i had a similar letter from a debt collection company in november last year. i rang them up and after talking to a resonable nice woman she said that the debt was 8 yrs old on a finance agreement i defaulted on with richer sounds. she wanted payment there and then by credit card. of course i was not going to give her anything and told her i was going to collect evidence from the bank to prove i had paid it. she then said that if i wanted to pay now i could pay only half of the debt and that would settle it!!!! i told her i was going to contact my bank and my solicitor and i would write to her with evidence and a covering letter. 2 days latter i recieved a call from a very aggressive young man saying if i didnt pay he would send in bailiffs, go to court etc. i have a friend who works for trading std’s and told him what he cant & can do. in the end i sent an edited copy of the bank statements to them telling them i was not going to pay and they were in breach of credit collectors regulations. i sent this by recorded so i had prove of arrival. not heard anything since.

i would’nt just ignore it as credit ratings are precious things nowadays. dont pay just get proof.

good luck

nicely put Matt….

how is the st4 to ride? i was going to get one but finances forced me away.

hi munge

i might have a spare one for you what does it look like? a large black disc or a small socket affair?

aww c’mon boys dont stop now iv`e just got a cuppa…..

i thought i just heard smee say something about your mum TJ.

any of the gran turismo series (real time endurance races!!!)
grand theft auto’s
final fantasy

cheers slugwash & others

rapid as always. nice one.

me.

flashy, vortex, vinny and the rest of you have really brightened up what was turning into a really shitty day. i never knew we had so many plane geeks on here! my old man was based at waddington and i remember him taking me to my 1st show there in the early 80’s when i was a young un. 6 vulcans scrambled off the runway together with such a roar that everything shook including the fence i was holding on to. as a 5 yr old kid i was so excited i started crying!

oldgit im in the exact same boat as you. i work at ITV yorkshire and although i still have my job at the present its not looking too good for the future. i just need to make the decsion to jump or be pushed. both the missus & I want to move out of a big city to somewhere in the borders but its the worst time in the last 10 years to plan this. if you can at all make this happen then you should. every day spent in your new life is another happier day.

ive had a couple of near misses normally involving younger, prettier women. im lucky enough to not look my 34 years and still not look out of place with all my mates who are 6-8 years younger than me as is my misssus. i walked away from society’s blueprint when i was 28 after a series of failed relationships, property & financial problems. i sold everything and went out to france to work back to back seasons. once i finally came back all the friends i had over here had turned their backs on me so i just started again. thats how i ended up where i am now. was this a mid life crisis? i know im a much better and happier person now than i was before.

you could say that im going through another one now as i want a wholesale change again, job, location, direction, meaning. the only thing im keeping this time is my missus. only you know if your partner is worth staying with and i guess you will only have to make that decision when your looking into the eyes of another. i literally ran away when that happened to me! best decision i made in the last few years.

daffy, if that is indeed a pic of you and you can back it up with any more il take your poor but pretty ass out for a drink!

Please take heed of all the advice above. Cesspool really is as everyone describes. i have a sister that runs a boarding house over there. god knows why. the place has no soul. once you have walked 2 streets back off the prom it is the worst kind of under developed, neglected housing estate you will ever witness.

As for the shopping head to the winter gardens and sample the few high street stores that can be found in any town. Then dont leave them as this is as good as it gets.

good luck (and dont forget to get your shots before you venture in)

on and on do you have to keep that thing tethered like the hindenberg to stop it from floating off?

mamadirt thanks for your help.
guitarhero your bike is just stunning!!!

not sure this is going to work but il give it a try
if not can someone work their charms on the link
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/3004927/

just finished renovating it then ended up getting a new bike!

last time or im definitly spitting my dummy out!

All for sale by the way…..

i was tied between an st4 or a blood and had a dally arounf Llandegla on them both. i found that the st4 was amazing up hill, fast flowing single track and just right for the anything that the trail centre could throw at it. the blood was a dog on the climbs as really is quite slack. if all you wanted was to stick it in the granny and twiddle it could do that happily all day but it does need a kick up the arse to come alive. descending though was fantastic, any encouragement to get airbaorne was eagerly met.

after it all the best bike to do it all………………..orange 5.

i settled for a trek fuel ex8 in the end.

seconded on premiere. topcars are pretty reliable too
they always answer the phone when you ask for a cab with. “alo top cars, 5 minutes” even before you have told them where your going or where you are!
they are never more than 10 though!!

i bought myself a week long party in London, Leeds, manchester and finally scotland.

ill never forget my 30th!

All us bods at ITV Yorkshire find out rather publically on march 4th wether we all get canned or not.

totally! we went up last week to glencoe and the conditions were great. they only had one run closed and that was due to avalanche risk. my advice would be to do one day at glencoe then the next at nevis range. that will give you a fair bit of variation for 2 days skiing.

if you go on to the ski scotland website then continue through to mountain access site you can get 3rd off tickets if bought in advance.

make sure you stop for a brew at the kings arms hotel for a bit of apres too. fantastic ales.

good luck

i would buy new nipples as this will make the tensioning bit a lot easier. if you put a drop of finish line green (or any wet cycle lube) on the spoke heads before you build you wont have the horrible squak when tensioning. it helps hold the spoke better too.

sheldon browns website is excellent if you get a bit stuck.

good luck

yea they are getting ropey, i mean they will hire anyone now.

I “ride” my board so when i head out with my buddys we are off riding. but iv been called so many things whilst doing this that being called a “boarder” is quite a compliment!

i thought id chuck in my view. iv done 3 seasons and been away every year in between, im not marking ny self up as any type of expert but living in the mountains for the whole season gives you a good idea of the changing trends. to echo what GrahamS says, its more about attitudes changing. 5 years ago helmets were what the ski racers wore. i bought mine 3 years ago after failing to complete a 360 and landed on my bonce. i used to wear it then whenever i went off to do silly stuff only. on my last season in the first month one of our ski guides had to go home because of a quite severe head injury after a collision on the slopes. the next day practically the entire staff went out to buy them! i need a new one for the next trip out and il wear it everyday (of course im going to buy a cool one which matches my outfit!) in my mind its all about maximising your time safely on the slopes. whether your learning, pootling, carving down powder fields or booting sick 7`s off the park black kickers.

taking a good friend to ilkley to test out his new DH wagon. Its about the only natural place near Leeds that naturally drains well. of course the smoking hot barmaid in the pub at the end is always a cheeky bonus 😉

it has to be the foo`s at manchester Dave Grohl is a rock god. its been a long time since i last moshed!

this winter`s boarding holiday has been cancelled. doing the mega again this year has been changed to the keilder round instead. a friend of mine has just come back from 3 vallees and it cost her a grand by the end.

we are going to explore the uk more this year and save some dough.

yep thats the deal with either stif or all terrain. if i want to try 2 bikes though im going to end up £30 out of pocket even if i buy from them!!!!

thanks once again mate. what size trek do you run? im a touch confused about the whole virtual/actual frame sizing. im 5’8″ but i have quite short arms. if the 17.5 is actually a 16.5 then that would be the one.

keiran your turning into a mine of useful info. i have been offered a trek ex8 09 for a good price. what are your views on this compared to your dale?
it was the lighter, stiffer tech on the trek which is appealing.

i only buy a new steed every 4-5 years so if im going to splash the cash i need to know im making the right choice. i am planning on taking a few test rides but at £30 a pop i need to narrow it down as much as poss

cheers

we did it last year too. its the most amazing, terrifying, knackering, surreal thing you will do on 2 wheels. if your going to camp i would do it at Allemont. the campsite is right next to the shuttle bus stop up to oz. they have a real nice bar there too with a garden and trampoline! we stayed in bourg and getting up to alpe on the transfer shuttles was a pain to be honest. if we went again we would def stay in alpe itself. if you can afford it its the best bet for any kind of apre. there is nothing in bourg.
if your driving i would recommened doing a bit of a road trip incorporating
either morzine,les arc or les deux alps into the trip. apart from the qualifier and mega route there isnt’ that much riding in alpe.

good luck

cheers guys for all your words of wisdom especially gripper!

thirded here too. the whole site at whinlatter is top notch.