I think that mine are Humvee. If they are, it's the "popper" that keeps popping open that irritates me. Would be better with a proper button above the zip.
(…and before you ask – no beer gut)

Just had mine back from first ever service with Mojo and was surprised to see that they even apply fresh new "Fox" decals on the sides. Didn't realise it would be that thorough! Mind you, at that price………

Just had mine back from Mojo today, having sent them off 10 days ago. Must be a busy time (I only put mine in for service now because off bike with injury. I would have thought most would aim to service over winter or during poor weather, rather than the great conditions we've had recently. I must be wrong!)

My daughter saw the tick stuck fast on my calf and engorged with blood as I stood in the kitchen taking a cold pint of water after a ride (I might have contracted it from an earlier ride). I thought it was a blob of mud and instinctively swiped it off. Wife shrieked in horror that I'd not "gone outside to brush off the mud", but in doing so, it landed on a tiled floor and we noticed that it was a tick. It left a very obvious puncture hole about a mm across. Thought nothing of it but then developed a spreading bullseye rash. Then had the antibiotics. I had 3 days of increasingly unbearable nausea (I'm not a wimp) on doxycycline, so I switched to an antibiotic called amoxycillin, which I took for 2 weeks. Nothing since. The trouble with Lyme is that you firstly won't notice the tick because they inject a local anaesthetic that numbs the bite. Although it's true that not all ticks carry Lyme, it's also true that you won't necessarily get a rash either. The illness itself kicks in much later and often it's difficult to even realise that there was a link with an earlier (possibly unnoticed) tick bite. Testing is of dubious value in that it's often negative and you wouldn't logically NOT treat if a person has suggestive symptoms but a negative test. One thing's for certain – treatment early (within days) is usually successful and later treatment can be much more involved – lots of properly serious symptoms and prolonged intravenous antibiotics etc.
Bottom line as far as I'm concerned is to be tick aware and to bear it in mind as a possibility if you develop symptoms. The more I've read about it, the more I think that the known cases are the tip of the iceberg (and this seems to be the feeling of experts in the field too – no pun intended)…..and we're the ones who are at greatest risk of contracting it compared to the couch potatoes. No need to panic, but it's sensible to check and see Dr if any suspicion. Most Drs in the know have a low threshold for treating if there's a suspicion because the consequences of inadequately treated Lyme are so serious (and difficult to treat in the later stages).

iainc – make sure that you take your doxycycline with food. I had it a couple of months ago after a tick bite and couldn't tolerate the nausea, but it's not so bad if you take it with a big meal.

Six weeks to heal fully. It's not so much that you can bear the pain enough to ride, but what happens if you come off again before they've fully healed. The critical point is that your ribs are there to give the vital contents of your chest some protection, so if you take another nasty tumble and haven't got the protection and rigidity offered by a full set of patent ribs….
I know how you feel. I fractured mine (again) 3 weeks ago and still wake at night when I turn. If you're short of breath or coughing, you should get your doctor to listen to your chest. It's not unknown for an inner jagged edge to puncture a lung, leading to collapse or for the restricted breathing (due to pain) that follows a fracture to lead to infection due to an inadequately ventilated lung (apparently the reason why they don't advise "strapping up" the chest when you've fractured ribs any more).

I know what you mean Northwind – cycling can be boring to look at, but just look at the other cyclists – elite athletes – how tired they look and how he just totally blows them away. I wish I could do that……….

LOL at Neil's on wheels!

Rugby commentators are the same. How many times have we got to hear "strength in depth" or that Joe Bloggs is a good "servant" to rugby (images of a prop forward, dressed like Jeeves, ironing the Daily Telegraph for m'lud) and that so and so "likes HIS rugby" (no, he likes HIS wife, HIS bike and HIS dinner, but simply LIKES rugby). I guess it's because it's so difficult to keep talking, even when there's nothing to talk about, that the temptation to trot out the old cliches is just too strong.

PS I've spent quite a bit of time driving the new 3.2TT manual and loved that to drive. Seemed a lot more sprightly and only downside was that I kept hitting my head on the A pillar getting in and the windscreen was so narrow it felt like I was driving around in a postbox. I've heard that the 2.0Ts handles better because of having less weight over the front end, but not driven one to know for myself. All nice cars though.

There's nothing wrong with the clutch but it is a bit "all or nothing" compared to the other models. I remember reading it in a review (and referred to in an Autocar article about another car too) and I know what they mean. Apparently, and I've not driven one to compare, it's the same clutch in R32 and that can feel similar. Autocar cited it as a reason to consider the DSG, however, like you Cpt, I don't find it a problem at all. Nor does my wife.

I've got an A3 3.2Q manual and I love it to bits. They don't do the A3 with a 3.2 new any more because of the emissions, so in the UK you'd be looking at one a couple of months old or older. You can easily get 2 bikes in the back. I often take mine to Afan with my son's bike in the back because it's easier to park than the family car and less hassle than putting the towbar carrier on etc.
It doesn't handle like a go cart, the steering is fine but doesn't have the feedback of, say a BMW 1 series and the ride is hard. It's beautifully built and compared to other cars I've owned, it just seems to have a feelgood factor just sitting in it. I've driven a Golf GTI and that's a purer, better, all round driving experience, even if it doesn't have the power. The Quattro 4wd system, as others have touched upon, is really a FWD with the rear kicking in if the front starts slipping. It ain't any good in snow (compared to a "proper 4wd", that is), but if you dump the clutch from standstill on a streaming wet road – or even a gentle start from a wet uphill junction – and it grips and pulls away well, astonishingly well if you give it the full beans. I've had no reliability problems whatsoever with mine and the dealer service is superb (albeit expensive). The only thing I'd add is that, with the 3.2 (and I've heard that same applies to R3.2) if you have a manual, the clutch bite is an acquired taste (you'll know what I mean if you drive one).
All in all I absolutely love mine. Yes there are plenty of "purer" driving cars around, but OMG, give it a ribbon of empty Welsh country road, windows down so that you can hear the howl of the V6 and it's pretty damned good as experiences go. Finally, one of the big attractions for me was that I could order it debadged and without BFO wheels, so that it doesn't stand out and could pass for a 1.6 when parked up (as long as you don't hear it growling past).
PS Bose sound system is an essential option too, if you ask me. The standard amp isn't up to much and the Bose upgrade sounds much better and worth every penny if you like to listen to music.

I agree re: lights. Just thinking that they were better than nothing if caught short and nothing to lose if left on. Jamming the wheels with them is a different matter though and I can see the good reason for leaving wheel reflectors off if they do that.

They were wheel reflectors. I saw them turning round with the wheels as the bike joined the road from a side turning. Do they get trapped and stop your wheels turning often? Bit of a legal nightmare for the manufacturers of wheel reflectors if they do, but if that's a common occurence then it's a good reason not to. (All the more likely if used on an offroad bike with all the shaking of rough terrain too, I guess).

Are you sure, Aracer? There are loads of unlit country lanes where I live and I've been really impressed over winter when I've met a few kids on bikes (without lights) who've lit up well enough for me to give them a wide berth. Better than nothing, surely? What possible disadvantage could there be other than vanity? (Not trolling, I promise. It just struck me this evening that there didn't seem to be a logical reason not to put reflectors on bikes, other than choice/vanity?)

Good men. I agree!
PS Ron – no offence, but with a name like that, there's got to be a double entendre in there somewhere

…and I know that a Hardrock's not the last word in trail performance hardware, but it's either that or walk. As long as it's got wheels and a chain and there are blue skies above, it's good enough for me.

Not all ticks carry Lyme disease but you certainly should see your doctor if you have the rash. I had a tick bite in the spring and developed the rash too. Had antibiotics within 24hrs of that and have been well since. Early treatment is absolutely essential. It really should be treated seriously. It's NOT a trivial rash and Lyme can give you serious long term problems. Well done on your doctor for spotting it and knowing what to do – it's not common in the UK (although probably massively underdiagnosed) and most GPs will not be familiar with it. Testing is not the "be all and end all". It is possible to test negative but still have Lyme. I was initially given an antibiotic called Doxycycline but really couldn't tolerate it due to the nausea (apparently much better if you always take it with food), so I had to have an alternative (Amoxycillin).
If you get a tick bite, you should remove it properly so that if it happens to be carrying the Lyme bug in its gut, it doesn't puke it into your bloodstream when you startle or squash it (you should compress its mouthpiece with the tweezers so that it doesn't puke as its pulled out).
Treat it seriously folks and check yourself when you get back from a ride. It's not trivial and it's not as rare as you think. We are the ones who are likely to get it.

I think that the seaside bit is filmed in Porthcawl (Rest Bay), just down the road from Afan.

I haven't read all the threads here, but private doctors are no more qualified than NHS. In the vast majority of cases the same doctors work in both NHS and private sectors. In fact, any doctor in the UK can do private work (even GPs). There's also nothing special about doctors who practice in Harley St. Any doctor can rent a room in Harley Street (there are plenty available for rent) or Wimpole St and elect to see patients there. The main differences going private are that you can usually be seen quicker, you can choose to see whoever you want (NHS referrals are often limited to consultants in your area) and you can have "any" treatment. What I mean by that is that if NHS treatment is restricted to a particular type of joint replacement or therapy, then you would not be "limited" by that if you funded it yourself. An example is cosmetic treatment – most cosmetic treatment is restricted on the NHS, but there is no such restriction privately.
The "better" idea probably comes from the fact that you can choose to see anyone you like, so if there's a world authority on, say, spinal injury in a unit 200 miles away, you can elect to see that person (assuming they do private work). Then again, there is often little point in getting a formula 1 mechanic to change a spark plug.
Unfortunately the world of medicine is often complex and seeing a highly specialised authority in one branch of medicine can be counter productive because they sometimes know so much about their own speciality that they know little about other areas. For example, if your wife saw an eminent gynaecologist about her abdominal pain he may be thinking of it along "ladies problems" lines and not focus on a potential bowel problem. Whereas seeing a less specialised doctor (or a good GP) may enable you to quickly focus on the actual problem and avoid lots of needless over investigation and wild goose chasing.
Finally, some exceptionally talented doctors choose not to do any private work. A lot of professors of medicine focus entirely on their NHS and academic work and are sometimes compensated financially by the NHS for not going into the private sector.
If I was going to be seen privately it would be for speed, nicer surroundings and appointments that fit in better with my own busy schedule – not because I'd be seeing a doctor who was necessarily "better".

There's a very good clinic at The Vale Hotel near Llantrisant ("The Vale clinic"). Combination of orthopaedic surgeons, sports doctors and physios. They look after quite a few elite sportspeople and professional athletes, as well as members of the public. They'll be very good indeed, but depends how much you want to spend I guess. Worth a ring to find out how much a consultation with a physio will cost.

It's fixed now. It is Cool previews and they've issued an update to fix it. Simply "update" cool previews and it should be sorted.

Yes, you're right. I'm useless at assessing distance but the steepest bit is probably more like 200 plus metres in length and once you're on the steepest bit, it's fairly even all the way with lots of roots along the way to hinder progress. I haven't got GPS on my bike but I should work out the distance/elevation on my phone to give you a better idea. Comments given here are very useful though and giving me a real feel for what I need to do.
So what I'm getting so far is lower tyre pressures, sit forward, relaxed, slow and steady pace. Anything else in relation to technique or bike setup? What about locking out front forks – make much difference?

Thanks, Jedi. Could you elaborate a bit on that? The climb is fairly even all the way, so I reckon that if I get into a gear I could stay in that gear all the way up. Do I aim on building strength in my legs in coming months so that I can get up in the highest gear possible or is it just trial and error trying out different gears?
At the moment, lowest feels "less stable" (if you know what I mean) but I can go on for longer before conking out, stamina wise. Next gear up from lowest gear feels better but can't keep it up all the way.

Thanks, Samuri. You mention gears and I forgot to ask – I tend to select absolute bottom granny ring ('scuse me, vicar), but sometimes find that I make better progress one gear up from the lowest but then run out of puff sooner. Is it better to build up the strength to get up in a higher gear rather than "slower but easier" in the lowest?

Top man, GaVgAs!

Walk? Nah! No way. I've got to do it. How am I gonna do it? How do I optimise my chances?
(Every time I have to resort to pushing my bike, I feel an overwhelming sense of failure and shame in a "hope nobody's looking" kind of way)

Learn to pump?

Yes, rear wheel does often slip (hence wondering about fatter tyres) and when it gets really tough the front intermittently lifts. It's the spinning rear that often stops me. I seem to fare better sitting but leaning really far forward. I know I'd probably do better with cleats because I find it much smoother putting power down on a road bike (less likely to slip?), but I just can't get on with them offroad (Crank Bros Candys – after breaking a few ribs because I couldn't uncleat fast enough, gave up – so now on DMR V12s)

Nice one, Surf-mat. I've been buying clothes from Charles Tyrwhitt for around 15 years. They are quite simply the best clothing company I know. Superb service and the quality of their products is second to none. I've never bought a dud from them and I've spent £1000s with them over the years. Unless you pay megabucks for a real McCoy Jermyn St bespoke shirt, you will not buy better. The sea island shirts, though good, are only marginally better than the standard ones. The 4 for £100 offer simply cannot be beaten for price/quality. Blow TM Lewin completely out of the water and leagues ahead of any of the standard high street shirts. They are the only clothes I've ever worn where female colleagues have commented favourably (several times) over the years on the quality and "look" of the fabric. Never had that with anything else.

…and avoid Next. Never bought one because the cut is completely wrong and the fabric is cheap and nasty. Think of it as the Apollo bikes of the suit world. To be fair, they're priced accordingly, so you pay for what you get.

Can't go wrong with M&S. Good basic suit, but their cheaper ones tend to get "shiny" quickly. May be stating the obvious but it's worth getting the more expensive suits in my experience because the fabric looks better for longer.
TM Lewin are v similar in price and tend to be better built.
If you want to step up in quality, I've been really impressed with Charles Tyrwhitt. Their suits are extremely well made, nicely cut and very good fabrics. Colleagues will comment. Their shirts are simply the best, end of. Only criticism with CT suits is that the arms tend to be a little bit longer than most in standard fit.
Finally, if you've got a House of Frazer store nearby, check out Simon Carter suits. Really nice. Much better than M&S and TML and not a lot more expensive.
However, out of the ones I've mentioned, it's Charles Tyrwhitt all the way for quality and price. They are the £2k mountain bike of suits – way better quality than the cheapies and when you spend more, the law of diminishing returns applies [ducks down and awaits the flak].

Actually, although they say "disable cool preview and restart", I've done that and it's still happening. Grrrr!

I put ear defenders on and dismantled it ( carefully) to remove the siren

PMSL. Don't ask me why, but the mental image of that makes me laugh out loud. Touched a funny bone with that. LOL.

Andytherocketeer, you're a gent. Looks like it's my Cool preview add on. Thanks.

I thought that might be the case, but nothing Google related in my Add on list. Tis driving me nuts! Currently running on "mute".

I'm currently "test driving" an ice cold glass of Adnams Explorer and it's nudging itself up the drinks list, I have to say, on such a warm balmy night. Sky is taking on that orange hue that you only get on the warmest nights and there's a warm wind blowing. Mrs Tinners is bidding for a chilled sparkling Shiraz.

…and I've got a box of hickory chips to sprinkle on the coals (but never used them before), if that helps.

Talking about haircuts – a true story. A family friend was once on a surgical ward waiting to be taken to theatre to have his hernia sorted. In the bed next to him sat a little old man quietly reading his paper, when in came a nurse with a bowl of hot water, soap and a gillette mach3 turbo. Curtains were pulled around the old man's bed, followed by a soapy sloshing, then a good ten minutes of scraping noises with the odd "Ouch!" and "Oops, mind how you go with that razor". The curtains were then pulled back and the nurse wheeled her trolley off into the distance back down the corridor. The old man said nothing and got back to reading his paper. Then, a few minutes later, the surgeon's entourage came round the ward and stopped at the old man's bed.
"All set for your operation, Mr Jones?"
"Yes, the nurse has been round and shaved the old meat 'n' two veg in the down belows too, thank you"
"What do you mean?" said the surgeon, "Your operation's on your thyroid gland in your neck?"
The old man looked puzzled and then said indignantly "Well, I don't know what you people do round here in the morning, I just thought it was all part of the service….mind you I did wonder why she singled me out for special treatment". It should have been our friend who was to be shaved prior to his hernia op. Well, it made me laugh at the time.
Apologies for that slight diversion. Please continue…..

Although it's a road bike, I've always found this video useful in order to understand the basic priciples