this is good news. I'm over in Kentish Town but up for helping out in anyway.

mcboo S5 is a bit "sillier" than 1-4 but I doubt you'll be dissapointed, still far better than 99% of the stuff out there…. (S2 and 4 the best IMO)

this week I have given up smoking and this week I have not slept a wink. I used to sleep for hours although that was probably more being unconcious than actually sleeping.

what's the problem with Datime lights or side light on ? I just got back from Poland where it's a legal requirement to drive with lights on. I also used to work in Canada where we wwould be fined for leaving the work depot without lights on. It is a good thing. (Disclaimer: I am a Vulva driver)

Last night I finished a beautiful stretch of trail with a loud, satisfied Borat-esque "iss naayice!". I thought I was alone, but alas not,

I often have moments like that but tend to opt for Billy from the Vodafone adverts "Jah Jah" at the bottom of most downhills…I think a few "iss naayice!"'s may well be included now though 😀

not sure about a rule of thumb – as mentioned above Nomad's are going for £700 yet I have been watching Chameleons (xl) a year or so old going for just over £300 which seems higher than what I would have expected.

I had a bit of a moment on top of Holmbury Hill a few weeks back. In fact I had 2 and I wasn't even trying to wheelie. First just about decend, cycled off fiddling with something, front wheel in a tiny rut but didn't have the speed to get through – off I went with handlebar cutting my nipple of all places. To make this better there was a running race going on at the time – plenty of people to stand, point and laugh. Then, on the way back up about 5m from the first incident the wind blows my shorts which get caught in the shifter, I couldn't unclip and over I go again with a couple of unknown bikers behind me. I hadn't fallen off in ages.

wtf is this? Games on a tuesday night in the second week – that's just not cricket. Heh ho, by forgetting at least it solves my 'how to organise the team when half the premiership isn't playing and I've bought all the wrong people' dilemma.

It certainly was Ruthin, cheers for the pliers :-). I tried everything to get the body to stay on but nothing would work. We rolled in pretty much last because of that pedal.

I would have serviced them if I thought something was up but from what I can remember they didn't have any play in them at all.

I have the Time Z Controls in a nice mucky brown colour. They are good pedals although it took me a bit of time to get used to having to twist your foot further than with the Malets to get your foot out. I did have some 661 shoes but they seemed a little to flexy to get out of the pedals quickly.

I had a pair of Malets, they lasted about 2 years. Merida last year they decided they'd had enough and the body came away from the axle leaving 75km on one pedal and one spindle – they're held together with a tiny little 8mm (I think) bolt which the body had worked it's way over. I won't be getting them again.

i was gonna say I know a rural dwelling chap who used to that kind of thing. Hopefully he's stopped now…

agreed. Stopping distances are completely irrelevant to some nobber in the middle lane when they shouldn't be in it. Agreed that inning and outing of the inside lane when the road has a number of vehicles is not always best. Also agreed that one person's clear road is not always the same as another person's – people have good driving days people have bad, yes people may get annoyed by others but on the assumption the annoyee doesn't make a habit of it it's not the main concern. The issue here is the dumbass who doesn't even consider the inside lane as an option and there are plenty of 'em, GrahamS surely even you'd agree these people should not really be allowed in the driver's seat of a car.

neilsonwheels attach a snow plough and do us all a favour 🙂

matter of principle if the inside lane is clear

i'd say the speed limit, all other factors should work out even if doing 300mph

I don't know, the french can speed and tailgate very well but they also have much much better lane discipline than us. Their motorways may well not be as busy but you never ever see middle lane hogs.

what comes through to me the most in this thread are the prices of treatment. I get the staff and hospital running expenses but it seems to be it's mostly the medicine. Why is it so much? That's probably another thread to be honest.

It's survival of the richest and fittest.

….you're not allowed to actually want to hurt people on here are you?

How about ebay forcing you to enter a frame number when selling a bike or frame, surly the police have a database of frame numbers reported stolen?

that's asking quite a lot. Even if they did which I am certain they don't they most definitely won't have a centralised UK wide database.

i love making curry although it does stink the flat out for a while. I use Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible – loads of different currys from all over the world. They seem particularly rich in this recipe book…mmmm curry

or we all come round for a mass squat. Does it have grounds? Another STW pump track in the making.

my commute's 2.5 miles. Walk one way, scoot the other. Also no different to a normal scooter, or a skateboard.

yeah I like that, it'd be ace for those times you havent been able to take your bike on holiday, or even for short commutes. Pricey though.

i find driving in bare feet better than a lot of shoes to be honest. Flip flops a big no no though.

it's a Softride.

nah I diagree, cake is more for ladies….

but then again I like Nicoloais and Santa Cruz so what do I know

xtr shifters were the first thing I specced on my bike I think they are that good (for the reasons njee mentions above, they are very aesthetic too). I got them unused second hand which makes it a little easier to justify though.

it was for a little bit of comic effect, they do accept it but quite often you need to assure them it's legal tender….I wouldn't offer them some of the Clydesdale bank notes though – do they still exist?

it's a bit like trying to get a market stall to accept a credit card or a shop in the UK to accept yen, or even a shop in London to accept scottish money – they don't do it. Next

i like the idea because I generally ride around thinking I've pumped my tyres up too hard but can never be bothered to do anything about it, well I used to but pinch flatted too many times. But I'd never buy it if I am honest.

…..but it's a matter of principle. Hound and pester 😀

Useful. Off to a wedding in Poland this weekend where vodka flows freer than….errr something, must remember only 21 shots! 22 and that's that.

….sorry to but in. I did it on a Chameleon – a lot of fun. You don't need FS 😀

…or drop her off in Dolgellau, plenty of cakes, beer, views there. It is the wrong side of Cadair for the biking but it's not that far away.

I have also spoken to the insurance company regarding delaying the repair of my car in case it needs to be assessed at a later date. They have said they have enough photographic evidence that they do not require the car to remain un-repaired.
I hope this is the case. I did say to the guy I spoke to that they had better not turn round in a fortnight & say that because I had the car repaired they cannot tell who hit who.

get it in writing if possible

as above – unless your car was spinning I can't see how that damage would be caused any other way than you being hit.

I went. I enjoyed. I hadn't realised it was quite so children orientated but I did like the massive village fete feel. Beardyman really impressed me with the inbetween set stuff. PJ Harvey and Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip were my favourite live acts….but as with a good festival I saw so much stuff it was a bit of sensory overload – all festivals should have jousting, emus and goats, and dub stepping hi-de-hi style mcs teaching dads to dance. Oh and compost loos.

I am quite new to FF having been recommended it by everybody. However, I'm with Spacemonkey – unusable seems to be a good way of describing it at the moment with hanging and crashing galore. Back to IE which everyone seems to hate but it does appear to be much more stable.

…and at the moment really can't see the enjoyment.

Commuting is not fun. Doesn't matter what mode you use, something that repetitive for something that you probably don't want to be doing anyway can't be fun. There are things to take your mind off of it but even sitting in the car you are not having fun are you.

My commute is 2.5 miles each way. I either cycle or walk, just to mix things up a bit. I turn up sweaty, I just stay outside for a bit or go and get a cup of coffee from somehwere.

Stick with cycling/walking. You'll get fitter if you do. It should also be a criminal offense to drive that little distance….

i've just come back from Camp Bestival where I spent a lot of the time avoiding arrows with big suckers on the end fired by festival crazed children – all good natured.

I had a few toy guns as a kid, although I still want a real one to recreate everything I ever saw on the tele I don't have an urge to actually hurt (most) people.

Remember guns don't kill people, rappers do!

nope, he'd come under TdF "tw*ts"