haydon_peter

Tarty, Pete was right you were wrong... How often can that be said? :- evidence that this park tool exists I know someone that uses that tool to tighten up the middleburn bash! "Tic"

My/Salisbury's claim to fame is: The cliff gap that Chris Smith messed up is in Salisbury, it is mental. I wasnt there, I just heard the rumour then it was in the next MBUK saying he screwed up a cliff gap jump. n/m "Tic"

I am getting annoyed with reserving bikes, I have now decided not to bother with it again for a while. The last few times I have reserved my bike and got on the train, the guard does not ask to see the reservation so it is simply a waste of money. I bet I now get a git of a guard that wont let me on the train without a reservation now lol. Good advice: Avoid travelling on the train with your bike at around 5-6pmish (Monday-Saturday), at this sort of time the trains are generally packed with office type people and/or people coming back from shopping trips. If you get a later train around 7-9 it is usually fairly empty and less busy. Also use your brain: eg. there is a Southampton football match in Southampton on Saturday = busy trains with football peeps. "Tic"

Dammit Jon, i wish you had done this research in time for me to use the advice lol. My experiences: On South West Trains you are meant to reserve your bikes, (£3 on the day of the train, £1 in advance, at some stations they simply charge you £1 whatever), (Although some of the guards are nice and dont mind if you havent reserved and you just say you didnt know you had to). Alphaline trains, if you dont have a reservation they can get shitty, one time they wouldnt let us on the train because we hadent reserved, then they put a food cart in the bike storrage bit :- First Great Western, i had my first experience taking bikes on a great western train yesterday. So far this is the best service for bikes i have used! You have to put your bike in the guards compartment (If you have reserved far enough in advance they even put a reserved sign on a place on the bike rack reserving it for you). Even if you have not reserved, there is room for at least 6 bikes in the guards compartment so you are pretty much going to get on for definate! The guards did not ask to see our reservations because there was loads of room. Sometimes even if you do pay and reserve your bike on a train and that train is busy, they sometimes wont let you on that train. If you have this problem plead with them lol and say summit like "We have already been pissed around, we HAVE to get this train" and they sometimes help you find/make room. The best way to use trains with bikes is to buy your tickets, make bike reservations and plan your routes a day or so in advance... "Tic" PS Jon, can you explain these young persons travel cards a bit more? How long do they last what you get for the money etc...