haydon_peter

I will just leave this here:

Exactly, I never take air out of the forks or shocks and they have considerably higher pressure in them!

I know it's not essential but for some reason the airlines require it and I have been asked by check in staff several times if I have done it or not, plus there is no way my DH bike would have squeezed into the box without deflating the rear tyre haha

I used to be really anal about packing my bike, padded everything and even removed the chain but the last few times I have been lazier. Deflate tyres Remove pedals, put in jiffy bag or wrap in bubble wrap Remove front wheel Place something in between brake pads so the pistons don't accidentally pop out Remove the disc from front wheel, put disk in jiffy bag or wrap in bubble wrap (I know people that don't even bother removing the disk and they usually get away with it) Remove handlebars and pad them at any point you think might contact the frame/forks Unscrew rear mech and leave it dangling, you can put it in a jiffy bag or bubble wrap is you want Put everything neatly in the box. Make sure the box is taped up well and write your flight/contact details on the box with a marker pen. Make sure you use tape to reinforce any handles. Instead of using bubble wrap you can use your bike clothing. Also things like a camelbak can be used to pack empty space. Note - I ride small bikes so have been lucky and so far haven't needed to remove rear wheels, you might not be so lucky but I'm sure you will figure it out.

Sorry I was lazy and only scanned through the rest of the thread, I thought I would post the info anyway in case it helped someone out

I'm a bit late to the party but would like to point out that this is totally wrong. Cat A has to be totally crushed. Cat B the body shell has to be crushed but parts can be used Cat C and D can both end up back on the road however it's up to the buyer to decide if they are happy to buy/drive the car or not. Cat C needs a VIC before it's allowed back on the road. VIC = Vehicle Identity Check and doesn't check the quality of the repairs.

Hi everyone, long time no speak. I will be back in the UK very soon for the foreseeable future and will be needing a vehicle ASAP. Ideally I want another VW Passat Estate but am open to suggestions, are there any small vans I should consider within my budget? The 130bhp 6 speed 1.9tdi Sport estate suited me before, great MPG, drove amazing and it was awesome for putting bikes in the back and sleeping in when needed. Does anyone on here have leads to a nice vehicle for me? Budget is as cheap as possible but I could stretch to £3k if it meant a nice example that would hold it's value as I would probably be selling it again within a year. I'm thinking something like this - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Passat-1-9-TDI-Sport-6-Speed-estate-/131538279655

I don't count as a full passenger

Try using a Tennis or Lacrosse ball up against a wall to self massage your back, neck and shoulders.

Since getting into road biking a few years ago I have wanted to ride 100 miles in a day but I never got around to doing it. Today I cycled 105 miles so completed my first century ride

Regret the things you did, not the things you didn't do.

That bullshit took 18 months to sort even though the guy was arrested on scene and charged with 'Driving without care'. Until he admitted fault and the claim was settled it was considered a fault claim by my insurance company and nearly caused me serious issues when insuring the Passat that replaced the Leon. Luckily the accident happened really close to when my insurance was due for renewal so I had already been sent a renewal quote with 10 years protected no claims listed, after a quick phone call to check the quote and arguing with the insurance company that they had given me a renewal with proof of no claims dated AFTER the accident I hung up because they wouldn't play ball and were trying to charge me silly money. So I phoned another company and got a great quote even after declaring the accident as 'Hit by 3rd party, claim not yet settled', I told them that I had 10 years protected no claims and posted them proof of it

Sorry for teasing.

The replacement for my 7 year old Commencal Meta 5 arrived yesterday! The build will be finished tonight and I will post photos when I get a chance. @Duncy, we will have to meet up for a ride when you're out here!

1 night in Edinburgh or nearly a whole month in a shared house in Whistler? I know which I would choose I got really lucky with this house though, most people are paying 50%+ more then me to stay in houses that are a bus ride away from the village (extra $$$ on bus pass and inconvenience!), the only people I know who are paying less than me are staying in staff housing which is basically university style dorms rooms with bunk beds. I still have no news on my 2nd visa, my current visa expires in May so hopefully they hurry up. I have job offers for the summer that are waiting on me getting a visa!

$400 per month + hydro and internet/TV (Current exchange rate suggests that's about £210 for rent, the bills are less than £50 per month even through winter) for a shared room with ensuite bathroom in Whistler. The guy I share with works away in Alberta so about 50% of the time it's my own private room. There are 6 of us spread between 3 bedrooms, we have 3 bathrooms, a decent sized living area, a large driveway and it's only a 15 minute walk into Whistler Village. The house is fairly basic, we had a bad rodent problem at the start of winter and it can be a bit noisy with occasional parties but I can't really complain.

Me and some mates went to Coast Gravity Park at the end of September, it was fun. http://www.pinkbike.com/video/388219/ (I'm the guy wearing yellow/black in a few clips, most of the footage is the other guys hitting the insane big boy jumps)

It really wouldn't be as simple as chucking some rocks in to make 'natural' features, or building shite with pallets, cable reals, planks of wood and nailing it all together. Everything would have to be designed and approved, risk assessments carried out, features have to be built to a high standard following building regulations, regularly inspected (Inspections have to be documented) and repaired when required. For insurance purposes riders on site have to be a CTC member or pay for a day pass so memberships would need to be checked and day pass money taken where required. You would also have to attend meetings locally and in Guildford, spend hours on the phone with other senior committee members discussing stuff and also be at the park regularly helping run the show. Right now all of this is done on a voluntary basis and when I was back at home it was basically a full time job alongside my 'real' full time job. Obviously this would all have to be funded from somewhere and as I'm sure you can appreciate, materials aren't cheap and club funds are limited. I'm sorry to say it but I don't think a trials area would work. The land doesn't really have any suitable natural features, there isn't masses of spare space to build one and I doubt there would be a high enough volume of riders using it. If there was enough demand in the area (And someone with as much passion as Terry Graves) I'm sure Hampshire Bike Trials Club would still be running.

A full on DH bike isn't necessary and eventually I found myself rarely using my DH rig. Most of the time I would use my 140mm trail bike and I hit all the features in the park on it. People ride there on all sorts of bikes and have fun. There are DH style tracks and a jump area, the easier trails are all rollable but the harder trails start to incorporate mandatory jumps and drops. We have enough to maintain and manage without adding a trials area but I'm sure if someone wanted to get involved with the club and become responsible for building, maintaining and running a trials area it would be a possibility. Update: The second annual Hooper Hooner race was a success, I helped out organizing entries from over here in Canada but was unable to make it for obvious reasons. Race report: http://ride.io/news/tidworth-freeride-dh-hooper-hooner-2014/ Video:

Wow nearly a year since I updated this thread! I have not had much involvement with the club since moving to Whistler in May. The second annual Hooper Hooner race is happening very soon, see poster below. Last years race video was eventually released as a promo for this years race: http://www.pinkbike.com/video/380448/ Also while I have been away the guys made a pretty cool video which was posted to the Pinkbike homepage today: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/tidworth-planet-of-the-shapes-video-2014.html

Me last night. I've been dating her for a while and really enjoying her company, stepped over the friend line a number of times then last night get that terrible one liner that no guy deserves to hear.

"Can we just be friends?"

I'm going to Canada on 11th May with a 1 year work visa so my practical diesel estate (2004 VW Passat 1.9 TDI 130 Sport) is up for sale, if anyone knows someone that might be interested let me know: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201404223517044/

Paint the duct tape black

I'm away snowboarding right now. On Sunday a world record attempt for the longest car jump was meant to take place, I had to wake up at 7am and hike up a ski slope for 45 minutes to get a bus to where the attempt was taking place at 9am, due to bad weather it was rescheduled for yesterday. I was hungover and couldn't be bothered to hike up again because it was planned to be even earlier so the snow was colder. This is what happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqQ9NnO7lOk