Sam Nichols

You can have my wheel for about £80 posted... Really really good condition. If you wanted a front wheel too I have a hope XC on mavic D521 you can have for £40.

This is something I feel strongly about. I make no apologies for the lengthy post :) Smoking just three to six cigarettes a day can double your chances of heart attack. People who smoke are more than twice as likely to have a fatal heart attack than those that don’t and on average one in five people in Britain die as a result of smoking. This Means that by smoking you are knowingly putting yourself at risk and also putting yourself in a postion of strain on the community funds. With regards to the comments made on "smoking funds the NHS". This in itself is a somewhat 'catch 22' situation... Yes, SOME of the money goes to fund the NHS (only a small proportion though) but of this money that goes towards the NHS, how much of it is actually wasted on those people who need to come in for all manner of smoking related illnesses? It would be interesting to find out whether after all the smokers have been treated for smoking related illnesses there is actually any money left... I'm sceptical. Further to my point, how many donor lungs are used on smokers after a build up of tar destroyed theirs? Could these lungs be used for people who are born with lung defects or contract a cancer through passive smoking (just another way smokers get to us) Now I'm by no means suggesting that we shouldn't allow smokers health care. This is ridiculous. However, the idea that the public should fund the curing of a health problem that the smokers have knowingly and willingly inflicted upon themselves makes me mad. I believe a price should be placed upon the healing of smokers if they suffer from a smoking related illness. With reference to the above posts mentioning the fact that if smokers aren't allowed free NHS care, what about people who drink, eat junk food and do extreme sports... The major oversight in these statements is that smoking DOES kill. It's a fact. Smoking is deliberate damage to your body and there is not one positive thing in it's favour (health wise). Eating junk food is not a direct attack on your body, nor is an extreme sport and nor is drinking. With all of these things the rule 'everything in moderation applies'. With smoking it does not. Just one final note... If somebody quotes a section of my post and comments negatively on it when there point is addressed elsewhere in my post... I won't be a happy bunny (Y) Just makes me upset when people do that :)

Nope, never been to nass 2005 by train :P

Whats funnier than a dead baby in a clown suit? Absolutely feck all! Dead babies in clown suits are too fooking funny!

http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~obsessed/loser%20kyle.jpg

Yes they are. Just full members posting in the pre members area :P I like the fact that the New Members now think it was because of me that mods can upgrade them :P They obviously missed the bit where Tomturd said it was already about to happen!!

:"> Yeah, the guernsey boys be there :P (I'll be on my shiny new woodstock hopefully) Can't wait :P

They are NOT hackers :P

Yacht

Matt (or whoever it is) stop being a tit... You said you'd cracked it before, now you've edited your post to say it's brilliant :P

Growth habit of horsetails Illus: Common Weeds of the United States Horsetails (Equisetum species) are among the oldest plants on earth. Tree-size horsetail fossils have been found in coal beds which date back to the Paleozoic Era. Although they've become considerably smaller, with some now only a few inches tall, they have not changed significantly in shape over the centuries. Horsetail plants have a high concentration of silica in their tissue. Sixteenth century Europeans used these scouring reeds to scrub pots and polish furniture. Native Americans and pioneers used horsetails to clean cooking utensils; some campers still use them for that purpose. There are about 25 species of horsetails, including both annuals and perennials. The most common one in our area, field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), is a perennial. It ranges in size from 4 inches to 2 feet tall. Horsetails are usually considered weeds when they encroach on cultivated gardens and landscapes. They're unwelcome in pastures as they can be poisonous to ruminant animals such as cows and sheep. Some people do grow horsetails deliberately though, beside water gardens or for use in flower arranging. Horsetails reproduce both by means of spores and spreading rhizomes. Short, thick, flesh- colored stems appear in spring. The strobilus, a cone-like structure, emerges from the top of each thick stem. The strobilus bursts open when it matures, releasing spores which germinate in the soil and form new plants. Those fertile stems then die, and are replaced by hollow, wiry, sterile stems that persist until frost. Horsetails also spread by means of branching, underground rhizomes which can be found as deep as 3 feet below the soil surface. These are difficult to remove as they are brittle and break apart easily. Each part can sprout and produce a new plant. Horsetails are difficult to eradicate without the use of herbicides. They favor damp, sandy or gravelly, shady places. Depending on where they're growing, improving drainage and fertility and increasing the organic material in the soil along with regular mowing or clean cultivation may make the site less hospitable. Digging the plants out, in all but the smallest sites, could be prohibitively difficult due to the depth and spread of the underground rhizomes. The most efficient way to eliminate horsetails is by using a systemic herbicide such as triclopyr, the active ingredient found in some woody brush killers. Triclopyr may be used near wetlands, but it is not labeled for use in water. You must follow label directions explicitly and be sure to read the label each and every time you use the product. If you have questions about wetland use, contact your local DNR office.

Hehe, well then I guess thats that! Good going, this should sort out some of the problems :(

It is an entry level bike though.

Alternatively

I couldn't remember the name so I didnt mention it... but yeah, I'm sure thats the one :(

The diamondback has been out for quite a while now. There are riders on here who use them... and some are actually very good riders. As for the move... it's a way of Martin being able to design his own bike pretty much - Diamondback are really pushing for top riders at the moment (as are mongoose). Just because it's Raleigh doesn't mean it's shit... I'm not sure if you're aware, but Raleigh used to have some dogs bollocks bikes back in the day (titanium Mtrax series etc) and they are also very big in America with kickass xc, dh and road bikes. It's only over here that they release poor bikes for the market.

Hardly history Ali! It's just one of those things everyone should be aware of! :(

Although some valid points have been made... I'm still not going to let it rest :( I'm convinced that with a couple of dedicated, willing members to sort the problem out and keep the whole area tidy it could work and could make the forum a nicer place. We have to bare in mind that potential good quality members are being lost as a result of waiting so long to be upgraded. As Tomm said 'who wants to spend their time in their? It's f**king shit..." how can you expect members to stick around in that type of area with the type of people that are in their? Another point I'd like to raise... I know it's a new members area where anyone can and everyone is welcome etc - but why aren't some of the idiots (not gonna bother naming them, you all know who they are) banned? They are only in there to cause trouble and are spoiling it for those who are trying to get validated. As has been said, I agree that there is no PERFECT system... But we can strive for one anyway :)

Yeah, that’s why I suppose it would need to work on a system whereby the NM mod would make a quick pm of member names to either Danny or Tom and then they would actually do the upgrading :( I'm pretty sure I already answered this in my first post though :)

That is the funniest thread I've read for a long time!! The last post by Matt... classic.

That’s exactly my point MrMonkey. There are more New Members, which means it's an increased workload for the admin... Hence the reason I made this topic :(

I see what you mean Fishwog.. but if you read through my post again you'll see that I mentioned the NM mods recommending people to the admin for upgrading... because obviously someone who is moderating a sub forum isn't going to be given the power of the whole forum too! Also with regards to the recommendation in the senior members area... This wouldn't JUST be about upgrading but also about moderation to save time :( Cheers for the comments though guys... nice to see some positive replies and constructive criticism.

Anybody fancy scanning the picture and posting it up? I don't have a copy to hand and the shops are too far away :(

I've just been reading through the topic in New Members regarding the validation process and I can't help but sympathise with the majority of good honest riders who want to join and use this forum in a respectful manner. Now obviously we NEED to have the New Members section because, basically there are a lot of dickheads who just want to be a pain. This doesn't mean the system is flawless though. The admin have enough things to do with making sure the Full Members aren't spamming the forum without having to keep an eye on the New Members too which is why I'd like to suggest a new idea... New Members Mods. Basically this can be one or two people who spend a decent amount of time on the forum (and who can be trusted obviously) to both keep an eye on the New Members and keep it a clean and pleasant place for the New Members that are waiting for upgrading but also are given the power to upgrade New Members who are deserving of joining the main forum. If Danny and Tom prefer... the 'New Members Mods' could pm the admin to say who has been proving themselves within the New Members area and then the admin will do the upgrading... This should ultimately save Admins time and more importantly mean that the minority of idiots in the New Members Area don't spoil things for those who deserve to be accepted into the Main Forum. There are too many people in the New Members area that are honest, friendly and NEED to be upgraded... unfortunately they are being missed due to the face that Admin have lives :) Discuss? :(