My Uncle lives in Vancouver. He’s been there 40+ years and enjoys it. I gather the weather there can be pretty shoddy – it comes straight off the Pacific.
The Economist reckons they’re about to have a massive housing bust tho, which may or may not lead to less favourable economic times. I would def do some research around the state of the economy on that basis…

I like the idea of following the summer round the world. So May-Sept in UK, then off somewhere sunny – Oz/California? for Oct-Apr…

Very hard to diagnose running injuries IMO, without specialist attention.
My recommendation:
Try and do your runs offroad
Rest up for a week and try again
If you’re not stretching for 5-10 mins after every run and doing core strength/flexibility exercises then you’re going to put yourself out of shape sooner or later. Get a coach or physio to give you a set
I have Superfeet insoles in all my cycling and running shoes. Blue ones for running are thinner than the green hiking boot ones. Replace the standard insoles with these – they provide a lot more support to your feet, and will last you for years, well beyond the life of the shoes
HTH

I’d be interested in this. O2 have sold me to Sky (without my permission, such is the case with these things!).

I don’t want Sky to have any of my hard-earned, so keen to get out, and Tesco deal would be close to 60% off…

i dont think total restriction to an office is a healthy environ for forty hours a week

I’d not really thought about that before but I think it’s spot on. Like when you were kid in the school holidays and it was raining all day – stuck inside, you’d get grumpy and argumentative and misbehave. But on the long days out you’d come home feeling satisfied and too physically knackered to put out…

Depends…
How much is it stopping you doing your job? And how much to you like working there?

I had a boss who gave me admin work on budgets usually done by the most junior in the team when I was in a Senior Manager role. Looking at the politics I realised kicking up a fuss would lead to my departure so I just got on with it, made it clear to everyone else that I was unhappy, and moved roles as soon as I could… I’m contracting and the money’s good and I knew it would only be temporary which made it easier.

I had a boss once who was very possibly a psychopath and was utterly hell to work with, constant lies, manipulation and games, with management too scared to deal with it. I just walked…

IMO an organisation that’s full of game-playing is unhealthy and probably in decline, hence the games, and you’re best off out…

Not done a proper comparison but been quite happy with the breathability of both. I run pretty warm too.
There’s a few features like the cuffs and fit around the neck which give the Endura the edge IMO

I have a Montane Velo and Pakajak and prefer the latter. Better fit and slightly thicker fabric. Can take a tumble onto tarmac and hold it’s own too!

More free time/sleep and more ££ and leaving a company that’s not supporting you?

Now explain again why you don’t want to move job? 18 months is not a long time to make back up IME

STW 🙂

Long road ride today round Kent and Sussex with the club (12 riders). Lots of country lanes. Lots of drivers hanging back and giving us lots of space, which was refreshing.
But the one thing that happened repeatedly was people going for an overtake without checking the road was clear, without judging our speed and the distance they needed… and forcing oncoming traffic into slowing up or stopping, to avoid a head on collision.
The mind boggles… we badly need a change of attitude to driving. Maybe people just feel invulnerable in cars?

I mix 1/2 pint semi-skimmed with 2 rounded dessertspoons of Cadbury Chocolate Powder. Seems to do the trick.

Not sure how you’d do a scientific trial to prove which is best but I’m always wary of a product which is massively more expensive than a close equivalent you can make yourself…

How on earth does it sound like that? Is driving at the speed limit now considered a wind-up? Crikey!

Feels like that in London. Do 30 and you’ll get tailgated everywhere.

Road rage isn’t rational. He was angry when he got out of bed and you just happened to be in front of him.
I’ve taken to pulling over when getting tailgated these days and letting them get in front… then I’m no longer the target of their issues… it seems to work ok

You can safely predict much gnashing of teeth and anti-cyclist propaganda from the motoring lobby, tabloids and various other haters of cycling that ‘taxpayers money is being wasted etc etc…’

If he wasn’t told beforehand it was wrong I’d make a complaint that he got hauled over the coals for it.
Some people have a very low appetite for risk but don’t realise they’re the odd one out and then try and impose it on everyone else.
IMO kids need to learn to assess risk for themselves so they can keep out of danger in later life.
So for someone with a low risk appetite to try and force their values on your kid is, in the long run, putting him in more danger and therefore worthy of a complaint…

To all those making sweeping generalisations about Londoners & roadies, sort yourselves out, it just comes across as mindless prejudice

I’m astounded anyone can read the BMC piece and still push ahead with Three Peaks… I can’t see how their point can be more clearly made…

I’m impressed that anyone had the energy to fight at that altitude!

I doubt we’ll ever know the truth of what happened here. We’ll hear different accounts but the truth will be somewhere in the middle no doubt – possibly just a misunderstanding…

My experience of Sherpas was they were the most generous spirited people I’ve met (and yes I am aware I was providing them with an income…)

If you’re happy to trash your best bike in rain, grit and salt and soak your clubmates, then have just the one bike…
Riding in a group in the wet without full length guards is dangerous for the rider behind…

Personally I like the fact I have a cheaper bike that I don’t worry about getting filthy from October to March

I do a lot of both MTB and road.
road biking might give you cycling strength but doesn’t make you a fast MTBer. MTB requires technical skill not needed on a road bike.
If you want to be a faster MTBer then ride your MTB more often and faster! The fitness and the skills will then come…

If your knee is that knackered I wouldn’t put it through an ultramarathon. I’m not a medic of any kind but you may want to consider if putting it through a 69 miler in only 8 weeks time when you can’t manage a 3 mile run now, might lead to a permanent injury or lifetime of weakness…

I’d cancel and spend the time getting the knee 100% and go for it again in the future – the risk here could be daily mobility and all the events you want to do in the future…

I’d recommend lots of flexibility and core work too – really helps overall conditioning. A weak core/poor flexibility can lead to issues all over the place…

the point of the BMC piece isn’t to read it and say it’s thought provoking! the point is to cancel any planned attempt you may have, and refuse to sponsor anyone who does – as the article says, basically they’d quite like to ban it completely…

the harm it does is very real. I’d say: just don’t do it. And, like Peter, refuse to sponsor anyone who does

The ban was put in place for a reason. Ok, so you weren’t breaking it as it doesn’t start will next week, but this time of year, Snowdon is going to be rammed, especially as it was under full winter conditions over Easter.
Popular tourist walking routes and barrelling down on a bike don’t mix… when I’m walking I;m usually enjoying the peace and quiet and being able to bimble a bit – fast bikers kind of spoil that IME.

Shame if you had a crappy time, but I think your timing wasn’t the best.

IMO he was the one who failed to observe the highway code, and is clearly more of a dick by following and swearing at you (why would he rather do that than get his shopping??)
But from his initial move driving straight into road when you were coming towards him, tells you his driving skills are poor. In those instances, best practise is sod your rights, just stay well away…
If I do overtake drivers who I think are likely to make daft move, I give them lots and lots of space…
Sorry to hear your ride was spoilt by yet another narrow-minded angry idiot!

I ride regularly in London and I only ever filter on the left if the traffic is totally stationary and no chance of anything moving – which is rarely.
As per SimonDBarnes ^^ I think overtaking on the right is safer. As a driver I know I look in my right hand mirror far more than I look in the left – I think drivers have a better chance of seeing me if I’m on their right

The whole point of capitalism and marketing is they’re supposed to mean that companies survive by meeting the needs of their customers…
So it’ll be a pretty poor show if those of us who’re perfectly happy with 26 inch wheels have to buy whole new bikes on the whim of the manufacturers…

What concerns me about this kind of behaviour is a) it seems to be on the increase and b) whether I’m a driver or cyclist it seems to be getting harder to avoid it and keep out of trouble.

For e.g. I had a guy drive straight onto the A23 in Croydon from a side road and nearly hit me. He drove straight into flowing traffic on a main road. I swerved round the front of him, to avoid the emergency stop he was trying to force me into.
He didn’t like this, proceeded to tail me for the next few hundred metres and when I signalled left to turn into Ikea, undertook and accelerated past me – I very nearly hit him. Luckily I was looking and stayed on the main road and turned round later on.

Essentially he wanted to bully his way on the main road and I didn’t let him. Because I swerved and kept my line, he had to stop.

So my choice was: do what I did and risk getting run off the road or pull an emergency stop and risk getting rear ended… either way I’m just trying to drive sensibly and legally and risk ending in an accident… not great…

The Chertsey/Egham/Staines/Heathrow stretch of the M25 is the busiest bit of motorway in the UK IIRC.
There’s good reasons why so many people in London take the Tube or ride!

A ‘Northern’ cycling shirt anyone?

Only one person broke the law there…

That’s the problem with cars/vans, you’re effectively “bumping” into people all the time, but it’s like wandering around a pub with your eyes closed and hoping you don’t knock into the local maniac.

Exactly. You don’t know whether you’re dealing with a bit of an idiot, a thug or a psycho… and there are different degrees of harm are likely to come to you depending on which of these you’re dealing with…

I had a driver try to run me off the road a few weeks ago (when I was driving) but I didn’t chase him down and try and start a fight.

I changed from V8 to Shimano DX – way grippier

A lot of the alleged crimes do seem to be from years and years ago. It does strike me that maybe what many people felt was acceptable then, is no longer felt to be acceptable – so society’s changing values is something to bear in mind.
+ if they were drunk/on drugs and underage groupies were throwing themselves at them, I’m not sure this is the same as proactively and deliberately targeting vulnerable children.

The story in Crossfire Hurricane about rivers of girls’ urine streaming down the aisles shows you how more restrained things are now…

181cm tall here (5’11) with 33 inside leg and medium soul with 70mm stem.
Spot on for me.
A couple of setup options Cy recommended to me:
1. Stem right down to the top of the headtube for quicker steering
2. Layback seatpost

I would play around with setup before you worry too much…

If she stuck her nose into a conversation you were having with someone else, then she can’t really complain, can she?

I cancelled with Virgin recently.
I rang them and said I’d like to cancel, what do I do? They said email us and we’ll cancel, sorry to see you go.
I emailed them, said I wanted to cancel and I’ll be stopping my DD
They confirmed the end date and I’ve cancelled my DD.
Simple.

Tbh OP I think you’ve made a massive assumption here that cancelling your DD would be understood by them that you wanted to end your contract…

That’s gone quick! The whole place was plastered at Easter

Getting a bike you love riding and want to ride everyday and for hours at a time will get you fittest.
Heavy bikes are unpleasant to ride IMO

Not sure a Nurofen would be too useful if he got it wrong!

Dunno about spiritual but meditative, certainly.
I’m halfway through a book on meditation and it’s all about driving all thoughts from your mind and living 100% in the moment.
Sweet flowing singletrack demanding all your attention is certainly a medidative experience for me.
Road riding I find less so, although fighting up a hard climb comes close.
I do love the ‘glow’ I feel after a good bike ride…