I’ve no experience of this but I attended an event at the local observatory last week, run by the local university. I found it interesting and am currently researching which sub £100 binoculars to get.

The lecturer presenting mentioned that binoculars are the best place to start for a beginner, and that 10 x 50 are a good size for starting out. They magnify enough to allow viewing deep sky objects but are not too unwieldy to hand hold. Larger magnification can require a tripod.

The impression I got was that the larger field of view you get from using binoculars can make it easier to learn where the constellations are, and if you get a telescope at a later date the binoculars come in handy for identifying roughly where you need to point the telescope. So they sounded good for beginners and suitable to complement a telescope at a later stage. As I said though I’ve no 1st hand experience, and others above seem to disagree with that.

The local astronomy club in attendance agreed with him, and I get the impression some clubs let you attend and try out their gear and ask questions. If there’s a local club perhaps he could go along and ask them for advice.

I picked up a PS3 this time last year purely for GT6. Coupled with the Logitech Driving Force GT wheel it’s good fun for a comparatively small outlay to a PS4.

It’s not had as much use as I had hoped though, it seems I am not much of a gamer at heart.

My tyres are tubeless compatible but my rims aren’t tubeless ready. They’re old Mavic EN321s which apparently don’t always play nicely tubeless but the Joes rim strips and eco sealant have been ok for me for a few months now.

I did need compressed air to get them to seat but other than that it was fairly straightforward. Perhaps the Geax TNT tyres helped?

I am using the Joes Eco Sealant that came in a tubeless conversion kit. It’s been in the tyres for around 3 months and can still be heard sloshing about. I’ve not had a chance to test it with punctures but it sealed the tyre after a quick ride around.

I’ve not used any other sealant so can’t compare but no complaints so far.

If you’re doing the pub crawl described by Rents I would add the Cellar Bar after St Marys Vaults.

*High five*

**High five back*

I’ve got a hankering for a crawler or a short course truck. The Unimog kit looks cool, but non Tamiya RTR kits seem more capable and better value.

My bother and I used to have a Hornet and a Lunchbox that we bought from a guy down the road who used to race them, but they were the original 80’s ones. I’ve still got the broken bits in a wardrobe but think it would probably be cheaper to buy a new kit than rebuild these.

I’ve got a Mondeo kit based on the FF01 chassis and a Nissan GTR Nismo based on the TL01 chassis. They’re both battered but mostly working and I have nowhere to use them so really should move them on.

The videos of Lunchbox with brushless motors, LiPos and decent shocks are amusing too. This could end up being expensive!

That is the best Asian cuisine IMHO. Biased though, I’m part Mauritian

I’m inclined to agree, but then my dad is Mauritian. The vegetable achar was the nicest pickle I’ve ever had, but I am partial to lime pickle or aubergine pickle too.

Lime pickle is amazing, fact.

The Pataks one is nice in a ‘this can’t be good for me’ way. The was a local independant trader in Preston called the Hungry Dodo who did an awesome lime pickle that tasted really fresh. I think she moved to Luton, if you ever see her at a market try her food, it’s great Mauritian cuisine.

Evanescence

I only own a couple of maps as I live on the boundary of the two. The latest one I bought had a free digital download so I downloaded the app and it seems ok. I’ll probably end up planning a route on the paper map and using the phone when out for convenience.

It’s a shame I don’t have a digital version of the 1st one I bought.

If you can afford the £50 per month I would recommend PetPlan for peace of mind. They have a high payout rate and pay directly to the vets so you should only need to pay the excess upfront. We have our Poodle insured with PetPlan and all being well we will be getting a second dog soon which will also be with them.

We used a company called Healthy Pets with our last dog, a Border Collie, they also offered life cover. At the time they were cheaper than PetPlan for us, but they weren’t with our current choice. We had to claim a few times for ongoing health conditions, referrals to specialist vets etc and they did always pay up, but sometimes we had to chase them. They also pay directly to the vets. WE haven’t used them in about 3 years so I don’t know if they’re still good, but they might be worth looking in to.

Would be interested to know where you live/ride to add a bit of variety to my more local options!

I live on the other side of Preston and mostly ride to Longridge Fell, around the fire roads and rocky trails till I am bored, then head home. It’s mostly wet and muddy in places, I am not sure it’s worth traveling far to get to. It’s alright on an old 26er hardtail though.

To be honest the road riding is better around here than MTB as there aren’t that many bridleways locally.

90% from home. The local riding isn’t great but neither am I. The faff of loading the bike into the car and unloading/cleaning a muddy bike with on street parking and no outside storage means I prefer to just hop on the bike and go.

In Lancs, outside Preston.

Sorry to hear this Tiger. We had to make that call 3 years and 2 months ago, so know first hand how truly crap it feels. It sounds like you did right by him for 14 years though, and did right by him today. You’ve got a lot of happy memories of him, cling on to them.

Good night Magnetodog and take it easy Tiger.

Have a look at Merlin Cycles. They have some half price Diamond Back hardtails that look like great VFM.

I managed to get out before the rain, but it started while I was making my way home. It was a bit blowy in places but good fun none the less.

I just bought one from Chilli Technology through Facebook. Was £39.99 with bigger battery and 960 bright with one touch low beam.

It’s ace!

I’ve seen these on Facebook but have no experience with them. I am torn between one of these or a torchy solar storm 2 style light. Anyone know how reliable the Chilli technology batteries and chargers are?

As I have found, even if you pay to protect that discount/bonus the insurance companies merely adjust the initial price (massively) upward and then apply the discount. Result is that we still pay more for our insurance irrespective of whatever NCD we have accrued.

I can see what you are saying, but you should bear in mind the premium is based on your risk, and since you’ve now had an accident you are deemed to be higher risk, so the premium is higher.

Had you not protected your no claims bonus your premium would still have increased due to the increased risk, but you would then get a smaller discount off that price as you would have fewer no claims.

I agree that the insurance industry is a con, and because it’s a legal requirement we have no choice but to pay the excessive premiums. The NCD helps make it a bit less extortionate.

I ordered a pair of the Vittoria adventure trail from PX last week and can confirm they’re tubeless.

I got them to run over winter instead of the Hyper Voyagers. I’ve not ridden them yet but they’re not much bigger than the 35c Hyper Voyagers. They feel heavier and are nowhere near as supple, but hopefully they won’t feel too slow. I wanted the light tread for better off road capabilities, they certainly feel robust.

As others said there is a market, but it’s not massive. Decent condition 26er forks fetch reasonable money, it took me a while to get some Rebas at a cheap price. Wheels do sell, but some go for beer money and others a fair bit more. Many of the wheels on eBay have dings or broken spokes etc. The Stans with Hope wheelsets I had been watching go from anywhere between £70 and £150. I’d imagine scrap value would be pennies, so as others have said try 99p start auctions and see what they go for?

Nothing high end, but good enough for me.

Mission 751 freedoms in the main system,

Eltax monitor 3 in the bedroom,

Gale mini monitors in the kitchen

And some Mordaunt Short MS50i that aren’t connected to anything as they’re a bit too big for the room.

I don’t like being drunk, I do like the feeling I get from a beer or two or a large glass of wine. Therefore I stick to that, usually 1 beer, or glass of wine, rum or whiskey.

I like the taste of alcohol, but lose the appetite for it after a couple of drinks so find it easy to limit my intake. That said I used to only drink at weekends, but the last couple of months it’s spread into the week too. I’ve started to reduce drinking to weekends again.

1. Know your enemy- Rage Against The Machine
2. Walk – Pantera
3. New Noise – Refused
4. Master of Puppets – Metallica
5. Welcome to the Jungle – Guns n’ Roses
6. Bleed – Meshuggah
7. Locust – Machine Head
8. Everybody Wants Some – Van Halen
9. SOAD – ATWA
10. Devour – Shinedown
11. Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills

I’ve also got a small head. Thankfully, at only 5’5 with a slim figure it’s in proportion to the rest of me.

My roadie lid is white, and does make me look like a mushroom!

I also like the look of the Fugio, although I have no plans to replace my current drop bar bike. I’ve also always wanted a Tarn. Can’t really afford one yet but it doesn’t stop me wanting one.

Were you planning on keeping it or replacing it soon? If keeping I would look for a used gearbox from a breaker. Either fit it yourself or get quotes from a garage to change it for you.

If you do decide to move it on I would suggest leaving the gearbox in the car.

Just booked. Plenty of tickets on the Lowry website.

Right you are. I only checked TicketMaster, as that was mentioned in the link from the OP :oops:

It was showing tickets for the other venues though.

Hmm, it would seem the tickets are unavailable for Salford Quays. Gutted.

Sounds like a good event though.

If it’s the selector knob on the amp you could try cleaning it. You can buy electrical switch cleaner in an aerosol form. Spray it into the knob and work it throughout it’s range. YouTube has loads of videos on it. Got to be worth a go for £5 or so?

It was a good amp in it’s day and possibly still has years left in it.

I have a pair of those speakers that I bought off eBay years ago, they sound good to my ears. I have read that they are similar to some EPOS speakers, as at the time of manufacturer they were sister companies.

I have been following this thread with interest and that Ender 2 is really tempting.

I also have no idea what I would make with it, but still want one.

We saw some from our back yard between 10:15 and 11. Then an owl flew overhead and landed on our soil pipe, which was of even more interest to the wife.

I prefer solo rides. I don’t get out as much as I would like to, so my fitness isn’t great and I would probably be the slow one in the group holding others up.

I don’t mind the occasional ride with others, but I am not that sociable by nature and kind of enjoy being able to go at my own pace, going where ever takes my fancy.

How tall is she and what’s it likely to be used for? I guess the Voodoo Bizango is the obvious choice, but there may be some sale bikes appearing as 2017 stock is discontinued.

Last week I bought a 12-36 9 speed cassette from Merlin for £13.50, and a 9 speed KMC chain from Amazon for £9.

They’re cheap and not light or bling, but are working well enough for me.

I recently changed my chain and experienced what you are describing. The cassette looked OK but fitting a new one resolved all the chain skipping issues.

Drewd….. Size info is on the KS site. This is for the 2017 eten. Not sure if that’s what these are but here you go http://kssuspension.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2017-eTEN-Drawing.pdf

Edit…. Just measured the post to the drawing. Same dimensions

Excellent, thanks. I shall measure my frame later.

Does anyone know the total length of the eBay £55 post? I am short and my 16″ frame has seat tube bottle bosses that prevent the seat post being inserted very far. Wondered if one of these would be too long for me.

The Helion Animus that you linked to does look very small according to the listed dimensions.

You can ge a battery cheap enough for your old car, I got this one a couple of years back when I tried reviving my old gear.

You are right though, it can get expensive. My old Hornet and Lunchbox were too broken to be cost effective to repair. I ended up buying a used Tamiya drift car off eBay with some old radio gear and an ESC to see if I got in to it again. The shell was wrecked but the chassis was good and it had been ball raced, I think it was around £50 posted. I would suggest either going down this route or buying a new Tamiya Neo Fighter or similar to get going. If like me you only end up using it twice it’s less money wasted. I really should try and move that on.

There was a thread on here a few years back, I think Traxxis were deemed to make very good and durable cars and trucks, but they don’t come cheap.

Wow, thanks all.

The Deore BB is about £10 but reportedly doesn’t last all that long, as the new XT one is only £16 and has the adapter I will go for that.

To be fair my last BB was on the bike when I got it, and has lasted a couple of years. I went out in some fairly grim conditions earlier this year, and I suspect that’s when this one started to deteriorate.

I’ll grab the new XT one today and be sure not to compress the bearing when setting the preload.