but if Ben had a monitor and mirrors, I bet he’d use them all. Looking at a monitor doesn’t exclude using a mirror

Yes, drivers would use them all, but the more things you are looking at and checking, the less often you are checking them, giving people more chance to get where you can’t see them without you noticing.
With regard to having an audible alarm when the indicator is on, in the example I gave above, when reversing with people going behind me, the truck was bleeping away like fury! Some people are just plain stupid.
As I said, I’m glad I don’t have to drive these vehicles in that London very often at all.

Just out of curiosity…how many people who have posted arguments above along the lines of ‘lorry drivers should know…etc etc’ have actually driven HGVs themselves?

I’ve an HGV licence.
As Izakimak has pointed out, even more mirrors actually cause more blindspots, especially with regard to roundabouts and exiting side streets. My last trip into London (DAF CF 26T rigid, pretty long though, 6 mirrors and a rear view camera to keep an eye on) involved the following junction – Junction I was waiting to turn left here, sat still with indicator on, straddling both lanes as with all the traffic coming out of the side road blocking the yellow box, there wasn’t much room to swing the vehicle. As I sat there I watched a cyclist come up my inside, passing from being visible in rear view camera, rear view mirror, blindspot mirror, and then disappearing from view. He stopped I think, level with the cab, but too far away to be in my kerb mirror, and not far enough forward to be in the front view mirror. Lights go green, I set off straight forwards, looking for the cyclist, still can’t see him but assume he is still there. I had to stop before actually turning as I still couldn’t see him, at which point he rides from my blind spot and continues straight ahead FFS! So he’s ridden up the inside of a large vehicle past the indicators, stopped where he can’t be seen, and then seemingly expects me to know where he is and what he intends to do. Cyclists really do need educating on this.

A loop or 2 of the back streets and I find myself having to reverse into this market Market I couldn’t believe the amount of people who drove (yep, on the pavement bit), walked, cycled and pushed their prams behind me as I tied to complete this manoeuvre. I was fortunate in having 2 folk from the factory I was collecting from trying to help me, but even so, trying to keep up with everything that’s going on is nigh on impossible. It wasn’t until a policeman turned up and started shouting at people to stop going behind me that I was confident enough to complete backing in.

I’m not saying all lorry drivers are saints, I’ve been forced of the road (on my bike) before by HGV’s, but cyclists really do need to know just where they can and can’t be seen.
Better education is the answer, not more mirrors, sensors and cameras, after all, if I’m looking at a screen in the dashboard, I’m not looking at the wide angle mirrors to see what’s about to go behind me etc
I’m just grateful that driving HGV’s is only a small part of my job.
Oh, and regarding using more but smaller vehicles, the collection I was doing that day would have needed either the 26T I was in, or 3 7.5T trucks, the machinery simply wouldn’t have fitted in anything smaller.

That went on a bit didn’t it!

Warm dog

Cold dog

Sea in Croatia is cold though.

Not when I was there maybe 19/20 months ago. Swimming around below the walls of Dubrovnik was pretty special.

Chafftat

Cavtat. That’s where we stayed, and very nice it was too. Decent bars on the harbourside to sit at whilst watching the huge yacht thingies of the very rich coming and going (but mainly staying and posing).

We had a car while we were there and went off into Montenegro which was also a beautiful country, especially around Kotar bay, and also inland around the border with Bosnia.

Would definately go back as soon as littlemissmw is old enough to swim from the rocks – the Croats swim everywhere, they just don’t have many beaches (at least not in the South).

Getting back to the OP, never been to Sharm, never yet had any desire to either. (Doesn’t help much does it).

Looking at the screenshot you’re flying to tatl in Business, not bad for £443 really (especially as it’s west coast). Bet you couldn’t get to San Diego for that much in economy if you were paying cash for a ticket.
Most of my miles, well Avioseses, are with BA now, and my BMI miles will be soon as well I think. I take the view that rather than a free or low cost flight, I can pay roughly the same amount as an economy ticket, but sit at the pointy end of the plane. (Apart from BA’s Reward flight Saver, which is pretty good value for Europe – from £27 return I think).
If you fly BA/Oneworld a lot, and spend a fair chunk on a credit card, have a look at Amex’s BA pp card, you can get a companion voucher, which whilst you still pay the charges etc for 2 people, means 2 of you can fly for the cost of one lot of Avioseses. (Restricted to BA planes though – but they do fly to San Diego).
I haven’t got time to go looking now, but have you tried searching for trips NOT using BA planes? If I remember correctly, BA put in a fuel surcharge that AA don’t, and looking at the screenshot it’s a BA flight so maybe AA are having to charge you BA’s fuel surcharge? Just a thought like…

I’ve ripped Nobby Nics wide open in Sierra Nevada Snowdon and Skiddaw, couldn’t cope with sharp rocks.

Got a XR4 on the front at the mo, seems pretty good, might try something else from Bontrager on the back.

Ok, it looks a little different now with white AC wheels, but you get the idea.

* why cotic ??

* why that model
Answer to that is the little white Genesis Altitude hiding behind. Having seen how much more my wife was enjoying her riding on that compared to the previous, more racy angled Trek she had, I wanted something similar. Ended up with the Soul (as we can’t have exactly matching bikes now can we), much to her disgust as that is what she originally wanted, but couldn’t make the budget stretch.
The only thing is so many people assume that I have bought her the cheaper version of my own bike, which really gets on her wick, and has started annoying me too. It’s not as if women can’t choose their own bikes, is it?

* set up

* opinions !!

Same really on both bikes pictured – Lightweight tubeless wheels, 3×9, and adjustable travel forks. (Hers Recons 85-135, mine Revs 100-130)

Simply the best bike I’ve ever owned, and the first I haven’t wanted to change after a year or so. It’s as quick as I can be going up, lets me get away with plenty coming down, and on the kind of undulating, pedally singletrack, well, just fantastic.

George, you’re wrong. (Well in my opinion at any rate)!

Yesterday, Southport beach. (Sometimes getting sent to Southport for work ain’t all bad)!

Oh, and she’s 4 years old nearly. But still acts like a pup, does that count?

Edit – For the first time ever on a STW dogs thread, there are more Patterdales than Borders!

When you were scanned, did you see what you came up as?

….and yes, I have wasted my whole lunctime. And I didn’t even realise that I could create something like that for someone elses’ product!

1990 I think. Raleigh Amazon, 100GS and Biopace rings. Had been borrowing my brothers’ Raleigh Eurotech prior to that. When I got my 1993 Kona it was a revalation, it must have been 10lbs lighter!

All my Wisdom teeth have come through at an angle, driving forwards into the tooth in front and damaging them. I’ve ended up loosing the wisdom tooth and it’s neighbour in 3 cases. I’ve just had another wisdom tooth out, and having changed dentist at the advice of the Maxilofacial surgeon (who also reckoned that another tooth my original dentist wanted to extract was, in fact saveable) have been lucky to hang on to it’s neighbour.
So firstly, make sure you’re happy with your dentist!
Secondly, I’m 35, so another

your “up to 25” theory is bobbins

Thirdly, the anasthetic really is good, a short sharp jab when they pop the needle in, and that’s it. (There is a bit of a weird sensation when the waggle the tooth around – it’s as if the vibrations get transmitted up your jaw or something, but absolutley no pain).

and he was off the front most of the way down…

and the only one off the bike too….dammit!

My little girl (younger than Kimbers Jnr by the looks of things) doesn’t have a helmet yet. She is in a sling thingie as well, and I think that any helmet would push her head forwards, making it very uncomfortable. Will have a rethink when she is big enough to sit in the seat proper, and the cutout behind her head for the helmet becomes of use.

Our little one was about 10 or 11 weeks old the first time we took her camping. It did get cold enough to worry me (somewhere between 2 and 4 degrees the first night), but she seemed happy. She was in a carry cot which we put on bubble wrap, and then wrapped her up warm. The one thing we learnt is that we needed to keep her warm whilst getting her ready for bed (not so much of a problem now that she is in one of those sleeping bag things), but at the time, she was undressed and put in her night clothes, then into a bed that wasn’t warm immediately, so she got the grumps. Lesson learnt for the 2nd night!
As trb says, maybe try somewhere near first? We went to the Lakes, which is about a 2 hour drive from home, and I didn’t drink, figuring if needed we could up sticks and either find a hotel, or come home and I could go back for the tent the following day. We also went with friends who have been camping with their little ones since an early age, for a bit of moral support!
In all honesty, the dog was more of a problem than the baby (her first time camping in a big tent with “rooms”). Babys are pretty robust really.
If you are near home, what’s the worst that happens? You have to abandon and try again another time.
(And I’m pleased to see others have camped with ones as young as mine – I did get rather sick of some of the comments made to us on the campsite)

Edit – can’t quite imagine 4 bikes on the Thule above…

You can see where the 3rd would go, and then there is an adaptor for the 4th.
Not sure I’m in a rush to put 4 adult bikes on there, but it is impressivly stable with 3….

Edit – The adaptor thingie sticks even further out the back – I might need a different car to make sure the front wheels are still on the ground!

Surly Ogre? I’m hankering after a Troll myself as I’ve already got the Alfine wheelset in 26 flavour and fancy the idea of a bit of touring, plus chariot towing duties and it looks like a pretty decent allrounder.

We’ve got a Thule Euroclassic G6 with an adaptor for a 4th bike. Whilst I’ve never used the adaptor yet, the main rack seems really good, well built, easy to put on and easy to get in the boot with it mounted. I’ve had 3 bikes on it a couple of times and it feels rock solid at motorway speeds. It is expensive, but then again, so are 3 bikes! Got ours from roofbox.co.uk who were very helpful.

Depending on whose pies they are, I could be tempted. (Just need to get my lights sorted). Would also be interested in a day ride, one saturday maybe?

I sort of asked the same….ish

I’ve taken a punt on them (Celcius from CRC) so I’ll find out soon enough.

I’ve been using a Chariot trailer on the back of my Alfine 8 equipped Genesis ioid without any problems so far. I do worry about the trailer pulling the wheel backwards in the dropouts, hasn’t ever moved yet though.

Her first Soul.Should stop growling into at it soon.

That is all she did for about 3 hours. Stupid Dog.

Trying to hide in the bush.

Her first Soul.Should grow into it soon.

Don’t worry, I take them off if I’m going to a trail centre to ride round the carpark

He flipping does you know! And my Soul is much better looking than his.

Done. Having enjoyed the Monsal trail with my daughter in her trailer, I’d love to be able to extend the ride a bit without having to use main roads. Should the trail get linked up with the Tissington/High Peak trails that would make for a nice little trip for a night away with the family.

Not a very good picture I’m afraid.

Wasn’t sure about the white rims, but the black versions were hideous. Looks ok I think.

currently I like Elsie

Can’t have it. My 8 month old goes by that name. So nerrr.

I haven’t met any other Elsie’s, not young ones anyway, so it does stand out a little amongst all the Isabell/Isobel/Isabella’s etc! (One of the nursery staff does still spell it wrong though)!

Needs to be manual, sub £20 preferably sub £15 and solid.

Manual, sorry, automatic only.
Sub £20, sorry, the wrong side of £150000.
Solid, yes, very!

Interested?

We’d also be doing stuff on our own I think…not a fan of organised tours on the whole but will have a read of some I guess.

Neither me or my missus are fans of package tours either, but with sorting out the wedding, we just felt it would be easier to let someone else do all the planning and organising. We looked at all the high street travel agents’ tours, but there was always a few days we didn’t really care for, and as we were spending a lot more on this holiday than we ever had before, we wanted every day to count, as it were. Hence we went with travel agent[/url], their “standard” tours looked pretty good, but they will arrange custom itineries as well. We went with that, and in hindsight could have done without a lot of the transfers they organised for us, but it was nice being so well looked after, yet basically travelling as just the two of us. (Though we did meet one other couple in 3 different places)!

Can’t be bothered to re-type everything, so have a look here – http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/considering-mooching-around-samerica-for-3-weeks-in-jan-where-would-you-go

We were on an organised trip, so all travel and hotels were sorted before we went. I think that in the far South you may want to book ahead unless you are camping, we found that in Patagonia everywhere was full, though it was Christmas/New year when we were there.

Going at the end of April may mean some interesting weather in Patagonia. We were there pretty much at the height of summer, and while it was shorts and t shirts in Santiago, it was full waterproofs and down jackets in the blizzardy snow in Patagonia.

Another Chariot Couger for 2 user here! Yes they are very expensive new and they do hold their value, but as Johnny says – Patience on ebay! Ours came as a trailer but also with the jogger and stroller wheels, which lie as yet unused in the shed.
We went for this one over just about anything else on the market because of the suspension. Putting Little Miss in the Weber baby carrier with head support, coupled with the suspension meant we ventured out at quite an early age.
So far we’ve not come across a gate on any Sustrans style routes that we can’t fit through, allthough it’s tight enough sometimes that I’ve asked on here for advice about specific trails before making a special journey.

Are there any recommendations re minimum age?

I think every trailer is probably different and things such as are they in a baby sling or seat, or a car seat strapped in there will make a difference. Every parent will also feel different about it, and some will say you are being irresponsible, while others will tell you to go for it. For what it’s worth, my little girl was about 3 months on her first trip. (and I’m not interested in anybodys arguments about why that is too young)!

A couple for you,

Sat in a bar in San Francisco and get chatting to the bloke next to me. He’s telling me about an upcoming fishing trip to Alaska and mentions taking his car. I ask if the USA and Canada have any kind of agreement with regard to passports and border crossings like we have in Europe where you just drive straight through borders, or at worst get your passport looked at, but never have to go through immigration proper. (Forms filled, passport stamped etc). He reply’s with –
I’m not going to Canada, I’m going to Alaska.
(me) Sorry, I thought you said you were driving.
I am.
(me) So when you drive through Canada to get to Alaska, do you need to go through all the immigration stuff?
Alaska is part of the USA, not Canada. I thought you Europeans were good at geography.

Stop at a petrol station in Rural Utah trying to buy cigarettes. Told that they don’t sell them, but the petrol station the other side of the road does. Decide to leave car and walk. As I cross the forecourt there is a senior gentleman banging on the car window, which my missus is very firmly keeping shut.
Wander over to see what’s happening and get talking to the bloke, he’s very friendly, just wants a chat. Tells me he’s down this end of the state for a funeral, and that he’s never left Utah in all his life, probably about 70 years. Asks me where we’re from, and this is the start of the misunderstandings. I tell him –
(me) Britain
So you’re Canadian?
(me) No, British
Yes, that makes you Canadian
(me) Ah, you’re thinking of British Columbia, we’re from Great Britain, you know, in Europe?
(This is when I realised that lots of Americans don’t know of Great Britain. UK is fine, so is England, and at a push Scotland – but Britain, no).
(me) I’m from England, my girlfriend is Scottish
Ah, ok, so you’re from the UK?
(me) Yes
So how come your car has California plates?
(me) We hired it at LA airport.
(A little bit of discussion until I realise that Rental, not Hired makes sense to him)
So…Why didn’t you bring your own car?

Just as I’m pondering trying to explain the large body of water between Britain and the USA, he decides it’s time to move on with the best line ever – “You sure do speak good English for a European”!

We just remortgaged with YBS and wern’t even aware that the survey had been done. Don’t know if they came along and looked at the outside of the house or what – but they certainly didn’t come inside.

Patterdale!

Mine comes to work with me most days and is quite happy about that. She doesn’t always get a walk in the morning, but plenty of playing in the yard keeps her entertained and exercised. She did, though, need a lot more exercise as a pup, and she only occasionaly gets left on her own for more than 4 hours. She’s always been great with other peoples kids, and now that we have a 6 month old ahe’s great with her too. Patterdales are very headstrong though, and I reckon that decent training is a must. She can run as far as I can, and is more than happy to come out with us on our bikes, but we recently discovered that 16 miles on the Trans Pennine Trail (therefore fairly quick riding) is a bit much! I’m always amazed at how quick she is. The Father in law recently decided to test her by seeing how fast she could chase him on his quad – the result 20mph plus over half a mile!
They do vary a lot mind, my brother also has one and it looks just like HexhamStu’s, and is about half as big again as ours and curly, not smooth coated.

Must learn to type faster!

Marsdenman from these parts does such things, and he’s only just over the hill.

We mooched around for 3 weeks for our honeymoon over Christmas and New year nearly 2 years ago. I can only speak for Chilie and Argentina, and mainly Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego at that. (But a friend of ours was out there at the same time This is his blog[/url])
We found flights to be expensive and full – we, the Honeymooners, had to beg for seats together on the flight to Santiago! (Never mind upgrades)!
We spent only a day and night in Santiago, before heading down to Punta Arenas and then up to the Torres del Paine national park for a few days over Christmas. We stayed at a place called Ecocamp, think big tents and communal dining, but with 5* prices. Couldn’t fault it though, fantastic food, guides, scenery etc.

Torres del Paine

We then moved on to

perito moreno glacier (the one that breaks off into the lake)

This bit was done by Bus, National Express could learn a bit from the Argentines on how to make a comfy coach.
The town we stayed at nearby was OK for a night, unfortunately we had 3 there due to New Year.

Glacier.

visit an estancia

We did this and had a great time walking around with the owner and his dog – Juha (previous dog called Colin – wonder what sport he followed)! It was interesting for us learning about farming in the area, my wife is a farmers daughter, and I work in the meat industry, but I think that most of the other visitors were bored, so pick carefully.
From there we headed on to Ushuaia for a night before going on a little 3 night cruise around Tiera del Feugo. Cruising isn’t something we’d normally do, but this was fantastic, I could probably give the STW hamsters an overload with pictures, suffice to say the scenery was awesome. On this cruise there are various oportunities to get off the boat onto little Zodiac thingies, one chance was meant to be Cape Horn Island, but it was too rough.

Boat
A later trip was to see some Magellan Penguins, smelly little Buggers they are!

Smelly

This had left us in Punta Arenas again, so another flight to Santiago for one night before heading to Buenos Aires for 4 nights. We both loved BA, though we went from wearing down jackets and full waterproofs to shorts and t shirts and seeking out air conditioning!
I don’t think we had a single bad meal in 3 weeks, wine was excellent, people very friendly, and a suprising amount of English spoken,though a smattering of Spanish is useful.

Obviously I can’t speak for Peru, Bolivia etc, but we’re both dying to return, it’s just such a big place – where to go next?
As we were busy trying to sort our wedding, we got a travel agent to book it all for us, but you could do everything we did independently no bother. (Still, shameless plug for travel agent[/url])

Cheers, Ben.

Excellent ride last night lads, It was nice to ride a few new bits that have been under my nose for the 20 0dd years I’ve been riding, but never knew about.

and I’ll be out!

Where were you then Dave?

Think you’re forgetting a HSW member Ben! Work can’t be much of an excuse (assuming you still work in Slawit) and your baby is the same age as mine and I’ll be out!

Ah Dave. Whoops, sorry. Didn’t realise you still had a bike with fat tyres! Thought your only HSW rides were with the roadie lot.
I’m only using my daughter as a potential excuse, as if I come out on Wednesday, I’ll not see her that day (I’m at work by the time she gets up).
Still, hoping I’ll be there.

I might try and get over for a Wednesday ride, work and baby permitting.

BTW, on Saturdays Huddersfield StarWheelers do a mountain bike ride starting at 10am, different locations each week and you can go as fast or slow as you like, there’s lots of stops for re-grouping and they’re a very sociable bunch.

Some rides are a lot better than others, but yes they are a very sociable bunch. Headfirst, do you ride with HSW then? I do occasionaly, but thought I was the only STWer there – apart from the odd guest apperence by The Sanity Assasin.