slapshot 3

Some gorgeous stuff in there bikes are superb as well.....

4 and a half inches of rain in your neck of the woods yesterday, not surprised it's that wet.

Without wishing to get into a fight with Tim and Dabster, just an opinion. Wars are unfortunate: I don't like that statement for a number of reasons but the over riding fact is that wars are never unfortunate but always a calculated method of one pshycopath impressing his will on everyone else, generally motivated by little more than armed robbery written large. Look at nearly every war, battle, conflict of any nature and it will come down to this. What is unfortunate about wars are the consequences. If we'd put Hitler, Tojo, Mussolini etc in a wrestling ring with Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle etc etc and see who wins our grandparents (and great Grandparents perhaps) may not have had to live through a war that caused the deaths of around 60 million people. We can all bandy around numbers but the reality is there will never be a realistic figure. I discovered pro cycling in the early to mid 70's, tail end of the Merckx domination watching the TDF on World of Sport, from there I got interested in all parts of the sport. I've only ever been to about 10 stages but I've thrown in a few classics as well, Liege-Bastogne-Liege (coupled that with a trip to the Ardennes battlefields), Ronde van Vlaandria that sort of stuff. When you're young free and single you have to balance priorities, week at the Scottish, week chasing the RAC rally, couple of weeks skiing in the winter you don't get to do everything. When you eventually get to balance out your life, the handcuffs are on and you're B*****ksed I wouldn't say I have have an encyclopaedic knowledge of anything but I am a bookworm and where Mr Grieg might take the mickey out of Mrs Slapshot and her Mills and Boon books, I more likely be reading some other tome about the Roman Empire, Napoleonic Europe, WW1 or WW2, books on cycling, Quantum Physics or some other geeky nonsense. The case in point though is that if you post on these forums you post an the basis of your own knowledge. If you don't you end up looking stupid because you can't back up your arguements. Tim's initial toungue in cheek point about Armstrong hides the perennial question in procycling, who is and who isn't doping, you can all take your own views on that one.

Oy Witham, that's not fair....how can I sit on the fence getting splinters if you don't give me the option to do so....

Yeah, but lusting after Sarah Palin is probably a bad thing for a man of your advancing years mate, Hillary is probably bout as good as it gets which reminds me of a film I saw recently,......

Fuji film is better....cleaner edges. Two seals, better still double lipped seals from Motomerlin, one of the site advertisers on here, arrived in two days...tenner.

...because if the the WTC rounds are promoted and publicised properly there's every reason to hope that the SSDT will benefit in terms of spectators and increased media attention, don't we all want that???

HMMM....Axes to grind??? Promoting the World round when the maximum focus was on the location was the perfect thing to do. Remember Wisardofos we are a small but very very captive audience, G2F took the maximum from it they could and I do not believe for one minute the SSDT or the committee lost out. On the contrary the SSDT might benefit immeasurably from the WTC/TDN at Aonach Mor. My old man comes from Fort William and until about 15 years ago an old uncle was on the town council. Around that time they wanted the six days to move away from the West End because of the impact on the tourists rather than the concern over the money spinner that the SSDT is. I believe through various sources these issues raise themselves from time to time. I've commented about about growth and whether the trial has outgrown the middle of town, but I'm still in two minds about this. Jamie.........that will be the same waterfront development they talked about when they moved the railway station in the 70's...all that materialised as the oyster bar. I've a lot of connections and affection for Fort William, unfortunately I am the first generation of our family not to be born there, I've a deeper love and affection for the Scottish and I'll come back to my initial comment the SSDT committee have to do what they see necessary for the permanant survival of the Greatest Motorcycle Trial there is. I'd hate to see the town suffer but the trial is more important

I've said likewise for years...the town needs to do more to welcome the trial but remember they have responded, we have a parade, finishing stuff etc that's all fairly new remember. Another thing to consider is the finances what does the town contribute, what would the Cattlemart/Ski range contribute lots of stuff to think about.

Okay, we perhaps have a different perspective on it. Then again, I'm not a fan of Armstrong in fact the worst thing that's happened to pro-cycling in recent times is that he's back on the bike. I used to be, I have all his books and all the eulogies to his greatness by John Wilcockson, Dan Boyle etc etc etc. I also have Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage (one of my favourite journalists), Bad Blood, by Jeremy Whittle, LA Confidential by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester and the new one, Laurent Fignon's book is on order. I can't support the lie that he's perpetrated, there's a world of difference between being clean and never failing a drugs test, have a look at the linky below as an example. Clicky As you said before, different eras, different sports basically, there will always be the urge to pick the greatest.

New plates time mate, no point scrimping on something like that, you don't have to go to Beta UK. Try some of the site sponsors, Trials UK, Moto Merlin, stripping and reassembling will be a very temporary measure

Certainly.... Your original statement was "Armstrong is the best rider the t d f has ever seen. " looking at Eddy's stats it's certain that he's had a better TDF career than Armstrong even though Armstromng has won the GC more often. I didn't mention Indurain, (which is probably a disservice) but for similar reasons I wouldn't put him near Merckx. Bartali in particular would have won numerous tours had the second world war not intervened. Coppi similarlyhad the war not intervened certainly in his early career they would have set the benchmarks. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying Armstrong is a bad rider just people need to look beyond 7 wins.

Thinking more about this issue and another thing to think about is growth. Has the trial outgrown the centre of town?? Thinking back....right back...the trials' overnight base used to be what's now the car park beside the Town Hall Brae (behind what was Marshall and Pearsons, the Gun Shop and the wee newsagents) and it moved because of the size of the trial was becoming. That was back in the 70's before the switch to the whole trial in the Fort, 77 the first in the town. It outgrew that place, it's maybe outgrowing the west end. Now most spectators have to park at the other end of town to go into Parc Ferme, I would doubt every rider has the space to park in the west end, maybe when you include competitors and spectators the trial has outgrown it's home for the last 20 yerars or so. Still go back to what I said.....the trial needs to do whatever it has to do to survive.

You've just ruined next years outakes bit..... I buy the CJB one most years but only for the old mans christmas so I still see it. I wouldn't buy it for myself because watching endless riders on bikes with the monotonous conversation and commentary does nowt for me, however the style that John and Matt use is so much more to my liking (apart from some of John's musical choices.. ) The bits of the moor crossings give a different look to the video, something that NONE of the others have, it's a trials video made by trials riders and that makes a big difference.

Eddy Merckx....34 stage wins....111 days in yellow..only rider to win Yellow Green and polka Dot jersey in same year (69) Bernard Hinualt....28 stage wins ......79 days in Yellow. Fausto Coppi Gino Bartali Jaques Anquetil All of these riders are well ahead of Armstrong, he cannot be compared to riders like Merckx, Coppi and Bartali. Bartali was the best rider in the world in 1938 and won the tour, didn't compete in 39 but would likely have won the next 5 or 6 Tours had it not been for WW2. Don't forget that Mercx also won 5 Giro D'Italia, 1 Vuelta a Espagne and three world titles. Hinault 5 tours, 3 Giro and 1 Vuelta 28 Armstrong by comparison......7 tour wins, 1 world championship.........end of. Armstrong isn't half the rider any of these guys ever were

I don't know that the town would lose that much these days. Granted everything is based round the West End Carpark, but it's not as if the THB is used every day, there are not the hundreds of people cramming into the middle of town as there used to be either. The hotel, bars and restaurants won't lose out either. I get a bit fed up year on year listening to the whinging element of locals who bemoan "the damned bikes back again"; they forget that that week in May was for many many years the town's biggest event and did and still bring a huge investment of money to Fort William. Ultimately the trial itself need to decide what IT MUST DO to survive, if that means moving out to Aonach Mor then so be it. The future of the SSDT IS THE ONLY PRIORITY

Mr Tom was a very special rider indeed but like many of that era a victim of having to make a living from cycling rather than being paid a wage their livelihood came from prize money, these pro's would race for 250 days a year+ rather than the 60 days a year many of the current pro's race. If anyone wants to know more about Tommy Simpson then read William Fotheringhams book "Put me back on my Bike" When you look at cycling today the doping culture appears worse than it's ever been but only because cycling is doing something about it. Look at the protests of the footballers who have fought similar rules that cycling has followed for years. Armstrong's return is the worst thng that could happen, he's managed to shut the UCI up again and we won't see many major doping offences this year because that would tarnish the sheen on the great comeback.

Think we need a selective issue of a directors cut.......

Could have been MUCH worse if he'd gone down the old spoonerism's route and come up with Cocky Beek or something like that.... Just watched the dvd, brilliant stuff, would have loved to see some footage from the boot cam when the local constabulary caught up with you!!!

Gob smacked......wtf was the point of that nonsense. That was soooo brilliant I hit the stop button after 1 min 27 sec. It's probably something to do with Raga's ego, most riders would video to a good rockin sound track.....he has a pianist playing some piece of stuff that you could hear if you shoved a microphone in a wasps nest...rubbish.

One tip for colour popping Jamie.......patience, take your time with it

STRONGLY suggest to strip your back caliper out it's most likely to be crapped up pistons, get a new piston/seals kit from Lampkins refit and all should be well.

Guess what I got in the post today....Thanks Copey and Clive......