No idea if it’s any good yet but I’ve just ordered a Endura Hummvee Windproof Shell Jacket which are cheap and in-stock at various retailers.

I always boil in the bag wearing proper waterproofs, so I’ve been on the hunt for a light thin softshell/windproof with a bit of water resistance. And planning on layering up depending on conditions.

I’m a LVT convert after laying some in the bathroom, and then ended up doing all of downstairs too.

Easy to cut, fit, hard-wearing, cleans well, and looks better than laminate.

Ours has stood up very well in high traffic areas with plenty of abuse from pets and kids.

Floor has to be absolutely flat so freshly levelled floor or whack some ply down first.

From Aberford you can make a nice loop going down the Leeds Country Way along to Temple Newsam. From the top of the ‘Avenue’ at TN you can go through Hollinthorpe to Kippax via Brecks Lane, and from Kippax you can take a path going trough Ledston Luck towards Ledsham. You can then head north through Ledston Park, Micklefield woods, past the MX track, and follow a track next to the A1M which takes you through Hook Moor wind farm which is a lovely stretch, and then back to Aberford.

Yes, mad. Do it.

Anything. And just keep on top of maintenance.

I try to give the MTB and gravel bike a wipe down and re-lube after every ride, and the commuter gets the same treatment once a week.

I do a fair bit of DIY and the drills I couldn’t live without are:

1) 12v cordless Parkside/Lidl drill/driver. This is great for odd jobs around the house. Batteries are cheap.

2) Corded sds hammer drill for drilling into brick.

I’ve also got a cordless Hitachi combi drill, and a Ryobi impact driver. But these only really get used for bigger projects like studwork, decking etc.

I’m a lazy bugger so having a cordless drill for general house duties is essential for me, as the faff of getting it plugged in and finding extension cables would mean jobs would get put off.

I used to run marathons which just worked but the ride was pretty terrible for the volume.

Now running LifeLine Essential Armour Commuter Road Tyres in 700×38 flavour and really happy with them.

Far better ride which appears to be down to thinner sidewalls, but the puncture protection is good enough for my urban commute which is littered with glass, rubble, stones etc.

They’re cheap as **** too.

I’ve been off sick this week so managed to binge the full thing and really enjoyed it.

The dubbed audio is shocking though, and I found the subtitles far better, although I read that these aren’t perfect either.

What @Onzadog said.

My wife has RA so I’ve seen what it can be like to live with. These are the things that she’s found helped:

-Take the drugs, and keep pestering the clinic if they’re not working. They try people on the cheap less effective drugs first before giving the more effective ones a go.
-Keep moving. My wife finds the more active she is the less her joints flare up. And the stronger her muscles and ligaments are, the less strain is placed on joints.
-Don’t over do it. Exertion can cause her to flare up. Still exercise, but dail it back a bit from 11.
-Stress. Keep on top of it, which is easier said than done.
-Diet. Follow the advice they give you, eat plenty of leafy greens.

She rides her bike quite often, but canal paths and bridleways rather than trails, but getting her bike set up so it fit properly was the main thing. Went through a few sets of grips and setup tweaks before we found something that didn’t aggravate her joints.

She swims and runs too, and finding a good stable set of running shoes was again key here.

The so called green tariffs are a joke – it all goes into the grid anyway, and you can’t tell which bean caused the fart.

Firms are currently able to advertise their tariffs as “green” even if some of the energy they supply comes from fossil fuels, which industry figures have warned risks misleading consumers.

Suppliers can use several ways to achieve green status under the current rules, including through committing to use 100% of the income from their customers to invest in developing renewable energy or by striking a deal with an existing windfarm or solar array to buy the electricity they produce.

I’ve got some single sided ones (crankbrothers doubleshots), they’re ok but I wouldn’t go down that route again as I’ve found they’re the worst of both worlds rather than the best of both for my riding.

In flats they’re not so bad but having to keep looking and flipping the pedal to get clipped in is a bit of a ball ache. However, this isn’t so bad on longer rides where you don’t have to unclip much, but for pottering, commuting etc they’re a faff when clipped in.

Getting some with decent grip on the flat side is difficult. I ended up drilling and tapping some holes to put some pins on mine.

Well, this thread is slightly reassuring.

I’ve not been to the dentist for 18 years and I’m booked in for my first appointment next month. I’ll be very surprised if nothing needs doing.

I’ll definitely prefer an extraction over an implant.

Stanton switch9er FS can be had with custom geo, so shorter seat tube with longer reach.

I got a Bell Sidetrack Youth helmet a couple of months ago for my 2 year old.

Light, straps can be adjusted, and the buckle is great for avoiding pinching his neck.

I’ve had some close encounters with some interesting wildlife which has been really cool. A honey buzzard, some owls, deer, to name a few.

Talking the long way home or going via the scenic route on a nice day is just great.

Riding along the canal in Leeds to find a new pop up bar right by the water and having a cheeky pint by the water.

Best thing about commuting though is when you’ve had a shit day at work and the ride just resets things and arriving home knackered but happy rather than stressed.

Worst one was probably a crash when my chain snapped.

In a queue of traffic waiting to turn right at some traffic lights and I was in too high a gear and got out the saddle and started mashing the pedals to get up to speed when the chain skipped and then snapped at the worst moment which resulted in me going OTB face first into the tarmac. It was a bit downhill so fell a bit further than had it happened on flat ground and landed in the middle of the road on the white lines/cats eyes/gravel with a big doc off lorry narrowly missing me coming the other way. Proper squeaky bum moment.

Helmet was done, jacket, gloves and shorts ripped. Front wheel buckled, derailleur and chain done, saddle and grips shredded. Nothing broken, but a few bruises and plenty of gravel rash on face, ear, arms, hips, legs, ankles. I think I may have had a concussion also with hindsight.

I’ve had plenty of mechanicals, punctures, and near misses with drivers, but I usually try and learn from them weather it be taking a longer but safer route, not being lazy with maintenance, taking the right spares, or altering my riding.

Still love commuting on the bike in spite of the hassle and dangers.

These are my observations:

-Nothing wrong with riding in a group
-The overtake didn’t look dangerous from that angle (whether it was necessary is a different matter)
-The honk was unnecessary and only riles people up
-The brake check was dangerous and unacceptable
-Blocking a moving car is stupid
-Not keeping an eye on what’s in front of your when driving is dangerous
-Touching someone’s car is not a good idea
-Confronting an angry person is never going to end well

The driver was was clearly at fault for causing this incident, was the bigger arsehole, and was the only one to commit an offence.

Some of the riders didn’t help themselves, and whilst not responsible for the drivers actions, could have conducted themselves differently to avoid escalating things (self admittedly, this is easier said than done once the adrenaline get going).

I’m glad I’m not the only one in the sweaty mess club.

It’s a vicious cycle. More water = more weight = more energy needed to get up the hill = more heat = more sweat.

I’ve just accepted the fact I’m going to be sopping wet most rides.

20 year old being offered a £30k salary with no experience sounds way too good to be true without any nepotism.

I’d definitely find out more.

If it tastes nice well aye.

8×4 sheet of 18mm mdf cut in half lengthwise and then then joined together was the cheapest way when I built my workbench.

Benefit of that is you have 4 clean sides to use/flip over once it gets too dirty. Or do it properly unlike me and paint or vanish it from the get go…

I’ve just fitted a coil to my AM9 so have the old duluxe sat in the garage, which I’ve not got round to selling yet.

I think it’s got the L/L tune, but would have to double check. I’m fairly sure the AM160 and AM9 have the same stroke and length.

If you’re interested give me a PM.

Been with them about 6 months now, no issues.

Haven’t had any need to contact them apart from to get an isolator switch fitted which they did very quickly and for free!

It’s gone mad for sure.

I had to reset my expectations when looking for a banger/shed recently too.

Gone are the days of easily picking up a car with a bit of MOT for £500, which I’ve done many times in the past. Went to see loads of ropey stuff with £1500-£2000 asking prices.

Facebook and gumtree were full of dodgy ‘traders’ masquerading as private sellers, and the stuff on AT and the other classifieds were generally lemons with high asking prices.

Tiagra 4700 is absolutely fine. Good clean shifting.

Better frame. Don’t let the tail wag the dog…

20 stone here.

Beefy stiff fork is probably more important than shock to be honest, especially for a longer travel or slack bike. 32mm stanchions are a bit too noodly for me, so something with 34+ is what you’re after.

As for shock I much prefer running a coil, as to get sag right you need a shit tonne of psi which makes the bike very harsh and poppy. That’s great for built trail centres and jumps, but not so great for more natural stuff. Coil feels buttery smooth over small bumps and just feels great for me. Makes climbs far easier too.

Had a maccies breakfast.

Breakfast roll with brown sauce, and an extra hash brown to whack in the roll.

Clarke M2 is a good shout actually. I have a pair on an all round commuter/dad bike and they’re more than adequate at stopping my fat arse in general use and trail riding.

I was going to suggest the Shimano MT501/MT520 4 pots, but just seen how much these are now!

Bought mine for £140 just before covid but looks like they’re £200 for a set now!

Awesome brakes, but looks like you can get guide t or r for less than that now which are also good budget brakes, well not ‘budget’ but you know what I mean.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Plenty there I’ve not found via googling, so got some choices.

Thanks @steel4real

That looks very similar to the ‘space brace’ one a mate suggested, but far cheaper – cheers

Edit: and @keefezza

I have and do work on it, but it’s weak point following years of abuse from footy, rugby, and skateboarding, and more recently running and riding. I’m not getting any younger.

I’ve used normal and those sticky bandages to strap it up to good effect before, but they are a bit crap when they get twisted or wet, so after something more fit for purpose.

I’d rather get something relatively easy to put on, which means I’ll actually use it, and wear it more of a preventative measure.

I’ve learned the hard way with my knees that it’s better to wear protection and not need it, rather than wait for a more serious injury.

6ft 1 here

760 on all-round 29er hardtail/commuter/Dad/pub/xc bike

770 on 27.5 trail hard tail

780 on 29er big enduro bike

I can see the argument for stricter measures for those wanting to keep firearms at home, and adding barriers to access such as keeping guns at a club, range, estate etc.

It might prevent the ‘fit of rage’ shootings, and give an opportunity for them to calm down, or time for the alarm to be raised.

Proper tragic this incident.

Being alive is dangerous and everyday we all do stuff that risks harming ourselves and others – driving is dangerous, crossing the road is dangerous, chopping veg is dangerous, giving an honest opinion on your wife’s outfit is dangerous, even mountain biking is dangerous. We do this stuff because usually there’s a benefit that outweighs the danger, and well, life would be boring if we or the government took a zero risk approach to everything we do.

Firearms are obviously very dangerous and clearly need controlling to an appropriate degree however the level of control is where most people will disagree, and also over what level of residual risk is acceptable in our society. Some will say there should be zero risk and call for an outright ban, and others will point to the low level of firearms deaths in the UK compared to other developed nations and say the current laws and controls are working as intended. Irrespective of which side of the fence you sit, incidents like this should trigger a proper review, which should look at both how firearms are licenced/controlled and what level of risk we are prepared to accept, sorry, what level of risk the government decides we are forced to accept as a society.

There’s a case for using them for land management and agricultural purposes, and like it or not, there’s also an economical benefit given the popularity of recreational shooting in the UK.

I don’t think the government will ever ban firearms completely, but the way in which certificates are assessed and overseen should have a good overhaul – even if that only saves one life then the additional red tape is worth it.

The middle bracket is only for car seats with top tethers.

We’ve got a Joie 360 spin and nothing attaches to middle hook with that carseat. They don’t have a ‘top tether’ and instead use the leg at the front that goes into the footwell to support. The seat will just clip onto the two outer bars.

Isofix isn’t necessarily safer, but is harder to mess up fitting Vs a seatbelt.

Isofix adopter brackets can be safely retrofit, however I would personally use and ‘official’ kit rather than an unknown quantity off eBay/Amazon.

The most significant factors to safety are: keep them rear facing for as long as possible; and, make sure their harness is the correct tightness

I got diagnosed about 18 months ago.

Started me off on amlodipine but had horrendous headaches, and now on 10mg of ramipril, which is better.

I made some good progress last year bringing it down, which has gone out the window now, but doing the following worked for me:

-Regular exercise, higher intensity cardio in particular
-Sorting diet, loads of fibre, loads of veg, cut as much sugar and bad fats as you can
-Watch salt intake, but found that needed to be balanced when doing longer rides to avoid cramps
-No caffeine after noon
-Get a proper nights sleep, which is easier said than done with young children

I ended up losing about 2 stone doing that and my BP went from stage 2 to stage 1 hypertension.

I’ve undone that hard work, and now need to start again.

Remember to have the new contract signed before handing in your notice. Mate didn’t do that and had his job offer withdrawn when covid hit, and was left unemployed after his notice period!