'Ere 'ere is the EAR Megathread

I threw together the GT in the background from my spares box too.
So want a litespeed mountain bike...

[maviczap]

Mines only an alu Litespeed, not the Ti one. Still light enough for the Pyrenees mind.

Its going to morph into a TT bike I think, as its lovely & aero

I'm getting too knackered for tt these days
Used to do loads of tt and tri way back when but really struggle with the positioning after my accident
Back on mountain bikes full time now and dont own a roadie anymore, but the cannondale project I have going is going to look bling

Well, in the light of the news about Reeder, and the number of stupid and unnecessary mistakes I seem to make when I ride, I've just emailed the guy at my local IAM to see when I can start. Apparently it'll be 4 or 5 weeks before I'll be able to do my first assessed ride but Im happy to wait. It just seems like the right time.

Iam?!
Erm, why...?

[kaivalagi]

Best course to do in my eyes for the quickest gain in a short amount of time is the bikesafe course, short course that is to the point run by the police...I am just waiting until I finish with my current contract and have a time out then I'll be looking to do that....my Dad did it a year or so back and the reports were good. Maybe if that floats my boat I may look at longer term advanced riding, probably Rospa though if I am honest, but that's if I can find that time!

I'd say go down the bikesafe route before throwing yourself into the iam route.
Had a few words with a couple of the "advanced" riders at the brackley show a few years back.
So far up their own ar$es it unreal!

Bikesafe is a nightmare, they are held over the other side of cambs on a weekday evening over several weeks, and with the kids I just cant get there. If it was just a saturday or something id have done it last year or the year before. Ive spoken to them several times about it.

I know ive picked up some bad habits over the last couple of years, and i scared myself a couple of times last year, the cbr saved my ass a couple of times, other less forgiving bikes would have had me off and it was down to my mentality rather than any other road user.

With IAM it will be a gradual process of correcting my faults and steady improvement over a longer period of time which will hopefully mean it will stay corrected.

I dont know if its the right thing, but its the best option I have at the moment, and if £130 can help keep me safer to be here for the kids then its got to be worth a try. I dont want to get involved with the politics of the various groups, I just want to be a bit safer if I can.

Or look into bikesafe in Northampton...
I know a fair few that have ridden with the iam.
Some it suits..

Sorry to but a potential downer on this thread but please have a look at this:- Details for Reeders funeral.

A few of us from here are going to pay our respects.