>Is there such a thing, a descent you will go back to time after time<

Err no quite frankly. Far too busy exploring those I haven’t done.

And who overrates the Buchaille as an mtb descent? It’s not even on the radar of 99.999% of the riding population.

Convert beat me to it.

Just rewatched the video and the exit (or rather non exit) from that loop was basically directly over the road.

>Display flying does carry an inherent risk<

Aye, so do it well away from busy main roads. Simple as that really.

>While I remember, the local name for this route is the “Trans Fisherfield”.<

Hilarious.

Epicyclo – serious question: did you ride the Lairig Ghru in that contraption?

Loch Maree

Better get it up on bricks as well in case someone nicks the wheels 😉

**** me – have you nothing more important to worry about?

Easy:

http://www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/wetsuits-1.html

No problemo – unless you are using a Sh1tmano chain of course.

Yup it can.

Had a similar problem and resolved it by getting the seat post welded into the frame (efffectively replacing the seat Collar)There’s plenty of meat in a seatpost relative to the tubing so you wont get distortion issues. And the post will help brace the junction…

Okay so I’m not going to be dropping my post and if it snaps for any reason I’m gubbed but like you I’ve had my money’s worth out of the frame anyway.

In reality Falkirk is no better or worse than most towns in Scotland and yes, it does have very good rail links to both EH and GLW.

As others have said if you want “nice” then you’ll need to pay a premium. Linlithgow is very nice as is B of A, parts of Stirling and Dunblane. Expect to pay upwards of 25% over Falkirk prices. Dollar and parts of the Fife riviera also okay but only reasonably commutable to EH. Similarly if you want to commute in to GLW there are some nice towns and villages further West (Killearn, Strathblane etc) Then you’ve got the New Towns like Cumbernauld and Livingston which have good transport links and low cost housing but are cultural and visual dead zones imo.

>I’m no stranger to OS map based “adventure”<

‘course you are. That’s why you’re on here bleating about PM guidebook 😉

Zermatt all the way.

Tignes and many of the higher French resorts are god foresaken places in Winter – in Summer they are even more grim.

>Or are they likely to tell me to sod off a MRI is to expensive or refer me straight to Orthopaedics for they’re opinion first.<

For a knee sprain? Hopefully…

>I believe that taking her out was a net benefit to her. That’s my honest “justification” to myself and I wouldn’t have done it if I thought otherwise.<

Bullsh1t.

You took her out because it was clearly a £net benefit to you.

Wallpaper paste and some liquidised peas – that should be about close enough.

Usual bunch of folk spraffling on about the kit.

It’s your technique mate (or lack thereof)

Get a one to one off a decent instructor – its the best money you’ll ever spend

Some bamboos that would do this I believe.

Yeah had major problems with a Fritzz. Not sure if your model is the same but mine only works with a shadow mech so if you have the wrong mech / hanger combo there no way it will shift. However there’s another couple of potential issues with syntace system (assuming yours is the same) 1.) a pinch bolt clamps the threaded female insert on the drive side / also locks the mech hanger in place. On mine the mech hanger has a small (male) nib which locks into a female socket on the underside of the drop out. Great idea except it’s got several degrees of movement i.e when you nip up the bolt you can rotate the hanger a few degrees. That’s enough to cause shifting problems. 2.) if your drop outs are misaligned i.e not perpendicular to the axle, as soon as your crank up that axle (which exerts a lot of force) the axle can pull the drop out, out of square with the axle.

3M do a citrus based spray (black label blue writing) Far better than all that stuff listed above.

Funkydunc has it pretty much spot on.

Based on your requirements Id get the 320ED Touring with the business pack with heated leather seats and Satnav (should be enough of those around if you keep looking) The I drive thing is superb….

With the longer wheelbase the 3 will be a far more relaxed drive on your mileage than the 1 ( I have both cars)

As others have said make sure you get the latest model in Touring guise. Note: the latest saloon does not have flippable rear seats so it’s totally impractical in my view.

Agree with most of the above though why anyone would want a Saloon over the Touring is beyond me. Even with the flippable seats they are irritatingly impractical for carrying anything oversized / outdoors stuff.
Not sure when they introduced the Efficient Dynamics but they are very economical. Only downside is ground clearance which is pretty shit tbh. Pretty much any 3 series with a powerful engine is a very capable mile muncher. I’ve now got the 320D ED Touring and knock in > 40k p.a – few niggles but overall its a brilliant car.

4 pages of guff about nothing.

You can say what you like about Hope but they know how to look after their customers.

Try talking to them instead of posting smarmsh1te on the forum?

Had two – the 186 and 168 diesel estates (give or take the odd bhp)

Hammered the **** out of them / did big mileages and they were great cars.

Re the Ford comment – not sure about the chassis but the engines were def by Mazda

Well you’re actually in the Southern French Alps (I’ve been there)but let’s not get hung up on detail.

Besides, nothing wrong with a bit of combat skiing 😉

Strange comment…

Not been skiing abroad for years but I’ve seen a hell of a lot worse then this outlook for early January:

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/snowreports/snowconditions.aspx#.VKe0sdKsV8F

Bought 3 of these and they are still going strong. So cheap its worth buying an extra one or two:

http://www.dx.com/p/zooming-cree-q5-200lm-2-mode-1-led-white-light-headlamp-3-x-aaa-3-6-4-5v-117193#.VKV5BdKsV8E

Managed to cycle from Spittal of Glenshee to Braemar in total darkness with one of these and didn’t need to slow down on the descent from the ski carpark 😉 IIRC its a Led Lenser clone.

check out Vaude

>Because being around doctors increases the chance of interventions which themselves carry risks.<

But:

>So there may be around four extra adverse outcomes in every 1000 planned home births compared with ones planned in obstetric units.<

Good enough for me.

Similar experience to WML here also. So from my own personal perspective I can’t really understand why anyone would want to deny their wife and child immediate access to the best possible care.

Some very tolerant people…

Mine was supposed to be with me 2 weeks ago. On the day (more or less) it was due to ship I got a generic email with a rather non excuse stating there had been a production delay / that it would take another 4+ months. And this after a 3+ month wait.

Unlike some of the others above I wasn’t interested in being palmed off with free stuff I didnt actually need – I wanted the bike and I wanted a proper explanation. The whole experience had a distinct air of BS about it but I sent them a polite email specifically asking them to call me. To be honest, had someone from Canyon actually taken the trouble to get in touch with me and provided assurance they could have upheld the revised date I would probably have waited. As it was I waited a week and no contact. I just felt that I’d had my chain well and truly pulled so cancelled my order and bought another brand.

You’d be right about 10 miles – hardly an issue on a road bike.

Grohe – their kit is well designed /bombproof

Just leave it – its turning cold now and they are all going to die very shortly. Except the Queen of course but she never re uses the same nest next year.

>Are my dogs just too fussy / spoilt?<

Yup.

Bet you’ve got them in wee jackets as well?

>Cut the hands of a pair of rubber gloves and use the cuffs to seal the tops of your boots where most water gets in as you peddal. Tescos have black ones that are ideal.<

This.

‘cos it doesn’t matter how good your boots are – they all have muckle big holes in the top 😉

>Oh yes really spoilt. We have pumpkins outside, a ghostly figure thing that we’ve hung up for the last 8 years with a sign too. I’ve hung fake cobwebs on over the outside door, my kids are getting dressed soon to go out, we have a big bowl of sweet for the visitors to our house. Yeah totally spoiled for them.<

If it makes you and yours happy mate – absolutely fine by me:-)

As I said, I personally find it sad that rampant commercialism and the ever encroaching U.S kulchur has all but subsumed what was (in Scotland at least)a great tradition.

My heart sinks every year I see Tescos et al rammed with overpriced trick or treat tat.

Per some of the other older Scots above we had Guising – something you practiced for weeks in advance with an instrument or a poem, or a story. And you were expected to be able to deliver it. Crap 10 second jokes didnt cut it back then ;-)We’d make or at least help with the costumes and our old boys would dutifully hack out a Turnip.

Completely spoiled now for the kids imo.

Home

I found Cube (or rather CRC who I bought it through) very helpful. I had a misaligned rear triangle which was giving me endless shifting issues from new. I just set out the problem, as I saw it, in plain non confrontational language and sent then some pics. They replaced the parts.

I’ve since cracked the Seatube but the frames out of warranty now. Just got it welded (to the seatpost ;-)and its been fine.