Suzuki Bandit
Honda CB 500

Both used, not exciting but you have a better chance of staying alive

CBR600 definately not a first bike IMHO!

IMO, If you are a noob, those bikes are too heavy/powerfull

A 400/500 commuter bike would be better bet until you get some experience

go, go, go

Trains are pretty good in Italy and as you've seen there is some superb riding quite close.

I also suggest a road bike, totally different experience in italy and twisty high-speed descents can be superb.

Another salesman, or "European business develoment manager" for a software company that sells diagnostic systems to telecoms companies.
I spend most of my time in Switzerland,Austria and Italy (and I do take my bike along), meet lots of cool people and travel to interesting places. Pay is pretty good too.

However,the constant pressure, corporate politics and working with developers can be challenging.

Love it now but won't be doing it after I'm 40 (34 now)

My home office doubles up as our home cinema / TV room with a projector and pull down screen, only TV is a small one in the kitchen. Fantastic for XBox, Films etc. Our kids and their friends love it and its great for sport too.

This also means we don't have a TV in the lounge, just a Hifi, which works really well.

Only thing to consider is that you need a reasonably dark room to get a decent picture.

"You missed that it was at a particular university (Cambridge in that particular example). Students who get into that university from private schools do worse than those from state schools."

IMO it is much easier to get the grades required by Cambridge at a private school, "generally" better facilities, more peer pressure, longer week (6 days) etc.
In order to get 3 As at A level in a comprehensive school I suggest you need to be a highly self motivated individual.
This will also influence this statistic I think, most private (certainly boarding school) kids will have been in a very disciplined environment and will not have developed the self motiviation of the kid from a comprehensive.

These routes have been built up by generations of French, Swiss and Italians, not us. We have no ownership or right to any of this and are v.lucky that we can generate an income from it.

Just my opinion of course…. 😉

Grappa, preferably Barolo

Thread closed 😆

Lol, civil row tailer, americans 🙄

Bigsi – I may well be up for one of those – as soon as my back is put back together…..

I was just diagnosed (this morning) with a massive sequestered disc, this means I have a piece of my disc loose in the spinal column squashing my nerves.

The consultant has of course left the choice up to me but told me that in my place he would take the surgical option immediately and that the risk of the piece if disc doing me some nastiness is far higher than the risk of the surgery.

So I guess I will be going under the knife in the next couple of weeks 😯

I rode through the back pain and sciatica for quite a while, even riding downhill courses in the Alps this summer – so my suggestion is don't ride D2D, find out the underlying problem first….

Yep, BrightonMTB, nice bunch of people, not too fast, great local knowledge

I'd be up for this if it is based in France, I will probably be over the italian side during the summer, maybe a couple of days in Pila and the singletrack joy that is La Thuile? (Pila is often dry when it is raining on the frenchy side)

Not what you're after but I have a large (08) and I am 5'11-6ft, could probably manage with a medium but would have a lot of seat post showing and that has its risks (cracking frames). I have longer legs and a shorter body.
I will probably fit a shorter stem at some point and seat is quite far forward on the rails. I think at your height you are probably on the border too, depends if you like a more stretched out position and if you are long/short legged.

Great bike!

…even choosing underwear in this house seems to take up to 90 minutes…

90 minutes! You don't know how lucky you are 🙄

Hi Smurf

We've got one, used it for my daughter (from 10 months) and will do now for my son.

It does require a more legs out pedalling style but I have always found the better balance than a rear seat compensates for this. It is great to share the ride with the litte one, you can talk and see the same things.

The position of the seat means that the childs weight is in the same position as yours, meaning the bike is well balanced, this means you can be a bit more adventurous in your your choice of trail.

Fits to any bike, our goes on hardtail and Full suspension.

Downside is that it fits on a mounting bar that runs parallel to the top tube, the bar is pretty heavy. This means that if you use the bike for other rides you'll want to take it off, this means re-mounting it each time you go out with the family which is a 10 minute faff.

Helmet from Halfords

Ben

another 2 out of 3…
Lovely place, Pila
Lovely bike, Meta 5
Ugly bloke 😯

Thats what I always thought, would like to take up your offer for "chapter and verse" if thats ok, YGM.

Any hike-a-bikes out of the valley with descents on the other side that make it worthwhile?

Sounds good, as a kid when visiting my uncle I may have rode it on my Grifter!

Are there any rideable routes up out of Easdale (cheeky or otherwise), obviously the path up to the tarn is a hike-a-bike!

Hmmm, my uncle lives at the top of Easdale, that could be very interesting SFB

alpin – sorry for the grumpy reply!

I spent about 6 months working in Bozen / Bolzano, main interface of the Italian/German thing in sued tirol. The dislike is massively overblown by a very small minority of people with a chip on their shoulder.

"another funny thing is the Süd Tiroleans don't say "ciao" like the germans and austrians, but stick firmly to the german "tchuss"; so groß is their dislike of the italians…."

Pisses me off when people talk sh*te…

Its "servus" and who says sued tyroleans hate italians..

FFS

My kids safety comes a long way before worrying about whether the law allows it, simples.

We've got one (google weeride), used it for my daughter and will do for my son when he is big enough. Brilliant, much better balanced than a seat at the back, we go up on the downs (south) and cyclepaths. There is a rest that they van fall asleep on too. Fits on my Meta 5.

You can share the experience with them, they can see where they are going and if you did crash I would feel a lot safer than with a rear mounted seat – i know my reflexes would mean I wrapped my arms sraight round the little one and protected them from any impact.

As has been said you might be too far off the back and need to bring your weight forward and push the front end into corners more, definatley should have outside foot down pushing into corner.

Maxxis high roller / minion super tacky 2.35 on front may help too

Cancellara passes wiggo, 2 mins 😯

wow, cancellara is incredible, the time trial equivalent of Usain Bolt!

Same here, lots of lock tight and always carry an 8mm allen key.

Won't be buying any again

"She's as big a a kid who you'd just pop in a playpen with some toys whilst she amused herself and you did the dishes, but she's not old enough for that."

Both ours went in a playpen from 5 months, why not old enough?

I would listen to the advice above if I were u…

I have been riding both since I was 13 (now 34), the moutainbiker / roadie discinction is a reasonably new development IMO.

They are both bikes and they are both good, get one asap.

What length fork?

keep strong matey, will be thinking of you tomorrow

Needs new back wheel due to demise of a Campag hub….currently running a 10 speed shimano block with 10 speed Campag group! 😯

08 Meta 5 here, 2 summers in the alps, lots of wales and peaks riding. I am 14 stone and not smooth, more point and pray…

I love it, I was with a mate on an Orange 5 in the Alps this summer, we swopped for a day and I preferred the Meta, just seemed more "alive".

I think of Metas like Alfa Romeo cars, not the most reliable no, but FUN and great value…

only road biked there – which is magificent.

MTB with a guide only I would of thought, and yes VERY hot, but great in spring and autumn

Guys – did this cause a creaking sound at all?

Sardinia not bad in Feb, some chap of here has a B&B there I think. Ferry from Genova

"You do see a lot of *ahem* larger *ahem* MTBers eating/drinking rather a lot of energy products before, during and after not particularly difficult rides… "

Coversley when I use a recovery drink (chocolate shake) for a period I actually lose weight as it stops me pigging out on the wrong stuff!

"I would only normally request an MRI if I thought surgery was possibly indicated (spinal surgery is not to be undertaken lightly)."

Nick, that is the position I am in, my physio thinks I am borderline. I thought not as I am not in that much pain (considerable but not terrible), he said a fit/strong person can often mask the pain.

Anway, I want to avoid surgery if I possibly can (micro disectomy) but if the chriropractic consultant recommends it I guess I should heed his advice. The physio says he would also avoid it but that it now has a very high success rate and shouldn't be feared.

What is your opinion?