Ordered a few over the years for me and family. Excellent service every time.

Grind them out. Either a local tree surgeon or they will know someone who will grind them out.

rivett – backhander is being a throbber either because he wants a rise or he truly doesn't understand current operations. I'd guess a combination of both TBH.

Fair mistake to make – missing a word from a sentence and getting chopsy with someone? I hope you never give or action any basic written or verbal instruction – do you have a bike without training wheels fitted?

its great. Buy one. You'll love it.

backhander. If you could read, you'd see my quote says 'primary school leaver' and not 'school leaver'. Thats about 11 – younger than 14. Your apology is accepted.

I'm not down on the Army – I work with them now and the guys are stars. I was down on the outdated hackneyed views of Ti29er up there and was just reponding to him and his downer on the RAF.

nixon – you don't need to have wanted it forever – you just need to want it enough and bone up and know what you want to do – and why. Your phrasing in your OP read like 'degree-based career not working out – want another career because downturn has screwed 1st choice'. Not saying that is how it is – just how it read.

mcboo – last 3 messes I've been in didn't have fruit machines.

You must have a really nice bike that really doesn't fit you that you really want to ride.

mcboo – nope – fact. I have other sources, but this is a good link that you can believe:

"With up to 50% of recruits joining the Army with literacy or numeracy skills at or below levels expected of a primary school leaver (compared with 5-8% for the Royal Navy and 8% for the RAF"

Link to quoted document

This might be more constructive, after all that’s why we've taken the time to contribute to this thread.

Your second post on this thread was, as you put it, fishing – so don't get all high and mighty that you are adding value and I must therefore justify my response to your guff. If it wasn't, your claim of fishing was a late cover up for what was outdated, biased and unqualified guff that did nothing but highlight a solid ignorance of the RAF.

Your point I highlighted and robustly rubbished above was another example of a lack of knowledge on the subject. I doubt you've worked in the Tri-Service environment in this century, so offer only conjecture and historical subjective opinions. The Army has an average reading age of about 14 years old. The RAF has a higher educational requirement for entry into training, on average, than the Army. There are stars and idiots in all Services, but your last statement was unfounded and factuallly incorrect – and not just biased guff.

I’d go so far as to say that the Army was a far better organisation for having such a rich seam of talent and education liberally distributed throughout the rank structure.

holy crap Ti – you really post some unqualified and splendidly out of date bilge. Your previous 'fishing' post set a standard and yet you continue to excrete waste product. You were part of a military left long behind.

Almost forgot – even Mr Specialized, who hates big wheels, has his FS 29er shizzle fo nizzle these days.

Thank you for your comments.

Your views have been noted by the 29er community and given due deference. I'll pass your wisdom on to Mr Fisher, Mr Sultan, Mr Niner, Mr Astrix, Mr Lenz, Mr Zinn and all the other misguided FS 29er manufacturers.

BTW – is your post a statement or a question? I'm confused.

You are quite late in the day to be looking at the Armed Forces in general as somewhere to go when other stuff isn't going according to plan. Current recruiting figures will see the Army fully manned by next year – many Trades and Branches in all 3 Services are currently closed as they have met their targets.

There isn't anything quite like a recession for military recruitment. You'd best make sure you want it, fit the criteria and can convince recruiters that you are better than the other 100's of applicants – many of whom have wanted nothing else for a long time. It sounds like you are close to applying rather than joining up – application is the first part of some fairly testing times.

Phew – thought I'd had some sort of funny turn and bought a Haro.

I haven't got a Haro!

Who is this imposter? :evil:

I worked for a couple of years with 32 different nationalities on the same site. Challenging and interesting to see so many stereotypes confirmed.

My TomTom One XL has an SD card slot.

Mine seems to be great – a nice compromise between nowt and double and bash.

You'd do well to find someone from the region you are riding in. Having lived in Italy for a couple of years I can verify that the Italian language is more regionally varied than our own. Trying to Learn Italian in Naples was like trying to learn English in Glasgow.

Here is my test ride

I will be buying the bike – just couldn't get it this time – but hopefully before the end of the year.

You've not mentioned the Turner Sultan – which you could get if you decided to sell parts of your body and top up your fund. 29er FS are still a fairly new thing, so not going to be in the core range and thus cheaper. Sometimes you have to pay for what is best for you – I had to accept that a while back.

Some wit has changed the sign when you leave Stamford, Lincs from 'Do Come Again' to 'Do Me Again'. How I laugh every time I pass. :?

Find friends who have dogs and borrow them for a few hours – see how you get on with them. Also – look at how much time and effort you are prepared to put into the dog – training is for the whole family and the dog – more for the humans if I'm honest. Look at how much time you can give it – not just being there but interacting / playing / walking etc. Some dogs have real traits (like the working dogs) and you must work to those traits or you risk a terrible experience and a bored dog.

OFFICIAL ANSWER

All there in official language.

Loved their albums – one of the very worst bands I ever saw live. I was gutted and bored.

Don't get 'best man' cufflinks – cos you can't really wear them again.

If you buy hip flasks, get them with the captive lid – I won't use the one I got as a best man for fear of the lid vanishing into undergrowth on a night ride.

Pensions are a form of gambling relying on the dubious honesty of various wide boys and politicians

Yes, simon – people trying to put something aside for their old age so they don't have to rely on a tiny state pension is a bad thing.

20 texts a day? You need to get a life – not fring!

Aplkit Fat Airic gets my vote – the most comfortable mat I've owned.

Been riding 29er hard tail for a couple of years now and won’t go back. Just sold my good 26er to help fund the purchase of a Turner Sultan which is a lot of pennies but is a lot of bike.

They have got better as the manufacturers have played with the geometry – you’d not go wrong on gurt big wheels.

First pic – no helmet but shin pads :?

spey – I used to think like that – note used to. My wife wanted one (she moved here from the USA, having trouble with our road system – I understand) and it was invaluable. We’ve just come back from a 3000 mile road trip in the USA – faultless door to door navigation across there from our downloaded GPS map. You can’t knock that.
As with anything – driving ‘heads up’ is essential and awareness of where you are a must – but it is great technology.

here, let me google for you

:roll:

They were incompetent, inept, unable to cooperate, insular and several years out of date with most of what they practiced. I was better and more currently trained as a beach lifeguard than the St JA who were supposedly giving first aid cover on our stretch of coast. I was a lot younger and looking back on what they did, with the experiences I’ve had since, gives me a sense of horror at how close they occasionally came to real trouble.

not if you pitch it low at your feet and high at the head end and feet into wind. I prefer a lower profile for that reason. Basha and bivvy bag for me.

I got one in the USA over a year ago now and have found it to be brilliant. I sweat like a fat lass in a chocolate factory and have found it to be the best ever – even on hot days hauling my carcass up long dragging hills.

What about a First Responder? They seem to do a great job and the guys I’ve met doing it were superb.
Unfortunately, the St JA I’ve worked with over the years were terrible with only one exception.

I just see the Friday pervy threads as totally inappropriate on here. I feel very strongly about this.

But not quite strongly enough to have done something about it? Someone else did, mods agreed, end of subject.

freak!

Just genetically where you are struggling to get to Mr Austin :D

36er would be great fun to try – but my holy grail was getting to ride a 23″ 29er – I’ll rest from my quests for a wee while now as I found what I was looking for.

Longboards to shortboards is like 29er to 26er. Lovers and haters – horses for courses.

29er and Custard Point 9’6″ owner. :D

sheesh – I’m leaning against the wall – not sat proper on the bike. Believe me – I truly understand the proper position and, with my heel on the pedal, I had a straight leg. As previously said, it isn’t long to press the shutter, climb on bike and clip in before the camera takes a pic.