spode@thinkbikes

Basically, the sounds of things NTL run a proxy server (transparantly to us, as we don't have to specify a connection to it) which caches web pages. So if we try and connect to Google, it probably comes from a cache on the NTL servers rather than from Google itself. This saves costs for NTL as it costs them everytime they connect outside of their own network.

I've never seen a disc brake adapter work well. Get a frame that supports it in the first place.

Bit short notice, but is anyone up for a ride tonight? Reading? Woking? Staines? London

That cotton real device is genius!

I know what UPS is.. If it can power a computer for 8 minutes or whatever, it should be able to do the same to a grinder. It's not IDEAL, but it will work

Why not?

There are cowboys everywhere. The amount of SHOCKING coders out there getting paid decent money. There's also a lot of journalists who really haven't got a clue. My approach to anyone and everyone is - idiot until proven otherwise. It's a really pessimistic approach, but it works. The world is full of them.

It was in the Metro this morning.

Woohoo! Another supporter!

I've never had problems either and people usually comment how hard I run my tyres. But I did that to stop tyre squirm on spinny tricks. I've had low pressure a couple of times where I've just gone out riding and forgotten to pump it up, and I've found on rails I was bouncing around all over the place!! I have generally thought that low pressure was cheating a little, as the extra bounce really does help. But since I changed my back wheel to an Onza hog, I have found the tyre feels naturally more bouncy anyway - whatever the pressure, because of the air being forced through the drilled out holes. I had mine fairly low the other day (30? maybe lower?) when I was riding in London and I was impressed how much extra grip it gave me on the back wheel. I used to wheel spin all the time before in the rain. As far as the actually pressure, I'm not entirely sure - I usually just pump it up until it feels right in my fingers. You can always let air out later.

Yes, you are right. In most web statistics, a hit is any requested file from the web server, be it an image, a css file, an html document etc. So a single page view might involve several "hits". However, in his case he's not analysing log files, he's just got a counter. So he's referring to hits as page impressions. However, to be truly fair he should be logging unique visitors (as I'm fairly sure that counter isn't doing..) He's girlfriends pretty hot though! Let's hope he doesn't ruin things with her by getting another girl in the bedroom...

I think people get that with many jobs. Titles are strange things and can be very misleading. I hate telling people I'm a journalist because they assume I write about politics. And then if I tell them I write for a computer magazines/websites, they assume I write about computer games. I would personally consider a mechanic and an engineer to be quite different things.

A lot of this depends on if your pain is muscular or spinal... But if you're seriously worried I would go to a GP. When I was around 15, I got some serious neck pain when riding. I eventually went to the doctor because it hurt so much. They x-rayed it, said it was a sprain and sent me packing. So I just swallowed a shit load of pills and kept riding. A week later they phoned me up saying they had x-rayed the wrong part of my neck. It turned out I had chipped off a corner of one of my vertebrae. This particular section was not fully-formed bone because of my age, hence it wanting to fall off. But it was basically a form of whip lash. It was fine after a while, but I think with trials you get used to aches and pains and sometimes shrug them off all too easily. I used to get seriously bad lower back pain, where I used to reguarly trap a nerve at the base of my spine. An osteopath I was seeing felt it was genetic and gave me some excercises to strengthen the muscles that hold my spine together. A combination of that, a new bed and new chair solved it. Although occasionally it does come back. Then not too long ago I had a prolapsed disc in the middle of my back. That's basically what people call a slipped disc (although I think there is a minor difference). It was HORRIBLE. One of the worst things I've ever been though. It popped out again 2 or 3 times after it initially healed and I still get a lot of problems with it now, especially after a long ride. I'm going to get this looked at a bit more as I have a feeling something needs to be done about it, but the doctors are currently concentrating on my stomach issues - I didn't want to cloud the issue Not doing too badly for a 22 year old But erm, anyway. Look after your body as much as you look after your bike.

Another Reg Reader I see... As much as it sounds like your standing up for your right to ride... It's NEVER worth putting yourself at risk just to make a point. If he's threatened you with physical violence and actually touched you - I would have moved on. He could have pulled a knife out for all you know - there are some sick twisted people out there and it's not worth risking your life over it. And if you ran discs, you wouldn't have a squeeky bike God damn rim brake noise annoys me.

Creative junk? The X-Fi is an awesome card. You'd do well to pick one up if you can. I've had several Audigys and Live! cards too without issue - they are good quality. The only issue has been with some of the initial drivers. What card are you using at the moment?

I don't know WHY, but your riding reminds me of me.

You'll have to get me along to some of your rides in the future, I'm not far away from you at all.. Who's the guy on the 26?

If I take my feet/shoes and run them on a rail they seem to slip quite nicely, same as man-hole covers etc. So going by that principle, I decide not to ride metal things in the rain

Soup? Sandwiches? What?? Give me something to go by!

I think putting tar, hammering, waxing is all a bit too close to the bone as far as vandalism is concerned. So you won't find me doing it. I see a lot of people screw up backwheeling a wall and then claim that their back brake slipped. And to be fair it can feel like that at the time. But if you watch it, or watch a video - they are just not getting high enough and therefore on to it properly. I'd say the same thing about rails. Unless they are wet, they shouldn't be a problem. So if you're not gripping, you're not on it properly.

I'm going to California for a week in May. I'm REALLY tempted to bring my trials bike, but I don't think it would be worth it unless I met up with some other riders. Do you know of anyone?

2 months? I suppose they are pretty cheap...

Nice. Got me doing the gap outside the tate on those blocks. Couldn't have filmed me doing it well then Nice to be included though. That gap at St Pauls is impressive. I don't know how you had the bollocks to try that considering how slippery the tops of those were feeling when we went there later!!

That's me!!

Would you really want to work in a bike shop though? You'd be seeing bikes ALL DAY. By the time you get home in the evening, you might find you don't want to see another bike at all! And it's draining work, doing the same old basic repairs, talking to idiot customers and customers who think they know it all. Not to mention trying to wash grease off your hands 24/7 and the little cuts and scratches here and there from fraying cables. It's certainly not an ideal job. I mean, if you love horses - doesn't mean you love mucking them out I work with computers all day, and generally speaking I work more than I probably should. And when I come home, I want to go riding, watch films, socialise etc. (although strangely I do enjoy working with Linux in my free time, but then it's quite different to writing reviews..). Also rememeber, you can't plan your whole life. As long as I've you've got a vague idea, just go for it. If we knew the outcome, the journey wouldn't be any fun It's natural to think about this stuff, just try not to overthink it. Whatever you do, try your hardest. And although it's often hard to see the benefit now, a good education can get you far. In saying that, I dropped out of Uni after the first year (didn't fail though, thanks guys ), but then I've been a freelance journalist since I was 16 and things had started to take off even more when I was at Uni, so I felt that at that point in my life I was better off leaving. I didn't plan for that, and I sure as hell don't regret it.