A room with a view

This was the view out of our office window yesterday afternoon shortly before the entire area descended on to the roads only to sit there for hours!
We like to talk about the weather in this country and there certainly was plenty to talk about yesterday. The snow started around lunch time and by 3:30 we had made the decision to close the office and make our way home. For various reasons I didn't leave until 4:15 by which time ALL roads in the area were well and truly gridlocked. A 4 mile journey took just short of 4 hours. AAAHHHHHHH

The kids however thought the snow was amazing and spent far too long outside getting very wet and cold. It is quite interesting watching them play how ofter the trampoline is used. Rain, shine, sleet or snow it doesn't seem to matter. They seem fascinated by it as if we had only recently bought it. Considering we have had our Springfree for nearly 3 years it's really refreshing to see the promises we make to our customers coming true before our very eyes

Installing your Springfree

I called a manufacturer of a spring based trampoline yesterday to see if I could get them to email me the build instructions to one of their trampolines (which incidentally still haven't arrived) and was told it shouldn't take me much longer than 4 hours to build. 4 HOURS to build a trampoline - what a ridiculous waste of time.

People often ask how long it takes to build a Springfree Trampoline and the standard advice is that as long as you read and follow the instructions, 2 people should have the job done in about and hour and a half.

If you're really unsure about it before you set off you can even watch one being built from start to finish here. The first one I built took me and a friend about an hour and 20 minutes but now we have built a few we are getting quite quick. The record so far is about 21 minutes for an SF90 and if anyone thinks they can do better then give us a shout and let us know your story.

Here are a few tips to help and traps to avoid:

Assembling the Frame

ALL MODELS
Springfree™ Trampoline supplies two flat wrenches to fasten the bolts and nuts. If you have them, however, use one 1/2" (13mm) socket wrench and one 1/2" combination wrench to speed up the process.

Positioning the Enclosure Net and Inserting the Rods

ALL MODELS
The D-Ring on the door of the enclosure net should be facing towards the ground when inserting the rod through the hole into the frame. If the D-Ring is facing up, the net will be inside out.

For proper placement of the enclosure net, locate the hole directly below the D-Ring on the door. Starting from where two frame sections connect, identify the fifth rod socket to the right of the joint. Insert a rod through the enclosure hole below the D-Ring and into that fifth socket. See step 10 of the manual.

Ensure that all rods are fully inserted into the bottom of the sockets.

Attaching the Mat

ALL MODELS
Warning: Treat any loaded rod with caution until you are sure it is properly installed or uninstalled. Keep your face well clear of any loaded rod.

When inserting the rods, grab the rod underhanded and use your body, not just your arm strength, to push the rod in. Lift the mat as the rod gets under the cleat and then lower it onto the ball at the top of the rod. Make sure the ball is fully engaged in the cleat.

If you miss the cleat on the first try, we find it's helpful to bring the rod back to its initial position and try again, rather than trying to find the proper position while the rod is flexed.

Raising the Enclosure Net

ALL MODELS
Warning: Never attempt to remove an enclosure rod from its joiner or remove a C-Clip from its slot in the joiner while the enclosure rod is under tension.

When inserting the enclosure rods, first insert the short segment with the white ball into the pocket at the top of the enclosure. Next, insert the long segment into the joiner ensuring that the plastic C-clip locks it into place. Finally, lift the rod, bend it up and then insert the end into its socket.

Don't forget that if you simply don't have time to install your trampoline, Rainbow Play Systems do offer an installation service across much of the UK.

Move over SF90, enter the SF68

For many the SF90 may have been the apple of your eye, but in fact we will not be stocking the SF90 for much longer. All it means is that the new SF68 will be the the model of choice in the large range and we expect it to blow away the demand for the SF90.

If you are yet to experience the bounce you can achieve on the SF68, let me tell you a little of why it is SO good to be Square.

· In its 10.5m2 jumping surface, it has a total of 5 sweets spots making the jumping super responsive

· The new shape lets jumpers get a good bounce right out towards the round corners, increasing usable jumping area by around 15%

· A smaller area is required to install this model, making more room for Adults entertaining areas

· There is a slightly softer bounce on the SF68, meaning the littlies will enjoy it just as much as the biggies!

· Its stylish black and white design, means it's one very classy edition to your backyard

The SF68 will be available in the UK from the end of Jan 2010. Keep an eye on the Rainbow website for more information.

So pigs really can fly!

Keep your eyes peeled to Britain's got talent next year and you should see Scarlet, a Hungarian Mangalitza, showing off her trampolining skills. We'll forgive the "el Cheapo" trampoline this time and it should be interesting to see Simon's face when Scarlet starts her routine.

Scarlet is not the first pig in the family to become proficient on the trampoline. Their other pet pig, Percy, used to love jumping until he become to porky bounce.

Mrs Howell, Scarlet's owner said,

"We are really looking forward to going down to Britains Got Talent. Scarlet will be trampolining and two of our other pigs, Arthur and Polly, will be doing their own dances nearby.

"We hope the judges will be impressed and fingers crossed next week we will have some good news."

Good luck Scarlet........I think you are going to need it.