Wow, Frodsham in the news 🙂

Who knows?
BoE and Federal Reserve seem very very cautious about increasing rates… which is not a good sign for the underlying strength of the economy. I’m wondering what they know that we don’t…
Worth looking at comparing current rates with the rates from 6 months or a year ago, I believe some of the banks are putting rates up now, ahead of any move by BoE so speed could be of the essence in any case

I was ‘managed out’ with a bit more theatre/pretence at doing it by the book five years ago.
I was furious and in shock. My boss was incompetent, the company was in financial trouble and the demands of the job were damaging my health. There were significant aspects of the job which had been hidden from me during recruitment.
Luckily I have a friend who works in HR and I used him as an adviser – he knew I wanted to stand and fight and he just said: ‘leave’. Play it straight, hold your head high, stay calm and just leave and get another job. Which I did.

You’ve clearly been screwed over at some level here as his reasoning lacks any depth… maybe they’ve just realised they’re close to going bust?

The big question is, why would you want to stay working with that boss, in that team and that company? The answer is probably that you don’t, so on that basis you’ve just been gifted the opportunity to go and work for someone decent…

Always worth having a think about what you could have done differently. For my part I took away two learnings
1. Be smarter about company politics – and keep an eye out for insecure bosses – play the game rather than focussing on doing your job
2. My gut feel in interview told me the boss was not to be trusted- I should have trusted my own instinct and either not taken the job, or walked before my 3 month’s probation was up

+1 on the anywhere which is nice to live and with a workable commute will be priced accordingly. This is why people talk about a housing crisis, esp London and SE – there’s pretty much no option for a decent work/life balance and reasonable accomodation/area which is affordable on median salaries (unless you bought years ago and have a load of equity in your property) – one of these aspect has to be massively compromised on.

The only way moving out may work for you is whether you can work from home 2-3 days a week regularly – it’ll reduce the stress, give you more time and reduce the cost of commuting.

People have been working in central London and commuting from Sussex/Brighton for years now so it is workable… but looking at Brighton house prices recently it wasn’t an awful lot cheaper than SE London…

Local climbing club – as above, check UKC and people at Calshot

You want to learn from experienced, safe climbers rather than friends anyway…

I used to climb with friends at Uni, and they knew far less than they thought they did about best practice…

Convert you no got work to be getting on with bloody smartarse

Ok I get your point opticians here I come

this is the internet, you’re not allowed to climb down, you have to carry on arguing 😀

Aren’t 1 and 2 good things – certainly 2. Even I can mend sme things now!

For those with the well-paid jobs, yes (e.g. you and me I assume) – it’s cheaper.

For those for whom LBS is/was their job and way of life/way to save for retirement, no…

And for the country, no. Hollowing out the economy like this into a very few super-rich asset/landowners, few well-paid knowledge workers and loads (most of the country) of mid and low-skilled workers getting paid so little they can’t survive without government support, let alone thrive…

It’ll be messy when people realise how little the future holds for them, no matter how hard they work…

Prob with stuff like this, as per the video of the fat bloke falling over – is someone who has as little care for other people’s safety to drive like that in the first place is unlikely to have the character/maturity to say sorry or even acknowledge it. Otherwise they’d never have done it in the first place.
Walking today past a queue of about 8 cars stopped at a red light – 3 drivers messing with their phones. I thought of tapping on their windows and telling them to get off them but what’s the point? They knew it’s illegal when they got in their cars with their phones switched on. I’d have just got angry and they’d have just told me to sod off…
Until we have proper enforcement, it’s not going to stop. Personally I’m putting my hopes on self-driving cars, I don’t think anything else will solve the problem…

I find that reading the comments online helps you find out which articles are talking pish… or are at least one-sided/ideological

LBSs are getting screwed from all angles:
1. Online shops
2. Online allowing the likes of us to self-repair using Park videos or other resources
3. Expectation from customers of everything as cheap as possible – partly from expectation of other retail and partly because wages are stagnant and consumers carrying too much debt or having massive % of income taken up in housing costs
4. Price of real estate – for e.g. Brixton Cycles are being forced out of their premises to be replaced with luxury flats + Look Mum No Hands in Mare Street apparently facing a 400% rent hike and having to move!

From an employee front, middle-range jobs like this, in the face of globalisation and automation, are disappearing in the UK – as per above, the employers can’t pay enough for people to live without making a loss as they can’t get prices high enough
Cost of housing another massive factor here in terms of driving up the pay people need to survive

As an aside – online shops combined with using websites to do our own mechanics is effectively automation of the services the LBS used to provide so we, the customer, as as much a cause of the problem as many other factors.

I think people are just beginning to realise now that the opportunities to live in the UK and feel financially secure are fast disappearing/becoming concentrated in a minority. If you’re in a high-skilled knowledge job you’ll probably be ok but a mid or low-skilled job and you’re screwed. The job is either automated, gone abroad, taken by an immigrant or pays so low you can’t afford to take it.
2008 was not an event, it was the end of UK being a wealthy country with a reasonable standard of living for all… (which was already happening, we just hadn’t spotted it yet)

Genesis Flyer looks nice for the ££
Condor Tempo or Pista are very nice to ride but more like £1200 to get a full build (better quality kit all round tho)

I bet you ran every red light, hit all the small children and abused all the pedestrians who got in your way… 😀

2.25 Nobby Nic on mine – for Surrey Hills. Been ok so far

Now I’ve got it up and running, Santander is ok. Was a bit of a pain to open re paperwork though.
This may be from Know Your Customer and money laundering regulation

Well worth the investment IMO. As mentioned above, it’s not without its biases but they’re transparent and acknowledged. It can be a real shock to look at Guardian, Telegraph etc afterwards and see just how biased they are…

It’s also concise, you learn in more depth about a wider set of topics with 3 hours of reading TE than you can reading anything else.

I have the full sub – I tend to read the paper copy most but if you download the app, you can read it on the move as well, which is good.

Also well worth reading the comments on the online version, you can learn almost the same again as you did from reading the main article, with some useful alternative viewpoints.

Reading TE at the moment suggests UK consumer confidence, which is currently growing, is misplaced…

This ad says it all 🙂

As a 1995 graduate I was the first generation to be offered loans – grants were frozen and then topped up by increasing loan amounts. At the time that seemed fair, after all I gain the most from having a degree so why shouldn’t I pay the cost.
I hate debt so I worked in the summer holidays and the student bar in term time and only had £1,600 by the time I graduated. Took me until 2003 till I paid it off!

Looking at how long it took me to pay off that tiny amount and the situation we have now, it looks unsustainable – both for the lender and the student

Students are struggling to get decently-paid jobs with prospects so the chances of them paying off their debts looks increasingly likely. The 2008 crash began with a load of people being leant money they never had a chance of paying off and eventually it became clear all those ‘assets’ were bad debts – I wouldn’t be surprised if the loans scheme goes bankrupt at some point

From the graduate’s point of view – coming out with that much debt, without the well-paid job to pay it off, the need to save up massive amounts for a house, pay a massive mortgage, and also think about a pension…. well, what’s the point?

We’ve utterly screwed up the opportunities for the younger generation… if I had kids I’m really not sure how I’d advise them re whether to go to uni or not, it could well trap them in a life of debt

“The time has come for motorists to fight back and film cyclists breaking the law or riding irresponsibly,” he told Motoring.co.uk, adding: “How often do we see cyclists at night without any lights, jumping red lights, cycling the wrong way down one way streets, undertaking, cycling on the pavement or simply cycling down the middle of the road etc? Plenty!

As always, the ‘anti’ lobby have to use ignorance and made-up facts to justify their position:
1. Cycling the wrong way down one-way streets – may be (not always) a contra-flow cycle lane – quite a few of these in central London at least
2. Undertaking – as in, riding in the cycle lane provided by the council
3. Cycling in the middle of the road – as per Bikeability

Pretty worrying that he’s trying to mobilise support based on this kind of ignorance – he’s so wound up in the hatred that he’s clearly not thought it through

‘and for God’s sake don’t get into Buy To Let unless you want to lose the lot…’

explain please

It means putting all your investment into a single asset class (very, very bad investment practice) one which in the UK and globally has a repeat pattern of boom and bust. UK market is currently hugely distorted beyond all historical measures of value (esp wages) by massive foreign inflows, excessive speculation by inexperienced investors and emergency low interest rates leading to excessive lending.
All these factors will change at some point over the term of your investment. That UK government are after every source of tax they can get to pay off our monstrous debt is only one factor to consider…

Fashionable ‘get rich quick’ schemes never work long term – this quick history is well worth a read:

The anatomy of market crashes[/url]

A balanced portfolio of numerous asset classes which you can invest in with low fees is boring as hell but much less exposed to risk and changes in government policy
e.g. a combination of cash, gilts, bonds, equities (low-cost index tracker generally produce a better return than managed funds). Wrap the lot in a pension and you get the tax benefits too.

to those having a pop at the cyclist note this:

The 51-year-old motorist from Henley-on-Thames was cautioned by Thames Valley Police after he admitted committing a public order offence, assault, and making threats to commit criminal damage.

Driver admitted charges and was cautioned

He admitted the offence and the Police gave him a caution.

You would assume this came about after the Police saw the full video, the driver admitted he was at fault, the Police agreed, and the cyclist received no admonition whatsover – not for his road position, not for his approach to the driver, nor for riding on the pavement…

No-one involved, nor the Police have found the cyclist to be at fault…

When I spoke to a Bikeability instructor about repeat bad driving on certain roads on my commute he said “find another route”

Seems obvious really! If this guy drives like this repeatedly and you think it might be deliberate then being spoken to by the Police is, IMO unlikely to produce a “really sorry, I’ll stop doing it”. Irrespective of whether the driver may or may not know it’s you, they’re clearly unfit to be driving, so why not just remove yourself from the scene and remove the risk from your ride?

Maybe these would help:

Wearable coach talks to the user during their workout[/url]

… if it can detect repeated movement of hand to mouth over a period of time maybe it can point out to you that you’re overeating?

I know that’s tongue in cheek but some kind of device which can intervene at the appropriate moment is going to help surely. As pointed out above, telling people they’re fat tends to cause offence so maybe getting some kind of wearable tech to do it might provide a solution

Being unhealthy remains a disincentive in itself.

For me and you it is… but clearly not enough for the masses…

NHS figures:

Obesity levels in the UK have more than trebled in the last 30 years and, on current estimates, more than half the population could be obese by 2050.
Europe’s obesity league:
UK: 24.9%
Ireland: 24.5%
Spain: 24.1%
Portugal: 21.6%
Germany: 21.3%
Belgium: 19.1%
Austria: 18.3%
Italy: 17.2%
Sweden: 16.6%
France: 15.6%

Part of the issue I think is our tendency to focus on the short term. We don’t want to withhold pleasure now in return for long term gain. By the time the damage is done to the individual it’s pretty much too late to undo it. Only a minority are disciplined enough and aware enough of their own psychology to override this. I include myself in the group that struggles to avoid sweet things even though I know it does me no good… luckily I enjoy hard exercise!

Some people just aren’t programed to live well in a environment of over-abundance.

I think people in general. Most of the time humans have been around have been times of scarcity of nutrition, that’s why we used to have to hunt the animals – they didn’t walk calmly to the door of the cave and jump onto the fire…

Now we have over-abundance of calories, it’s the usual story of survival of the fittest/harm to the least fit.

‘Fittest’ = those who recognise we live in an age of overabundance and face daily barriers to living healthily, and adapt their behaviour accordingly e.g. don’t buy the coke and burgers, ride to work instead of drive, go for a walk at lunchtime instead of sitting at the desk etc.

The main downside to this being in a country with a taxpayer-funded health service means the financial cost of reduced productivity and medical care is shared across the whole population, rather than being proportionally borne by the least fit, which then leaves no disincentive to change unhealthy behaviour… it’s going to get worse before it gets better IMO

Cycling has, at least, admitted its problem and has taken/is taking steps to deal with it. The other sports are hoping not to get caught but they will. It seems harder and harder to keep dirty secrets these days…

Malt loaf and flapjacks (flapjacks preferably homemade with extra fruit and nuts for energy)

Did she say sorry for giving you grief once it turned out you’d done nothing wrong?
Personally I’d do that if I were in her shoes and if I were in your shoes, I’d expect it.
Then again, maybe that’s why I’m single, from what I gather it’s not a realistic expectation 😯

South East London is all live rail – the big one he nearly dropped onto carries a fair few volts. I imagine he would’ve fried on the spot.

How did she sleep? I’m surprised she didn’t collapse from exhaustion
Back in my Red Bull drinking days, on a night out I might have the equivalent of 4 cans and I wouldn’t sleep…and would spend the whole of the next day feeling rotten

Truly scary that someone can do this to themselves without realising they’re destroying their body, but then again people smoke, drink and eat too much all the time, it’s normalised behaviour for a lot of people… very sad when you think about it

Maybe in this case the sleep deprivation screwed with her mind so much that she didn’t realise what she was doing.

Don’t ask for financial advice on STW, ask a financial adviser!
We have a pensions, debt and housing crisis in the UK which is going to leave quite a few people in really serious trouble when they retire because they
a) bought more shiny stuff than they had enough salary to buy
b) paid more for their house than was sensible
c) decided a and b were more important than not starving when retired and spent all their cash when young and have put nothing aside for retirement…

Humans are like this, they tend to try and avoid short term loss even if it means long term gain.

Get some financial advice and get paying into a pension, it’s way more important than shiny things today. You get 20% of your contribution added in as tax relief straight off, let alone any long term investment gain. A mix of asset classes is normally sensible and for God’s sake don’t get into Buy To Let unless you want to lose the lot…

I will look into the Bikeability course on your recommendation. I am always open to learning.

Cyclecraft

Well worth a read too. Gives you more time to reflect on what you get taught in the few hours of a Bikeability session

So if you are in single lane, with passing places, road and queue of cars and vans is building up behind you, you would just ‘take primary’ and let them all sit there?

You sir are a cyclist of the type that I am referring to not associate myself with. Surely, we all need to rub along regardless of what mode of transport we choose. To behave like a deliberately obstructive dick because your ‘bikeability’ course says you can is similar in ignorance to other road users arguments about they have right of way because tax.

You’ve made a massive judgement about me there based on the fact I pointed out that Bikeability doesn’t teach you to pull in every time there’s traffic behind you, which is true… thanks for the judgementalism and calling me a dick… that helps solve the problem doesn’t it?

You’ve used an extreme example to make your point to nicely set yourself up for the win, which is no way reflects the basic factual point I made…

If we can’t use Bikeability as a benchmark for being a skilled rider, what else do you suggest we use as a guide? Our own opinions based on our own values and desire to please others? You think your ideas about cycling well are better informed than trained cycle coaches, employed by the Government? It’s random cycling styles that lead to a lot of confusion amongst drivers. If we all rode to Bikeability standards, riding styles would be far more consistent and predictable for drivers.

FWIW my riding style is based on the specific circumstances. When I decide it’s safer for me to ride primary, I ride primary. When I think it’s safer or helpful to pull in, I’ll pull in. Or, because I’m not a simpleton I can put the two together – ride primary to prevent a dangerous overtake, and when it’s safe for traffic to pass (according to my judgement) I’ll wave a thank you and move over. Most of the time, I get a thank you back. I’m safe, the driver’s safe, oncoming traffic is safe and there’s been a nice bit of human interaction… wins all round.

btw, thanks Amedias.

if a van or car is up behind me, I pull in and wave them through

Is also not what you get taught in a Bikeability course…

+1 for the problem here being your own attitude…

‘cyclist Vigilantes’ riding around with their helmet cams thinking they’re gods gift to traffic policing and the depressing & embarrassing videos that are the outcome, the ‘Cyclists don’t pay road tax’ arguments, the ‘got to get where I’m going as fast a possible and to hell with anyone in my way’ MAMILs

Unfortunately this is the same kind of sweeping, prejudiced generalisation that those who hate cycling and cyclists come from…

If you want to be happy riding a bike, maybe examine your own beliefs and perspective first?

If you want to beat prejudice and hatred, begin with yourself…

If you want cycling to become a mass participation activity in the UK then the first thing to do is ride your bike as much as you can. The second is to espouse the benefits as much as you can, be an evangelist and a positive role model. The third is to give financial support to all those who are fighting on behalf of cycling – British Cycling, CTC, LCC etc

Cycling is going through massive growth at the moment, that’s why some people have a problem with it – they’re scared of change and want things to stay as they are. They’re stupid, nothing ever stays the same for ever… and in any case, self-driving cars are well on the way and they’ll remove the conflict at a stroke.

The more anti those people get, the more determined I am to stand up for cycling and to be called a cyclist. I can understand your negativity but you need to beat it, otherwise the bullies win.

More good news

Audi, BMW, Daimler buy mapping technology for self-driving cars

European car sales have slowed right up, so investment in self-driving cars (which could replace 100% of the installed base of human-driven cars in time) is a good way to future growth and profits

+1 for the Bikeability

a) for the skills and awareness it will teach your daughter
b) it stops the debate being ‘your opinion’ vs your wife’s

Also, ask the Bikeability people if they’ll have a chat with your wife to reassure her?

Damn Southerners

I view it like racism, people need to be told stuff like this isnt right, otherwise they carry on thinking everyone agrees with them.

Yep. You don’t beat blind prejudice/hatred by ignoring it and hoping it will go away. None of the big 20th century battles against prejudice (Feminism, Civil Rights, Gay Rights) were won by those minorities sitting quietly in the corner, they came out fighting.

I’m not saying the extent of the prejudice against cyclists is as bad or as negative an impact on the group involved, but it’s the same kind of thinking that underpins the prejudice…

I think the tone of the discussion in the media is beginning to change now though, the antis are facing more resistance. I think most people who are neither cyclists or haters see videos like this one, and the Roehampton one and are pretty shocked to see the level of hatred being meted out towards cyclists and slowly are starting to change public opinion in favour of coming down hard on dangerous and aggressive drivers

FWIW Rene59, if someone’s posting anti-cyclist stuff on social media, they’re already lost to anger, I can’t see that being reported and getting a warning from their boss is going to make them any worse…

Self-driving cars

A really interesting article summarising a lot of the work that is being done towards making this a reality, and also all the (many, many) arguments for doing it…

The safety benefits alone are massively compelling

Today 94% of car accidents are due to human error, according to America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the three leading causes are alcohol, speeding or distraction. Accidents kill around 1.2m people a year, reports the World Health Organisation, equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day.

Google’s driverless vehicles have driven 1.8m miles (2.9m kilometres) in the past six years, and have been involved in 12 minor accidents, none of which caused injury and none of which was the car’s fault.

A study by the Eno Centre for Transportation, a non-profit group, estimates that if 90% of cars on American roads were autonomous, the number of accidents would fall from 5.5m a year to 1.3m, and road deaths from 32,400 to 11,300.

And that’s not adding in the lives saved from reducing obesity from more people cycling as it will be safer

go and see a physio for a proper assessment of the problem, it may not be what you think, or the solution you decide on may do more damage in the long term…

I have Hope on my winter bike and they’ve gone a full winter without being looked at maintenance-wise.
My commuter is a couple of years old, been used through two winters and the hubs on that are still running free without being looked at – they’re Condor Uno.
I bought some used wheels from a clubmate which had Campag Record hubs and they were knackered (pitted races) from water ingress after one winter…