Aye, not the smallest but then you have a keyed, locking, IP rated connector. I usually finish them off with some heat-shrink. They are quite easy to make up without the £100+ Amp crimp tool, even for a ham-fisted goon like me who has killed several TaskLED boards 🙄

AMP Superseal are what I use.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-Way-AMP-Superseal-Waterproof-Kit_W0QQitemZ170381222284QQ

£2+ P&P for a pair, or buy the individual bits in bigger quantities from Farnell / RS for a better price.

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=151063 – 10p
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=151038 – 10p
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=150400 – 52p
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=150654 – 67p
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=150915 – 5p

Yet another Planet X cheapo deal (one of the C18 offer bikes):

[/url]

Since "upgraded" with an FSA carbon seat post and Conti GP 4 Season rubber.

Mornflake for me – I live a couple of miles from their mill. They usually have a stall at the Nantwich Food Show, so I stock up with several 3kg sacks.

http://www.mornflake.com/products/oats/oats_home.html

Ratios vary – I have my special porridge bowl. Glug in a load of milk, about 8 desert spoons or so of oats and nuke in the microwave until just thick enough.

Nationwide now pass on the Visa fee (0.84%) for ATM withdrawels in the US (IIRC, it's anywhere outside Europe) now:

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/current_account/foreigntransactions.htm

They don't charge a commission fee though. We have a Nationwide account and will be using it when we go to Boston in November. I think in Canada we found a couple of ATMs that didn't like the Visa Debit card but no problems when we were in NYC.

If you don't have an account already, then MoneySavingExpert says the Abbey Zero card/account is entirely fee-free overseas (but charges interest):

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money#topcards

MSE is probably a good place to see what will work best for you.

My PB is 4 around the North Face trail and some BWs through Grizedale forest.

Conti PunctureSpeed Kings haven't been back on a bike since that ride last year.

I've got this charger from DX:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1251

Takes a standard figure-of-eight plug, so need to faff with a shaving adapter or whatever.

I've got a PX SL bike. It's my 1st proper road bike (well, since I had a 5 speed "racer" as a kid) so I don't have much to compare the ride to. The longest ride I've done on it to date is 100km – I was tired after it but not beat up.

Very interesting thread.

I'm trying to break 50 minutes for the 10k. I'm under 25 minutes for 5k so there's a bit of light in the tunnel. I'm averaging about 40miles a month this year.

I think doing some very steady runs at 10 min/mile pace has helped reduce my HRM but sustaining 5:20 to 5:00 min/km pace usually has me around 170bpm.

If you were into Transport Tycoon, check out

http://www.openttd.org/en/

It's an modern open source clone, so has loads of extra bits added over the classic.

A venison casserole maybe?

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1935/succulent-braised-venison

Long, slow cooking – mmm!

Courgettes are trying to come back after that soggy spell of weather. Tomatoes are going red now – we get some for lunch most days now. I have two prized butternut squashes, one of which is getting quite fat 😀 1st early spuds were lovely, going to lift the main crop this week. Winter spuds are in and growing like the clappers.

What do people do for feeding crops when it's been raining lots? All my stuff is in tubs or grow-bags and I worry about water logging them if it's rained, but then they probably don't get enough food.

Can't decide if I should pull the spring onions out now or leave a bit longer…

Keep writing – the reality check is good IMHO. I was moaning my car is going to cost a packet this month after it died las tweek and the MOT is due. Like that's anything to be hacked off about.

Kick the Big C's ass (and leave a footprint).

Chris.

The Road to Wellville – 118 minutes of my life I'll never get back

Talking to some of the folks I ride with and we all agreed that once you get over 15mph on a bike (on the road), most motorists can't handle a bike travelling that fast and completely stuff up judging distances for pulling out etc.

My good lady is about 5'4 and rides a small Trance 4 (shock "basket" model). I have stuck a shorter stem, cut down the seat post and narrower bars on it – like riding a BMX for me 😀

It's worth visiting B&H just to drool and watch the stock system wizzing around above your head!

I'm administrator for a small mail server that a few of our customers use. The e-mail services on that has died on arse before – for no reason. We didn't change or install anything, one day it had just had enough.

Some random "try this, try that" got it back to life in the end.

These things have to go wrong to keep us in a job 😀

I'd be surprised if you could upgrade the graphics card. More often that not, it's all integrated in.

It's a voluntary ban on all bridleways – 10.00 am and 5 pm from 1st May to 30th September

Start early – you can be up and down and in Pete's Eats for 10am

I have vague memories of getting merry on Broadside when it was a guest beer at the local.

Not sure I've this brew before, but I'm a big fan of the brewery
(it's a shame "Dark Side of the Moose" isn't available):

Purple Moose of Porthmadog – Glaslyn Ale 4.2% abv

Likewise the brews from Salopian of Shrewsbury. The Bhurt Pore[/url] quite often has something from them on.

Would be rude not to try one of the perrys as well, given it'll be proper stuff and not the trendy pish that has appeared in bars these days.

I've shrunk an Aldi merino top and I know of Craghoppers top that was teddy-bear sized after one trip through the washer at 40deg.

Hence I hand wash my Craghoppers and Smartwool merino stuff.

I thought Offas Dyke from the Worlds End road and then down through the forest was a bridlepath? The online OS map shows it as a BP.

Lots of good stuff as Hip mentions around Glyn Ceiriog, Llanarmon DC

More a hotel but we stayed here a couple of years ago:

http://www.abbaziahotel.com/en/index.htm

I rode up a tarmac climb on Saturday – nice and sunny, about 164m climb in 1.2km. You could have bottled what was pouring off me. Helmet pads don't stand a chance

Ah, now I read the SS site…

Jam sugar has added pectin (to make the jam set)
Preserving sugar doesn't have added pectin

I would guess that preserving sugar is sugar with added pectin. I was going to say it's also called jam sugar but SilverSpoon list both jam and preserving sugar:

http://www.silverspoon.co.uk/home/products/sugar-and-syrups-for-cooking/preserving-sugar

Without being at home to look at a book, I couldn't tell you what quantities of fruit / water / sugar to use.

Now, there's not much better than toasted Malt Loaf. Except…

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Fresh, home made Bara Brith. First time I've made in a silicon loaf tin, so it's big fat at the top – smells supreme though 8)

The Dura-Ace (7800 IIRC) bits on my Planet X SL carbon are lovely – never ridden a SRAM equipped road-bike though.

PSA : Morrisons had XL Soreen on BOGOFF last night!

I've stayed here in Prague : http://www.cloister-inn.com/

Very handy for the Old Town Sq etc.

I might go running round Delemere on Sunday morning, so will keep my eyes peeled. Are there posters about with a contact number if we spot her?

Speak to Mr Trout – no doubt he'd beaver away in his garage for a night and come up with something for you 😀

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=43257

20% if you read the Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/5900314/Bicycle-sales-boom-by-20-per-cent.html

50% if you read the Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1170492/Bike-sales-jump-50-recession-inspires-people-cycle-work.html

Toasted malt loaf, dripping in butter. Then for the pièce de résistance…

Marmite!

Mmmm!

To be fair to MBR (where's my flame suit?), they did lab test the air shocks with help from some university boffins and the final riding tests were done on a control Orange 5 which had a load of data logging equipment attached.

I'm 6'1" and have a 18" (M) Sirius with a 105mm stem but tempted to try a 90mm with a wider bar.

Just remember to delegate the job of counting all the stones in the jam from damsons and the like!

Maxxis Rendez?

http://www.nextdaytyres.com/tyres/Maxxis/Rendez.aspx