Really enjoyed this, nice mix of childhood reminiscing and modern building techniques. 40 year old baseplates have made a reappearance too

Took my daughters, they’d never been to a big race before. We had an ace day, the lap format meant we could skip a couple to find shade/get an ice cream, and move round viewing spots. They hung out at the feed zone and picked up a few bottles. They both want road bikes, so mission accomplished for the organisers I reckon.

Don’t knock her

I went to her album party.

Isn’t the joke from her new cd launch tweets
#susanalbumparty

Anybody else waiting for their London marathon ballot rejection email today?! 😁

16 years in a row here, might be 17. Should’ve spent that time training super hard and getting GFA entry!

Yeti Rambler

How much?! Looks like total overkill.

(I’ve got two, one like that and a smaller one. Flipping ace, make a cup of tea in the big one, walk the kids to school, come back in and pick it up on the way to my desk. Stays hot for ages. Smaller one is for coffee. Well recommended)

I’m also in the don’t need one but ordered one anyway camp. Ordered yesterday and delivered today.

I’ve got an older Extreme Smock, this is slightly different (obviously excluding the big zip up the middle). Old one has a zip on hood, new one is Velcro, old hood face flaps popper back/open, this one doesn’t. Older one has Pertex branding on it, this doesn’t and the shell is pretty crinkly. The label says it’s a “special”. Nothing huge, but little differences that might explain why they’re cheaper. Wonder if they’re a batch for Mountain Rescue or a similar group?

It was about £80 with a discount code so no complaints. I really like them, wouldn’t want to carry one round as an active layer or a belay jacket. But for cold outdoor stuff where you put it on, don’t take it off and don’t have to worry about nursing an ultralight jacket they’re hard to beat.

Cookies. Lots of them. Not sure why, feel like they’re recommended to me. Quite often.

I had one, only stopped using it as we felt my daughter was old enough to need a phone, and rather than give her a new one thought I’d cry less when she loses/breaks my old Moto.

I used it to run Komoot as my navigation, pretty much like a car sat nav on the bars in a Topeak drybag sort of thing, with a hard mount. The touchscreen worked through the drybag, can unlock with the numerical/pattern code not just fingerprint. Worked fine like this for 6/7 hour rides in the pissing rain.

I usually had it running Bluetooth to a single ear bud for directions through urban areas, and the screen on all the time. Sometimes podcasts too. Would easily last a day from memory, though I did have a powerbank just in case. 100 mile on road was the longest I used it, didn’t run out.

I think it’d work for your use – I’ve got a Garmin Explore now (short version of a long story – need my phone for a blood sugar scanner so separating nav and phone) but was happy with it.

Interesting post tbh

Nah, contradictory bollocks innit. I don’t really think indie is for bedwetters, but did when I was younger. I don’ t really think anything about bands like Coldplay, they’re not for me. Fine.

To quote myself

young people aren’t making music for me anymore

, just to clarify – up to my mid 20’s I worked in a record shop, knew people in bands, went to gigs regardless of who was playing. I was, I suppose, part of a scene and felt like the bands I listened to (who were my age) wrote music that reflected my life. Obviously not everything – I could like US hip hop despite having a very different background. But it gave me an identity, made me feel cool and part of something.

But now I’m a middle-aged-middle class Dad, angry young people aren’t writing music for me, its quite rightly protesting against me and my planet-destroying property-owning mates. Drill and grime isn’t made for me, doesn’t mean I can’t listen to it.

I appreciate this isn’t a unique insight, it’s just growing up. A lot of my mates seemed to stop listening to new music when they left Uni, and seem happy being stuck in some nostalgic “things were better in my day rut”. I’m old enough now not to worry about trying to be cool or keep up with the latest music, but still like hearing new stuff. Even if it sounds like Napalm death from when I was 13.

I’m in the metal old man gang here, and these type of threads make me smile. There is a certain type of Radio-6-Q-Mojo-magazine-indie music fan who thinks they know it all about music, but only really listen to a narrow selection. Similarly, older fans of genres do it too as they’ve heard it all before.

That’s fine really, and with the sheer amount of music available, it’s inevitable that you can’t listen to everything, and stuff does sound like it’s “influenced” by previous artists.

I too like to think I know a bit about music, worked in a record shop for many years, still try and keep up to date, but truthfully I’m well out of touch. There’s so much music available now and I’m not young enough to just absorb stuff anymore. I also had to admit that young people aren’t making music for me anymore, the rotters.

I like to think I’ve grown out of dismissing genres of music just because I don’t like them. Partly that’s growing up listening to music that people take the piss out of or don’t understand, so I don’t really care what you’re into, and partly trying to be more open to new stuff. Apart from indie, which is just for bedwetting creeps.

Summer’s coming. Do you really want over ears on all day?

I received these yesterday and they are amazing.

Really comfortable, more than acceptable sound quality (okay no soundstage or imaging!)
and great build quality. Battery life is superb too. Charging status is dead clear which I
have found not be the case with other air pod clones.

£35!

Just had a look and they’re coming up at £24.49 – I’m going to try them

Fat man in the room – ordered 2 Ginger and 4 Black fruits things…really wanted the Cherry but all sold out – will be great to fix hypos! Thanks for the updated PSA.

As a fellow knackered pancreas owner, they are really good for hypos. Not sure about the caffeinated ones in the middle of the night though. I use them for long rides too, easy to have a block every half hour or so to keep sugar topped up.

So that Seiko is £75, not much more than the £50 voucher. A Times and a battery or two 🙂 I’ve never had an automatic – so if I end up not wearing it for a week, obviously it’ll stop. But are they happy being left for a bit and then wound again? (sorry, total newb to interesting watches, had a succession of Casios and a Garmin!)

Ta, using Amazon vouchers so will pass on that IvanDobsk, but that’s a very tempting price and looks good though.

Any recommendations for a cheap, sort of field watch looking thing? Currently wear a Garmin every day and would like an analogue, simple watch instead. Looking at Timex Scout, so that sort of price, £50. Is it worth stumping up the £20-ish extra for the cheap automatic Seiko?

I’ve got a little rechargeable Olight torch on my keyring, as I’m a bit night-vison impaired. I use it a lot in winter walking to the shops down an unlit alley (avoiding dogshit rather than muggers etc) and walking down the side of the house. Comes in handy out and about at times, but never in a life or death way.

I’ve got a Swiss Army keyring knife on there too, I only ever use it for Dad duties, cutting open toy packaging or tweezering out splinters. Occasional use cutting crab nets out of hair.Comes in handy out and about at times, but never in a life or death way.

I’ve also got a titanium vial thing on my keys with a £20 note in it. Never leave the house without my keys, but have left my wallet in my other coat/bag/gone for a run/whatever. I’m diabetic, so have had to use the emergency note to buy food to deal with a hypo. Not quite life or death, but self-sufficient and avoided a trip in an ambulance.

I don’t NEED a knife and all that EDC gubbins, but they do make my life a bit easier. I don’t think I’m tooled up like Rambo though. Could be worse, some people appear to forget which bike is theirs and write their name on it. Sometimes a sticker with their favourite veg on it, for example an Onion – they’re the real psychos.

I am up to about 10 completed surveys. I’m now making it less obvious that I am a cyclist and more like I am their target Brexity Daily Mail reading, HGV driving angry victim, but with the twist that I fully support cycling and sustainable travel. I’m enjoying this more than I should.

That’s what I’ve been doing, completing it as a driver only, and excitedly commenting how once we’re free of the shackles of Europe the Government can ban school Mum run drivers, the lazy etc from driving, put up road tax (obvs. calling it road tax too) leaving the road free for us hardworking tax payers WHO MUST DRIVE. The rest of them should get on their bike.

IN WHAT YEAR DO YOU BELIEVE THE BAN ON THE SALES OF NEW PETROL AND DIESEL VEHICLES SHOULD HAPPEN*

The sooner the better, less air pollution for my kids to grow up with. Should be easier to do as we won’t have to kowtow to Europe and their rules and rely on foreign petrol cars

(not sure how that will go down, hopefully just the right side of contradictory nonsense)

Anyway, I tried, the cheese/peanut butter/sriracha. It was nice, but I’ve got to say, not all that.

May have to re-think my toastie-based cookbook then.

I’ll salute you now colonel, that’s amazing.

You’re welcome

Pressure’s on, but try the cheese, srichacha and peanut butter combo and thank me later

Cheese and samosa is very nice.

Cold leftover burger cut in half horizontally, with cheese and tomato sauce was alright.

Cheese, srichacha and peanut butter is nice too.

We had a Samsung from John Lewis for 2 and half days before a horizontal line appeared on the screen. JL swapped it straight away. Swapped for an LG, it’s OK but I preferred the Samsung for pic quality and remote/TV UI but they didn’t have much stock of anything left. Not very helpful sorry.

Get one of these

This could be ace, I really want one. I like the Trek 920 but this has got the dynamo hub, looks ready for a proper adventure. Bit more on the MTB/off-road side of things maybe

Edited to add it’s the new Decathlon 920

just couldn’t get on with the Cascadia GTX

Sort-of snap! My last pair of Cascadias are some of the comfiest shoes ever. I bought a pair of the GTX ones and they just don’t feel right. I was looking forward to dry feet in wet grass but they feel weird. I think it’s a combo of the Goretex fabric siting differently (seam sealing tape in it?) and feeling stiffer (oo-err), should’ve just put up with wet feet!

Don’t forget to leave some money in the budget for painkillers/bandages/possible physio (45 years old, hit a pebble whilst skating 3 weeks ago. My ankle now mostly works gain, my knee keeps waking me up in the night. Enjoy!)

Worst running shoes I ever bought were full price Asics. I went to a running shop, did the gait analysis. They recommended the fit and size. My heels were ripped to shreds every time I wore them. Previously I’d been wearing some Nike trail shoes to run in, ran my first few 10ks and a half marathon in them but thought I’d better get some proper shoes from a proper shop. I was wrong.

Another one tried to get me to run on a treadmill to look at my gait for the shoes I’d chosen. They were fell shoes – Mudclaws. Not sure a treadmill can replicate a bog.

Anyway, since then I’ve been sceptical about the advice from running shops. I’m a convert to whatever Nike Pegasus is in the outlet shop, preferably 2 seasons ago as they’re about £25-30. Brooks seem to fit me too so I bought some Cascadia’s (old model obviously) for local off-road.

There is a lot of bollocks advice about running – gait analysis, barefoot shoes, massive Hoka things. It does seem like it’s mostly a way to get you to buy stuff. I’d get some cheap-ish OK shoes, save the £50/60 and use that to enter some events – that’ll motivate you to get out and run more.

Very interesting responses, and a bit more serious than I expected – I was expecting more along the lines of stop wearing trainers etc.

You are not too old, you may be too unfit, or not skilled in a particular activity. Thats all.

I think you neatly summed up my 34-ish years of skateboarding there. Last traumatic bruise was from car knocking me off my Brompton, fair more age-appropriate.

Thames path around Oxford/Abingdon is very rideable, cycle route mostly I think.

The Oxford Canal’s not so great. I live in Banbury, and the path along there is unmade, just grass/mud. Pretty narrow and collapsed in places. It’s not unrideable, but can be slow going. Can’t comment on all of it, but Heyford north to Cropredy is as described, 20 miles-ish.

U2’s following the M5 now, just past Gloucester.

Had a Lightning and an Osprey fly over Banbury today.

Private company makes a marketing decision about a name. Struggling to be that bothered to be honest, not sure its cancel culture or a great step to equality really.

Edit to add, it’s not like a/the government has banned anyone using or saying “tribe”, I honestly can’t see why anyone would care.

Case of Hook Norton beer, Lego and a Buff. Eldest child cooked a full English with my O/H’s help.

I’m a bit worried that I’m being set up for something bad, never had this much fuss before!

Actually thinking about it a bit more we should probably send Mum in the car with the tent and camping stuff, meet her there and she gets to go home and enjoy peace and quiet.

All the benefits of cycle camping without carrying their gear or buying new stuff!

Cheers, trailer might be the best option then. Figured the handling wouldn’t be great with front panniers as its not a proper tourer.

Pretty lucky with the local train line as it gets us out to the countryside but is a very quiet line. Trains don’t have guards so you just put bikes in the doorway, but the option of folding one flat to get it on would be good.

Absolute speculation here, entirely based on “I reckon”. Anyway, my guess is it’ll be similar to the one Finisterre offered, where you invest in return for a tiered level of recurring discount code. It’s more like a fan club or a paid-for loyalty scheme. Helps customers feel part of the brand. Not really the same as investing in a company and sitting on a mountain of returns.

As they haven’t released any details yet I’m sure you’ll agree my summary is 100% accurate. Probably.

Point B is exacerbated by people of colour living in Northern latitudes as malatonin in their skin cuts down vitamin D absorption from the sun.

Forza and OOB, not being funny but do you know the difference between a review of the available evidence and looking at individual trials/case reports? The Oxford review team will be neutral, they’re not carrying out research in that area, they’re looking at it from a population health angle. They did a good job on reviewing the Tamiflu stuff if you remember that and highlighted it was ineffectual.

I don’t think that’s what the evidence is saying though, vit D levels aren’t contributing to COVID cases. I don’t think anyone’s saying you shouldn’t take vitamin D supplements for general health and a better immune system, and I agree you should (thats what the Oxford review says). Just that it’s not a contribution to COVID cases in BAME people.

Oxford University review of Vitamin D evidence

VERDICT
We found no clinical evidence on vitamin D in COVID-19. There was no evidence related to vitamin D deficiency predisposing to COVID-19, nor were there studies of supplementation for preventing or treating COVID-19.

There is some evidence that daily vitamin D3 supplementation over weeks to months may prevent other acute respiratory infections, particularly in people with low or very low vitamin D status. This evidence has limitations, including heterogeneity in study populations, interventions, and definitions of respiratory infections that include upper and lower respiratory tract involvement.

The current advice is that the whole population of the UK should take vitamin D supplements to prevent vitamin D deficiency. This advice applies irrespective of any possible link with respiratory infection.

Clinicians should treat patients with vitamin D deficiency irrespective of any link with respiratory infection.

Policymakers should attend to public health measures to ensure the population has adequate vitamin D intake.

No link to Covid19 but taking Vit D is a good thing?

Hi @rydster, sorry if you missed this. I’m trying to understand your point – it seems like you’re saying the BLM movement should just stop, because there’s nothing wrong? Do you genuinely think that they’re making a fuss over nothing? The killing and brutality they’re facing isn’t happening? I’m sorry, not winding you up, just trying to understand your POV. I don’t get the point you’re trying to make?

I’m white/middle class/middle-aged. Only interactions with the Police have been, unsurprisingly, stress-free. Even as a youth getting moved on for skateboarding, I wasn’t scared and they never threatened me. I’ve been to countries where I’ve been a visible ethnic minority, and also not really felt threatened.

So, I know I’ve got privileges that other people don’t have. I’m not going to pretend that I understand the race issues in the US personally, but I reckon I’ve got enough empathy to see how bad it is for people over there. I don’t have answers, I don’t know what to do other than try and do the right thing where I can. Other people think different things, to an extent that’s cool but full-on racism obviously isn’t.

What I don’t understand is points of view such as those of @rydster. I’m trying to understand it but it seems like you’re saying the BLM movement should just stop, because there’s nothing wrong? Do you genuinely think that they’re making a fuss over nothing? The killing and brutality they’re facing isn’t happening? I’m sorry, not winding you up, just trying to understand your POV. I don’t get the point you’re trying to make?