Dissapointed that WYRM doesn’t stand for “When you really move”

I use one for my semi off-road commute on the bars. It’s the best light quality of any light I’ve owned and would be a better only light, bar mounted, than my old 2nd generation Lumicycle LED lamp.

Anyone know the screw size for the internal routing covers?! M2 or M2.5? Thanks!

agree with the Numo comments above. I’d also keep the Hunka and invest in a good sleeping bag. PHD have two sales a year when the do some fantastic bargains. I got a minimus for £160 last year and it’s great. http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/minimus-down-sleeping-bag

We’re in Oughtibridge and have lived here since 2013. Really like it – after being in Hillsborough before, the transport can be frustrating, but you can still get into town in 30mins on a good day and it’s generally pretty good for rush hour commuting. Less so later in the day when it’s not unknown for it to take me an hour to get home. It’s only 30mins on the bike as well.

It’s a lovely village – not a lot of services – post office, chemist, 3 small shops and 4 pubs. We live on a quiet road up the hill a bit and have lovely neighbors (which helps), have great views across the valley to wharncliffe, and good riding on the doorstep.

We bought an 11 plate 1.8 petrol scout with 73K on the clock in December and I’m very pleased so far. It was burning oil at an alarming rate so the dealer has just rebuilt the engine under warranty which made the slight dealer premium on price suddenly very good value. It drives very well – I’m not after an exciting car particularly – but it’s comfortable, has decent power and fits all our biking / family paraphernalia. The 4×4 capability and all season tyres gives me the confidence that we’re not stranded on the estate at the first sign of snow.

I did Art, Maths, Physics and geography and that was a good balance to prepare me for architecture but we really don’t have any specified subjects now. An ability in art (drawing, modelling, sketching, painting, 3d investigation) must be demonstrable, though.

Hi Matt, I do some of the admissions work here in Sheffield for the Architecture courses. Some schools are more specific about the subjects they require; however there are Unis, like Sheffield that are much more relaxed as, ultimately, Architecture is a very rounded degree with elements of humanities, science and arts. We’re actually finding that A-level (or similar) art is preparing students less and less well for Architecture and is becoming far more formulaic and shows much less of the student that produced the work. We are much more impressed by students with a great portfolio that haven’t done art, or at least those who have done creative stuff outside their art course to show more personality and investigation.

I absolutely loved my mark 1 Sirius (about as close to the scion as you can get) and preferred the geometry to the Bfe I’ve had since. I still have the Sirius frame in the garage and am unlikely to get rid of it, if I can avoid it.

Don’t think this has been mentioned:

Biomass – a burning issue[/url]

strangely, I find it harder to justify big spending to myself than to my wife.

Sunn Cross
DDG Axis
Kona Smoke
Pipedream Sirius (still got frame)
Cannondale Prophet
Planet X Kaffenbak (still got)
Cotic Bfe (still got frame)
Surly Big Dummy (just built)
Genesis Grapil (just built)

I know a contractor who runs his whole business (very successfully) on an ipad, so it’s definitely possible. I’m self employed nd just about to get an ipad mini to carry with me everywhere. I have desktop machines and a notebook, but even the 11″ MBA is overkill and a pain to have with me always when all I really want to do on the move is admin tasks.

Got new Surly Big Dummy and Genesis Grapil builds both about 90% there. But the last touches always take me ages. Both replacing existing bikes so the house bike total won’t change!

My frame arrived yesterday. I’ve only had a quick gander as I was busy last night, but looks rather nice. Cost only £50 more than I sold the prophet for last year, so is an absolute bargain. Looking forward to a less bruising ride than the Bfe.

yes, exactly that issue on old phone and the replacement one 2 months later.

It’s not the new Moto G – still the original pre 4G version. Will be too big for me too, but not much option, it seems.

I had a chat with them and the guy wouldn’t budge on what they were offering me or on my contract price. Basically said they wouldn’t offer a decent phone under the replacement scheme as I only have 3 months left on my contract. A bit frustrating.

Cheers Simon, I might try the money off on the contract then! I hope you’re well.

Well, I’ve just bought a Surly Big Dummy frameset. I got a bit of discount on the RRP, but you get a hell of a lot of tubes (it’s more like 2 frames and a fork) and usefulness for £800… and compared to running a second car, it’s a steal!

Those velocity blunt rims look very robust and stiff, for not too much of a weight or cost penalty.

Cheers for the defence 40mpg! Although I think you highlight a major issue… The concept of a “concept architect”.

Good architects (which I hope I am one) should be able to design something fantastic that meets the brief and enhances its location, but that brief includes budget, understanding the local planning context, working with the M&E engineer and structural engineer to realise the design etc. yes, there will be compromises but if they fundamentally damage the project, then the architect has done a bad job.

When practices have concept architects and delivery architects it’s impossible for all that to happen and you get seriously compromised buildings.

There are lots of bad architects out there (as with all professions), but there are some fantastic ones too. As 40mpg alluded to, it’s tough balancing so many different things & people but that’s the challenge (and the joy) of the job.

Speeder, that’s Facit homes. They’re doing well and are very busy by all accounts.

I think with the Architects, the more realistic story is the clients didn’t want to pay for more than planning drawings which, surprisingly, weren’t enough to build off.

Mister T – I’ve had a bit of a chat with him about it. Everything’s possible, but considering I can hopefully sell my current xtracycle build as I’ve accumulated most stuff new for the next incarnation, it makes so much more financial sense to go for the tried and tested Dummy. If I could risk it costing more, I’d love to give it a try!

My other option other than the Big Dummy which I’m half entertaining is to have Matt at 18bikes do something along these lines with my current xtracycle build. Some nice curved stays would stiffen things up a lot. It won’t be a cheap option in the long run, though.

I have an Xtracycle, and although I have issues with it as a thing (too flexy really for lugging my daughter up big Sheffield hills which I need to do every day), on the whole, I’m hooked. Pretty much set on buying a BD frame in the near future.

This is a good article worth a quick read: http://www.buildinginspiration.co.uk/articles/charlie-luxton-best-architectural-briefs/

Past experience and how well you get on with them are probably the most useful measures to choose an architect. I use both expected time taken and percentages to help me quote for a fee but it’s always a fixed fee with a clear fee proposal letter and conditions of engagement.

For a new build house there are huge variables and build cost isn’t a major one for me in terms of my fee. Likely planning complexity is a major one and can have a big impact on my time and therefore my fee. If a client wants a Passivhaus or wants me to design according to that methodology then that tends to cost more as well as it does require more input and time at almost every stage.

I tend to charge somewhere between £10 and £20K for a full service up here in Sheffield. I am a sole trader, though, with all the reduction in costs that that brings.

This is a link to my services document that you’re free to use as a basis for discussions with potential consultants if you find that useful. http://paultestaarchitecture.co.uk/services.pdf

Finally on the giving mates work comment earlier. There is huge benefit to consultants working where pure existing relationships exist. It’s not a sure thing, but the number of unknown structural engineers I’ve worked with that have caused issues for projects that just wouldn’t have occurred had we worked with an engineer that I would normally work with. It’s why things like framework agreements exist because working together more than once and learning good collaborative practices and learning from mistakes is beneficial to everyone especially the client.

Ordered some forks that showed were in stock. Email next day to apologise for not being in stock any more and did I want to cancel. Did on that occasion, but found the communication encouraging.

I have an old mk1 Pipedream Sirius and now a Cotic Bfe. The Cotic is brutally stiff in comparison. I know the Pipedream has stiffened up slightly since for CEN standards (as has the Soul in the same period), but I would expect it to still be an excellent ride. In many ways I prefer the ride feel to the newer Bfe. The Scion is now the closest in the range to the original Siris and looks excellent value although I think they still have 27.2 seat tubes so that limits dropper post use in the future.

The Party wall act may also help your cause – it doesn’t sound like they’ve put an agreement in place: https://www.gov.uk/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance

Although not a tow bar carrier, my Atera Giro roof racks have been spot on. As they live on the roof of the car pretty much permanently they’ve been subject to a lot of use and lot of weather over the last 4+ years. When I decided to give them some tlc and replace a couple of bits this spring the roofbox company had access to every possible spare at very decent prices and it was really easy to strip and rebuild them. Quality kit.

I’ll be there manning the ride sheffield stand. Should be good and the weather looks promising.

Big Matt at 18bikes is a bit good with a spoke key.

I spent a chunk of time with my Bfe at 150mm but started not to like it, so dropped them back to 130mm. Enjoy it so much more and don’t miss the extra travel. Nothing like a consensus!

I don’t have any problems with the T-Rex on my BFe. Admittedly, the chaps at 18bikes fitted it for me along with sorting a few other bits out but it’s been faultless in use.

We had an armitage shanks thermostatic bath and shower mixer in our old house run off a combi and it was great. Our water pressure for the house wasn’t brilliant but the shower never missed a beat and was so much better than the electric one it replaced. 3 years in we still own the house but let it out and no problems to report.

I really like my Endura one for a good combination of protection, breathability and weight. It squashes down small enough to be unnoticeable in a jersey pocket.

Always spot on for me. My first experience was fixing a bent mech hanger and drop out on a steel frame. No other shop in Sheffield would touch it (admittedly it was pretty bad), but 20 mins and £10 later and it was as good as new. Been going back ever since. I don’t buy everything from them, but if I want good service, it’s where I head.

I’ve got one attached to a MK1 pipedream sirius. TBH it’s a chore to ride every day (I do the nursery run as part of my 6mile hilly commute), but mainly that’s due to hills. The donor frame would ideally be a lot stiffer than the pipedream, and I’ve found doing anything that can lower the centre of gravity helps a lot when carrying something that sits so high like a kid.

That sounds all negative, but it’s generally been a good buy. It keeps me from paying for and waiting around for public transport or buying a second car. I keep fitter in the process and our daughter gets used to bikes as a form of transport.

emailed two months ago about the 3 phaart lights I own that the brackets have broken from. No reply, but didn’t expect one!

You’re right about the fabric first approach – insulation, air-tightness, good windows are all very worth getting right.

After that, perhaps a thermal store fed by a back boiler on a wood burning stove, also fed by solar thermal collectors, also fed by the immersion (with PVs to supply a proportion of your electric) if the rest hasn’t got you the hot water you need.

A well designed heating and HW water system with short primary pipework, short dead legs to taps etc, well insulated pipes and the best possible insulation on your thermal store will minimise losses and make it as efficient and cheap to run as possible.

I didn’t see it, but I quite like OSB as an internal finish. The clips I just looked at, though, do make it look somewhat unrelenting. Although Stealth Barn[/url] takes it to the limit.

We’ve just done a competition entry for a sub £50K family home design and a big part of that was to make elements do more than one thing. So we had OSB working as structural racking board (timber frame), air-tight barrier and internal finish. Although we balanced that with painted plasterboard internal partitions and ceilings. I personally would have preferred changing the OSB to ply, but that would have used 10% of our budget.

Now birch plywood interiors I do like…[/url]