Ali C

I have taken up BMX racing to improve my leg power and stamina...nothing like a flat out sprint for 40 seconds while doing pull-ups to get over the jumps! Also more fun than a gym in my opinion.

Very good point! I am annoyed at you for pointing out my stupidity Still, street is just outside my house and natural is up some of the steepest hills around, so street is still the easier option for me, but I find natural more challenging, thats what I meant. The other side to the argument is that you can make street challenging too, Rowan is a perfect example, I doubt I could do half the stuff he does. I think the best comprimise would be a comp but in the streets, man made stuff with normal UCI rules, or maybe add a "no strato dab" rule so that everyone has to at least attepmt to ride their bikes up stuff.

I love comps! There's nothing I like more than a roadtrip up and down the country or abroad, meeting up with old friends and making new ones along the way. All the best/funniest/most embarrasing stories I have are from going away to compete. In 2006 I got the oppertunity to travel the world because of comps, without them I would have never have gone to Singapore or Japan. The best highlight of my life so far has got to be on the top of the podium at the French round of the world champs, that feeling alone, knowing that on that day you were untouchable is what brings me back. Street is cool too and to most under 17 year olds is obviously cheaper and easier, but who wants things easy? I love a challenge! sure you can challenge yourself out riding street but seeing how high you can go up a wall sideways has its limits. A nice technical rock line is what gets me going. I am lucky in that I live where there's lots of rocks and my parents took me to comps when I couldn't drive. I have been competing for 10 years now, I have lost track of how many comps I have been to (hundreds) but I know I wouldn't be riding if I didn't compete.

You need some bolts with smaller heads: http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/product.php?pr...;category_id=75

nice one, cheers for all the help guys, specially Prawn chatted to him on the phone and he was mighty helpfull

I am now the owner of an Audi A4

hmm, I rang prawn, he said it seems good, I rang the owner and he works at audi and seems honest and gave the right answers.....so I bid! currently winning!

Audi a4 Just seen this, I am in preston now and adam said he could give me a lift over to see it, it ends soon and is on a reasonable price. I should really see what my parents think, but to be honest you guys know more than they do. I just wanted your thoughts, it would feel rather odd buying on such short notice though. If I went to look what should I look for? also its one of the first A4s, does that mean it wont be as refined as more recent virsions, possibly needing stuff doing?

cool, cheers guys, I'll look harder for an audi or passat before I fork out on a focus.

yeah, but I have a steep head angle

yeah, I am gutted about the wheels! I can't find any steels anywhere either To be honest, the van is still great, the inside is good and the engine purrs like a cat. I am still swaying on a focus estate, seems to tick all my boxes...I just need to test drive one, shame I cant do that because of work, I'll have to wait till next saturday now, hopefully they wont have sold by then.

cant seem to find cheap passats unless they have done mega miles. Thats what stopped me getting one last year. I could sell my vito (actually, I plan to once I find some wheels) and spend more on a car, but I don't fancy having a really exspensive car, it means if it breaks, I HAVE to spend the money to get it fixed rather than loosing a couple of hundred quid and flogging it. I was tempted by a small car rob, but I really don't think it will be as practical as a slightly bigger car, plus most cars that are 60+mpg are all newer ones that are over my budget.

let it have its wheels stolen! You dont have the old steels around do you?

cheers guys, been very helpfull so far!

front end looks crazy slack with such a short stem!....I like the bars though

yeah, I would deffo see if I could lie down, but I recken even if its shorter than I think, I'll come up with some way to have a flat bed, even if it means including the front seat. btw, do the front seats recline fully? or even go forward? would make a good place for my feet to go if they do.

glad you liked my note looks good! do you know how much it weighs?

As some of you might know, I am without a car and needing a new one. I am after somthing big enough to sleep in/carry bikes easily, good on fuel, repairs and is fun/nice to drive. I was tempted by a small van, but they are higher tax and boat travel costs, not very nippy either. This has led me down the road of the estates....can lie down in the back with the rear seats removed, can easily fit two or more bikes in, better on tax and boat journey costs and still car-like to drive. I don't want a peugeot as I don't trust the electronics in them despite the estates being decent in size. A german or Japanese car would be great, but they are a little out of my price range. The best value for money estates seem to be fords (booring), BUT, the Focus estates seems to get great reviews....roomy, great to drive, nippy, good on fuel and tax. Also insurance would save me around £200 over my 306tdi even if I went fully comp! I have seen 3 cars, my budget is around £1000, but I can stretch it if its worth it. 1) here, most exspensive of the three, but the newest and has 12 months mot. I like the colour, its got a tow bar, its the nippy 1.8 engine (they always get recommended over the tdi's), seems pretty good. High miles, but not over the top. No backup from a dealer if anything goes wrong though 2) 2nd one, middle price, I like black cars, only had one owner, fsh, 1.8 engine again. Miles are high, but not over the top. 3) here, cheapest car, lowest miles (but I think thats a mistake), colour is ok, but will need lots of cleaning to keep nice, its the deisel model, so sluggish but good on fuel. Those are the only ones I can afford really, they all seem like a pretty good buy, if the miles are correct on the last one that seems like a bargain! I would prefer a petrol one just for the fun factor, but I do drive 70miles a day for work, so maybe the deisel would be the smarter choice. What are your thoughts?

what tensioner are you running? is there enough wrap on the cog?

lol, maybe too much power Fair play though, he is way better than I was after that time

I thought it was ok, I don't think he looks comfy on the bike though seemed pretty sketchy. I recken he would be much better on a stock!

getting the power now lad keep it up, your gonna get real good! PS, please gap forwards, it works and looks better

I don't feel like taking part, still pissed off about the "qualifying" rounds that meant sod all about being picked for the UK team.

seeing as my bank account has - symbol next to it, I wont be going

I saw you hopping about on a wooden fence one when driving though, I was going to honk at you, but I think it would have just been confusing! The quarry is open all the time, you just have to ride/push up into the quarry.