Implement a strategy to enable you to access the low-hanging fruit

What about a set of these all the way from sunny Germany

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/red-power-xl-disc-6-bolt-54307/wg_id-507

I’ve got a set (albeit 29er version) and they’ve been brilliant for the money

Yeah it’s that sort of thing, was great fun to drive but wore out rear tyres something rotten. I’m now watching 5 or 6 vintage Tamiya trucks on ebay in the hope of picking up a bargain 🙂

Good condition boxes seem to go for as much if not more than the cars themselves on ebay

Mine was this one though teadrinker:

Agreed. I used to race 1/8th IC on-road through late 80’s and most of the 90’s, reading RC car threads seriously gives me the itch to get going again. This is why I went to my folks to see if I could resurrect my old Lunchbox and Toyota Hilux to scratch the itch on the cheap as it might only be a passing fad!

After reading this thread last week I popped round my folks house as I used to have a Tamiya Lunchbox and a Tamiya Toyota Hilux back in the day. Turns out my Dad threw them both away about 6 months ago! Absolutely gutted, now I’ll have to spend money I don’t have on a new one 😉

Apologies I’m an awful photographer with an awful camera (iPhone 4) but I wanted to capture the fog-filled Stroud valleys from the edge of Randwick Woods yesterday morning…

My morning movement is sometimes so big, the flush is largely useless and I often end up having to pour a big bucket of water down the pan to shift the blighter. Once I was so impressed I took a photo of it on my iPhone and emailed it to my best mate 😳

trail_rat is that a thermoelectric generator fan on there? I’ve been given one to try on my burner which I’m probably going to light this evening for the first time this autumn. Just out of interest really, does it have much effect?

Ah, old news then, but worth another watch 🙂

It was until my swift edit 🙂

😀 classic!

Here’s another (sorry can’t embed videos):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUSoPerLVRQ

swift edit ^^^

Random leftfield (and possibly stoopid) suggestion – do you have a BMX and a BMX track near you? Sessioning a BMX track leaves you blowing out your arse, increases sprinting duration, stamina, leg strength, bike control, makes you pump every bit of ‘free’ speed out of the bumps and corners and is amazing fun. Also its something different so will feel fresh and it will have an impact mentally. Worked for me, getting a BMX has made a massive impact to my MTB speed and fitness.

Sorry no it was my rubbish cheesy Monday morning joke – amps being the unit for current. I’ll get my coat 😳

“current 3000mah batteries” 😀

My son is 10 months old, I’m thinking one of those Rock Crawlers will be ideal for him 🙂

Our whippet is amazing, I wouldn’t have any other dog. She has been brilliant from when she was a tiny puppy, great with our young kids, playful, gentle, lightning quick, agile, affectionate, obedient, great recall (99% of the time, more on that below). She has a very very short coat so doesn’t shed and doesn’t smell. We did puppy training courses with her when she was very young and worked hard on her training at home and on walks. I wouldn’t have any other type of dog.

However, as with all dogs, there are some downsides – turn your head for 10 seconds and she will eat the food off your plate from right under your nose. She has jumped onto our dining table and scranned leftovers. She can clear a 4 foot fence, so our garden now has 6 foot fences. The prey drive sometimes takes over so if she gets her mind set on chasing something, she will, and no amount of recall attempts will work until she decides the chase is over. She steals other dogs balls, sticks, toys and runs round like an absolute loon thinking its a big game and then drops it 150 metres away on the other side of the field. I then have to go and find it for the other dog/owner. Oh, and she likes to roll in fox poo. So although normally she doesn’t smell, she can sometimes smell awful and require a good hosing off after a walk 😀

You can’t have your kayak and heat it too

The non-drive side pedal has a groove around the ‘flange’ on the axle that tightens up against the crank.

Voted – 71% now 🙂

Such a frustrating program to watch, but I still did. Moments like this made it worthwhile 😀

Tuesdays Gone – Lynryd Skynyrd

or the Metallica version on Garage Days which is even longer

I live in Stroud, went through the same thought process as you about where to go. Wanted somewhere local but in the end had a group day with 5 others from Bigfoot MBC with Jedi at Ukbikeskills. It was well worth the drive, had a fantastic day and as with most people who see him I was clearing gaps by the end of the day that I wouldn’t have even considered before.

That said here is another option run from FoD, I’ve heard good things about her coaching, not to mention she’s the current 4X world champ and put in some good results at some of the UCI DH rounds this year:

Coaching

Sold my 1210s a while ago, I was seriously strapped for cash. I now have 800 records sat in boxes not getting mixed or scratched. I could easily get some more (if I saved up the cash that is), but they wouldn’t be MY 1210’s. There are many others like them, but those were mine!

Here’s our 3yo daughter Rosa with our 5yo whippet Lila, they are best buds and she is the perfect family dog.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, we have a lurcher too, and while he’s brilliant with the kids and lovely in the house, off the leash he is a nightmare. Despite intense training throughout the 4 years of his life so far he has such a strong prey drive that he just can’t be trusted off the leash unfortunately.

We have a whippet and a lurcher. Whippets are lovely-natured small-ish dogs. They are gentle with children, adults and other dogs alike, are great fun and don’t need as much walking as you’d think. They are happy spending hours on end lounging around sunning themselves in the garden or curled up on the sofa. Ours is amazing with our young children. Another benefit is she hardly sheds and doesn’t stink out the joint either.

Just don’t ask about our lurcher

Come on, as a minimum you must have expected some gentle ribbing when starting this thread? 🙂

^^^ 😀

My point was really that you can ride a rigid down anything with enough skill. If you want lumps, bumps, kickers, jumps, gaps, drops, steep bits, roots, chutes, berms, flat corners, off-camber, loam, loose, hardpack etc (EDIT and families of wild boar) this ride will be for you. Just bring whatever bike you’re most comfortable with for a days mountain biking 😀

I’d say FS. I’m sure you could ride your rigid down the planned trails (I wouldn’t want to mind for the record, I’m an FS wuss all the way), but I reckon you’ll enjoy them a fair bit more on an FS.

Happy to guide a Parkend based loop, starting PBA, the one I described on the last page of the thread. Mapped it out quickly this morning and its approx 33 miles. We could do about 20 miles of it pre-lunch, then there’s the option of heading back to PBA, or anyone feeling like they want more to do the extra 13 or so, incorporating tramway, Dr Johns, alien trail, y2k etc.

At this point, either works for me, but I would prefer Sunday I guess

The cafe at Dean Forest Cycles has half-decent cake, fully-decent ice-cream and pretty good toasties. There’s also the Fountain Inn at Parkend for a pub lunch option for those that fancied it.

Yeah I guess 4 hours was an estimate based on me doing it alone. Could maybe do 2/3rds of that loop I described before lunch, then anyone wanting to head back can go along cycle track back to PBA, anyone up for more can go via tramway, dr johns and maybe the alien trail?

Or if someone wants to lead a Staunton/Yat etc ride instead I’m good with that, awesome stuff that way too 🙂

That’s right Weeksy. Psling, we don’t have to do it all anyway, we can head out and see how time goes. I’m just an average joe rider, certainly wouldn’t class myself as fast.

Alex Staunton/Yat area is brilliant I agree, my favourite FoD descent is over there, but I don’t know my way round as well as Parkend way. Haven’t been up joys green way for ages either not sure if the dh runs are still there

v666ern and mboy was thinking along the same lines but a bit longer, in this order-ish… first half of enduro to top, over the road for mushroom trail, back onto enduro across past Worcester lodge, broadwell jumps, Henry’s, up to Ellwood, marsh lane run down to the greenhouses, main Shutcastle singletrack, up to sams old trail, dowies 3, dowies, chizzys, murdocks, back into Shutcastle for alternative run, back up for bluebell run, Ceris, through parkend over to tramway, dr johns, cycle track to the ponds, cross over the road, climb up past barnhill plantation past broadwell jumps again and finish with full y2k descent back to PBA 😀 That’d be a cracking loop, and a good half days riding, at least 4 hours, or have I got a bit carried away?

Hope to come along for this, should be able to do a half-day of either 18th or 19th. Most of my riding is FoD off-piste so I’d be happy to guide/help guide to some of the less well-known good stuff if required

The Stallone film had Hammerstein (albeit minus hammer hand) and Mean Angel, it wasn’t all bad. (EDIT just noticed someone already said that) Really looking forward to seeing the latest version. Would love to see a film version of Judgement on Gotham

Not sure about pressures etc that you need to run, but I can comment on the rebound adjuster. The red rebound adjuster on my 160mm RC’s have about 20 clicks, 4 or 5 doesn’t sound right at all

You’ve gotta be joking right Brad? 🙂 I’m 40 and got my first ever BMX 3 months ago, I ride it pretty much every day at the local BMX track and once a week at Rush Indoor Skatepark. Its forkin great, just bl88dy get one

I’m not far behind you on height and age doom, and my interests are exactly the same, you’re not the only potential weirdo lurking at your local jump spot. I got my first BMX a few months back at age 40 and am riding it far more than my mountain bikes now.

There’s Rush indoor skatepark 15 mins from my house, lots of concrete parks around and a new BMX track 5 mins from my work. I’m there pretty much every lunchtime at the moment and can now clear every tabletop, double and step-up on it. Its absolutely amazing fun, and only 50 minutes of sessioning a BMX track is a bl88dy good work out for both legs and lungs and has increased my fitness and strength on my MTB loads.