Another vote here for Microsoft Security Essentials. I’ve found thats dealt with things that AVG and Kasperky have missed and my laptops seem to run better with it.

Russell96 – very astute, we’re in Canada.

Seems to be even older than I realised. Thanks for the info.

Vancouver housing prices have experienced a huge bubble over the last few, don’t even think of buying at the moment. Fortunately rental prices have stayed more in line with what you might expect for an attractive city. $1000/month will get you a 1-bed apartment outside of the nicest areas. Craigslist is the primary website for rentals and anything else:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/apa/%5B/url%5D

Public transport is good if you live or work near the city centre. But it’s a PITA if you’re not near the SkyTrain. Cars are still the most convenient form of transport, particular if you want to get out and explore outside the city e.g. Squamish, Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Okanagan and beyond.

http://www.translink.ca/%5B/url%5D

As “rs” says, bringing over your insurance history is the only way to get discounts and you have to jump through a few hoops to do it – for instance, you must get your UK insurer to complete a letter/form according to the ICBC requirements. (I think there was even a 6month time limit to complete this after landing?) Check the ICBC website. I think maximum discount is 5% per year up to 40% discount.

Car insurance premiums are mostly comprised of liability, so it costs us almost the same to insure our 10yr old Subaru Legacy as it does our nearly new SUV($140/month each). Thats with a 30% discount for 6yrs clean record.

Bike parts/accessories seem to be expensive, lots of locals order from the US or ChainReaction. But there seems to be a better deal on full bikes, new or used. Check Craigslist or Pinkbike for used bikes (buyer beware).

Don’t forget to add sales tax to any price you see advertised. 12% at the moment.

Looks like Grip-shift is the most practical option, I’ll just have to get used to it. Don’t want to spend too much on it, so a single shifter is much cheaper than getting a Shimano dual-lever & rear mech combined.

I guess you won;’t be doign anythign too technical with a knackered hand anyway?

I live in Vancouver – there are a few technical challenges. 😆 I did a short (10min) downhill on Sunday, my hand was sore by the bottom but didn’t interfere with the riding. The big issue was riding the undulating trails to get to the DH – if I lost momentum at any point, I couldn’t shift down with my thumb to keep it going. Had to hop off, change gear, get going again.

Thanks for the links, worth a try.

Sounds like I might have to try grip shift for a while. :o(

Do SRAM make grip shift for X7 9speed derailleurs, I think I’ve only seen it recently for 10speed?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamekeeper’s_thumb

I took my first ever ski lesson 2 months ago and left with classic Skiers Thumb. Some might see that as a success, but to me it was just chuffing painful & annoying! After spending the night using ice & ibuprofen, I went along to A&E to get it checked out. Got xrayed to make sure it wasn’t broken, the Doc put my thumb/wrist in a half splint and told me to keep it on for 2 weeks…

.. that lasted for about 4 days, then I had to take it off to go on a planned snowboarding trip!

2 months later – doesn’t ache, but it still hurts to grip anything substantial, probably 30% grip. Can lift an empty pint glass, but a full one hurts a lot. :o( Haven’t been on my bike since due to other stuff, but will be soon, hoping that it doesn’t affect riding too much.

I’m now in Vancouver after a similar story – settled nicely in the UK, then my wife spots a job advert in an industry magazine and then BOOM! phone interview to confirmed job offer within 10days. That was 5yrs ago and no plans to head back.

As said above, don’t sell the farm and transfer all your assets just yet. The exchange rate UK>CAD$ is terrible (averaging $1.6 per pound for the last year) and Canada has a huge property bubble at the moment, so house prices might tank over the next year or 3. Come over, rent a while, try it out.

Not been to Calgary, but I understand that its about 1.5-2hrs drive to Canmore/Banff. Skiing, biking, hiking, its all there. You’ll love it.

What industry/job are you in? Oil & gas?

Sounds reasonable. Here in BC, its $70-80/day for a trail/AM bike or about $100 for a DH bike in the bike parks.

Gravity-slave, you mean something like this:

(Popular music for this sort of thing!)

Another vote here for “hardtails will work, but FS is better”.

I arrived in Vancouver with a 100mm XC hardtail and survived, but would never go back. Now have a Heckler with Lyriks and coil shock and would happily get a bigger bike if I could afford it.

For an idea of used prices, take a look at Pinkbike. There are also some end-of-season shop deals on there, I saw a new 2011 Norco Range for less than $2000 last week. (just remember that shop sales will have 12% tax added)

LSCR, lower Seymour and SFU (in Burnaby) are the best places for XC-type trails.

Slight detour, but still on the subject of Specialized tyres…. is the Clutch 2Bliss (single ply) still available anyway? I can’t find it online, only the SX (1.5ply) and DH (2ply) versions.

+1 Giants game, unfortunately next home game isn’t until Wednesday.

If you do want to ride, many shops do decent XC/AM rentals. I have no personal experience of renting from them, but I think your best bet would be Different Bikes in North Van. Best to phone ahead though, because it is off-season and who knows what that the current situation is.

http://www.differentbikes.ca/products/rentals

They located at Parkgate Village, base of Seymour mountain. Use Translink[/url] for bus schedules, I think the 211 bus goes downtown Vancouver to Parkgate in about 40mins.

From the shop, you’re about a 2min road ride from the base of the mountain trails. Buy a map at the shop. If you’re used to typical UK XC/trail centre riding then do an out & back again loop along the Bridle Path. If you want something steeper and more typically North Shore, go up Old Buck (steep) > Baden Powell (go west) and then descend on Pangor or Severed D. Give yourself 2hrs for these, maybe 3hr daylight to be safe as only some of the routes are obviously marked.

Starting with the most obvious: North Shore biking?

Otherwise: Stanley Park seawall walk/ride, shopping downtown, walk around Lynn Canyon (North Shore again), anthropology museum at UBC if supposed to be good.

Windows Live Movie Maker (came free on my Windows 7 laptop) can handle the mp4 files ok. Options are basic but it does the job for a quick edit.

Of more advanced tools, I’ve recently tried the trial version of Pinnacle Studio and it looks good so far. Loads the files, previews, edits ok.

On the other hand, Adobe Premiere Elements (v7) had problems. It would load the files and allow you to edit them but couldn’t preview them properly, very jerky and unwatchable. Tried all sorts of work arounds, format conversions, etc without success. Common problem apparently, it doesn’t support the format well.

Have used 2.35 Nevegals (StickE front, DTC rear) up to now, but the sidewall is thin and prone to snakebites at the grippy low pressures I prefer.

Going to try Specialized Clutch SX next. 2.35″, 50a/45a combination and a thicker sidewall. Good reviews, so we shall see…

Does the monitor not have any audio output at all?

Once I do hand in my notice, I have quite a lot of holiday to take (pro-rata), so I’ll probably only be here for about a week and a half of my 4 weeks notice.

Another word of caution – its up to your employer if they will allow you take your holiday during your notice period. They’d be well within their rights to ask you to work out your notice, its something you’ll have to discuss/negotiate AFTER you have given in your notice.

34.5 lbs for mine, built heavy for BC trail riding. Lyrik coil, DHX5 coil, WTB Dual-Duty rims, RF Atlas stem/bar/cranks/bash, Stroker Trail brakes with 200/180 rotors, 2.35″ Nevegals. A much more capable bike than I am a rider.

Related commuting question – will I notice a big improvement if I changed from a 1.5″ slick-tyred hardtail to something more suitable for urban commuting?

My commute is 22km one-way right through a city so my time varies from 60-75mins depending upon my willingness to thrash myself and make the next set of lights. I’m wondering if its worth the investment in something more suitable for road riding, maybe a CX bike with road tyres so that I could still use it for easy off-road too.

I’m on v2.2, local phone carrier hasn’t offered v2.3 upgrade yet, grrr.

Galaxy S has a front-facing camera, but Skype doesn’t support it yet! Only the rear-camera works. 🙄 Maybe sometime soon…

Edit: apparently that’s for Android 2.2 (Froyo). On v2.3 the front-facing camera might be supported, not sure.

Bike park is open mid-May to mid-October, although the upper Garbanzo zone isn’t usually available until June (July this year becuase of epic snowcover).

Ski season is snow dependent, but typically late November to mid/late April for most of the ski area, with glacier skiing going to right into June/July I think (only for the very keen). The quality stuff is December-March though.

Thankfully my shame is mostly hidden by a cunning tree, but fast forward to the very end (3:30) to see another North Shore over-the-bars incident:

I’m going on October 12th this year!!

I realise that you’re going for the winter season, but did you know that the bike park only shuts on Oct 10th?

+1 for bringing spares with you, a lot of stuff is more expensive here. Whenever relatives visit from the UK, they usually find their bags filled with my CRC/Wiggle orders.

Pinkbike – How wide handlebars affect your ride

I found this very informative. Currently looking for some wider bars myself now.

Whistler bike park season ends mid-October, but village shops start selling off demo & rental bikes by early September, once the summer crowds have left. Friends picked up a 2010 Stumpjumper & Enduro in excellent condition last September for about $2000 each. You’ll find better quality ex-rentals in the village shops.

Agree with rs, the trails are bashed by August/September. Of course a hardtail will be fun, but a full-suss will be funner (sic!).

clive – That was driving time. As I recall, Gibsons Ferry landing > Roberts Creek turn-off is about 20mins driving. Sechelt is another 15mins driving beyond that.

The trails I’ve ridden are between Gibsons <> Roberts Creek, but I guess there are also trails connecting through to Sechelt too.

XC helmet will be fine for Sunshine Coast, use whatever you use on a UK trail centre. North Shore – leg/arm pads won’t be a bad thing, full face a good idea for any steeper black trails on your first outing.

Enjoy!

Bring the Remedy. All trails are rideable on a hardtail, but if you want to enjoy them, bring the all-mountain full-suss. Decent bike rental is expensive, perhaps $60-80 per day in Vancouver and you’ll have to adjust to a new bike.

Sunshine Coast trails seem to be generally smoother than their North Shore counterparts, so staying in Sechelt is a good move. The area between Roberts Creek and Gibsons (ferry terminal) is only 15mins from Sechelt and is full of trails. As mentioned above, find a bike shop in Sechelt, buy a trail map and have fun. Start with the blue trails! Its been a while, but I recall that Hwy102 and Sidewinder were good fun.

On the North Shore, stick with Seymour & Fromme. Most local bike shops have maps.

On Seymour, Bridal Path is a good XC introduction and links many other trails, both XC & DH. For something harder, climb Old Buck for 30-60mins and you can access steeper DH trails such as Severed, Pangor and Neds. These are still considered easy in North Shore terms, but will give most tourists a good challenge (me included!).

On Fromme, climb the fireroad and do Bobsled. New trail last year, smooth, jumpy and short enough to repeat several times. Natural High is a more technical but manageable exit trail.

I live in Vancouver, so email if you need any more info. Work & baby means I don’t get out much, but I might be able to get out for a few hours.

Lots of bike rental places downtown, mostly beach cruisers for the pier but some shops have will have decent hard-tails for a days ride over the Golden Gate to Marin Headlands. Mostly gravel fireroad, I don’t think there’s much (legal) singletrack around.

For a different return journey, ride down into Sausalito and take the ferry back.

If only I could ride my full-suss like this guy rides a hardtail…

Its not about the bike.

Some techie Kindle questions – is the screen easy to read in strong sunlight or with a bright light nearby? Can you control the brightness/contrast etc?

My mum is having some eyesight problems which are alleviated by avoiding bright light and wearing sunglasses. Even reading a normal white page causes her discomfort after a while, so it was suggested that she try a Kindle and turn it down notch.

Chances are good! Weather is starting to dry up, trails will be dry/wet/muddy depending upon the rain at the time. Most trails will be open, only the higher Whistler/Squamish trails will still have snow on them.

WHistler bike park doesn’t open until mid-may though, you can check the date on their website.

Done a fair bit over the years. The longest open water crossing I’ve done is about 10miles, but more experienced friends of mine have done up to 27miles (Lands End> Scilly Isles in 12hours). That really is commitment!

Some of my holiday snaps from 2008, 3 days on the BC coast:

Most people think of sea-kayaking as calm, serene and the ocean equivalent of rambling…. but there’s lots of excitement too if you do it right:

UncleFred, is that next to the Captains?

mikey74 – as others have said, its hard to get a BC employer to sponsor foreigners for a temporary work permit (TWP) these days. The prospect of paperwork, time & money puts most employers off the idea, even if you’re the perfect candidate for the job.

So the best advice I’ve heard of, is to investigate the TWP process yourself from an employers perspective and demonstrate to them that its actually a manageable process with little cost. There are still requirements to be met, but it might help your application. Good luck, its worth it!

If you’re looking at full-suss trail bikes, definitely try the Specialized Safire. Very low top-tube for the size of frame, my wife found it much lower and easier to use than the comparable Giant Trance.

Large frame, Lyrik coil u-turn, DHX5 coil shock, 50mm stem and some chunky wheels with 2.35 StickE Nevegals. A bit lardy at 34.5lbs but just lurves going downhill.

Slightly off-topic, but for comparison here’s a video shot entirely on a compact in 720p HD mode. Panasonic Lumix TZ7.

Buying a seat for the little one will give you the most comfort if you can afford it.

Having said that, I don’t think its necessary when they’re very small and not moving around much. 4 months is still young enough to use a travel bassinet for long-haul flights, but every airline has different policies on these. Some you may have to book (and pay for) in advance, others you may get free priority. Or turn up and keep your fingers crossed for a sympathetic move to a row with free seats. Check with the airline website.

We’ve just taken our 8 month old on a 6-flight family tour over the Christmas holidays without booking a seat for her. For the domestic flights <1hr, we just booked as normal and she sat on our lap. For the 9.5hr Vancouver>London flights, we booked bulkhead seats to get extra floor space. The outgoing flight was very quiet and the staff moved my wife & baby to a row with empty seats anyway, lots of sleep for everyone. For the full return flight, there was enough floor space for us to make her a bed between our legs with blankets & pillows, not great but lots better than a standard row.

Time the feeds so that they are due a bottle by take-off, drinking should help them equalise their ears. Same for descent, or at least have a dummy available.

Also check about prams if you plan to take one up to the gate. Some airlines will let you take any old thing up to the gate, others are a bit pedantic and insist its a small umbrella type.