Ali C

from looking at the qualifying times Matt Walker could be up for a win if he doesn't fall off... fastest on every sector but then obviously had a spill which put him back. I'm interested to see how Reece Wilson does after winning here last year, quite interesting how he's gone to flat pedals after riding clips for so long but after hearing that Gwin couldn't clip one of his feet back into his pedal last year because of too much mud build up perhaps flat pedals makes sense even if you're not used to it.

May as well update my situation. I'm still living with my fiancée, her mum and her mums boyfriend in a two bedroom flat. It’s fiiiine, we all get on and there’s zero tension (as far as I can tell) but I’m desperate for my own space. The housing market is still awful and there’s nothing coming up in our budget in any place we’d want to live. However due to a turn in events we might not need to look for a house after all. Sadly Jane’s elderly Aunt died last month (at 93). She was diagnosed with cancer just in February and refused treatment...because she was of sound mind and knew what was coming she made sure her will was updated and put Jane as her power of attorney. She didn’t have any children of her own and was fond of Jane and her brother so has left the estate to them. Jane is keen to buy out her brothers share in her Aunts house and for her and I to move into it...fortunately none of Jane’s family have any objection to this. We are waiting back on a survey to tell us exactly how much the estate is worth and that will determine how much we owe her brother so nothings set in stone yet. The house itself is a 1960s detached two bedroom bungalow and is lovely! The rooms are big and it’s in amazing condition (her Aunt was the type that puts notes on the batteries in the clocks saying when they were installed...meticulously neat and tidy). It has a single garage which is perfect for my bikes and has garden space all around. The bonus is that it’s got a great potential to convert the loft into another two rooms (either making it a 4 bedroom or 3 with an office) which would be amazing. The area it’s in is considered one of the poshest parts of Glasgow, it’s rare to get a house here and all the neighbors are retired rich types...we’d be the youngest in the area by a long way. They’re all very friendly though, a minister is across from us as well as a Jewish and Indian couple who are all very nice people. The downsides are that it’s a lot further out of town than I’d considered (though does have easy motorway access) and there is zero riding (trials or MTB) out of the door, I’ll definitely be needing to drive to do any riding. Its also next to a road so there is some traffic noise, especially at school times as there’s a school just a few hundred meters down the hill. It’s only a 30mph zone and not a main route so not too bad the rest of the time. It’s sad that Jane’s lost a family member but with all the hardships she’s had I think its a lovely gift from her Aunt. here’s hoping we can afford to buy out her brothers share.

sounds so tedious!!

Another vote for Starchem! I agree that it seems as good if not better than old Nitromoors and given enough time will get through even the most stubborn powder coating (and skin as my burn scars prove...this stuff doesn't hold back so be careful)

Have you seen the video I posted today? I have some detail about going Ingles on my new bike. Not the same rims as you but maybe there’s something in there that could help? It’s still inflated with no pressure drop after a few days now

As far as I know there’s no schrader valves designed for inserts. I’ve used normal valves with inserts before and the issue isn’t getting the air in but more getting the air out as the insert presses on the valve...I fixed this in the past by stabbing the insert with a spoke through the valve to give passage for the air. There is a way to use presta valves on a schrader rim though... you might find my video this Friday quite interesting

From my point of view, a pro rider at the very minimum should be getting free bikes and expenses covered, if they’re getting less than that then I don’t think they fit into the “pro” category. Bikes are just a tool and that should be provided (like a bus driver doesn’t have to supply their own bus), likewise expenses are just like other jobs that get paid when you’re on the clock. I’m surprised people wouldn’t expect every pro rider to be at least getting that.

yeah that was pretty interesting, seems pro riders either get very little wage or a really big one with not much in-between which echoes my thoughts I had.

upstairs neighbours snoring EVERY night is driving me mad!

I've held off voicing my opinion because I feel it doesn't quite sit with the general population but we're all friends here...I'm holding off from having any vaccine for as long as possible. Now I don't consider myself a foil hat type...I think the vaccine is PROBABLY ok BUT as Andy has stated, it IS experimental treatment (by definition that's what it is). The government has stated you are unable to have any reimbursements for any negative effects from taking the vaccine. This means if you are allergic or any other negative discoveries are made from long term use (impotence, future offspring negative effects etc) you can't possibly sue or otherwise get any reimbursement. I don't blame others for taking the vaccine and I'm certainly not an anti-vaxxer, I just don't feel comfortable taking something that hasn't had the same long term tests done that other (older) vaccines have. I don't want it to be another Thalidomide scandal where a drug was passed on as being safe (in that case for pregnant women) only later to discover that it caused devastating defects with the babies. So that's a pass from me

so here's a theory. Bitcoin was brought to existence by a Chinese company/person. The recent crash was brought about by a Chinese compay. China are buying up gold, it gives them protection against inflation The west are selling their gold and more and more people/companies are buying up Crypto Tin foil hat moment...what if this is a long play strategy from China to dupe the world into buying into a format that they can control all the while building up their reserves of gold and fiat currency. Once the world has become more dependant on crypto they can crash it and become the most powerful country in the world?

I mean the rod that's being held by the pinch bolt, the big one up and left of the one you circled...I probably should've called the stopper rod a separate name

to complicate things I use a different technique which I find can potentially give more tension (to the point of breaking it so be careful). 1. With the chain still on undo the pinch bolt that holds the steel rod 2. use a small screwdriver or anything thin that fits between the rod and the tensioner and use it to lever the rod around (see diagram) 3. when desired tension is achieved, re-tighten the pinch bolt 4. ride and forget about Ben's version

I tried a Fidlock but it rattled when riding and the noise annoyed me enough to not want to use it again...was it just mine or does yours have any rattle too?

I see dogecoin is doing well...so well Crypto.com has crashed, it’s funny what effect people’s Twitter posts have on things like this (Elon musk). I’m intrigued to see where my dogecoin ends up.

Jane is deep into the world of trading, FX and currencies and listens to a lot of podcasts from Peter Schiff... he has some strong views on crypto currencies which are quite interesting, worth looking into what he says (whether you agree with him or not).

Speaking of PB, Jane and I saw a house we wanted to view but got put off by the process of booking. I’m not much of a fan of talking on a phone so I like to do an online booking, PB had me sign up to their site and jump through a few hoops before I could actually do the booking and in the end I couldn’t be bothered any more (the house wasn’t really something we were seriously considering anyway). compare that with Right Move where I booked a viewing within seconds of starting the process. I certainly wouldn’t use PB if I was wanting to sell Edit: while I’m commenting I’ll update my situation... NO HOUSES in our budget anywhere we’d consider living, the market is dead and prices are insane right now. We may not need to buy though...sadly Jane’s 93 year old auntie is at deaths door with cancer. It’s obviously devastating for the family and there’s a lot of caring going on but Jane is on the will as the executor so will have to sort out the funeral and house (amongst other jobs). Now her Auntie has a 2 bed detached bungalow (but the rooms are huge) with a garage and gardens, it’s a lovely house and in a well off area although much further out than I’d have hoped... Jane has mentioned talking to the family about buying their shares and living there ourselves, it really depends on how many people are named in the will and what their thoughts are. Will keep you posted

I'm getting involved for sure!

it'll be fine, I think that's more a warning not to use them on tubular rims than hookless, I know a few riders who use them on hookless rims with no issues

wanna make trials popular? Speed trials is where it's at

How long have you been riding? I’m probably going to disappoint you with my opinion but I think it’s just a case of practicing more. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking a step down in size of moves and working on your technique... the more you do something the more muscle memory you’ll get and the more it’ll come naturally. If you’re seizing up it suggests you’re not quite ready just yet so just take your time.

Just a step but I don’t want to live in a shithole either

I’m on 22-18 with 175s (or maybe 170, I can’t remember) and I find it slightly too light, I’d happily keep the ratio the same but I would like to try 165mm cranks but they’re next to impossible to find with the rest of the requirements I need in a set of cranks

Ok, our offer got rejected. Our 183k offer (3k over the home report evaluation) was the lowest offer they got. We didn’t get the exact figures but they hinted that the accepted offer was ~240k! That’s 60k over the houses value, people are crazy! the hunt continues, I’m getting pretty eager to get out of this house, it’s no fun living with the in-laws and the upstairs neighbors suck, the teenage lad thinks he’s a gangster and plays shit rap whenever he’s in and smokes weed which stinks out this house too and him Mum snores like a jackhammer every night from 9pm onwards... I’m not sure how much more I can take

that front pivot!