As said above, proper training (like a school or something) and as we use, and I've heard my mom suggest (she is a vet), get a cage/crate. At first the dog will hate it, but then they will slowly begin to think of it as a den of sorts. Both of our dogs go and sleep in their's even when they arnt locked up.

Quote from tristancliffe :

Audis - the new car of cock. Ne'er again will they be let out at junctions. Rare shall be the days that they are not driven by morons. May their indicators whither and fall off when they're driven by someone who thinks they are 'above' such menial tasks as indicating.

The good news is I never really wanted an Audi, cos they're too dull (and still are). And as twattish BMW drivers are leaving for Audis it might mean I'll be able to buy a BMW without having the whole human race instantly hate me. Hurrah, as I hear they're good cars but I could never have let myself be seen in one!!!!

The people who drive Smarts around here are even worse than the damn Miata driving hair dressers. . .

I watched "movie" about 6 or so months ago. Now, I'm watching the show on TV. I really hope this isnt supposed to be serious. Its just sooooo bad. As said previously it looks like I'm watching a 70s movie, and the acting is bad, and the plot is quite crappy. Its kinda one of those shows you watch for the cheesiness. Like when they jumped a car. . . I'm not quite sure that I'm saying, but I am saying something. Help I've fallen and I cant shut up. I guess this is a rantish thing.

Saw a school but run over an entire exhaust system. Kinda funny because the bus driver didnt even stop to see what she had hit (there is an odd curb to get into the parking lot of my school that causes cars to scrapes if you dont go slow enough). I almost hit a family of opossums the other morning when I was riding my bike to school, but I'm not so sure that counts. . .

The route that my dad drives to get to the hospital where he works follows a road that goes down a steep hill around a blind corner. Once when he was going to work there was a car that had rolled into the middle of the road because some idiot forgot the parking brake.

IMO, American Dad is too close to Family Guy. Also, does anyone know anything about Futurama? When/is it coming back?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/ ... ndex.html?iref=newssearch

My dad used to be a flight paramedic for MSP. First crash for them in a long time. Pilot, flight paramedic/trooper, I think a local EMS guy, and one of the patents died. My dad flew with the pilot and knew of the trooper (My dad switched jobs 15 years ago or so when we moved from Maryland to Ohio). Unfortunately it sounds as though it will be called as pilot error, but from reading elsewhere it sounds like there may have been some navigational error (it seems the pilot had trouble finding the approach and called to request to be guided in by the tower but they lost contact). Sad. . .

Does someone want to tell me some good shoes for platform pedals, please?

Quote from wark :

lol no. I lied. I was just posting my favorites.

Rainbows sure are great thongs, though.

I somehow dont think that those Sidis are worth 400$, no matter how good they are/how crappy our economy is.

Quote from wark :

Bicycle: Sidi Dominator 6 Carbon

Wow, those things are a bit pricey. Do you race?

These for me bike (Seem to do fine at just about everything I've done with them; MTB racing to century road rides to just crusen around town) : http://www.sjscycles.com/xxlimages/13819shimano_xxl.jpg

And some crappy New Balances that were 15$ at Kohls and some hiking boots that were el cheapo on close out but work fine for the hiking that I do.

Quote from spacedskunk :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7598674.stm

^ and that was linked after this video.

I watched it over and over and couldnt figure out what the heck happened. Was he trying to kill himself or what?

Edit: Just watched it again; seems that they were trying to jump the fence but forgot to look before hand. Not quite sure how I missed that, but still. . .

Quote from Lateralus :

You are completely wrong.

Quite likely, but I remember reading about some "enemy" of the US using PCP or something similar. First Iraq war maybe?

Edit: Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I figured it out: the conflict with Bosnia. That one I'm sure of. Ma bad, I admit I was wayyyyy off.

Quote from piggy501 :

Discs add hardly any weight, I've weighed. And V-brakes don't clog up unless you are going through knee-deep mud, but they only make noise as they usually rub the mud off.

Suspension adds a bit off weight, but it's the spongeyness that takes away all your speed. Try tighten it up to a suitable weight, or lock it fully. Rear suspension is pointless too, unless you are doing big air jumps.

But I don't know much about Mountain Bikes, I do velodrome, road race and time trials sometimes.

I've a friend with a nice gash on his face because there was water on his rims. He hit his brakes hard enough to stop himself, then the water wore off and he endoed. I've also got a nice scar on my leg from a log thanks to a massive build up of mud and snow/ice (no stopping power followed by crash, then I realized that my brakes wouldn't release due to build up of muck on the cable). But honestly, I'd go with V brakes on a bike in the OP's price range. They will just do better. Also what was said about rear susp. is true and false. On flat ground some designs/shocks cause a lot of bob (like you said), but there are some designs/shocks that eliminate this (Spesh Brain shock comes to mind). Also, for things like rock gardens and roots FS bikes are nice. They also handle better (in most situations). And yes FS rigs are nice big air.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

Mace would definitely work - it's entirely physiological, I've been MACEd, it just works. Baton, maybe not-so-much. Taser would work temporarily, gun would work fine through blood loss.

The Viet Cong weren't using amphetamines, they were just much, much better at jungle warfare than the poorly-trained children you sent to fight against them, and excellent guerillas.

I dont really care about your opinions on the war, but I am just about sure about the Viet Cong were in fact on amphetamines and this would make sense because of the manufacturing of drugs of all types in that region. What I meant about the gun being ineffective was that the pain would not be a factor (all shots are meant to kill, but obviously that doent always happen. Also what I said excluded the obvious factors of blood loss and a hit on a vital organ). Also, it seems that a taser does in fact work fairly well (the kind that shoots barbs at least; at the time my dad and his friend were cops, all they had were the type that dont shoot barbs) and mace seems to have almost no effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Mf81w_lbQ


Edit: this is the type that seems effective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd0av6GLa58

What they had (at least the cop; my dad was about 6-8 years before wide spread use of tasers) was the kind requiring direct contact

Edit edit: It seems that tasers (barb shooting ones) are actually quite effective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd0av6GLa58

Last edited by speed1, Sat 27 Sep 2008, 02:22.

Quote from Jakg :

WTFunk I was just watching that on YouTube and then found it on 'ere.

They are high on "PCP". Seems to be good stuff, as being hit by a Van ain't enough to stop them trying to fight off 6 policemen!

Full Video here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWXmM4z-EpM

A while ago me, dad (EX. Maryland state trooper), and his friend (EX. Cop, current FBI liaisons officer and his wife is a police Sargent currently) had a conversation. They were telling me how no backup and a person on PCP is the worst possible situation a cop could be in. Mace? Doesn't work. Hitting the person with a baton? Doesn't work. Taser? Doesn't work. Gun? Only works from time to time. PCP is scary stuff. Unless I'm mistaken that or something similar is what the Viet kong used in the war.

Quote from george_tsiros :

you need disc brakes if you ride in the mud. that's all there is to it, really.

Correction: you need hydro disc brakes if you ride in the mud (even mechs get screwed up after a while, just they take longer to, but you are right; V-brakes + mud = super fail). But then again the IMBA doesnt want you riding on muddy trails (yeah right though. . .)

Quote from Bob Smith :

My 2p (mostly echoing what others have said):
* Front suspension is really useful for the comfort of your arms/wrists
* Test ride the bike and make sure it has good brakes. Disc or v-brake isn't really important IMO (at least when it comes to dry stopping power), as I've tried cheap versions of either and they're crap, likewise decent versions of either will throw you over the handlebars with ease. My Specialized with V-brakes stopped with less effort than my current Giant with discs (despite being £200 cheaper).

To the front suspension part: the crappy suspension forks that come on a bike in the price range he is looking at will be no better than a NON-DISC compatible rigid fork except for on very hard hits which you dont get on the road. I say non-disk because the disc compatible forks are much stiffer.

To the disc VS. V-brake: This has been a hugely debated topic on MTB forums. The general conclusion has been a set of V-brakes with good pads are better than a crappy set of disc brakes (With a few exceptions, any mechanical disc brakes other than Avid BB7s are going to be worse than V-brakes). Stock brake pads almost always suck, so I'd say go with V-brakes and replace the pads with Cool Stops, but be careful; you are likely to go over the bars.

Quote from Crashgate3 :

I find it funny when I ride to work, the amount of people who get dressed up in the sponsor-covered lycra, with these stretched-out streamlined helmets.

You're riding to work, you're not in the Tour-de-France. It's like someone getting a fire extinguisher and racing helmet for their 1.2 Micra for the work run.

Dont be haten' until you have tried it. It is really nice (and I dont wear lycra for streamlining, I wear it because it isnt baggy therefor cant get caught on the seat which always sucks). And for the record I dont have any sponsors on any of my jerseys or shorts (other than the little performance bike logo)

Quote from Becky Rose :

First off congratulations on making a decisive decision to improve your life! I made the same decision recently.

I dont know if £200 will go far on the high street. By the time I bought helmet, gloves, d-lock and got him to throw the lights in free i'd still spent over £300 and had to get pump and puncture repair kit later (not that i've got a man handy to tell him to use these other things for me grr).

First thing is, it doesnt matter what type of bike you get as long as it's cool, black is always cool - mine has orange flashes. Score 10 for style, and 1 for everything else... ! This is important, you're travelling slower so might get seen!

Shimano gears: Or some equivellent, the kind you just press a lever and they do it all for you. This is essential, it's impossible to change gear and hold your phone with the other hand without a good gear selection thingamy. No seriously, you change gears often on a bike so good gears is important and saves a load of hassle.

Frame size: Get one that fits your height, you should be tiptoed if you are just sat on the saddle.

D-Lock: Get the best lock you can, don't skimp. Stealing bikes is soooo easy. If you can't afford a good D-Lock then dont buy the bike, go and nick one from somebody who made the same mistake. This is more important than drinks bottle/bag inside the frame.

Lights: LED ones are wicked bright and the batteries last yonks (well I think they do, i've never had to change them yet)

Sleeveless Denim Top with Pockets: Seriously, slip it over whatever you are wearing and always goes well, and gives you a pocket for both your smokes and your phone, handbags dont work on a bike!

Rucksack Thingy: Modern backpack rucksacky type things are dead light, waterproof, and carrying on your back rather than your bike means it's not permanently on there so you only take it when you need it, and you dont have to flaff around loading the bike up from short-lived carrier bags when you leave the shop in the pouring rain.

Racing Drivers Wet Weather Suit: Goes over whatever you are wearing and keeps all but your feet bone dry. Still working on a solution for the feet...

Sun Glasses/Glasses/Reactorlights: Essential, if you bike looks cooler than you do then you loose all style points (as I did earlier going to the shops looking a right mess). Also keeps bugs out of eyes.

Cycle Helmet: It's not uncool to wear a helmet.

Gloves, Cyling Fingerless Ones: Best. Purchase. Ever. And looks cool with other outfits too!

You are forgetting lycra shorts. . . http://i278.photobucket.com/al ... 108/ca7erham/100_1826.jpg (on the right)

Quote from 510N3D :

I was facing a simular situation last year. I was looking for a nice looking bike that would just bring me from point A to B, basically. I did some test rides and decided to get a Scott YZ3 2007 bike for about 400 €. Since its a mountain bike im able to do some offroad/ downhill stuff every now and then and still its perfect for "normal day conditions".

So obviously and as already suggested, get to know what you want to do with the bike mostly and consider routes on which you want to go every now and then. Every feature (such as suspension and disc brakes) are going to cost a bit of extra money and specialized bikes are going to be expensive as well. I'd say front suspension is quite comfortable and was quite helpful every now and then but i dont think that rear suspension and disc brakes are of any needs, at least if you're not a "hardcore offroad topspeed seeking geek"

/good luck

Edit: thats my bike

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?p=919028#post919028

Not so sure about that for what the OP is going to use it for (the new ones are even more DJ oriented).

OP, avoid suspension of any kind and disc brakes. In the price range you are looking at susp. forks are going to be no better than rigid forks, but they will weigh more.

Last edited by speed1, Fri 26 Sep 2008, 11:59.

What time is it going to be on?

Quote from chanoman315 :

Imagine Galvestone...

No kidding. If we had 75 mph winds here, I cant even imagine Galveston. I have seen some pictures, and I felt very lucky after words. My heart goes out to those people. I'll defiantly go with my church if they decide to go down and offer aid. Regardless of how angry many people were here (it was a bit over the top in many ways. We had people actually standing in front of one of the DP&L HQ places protesting and others with big nasty signs in front of their houses), we got sooooooooo lucky.

Apparently the big AFB nearish my house (Wright Patt AFB) is being used as aircraft storage for other Bases affected. In the 10 or so minutes that I've been on here I've gotten up a bunch of times to see aircraft fly over (in the last couple of hours sense I've been home from school, I've seen around 6 F-16s, the usual C-5s every 5 or 10 mins, a C-130, I think a KC-141, and another C-5 while I was writing this)

Last edited by speed1, Thu 25 Sep 2008, 21:46.

Quote from mrodgers :

Power back Monday!?! Ouch!

We were out exactly 84 hours. It went out 9:45 pm Sunday and came back on when I was on the phone with the wife on Thursday at 9:45 am.

Who's your power company? I saw everyone but the power company for days. Phone trucks and cable trucks were everywhere but not one power company truck did I see until Thursday. Allegheny Power sent all their guys down to Texas.

4.5 days without power sucks, especially when you have a well for water. But I've seen the photos of Texas and Florida. There are much less fortunate than us with only our convenience being interrupted for a few days.

We have DP&L (I'm near Dayton, so thats Dayton Power and Light). After not having power for just around 194 hours (I think), the first thing I did was play with the microwave and garage door opener and I'm still not so sure lights are going to turn on when I hit the switch. But meh, we spent a lot of time together as a family and I did a crap load of Road biking (all of our MTB trails were just about killed, but now they are open). The only part that kills me is that one of my friends got power back on the Monday AFTER the storm (lost power for like 8-12 hours) and another never lost power, but another just got power earlier today and yet another still doesnt have power (but he is the only one without it on his street because DP and L has low priority on fixes that only help one house, which makes sense, but still sucks).

Edit: DP and L sent all their guys down to texas also, so all the work that has been done has been by contractors and guys driving around in Honda Civics that have DP and L stickers on them.

Edit Edit: From what you said, I'd assume you have well water; That sucks. We were lucky because we are on city water, and we have a gas water heater.

Last edited by speed1, Thu 25 Sep 2008, 21:47.

Got power back on Monday (8 days) and internet earlier today after friggen Ohio got hit by hurricane Ike. Took my friend and I 2.5 hours to get back from mountain biking (usually a sub 30 min drive). Everywhere we went there was a tree down, and because we were driving around during the storm, another tree would have fallen across our previous path. Would have been more fun if not for the bikes on the back of the car. Anyone else effected by Ike?

Quote from wheel4hummer :

Of course not. That's because the Unimog is the best option!

Sure, it probably can do some extreme things, but you are over looking the fact that it is a very large vehicle. This is not my picture, but it is a picture of the alpine loop (and I know that many other off road trails are similar in the respect that they are all narrow). This is a picture from a fairly wide spot that dosnt have a rock wall to one side and a 300 foot drop to the other but it gives you an idea of why a large vehicle is not always the best option. http://img.groundspeak.com/way ... 2a6-9717-0998f8970000.jpg

OP, I'm American and I understand and accept that our cars suck. I think its about time to face reality. Having said that though. . . what has been said about jeeps above may be true in some instances, and I'm not saying that the jeep is the best option, but we've been some impressive places in a rented jeep out in the San Juan mountain range in Colorado (probably one of the only places that that you can still rent a manual in the US, which we did). Low range, a high torque engine, and scrape panels can get you some impressive places.