The Americans see beans in a very different way to us. Beans are usually eaten as a side dish to a BBQ or done properly as done by Mr Oliver.

I can get chilli con carne in a tin – but I'll always make it myself.

Baked Beans come from a tin, and taste a certain way, celebrity chefness notwithstanding.

If you have been suitably conditioned, then yes – they do.

TJ – I'm hoping I can sort the build quicker than your OCD would let you! I'll admit to researching but not like you would do – then again, I did test ride a bike in Arkansas so that was a bit extreme.

bomba – I can't remember riding on bridges – I can only just remember where I live! I'm buying all new this time.

Thanks coogan. I'd just like to get it right first time and not sell it to buy something very similar – that would just be a real dumbass thing to do.

This build might just be for a Turner 8)

I want bolt-thru hubs (it makes sense for my size) so might be heading down King hubs, DS Swiss spokes on to Stans Flow rims.

Soobalias – there are limited options on Fox 20er forks – shoosh.

A bit of C2C gets me going:

World Team DJ Champions

It is going to be 29er

Wheels – actually masses of choice now I have to go custom built
Brakes – been discussed – close to a decision – but what rotor size?
Bars – want widest and highest rise for my simian-like arms
Cranks – want 180mm for my slightly long legs so probably XT
Seat – probably WTB V
Forks – probably Fox
SRAM X9 shifting – long or med rear shifter?
Posh Cables too?
Tyres?
Oury grips?
White, raw or probably glimmer brown?
Red bits?
Cassette? 11-34?

*faints*

They have moved on a good bit, but the custom ones have really got better as well.

I got one in the USA before they were launched over here and I'm really happy with it. It feels less obtrusive on my back than some of the smaller Camelbaks which must be because of the back system – which works really well. With everything properly packed away it isn't that big a pack volume-wise. I like it for taking enough stuff to keep a group rolling for a couple of hours.

There is another month coming :?

Hmmm was highly recommended to us so we tried it. Disappointed, only Alnwick Castle really interested us. Coast was a not as impressive as described but then we are on the coast in Cornwall:-)

You went to the wrong places then. Sorry it didn't measure up.

It is a whole body / core thing and I'd not recommend tailoring it to one sport. It is good overall regardless of the sport. Get pilate-ing!

Down the river to Tynemouth (castle, priory, volunteer life brigade, beaches, surfing, rockpools) where you could spend several hours. There is a sea life centre there too. Up the coast to St Mary's Island with lighthouse etc.

Cliff Rescue and the Helicopters
Floyd Lloyd and the Potato Five
The Toxic Kangaroo Babies

I like the altimeter. It helps give a 3D location and you can look at height climbed and descended – seeing the profile of a ride is useful/interesting/a bit geeky.

BTW, bottled bitter is always better than pump-drawn IME, unless it's been VERY well kept… Especially up north, where they seem to be obsessed with making everything "smooth" by adding nitrogen or "air fizz".

My boy – you need to get out more – or are you referring to the 'North' as somewhere South of the Tyne?

With another denizen of this forum:

Meet at the pub and have a cheeky pint.
Go night riding for an hour or so, pretty hard charging.
Go to pub with beer festival.
Drink more than 'some' and less than 'eleventeen' pints of ale and scrumpy.
Eat one roast pork sandwich.
Hoon down the country road for 2 miles to the other pub in the joint beer festival – just to REALLY get the blood pumping.
Have a couple of pints there.
Blast back to starting pub for last orders (fairly flexible) and more door-closed beer.
Get home, somehow.
The force was with us that night. :D

Ok, I badly phrased that…I mean a non-GPS compass that actually works when you're standing still

They are called a 'compass'. Mine works when static – moving a couple of feet to check doesn't seem that arduous either :?

Don't bother buying the more expensive one. The management software for your PC shows a profile of the ride with the click of a button too.

I REALLY want one built up custom to my dimensions. I think it would just look like a 29er does to normal height people. Something like a 26" TT and a 24" seat tube, with big riser bars on it and no toe overlap.

mark – top right button. Press it until you see the compass :D

Pretty good unit – I'm very happy with it and the open source mapping is great. It isn't OS in your pocket, but it is more than good enough to nav by.

Here – let me

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=business+card+weight&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&cts=1255643953068&aq=f&oq=

Mine works out to 500ml of gin to 250g of sloes and 150g of sugar. 11 bottles of gin in the barrel so far and more to go! w00t! Sloe gin is supposed to be fairly sweet.

Sloes do vary a lot in size. I've found blackthorn with none all the way through to sub-damson in size. They just have that natural variation. You often find the more mature blackthorn has bigger leaves and fruit.

Pick them, squish them and get them into the gin! They all taste good after a few months in alcohol.

Good on you fella. The training is the answer and ensuring you (and family) are constant afterwards. Dogs need structure and you are the pack leader to provide that and the dog needs to know what you will and won't allow. kona is pretty much on the money. Hard work, but very rewarding when your dog is so much better behaved than most others.

Thanks for the inputs so far.

TJ – no Hopes on this build. Nope – not happening. No point in telling me I should – it is not an option. Do we have comprehension? Leave it!

OK TJ

Choice excludes Hopes. I like my Hopes, but not an option this time.

Love the people and the country. One of the more forward-looking of the arab states and long-standing friends of the UK. Muscat is the hottest capital city in the world. Great surfing and diving off the coast.

Pfft – you've not even taken the colour of the bike into your calculations. Everyone knows that a rad colour will be quicker.

Can't say which chair as we don't know your particular issues. Don't your employers have a legal requirement to perform a workplace risk assessment including the aspects of using the desk / computer etc? H&S can be your friend.

If you wnt to build some hybrid wheels, have a look at the Halo rims – I got 2 for £17.99 each and they have built up into some nice solid road wheels. A pair of Conti Sports on there and a really nice ride.

He needs a 29er. No doubt about that. He'll still have to shop about for a big enough frame and will need 21" plus a 400mm seat tube minimum.

Road wheels have a different hub width so if you can pinch your frame in 5mm or so, it might be forced to work.

Oh

ghetto tubeless would be essential.

As long as you can afford the time off work when you stick the thing in your leg, crack on.

Sub it out to someone who does that sort of thing for a living. Chainsaws are dangerous – especially if you are not trained, safety clothing equipped and properly insured for the job. Or would your employers be happy with that?

*opens canned worms*

You missed pedals and grips

*runs away*

Don't make a decision like that on what a person tells you. You have to be happy doing it as you may be doing it for quite some time. You need to go into it with your eyes open and all questions answered.

Start reading the websites of the respective Services and get a bit of an idea what you might like to do. Then go to an Armed Forces Careers Office and have a chat with them there – quite informal and no pressures. Deciding on what might be the rest of your working life on what a bloke tells you would not be good.

Trek FX range. Pick your price point.

Camelbak full of water because anything else makes it gunky. Take a 500ml plastic bottle and a tube of NUUN tablets. Drink water and make up a bottle of NUUN from the Camelbak now and then.

I am not really sure what that has to do with slavery or Bristol.

Pretty much my point. Thank you.

So – you make a statement, then back it up with something they USED to do then stand by it?

I'll whisper the next bit:

They used to trade slaves in Bristol – don't go there – ever. Evil people.

Same 'logic' there fella. :roll:

Worn both in the filthiest weather and the Montane is superior – the design is better thought out in most every aspect (cuffs and hems have a slimmer fleece which works better, pockets better thought out, better ventilation, reinforced forearms) and is much cheaper (you get the hood included with Montane).

I really think the Buffalo would have been unbeatable if they had tweaked the design – but they didn't. The Montane does soften a lot and pack down a bit when used and washed.