We used Fluent last time.   No fee, £350 cashback (of which they took £80 for outsourced legal fees) All done via an app and a couple of phone calls.  We received the same rate that Barclays were offering on their website, but without the £1000 arrangement fee.  £1280 better off and organised in 6 weeks.

I’d guess it’s more to do with entitled/ambivalent driving than it is with poor driving.  They are in their space, their car, their bubble,  and you’re in THEIR space and they either don’t see you or see you as invading their whatever.

Well, thanks for your totally pointless addition to what, in your opinion, is a pointless exercise.

I will never understand the mentality of someone who is in such a tearing hurry that they can’t be delayed for several seconds by a cyclist, yet have the time for a ten minute argument about it at the roadside.  Schrodinger’s C**t.

See, that’s where you’ve made the mistake, you thought that they saw you as a person/cyclist/equal.  You were just an obstacle to be overcome.  Like a mobile traffic cone or ants on a sunbed to be dealt with however he sees fit.  You meant nothing to them, until you reminded them that you’re a human at which point you became objectionable to them. I doubt they even really saw you to begin with.

This is what needs to change.

No chance to nick his keys and cycle off?  Shame.

As said the stem dosent suit the bike, also for me the bottom headset cup stands out, why have an internal top cup and a external bottom? would look better with the top and bottom cups being internal (this bothered me on my old Planet X Tempest)

Also carbon bottle cages? would look better with some King Cage bottle cages

it’s pretty standard to have a 44mm ID straight HT on a metal road bike.  Tapered metal HT look odd, especially on steel, but often on Ti too.  Personally, I’d probably have specified a Matte mango bottom cup and red top, to blend with the frame.

Agreed on the bottle cages, they should’ve been king steel cages sprayer to match the frame.

Knog Bilby works well for me in a variety of settings.

https://sportandleisure.com/products/knog-bilby-run-400-headlamp?variant=44038380650753&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6oi4BhD1ARIsAL6pox1ll9vwY-_uI72RjCmSnGuTgwXNejGsy-efAIPNRWgzq6wzHZYqLTwaAjFHEALw_wcB

Quick 20k before work on Friday.  Beautiful in Bristol today.

If it’s good enough for James Bond – it’s probably okay for you

https://cumbriacrystal.com/products/bt-102-gr-fo-grasmere-double-old-fashioned-whisky-tumbler-factory-outlet-stock?variant=43180922044648&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwx4O4BhAnEiwA42SbVHGJgmkholxFyCAh-F7L1T1G06IH3rg42otGyk8e-9dMRgXp5rz56xoCe1IQAvD_BwE

There’s a lot of nice stuff here, but much of it is quite expensive.

How about an Edo Crystal volcanic glass tumbler from Japan?

https://koriwhiskey.com/en-gb/products/nantai-whiskey-glasses?_pos=2&_sid=9558851b4&_ss=r

Yes, Feather were always some of the standout bikes at every Bespoke show in Bristol.  Beautiful bikes, outstanding attention to detail.

I eat pretty healthy.  Fresh fruit and a croissant for breakfast with a coffee and no sugar.  Drink water and decaf through the day, usually a salad or sandwich at lunch regardless of if I’ve cycled in to the office (30km each way) and then predominantly vegetable based meals.  When not drinking in the evening, I drink a shedload more milk.

Daily vitamin sups and gut bacteria pills.

Just had blood work, done at the doctors for something else and everything is bang on.  My BMI is slap bang in the middle of the healthy range and my body fat percentage is 9-11%.  Blood pressure is 110/60.

I’m guessing the sleep problem is mental (work and home stress) and the bad sleep related to my using alcohol as a wind-down crutch since, well, pretty much ages. (end of PhD, through Covid to now) and that one was compensating for the other.

I never had more than 1 cider or two small glasses (125mm) a night.  Ever.

Gruyère + sun blushed tomatoes.

Sheppy’s NA cider.

Sharpe’s Rifles.

I’ve now not had anything since August 29th, but I didn’t drink much anyway.  I’ve noticed no positive difference. If anything, I now sleep less and less well and my Apple Watch backs this up.  Previous to this, averaging 7.5h/n of sleep.  Since stopping, 5.5h/n of sleep.  I’m tired.

I’ve also just bought 15 bottles of wine (they arrived last week)  so there’s additional temptation…sort of.

Why would I want to spend longer commuting than I had to, I would also include shower / changing time in that ie door to desk?  It my personal time that is being used, if work want me to spend longer getting to work that I need to that’s fine if they want to pay or incentivise me to do it. I have commuted by bike and its much nicer sat in the car

This is the problem right here.  “Why should I do anything that (in my simple view of the world) costs me any money/time/inconvenience?”

From the same chap who had similarly simple views on EVs and batteries.

Slightly less simple, then.  1. You’d shower anyway, but it would be at home.  That still costs you time but also money. 2. You’d (hopefully) do some exercise anyway, why not put that into your commute?  Could it actually be time neutral?  Mine is pretty close and I do around 40 miles a day.  3. Cars, fuel insurance, etc cost 10* more to run than a bike and are massively more destructive to the environment in every single way.  Even just economically, it makes sense.

What you’re actually saying is – “I’m too lazy and comfortable (intellectually, economically and situationally) to be bothered doing anything about this”.

We were thinking of having a prize for most CO2 saved or something.

We did this at our place, but after a few weeks, only a few 10s of people were actually interested and eventually the car sharers were the winners despite many other trying diligently in all weathers to make a difference.

I think it left a slightly sour taste that the folks who won were those commuting the greatest (most ridiculous distances) who managed to share occasionally and were doing it only to save money and which actually cost them very little in terms of lifestyle change.  As soon as peoples workshifts changed they went back to driving.

If you’re going to do it, make sure there’s a prize for biggest individual lifestyle change, not just CO2.

If you want lightweight with great performance, Shimano Ultegra CL800’s are hard to beat.  You can usually get a pair brand new on ebay for £55

https://fawkes-cycles.co.uk/shimano-ultegra-rt-cl800-ice-tech-freeza-rotor-with-internal-lockring-140-mm-p34288/s70434?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=shimano-ultegra-rt-cl800-ice-tech-freeza-rotor-with-internal-lockring-rtcl800ssi&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&cid=GBP&glCurrency=GBP&glCountry=GB&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwgfm3BhBeEiwAFfxrGxoQifDmnJICqKydCVfuvdIoHnVyC40fD5s_yOWYOmbaTWg5isJXDRoCyeIQAvD_BwE

If you want a bit more strength, but with slightly less performance (and it is slight) I’ve recently settled on TRP-25.  Quiet, powerful, much more solid, but around 15% heavier than CL800.

https://www.condorcycles.com/products/trp-25-centerlock-rotor?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwgfm3BhBeEiwAFfxrG2IsQHSlYODO6_JW0SU4X505WlZ3sbWqAN2UiO_jHNng6hWgWoyeuRoCfkgQAvD_BwE&siteid=1630430&utm_campaign=1352010&utm_source=webgains&variant=41987132489878&wgc=1630430&wgp=281345

None for me.  DX missed a delivery the other day, but you could tell it was going to happen by the projected delivery time.  They delivered the next morning.

its vacuum packed in 1kg bags. I don’t notice any degradation of the sealed stuff over a couple of months. Once it’s opened it is fine for a month in a sealed container (it’s slightly less glossy by the end of the month but not enough to need to adjust the grind. If I’m on holiday for a few weeks and an open pack stretches longer sometimes I need to)

The general consensus amongst coffee “experts”  is that even (and especially) when vacuum sealed, beans lose up to 60% of their flavour vs fresh roast within 14 days and that part of this is because the vacuum pull partially leaches the oils from the beans.  I’d agree with the flavour change (they become more bitter) and that they grind finer when older.  I stopped buying in 1kg batches a little while ago due to this, but I only use around 500-700g a month.

Everything I’ve ever ordered from Redber has been roasted within 6 days of delivery.  Sometimes there’s a slight delay in dispatch 1-3days, but the beans arrive having been roasted 2-3days previously.  They’re very fresh.  By contrast, beans from my local have often been on display (counter) for a few days and thus open to the the air, they can go hard quite quickly, which can be a challenge for the grinder and more so for the taste.  Cheaper? Sure.  Chance to try? Yes, but fresher?  Not always.  A toaster with a good online trade will be roasting more regularly than a local who doesn’t or that doesn’t supply many local businesses anything other than a stock blend.

The calculator seems to spell it out pretty well giving you the ability to specify location, direction and size and returning kW/h of thermal generation.  On any given day, you can see the thermal glass is reducing the flux by almost 40%.  That’s a ton of blocked heat on a summers day, even just the afternoon, you looking at 12-18kwh.  That’s like running a 2kW fan heater for 6 hours.  Even in a large room, that would be uncomfortably warm.

4kg at once?  Either you’re drinking a shed load of coffe a day or the beans are pretty old by the time you’re done.

I’d much rather spend an extra £16 every 4-5months on postage than be grinding months old roasted beans.

In the SW – there’s Wogan’s in Bristol, and Redber in the SE.

If you just want to order online, Redber do most of their blends (including Cafe Italiano Espresso) in a variety of roasts from light to dark.

I like a medium/dark roast for the reasons you describe.

https://www.redber.co.uk/products/caffe-italiano-espresso-blend-coffee

I wonder if there’s a “green” angle to this.  Private sellers are essentially recycling, thus eBay can claim to be a bit greener?

But as with almost all BMWs these days, it’s looks are…challenging.  It’s also MASSIVE! Almost exactly the same footprint as a Range Rover but not quite as tall.  280mm shorter.

I’m told the rear diffuser (along with the split boot spoiler) has real benefits in reducing the traditional drag bucket associated with the aerodynamics of a Wagon.   Without some CAD, I can’t fact check that.   But it’s somewhat irrelevant as it didn’t actually make it to the production car.  The black bit at the bottom which should be a diffuser is supposed now to just reduce the visual bulk at the rear of the car.

The grille is an Audi thing I could live without, but it’s actually smooth, not a grille, it just looks like one because, Audi.

But the lines look right, the proportions look good, it looks dynamic whilst standing still and it’s available in nice colour combos.  I don’t like the dash.  The screen is an odd shape and doesn’t seem to flow correctly with any interior lines.  *shrugs*  Doesn’t really matter, at£75k including options, it’s not really on my list.

I think the A6 eTron Avant looks much better than the ID7.  What is it with VW and these strange wobble lines on the rear.  The ID4 is the same.  Ford showed how much better the ID4 could look with the Explorer.

This year mine is down to around 3.7W/kg on an FTP of 270w (May).  Last year I was ~4-4.2W/kg.  My top end is a little lower this year, but my sustainable power for 2-3 hours is still 220w (down from 225w), so not much difference.  I’m 73kg and 179cm and would consider myself as “okay” fitness wise.  I have reasonably good burst power at ~1100-1200W for 5s and can maintain 800-900W for 15-30 seconds and 600W+ for over a minute quite easily, BUT these figures are distinctly average when viewed in a general population.

There’s a maths problem there. It also contradicts my experience. I can pedal my MTB to over 40kph without spinning out, that’s with a 30 tooth chain ring a 10 at the back.

There isn’t.   30:10 will have you at over 110rpm at 39kph.  How long can you sustain that for and just how bouncy will that be?

At 34:10, you’ll still be over 90rpm (at 40kph) and on a MTB 90rpm for a significant period is NOT comfortable at all as in most circumstances, you have a slightly less efficient pedalling position that that of a road/gravel bike.

60-70rpm is about the best comfortable rpm for a sustained off-road effort. Heck, even on road, most people will be at a 70-75rpm average.  Fit cyclists will be above 80 average and pros can sustain 100+, but not most of us.   Okay, you may not spin out at 10:34 on the flat, but your legs will be a blur and your contribution to power will be minimal at the top end.  Any for of downhill gradient will have you spun out.  Contrast that to any gravel bike with typical gearing 40/42:10 and at 65-70rpm you’ll be at 35kph as opposed to ~25kph on 32:10.

There’s quite a few people on this thread claiming that an XC hardtail is almost as fast a a gravel or road bike on the road, but unless you’re all slow riders, that’s rubbish.  Most (all?) modern XC hardtails are almost all limited to 32-34t front chainrings, this means that the spinout speed is going to be around 22kph with a 10t cog.  That’s pretty slow for road and gravel.

Off road, sure, on anything remotely technical or even loose at speed, a hardtail will be faster, but on much of the stuff in between, it will be slower and IME far less comfortable.

“Mahalo motherf***er”

I’d be looking at a Lefty Oliver and maybe a softtail like a Moots or something with designed flex like a Topstone carbon.

https://www.merlincycles.com/cannondale-lefty-oliver-gravel-fork-700c-302834.html?utm_source=PHG&utm_medium=AffiliateMarketing&utm_campaign=phg-GB&ucpo=205637&app_clickref=1011lzJ93sis&source=PHG&utm_medium=Affiliates&utm_campaign=shopforwardcss

Looks like a Chisel.

Shared use cycle path, to just two weeks ago, I moved out to overtake a man walking his dog.  I was clocking along at 36kph.  The next thing I know there’s a massive screech of tyres and as soon as I’m passed and pulled in, off shoots the unrestricted ebike, not pedalling and going at least 20kph faster than me.

This isn’t about them being different, it’s about relative speeds making them totally unsafe to share space with pedestrians, cycles, dogs, etc.

At speeds such as this, they need to be on the road.  Heck at 36kph, you could argue I do too.

White, perhaps with some colour coded decals to match the forks.

The dealer said 95% of the EVs they are supplying are company cars.

Just because they’re “company cars”, doesn’t mean their power is paid for.  I’d imagine a substantial proportion of those “company cars” are just salary sacrifice lease cars and that most of them will be charged at home or at work for almost their entire lease.

Because Zuckerberg doesn’t authorise all decisions, but when called to account ALWAYS takes the heat for his staff as through the decisions were his and then tries to change it for the better.  Thats not amoral.

Agreed.  Our i3 does around 5miles/kWh, but at £0.85/kWh, that’s still around 18p/mile.

Fuel is currently around £1.45 a litre, so at £6.60 a gallon and 35mpg (it’ll probably do 40mpg if driven like the EV), that equates to 19p/mile.

If it weren’t for home charging before leaving and after returning, there’d be no point in doing it even with an uneconomic car.

Thats a really efficient EV comparing against a pretty inefficient, old, 3L petrol car.

if your car did 50mpg and your EV only 3.4m/kWh  you’d be losing out substantially on rapid charging and just about breaking even on mixed use with some home charging on a balanced 13p/kWh rate.

Madness with electricity currently being below 13p/kWh average.

Zapmap is often wrong on pricing.  The polar charger we used yesterday was supposed to be 53p/kWh but was 85p without membership and 77p with it.

I’d look for a second hand granny charger – they’re often handy when using the car for holidays or emergencies, etc where people don’t have a home charger.

To my knowledge most 3pin chargers work with most cars.  Our BMW one worked fine with a Polestar and an MG.

@retrorick – Yeah, but Musk.  No thanks.  Even if my morals didn’t prevent me from using it, it’s harder in the North, especially in a car with only 180-200miles of range in ideal conditions (which yesterday most certainly wasn’t!)

Compressor dehumidifier with a 12-16l daily capability will work well.