Tony Harrison

I have 90% of a photo website built myself (more of a personal blog than a commercial site) but it's being delayed by lack of name! It can be really difficult. Personally I like things a little abstract, the kind of name you could build a brand around. The one that springs to mind is http://www.chromasia.com/which has a strong identity. I've always thought that including the word 'photography' is a little too obvious, and a little boring. " Chromasia... I wonder what the hell that's about..." - can get people interesting, intrigued. Additionally I'd be wary of a name that encompasses location or current subject matter. You might want to branch out or have a stab at something different, your interests may change. You might move to a new city. Finally - and not on the subject of name - make yourself sound established and experienced. It's much more professional to write a bio in the third person ("Mike is a professional photographer from Bristol etc etc") than it is in the first person. Writing "Hi my name is Mike etc" gives the impression of an enthusiastic amateur just having a go at making some money from a hobby. Whilst this might sound personable and friendly, you're probably going to find more lucrative jobs if you sound like a hard-hitter.

Earlier this month I went to Teamsport Crawley to drive on the three-tier 'international circuit'. That was pretty good fun : ) I mean I ranked fairly low down the times but then I've always been more of a two wheel guy!

Am I the only one that thinks BMX tricks on a mod just look wrong somehow? As for the barspin, that's definitely the first ever landed on a mod.

For those who're into documentaries, watch "Going Clear: Scientology and the prison of belief". It's amazing, totally slams Scientology (quite rightly). 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Damn, son! Looks amazing!

Tubeless using... a tube.

Really enjoyed that.

The point is that people end up in a lose-lose situation.

Seriously, what? Personally I'd never let myself get hussled like that. On principle I'd tell them to f'ck off.

I went to see the mechanic yesterday. He had the engine fitted in the bike so I was able to take it for a quick ride up and down his street (without a front brake, since the genuine Yamaha cables I have don't fit the adjusters on the Amal replica levers, so new cables are being made). Feels pretty damn good, and that's before he's tuned it properly. Unfortunately though the petrol tank is leaking, my new expensive front mudguard still hasn't shown up and it's going to be at least a week before the tuning is done. This project has taken ages so far. The other problem I have is that the reverse cone silencer is just obnoxiously loud and I don't like it, so need to find a different one.

I just got sent a pleasing image from my mechanic - seems my engine is ready. It's had a full top-end rebuild with all new gaskets, seals etc, new piston rings, residue cleaned off the valves. Clutch overhaul and casing polish, plus I bought a brand new Keihin 38CR carb for it. Looking awesome, if I may say so myself. Hopefully by Monday when I go to see him he'll have it back in the bike with the new wheels and overhauled forks. I need to deliver new brake/clutch/decompression levers so that he can get it on the road and out for a tune-up.

Then again though it's like trials riders going to watch demos and coming away disappointed. The video is probably just what they needed for a helmet promo.

Instagram wackness, but hey... 2013 LaPierre Zesty 414. Only modifications are Shimano Saint pedals and a Reverb dropper post. It's the first time I've had a 'proper' mountainbike since about 1999!

I think claiming that it's the 'only helmet worth looking at' is stretching it a bit though...

I think going to the gym to 'get buff' had relevance about 400 years ago when you might be expected to go to war in a suit of armour, or back when the concept of the 'alpha male' still had relevance (the bronze age?!) and men had to actually fight for females. But mostly these days it just looks like training for the sake of training. Which is fine if you want to train for the sake of training, but I certainly wouldn't call it a sport either.

Luke there's Swinley Forest in Surrey if you're ever out that way. I'm looking at buying a Bell Super 2. Bit pricey but very comfortable when I tried one on.

I gave it to Evans to look at, they did a 'hub service' and gave me the wheel back - as soon as I put it in the frame I could feel play still there. Evans then told me I'd have to bring the whole bike in, which was pointless (I think they were worried that I wasn't smart enough to put the wheel in properly). Anyway I resorted to dismantling it myself to find the retaining circlip on the axle not seated (it just dropped off the end of the axle - nice one Evans) and blatantly obvious wear marks on the axle. Turning the fitted axle showed that there wasn't enough friction to turn the bearings!! This reminded me why I've always serviced my own bike stuff. Anyway I cleaned the axle and bearing surfaces with carb cleaning and reassembled with Loctite 601 bearing retainer. I could've sourced or machined a new axle, but I need to ride this damn bike. So we'll see how it goes...

I had a Giro Semi MX years ago, not a bad helmet. I was quite interested in the detachable chin bar with the 2R because I'm going to be riding in the Alps this summer.

I agree, that's what I was starting to think. Ultimately it ends up being the best part of £170, but like you say, what price do you put on protecting your head? I won't be buying one until I've tried one in the shop though.

I'm looking at buying a Bell Super 2R. It's about £20 more for the MIPS version, but as ever it's hard to tell if it's just hype or whether it really adds any extra level of safety. Anyone here bought one of these helmets, or have any experience with them?

Thanks Adam. I see what everyone's saying here. In my case I probably won't do anything until I'm ready to put the 25% down and find a place I really like. I'm thinking about putting some serious effort into it around August time. I get the whole thing about buying before prices go much higher, but by the same token prices can come down again, which doesn't really help the LTV surely? My parents neighbour is an estate agent with buy to let properties of her own, so I'm going to ask her for some advice too.

I don't think I'll take one out unless I'm putting at least 20-25% down.

I've actually been looking at taking out a buy to let mortgage just as a way to invest some money, but right now I see it as a ton of hassle that I don't need. I'm not bothered about 'getting on the ladder' and don't ever want to live in the house, but it'd be nice to have some kind of asset which I might appreciate in 10-20 years time.

I think it's just priorities. Most of the people I used to work with had an "Oh great it's payday!" mentality, whereby they never accumulated money but instead saw their pay each month as money to spend. The idea of actually saving just never seemed to occur to any of them.

Crazy thing is, the moment I first saw the original post I was thinking, someone needs to zoom in on that dog's face... Thanks Mark ; )