Why would you want to ride a bike with no gears on it? Seems a daft idea to me.

Maybe to offset the weight of a spare top tube 😉

Should I be worried that my Soul under the new CEN regs which require 50,000 + cycles broke after only 34,000 cycles ???

Nah, doubt it. Is the top tube 853 or as it's ovalised (?) is it something else?

2200? As I understand it there is an efficiency to factor in (heat production etc) on that figure. Is this correct, or is it 2200 actual output?

Theoretical but then don't most manufacturers quote that figure? There's loss in the driver but not sure if that's reflected in the max output from the driver being reduced (ie 970ma not 1000ma which means the light output being reduced) or having to put more power in to the driver to get 1000ma out. And the optics won't be 100% efficient so there's a loss. But if you lose 10% that'll leave 1980 lumens. Pah, hardly worth it now is it 😉

EDIT : Doh, beaten by the man …..

Run 32:18 as I tend to spin rather than grind, it's good thru the mud but do find it embarrasing when I get overtaken by old ladies on the flat 😳

If you're running 2:1 is it better to run 34:17 rather than 32:16 ? Something to do about the wear on the rings being more even – theory being that on an even / even the inner and outer parts of the chain are always on the same respective teeth and so half the teeth wear while the others don't. But even / odd this doesn't happen.

northwave with two pairs of woolen socks – ankle part took a while to "break in" and stop rubbing. For me uncomfortable if I do them up tight around the ankle so water can get in over the top but warm and toasty.

How easy/fiddly is converting to LED's using the Lumi can as I'm thinking of doing it? If it's generating more lumens will that generate more heat and if so will the can act sufficiently as a heat sink?

Saw him at MM this year

I saw him as well – he was usually sitting in a chair chatting. Funny that, as I thought soloists were supposed to spend most of their time riding round the track 😀

Ditch and switch.

Moneysavingexpert.com

Try "Spy sweeper" or "Malwarebytes" or some of the paid for software do on line scans which if they pick anything up you could then buy the software off them to remove it.

You can look on…..Moneysavingexpert.com

They'll also have something on rewards schemes etc.

Use road overshoes over mtb shoes. Tried them off road and no good on hike a bike sections but cheapish and disposable.

Then used seal skins and OK but they only do a limited range of sizes so the medium were too small and the large too large meaning they weren't 100% ideal.

After this got some Northwave winter boots – bit tough round the ankles to start with but once broken in they are great. Wear them with woolen socks. Only problem is getting them tight around the ankle which I don't like so water can get in. Shimano ones would solve this.

What will the midget get out of it?

Money? Ozzy used to hang* a dwarf/midget/small person at the end of one his shows in the 80's (I think). Banned in britain so the guy didn't get paid. The also banned the spraying of fake blood over the audience. And they couldn't get the coach and horses on the stage. I was soooo looking forward to that show before the changes 🙁

* not actually I believe, it was a stage show 😉

thought a strong,organic cheddar would be more up your street 😀

picked up a cheap, thin, high neck fleece from Matalan a winter or two ago. @ £4. Good for a winter or more. Didn't wash too well but still using it now. Opposite end, got a Merino top from Ground Effect NZ which is great and has withstood washing and smells less than I do 😉

Ginsters Energy bars are fav here along with trail Sushi

in fact anything that fits in a wok ……..

Think his favourite film is "The Exorcist" which while great back in the day IMO doesn't stand to the same scrutiny today. So more of a retrobike person??

But went on an internet date to see Pans Labyrinth 'cos he kept banging on about it. Not the date but the film you understand. Film was good, date wasn't …..

oh, and fig rolls. Also roadie reckons the pumpkin seed bars from Holland and Barrat are good but not tried them.

found "american gums" or something like that in the Co-op. Veggie and a few of them keep me going longer. That and caffeine torq gels which are better than viagra for staying power 😯

Shimano.

Works better than others.

Cheaper than others.

Dave Lines' "Brewing beers like those you buy"

Urm, I had that. Not sure if it's still in the house or went on Ebay….wanders off to search the cupboards.

Not brewed in years. I would say that the water quality is also important. Birmingham was superb and the beer was excellent. Kettering was dire and results were a disaster. There are ways of treating the water to get it right but can't remember what it involves.

I got good results from basic kits – empty tin into pan, add water, sugar and go for it. Also used extract, hops, sugar, yeast and this got better.

Did some bottling but ended up having three 40 pint barrels on the go and one in the fermenting bin. Just like a conveyor belt. Oh happy days 😀

does it all go straight in shipping containers bound for the rest of the world

maybe if you hang around the docks you'll be able to pick something up??

Cider and perry are definitly in our plans!

😀

Oh, and like the fact that I can view the site without accepting cookies or having scripts etc. turned on

Just found ….. "Raspberry Grand Cru has a vibrant red colour and a fine white head. The beer has a full raspberry fruit nose, a balance of sweet and sour fruit on the palate and a wildly refreshing zesty finish." 😯

Just reread the original post – radiators on full blast ??? TRV set to turn off when the room temperature is reached. Or if you only have a room thermostat then you have to balance all the radiators (ie limit flow thru them) so that when the room thermostat turns off each of the rooms is at the required temperature.

IMO it's best to have the heating on when you're in and off when you're out. Takes less energy to heat the house back up to the required temperature than to maintain that temperature. Think of a kettle – you boil water when you need it. You don't keep the kettle boiling for a few hours in between.

Not sure about the boiler temp, might depend on the hot water/central heating system. My boiler provides both hot water and heating. I have the boiler set to high, hot water tank thermostats high enough to just get the amount of hot water I need, TRV's on all radiators except lounge where the room thermostat (16 degrees) is. Timer set for 1 hour in the morning and 6 hours in the evening.

No figures to back this up but my theory is. With the boiler set to high then the hot water cyclinder heats up quicker and then the radiators heat up quicker than if the boiler was set to low. Therefore the boiler is on for a shorter period of time. In winter, the boiler will kick in when the timer turns on, heats up the water/house and then may come on late evening if it's very cold or if I run hot water off.

But, maybe there is a limit as to how high I should run the boiler? But the reality is to save money you should run the house at a "man's temperature" rather than "tropical hot house" 😯

Good luck with it all. Sounds liks a well thought out business plan and well put together site I like the fact that the site looks professional rather than home made. A few points

contact – I like to be able to see an actual bricks and mortar address for a web site even if you're a web only business.

List of breweries which you can click on to see the range of beers from them – makes it easier to see what you could add to a consignment or when you look at a beer know which other ones are available from the brewery.

Like the idea of the 52 week beer club.

Does cider and perry fall under real ale as I don't really drink real ale anymore.

Any expansion plans into small barrels though that then needs deposits and return carrige for the barrels.

Urm small point about forum rules, does this represent "trade or business" advertising though it may well have "overall positive effect on the mountain bikers" which is the aim of the forum !!!

Where I get my car serviced will fit parts supplied by me 😀 Means I can buy brake discs/pads off the internet cheaper than they source locally and they charge me for labour. The online retailer imports from Japan and undercuts any Mazda dealer. We all win. Garage gets money for the labour, online retailer makes money, I save money and get them fitted.

600 !!!!!

may the force be with you 😀

I always try to buy off lbs as I pop in there for a chat most weeks, get good deals, things get sorted if I need to – like realising a bushing is worn in the rear shock and calling in on the way to Wales for a weekend away and getting it fixed there and then. I don't mind paying a little extra if that's what they want for the extra service I get.

But, chatting with them over the Merlin sale prices and the stuff I wanted was cheaper than they could get it. They are OK with me buying from Merlin as they understand the way of the World. Speaking to a guy at Merlin they said they work on margins depending on where they get the stuff from.

IMO the internet has opened up choice for people. 25 years ago I had the choice of a few local bike shops and limited stock compared to todays choice. And also most people expect to pay less that rrp for everything – I certainly do. IMO what shops have to do is offer something above and beyond the basic price and this is not just bike shops but other shops on the highstreet.

Just go out on a date with him. What's the worst that can happen? OK, maybe being kidnapped, locked in a cellar and kept hostage for 18 years until the Police finally get round to doing something about it. But how oftern have you head of that happening??

Second thoughts, go on a date to a public place and never, and I mean never, be out of site of other people. And don't let him walk you home 😯

under new management …….. £4.50 a pint of Guiness

But did you get "service with a smile" as that wasn't include in the cost under the old management ……

I went to see Cannon & Ball on their evangelical tour. I even enjoyed it!!! There, it's out in the open and I'm not ashamed.

Mr Woppit – don't get me wrong. My thoughts on religion (not just Christianity) are more entrenched than ever after having been through all this. But, the course does let you meet other people who are looking at things differently and present different viewpoints which you might not get from your usual circle of friends. I'd never forgive myself if my words meant that someone went along and actually took up a religion !!!!!

The best thing to me that summed up religion was going to Madagascar. We visited lots of places where the sick or homeless were taken in, treated and looked after. Most of these were run by Christians, some of whom had been out there decades, and they had devoted their lives to looking after these people. Contrast that to what religion means here or in other parts of the World.

Any anyway, everyone know the true way is to "use the force" 😆

Test rode a FS set up – A German marque with very nicely put together frames – and the thing that bugged me was the very slight noise – can't remember if it was the high or low set of gears. Was told you get used to it and that it reduces over time but sounded like a slightly out of adjustment derailleur set up. Still think it's a great idea though. One MTB tourer who went to places like India etc. likes it for the reliability and the fact that it could be thrown on the back of Jeeps or tops of byuses without risking taking the rear mech off.

Looking at your original post my take on 24 solos is to have two bikes – one geared full suss and one SS set up for the mud.

Your local branch won't have dealt with the claim. It goes thru a regional office. You can phone your local branch up / call in over the weekend and ask for the phone number of the regional office and someone to speak to but I don't think there's any point in phoning that till Monday. Then call them direct. Explain the situation and get answers on the phone or shortly afterwards by getting them to call you back. If they can't help then escalate to the senior claims manager of the regional office. If he can't help then ask for the phone number of Head Office and who you can complain to / get it sorted there.

If your policy number starts "002X" then your local branch should be able to give you the claim number and some information about the claim over the weekend.

you'll "go to hell" (whatever that is) if you don't believe in "Jesus"

Well if you don't believe in Jesus then you won't believe in hell as they are all part of the same belief system – you can't have one without the other. Now you might believe in the God/Devil thing but not have a relationship with God. Then you will burn in hell !!!

Can you guess I've been on it? An ex g/f was a Church leader and very religious so I had to go on this c**p to try and find God and we could then get married, produce little Christians and live happily ever after.

Now, there might have been a person called Jesus who caused all sorts of grief for the Romans but there is no evidence that he was the son of God or that there even is a God. You have to "believe" and then when you believe it all falls into place. A bit like believing that Brant is the messiah and all that he produces is holy 😉

Agree with above that there are far too many inconsistencies with what's been written in the bible and it also cherry picks what's in there. if you say "but this is inconsistent" then they reply along the lines of it's not to be read literally but interpreted. Oh, and yes it's been translated so many times then as the film says "Lost in Translation"

But to be fair to the course, even though it is there to convert you to Christianity if it's well run then you can ask lots of questions about the World we live in. Might make you think hard about how we live together as a society and you never know you might change your out look on life.

Did you buy via the call centre (Glasgow) or one of the local branches?

Pizza

Cider / Perry

Black Sabbath

Used XT on this years bike – done 1300 miles on it and the rings are worn but still OK but I've changed the bottom bracket. Much better than previous Shimano attempts and Middleburn rings. Complete crankset inc BB are £120 @ Merlin till Sunday.

Ive got £4.5k worth of bikes insured on my NFU Mutual home insurance & they're covered wherever i take them. Cost me an extra £30 a year!!

Good to see another happy customer 😀

I've chosen security* and lifestyle over money – 25 mins cycle door to desk, have a big say in what/how I do things, flexible working. Oh and a final salary pension. Could earn more contracting though that's a bit iffy at the moment. But helps I'm single and have 100% control over my spending 🙂 In fact enough control to NOT buy that XTR crankset tonight ….

* security as in better than other companies in our sector I hope.