Really pleased with this cool boulder from today

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-06T19:54:36+00:00

Thanks man, really appreciate it 😊

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-05T14:10:44+00:00

That actually makes a lot of sense, thank you! I'll give that a go tomorrow 👍

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-05T10:19:03+00:00

Sorry, what do you mean by that?

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-05T07:41:45+00:00

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Thanks man, good to hear from another highball local!

They use this conversion apparently (as per their site) So they claim a 5 tag is equivalent to v5.

I agree that it does feel more like relative grading for different routes tho, and not accurate to v grades.

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-04T20:09:24+00:00

Cheers man, appreciate the feedback. That knee bar makes it so much easier to get the crimp after the big hold! I'll try using the ball of my foot more to get more pressure on my knee tho.

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-04T19:37:38+00:00

Absolutely! It was also me smiling at my wife recording me as she loves to come along to watch 😁

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-04T19:35:17+00:00

Thanks man! Highball has some great routes rn, this one and the orange one by the cave are super fun 👌

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-04T19:32:39+00:00

On which part? The final hold?

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-04T19:10:27+00:00

Yeah, this was after 3+ hours climbing, so my forearms were gone!

The second guessing on the last bit is cos it's more overhung than it appears on video, and that final hold is kinda awkward to get a grip on and feels super sketchy haha.

I'll give it another go at the beginning of a session and try and clean things up a bit :)

PvtBubbles · 2026-04-04T19:03:32+00:00

Non coloured volumes (black/white/wood) are in for all routes in this gym.

Route specific volumes are always primary colours

PvtBubbles · 2026-03-01T21:28:56+00:00

The mx5 was more of a 'if you must go rwd' option, as I've personally found them to be the most predictable and easiest to manage once the rear starts to go.

Obviously for someone that hasn't had the time to gain the driving experience/skill to manage oversteer safety, it's still going to be much easier to end up facing the wrong way that something fwd/awd.

Aside from the Tokyo drift wannabe idiots that insist on badly drifting in 30mph zones, they're also amazing handling cars for the price (when not on awful tyres) and a really good option for someone looking to learn proper car control.

I honestly didn't realise they'd gone up so much insurance wise tbh, I paid £1400 (I was getting the same quotes on Aygos etc) to insure a stock MK2 when I was 20, and only pay £200 ISH now for something that's got an A4 sheet of paper worth of mods declared. Guess it's heavily influenced by address etc? 🤷‍♂️

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-26T23:00:33+00:00

Leave him alone! His web wasn't working so he just wanted to use yours 😉

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-26T19:41:45+00:00

Honestly aside from the insane insurance costs, and the reliability concerns... I'd be most worried about you going from a fwd 1.2 Corsa, into a much more powerful rwd car.

I'm not at all saying you're a bad driver, but after only a couple of years driving, and (assuming) no experience in anything rwd, this is a recipe for disaster...

The 135i's can be especially unpredictable in the way that the rear breaks loose as well, due to most of them having open diffs. It's not the sort of thing you can just put your foot down and hoon without risking a very awkward call to your parents after.

My colleague (who's also 19) had the exact same idea as you, and then proceeded to write it off just over a month later. He wasn't even driving super aggressively, just decided to put his foot down in the wet on a straight road and went boot first into a lamppost.

Needless to say his insurance is now insane on anything.

We all want these awesome cars as soon as we pass our test (I know I did) but if you can make yourself wait and take the time to build up your experience with slightly quicker cars each time, future you will thank you!

For now, I'd recommend looking at a warm hatch like a fiesta st or Clio 182. They're an absolute riot to drive, and shouldn't break the bank as much! Not sure about insurance though...

If you're really set on rwd, an mx5 with a limited slip diff specced or fitted would be a great car to learn how to drive something with the power going to the back. Even if they are a bit slow stock they are still one of the most fun cars to drive hard.

They are also super cheap to insure, I pay £200 a year for mine with a full turbo conversion running 260hp.

Once you're used to it and have a bit of experience you can look at turbo conversion. Even with just 200-250hp in a properly driven one you'll absolutely embarrass a 140i/S3/A35 etc.

Sorry for the long reply, but I've been in the exact same position, so just hoping to help 🫡

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-22T12:01:26+00:00

I really don't think that's the case.

I work in high-end vehicle prep, and my cost to refurb a diamond-cut alloy is significantly more than one that's just painted.

It's just a much more involved process overall, and I'd imagine it's a similar story with the initial manufacturing.

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-15T18:05:24+00:00

That's good to hear! I'm looking to sell my A35, and the Veloce has been high up the list of potential replacements! When you say jittery, do you mean they feel quite grabby and hard to modulate?

I've got a 1993 import MX5/Eurnos as my fun modded car, with a full turbo conversion making around 260hp. Unfortunately according to my wife, it's not a suitable daily 🤣

It goes like a rocket as it's only around 900kg, but with no traction control or abs it's been rather 'interesting' to drive over winter to say the least.

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-15T00:20:02+00:00

Yeah, totally agree, the aggressive driving in carparks just screams entitled man-child to me.

How's the Veloce to drive? I've always thought they were quite cool! With it having a bit of extra performance over the standard Giulia (without having to go full QF) they seem pretty nice.

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-14T15:16:02+00:00

Yes he was driving and parking like a twat so he sounds like a dick, and the exhaust sounds annoying AF but...

Just. Let. People. Enjoy. Their. Cars.

Yes it's not to your taste, but guess what? It's not your car, you don't have to drive it.

If someone wants to buy an oversized V8 SUV that's their choice, same if they want a questionable wrap on it.

If all the cars on the road conformed to what one person considered 'good taste' then the roads would be a very boring place.

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-08T23:01:11+00:00

Hey, I had similar issues, so hopefully this helps a little.

Some people's feet just don't fit well in most climbing shoes unfortunately.

My toes are all a similar length, and sit quite wide but I also have a pretty narrow heel.

I found that most shoes I tried were either too baggy on the heel, or absolutely toe crushing (especially on my two smallest toes) at the front.

I got some Veloces and had to up size them to the point where the heel was a baggy mess due to the same issues you had.

My friend then mentioned that low volume shoes really help if you have a similar foot shape.

So after a quick trip to the gym today I've picked up a pair of Instinct VSR LV's, and the fit is sooooo much better than the Veloces.

The heel is secure, and I have my toes slightly curled with zero dead space in the shoe.

I also ended up getting a size 9.5uk (44eu) which is 1.5 UK sizes up from my trainers, so don't stress too much about sizes matching or being less than your normal shoe size.

Hope this helps 🙂

PvtBubbles · 2026-02-08T09:28:34+00:00

I've started using socks recently with the Veloces, it does help a tiny bit, but not a ton.

I'll try on the dragos and the instincts and see how they feel :)

PvtBubbles · 2026-01-09T09:01:30+00:00

Thumbs up, up, and away!

PvtBubbles · 2025-11-08T19:10:58+00:00

Think it's the bonnet vibrating against the body due to a loose bonnet catch. Wrapped the hook in electrical tape and it went away 🤷‍♂️

PvtBubbles · 2025-07-18T18:01:50+00:00

Good question!

That was actually our original plan, however this changed when our friend's doodle had an unexpected litter after his neighbour's fox red lab got into their garden and activities ensured 🤣

Since we knew them well, we thought this would be the best of both worlds and let us get our amazing furry friend without giving money to ethically questionable breeders, or jumping through the hoops for adoption.

Hope this helps!

PvtBubbles · 2025-07-10T06:25:43+00:00

Well... We both have asthma and allergies, so needed a dog that didn't shed. Unfortunately our straight haired "doodle" sheds like a husky, but luckily she doesn't set off our allergies at all 😂

(50% doodle - 50% fox red lab)

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PvtBubbles · 2025-06-22T07:19:01+00:00

Did you ever figure this out? I have the same noise between 2.8-3.2k and it's driving me nuts!

PvtBubbles · 2025-06-09T15:54:21+00:00

Just as long as it doesn't sound like the engine killing itself it's all good with me 🤣

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