Well, its getting on for a year since writing on this thing. Sadly Facebook is slightly too invasive and easy to access.
With luck, patience and cash (and a large number of trips to several bike shops and 5 warranty repairs), the Whyte seems to be working without falling apart after each ride. Even Paul aka Harry has taken up mountain biking. I'm sure something will break soon - I'd better fix that sticky gear cable on the Epic before it breaks.
In other bike news I've stripped and rebuilt a lovely early 90s Orange Clockwork into a single speed (Pace RC-35 forks) - although my lovingly applied paint job may just fall off if it actually gets ridden. I've also decided to rebuild my old Carrera as a work bike with actual gears. To cut a long story short, I wanted the exage sti shifters for the Orange....only to find they were a) a brake/shifter unit and b) canti brakes only. That cut that idea short so I figured a geared work bike with a rear rack would be useful. Just need to get the BB out now - that should be interesting as its been sat in the garage in Swindon since 1991.
Otherwise 2012 is starting in mostly the same way as 2011 - I'm still fat and unfit, although am at least trying to get fitter this time. I have also caved to the lure of the Smartphone and bought an HTC - whose mobile inteweb I am writing this on whilst on the way to London for a conference (I should really be writing module proforma guidelines).
One gets to the point where very little happens in a year, notwithstanding a trip to New York. Either that or my increasingly poor memory means that I just forget everything, which is also likely. It does seem that increasinly Facebook is supplanting memory. One doesn't need to remember when ones antics are pasted all over the internet. Skynet is becoming an increasingly real threat.
Oh yeah, I did learn to drive this year, which is nice I suppose. Still don't really enjoy it, but that is more to do with FUCKING MORONS on the road. How these idiots, many of whom are uynable to use roundabouts effectively, passed the very simple 'test' granting them a licence to control a large metal vehicle capable of killing and maiming is beyond me.
I would write a whole section on people I've met this year, but given that I have just told some of them this exists I won't. Instead I will just say thanks :-)
Although the exploits of one of them in Malia really does need to be discussed at some stage.
