So this might still be a good idea, although reliant on the ‘thief’ not having an iPhone/not finding the tracker? I am finding the potential legal implications of all this quite intriguing.

I’ve no idea if you’re anti-Semitic, but your language was the same as that used in an anti-Semitic trope

As I’ve explained; I used ONE word that has been deliberately misinterpreted:

Starmer isn’t someone who will stand up for minorities. I’m struggling to think of who he actually would stand up for, to be honest; he needed his bodyguard to manhandle that pub landlord away from him. He just doesn’t possess any real courage or guts; he’s a weak Yes man who will do exactly as he’s told to, by his puppeteers.

Please explain how that is in any way, ‘anti-Semitic’.

bridges doth protest too much

Yes I’m going to ‘protest’, because I won’t be accused of something I’m not guilty of. Wouldn’t you?

The last time I rode a bike with a ‘Brain’ shock was an original Epic, way back 16, 17 years or so ago? It felt like a hardtail, then would suddenly give if it hit a bump. A bike shop had a ‘demonstrator’ of the Brain, which showed how it basically worked on a certain velocity threshold; if you moved it quick enough, you could see the little valve thing open. Can’t remember it exactly. I do remember that I wasn’t keen, based only on a short ’round the block’ test ride. I found a proper lockout to be better, personally (although you do forget to unlock it of curse…). I think I’d rather have something less complicated though really.

This was my post a couple of pages back mentioning you using a well-worn anti Semitic trope. “Puppeteers” and “Global/ruling Elites” are both used by the far-right to cover their anti-Jewish speech

What actually happened, is that Kelvin decided to interpret my comments about ‘puppeteers’ in a manner of his own choosing, no doubt in order to attack me by invoking accusations of anti-Semitism. And you jumped on that bandwagon. And in doing so, you have both inadvertently shown just how such accusations of anti-Semitism have been ‘weaponised’ by the right, to attack the left, in order to crush any dissent. Now; I have explained (not that I needed to anyway) that my comment of ‘puppeteers’ referred to corporate interests, and not, as you want to believe, in reference to some shadowy global Jewish cabal. There was absolutely nothing else in my comments, that could have led anyone to believe that I was in fact making anti-Semitic statements. At all. So any notion of me being ‘anti-Semitic, is entirely in your own head. Ask yourself why? Why did you and Kelvin come to that conclusion, as a result of one single word?

You accusations are not only extremely offensive, they are also disgusting, as weaponising anti-Semitism in the way you, and many on the right have, in order to stifle debate and to slur those who don’t agree with your world view, not only diminishes the abhorrence of real anti-Semitism, it also insults all those who do and have suffered from this terrible ideology. And to attempt to insult someone you do not know, whom you know nothing about in terms of their cultural, religious and social background, is just appalling. Shame on you.

You’re either doing it Ignorantly (not using that word in a pejorative sense) or you’re doing it deliberately to be provocative, or using it deliberately for other reasons, I don’t know, but I won’t ignore it.

The only ignorance here is your own. That you lack the self-awareness to even comprehend this, is evident here for all to see. You’ve exposed yourself as someone willing to use lies, untruths and slander, to shut down debate and ‘win’ an argument. And in doing so, exposed a major issue affecting the Labour party and further UK politics. Well done.

will you likewise apologise for continuing to use well worn anti Semitic tropes, after a number of posters have pointed this out to you now?

A ‘number of posters’? So far, it’s just you and Kelvin jumping on that bandwagon. As for apologising; if you can prove I’m guilty, I’ll do so*. If not, I expect you to retract your accusation and apologise. What you’re accusing me of is extremely serious, and I don’t take such accusations lightly. So; over to you.

*AS I know I’m NOT guilty of anti-Semitism, I’m not going to ever apologise to you for my comments on here. Just so you know.

I bet you hated Ed Miliband too.

Oh God yes. Did you see the way he tried to eat a bacon sandwich? ;)

@Bridges, like last time, I’m not going to accuse you of anti-semitism, I’m just going to point out that you continue to use well known anti-Semitic tropes.

If you can prove this, please do so. If not, please apologise.

This is hurdle that Labour has to overcome. It’s support now is in high density cities, and university towns, and not in socially conservative northern towns any longer. How you translate that to national support is for some-one with better ideas than me.

Labour’s modern support is much higher in towns and cities with universities/centres of education. There is a correlation between political sensibilities and voting patterns; higher education = more ‘left wing’ views. So; the answer really is in improving educational facilities and access to education, particularly for adults, in those places that have no universities etc. There has been a gradual degradation of educational facilities in such places, over the decades. There is now very little adult education (such as ‘night schools’ etc) in many towns and cities, and the overall level of educational ability and attainment has been steadily dropping in the UK, over that time. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or even a socio-economics professor) to work out that there is a link between low levels of education and right wing views. Cities like London are far more cosmopolitan, there is far greater discourse and sharing of ideas. To enable other areas to enjoy more of this, there needs to be investment across the board, from education and child support, to local jobs that are fulfilling and rewarding. It’s no wonder that so many young people growing up in more deprived areas, flock to the big cities. Decentralisation of education would be a great move. But somehow, I can’t see the tories and neoliberals going for that…

So I’m confused; can Airtags be disabled or not? Does someone need an iPhone to be able to do so?

For me the important thing isn’t so much the funding but the having the membership take part enmasse to work on a project that helps that community.

Do you mean ‘activism’? Because that is already happening, as I described briefly earlier. There are/were countless groups affiliated with Labour, who actively get together to help out in the ‘community’, to achieve positive change. This is the kind of grassroots activism that saw a massive surge under Corbyn’s leadership, yet under Starmer, has seen many groups no longer want to be associated with Labour. Losing these is disastrous for Starmer, as is losing union support, because it will leave him with even less support of the very people Labour is supposed to represent; the labour force.

The fundamental issue is that everyone knows what the purpose of the Labour party is, which is to represent and fight for the interests of working people in parliament. The trouble is that for most of the past 25 years, the Labour party haven’t done this. When they did for a brief period in 2015-2017 they saw their vote share recover and their membership increase massively.

This. Labour has become little more than a shell to represent corporate interests, under the guise of being ‘for the people’. It clearly no longer is, and increasing numbers of people are realising this, and becoming disillusioned with politics altogether. Making things even easier for the ruling elites. That not a single Starmerite on here has given any meaningful answer as to how Starmer is going to reverse this, shows just how utterly useless he really is, for the people that need to be represented. He may well, however, be very useful for those ruling elites, if they decide they need a new puppet*, if and when Boris outlives his usefulness to them. But he’s not going to actually change anything.

*Stand by to see accusations of Anti-Semitism from those who’ve been taken in by the right…

Keeping his head down. Not getting typecast as a moaner. Opportunistically opposing and criticizing where he can (which right now isn’t often). Doing painstaking market research to make sure he’s doing and saying the right stuff. He’s telling the party a few home truths. He’s got rid of a few wasters and he has a few more in his sights. He’s drawn a very clear line between the party and the Campaign Group. He wins on PMQs most weeks and *always* picks the right topic to go with.

Ah, so nothing actually effective then. Thanks for clarifying.

I was wondering about this very thing myself. But it seems the Airtags are a pretty useless product, other than being able to locate things which aren’t really ‘lost’ in the first place. As a locator for stolen goods, though, it seems useless if it can be disabled and/or won’t work if inside a building, basement etc.

The Epic Evo is a bike I’m considering (if there’s ever any stock…), so I’m also interested in anyone’s long term experiences of one.

The 2018-2020 model had quite a few issues with unreliability.

In what way?

I *do* know, Starmer has 100pc learned the lessons that needed to be learned and is doing *exactly* the right things

And what is that, exactly?

Not my cup of tea, but stylish enough.

An artist has to be able to have the ideas and execute them perfectly

This is my philosophy. I wouldn’t ever be able to put a price on my own work, because when you consider hours spent on a piece, even a modest hourly rate would see pieces end up costing many thousands. My plan is to gradually replace most of our furniture; one problem is that there’s quite a few original Mid-Century pieces, which are now worth a small fortune, so we could easily recoup quite a bit of value by selling and replacing them. It’s nice having original stuff though.

This weekend, I decided to cut some halved housing joints by hand, rather than using a router, as most people probably would. Takes far longer than using a router (even accounting for setting up etc), and is perhaps not quite as accurate (not too far off though…), but it’s the challenge I really enjoy. Really quite nerve-wracking (this Ash is expensive stuff), and no margin for error. I’ve actually surprised myself by how well I’ve handled it; the joints are almost indistinguishable from machine made, and to be able to achieve this level of craftsmanship, has given me a real boost, and some much needed confidence. I can now move forward to the next project, knowing ‘I can do this’. And you just can’t put a price on that.

The educational discount thing is easy online; you login with your uni/college etc details, and then you access the ed. discount web pages, where you can see the lower prices. You can pay using any valid card, so it doesn’t matter if the card isn’t in the student’s own name (many parents pay for their kids’ stuff anyway). I think you can go into an Apple store with student/education staff ID, and they’ll do the discount there as well. I do know that it’s easy to get, and Apple aren’t too fussed as long as they make another sale. I’ve always bought using it. Pretty much all Mac users I know, get the discount, and most are nowhere near education! ;)

slightly worried about 512 disc since I have a TB currently but it’s all backed up onto cloud/google/local little NAS bay so less of an issue than it used to be

I think I’m using around 220GB of 1TB storage on my iMac, and have a 2x4TB NAS for backups and main storage. I have another 4TB single disc NAS for music and video files (streamed via Airplay and Apple TV). Video etc can be done using proxies, for faster editing. So I’m not that bothered about onboard storage. I might even get the 256GB version, to save £200. Considering 1Tb SSD’s can be had for £50-60 these days, Apple really are taking the piss with their pricing. The only issue is that you can’t upgrade the internal storage on the new Macs, so you’re stuck with whatever you get when you buy it. That is a pain, but then the performance advantages with the new soldered in storage is perhaps a fair compromise. Reports regarding the other M1 Macs suggest the apparent ‘lack’ of RAM isn’t the issue many think it is, as the M1 chip ‘borrows’ power from other components. I’m probably never going to be needing an über powerful system so the iMac is probably more than adequate.

The only real problem I have right now, is…

…which colour?

So the new iMac is out, but I haven’t yet seen any ‘independent’ reviews, teardowns etc. Apple stating deliver in a few weeks, but I do hope there’s some more info out there soon. 512Gb 16GbRAM version £1849, which is considerably less than the £3k+ I’d expected to spend on the 27″ older version. Got the inevitable jitters over ‘what else will Apple bring out soon’, but I think the 24″ is perfect for me really. Going to pop into an Apple store soon, to try and see one ‘in the flesh’ as it were. I think it’s appointments only at the moment. And does anyone know if you can do the educational discount thing in store or is it only online? I’ll use my nephew to get a few quid (10%, and Apple care is considerably less?) off. But then Apple tend to do special offers to students in August…

And I defy anybody to spot the sign of a fixing unless they look at the back or underneath

Don’t ever invite me to look at your work! :D I’ve been known to crawl underneath people’s furniture, to have a look at the hidden details, joints etc. But I totally get what you’re saying; there has to be a balance between sentimentality and practicality, but that’s for the individual to decide. Personally, I wouldn’t pay ‘thousands of pounds’ for anything made using mostly power tools in the way you describe (I have actually not bought items on this very basis). No offence, but to me, that’s not where the ‘value’ would be. But more power to you for being able to sell stuff for such sums. I actually like to make the joint/fixing a ‘feature’, if I think it gives a piece something a bit extra. But then; I will use a plug cutter and plug to hide a screw hole. ;) So we all have our own level of compromise.

They keep my cuts square and clean and accurate

I’m (mostly) managing to achieve that using hand tools. Takes a little while longer though…

I also like to point to the past and speculate that many of the workers there and then didn’t have such high end niceties and still produc4ed stunning work

Whilst I’m not one for ‘purity’ as some see it (I’ll use power tools when necessary, such as sanding, because who wants to spend their life sanding??), but there is for me a lot more satisfaction knowing I’ve made something with as few tools and as much by hand as possible. But some of my earliest work was done with the most basic, cheapest tools.

it doesnt need to be exhibition quality

No, that’s for the individual to set their own standard. I see stuff made by some proper craftspeople, and I think ‘I’ll never reach that standard’, but who knows? I like to push myself, have a real challenge; it’s not fun if it’s too easy. But the end product really is the ultimate goal; nobody else is going to notice or care if the tiny invisible details aren’t quite 100% perfect. For some, mere functionality is fine. My wife wanted some shelving in the cupboard around our new boiler; 10 minutes with some leftover melamine faced chipboard a neighbour gave me, and voila; the perfect solution. But one of my next projects will be a chest of drawers; I will be dovetailing all the drawers, because that’s the ‘proper’ way to do it. Yes of course I could just use screws, glue, even (urgh) pocket holes! But I’m going to do it ‘properly’. It’ll take a lot longer, but the satisfaction will be much greater. And if you’re going to live with it, then I’m with William Morris. ;)

Not a jack plane.

Absolutely right. My mistake (I often get planes mixed up, it’s no wonder). A No7 is a jointer. I meant a big, long plane that can be used to ensure flatness along a piece. For quick smoothing of very rough stock, a scrub plane is best of course, to remove large amounts of material, quickly. But that’s why I pay someone else to mill my timber for me.

Peter Millard reviews some of the cheaper thicknessers eg

That’s very interesting. My experience with cheap tools tells me they are often false economy. That one he reviewed, didn’t seem too bad, although he did point out that you’d need to do a bit of fettling and fine tuning, to get it to work well. And that it would probably require quite a bit of attention to keep it running well. For me, life’s too short to spend fixing such things, I just want them to work properly. A cheap chisel has poorer quality steel, so needs sharpening more often, and doesn’t hold an edge so well. These are things learned over time.

Oh hark at Mr Flash there. ooooohhh spiral

As a result of this thread, I had a look around at a few thicknessers; they can get quite expensive can’t they? I think I could go for something like this, for ‘home use’. If I had somewhere to put it.

https://www.axminstertools.com/sedgwick-mb-planer-thicknesser-with-spiral-cutter-block-230v-105738

@bsims; often, the best way to learn, is to try something out. Now at least, you have experience using a fretsaw. They can be notoriously tricky things to use, so perseverance is key. With practice, you’ll be wondering why you couldn’t do something. I use hand saws for most jobs (other than say ripping large pieces, that’s when the Festool plunge saw comes into its own), because I am competent with one, and can achieve near enough the same quality of work, as a powertool, but with a lot less fuss, noise and mess. I actively choose hand tools over power, often, because to me, it’s often just a much more enjoyable way to work. Might take longer, but there’s a lot more satisfaction to be had. That’s very subjective, and many people just want a job done. But for me, much of the joy is in the making of something, as it is in the finished product. When I look at work created by people along time ago, before power tools were invented, I have nothing but admiration. There’s an emotional aspect to using your hands to make something; I made a small table a while ago using mostly power tools and I have no ‘feeling’ for it at all; it’s just a thing, it has no emotional value for me. But it’s all good, because it’s skills and resources we have available; you’ll value something you made yourself, far more than anything you’ll ever buy.

I think blinkeredness affects those on all sides; Many Corbyn supporters still think he was the best person to lead the nation, and it’s evident the Starmer supporters on here at least, simply cannot understand that Starmer will not, and cannot offer anything other than what his neoliberal principles dictate; ie, pretty much the status quo with nothing much changing. As for cries of ‘get into power first’; that some people still believe Starmer would somehow radically become this Socialist Superstar, and revolutionise British society, shows how deluded people are when they nail their colours to a particular mast. Starmer will only do what the ruling elites allow him to. Having Starmer as PM would hardly be any different to having Boris in charge, let’s face it. So I have to wonder if those backing Starmer, actually genuinely want to see change; my guess is that they are pretty comfortable with the status quo, and aren’t really bothered about much beyond their own self interest. Certainly, the disparaging remarks about ‘activists’ showed just how little some people actually know about political activism, and what it really is. Activism is a growing and sadly necessary part of our society; from food banks and vaccine volunteers, to legal workers forming networks to challenge and prevent the vicious racist policies of Priti Patel’s office. It’s challenging big business when it wants to destroy the environment for profit. It’s about tuning up in numbers, to prevent racist thugs from terrorising minority groups and communities. And maybe it’s just about saving an allotment from corporate development. And to me, it would be about standing up to racist idiots in a pub, and getting them removed, and making that pub a place where everyone would be welcome, rather than just shouting abuse at them and flouncing out. Because a lack of effective action, changes nothing. And we’re back to Starmer again…

This means that I cannot tension the blade enough and I bend it in minutes. What am I doing wrong?

Fretsaws have very thin blades, and are for cutting very thin panels. Jewellers use them. I can’t comment on your particular tool, but it’s possible you’re just working it harder than it’s designed for.

Surprised nobody’s mentioned buying a chainsaw yet… ;)

Bear in mind that scroll saws, like hand coping saws, are meant for thin pieces of stock/material, not anything thicker than 1/2-1″ or so (depending on model and material, but most small home DIY type scroll saws are just meant for thin materials, and you don’t want to be tackling anything dense like Oak, Walnut, Ash etc with a scrollsaw). Because you’ve got a very thin, fragile fine toothed blade, that will heat up very quickly, and struggle with anything thicker. With lighter woods like your basic DIY type ‘pine’, you could get away with up to 2″ or so, but I’d not recommend that, personally. For thicker material, then a bandsaw is the correct piece of equipment. Not as accurate/fine cutting, but a lot more versatile and easier to use. Cut off most of the waste, then finish with hand tools, maybe. An electric jigsaw with a thin blade (thinner blades for tighter curves) is good for larger pieces.

Of course, another method is to use a router, although this requires some experience to be able to do safely and accurately. I hate routers; they make a lot of noise and mess, and their best purpose imo is fixed into a table for edge and face routing, where they can be controlled much better. A CNC router is a nice idea, but perhaps a little above most budgets!

And whatever you do, it’s crucial to get PPE’d up; eyes, face and lungs must be protected. Ear plugs;defenders are a very good idea too, especially with things like routers (very high rpm motors, sill amounts of noise). Actually, start with your PPE, then work from there.

Having bought stuff from ‘grey importers’, and having looked into it a bit, I’d now avoid buying from anywhere other than proper registered UK sources. For the chief reason that buying vua such sources, is screwing UK businesses over. Yes; we are being gouged on prices, thanks to Brexit etc, but now more than ever, is the time to support our own economy.

I’ve bought about 10k worth of kit from einfin (and the other one I can’t remember the name of) over the years and they/that would have saved me about £4k

What you mean is; you’ve avoided paying any UK taxes, import duties etc, on the products. And denied a UK business their slice. If you’re ok with that, then fine, but if everyone starts doing that, then we’re all screwed, because our economy kind of needs to survive in order to pay for things like roads, healthcare, education etc…

Isn’t there import duty with items from Hong Kong?

Yes, technically. It just doesn’t get applied most of the time, because of the sheer volume of stuff being imported every day. UK Customs are way too under-resourced to cope.

I’ve never had a modern camera (or any tech thing) fail under warranty so thought it was worth a punt for the huge saving.

I’ve just had a significant sum refunded for something I bought from a UK supplier. Had I bought it via grey channels, I’d have lost all that money. Caveat Emptor. And I think some companies will refuse to repair grey imported equipment, even if you want to pay for it. Not 100% on that, and it might only be selected companies, but it’s something else to consider.

I bought a DeWalt DCD795, with a 1.5AHr battery, for £99 from Wickes a year or so ago. I’ve found it to be excellent so far, and no problems with battery life, although if you’re doing loads of work, then perhaps a higher capacity battery would suit better. The hammer function isn’t bad for a cordless; if you need more power for doing lots of drilling into concrete,masonry etc, then a decent corded drill will be a better bet anyway. But basically, anything from the main manufacturers such as Bosch, DeWalt, Makita etc will be fine. Things like spare batteries will be easier to find from those three. A ‘brushless’ drill will offer higher torque and efficiency for a given power rating.

What chance any deals landing this bank holiday?

I’ve not seen so many good deals on BHs, since CV kicked in, probably because demand for tools for DIY etc is a lot higher at the moment, plus supplies are problematic cos of brexit etc. Best is to Google for reviews, then try to find a good deal on something that you like that gets good ratings really.

I’m stepping away from this, as it’s clear you lack the humility to admit you’ve made a mistake. But try to think on how making accusations against people you know nothing about, might not be such a great idea. Best of luck with that.

I’d say that unless there is actual damage to any of the moving parts, that bike can fairly easily be resurrected. When you say ‘wheezing’, I’m thinking the rear shock may just need a bit of a strip and clean; try just wiping a bit of oil (anything really, 3in1 is fine) on the shaft, give it a few cycles to see if it is less wheezy (could just be dry seals and friction). If the action feels smooth, and it retains pressure, then it might be ok really. It might need a new shock, but if it’s a fairly common size and replacement shouldn’t’ be too expensive, for a basic unit. Bikes really don’t need complex suspension systems. As for the forks, in addition to the above advice; might it be a ‘hydro lock’? I’ve heard of this happening, when fluid gets into places it shouldn’t be, and prevents movement. Don’t ask me any more cos I’m really not an expert! Hope you can fix the bike up for your friend though.

@Kelvin: Don’t keep digging, just apologise. It’s all you have to do.

@Kelvin: Wow. What an incredible lack of self awareness. So you’re not actually going to apologise for accusing me of anti-Semitism, even though you have absolutely no evidence other than an imagined idea in your own head? Forming a judgment about someone with absolutely no knowledge of who that person really is, their background, culture, religion etc? Simply because you have some sort of need to ‘demonise’ anyone who thinks differently to yourself? And you say it’s the ‘left’ that are the problem in Labour?

Wow.

Apologise? For what? Asking you why you use the term “puppeteers” when talking about links between Israel and a UK political leader?

Ah. You see, I didn’t mean Israel specifically, when I used that term. I was referring more to the powerful corporate interests that really rule society. Unfortunately, in seeking an opportunity to attack me, you’ve added numbers and come to the wrong conclusion. You allowed yourself to be influenced by propaganda, and didn’t think it through enough yourself. But you are probably not even aware of this happening. It has served a purpose though; it shows just how easily people can be manipulated into thinking what others want them to.

Now you’re a little more enlightened, you can apologise. And we can all move on. And hopefully, you will reflect on this, and not make the same mistake again. Cos, y’know, false accusations can be very, very offensive. And you don’t want to be offensive, do you?

Back when 26 x 1.95 tyres were normal, you were looking at 400 g to 500 g for an XC tyre. A fat 29″ DH tyre is going to weigh two or three times as much, plus the rims will be heavier, so you’re adding a couple of kilos of rotating mass, along with very draggy tyres that are optimized for grip with no concern for rolling resistance. In that case, the heavy tyre will feel very sluggish to pedal but stable at high speed because the wheels have a strong gyroscopic effect.

This is a really good, concise analysis. Thanks.

It’s an age old trope. Now, feel free to explain why I was wrong to think of that, and that you weren’t making that connection, it would be very welcome.

I don’t actually need to defend myself in any way, to you. Your ignorance and delusion here is just incredible. I’m content to sit and watch you make a fool of yourself, with your ridiculous assertions. It’s your own credibility you’re destroying. It might be an idea if you apologised for your comments though, so we can all move on from this unpleasantness.

I wonder what they think they will get in return for their donations?

They’ve already got it.

If I really must…

Ah. The Margaret Hodge approach. How amusing.

Actually; I sensed that was what you were wanting to get at. I just needed you to admit it. Little tip; don’t get into playing poker. ;)

I could be offended. You’re so wide of the mark, it’s really very funny. You really, really want me to be something you can attack. And now; you see how you’ve been manipulated into imagining something that’s not real. But now you have to ask yourself; why did you come to such a conclusion? What external forces are influencing and dictating the way you think?

Anti-Semitic trope of the day award goes to….

Oh this just gets better and better… :D

Most importantly… because there is a pretty obvious theme to your posts Bridges… who are “his puppeteers“?

I’m intrigued by your assertions that there’s a ‘pretty obvious theme’ to my posts. Care to elucidate a bit on that point?

I gather it’s Rupert Murdoch, as obviously he’s behind everything, like some kind of evil omnipotent supreme being, and a secretive sect of zionists?

Still hungover? It’s Wednesday mate…

Step 1. Get into power
Step 2. Do all the stuff above when it will actually make a difference

The problem with that idea is, that if you play the game as it is now, you will a) only win an election if you have the support of the (mostly right wing controlled) media etc, and b) once you’re there, you will do as you’re told, and nothing else. So, even if Starmer did win, he’d only be able to act within whatever narrow agenda is set for him, as his lack of balls means he’ll never stand up to his puppeteers, so you’ll only get more of the same. He won’t make any difference. So, if you genuinely want something different, you have to change the game. And Starmer isn’t a game changer.

As someone who’s always erred on the side of caution, I have noticed a correlation amongst people I’ve known/know, between ‘fearlessness’ and injury (sometimes quite serious). A couple of people I know who were keen skateboarders as youngsters, and suffered quite serious head injuries, now display symptoms that could well be attributed to brain injury. As a kid, I was always far happier to let someone else hurt themselves, in order to learn. And it’s all the fearless kids who now seem to have those long lasting, sometimes quite debilitating, injuries and conditions. My own injuries have been relatively problematic, but I consider myself pretty lucky. My strategy for being able to continue enjoying life, is to perhaps take it a little more slowly, and not get hurt. The body doesn’t heal so well once you’re middle aged and above. I think RUCKUS is a great idea.

The electorate did what they were told to. That doesn’t mean we don’t need an alternative. You can lead a horse to water…

But seriously; what’s Starmer done so far? Anybody?

I only ever rode off road with SPD pedals, until injuries meant I could no longer do so comfortably, as SPDs don’t allow my knee to be where it feels comfortable. Which is a shame, because I liked SPDs. So I now only use flat pedals. I have to say, I don’t feel any less safe on flats, and I didn’t feel unsafe with SPDs once I got used to them. I do notice that my climbing isn’t as good, but that’s also down to age and injury, but the SPDs did help a bit there.

My incredibly unscientific ‘test’ recently, showed that a 26″ wheeled hardtail from 10 years ago or more, was quickest up most climbs, although a 29″ lightweight carbon framed bike rolled better over roots and bumps, and a 27.5″ full suspension ‘trail’ type bike was an absolute pig. I also know that I was a fair bit quicker say 20, 30 years ago. Thus proving that the bikes back then were better at climbing. :D

There are no “Starmerists” in this thread.

Yes, the ship is sinking. But where’s dry land? Swim!