People’s priorities shouldn’t be holidays! Just write them off this year. The government has rightfully allowed you to defer your holidays for 2 years and I think we should utilise this option. I think that some people are living in a bubble, there is going to be an economic shit storm coming when the furlough money runs out.

I think any rules or actions of the Scottish or UK government will be based on only a poor estimate of how much of the UK has been or is currently infected with the virus, until you test everybody. There should either be swab kits posted out to every household or setup mobile testing stations around the country as even at 100,000 tests a day still takes over a year to test everyone.

We need to be pro-actice and get this country working again.

I’ve been walking or cycling up and around my local country park almost daily through lockdown. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the vast majority of people’s behavior and cheery attitude. Yeah I’ve seen an increase in litter, illegal parking, unattended smouldering barbecues and the odd group who are no chance being from a single household. Strangely I have seen less cars there since they reopened the carparks. It’s great seeing so many people out walking and cycling, I genuinely believed at the beginning of all this that lots of people would end up alcoholic as the WhatsApp messages came in but from what I’ve seen some will come out of this fitter and with a new passion for the outdoors. Would be nice to be able to see my in-laws and maybe ride in a different county though.

Nice bike. My first Soul was black.

Cotic in my opinion is great to deal with. When I bent the rear triangle of my Soul I rang them up to ask if they could recommend a repair place. They offered me a discount on a new frame instead which I took them up on (can’t remember if it was £100 or £150 off but was a considerable amount off the frames retail price). I sold the damaged frame too for someone else to repair. The only thing I don’t like about Cotic is that whenever I have money for a new bike they’ve always sold out of the model or colour I wanted.

Old 105 levers used to rattle. Bloody annoying. Before breaking.

If it’s a Shimano road chainset, be gentle when you tighten the chain ring bolts when putting it back together, the aluminum threads in the chainring are quite soft. Not that I over tightened mine of course 🙄

My singlespeed Stooge is incredibly creaky but I’m pretty sure it’s that my chainring is worn and the noise is chain being forced into the recess between each tooth. I’m too tight to buy a new chainring so I’ll just put up with it until it finally gives up the ghost, might go with a bang! 😬

I had an Orange 5 years ago that developed a creak, turned out it was the rear quick release, I spent ages taking apart and greasing the headset, bottom bracket etc. I had totally forgotten about my mystery creak on my 5 until I my road bike developed a creak recently. I took the chainset, and headset apart and greased them before checking my quick releases. 🤦

I would argue that an affordable lightweight windroof jacket is the most suitable item of clothing you can buy for the uk. The fit is important though.

I bought my pal one of the wind proof jackets from Alpkit. It’s a bit more rustly than my 7 mesh one but they’re less than half the price. The fit looks great and I like the way the dropped tail has a semi-hidden draw cord so it stays in place.

I loved my Montane Velo but the zip broke (don’t they all?). I bought a 7 mesh Northwood to replace it and I tend to ride it most of the time (great if the weather is 10 degrees or below). I got mine in a sale over 3 years ago. Still in great condition with no rips or holes. I use it on my road bike and mountain bike. Would buy another but still probably can’t justify it’s retail cost despite me getting so much wear out of it.

Raleigh banana’s! That’s a blast from the past. I liked them.

I have that same discussion with my life. I say a modern apprenticeship where you split your time at college and work is the way to go (I’m a bit biased as that’s what I did). That way what you learn at college can be tried out at work and vice versa. Plus you don’t get a load of debt at the end.

My wife says that going to uni/art college was the right way to go as that’s what she did but then she had parents who could contribute to her rent and bills so she didn’t run up a huge debt.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Lotus 7’s since when I was a kid and got to sit in one at the Birmingham car show. Don’t have the money for one though, maybe when I’m retired in 24 years! 😭

Just Googled that MEV Exocet, I think it is lovely! Not ugly but I can definitely see how it’s looks could be interpreted that way (I also like the look of Nicolai bikes and Alfa SZ’s).

I really like the idea of taking an older car and fitting an electric motor and batteries, I can see that being a big thing in the future.

Where I grew up a lot of the teenagers ended up doing ‘community service’ but I think that might be a different thing to what the op was thinking. 😀

I quite like it when some of big brands do a cheap road bike but in the same colours as their pro bike. Bit like when you could get a Jordan Honda Civic.

I like the fact you get nicer wheels, it seemed to be the way on every bike review they would complain about the stock wheels. Mind you I had a pair of SHIMANO RS100 wheels on a cheap road bike before that I actually quite liked. I think they retailed for something like £70. Shows you I have no class 😄

Do kids still do work experience? I spent 2 weeks in solihull council and thought it was pretty good for me. And it taught me I never want to be a QS 😄

Right enough, I saw your Scott Spark in another thread (or was it this one 😲). It’s nice, always had a soft spot for them as they looked like proper race bikes, even the logos. Your road bike is nice too. Would like to try aero wheels but living near to the coast in Scotland I’m not brave enough, or rich enough come to think of it 😄

You were talking about riding someone off your wheel. In hindsight you probably were talking about a club ride and not just a regular ride.

Apologies if I took you wrong.

Anagellis, what a petty thing to say. I’m just trying to express that cycling should be a joyous thing not full of the fun police. I have enough of that at work.

One thing I’d like to say is that everyone is a lot more likely to say hello when out and about these days. It’s really nice.

Trail-rat. I don’t sit on people’s wheel as I think it’s rude if they’re not in my group.

I have had a couple of folks on road bikes race up behind me and then sit on my wheel without even a hello.

I’m no roadie despite being in full Lycra and being on a road bike. The hardcore roadies can smell it I’m sure. 😄

You lot are even worse than them grumpy roadies. 😀

Where can I get saracen PJ’s? They sound right up my street. Do they have room for kneepads? 😲

The government is still going for herd immunity just not calling it this as that would be bad PR.

There will not be a working vaccine in the next 12 months.

Most people will get it in the next 12 months (probably find that we could already have had 50% of the population get it).

There is a death rate of approx 3% of those who get it.

A heartless person might say we just get back to work and forget about social distancing.

A super cautious person would say we need to stay at home untill we have a vaccine (which might never happen)

We’re currently doing a weird halfway house approach which will cripple our economy for a long time but still kill a significant number of people as the infection will still spread but at a slower rate.

So the people who just carry on like they always have done will almost guaranteed have had or will have it before people who are social distancing. Whilst we all change our lives dramatically, with all the crap that comes with that, but will still get the virus at some point but just don’t know when.

There is a logic to not social distancing but ironically most people who aren’t following the rules aren’t intelligent enough to understand the logic. They do it because they’re selfish.

Not sure how people convince themselves that what they are doing is acceptable and won’t have consequences for themselves and others. I’m sure there’s a psychological term for it (probably same thing when people won’t stop smoking or drinking too much etc despite being told that it is harming them and those around them).

I’ve read that some experts have been shocked how easily it has been getting the whole country to essentially put themselves under house arrest. Very little trouble, no looting, no riots.

I think sometimes that it’s just a big social experiment to see what we would actually do if they took all our freedoms away. The answer seems to be that we just go with it and grumble about it online.

Nice bikes Footflaps, what you riding these days?

A couple of anecdotes about roadies I have encountered.

I did the Lord of the lochs sportive a few years ago and there was a guy (who had been a right ignorant cock earlier in the ride) at the side of the road with the crank arm in his hand. It needed a massive Allen key that no one had. Never did see him again. Oh how we laughed.

Another sportive (my first ever), it was the Tweedlove one. At the cafe halfway point a guy with a South East accent came in with grazes all down him and his Assos kit in shreds. I went to see if I could help sort his bike out but the dura-ace shifter had been ripped clean off. I asked what had happened and he simply said “it was gravel” maybe they don’t get that down south, it was at the bottom of a hill though before a bend he described.

Same sportive I was riding alongside an chap who was very friendly but suddenly become all concerned (actually shouting as me to watch out) when I didn’t slow for the cattle grids and merely bunny hopped them.

Last year on the ‘ride to the sun’ sportive I got told off for weaving between the white lines on the road and bunny hopping the speed bumps, it was like 2am and the roads were empty and I was enjoying myself.

Roadies they just seem a bit different to us guys that like to get our tyres dirty.

I get ignored by roadies whether I’m in full Lycra or not, I love the look of disgust I get after I’ve cheerfully said “hello!” 😄

On balance I often ride on the road wearing baggies and with mountain bike pedals and shoes.

Isn’t Rose just another Planet-x, Merlin or Ribble? Or even like Aldi?Just they seem more exotic as they’re German? Canyon kind of do this too but having a pro road team makes them seem more of a premium brand.

Not knocking them at all, everyone wants a good product at a good price.

Just aren’t other roadies going to sneer at you on one? Like wearing baggies on the road. Or riding in full team kit. Or wearing a cycling cap off the bike.

Down country? Not heard that before. love it how marketing can literally reinvent types of bike.

Had a neighbour lecturing me on my choice of bike saying that she doesn’t ride mountain bikes much anymore as now she predominantly rides ‘gravel!’
I enquired about where abouts this ‘gravel’ was that she talked about.
My view of gravel is the long stretches of unpaved roads you see in the press, often in places like Sweden or America for example. There isn’t anything like that around where we stay that I know of (I’ve been riding my bike around where I stay for 15 years and have scoured maps looking for trails and footpaths). I assumed that there was some new routes that have been built or I must have missed, but no. She then goes on to tell me about these amazing gravel trails which are in fact NCN paths.

I’m happy that she’s riding her bike along with others but I’m pretty sure that people have been riding all sorts of bikes along lots of the routes that are now labelled gravel for a long time.

Sorry about the rant, I think I’m getting worse as I hit my mid forties.

I was also considering a Salsa spearfish when I was looking for a long-legged xc full susser.

I’d ways wanted a Scalpel but now that itch has been scratched

If I was buying the same type of bike again though I think I’d get an Orange 4 as I loved my 2009 5 but found it a bit dull if I wasn’t riding flat out. The 4 looks like it has the perfect amount of travel along with nice geometry.

Don’t need another bike but the ‘want’ is strong.

Same height as me 🤔

Cheers.

Notmyrealname, just out of interest what height are you and what frame do you have?

Never noticed that about the chainset. Cheers for the heads up.

I’m not too fussed to be honest though as I’ve always fancied a hollowgram chainset as they’re meant to be amongst the lightest and stiffest you can get, shame I got a truvativ one with my bike but then I haven’t had any problems with it nor the press fit bottom bracket.

I do have Shimano chainsets on most of my other bikes (and probably on all my previous bikes too come to think of it) but then I have managed to break a few of them and my four bolt 105 chainring on my road bike isn’t very clever as it restricts after market chainrings and you need to be careful not to strip the threads in it. Plus I remember an XT chainset I had that had an aluminum granny ring which was one of the stupidest design ideas I’ve ever seen!

Just found a Trek Crocket frameset for sale that can be singlespeeded. Not cheap but looks classy in mint green.

It would be great if the likes of On-one did something similar but cheaper. I like it when On-one do stuff that’s a bit different but is still affordable so you can experiment with different frames but not break the bank (I’m looking at you! surly and Salsa 😀)

It must have been a while a go that I last looks for ss hydro brake levers as now trp make a pair. Not sure if there any good but this has now got me thinking of getting budget ss gravel bike built up. If not a pompino then I’ll just have to look elsewhere, there must be similar frame sets about.

Always fancied getting a pompino back in the day but bought a Genesis Day one instead. Rode that for a good few thousand miles (think I might have sold it on here).

I’m quite interested in a cheap, dropbared, fun, steel disc bike. Although I don’t know of a company making drop hydro (brake only) levers and I loathe mechanical disc brakes nearly as much as having to adjust canti brakes everytime I tension the chain.

Would quite like it in the clear coat that On-one do on some of their other bikes. So it would look kinda shabby but cool like some of the cool cycle courier bikes you see sometimes.