My Merc is 2nd hand – and they don't even offer it in manual.
Many cars simply don't come with a manual option.
It looks great, goes well and if I want to have real fun, I hook up the car or m'cycle trailer and we trundle off to a track day or a race meet.

Proof positive that the fast guys & gals don't need to own ballistic missiles on the road – we practise our race craft on the tracks of the UK and Europe. Moreover, many of the fastest, most experienced racers I know have what might be described as mundane road cars (by comparrison to the cars / m'cycles they also own). Even my single seater fast jet (Harrier) pilot pals have people carriers.

The difference between those that simple "are" and those who "want-to-be's" (otherwise known as the Walts – after Walertmitty). Reading many of the above comments I think there are many Walts about!

Ha!
Don't kid yourself.
B'rum is short (a truncated form) for the city of Birmingham.

You only need view post after post, reply after reply to see that punctuation seems to be, at best, forgotten about in the interests of quicker typing.
In time we'll end up with all manners of horrors, some of which seem to creeping into some peoples' diction such as "gotten" and "gonna" being my personal "favourites".

Thanks.
Keep them coming. I'll make some enquires from the links above.

PS – surely any word truncated ('tis, they're, we're, 'phone, it's (case in point!) etc) has the ' added.

The sound of silence.
No one is going to own up to owning a Skoda Fabia, be serious!
Nice try though.

Mine did not snap (clavicle) but inpacted into the joint causing all manner of damage.
The ligaments still won't calm down and I can't raise my arm above my head with any weight.
That was 5 (?) years ago.

Take a leaf out of Sir Ran' Feinne's Book and Be a Man.

HERE[/url]

Wear some tights under your shorts. Works for me.

What colour did you buy?

I've yet to see a light 5 Spot, but the Flux can be built to around 25lbs (possibly a little less?).

I see it as a 100mm travel bike both front & rear though as it's great on the climbs, so why sacrifice this with a 130mm or so front end?

It's not a weight-weenie bike / frame, it's too robust for that, but it's got just about every base covered & will give you years of service. The DW link is supposed to be the better of the sus' designs too.

Get on and buy one, you know you want to! :wink:

There was mention of re-homing a dog earlier in the thread.
No way will a RSPCA re-homing volunteer allow you to take one of their dogs.
I know, a lady with whom I walk every morning was very dismissive of you & your wives work schedule.

Don't be fooled into thinking your way around this as you simply aren't & won’t be there for the dog.
At it stands, your circumstances are wholly incompatible with having a pack animal to share your lives, in fact the charities pounds are full of dogs whose owners though it’d be a good idea to subject a dog to hours of isolation and abandonment, such as you are suggesting, then having 2nd thoughts.

Remember many charities destroy the dogs they receive if they are not re-homed within a certain time frame. The bottom line: Do not become dog owners as I don’t doubt for one moment that you will end up handing your dog over to such a charity since you & your wife’s lifestyles are completely unsuitable for dog ownership. Period.

Apologies for being so blunt!

it is unfair on thw dowg?

I've had dogs since 8, I work from home and at present have two, 4 legged companions.

You already know the answer. No.

cynic-al – Member
Don't think there's anything you can do bar TPS.

That's the point of the post Cynic-al – there is a service that is enforceable by law in the UK, so your reply is wrong. I have provided a link to help out.

For us, it's the calls that come into us from India, these are what I'm now trying to get to grips with; and as some of the more educated replies have suggested, it's easier said than done.

However, I think Sam's reply is the "best". Twice! Try several hundreds of times Sam!

Maybe if you'd let them speak the first time, they wouldn't have rung you back twice.

Clubber – be thankful it wasn't a cab company's old number! Imagine the drunken calls on a Friday night.

Husaberg FS650e Supermoto

and…..

No.
February, working from home, cabin fever, little light in the day time, that's when I need to have an away-holiday as I find I grind to a halt.
Ban February I say!

Probably not a wise move posting up your mobile number.
An email address is the better route.

On eBay from Monday.
Form an orderly queue.
A Works Special – whatever that meant at the time.

I've just eBay listed my PRST-1.
Wonder what I'll get for that?
It's up to £0.99 thus far.

This above Level 2 is the one level riders go back to, time after time to re-do, especially at the start of the race season.
It's worth its weight in gold and I'm surprised no one has adapted the training models used and molded them to the mtn bike world.

In fact, it's one huge difference between the m'cycle & mtn bike world – very few mtn bike riders actually take formal tuition to improve their riding abilities, whereas it the complete opposite in the m'cycle world. I've spent thousands on advanced m'cycle instruction but nothing on mtn bike courses to improve my ride skills.

Link to more here, but in a nut shell….

To be honest, I've always surprised the mtn bike magazines and web forums aren't awash with this sort of basic information, basic in that it's something to employ & practise on every quick ride. It's a m'cycle rider's bread & butter, especially out on track; this and counter steering and pick-up drills (to a point).

It's easy to prove that target fixation is every rider's worst enemy and it has many forms. Training your eyes is the key to smooth, fast and confident riding. Level II brings them into focus and helps you to build on the solid foundation of understanding all or what you achieved from Level I. “The eyes have it.”

1. What is a reference point and how many do you need for each and every turn you ride?
2. What is the key to improving a riders understanding of their riding space and can you create and use more?
3. What do you do when you restrict your vision and how do you cure this?
4. What is the best way to use your eyes to the maximum and gain the most information with the least effort?
5. What signals the end of a corner? Can you change it or are you a lazy end-of-turn rider?

A rider's visual skills are the ultimate foundation of his riding, the more you see, and the more confident you are. The better you can interpret what you see the easier and more confident riding becomes . In other words, you are as good as your visual skills, no better. If you don't know where you are then it is very difficult to decide where you want to go and how to get there. Level II addresses this vital aspect of riding. As always, one step at a time.

1. Ride with cornering precision.
2. Have a choice of lines.
3. Have more space in the corner. More space equals more time and ‘rhythm’
4. Cure target fixation, any rider’s worst enemy.
5. Drive harder to the next turn – just like the MotoGP guys!

Vision is everything and after Level II you will know how it works and how to avoid and beat the pitfalls that you naturally have. You will beat the survival reactions that make you do the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place.

Your mother was doing you a favour when she told you to look where you're going.

Erm, no.
This is exacly the point.
You don't want to look where you are going (look at where the bike's front wheel is pointed) but where you want to end up (where the head & eyes are facing).
The two are not the same.

HERE

It's called Target Fixation and something you can really work on both out on the trails and on the roads, be it in a car, bike, whatever. It's an advanced skill that can be both taught and learnt.

It's about where you look, especially when having a "moment", you must look at where on the trail, road etc where you want to end up.
Look at the obstacle and that's what'll happen.

I've just Googled and there's a Wiki entry. Ask any advance m'cycle rider / racer and they'll tell you about it & the training involved to try & combat it.

I sold my 26er HT* in favour of a Ti On-One 29er HT.
That was a good move as it's far more involving.
Kept the 4 inch FS, which was wise.

Sold the road bike (got almost +50% for what I paid for it), next up this week is the Whyte FS which I've not ridden in 2-3yrs.

*It was a Pace RC300 – which everyone seemed to lust / reminisce over.

That's summer 'round these parts.
Pretty much a constant tingle on both legs from dozens of them on every ride.

1) wear longer socks
2) have hairy lags
3) the pain from the stings is not cumalative so a 10ft patch of stingers is the same as a 100ft patch of stingers.

Ronnie Biggs has had all his punctuation stolen.

If anyone can help with this crime please call the usual Crime Stoppers Number.

That's the second :wink: crime I've witnessed this evening!

At best, a work-man like performance.
USA were excellent in defence and goal.

England always start badly, it's a rule, a bit like the first 1/2 in the FA Cup Final – don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.

On that performance, just hoofing the ball up-field or continually passing it back to the keeper (anyone tell me why?) – can you honestly imagine what a mess it'll unravel to reveal once England come up against any South American side with flair, passion, close-ball skills and some of their wonderful over-lapping play?!

I feel many head-in-the-hands moments on the horizon if they don't adopt Terry's policy of wearing long stockings & doing his shirt buttons up; and someone please tell the players the words to our National Anthem!

Try the XC Racer web site too.

PS. Don't go expecting mind-blowing singletrack – the Newcastleton section is the undoubted highlight – assuming you've got the concentration to enjoy it after 70 odd miles…

Nowhere has 50 miles of single track in the UK BWDog! Even Dalby's 38km has loads & loads of places to overtake throughout the trail & that's the longest in the UK I think. Trolling won't make the ride any easier! :wink:

Today I sold a 2nd hand pair of 1 yr old £60 bib shorts.
Would you buy my used-for-a-year bib shorts?
Me neither.
£20.

Every time I go back to mine (05?) from the Ti29er, I remember why it's the weapon of choice at many of the trail centres and my longer distance adventures.

I was out on it last night and it makes my clumbsy riding look 1/2way competent. It never really feels quick (29ers always feel quick somehow), but timed sections tell otherwise, so did my ride mates last night once I'd waited for them !

It's an effortless ride and that's what makes it such a joy to be on – you'll start adding 1 or 2hrs to your routes once you have one & not be fatigued, I'm not sure how it does that TBH!

I've never read a bad word about them & they've got to one of the better looking bikes out there – I like the silver ones as above, in particular.

I was standing in it all day until the MBR guys came off the hill at the very end.

On the strength of that day & the resultant images I shot events for them at Glentress, Dalby and the White's Enduro. I just happened to be there with some others to ride Afan (inc' njee) that w/end & as always, I had my camera kit with me, so I approached the organisers on that Sunday morning – and we went from there.

A good case in point.
A remote flash unit behind the tree to light the rider's face would personally have been preferable (from a professional's view point), and again, all those images are being given away for free.

duffmiver – Member
we live in a sh1te country, with a sh1te government, sh1tey weather, and it's full of little sh1tes that run around shooting people because the police are sh1te!

Is that a referemce to SA?
I'd always fancied going there – but I'm not so sure now.
Maybe I'll stay at home and hold a pint of warm beer for 90 minutes whilst someone explains to me the onside tarp.

What always bemuses me is the collective happines / misery the country decends into depending on the result. Maybe they should all be 11-11 draws with each man scoring and and inside for tea and sanwiches afterwards – or am I getting confused with cricket?

It means that the trails will be fairly quiet, even more so the roads.
Should be some good training to be had.

Mr Woppit – Member
English people are not unpatriotic, we just don't generally feel the need to shout about it all the time.

+1

USA 1: England 0.
Oh, sorry – did I ruin it for anyone?

Not helped by not having a pit crew but having instead in tow my 14yr old Lab and a 12yr old other dog (TriColourCardiganCorgie X Collie) who both needed looking after, so I never managed more than 15-20 mins rest per 2 laps. That w/end's racing & experience prompted me to try the 24hr solo championships in May, which again, I was very pleased with, all things considered.

Yes, not far from the bottom.
Shot in Jan / Feb (?), it had rained all day, which turned to snow later in the day. Standing around getting pretty cold, waiting for riders to appear out of the gloom – the price one pays for a good picture, how I suffer for my art! :wink:

If the training continues unaffected by injury then I see 5th being feasable.

An extra 5 laps over last year? 25% further? Unless you were really not 'on the ball' last year that's a massive ask!

What you fail to see is last year's pdf – one of us fell asleep for 4hrs after puking for Britain at 3am when laps should have been ridden.

It'll damn near kill me / us, but we're both of the same mind set & I think we can improve a little over last year, not get sick & so I think clinching 5th would, with a combined age of over 100, be a real achievement.

29HT for me, although I'll have the 4 inch Turner Flux with me if I feel the body is getting a little tired / battered.

Not me though.

I'd go for a L.
My Flux is L and I have a 31 inside leg and I'm 5:10:5. "Normal" build.

There was a comment that a lack of creative merit was being exhibited by race photographers.
As retort:
The above image was used extensively by one publisher in 2009 to promote a bike demo series, both on their web site and in one of their magazines. It was well received. It sold zero prints.

It's pretty funny – I was basically slagging off Ti29er too – but he's somehow managed to see it as a complement

Not at all – I've merely turned it on its head & used it to my advantage, although you failed to see it thus. :idea:

Another post hit the nail on the head: photography has changed beyond all recognition, when film was employed there was a clear demarcation where those who had taken courses, be they degrees or other courses (my own is a post grad diploma), had studied it at made it our chosen professions, and went out and made a living from taking pictures.

Since the advent of digital, the profession has seen a raft of amateurs taking up what was once the domain of the professional, and I can't really think of another profession that has been so "invaded" (for want of any other term) by amateurs who have made inroads into what was previously the professional photographer’s domain. Mountain biking photography, and in particular, wedding photography would be two very clear examples.

It’s one reason why I personally can’t afford to give all my earnings away from any given event, and who’d expect us to since these events are clearly income streams – although I’ve photographed two events for free thus far in 2010 (RSPCA & UNICEF) and a % of the sales at another (Clic24 for the past 3 years).

By & large, these events don’t return that much income & I’ve had no complaints to date (aside njee’s silly snide remarks) & people continue to buy prints & magazines continue to print the work so it’s clearly a sustainable business model; you just have to choose your events wisely – and have other strings / clients to your bow / portfolio (see Jaguar image above). :wink:

PX3 Awards.

I think it’s also worth noting that one man meat is another’s poison and photography in particular is very much a personal perspective.

Even a cursory look at the famous PX3 International Awards would reveal that I won outright the Automobile (professional) category, scored a 3rd in another and was awarded 5 commendations, perhaps revealing more about njee’s visual illiteracy & unnecessary snide comments than mere words on a web forum.

A sound illustration of what Grum was saying, concentrate upon sales & marketing & the rest will fall into place.

May seem like "Toys out of the Pram" but when some snideness pops up and slags your life's work off, a little defence is called for.