F-Stop Junkie

Let's be honest here, riding a bike in comfort isn't just about saddle height, but also the reach to the bars. If you get a jump bike, it's likey to have a short top tube and stem, so putting the saddle upto a 'correct' height will leave the bars about 6" or more too close to be comfortable for any reasonable length ride. The requirements for a jump bike and XC bike are totally different. Just like you can't have a trials bike which you can also do dirt jumping and riding to the shops on*. To make it good for one comprimises the others. If you want a jump bike, buy a good jump bike, then modify it as best you can to make it as comfortable as possible for riding places. It won't be comfy comfy, but you'll have a lot more fun on the trails! * I realise you can take a trials bike jumping and ride down the shops on it, but you can't have the ideal bike for all three rolled into on. Otherwise you'd end up with a 40lb trials bike, front suspension, dual chain rings and a rack on the back...

--> QUOTE(danny B @ Jun 29 2006, 05:05 PM) ←crikey i look about ten lol Why do you think everyone calls you Babyface Butler?

It's cool Ali. A lot of shots I take don't see the forum normally, so I don't mind a few popping up on here, just wanted to people to know I can make some look better than they were here!

Just to point out, some of those shots of mine were quick edits to show Ali and not really intended for general view! I do honestly know how to process digital images!

Lots of lugged frame builders (Chas Roberts, Dave Yates, Argos Cycles, Mercian, LA Cycles) around. Most are road frames, mainly older style frames. There was also some experimentation with them during the development on XC frames, culminating in John Tomac riding a bike with Ti lugs and CF tubes... You won't find many, if any, MTB frames built using lugs. Added weight and complexity over simple TIG welding, unless you go custom built.

Wizzadora?

Very cool! Any chance of a high-res copy of that? Of course! Quite a good balance, considering the sun...

Hmm, this one barely counts...

That's rubbish! It can be expensive, but it certainly doesn't have to be. It comes down to how well you can use the equipment you have. A lot of people assume more expense equals better images. In some cases, spending big bucks will create worse images, unless you understand why. I'd suggest going the eBay route, I presume your friend doesn't have any lenses or accessories already? I've been looking at Canon film cameras, and an EOS 30V will set you back about £110, and cheaper Canon lenses are also cheaper still on eBay. There's plenty on there, so it's worth being choosy and buying the best you can. The other option is look for an Olympus OM-10 or similar. You can pick up a whole kit - with lenses and flash - for about £40. With a manual adapter, then it's can give fully manual operation. Looks cool, very cheap, and will be a great choice for a student being taught how to use it properly. dSLRs are relatively expensive on eBay compared to the features you can get on a D50 or 350D. May as well go new. Ultimatley how much kit costs has little effect on final image quality. I spent years with my Dad's Minolta, and looking back over those slides, some are amazing images! Buying old kit from good manufacturers in good condition will give good results, no matter how cheap it is. The most important accessory for any photographer is a good eye, and that's something you can't buy...

I don't think that's anything like as vulnerable as the old TPA... The breakaway lever thing sounds interesting to stop crash damage.

Avid Ultimates (Carbon and Magnesium) and Code (big burly brakes) previewed on Singletrackworld.com Of decent note is the super powerful Code brakes, which include a TPA style adjuster, and a breakaway feature to stop the lever getting damaged if you stack! No word on pricing, expect them late-autum/early winter when the 07 stock hits the shops.

Why are you posting who bought how many tickets?

One thing to check, and I've just noticed this on the pics above, is that the firewall is aware of the local connections, and will allow traffic to pass. Assuming all the IP addresses are correct (make sure the wi-fi one is different to the ethernet one) then I would guess firewall. There's usually an option to set up a safe zone or home network and you just give an address range and hey presto!

Before trialszone there was Section7.co.uk... Are people suggesting a literal magazine, available for download? If it's internet based, then it should be constantly updated, and not just new editions at fixed intervals.

Absolutley, but on-line magazines can, have and do work. I think too many people put too much emphasis on 'I heard it here/there first'. The advantage for a good trials magazine is not absolute speed, but quality and authority. You can't believe everything you read on TF, but with a good reputation, you could on AcmeTrialsMag.com...

If you want rumour, speculation and gossip. I think what people want is something with decent articles, probing interviews, and good event reports. How's about more than just a photo of something new? What about availability? Pricing? Facts? That's what people mean by an on-line magazine. A lot of people have the attitude that TF is the way forward, so why pay for a magazine? Well, you get what you pay for. There's huge scope for something but it does need someone to put in the time and effort and feel rewarded for it. They also need support as it's a tough thing for one person to keep running. I wonder if some of the pro-TF lobby are new people who don't remember what the past has been like...

Motec offer anti-lag on their aftermarket ECUs. If you're doing 'spirited' road driving, it can make sense and it removes lag (and kills the turbo, fries the cat, etc...). Still better than a flamer kit. IIRC, 5 doors are not a requirement (remember the Peugeot 207 CC?), it was built around an existing Impreza platform - not the new 2.5 engine so it would be 2 litre, and under WRC rules you don't need to produce 25,000 homolgation special (like the old Evos or Lancia Deltas) like the Group A regs. All you need to do is produce 20 kits of parts and body work to turn the standard car into the WRC car. So no reason why it couldn't go rallying. However, given that Prodrive is launching on an F1 programme, I would think they don't have the resources available to start a production run of cars. It's more of a development programme to show Subaru and Saab (who also use the Subaru chassis and engine) what Prodrive can do with the car, and to pay them more money in the future to get access to those diffs. Prodrive had a mule running several years ago with customisable computer controlled diffs, which some Subaru Owners got a chance to drive. An engineer with a laptop could change the diff map at a moments notice and completely change the handling of the car. You could have the same car with different diff software, one would understeer massively, and the other would do nothing but oversteer. Massive reductions in productions costs, and the prospect of people chipping their diffs.

Quite true about NASS, but the Bike Show - and it's trials shows - have been around longer than MAD. I remember going to Bike 96 where I think Rich and Giles were then when Rich was sponsored by Muddy Fox. That was 10 years ago, so I may be wrong... Although Saracen sponsored the trials arena in 05, I think it would have gone ahead regardless as you need things like that to draw the visitors to the show.

Not knowing the Nikon system, do you have to set the slave flash power manually, or does it set itself automatically? It seems like a couple of the shots have overly strong flash, while the first one is about spot on. The one with the rider in a pool of light is cool too, though I'd further darken it to reduce the highlights. I'm still not keen on arse shots, even when artily lit

Ratcliff... As in the rodent and geographical feature... The flash is a 550EX. Pretty chunky, but not as big as some. EDIT: Why did I read it as who's the big guy on the left?

350D, 350D, 350D...

Me too... Dan, were these taken with the Panasonic? They look good!

Don't always believe the EXIF info when someone is using a flash arrangement based on 10ft of wire, and a flashgun dug up by the Time Team... It works well though.

Every time I frown or prod me face, it hurts. I now remember a) why I hate sunburn and b ) why I bought a stupid looking hat which keeps the sun off me. Ow. On the upside, my Focus had A/C turned upto the max all the way home, and a 3 scoop thorntons icecream helped too. Cracking riding alround, amazing pork sarnies, took way more shots per hour than I do at any comp, and learned that Andy is good at interviews. Ow... Shower and E45 now.

Is it me, or is there a strong homo-erotic feeling to TF at the moment?