Ali C

finally got round to watching The Martian. I expected a Armageddon disaster type film so I was pleasantly surprised when it was more of a general tale of survival. One thing I loved was that the characters were smart, unlike other films where despite being highly trained or experts in their field they'd make obviously stupid mistakes and end up dead. In The Martian everyone behaved as you'd think smart people would, every step taken was a good one and I just found it extremely satisfying. No one was a dick for the sake of it.

from my use on the Sram brakes they do seem generally under powered compared with others.

awesome! What are you going to do now?

they are a total pain in the ass to remove though, they barely fit past each other.

It's only recently that I've seen BMX frames with chainstays as short as an Arcade, they're usually quite a bit longer. The extra reach of an Arcade really helps with the trials stuff too.

it's possible the MT5 pads are cheaper to produce or they've made the MT7 pads easier to change possibly to entice people to spend a bit more? There's the heat thing too.

the lever blade isn't the strongest in the world but you'd be doing pretty well to snap one in a situation that wouldn't snap other brands blades. The lever Body is tough as hell though! I think they are the best brakes available for feel and power but Shimano are fairly close, just a bit under powered in comparison

I bled one of my MT7s with water as an experiment to see if it changed the lever feel. It did not. I'd say stick with the correct fluid unless it's an emergency.

Bit annoyed with my van insurance company. I've just rang to cancel my policy as I no longer have that van. They say because I claimed I'm not entitled to any refund of the 9 months remaining on my policy. If I'd have paid monthly I'd be a lot better off. I'm frustrated that just because I paid in full this means they can just take my money like that!

I think that bike works really well for you, that was some good creative riding! Keep it up

yeah I'm back on my old 5 now. It's like coming back to a nice cosy home, things work as they should and no accidental button pressing because they are actually mechanical rather than touch screen ones, plus the off button is actually in a good place and it's actually good to hold in the hand and doesn't slip out because it's not made out of some sort of greased glass like the Samsung! Seariously, that thing was like trying to hold onto an eel!

what was that tyre gripping on on that sidehop? regarding this forum, you stated an opinion, we stated ours, a discussion was had, no swearing or put downs happened....not sure what the problem is?

that's how I am with most things, I don't have a steady income and I hate not knowing if I'll have enough for monthly payments I'd rather save up and buy something and know where I stand. I do that with cars, insurance and I used to with phones, this is the second contract I've had, probably my last too.

I tried carphone wearhouse to see if they'd repair mine....they wouldn't touch it with a barge pole

I just hate contracts, paying for things monthly is the worst. I don't mind losing the phone I just HATE knowing I'm still paying for it. I hear everyone going on about how good Android is. I found I could change stuff but never to how I wanted them. I found Iphones a little frustrating for some things but for the most part everything they do makes sense and is how I'd mostly want them to be but couldn't get with Android.

I tried a last ditch attempt at fixing it, the touch screen still worked but the actual display didn't. I bought some replacement glass for cheap and attempted to replace it....bad move! I'm pretty sure not a single bit went right even with the correct tools and watching a tutorial. Taking off the back panel was tricky as there was lots of glue, the heatgun didn't soften it enough and it ripped a fairly important looking bit out. I managed to remove the screen but the touch screen was fairly well attached and it broke removing it, I then cracked the new glass anyway. Foolishly I forgot to take any pictures off the phone before I started, I don't think that's possible now as it's now in my bin in many pieces. Sweet £500 phone that I hated from the start and lasted 5 months. Go Samsung!! I guess I'll enjoy paying £36 a month for my old Iphone 5s.....god I hate contracts!

I used to ride on that wall!

pretty annoyed with my phone. I've a Galaxy S6 as recommended by magazines and phone shops. I'm sure they're all working for Samsung though, I've hated it since I got it last year. It's massive, expensive. The buttons always press in my pockets, the notifications don't work as well as as iphone, the rear glass always cracks, the volume and on/off buttons are opposite each other so I always switch it off when I want louder music and I've now found out they're not splash proof as I handled it with damp hands after being in the tub and now the screen is knackered. No one will touch it and say it's a write off...stupid phone.

those lines just kept on giving

yeah I'd agree with that, I wouldn't want to lose any flexibility or range of motion though. Just had a call from one of the more respected trainers in Glasgow today about some form of sponsorship, if I go ahead with that I think I'll be in good hands.

yeah I agree, riding has always been the best way to get better at riding. I don't feel adding to my muscles will make me a better rider, 20 years of riding has kinda got them to where they need to be. The gym is to get me active, improve my range of motion and to get my muscles efficient and resistant to injury. Gaining muscle may happen but that's not the goal.

That's cool you are giving them a shout, 60kg isn't bad! I was told it'll be good for me to do front squats as my shoulders are naturally rounded forwards from riding bikes and front squats forces you to keep a straighter back and to pull the shoulders back. Seems to be accurate. It also stretches the wrists which is great for me as I don't have a good range of motion in mine. My issue has been a lack of energy, I've been unable to ride for more than 20 mins since last year. I've improved my diet and started climbing and going to the gym more and I've noticed a big improvement. I was out riding for nearly 4 hours last night and I felt like I was strong enough to rip my bars clean off. My hops felt really good too which has been something that's suffered a lot recently. I am not a gym person at all, I feel uncomfortable there but I enjoyed it yesterday and I'm keen to go back. I do really enjoy climbing though and I'd recommend that as a great way to cross train!

is that the tight calves stopping you? Cool to hear you're into full range, a few people don't seem to agree with it.

I pretty much end up sitting on my ankles

True, but you don't want to just go to big weights and not have good form. I've seen some trials riders on Instagram show their lifts and their knees are moving side to side, not ideal. They do seem keen on crossfit though which I don't agree with. My front squats are right down to 45kg but working on getting the technique as dialled as possible and going into as deep a squat as I can.....I'd like to build up the weight once I feel I've got everything perfect.