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Hi, I've been away for a little while, about 10 years I think.
What have I missed?
Joe Cocker died.
Hi gingerflash, funnily enough I was just thinking about you and mrsflash the other day. I'm planning to learn the harp ... had the idea that mrsflash plays / used to play? Anyhow, hope you're both well, and babyflash too ... who must be all grown up by now. 😃
Sorry ... didn't answer the question!
And binners had a big barney in the Rose and Crown
What have I missed?
Over opiniated forum discussions, a few flounces, lots of new faces, occasional bike riding.
Welcome back.
Hi Rona. I hope you're well.
Baby flash isn't so baby any more, 11, and has an 8 year old brother too.
MrsF played the harp at school but not since. A bit unwieldy and takes up a lot of house-space.
There's been a shit load of cycling going on!
Instagram is the place to be!
The mud got wet for two weeks in July/Aug and everyone lost their shit.. but then it got dry again and everything was right with the world. Sun shining through the tree leaves onto your eyes and the rocky path beneath your tyres, rolling ever forward. Kinda like that..
Where have you been riding?
What have I missed?
People have been using the internet for scamming.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/unhappy-sick-bicycles-customers-beware/
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/bizarre-logo-coincidence-rich-energy-and-whyte-bikes/
What have I missed?
Trump, Brexit, COVID, Driving Gods, Sudocream, expensive trousers, Dracs iPad, deaths, births, very occasional bike chat, last things we made, postmans lasers.
..and Bullheart. Mainly Bullheart.
A magnetic dog and cat who's never going to suffer from nappy rash.
Bombers aren't what they used to be.
Badger still hasn't cleaned the goo off his outside wall.
Frozen sausages are all the rage.
And avoid anyone called Louise.
What have I missed?
We all got older.
MrsF played the harp at school but not since. A bit unwieldy and takes up a lot of house-space.
That's often the way, but what about the harp?
Flashy's gone 🙁
Not sure about Fred
What have I missed?
We all got older.
Not all of us 🙁
franksinatra
..and Bullheart. Mainly Bullheart.
RIP Bullheart and Marsdenman, and doubtless other forumites
In more pertinent news, people still don't actually ride bikes very much...
In more pertinent news, people still don’t actually ride bikes very much…
Unless they're e-bikes. Folk have gone soft :-/
I cancelled a lease car which nearly burned down the STW servers....
I cancelled a lease car which nearly burned down the STW servers….
But you did start a wonderful thread. LING LING LING!
McMoonter made us all feel less manly with his inspiring art work, brilliant shed projects, magnificent log piles, never ending garden project and classic cars. He then stop posting as regularly and left a void in our lives.
Nice to see some usernames I recognise.
I'm guessing these are references to the newer tubeless-Badger-Picolax-Bomber-owning sort of threads.
Other than wheel sizes, droppers and e-bikes, it doesn't seem as though much has changed at all.
Sadly Surfmatt is absent from these columns
Erm well, some folks don't like dogs weeing on their tents; other folks don't mind dogs weeing on other people's tents; there are no responsible dog owners in the universe; there are responsible dog owners in the universe, but the bad ones keep them hidden from sight; apparently our European neighbours (not sure I can refer to as cousins anymore due to, well, lots of stuff, like taking their cats to caravan sites and have them on leads long enough that they can scare off other cats/dogs etc.; Who knew??? One folk had a bike, bought a different bike, didn't like it, so bought the 'same' bike again and other folks seem to have an issue. The world went mad, stayed mad and continues to get madder still...or maybe that's just the Keir Starmer thread where mortals fear to tread/comment in case they are torched alive by the right wing conspirators or the left wing defence force...
I may be exaggerating - oh and what tyres are you using and do you have a Berlingo???? 🙂
Other than wheel sizes, droppers and e-bikes, it doesn’t seem as though much has changed at all.
And gunk. People faff around putting gunk and tape in their wheels so they don't get punctures. But they still get punctures so they take tins of anchovies and spare tubes with them. I assume the anchovies are to snack on whilst they fit a tube but I don't really know.
Strangely (given they no longer exist in that context) you can still moan about Avid brakes being rubbish (which they probably actually were 10 years ago) on any brake related thread. Oh, and you need to buy a gravel bike, fat bikes have gone niche -> mainstream -> niche.
Baby flash isn’t so baby any more, 11, and has an 8 year old brother too.
MrsF played the harp at school but not since. A bit unwieldy and takes up a lot of house-space.
Great to hear about your expanded family.
Currently (mentally) turning the house upside down to make room for it!
All the best. 🙂
"what have you missed"
well im not going to spoil it, go back and read it all yourself.
*waves
About 9 years ago the “Trails” all came alive, but by using a combination of various non-interchangeable standards, we have managed to beat them back into submission over the years.
In more pertinent news, people still don’t actually ride bikes very much…
Speak for yersen.*
*Although the older thing means I am more of the road/gravel/nice view than I used to be.
A guy called Geex made a lot of noise, called everyone weak, then left.
Frozen sausages are the new Bombers.
There was a stupid headset question I recall...
Welcome back GF.
I bought a new bike a couple of years ago, prior to that I was still rocking the Orange Sub 3 from when I last saw you and Mrs Flash at SITS, or the Enduro 6.
Apart form that nothing much on here has changed.
A guy called Geex made a lot of noise, called everyone weak, then left.
I believe that was Gary. He turns up with a new account with tedious regularity but he's too stupid to realise that his winning personality always outs himself. He'll likely get spam-killed next time.
There was a stupid headset question I recall…
Mine's a Plantronics.
Someone has a lovely Mercedes they are not sure about.
Trump, Brexit, COVID, Driving Gods, Sudocream, expensive trousers, Dracs iPad, deaths, births, very occasional bike chat, last things we made, postmans lasers.
Action blankets
CFH, Ginger Flash, 10 years on I still can't tell them apart.
Hello!!!
welcome back dear boy.
Are you (Both) back on MTB then? you know where we are if you've forgotten your way around the Peak!
Sadly Surfmatt is absent from these columns
He was certainly amusing although I think he though we were laughing with him right up until he realised...
@rona,
My sister played the harp semi- professionally. I can relay any questions you have to her . I know that proper harps are breathtakingly expensive, have you considered this?
Schwabe Marathons are now called Schwalbe Snickers
About 9 years ago the “Trails” all came alive, but by using a combination of various non-interchangeable standards, we have managed to beat them back into submission over the years.
That made me chuckle
You missed me not making the official list of Big Hitters, though I did get an honourable mention.
Great to see you back, I remember you both as being fairly normal for this place.
10 years already? Wow. Welcome back 🙂
@johnnymarone – that's really kind of you, thank you. I'm sure I've loads of questions, will have a think. Yes, some of the prices I've seen are eye-watering! I'm planning to start with a hire of a lever harp for 3 months to check I actually like it as much as I think I will. All going well, the student lever harps seem to be around £2000 … seems quite reasonable compared to the cost of a new mtb! Hopefully I won't later feel inclined to graduate towards the crazy expensive end of the price spectrum!
Sorry for the hijack gingerflash!
You never left on my iPad. Glad you’re account got sorted.
Hey GF!
What have I missed?
I wouldn’t worry, it’ll all be back around in a short while.
Schwabe Marathons are now called Schwalbe Snickers
And you don't want to know what the London Marathon's now called.
Hora’s dog came out.
We don’t wee in people’s shoes anymore.
We don’t wee in people’s shoes anymore.
To add to this weeks issues, my cat has started to wee in my crocs lately with remarkable accuracy.
To add to this weeks issues, my cat has started to wee in my crocs lately with remarkable accuracy.
Don't leave any old Marzocchi forks lying around 😳
I bought some brakes off RealMan.
And some kid didn't get his pudding - or might not have got his pudding - because he was naughty.
Gingerflash is back? Yeah, right, next thing you'll be telling me is TJ got his ban lifted.
No recent pootles
What about Posie and Perkin?
"Are you (Both) back on MTB then? "
MrsF is riding only to the extent that the boys are.
I've been road riding a lot over the last 10 years. Mountain biking won't be frequent but fitness is ok and skills might come back, maybe?
I took my little bike round favourite old trails in the Lakes and it beat the sh&t out of me so I might not be ready for the Beast just yet.
Really good to see some of the old names, nice to see that STW really hasn't changed that much at all.
I’ve been road riding a lot over the last 10 years. Mountain biking won’t be frequent but fitness is ok and skills might come back, maybe?
I took my little bike round favourite old trails in the Lakes and it beat the sh&t out of me so I might not be ready for the Beast just yet.
Well, if you fancy it, we could try and get the old 'fit but shit' crew back together 🙂
bike prices have gone up a bit
Hey! Just noticed this after your reply on the glasses thread.
Older, slower, fatter, unfitter, the lesser known daft punk b-side
Was a bit of a lurker back in the day but recently realised I've still been paying an annual subs so have wandered back in a bit more often. Was going to ask if TJ ever started advocated helmet-wearing in any context but I see he was banned. Oh well.
His ban got rescinded. New user name is tjagain, he seems to steer away from argumentative threads but I doubt he wears a skid lid. 😁
People’s neighbours continue to do things that upset them. WWSTWD? The cost of everything is now £500 plus VAT.
Some folk still really struggle on big long blue descents.
Older, slower, fatter, unfitter, the lesser known daft punk b-side
😀
Too many wimmin have left.
Bring back mrsflash.
the old ‘fit but shit’ crew
There's a t-shirt/jersey in the making there.
Flashy’s gone 🙁
Not sure about Fred
Fred popped in to pass his condolences when we lost SFB.
As well as Flashy, Hora is not longer round these parts.
New user name is tjagain, he seems to steer away from argumentative threads
You missed the one about private healthcare then!
Too many wimmin have left
Absolutely this.
What have you missed? Long, low and slack.
Oh, and bike geometry has changed too....
We finally got the new forum, it looks the same as the old one. Everyone lost their minds
The new classifieds caused everyone to lose their minds
I've just leant of Simon Barnes' death. That has shaken me quite a bit. We shared a love of the Lakes, rode together a few times, and often argued about different approaches to photography.
Argumentative, always had to be right and have a last word, but a thoroughly decent guy. Very sad indeed.
Argumentative, always had to be right and have a last word
Which is hardly unique for this place but what was, was his completely honest admission that he loved arguing.
I remember being taken back by him responding with, "but I like arguing" when challenged about his incessant arguing.
Many people love arguing, but very few admit to it. He was a character in more ways than one.
Fred popped in to pass his condolences when we lost SFB.
Are you sure you don't mean Bullheart? Having misconstrued a post and set a hare running about SFB in the past, I am pretty sure I have never seen his death reported on here.
Having misconstrued a post and set a hare running about SFB in the past, I am pretty sure I have never seen his death reported on here.
Having suffered a stroke, recovered and started riding again, Simon then had another more debilitating stroke and spent a while (far too long) being cared for. He died early this year
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/man-down-rip-simon-barnes/
Thanks I obviously completely missed that, my use of the forum is even more sporadic than I realized. In view of his health problems, I guess not completely unexpected but the finality always brings it home.
Fewer members appear to be triggered by the idea of Ebikes, but there's still that hardcore group.
Erm....
12 speed cassettes now costing what a whole group set cost 10 years ago.
If it's not on Strava then it never happened.
The boom and bust of fat bikes
The boom and bust of plus (half fat) bikes
The boom and bust of 27.5 wheels
26" wheels are dead, well apart from the thousands of 26" wheeled bikes that are still out there.
Threaded bottom brackets fell out of favour with bike manufacturers and press fit became all the rage. Right up until it was realised that press fit was sh$te and now threaded bottom brackets are now back but bigger/different.
The boom of Enduro
Rapha has now infiltrated mountain bike apparel
Gravel bikes become popular but then their wheels shrank to 27.5" for some reason.
Bags (more the better) on your bike are now cool.
Bum bags are back but they must be referred to as 'hip-packs'
More standards than you can shake a sh&tty stick at.
Dropper post's are pretty much essential even on xc race bikes.
Mountain bikes are better than ever.
Short travel bikes are now in.
Again.