I have heard of them and been involved in bodies which worked according to them. I would question whether this is an appropriate application of the Nolan Principles. I struggle to see how they’d be appropriate for a normal commercial organisation, for example.

.                                             By mileage               By number of rides

Nice 29er hardtail                      27%                                 42%

Foul weather 29er hardtail          9%                                  14%

Nice roadbike                            35%                                  31%

Winter roadbike                         29%                                  27%

Probably about 50:50 by time

Would keep the nice 29er if pushed because that’s the one that could do everything and it’s fast as ****

standard civil service attitude.

@jam bo Cutting edge of private enterprise and a shining example of British industry and innovation actually.

Overheard in my previous place of work “I’ve used all my holiday for the year, but I’ve still got nine days of sick leave to take before the end of May”

Off road, the foul weather MTB is in bike hospital- new rear rim, new rear brakes- so for the last three weeks I have been riding my brand new ‘nice’ carbon hardtail in snow, ice, mud, wind, rain. Last Monday was so horrible I commuted to work on it rather than the road bike because I thought it would cope better with the icy bits.

On the road, the winter bike is about to go to bike hospital, having been abused solidly since September, while the nice road bike hasn’t done anything since the end of October.

bikebouy – Member

Sad news that, IIRC I went to see them on the Bomber Tour along with another Band (who I can’t remember ATM)

I think Saxon were support on that tour, and I may have been next to Grandadmike, up fromt at the De Montfort Hall. Happy days…..

135 rides
5550 km (3449 miles)
88508 m (287650 ft)

About 50:50 MTB:road by time

Was hoping for 6000 km but a stinking cold in spring and a saddle sore in September put paid to that

Hakarl- even typing the word brings back the ammonia smell and taste

I’ve seen this with someone who had the habit of hosing the bike down to clean it, then spraying cassette and rear derailleur with WD40 to displace water. The WD40 dripped on to the tyre and he had two fail in the same way- the sidewall ripped at the top of the rim. Both failures were on the drive side of the rear wheel so we were suspicious of the WD40 but no direct evidence. However, he stopped doing the WD40 trick and hasn’t had another failure in over a year?

First properly cold ride of the year here in the western Peak District. Lulled into a false sense of security by sunshine as I was setting off, so I decided longs weren’t needed. An hour later, in sleet showers, slithering through mud and snow up above Buxton, I decided that was a bad plan. Three hours after getting back, I have nearly thawed out.

First commute today after exactly 4 weeks off all bikes with the saddle sore from Hell. 18 quite pleasant miles from Derbyshire to central Manchester.

I’m no racing snake and I’m waiting on a set of Mr Hope’s new wheels

RD40 Wheels[/url]

Not me, but some schoolmates…..Ooops!

Thinking of those I have encountered who I would say have gravitas, I’d say less is more.

In general discussion, don’t stray out of your area of competence. If you don’t know, say so; if you’re guessing, say so. DO NOT BULLSHIT.

Not sure I agree with the speaking slowly bit. I’d say speak naturally, but don’t speak much. Make sure what you say is well thought through.

Doing a brief or presentation is a little different. Be well prepared, expect interruptions, and think about how you’ll adapt when they say you’ve got 5 minutes instead of 20.

The confidence others mention will come from knowing what you are on about and only saying things which are well considered.

Why does he change his trousers to ride along the fire road?

Another vote for the Cinnamon Club here- not at all your normal curry house

Also, the revised REF is likely to require more impact studies. If you can’t pick and choose which staff to include, and you need x impact cases per y staff, then you’re going to need a LOT of impact cases.

Anyway, can’t dawdle, my teaching year kicks off at 10.00 on Monday. Handouts to copy, notes to read through, f***ing Blackboard to fight with……..

Lots of good advice here. Much depends on the institution/department/subject area so find out all you can about the background. There is starting to be quite a strong polarisation into ‘Teaching + Research’ and ‘Teaching only’ career paths in some places and teaching loads on the Teaching only path can be high (750 contact hours per year in our place which, allowing 1 hour prep and 1 hour marking for each contact hour makes pretty much a full time job, so little opportunity for research). It is a daft job at times but it is also very rewarding. Personally, I wouldn’t want to take a Teaching only career path but that depends very much on the individual and their inclinations. Go into it with your eyes open.

One of my more ‘interesting’ colleagues

So, having been working in Cornwall today, I am particularly looking forward to tomorrow’s trip up the A30, M5, M6 back to Manchester on the last day of the school holidays

Not if Mrs dpfr is asking!

Ah! If you’ve got the dried stuff, then orange polenta cake is yummy. 25 kg would let you make 180 cakes

Thanks for this. We are (were!) about to do some work with Bell Pottinger. Not any more!

Hoarding Mrs dpfr’s crap, like every other square inch of the house! I dream of skips…..

Eased off and ducked into a 100 yard gap between rows of parked cars on the A6 in Derbyshire on Friday, to let a wagon with 40 tonnes of limestone past, after he’d waited patiently for a while. He waved and blew his horn, just beside me, to say thanks, and I nearly crapped myself.

First proper job started in October 1985 at £ 150 per week. Slightly more than doubled my take-home compared with the postgrad student grant I’d been on before.

Dear God! :o

I cannot comprehend 550 miles over that ground in less than 3.5 days. Did he sleep at all?

Cracking effort! Congratulations to both

I really must object to the Minipips effort. I’ve already been dotwatching for a week and the main event hasn’t even started yet. I’m guessing, with less than 30 miles to go, Minipis and dad are going for it tonight. Good luck to both, and to all setting off tomorrow

Passed by roadies
Fell off again
Bugger, bugger, bugger!

@globalti- I managed to come off the roadie the other day too. No need to wonder why- straightforward utter stupidity

@willard- nettles and brambles I don’t mind. Bare flesh on gritstone hurts

Thanks- so I need knee pads, at least two new bikes, and a new house…….

I think I have lost my bottle with this bit and am trying to pick my way down slowly then, because I don’t have momentum, I’m getting bounced around and going off line. Need to grow a pair and give it a bit more speed I think, but maybe I will buy some knee pads first.

It’s many years since I was up around Devoke Water but it was all either horrible bog or horrible loose rocks when I was there.

Definitely recommend the Bower House at Eskdale Green- good food and decent beer (oh and accommodation if you haven’t got that organised yet)

@igm It sounds as if we have similar histories. I have an Enigma Evoke and an Etape and both are very smooth and very commfortable, and my back now suffers much less than it used to. They aren’t cheap but, for me, they do exactly what I want.

29er fixed
Not a cloud in the sky
Fabulous!

you can tell who trains with power and cadence because they accelerate away from you on the hills

…now applies to me too

Thirty kilometres home
Uphill into the wind
Hard work!

If you’re in Macclesfield, I think the Bike Factory in Whaley Bridge stocks Genesis

Wild, wet and windy
In the Goyt Valley
Curlews have returned