An adventure on the ferry to mainland Europe and a fatbike ride to destination calls.

Believe me, if I could get clearance from the Mrs, this would be the plan!

Ha, yeah. That’s where I’m heading. :o)

You don’t happen to have a spare box kicking around, do you?

^^^ This is far easier than getting a dual boot Chromebook to work, too, btw. :o)

Depending on the Chromebook you have, it may be possible to install Linux with just a simple settings switch. Here’s the docs: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9145439?hl=en

This is a relatively new feature for Chromebooks, although not all machines will receive this feature) and was originally built out as a developer tool. I use it daily.

What this gives you is Linux in a container, which means it’s separated from the main Chrome OS that lives on the Chromebook, and anything you do there won’t affect the rest of the machine.

Essentially, you get access to a terminal from which you can work with Linux, and you can also install Linux versions of GUI driven apps which bring a whole new level of functionality to a Chromebook.

The big question is what does she want to do with Linux? Because it can be used for everything from hosting a simple web server through to supporting a full desktop OS that can replace Windows or MacOS.

Best to have some end result to aim for and follow a guide/instructions to achieve it, otherwise you’ll forget why you started quicker than you than you think. And that’ll be the end of that.

I can lie across it – I can’t in a Sprinter.

Can’t overstate the importance of this if you’re doing a camper conversion. A bed across the width (rather than down the side) gives you a whole load of additional options for layout.

Mine’s a SWB/low roof Ducato and I’ve put an extra row of three fixed seats behind the front three, and that still gave me space for an – admittedly – compact camper layout behind that, but that was only possible because the bed runs widthways.

@chapaking

As a reference point, the agency I freelance for charges my time out to their clients (generally larger, high end, high street names) at upwards of £1300 a day depending on job/client.

Ballpark for a job that size, I guess, is 2-3 days at that cost. Also factor in account/project management time.

I’m on the creative side but not a designer, however daily rates are roughly similar.

On the flip side, agencies that deal with SMEs will likely have lower daily rates.

Nice one, ta.

Yeah, I’m assuming Saturday will be quieter given the forecast.

I’ve done the Cockpit to Howtown descent a ton of times, but never a full lap of the lake.

Medical School… but based in Ridley 1.

I made 50 pots of the stuff last weekend for my daughter’s 5th birthday party… worked out pretty well —> https://imgur.com/a/2kPLAKX

At least I’ve had no complaints from parents so far.

I used:
– a big tub of PVA glue
– some ‘slime activator’ (this is the borax stuff)… easily found on amazon.
– a small tub of glow in the dark paint

Had no idea about quantities… I just chucked it all into a big bowl and kept mixing/squishing until it was the right consistency.

It’s weird stuff though… you can mould it like plasticene… stretch it … snap it like it was solid, bounce it like a rubber ball. Only issue is that I think this stuff is still going to be around in exactly the same form in a thousand years.

@thenorthwind: Ha… just spotted that you work at the Uni. Me too. Small world.

>>I’ve noticed a fabricator in North Shields near the sorting office.

Aye, reet. I’m just in Whitley and hate that sorting office with a passion. Or at least I hate the queues.

I’ll have a look – ta! What are they called – any idea?

@hot_fiat: Oof… Amtech appears to be across the water in South Shields. It’ll take something special to persuade me to travel in that direction. :oD

Thanks all… I’m in the sunny North East, so I guess I’ll be best off speaking to someone local.

Yeah, this is a rack for carrying stuff on a bike, but the principle is the same.

Already thought about potentially speaking to frame builders, so may do that. I’m just waiting for a couple of things to arrive in the post that will mean I can complete my own v2 and this should help explain it a bit better to someone who might be able to make one.

And I’m doing a three day/three night ride next month, mostly off-road, which will be another good test for it.

Yeah, cheers. They were originally called Freeload racks. I suspect I might just be able to fit one right up at the top of the seat stays at the narrowest part but I think it would then be far too close to the seat post and would end up being angled funny.

Lower part of the seatstays is far too wide for even a normal rack with p-clips.

That only leaves the curvy s-bend bit in the middle, but I don’t think the Thule/Freeload rack has any flexibility in the front/back mount points… ie, I think they need to be perfectly inline, or thereabouts.

And there’s no other mounting points anywhere on the frame (hence my other thread!) :o)

Cheers fellas. Some good stuff there – thanks!

I’m confident I’ll make slightly less of an arse of myself now. :o)

No-one got one?

Does that mean they’re a bit… erm… shit?

Just an update here if anyone else with the same question stumbles across this post.

I’ve just had a windscreen company out to remove and refit the window – took them 30 minutes and cost £40+VAT.

Seeing as I was about to spend £20-£30 on sikaflex and a couple of hours randomly squirting it into various gaps around the window, I think that’s a bit of a bargain.

Job done.

Yeah, I’m more thinking about getting access to the internal bits of the van metal, if necessary, which are behind 25mm of insulation board, then a layer of reflective bubble wrap insulation, then a layer of 9mm ply, etc, etc – all closely fitted around the window aperture. And to take all that out would also mean taking the seats out. A real PITA.

@IHN – did your window fitter need access to the van’s internal metal to do what he did? Or did he just need the outside where the window is glued on?

Can i just clarify you’re going to lock your bike to the frame? The frame what is bolted together with grub screws…

See… I told you I was 99.9% likely to be missing something! :oD

Nah, few of these plus some battens, and it’ll be reet!

It’s a faffy way to build a shed or bike store that is not very secure

I was thinking it would be the opposite. Once I’d cut the tubes to length, it would just be a case of quickly bolting it all together using the clamp joints. A bit like big Lego Technic. Then some timber cladding which would only need to be cut to length. In terms of security, the bikes would lock to the frame itself – no need for ground anchors. I can probably build the frame (tubes and clamps) for less than £200. Then another £100 or so for timber cladding. It would be sturdier than anything I could buy for £300… and anything that I could build myself from scratch out of timber.

I’d want sides on before I put bikes in – one of the best ways to stop people stealing your bikes is to avoid letting them see that you have any.

Yeah, agreed. We’ve got high fences/walls so can’t see into the yard from outside of the yard, but I would build some sides – and a door.

It’ll add expense and weight but you could effectively create stalls in your bike stable.

Hmmm.

Preferably using OS Maps, you say?

Have you tried https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/?

Subscription based, but I think it’s only something like £20 a year.

I use it for every new route I create now, then export the GPX to Garmin Connect/Fenix watch.

I have one of these reserved – just waiting for my C2W voucher to come through.

Whyte 529

Ticks your boxes.

Our group is a good way to raising the £450k for a pumptrack.

Planning is impossible.

check impact on nesting birds

Pretty sure you’ll disagree, but this is actually quite heartening to hear, and made me smile. We’re in the middle of raising £6m to turn an old outdoor pool into a new outdoor pool. We began in earnest in 2012, we initially applied for planning almost 2 years ago, and we haven’t even been in front of the planning committee yet. And in between all that, we’ve put in thousands upon thousands of voluntary hours, pulled in all kinds of favours, begged, borrowed and whatever else.

We’ve had wintering birds holding us up. We’ve had to do exploratory concrete assessments. We’ve engaged tens and tens of regulatory bodies. The list goes on and on and on.

And seemingly, we have a local authority that, on the face of it, is determined to scupper everything we’ve done.

So, this isn’t going to help you much, but it’s nice to know that we’re not the only ones facing this stuff!

Good luck with it all! :o)

Couple of things worth bearing in mind that I’ve found out the hard way over the last 10 years or so.

Firstly, and most importantly, get some actual bona fide legal advice (as opposed to STW forum advice). Everyone’s situation is different and only when someone knows ALL the facts can they offer realistic advice. Google a family solicitor near you, now. Your first 30 minute consultation with them should be free, and they should give you a good idea of what’s realistic and practical in your own situation. You don’t need to tell your ex that you’ve done this, and it’s probably not a good idea to tell her anyway, as this kind of thing can trigger the wrong reaction. You also don’t need to act on any legal advice if you don’t want to. But it WILL help you get your head straight on what to do next. Legal advice gave me enormous peace of mind, and didn’t cost me a thing.

Secondly, remember that the reality is that there were two joint incomes funding ONE household… now those same two incomes will need to fund TWO households. So, it’s not rocket science to understand that everyone’s going to have a little bit less to get by on. If you can get her to understand this fact, then that will help. You’re not married, so you shouldn’t be responsible (at all) for her personal finances and she can’t claim any of your pension or future earnings or anything like that. But you will be responsible for finances when it comes to the kids, but that DOES NOT include paying her mortgage. She’s choosing to live in that house, so if she can’t afford the house on her own (because she IS now on her own!), she may ultimately need to sell it. One silver lining is that the mortgage is not in your name, so if she falls into arrears then your credit files won’t suffer the consequences.

Remember, you are NOT responsible for her or that house/mortgage ANY MORE. Don’t set a precedent by paying for something you’re not required or liable to pay for.

Your best option, if you can afford it, may be to get your own place ASAP where your kids can also live… if only part/half of the week.

Which brings me to my third point: 50/50 shared childcare, if realistic, may also be the best thing all round. If care is genuinely shared (in my case we each have the kids 7 nights out of every 14) then there shouldn’t be any maintenance to pay either way, as you’re both likely to be equally sharing the financial responsibility.

However, something else to remember that not everyone is aware of, is that the parent who receives the Child Benefit is the parent who can claim Child Maintenance. What that means in practice is that if your ex receives Child Benefit for both kids, then she could in theory claim Child Maintenance from you even if you had the kids 100% of the time and her income was double yours. She would be deemed the Parent with Care and it would be up to you to prove otherwise, which if you’ve ever dealt with the CSA/Child Maintenance dept is an uphill struggle, whatever your circumstances.

Bear in mind that her friends will most likely be advising her to claim everything she can from you, too.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span>

In my case, I received some fairly threatening phone calls and letters from the Child Maintenance dept as my ex wife handily told them that I didn’t see my kids AT ALL, despite me actually having them at least 8 nights out of every 14 (at the time). They believed her. And I had a right run-around getting proof that I actually did most of the day to day childcare, from the schools, dentist, docs, etc, etc. Using this proof, I ultimately managed to persuade the Child Benefit dept to pay us 1x Child Benefit each. So the next time my ex tried a Child Maintenance claim, I was able to put a counter claim in and the result was their calculations showed that she’d have to pay me more than I was paying her.

She’s not done that again. :o)

Anyhoo, having said all that, if you can sort amicably without getting any of these agencies involved then the situation will be exponentially easier for everyone.

But back to the most important point… proper legal advice. Now.

And, just as an aside, I also learned that this kind of stuff can proper consume you if you’re not careful. So, make sure you’re taking care of yourself – see some mates, get out on your bike, get in the water, whatever. Tire yourself out physically so you’re able to sleep. And if you’re sleeping ok, there’s more chance that you’re thinking straight, too. This is just as important!

So it’s advice on a carp bed you’re after?

You’ve come to the right plaice.

Also suggest Starling. Free for small businesses under a certain threshold.

I use them for my personal bank account and am just waiting for them to allow multi-director limited company accounts so I can switch away from HSBC and use them for my business as well.

Had a great experience with Starling so far. Conversely, the HSBC Business online banking experience (specifically the mobile app) is one of the worst I’ve ever had the misfortune to use. And it costs me the princely sum of £5.50 each month for the (dis)pleasure.

I also opened a Tide ‘account’ a little while ago but have never dared used it. At least not yet. Their support forums are full of stories about accounts being locked without notice, or much explanation. Plus the fact that it’s not actually a proper bank account or a bona fide debit card (rather it’s a pre-paid card) seems to cause problems with it not being accepted in lots of places where I’d be likely to use it.

I really wanted to give Tide a shot, but it’s still at too early a stage for me (and my business).

Do you have a lot of bank cards?

How many is too many? I’ve just counted and there’s eight, plus that work smartcard.

Maybe I should ditch some of ’em.

My other supermarket story is from when I worked at an ASDA while I was at University.

I was a ‘Wines and Spirits Assistant’, so spent all my time keeping those shelves tidy and all that.

We used to get these huge geezers coming in – especially later on Friday/Saturday evenings… and they’d wander over to my aisles, unzip their puffer jackets to flash me the machetes they kept tucked in there (at least that’s what they looked like to my semi stoned face) as a bit of a warning, then pick up whatever they fancied from the shelves that was expensive, and walk straight out the door.

No way was I gonna do anything about that.

I’ll second Park Foot at Pooley Bridge. My folks have a static there that we use a lot as a base for the rest of the lakes, and there are plenty of facilities on site (clubhouse/restaurant/takeaway/laundry/shop/etc) if that’s what they’re looking for.

Plenty of riding up the fell directly behind the campsite, too.

There’s something in my wallet that sets off those alarms every time I pass through one – on my way in and out. A rogue bank card, or my work smart card, or something. The only way I’ll ever find out what it is would be to empty my wallet at the door and carry each item through individually. Yeah, sod that.

It just happened an hour ago in Morrisons, and in B&Q. It happened somewhere else yesterday. And it’s happened literally hundreds of times before.

I’ve never once been stopped by security.

@Malvern Rider

Yep, it powers two of those lights – one plugged into each USB port – in any of the three modes, without a problem.

My Alpkit top tube bag has some padding, but the battery’s not usually the only thing in there so there’s not much clanking around. For really rough stuff, I’d put it in a small dry bag and velcro it super tight to the frame somewhere so there’s zero movement. The cables for the lights are ziptied to the bars and stem so they don’t move much at all, or exert any pulling force on the battery connection.

Never had a problem with connectors popping out. There’s as much friction as you get with any normal USB plug and port, so it’s fairly secure.

Sure there are better lights and battery combinations, but I’ve heard some proper horror stories when it comes to charging cheap batteries!
<div class=”bbp-author-role”></div>

@superleggero – the max I’ve run them for is a ride of around 3-4 hours, and the battery indicator was still showing about half full at the end. YMMV, though.

My lights are slightly different to the ones I linked to and were actually just £4 each at the time. They’ve got three levels of brightness (but no flashing mode) and sometimes I’ll ride with only one of them plugged in to the battery if I’m also charging my phone at the same time. Pretty flexible setup, actually.

The battery I linked to is the same one I use. I keep it in one of these (https://www.alpkit.com/products/fuel-pod-medium), but it should easily fit in a bottle cage. I originally tried a RavPower battery pack that was about the same size (cheap deal at Amazon), but it couldn’t deliver the power the lights needed and kept auto-switching off after 30 seconds or so. I then spoke to Anker customer service about whether their battery packs would be up to the job and they assured me there’d be no problem – and so far, they’ve been right.

Oh, and my house hasn’t burned down yet, either. Which is always a positive.

…and, of course, you can keep your phone topped up as well!

I wanted a taste of cheap Chinese lumens but I didn’t want to have to have the fire service on standby every time I charged them… so I bought two of these from eBay:

… and I power them both simultaneously with one of these (which I’ve used for years, and trust):

All works well, fairly inexpensive, super bright, lots of use time, and incredibly safe.

Lights: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ultra-Bright-CREE-T6-LED-Cycling-Bike-Bicycle-Front-Light-Lamp-Headlight-USB-DC/122369824991?hash=item1c7dcf58df:m:mw4YMdfQIEdGnXaZeKS0fsw

Battery: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-PowerCore-20100-Capacity-Technology-Black/dp/B00VJSGT2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535619049&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+power+bank

>>We woke up to this not so long ago.

And just to add to that story, about 2 weeks after this happened my wife was walking back to her car after work (it was parked on a fairly busy street). She was about 20 yards away from her car, when another car came fishtailing around the corner and slammed sideways into hers, taking off her wing mirror and theirs, and doing even more damage to ours… then sped off.

She took down the number plate and called the police. The other driver flat out denied it (despite my wife actually witnessing it). The driver was an old feller, and claimed that the damage you could see on his car was from a previous accident somewhere else – and his wife backed him up. There was nothing the police would (could?) do, despite us still even having most of his wing mirror.

I didn’t get that one repaired either – just bought a used mirror on eBay and fitted it myself.

But still… other drivers, man!

>>Crikey, how much does it cost you to repair that?

Dunno – it’s still like that. It’s my wife’s 12 year old car, and it’s set to be replaced as soon as it fails an MOT in an expensive way*, so we decided to just leave it. There’s damage to the front wing, both doors, and there was also some superficial damage to the rear wing too, so I can only imagine what the cost would be!

(*Every time she takes it in for a test, she crosses her fingers that it’ll fail badly but it passes without drama every single time and the garage always cheerily tells her what great nick it’s in mechanically, and that there’s still a good few years left in it. Haha.)

We woke up to this not so long ago. No note, nothing. So yeah, seems like that’s de rigeur these days. I’ve no doubt that whoever did it was fully aware they did it, too. I’m also surprised we didn’t hear the scraping noise from our house – which is the one you can see in the picture!

I’ve used Alpkit stuff for years, and if you’re wanting to keep costs down, these Airlok bags have loads of attachment points so you can strap them almost anywhere. This is all Alpkit stuff (including an Airlok on the bars):

Also used Lomo drybags pretty extensively too – although not the bikepacking specific stuff – and the quality has always been spot on there, too.

>>On my Fiamma rack, I bought the Thule Fatbike kit from Amazon for £17, and it is ziptied with kidnap strength zipties to the Fiamma rails. Works perfectly.

Aha – good thinking! Seemed a bit of a shame to swap a perfectly good rail for a new one. I’ll try this first.

Ta!

Just a quick update if anyone ever runs into this thread…

Seems like my immediate options are:

1) A length of guttering attached to the existing rails into which the tyres will fit (cheap, but probably looks a bit cack).

2) A Thule 598 plus the Fatbike adapter (about £100 all in) – will probably grab one of these.

3) Having one of those racks and fatbike spacers shipped to the UK from 1UP in the US ($220 ish for the rack/spacer and they’ve just quoted me $120 ish for shipping, not including customs charges – so at least £260 total)

Ta!