK, raw material, part or fully processed timbers and products.

If that’s a genuine offer of Stompy’s you should bite his hand off.

Yep, genuine……I’m short of workers (the country is on it’s knees, all the skilled labour has left, those that are left don’t want to work) and would be happy to train someone up.

It is more machining/sawmilling based at the moment but will be more joinery focused when the new workshops get finished this year.

You can see what we do here http://www.facebook.com/oaktreemill

I’ve been a furniture maker for nearly 20 years and have also done a fair bit of commercial site work so have plenty of skills to pass on.

In a week you will learn nothing……A week isn’t even enough to learn to safely use 10% of the various tools you will need…..

A apprenticeship is 2 or 3 years plus out of hours study…..

I’d say save your money and try to find someone to tag along with. That way you’ll learn what you actually need to know and may get paid to. Practice in your spare time…. It takes a long time to gain the confidence and skills to use tools properly.

If you fancy coming out to Croatia you can come and work at my firm and learn on the job…..

Regression is very common, often associated with an emotional issue or stress of some sort but can just be a part of physical development and associated changes.

Our little Lady has been out of nappies and dry at night since she was 2…. Started wetting herself lots when she was around 4. We think it was related to the arrival of her little bro, attention sharing, jealousy etc. Can manifest itself in many ways, not always a conscious action on the part of the kid.

Softly softly approach, don’t make an issue of it, she is obviously very upset about it. Try to work through anything that is worrying her or causing stress. Hopefully it will pass…. Just another part of the joy/deepest depth of hell that is parenting.

we tend to reward the ones we want to keep.

What an arrogant statement, he is not a dog.

To be honest I’m with Nobeerinthefridge, you sound like one of ‘those’ clients….. You’d be off my ‘list’ of clients, if I had one.

It seems like you think you are doing him a favour when it is in fact he who is providing you a service, using the skills he has acquired over decades, to complete a job you need doing, to a high standard.

A little respect for others would go a long way.

As others have said, mark your lines all the way round. Get a comfortable grip on the saw, point your first finger down the length of the saw (as opposed to gripping with it). Line your saw up to one side of your line (the waste side), shoulder in line with the saw and the cut line.

I use the thumb on my grip hand to line the saw blade for the initial cut. Start with small gentle strokes then build up using long smooth strokes finishing the cut with small strokes again. Don’t force the saw, it should be a smooth action.

Its all about practice and muscle memory…… I’ve been a joiner practically all my life, everything is about practice until it becomes second nature.

I love Jap pull saws….. A slightly different action to a western saw but I find them much more accurate and intuitive to use.

For planing end grain you’ll need a block plane, preferably a low angle…… It needs to be razor sharp, sharp enough to shave with. But planing end grain is not easy and you can easily make a mess of things. Best to get your first cut perfect.

Digging out splinters from my hands….. Especially satisfying if they are deep…. Feel like I have performed minor surgery.

I live here/there….. Not done much riding on the coast but spent plenty of time there. As above, it is rock and gravel. Plenty of forestry mountain tracks, donkey tracks and fire roads everywhere…. As long as you are respectful you pretty much have freedom to roam….. Think about where you are going though and make provisions. It is hot and dry in the summer, heat from the sun above and rock below can get on top of you quicker than you think….

It is mountainous so can be very upy downy, mainly the Velebits on the mainland, the islands less so. Roads will be busy so stay clear, all tourist drivers who have no idea where they are going so are pretty aimless.

I’ll speak to some local Croat mates and see if they have any info on routes near to where you will be staying.

Get inland a bit, especially Plitvice lakes, and you will find more ‘temperate’ single track. I ride around Sljeme above Zagreb, it is great and the buses have bike racks to take you back up to the top…. You’ll only want to ride up it once.

Ugarizza….. Around my parts (just east of Zagreb) you’d be better off with a fatter tyred bike…. The roads aren’t great but the scenery is beautiful and the traffic is low. Forestry is big here so plenty of tracks everywhere, just not mapped and gravel or mud…. Much like some of the roads. You can pretty much go where you like and will most likely end up with a full belly and an half destroyed liver!

The coast I’m not sure on….the roads are better, the new coast road (Magistrala) runs along the shoreline and at the base of the Velebit mountains for the most part and is spectacular. Busy as hell in the summer but too hot then anyway. The older coast road is quieter and there are plenty of mountain routes….. Again some not more than gravel tracks.

See plenty of road bikers about and if you want to trek some then Croatia is a great starting point…. Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia…all bordering….Any direction and you’re on for an adventure and it is cheap and safe.

I live here/there….. Been here for just over 5 years.

It is a beautiful country, the highlight of course is the coast, but Plitvice national park and Zagreb are well worth spending a few days in. Crime is almost non existant, the people are friendly and drinking is heavy….. Food is ‘meh’ …. Think basic over cooked meat and vegetables and you’re about there. Lots of Italian offerings and higher end food on the coast but don’t expect to be blown away.

The coast is tricky…. For a smallish country it has a long coast line so travelling between the major towns can be time consuming…. Especially in tourist season when all the Croats and half of the rest of Europe descend on the seaside towns. Pick smaller towns or inland slightly if you want some peace. Most beaches are stone and the few sandy ones are packed…. Stone beaches = some of the clearest waters you will find in the world.

Rental apartments are the best way to go as hotels are expensive and can be a bit naff. A lot of the apartments and villa’s are lived in out of season so very ‘homely’ and have all you need.

Zadar/Split/Sibinik are good bases if you want to travel a bit. Dubrovnik is stunning, worth a day trip but I wouldn’t stay there and it is a long way down. The north, Istria etc. is very busy. Islands are packed but you can find quiet areas.

Weather is dry and hot June to September…. Last summer it hit 44 so a little to much but mid to late 30’s can be the norm

I could write loads more…… Message me if you need any advice.

I live here/there….. Been here for just over 5 years.

It is a beautiful country, the highlight of course is the coast, but Plitvice national park and Zagreb are well worth spending a few days in. Crime is almost non existant, the people are friendly and drinking is heavy….. Food is ‘meh’ …. Think basic over cooked meat and vegetables and you’re about there. Lots of Italian offerings and higher end food on the coast but don’t expect to be blown away.

The coast is tricky…. For a smallish country it has a long coast line so travelling between the major towns can be time consuming…. Especially in tourist season when all the Croats and half of the rest of Europe descend on the seaside towns. Pick smaller towns or inland slightly if you want some peace. Most beaches are stone and the few sandy ones are packed…. Stone beaches = some of the clearest waters you will find in the world.

Rental apartments are the best way to go as hotels are expensive and can be a bit naff. A lot of the apartments and villa’s are lived in out of season so very ‘homely’ and have all you need.

Zadar/Split/Sibinik are good bases if you want to travel a bit. Dubrovnik is stunning, worth a day trip but I wouldn’t stay there and it is a long way down. The north, Istria etc. is very busy. Islands are packed but you can find quiet areas.

I could write loads more…… Message me if you need any advice.

-14 last night here in Croatia, -19 on Wednesday night…… Cold enough!

““Swearing at a stranger is aggressive and for a man to do that to a lass is bang out of order. But clearly that’s just my view.”

Believe me smell_it your not alone”

I’m with you guys….. Well done Cynic-al, you really sorted that lone female out, using aggressive and abusive behavior was definitely the way to go….. What a big man you are.

‘and you are breaking the law. Its as simple as that’

Ha, a very minor law…. You never broken a law in your life? Get off your high horse….

‘Sod everyone else this is what I want to do is not the same as ‘sharing’

Yep, elements of that, but my dogs are under control, the kids not so much…. And I would expect them to be safe there.

Choosing to ride your bike on what is essentially a public foot path also eludes to your comment.

Ha, everyone will, naturally, defend their own view point…. Mine more edging towards the ‘we share this world, a little tolerance of others and theirs goes a long way to not getting stressed over that which is not so important…. In the grand scheme’

‘Are you trying to prove this point?

I have never met a pet dog owner whose brain is firing on all thrusters’

Yep….The kids, not the dogs, did that….or I’m a little more chilled and worry less.

‘I’d hate to be picky but your dog doesn’t have rights.

You certainly don’t have the right to allow it infringe on other people’s enjoyment / safety in public spaces.

Perhaps if the likes of you were more aware of your responsibilities as a dog owner, and less dismissive of other people this thread wouldn’t exist’

How about you riding your bike in a public space is infringing on my enjoyment of walking my dog and putting myself and my dog in danger.

If you would take your bike, yourself and your self righteous ego off to a trail centre then we would all be happier :)

You lot need to lighten up….. Is it that serious? Really?

It was a dog doing what dogs do, it just so happened you were both in the same place at the same time. You and the dog both have an equal amount of right to be there.

It doesn’t sound like it was ‘out of control’, the dog has no concept of paths/routes and was being a dog, they have no intent above primeval instincts.

Look on the bright side, have a laugh about it….. All part of the experience.

I’m am a dog owner…. Mine are slightly ferel but well trained and come to command. I let them run as I KNOW they are obedient and non aggressive. If they came into the path of a bike, on public land, where they have every right to be, then that would be a random and unfortunate occurrence…. Life is full of them.

If you kicked my dog I’d return the favour…

You were riding a bike in a public space and a dog with no concept of your supposed ‘trail laws’ decides to be in the same place as you…. So yeh, kick it, why not.

I often kick stuff that has the audacity to be where I want to be…. Kids, baby animals, nuns, the elderly…. All selfish gits the lot of them…..

Even accepting it’s a made-up stat, that is a daft thing to say: Ever bottomed out a fork? You’ve used it to it’s full potential. If you haven’t, then you really need to look at your setup.

My set up is fine thanks…. Bottoming out a fork is not using it to it’s full potential. If it happens regularly you need to look at your set up or lose some pounds you big chunker :)

Your missing my point…. All mountain forks used on Singletrack ridden by overweight old geezers are not being used to their full potential. 160mm forks in most of the UK are not being used their full potential.

High end forks, unless you are pretty ace/sexy god like/above average are not being used to their full potential….

* All of the above is nonsense….

Are they though?

Surely a tapered steerer is heavier?

Lighter materials but less ‘stiffness’ and more prone to damage?

Better damping maybe…. I have no real knowledge, just reasoning.

I looked at some new Reba’s the other week and thought they looked flimsey…. I Would be scared to hammer them whereas my 2008 ones are seemingly indestructible…

£50k ish….

I purchased a huge sprawling property in Croatia for £35k with enough land to become fairly self sufficient if we needed to in the future….

Came here with £20k in the bank and a joinery businesses worth of machinery to start up….

5 years on and a couple of little un’s and all is good.

That small amount, In comparison to the above comments, was pretty life changing for us.

I started my business 15 years ago with a £1.5k loan from a very generous friend….. Also pretty life changing at a time when I had been made redundant,had nothing and needed a new direction.

Crikey, that was quick….

Thanks guys, Stirling service.

The guy from Hawaii had a lime green Jones plus….. 7th from top on that page.

More here from the year before….

Tour divide rigs/units/no one cares what CF says[/url]