wwaswas – dangerous, very dangerous….. 😉

Actually, I realised I've been a bit thick (no nodding at the back)

My geared commuter needs exactly the same spec wheel, so if I build another casette wheel and use a conversion kit I can potentially swap the wheels between the two bikes if needed.

Thanks for the thoughts above though…..

That '08 McLaren looks amazingly compact compared to the '10 formula with big tanks/high rear wings etc

because it washes fresh little bits of flint, thorns etc onto the road

Yes….

When its dry the bits ping off or fall off before they get a chance to dig in

…yes…

your tyres are wet so there is less friction resisting stuff poking through it.

…and yes.

When it's dry little bits of rubbish get blown to side of the road/into the hedges/verges by passing traffic – a decent amount of rain and it gets washed back out into a band at the edge of the road….. right where I'm riding – grrrrr 😉

How about a Deuter Bike 1. Ticks all your boxes, except it's 20 ltrs. Used the old style one day-in-day-out commuting for 6 years until the main zip gave up. Have been usign the new one for a coupel of years and it seems similarly robust.

Ooooo – those are pretty – could be tempted to blow the budget and get matching red front and rear 😉

If you wanna play for fun against a computer, I find I can waste hours on this… I'd echo what comedyphil says about the money thing though – puts a whole new slant on your tactics.

http://www.miniclip.com/games/governor-of-poker/en/

Yep, that ticks all the boxes…. except for the 32 hole/black one being out of stock. Might see if I can get one elsewhere… Thanks.

Sounds like either end of your journey are the issues rather than the M5 stretch.

That is true – the exception when they dig the M5 up, or there's a crash. I have a friend who commutes from central Bristol to Malvern everyday. On a nominally 90 min journey, even minor road works can add 30 mins each way – minor collision can add an hour+…. Not the way I'd want to spend my time :-/

I do Coombe Dingle to Barnwood to see the brother-in-law. Usually allow 45 mins at the w/e, but as others have said, might by 1/1.5 hours each way depending on the time of day/state of the M5 going from Clifton. In-laws allow 35 mins to go from there place in West Chelt to Barnwood. HTH.

Have a mate who works at the patent office and the process is lengthy, sometimes frustrating and may not be rewarding…. Have a look here:

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/patent/p-applying.htm

Check for flint/glass embedded in the kevlar strip – you may not be able to see it on the outer surface (worn away) and barely feel it on the inner surface, but it WILL puncture the tube over time. Been caught out by this a couple of times – check to see if the puncture is in the same place each time on the tube.

Schwalbe Marathon+ then for you, m'boy! 😉

A very late entry, but thread-of-the-day material and no mistake!!!! 😆

I can only echo what everyone else has said. As IHN, I had no children to worry about but all the advice is given above is excellent

One other question,at one point did you feel like you could move on?

Took 2 years for me. It wasn't a case of waking up one morning and suddenly thinking life is great, but an upward trajectory – from a very low point – to being OK/happy/confident/content.

Any good? I'll let you know if they resolve my compensation claim for busting a box open and loosing some of the contents…. 😡

The in-laws live there, so go quite a lot. The nice bits are very nice and there always seems to be a lot going on. Recommended…. but pricey….

<cough>

in the pre-event press conference when asked if he [Rossi] was 'crazy' for returning so soon, he laughed and said five-month recoveries were for footballers not MotoGP riders.

</cough>

😆

Does that mean any revenue goes to the uni rather than the inventor

If you play by the rules, yes – if you want to take a good idea further the idea is you form a spin-out micro company so the Uni isn't liable when it goes tits-up, but then you get to grow it as big or as small as you like.

Now, now Clubber…. 😉

so thoughful of Brunel University to take out a patent in their name.

I am fairly sure that is standard practise for undergrad and postgrad students

Does it not just expand one at a time when not in contact with the chain?

Could be – that would be the 'easiest' way of doing it.

I can't see him being right on the pace…. and if he comes off….. ouchy 🙁

won't you still need a wotsit to pickup the slackness you get when the chainring is small?

Yeah, a rear mech 😉

The mechanism must be a bit cleverer than it looks – I can't immediately see how you can 'change gear' with chain on. If to try and move all four quadrants out at once, surely it would try and stretch the chain between adjoining segments?

Lets not do this one again people – it's Friday afternoon FFS, nearly home time. Think of the children!!!!! 😆

If each segment moved out by a DIFFERENT amount, so it looked like those hideous 'power-optimised' ovalish road road rings that Wiggo et al are so fond of I can see people falling over themselves to buy it on the back of some "85% of 72 MTBers agree it gave me more power" made up statistic 😉

Looks like the four segments of chainring move out to three set radii so the effective chainring size still meshes with the pitch of the chain. Not sure I believe all the claims about extended chain life etc 😯

OK, but if my eyes melt from the horror the BUPA invoice is coming straight to you…. pass the mind bleach and the sick bucket….. 😆

I think I've seen a guy on my commute do this with the newer/est Shimano levers where both sets of cables are under the bar tape. He's a bit quick mind, and is always going the other way to me so it's hard to get a good look*

* – plus they look freaky/wrong/the-work-of-the-devil to my eyes and I try not to look if I can help it 😉

I'm sure for, most people, spending time in a wheelchair isn't a privelige that they want to earn, or aspire to… so that's not really comparing apples-with-apples is it.

CFRP is OK for strength in tension, but not so good in compression (think rope) Its the plastic that takes the load in compression and the fibres that take the load in tension.

You've just summarised 4 years of my life in one sentence….. 😆

The problem is not the mode of transport but the inconsiderate/thoughtlessness mindset of the user regardless of the mode of transport being used.

In part, yes, but the number of times someones pulled out of a junction on me because they have no idea how to judge my speed on a bike is mind boggling – and also…

Not necessarily to learn bike handling, but as a pre-requisite to understanding other road users vulnerability.

–

push bikes may be of massive importance in your life but not in everyones.

They should be equally important as everyone else on the road at the time – my perspective is irrelevant in that respect.

EDIT:

You could introduce some kind of PC based simulator which put you in the position of a cyclist and/or motorbike rider and ran through typical danger-area scenarios

But that's like playing poker without money – if there's no risk or consequence, it's just a game

I've often thought that you have to do, say, 6 months on a bike, then 6 months on a 50cc, then 6 months on a 125cc then either go for a big m/bike or car license and then HGV. If you lose your license in one class you got back "down a class" for a year before re-applying. Also might reinforce the idea that driving is a privelige earned, not a right.

Of course, completely unworkable, but might give everyone on the road some empathy with everyone else.

call him today and tell him your leaving. Say you're leaving the official letter on his desk but would like today to be treated as the first day of your notice period.

Think that's what I'd do in that position – and obviously date the letter for today – and argue the point later on. Better to ask for forgiveness later than permission first…..

Tabs are there to make getting the pads in and out easier and, to a degree, guiding the rotor into the caliper (IIRC the tabs weren't there orig BB7 pads), so a bit of bending should be fine if you're talking a few mm. Would a few wafts with a file be enough?

EDIT: Too slow!!

This is not filling me with hope that this will be sorted in a reasonable timescale/at all people 🙁

EDIT: Makes mental note to keep copies of everything sent and post the form recorded-delivery…..

so I sent in the packaging, via recorded delivery. They lost that.

Genius! 😉

OK thanks – I think I'll do that and put a covering letter in with the pics explaining the situation.

<Daily Mail> 8 F'ING WEEKS!!!!!! </Daily Mail> 😉

Fair enough.

For a £50 claim, how much did Parcel Force investigate? They say that they may want to investigate the packaging (which is at the buyers place), but that seems a lot of hassle for them, me and the buyer (who has been very good about it)….. esp if we can provide photos.

Can help if you include photos of damage and obtain valuations of the damaged item

Seen the form – gonna try and get photos. I don't believe you can still get the bits that are missing (but am trying to find out), and it's a second hand item (total value – £50, although the value of the missing bits would be a few quid if you could get them), hence I am inclined to claim for the full £50 as I can't 'make good' with replacement bits….