Late teens and I turned up at the pub one lovely summer’s evening on my Honda 550-four (it was a while ago). All the young dudes are sat outside on the grass with their beers and smokes. I think I’m James Dean, I’m cool and I’m on it. Rev the engine, kill the ignition, flick the side stand down and hop off the bike all in one smooth action. Saunter towards the pub and then hear the crash of metal on tarmac as the bike topples over – side stand hadn’t gone all the way down. Makes me blush even now!

Hang on guys, I just need to put the ketle on and gets the biscuits out

Don’t panic – This (from a North American pundit):

“There are guys back in the smoke-filled rooms at the Republican National Committee who cringe every time Donald Trump says he wants to build a wall along the border with Mexico, because they know that he’s alienating Latino voters in states like Nevada and Colorado that are in play in 2016. Even reliably-Republican Texas will become a swing state before long, as Hispanic Texans will outnumber white ones by 2020 and be an outright majority in about 30 years.

When Mitt Romney ran against Obama, he barely pulled 20% of the Latino vote. It’s now common knowledge amongst Presidential election strategists that it is not possible to win office with less than about 40% of the Latino vote.”

I just think, what would Tom Wrigglesworth do? The antics of the old folks then just becomes comedy gold … keep drinking and giggling!

1993
cancer cell biology

Rummaging through the neighbours recycling bin and discovering that they read the Daily Mail.

What Footflaps said – successive governments haven’t invested in, or otherwise encouraged, affordable/council housing. Coupled with the selling off of council stock means that there now is a chronic shortage. The conditions of the free-market (the direct result of governmnt policies) have encouraged BTL to step in and fill the short fall – risking their own hard earned in the process …. and now the government decides to starty scapegoating the BTL landlords by pulling the rug from under their feet. Meanwhile the popular press are jumping on the bandwaggon.
Ruined my day (again) … and that’s before the bill arrived for a new external door in my BTL and I’ve just heard that the boiler’s gone pop – that’s no ‘profit’ again this year for this greedy barsteward… but at least ny tenant and her kids are out of an abusive relationship and have a warm secure roof over their heads for Christmas … bah humbug!

project – Member

and being hated by most on here

… well that’s just ruined my day :(

Distance: 6,900km
Elevation gain: 80,032m
266 rides
396 hours in the saddle.
2 new bikes :)
1 broken shoulder :(

Good luck – be prepared for it taking a while. A few tips from the couple of years we spent amongst the French:
> +1 for Michel Thomas as a starting point.
> have French radio on in the background all the time (helps get the ear in)
> watch French TV for something youre really interested in (for me it was F1 back then) so you can link the pictures to what your hearing (note – porn doesn’t count)
> incorporate the French word for things into your conversations with partner -eg boite instead of box, portable instead of mobile etc etc..
> resist the urge to spend leisure time with other ex-pats- go out and meet French people.

Best of luck – wish I was going

MORNINGTON RED-CRESCENT! I think that’s a winner unless I’ve transgressed a rule (unknowingly :roll:)

Saudi South Kensington

so, thanks all but as expected, you lot are making most of this up! I always thought WTF stood for well that’s fantastic… and not ‘what wheels for’ .

“timber – Member

An odd number when I visit my parents, just to throw my dads routine”

This AND… daughter’s boyfriend wading into my weetabix stash like they’re some sort of public commodity … Noooooo!

3 with a sprinkling of Jordan’s nutty museli and doused with cold almond milk. Leave for the time it takes to get a brew on to allow for consistent modginess.

I did three last year and throuroughly enjoyed each one (I’m well over 50 btw). Book on the longest (75km) and if you don’t make the time for the cut-off, just do the mid distance (50km) – still a big day out. The event has a nice family feel to it, the courses are well marked and marshalled and its an opportunity to ride some stuff that you wouldn’t normally be able to do legally. Sure there are some super fit and fast young folks who fly off at the start but I’m happy with my performance in the Super vets – a great day out.

Yep – one of the rear bearings on my Roam30’s went within a few months (I think they are the same through the range). I replaced it with a quality item and it’s been ok since – I think I paid £12 inc post for the new one and it was dead easy to replace. The dealers weren’t interested in warranty as bearings are consumables.

Note though that the bearing described in the Roam on-line PDF manual turned out to be the wrong size (2mm too narrow!) but the bearing shop were great and replaced it free of charge, once I’d got it out and measured it. The guy said that’s not uncommon with cheap OE chinese bearings (ie wrong size stamped on bearing shell and this error carried into the manual :)) Hope this helps.

All the way through-ers:
Pscyhomodo – Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel (the early concept stuff was so brilliant!)
Pinups – Bowie
Into the wild – Eddie Vedder (makes me cry)

Stroking cat’s paws – the pink pad bits… but only for a few seconds before she lacertaes the back of my hand.

That and origami with empty salty snack packets

The Honda Nc750x gets rave reviews – fun cheap with reasonable protection and carrying capacity….

What tyres for a deep sandy bunker?

Some models only have 2 palls fitted – the 2 should be 180 degrees apart. This was the case when I stripped my SRAM Roam30 wheels down. I was a bit surprised but it all seems to work just fine.

This is usually the first sign of Cat AIDS

If you remove a pen drive from a computer before closing it properly, the e-horsemen of the apocolypse will be unleashed and will do untold damage… I’ve tried it – it doesn’t.

We have a friend who is allergic to cats and especially our British Domestic Longhair. Within the hour he’d have runny eyes, breathing difficulties etc etc. However, recently his family bought a Ragdoll. It was expensive but it is hypoallergenic and he is fine with it

Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as saying “Every man has 2 countries: his own and France” …

Closet encounters of the third kind – (menage a trois in a cupboard)

Star-warts (a film about the end of the porn industry)

CO2 has more or less passed 400ppm and continues to accelerate. We’re now half way to the (arbitrary but best scientific guess) 2 degree rise that will mean irreversible and catastrophic climate change that will render large swathes of the world uninhabital, create massive droughts, rising sea levels, food scarcity, unstable governments and mass human migration on a level that makes the current refugee crisis look like a (long) walk in the park. Apart from that, Yep, I’m optimistic, everything is tickety boo thanks very much :)

With kids, most things are still doable with planning and some give and take with an understanding OH. We found it was just the spontenaiety [sp??] that took a hit.

Sorry to hear. +1 for what Perhypanther said.
Also check out Action for Happiness with link below.
sign up to there FB page and they send regular positive messages… well it helped me and continues to do so.
Good luck

http://www.actionforhappiness.org/

I think the Cycliq Fly 6 integrated light and camera is a much better option (cheaper too) – at least if an Another Moron In A Car (AMIAC) knocks you off, you may have some evidence. In the meantime, I’ll wait until garmin offer the radar with an option that spits molten lead at tailgaters (or wheel suckers!!!)

What tyres for walking :-?

Last time I was in a media room, it was full of Dulbecco’s A … bottles of the stuff.

I peed in a swimming pool.

I never ever, ever, read that really annoying popup advert for Men’s Health Lab Multifit (the ultimate vitamin range for men) that has been blighting my STW experience these last few days. And I never will, or click on it, or buy the damn stuff. So there!

Slightly OT(ie no beer) but maybe helpful nonetheless. Check out the Popup bike cafe Manchester (easy find on Google) – Park your bike and leave your kit there safely to explore manchester bars or Northern Quarter on foot and/or have lunch and/or excellent coffee cakes. Its very very bike friendly.

A Wood burner … if you don’t already have one!

On Wednesday I picked up a small folding stand/support for an iPhone or tablet. Cheap as chips and really useful already for propping my phone up when I’m watching video/tv on it … Can’t remember the sponsor though …

… or take the boat to Ambleside and do the Troutbeck Wansfell loop.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/townend/things-to-see-and-do/article-1356404713165/