I’ve been using Indievelo.  It’s currently in Beta so it’s free to use.  I really like it.  The developer George Gilbert rolls out new features almost every two weeks and he’s already implemented a lot of nice features the Zwift community have being crying out for.  I’ve suspended my Zwift account but at the moment I can’t see myself going back as Indievelo gives me what I need.

I’ve had no t-shirt.  Looking through my emails I’ve not had a response to my original email where I sent my size.  I’ve emailed Zoe but she’s on holiday.

I recently did the Sandstone Way in Northumberland using the Aeroe rear rack with a 2o litre Alpkit bag.  It is a superb bit of kit and the rack never budged on the whole trip.  My mate who I did it with was riding with a Tailfin rack.  The big difference with the Aeroe rack compared to others is that it still allows you to use your dropper post.

My optician reduced my left eye from -3.00 to -1.50 and my right from -3.25 to -3.00 and now I have great vision for reading and distance.  It takes a day or two to adjust to it but now I can’t even bear to wear my glasses so the lens go straight in.

I would definitely try it but like others have said you need a day or two to get used to it.

My Singletrack Lockdown 2020 mug.  Its so good, I bought two for a bit of tea drinking fault tolerance.

I’ve got subscriptions to Singletrack and The Week.  I occasionally buy Private Eye.

I’ve had a Signal Ti five years.  I’ve ridden it two to three times a week every week and its still fine.

I’ve used Podcast Addict for a few years and really like it.

Good news.  Good luck with the migration.

I’m in

I’ve bought a few things from CEX to build a dedicated Zwift PC and found them to be really good.  They are good with returns and you get a warranty.

I’ve got a pair of Aeropex I use for solo mountain bike rides.  I mostly listen to podcasts and have no issue with the sound quality.  I’ll mute them on descents when the wind noise gets too much.  You can still hear any traffic around you.

Done

https://puremountains.com/

Tim and Jenny run excellent mountain bike holidays in Spain.  We had a brilliant trip with them and the riding is exactly what you are after.

If you head to Grizedale be aware there are a number of trail closures due to storm damage and you’ll end up doing more of a gravel ride as I found out yesterday.

My go to Winter jersey/jacket has been Stolen Goats Climb and Conquer jacket.  This is made by Bioracer using their Tempest Protect fabric.  I usually wear this in all weathers with just a base layer underneath and hardly ever feel the need to add a hard shell over the top.  I’ve recently bought a Bioracer Tempus Protect top in the sale.  All of my roadie and MTB tops are Bioracer.

I’m another one who never gets the code emailed.

I’m off out but only to an proper real pub that will be largely full of middle aged blokes drinking slowly and standing or sitting in the same place they always sit or stand.  I’ll avoid the centre of town and get the Missus to pick me up before the craziness begins.

Good luck out there people,  stay safe!

So sorry for your loss.  That was a wonderful eulogy.  My Daughter is called Evie so I found that a very emotional read.

My daughter is off to Uni for the first time.  She worked over the summer and saved £4.5K so it works out as follows:

Halls: £7.5K We paid

Grant/Loan: £3.8K

Savings: £4.5K

She’s got the loan for tuition fees as well.

I have an MT500 and have found it to be pretty disappointing.   I was sat in the grandstand at Fort William when the deluge started at the world champs.  I threw it on over a t-shirt and within about 20 minutes I could feel water penetrating through.  I have re-proofed it a number of times and it never seems to bead as well as it did when it was brand new.  It has some nice features, the vents and the hood are good but for the price I don’t feel it does its primary job very well.

I’m really sorry for your loss.  As someone who has lost both parents in recent years I can offer a bit of hope.  You can get through it.  It still hurts at times and I guess it always will but things do improve and you can get back to living your life.  Take time out for yourself and try and do things that make you happy.  For me it was simple things, getting out on the bike, going for walks, being outdoors.  Find what works for you then do more of it.

I thought it was a great episode.  I think this is my favourite Star Trek series since the original.  Its available in the UK on Paramount+.

I’ve got one as a company car. I use Thule roof bars and bike carries. It will affect the range though. I’ve just driven from Fort William to West Yorkshire and managed to get a range of 285 miles. I’ve got the Long Range Single Motor. The latest model will probably add an extra 80-100 miles to that.

Not sure if this is allowed, but I’ve got a spare ticket for tomorrow and Saturday with gondola access if anyone is interested. It’s listed on Twicketts if you are interested or dm me.

I’ve used the Podsac bags from Planet X for weekend bike packing trips and had no problems with them.  They are great value for money.

I’ll second the Signal TI.  I’ve had one for two years now and its the best bike I’ve owned.  It still puts a smile on my face every time I ride it.

The geometry is spot on for modern trail riding.

Congratulations.  Good luck for the future.

For a first effort I thought it was a decent attempt from Discovery/GCN+.  They will get better.  RedBull.tv had years to fine tune their coverage.  Yes, Rob Warner was a miss but the commentary wasn’t too bad and the racing was excellent.  I liked the new format as there was simply more riding on TV.

I’ve been a GCN+ subscriber for a while but I’m also into watching the road racing so it makes sense for me.

I’ve been using Xert for a couple of years now and I think its excellent. There’s a good FB group where the guys who wrote it answer questions and they have a series of good tutorials on Youtube now. A number of other platforms have copied what they pioneered. For adaptive training I think its the best and answers the perennial question of ‘what do I do if I just go for a ride with my mates?’.

You get a months free trial and I think its about £8 a month.

Another Rock + Run bought. Cheers @wbo

Any bargain sleeping mats out there?

Definitely try and get out for a walk at lunchtime if you work from home or are in an office.

When I used to be based in Ripon I’d wander along the river and chat to the same old boys who were fishing about how their day had gone and what they’d caught. That led to some great ‘…the ones that got away stories’ including the hunt for the big pike in the canal.

Buy a Big Issue when you see a seller then chat to them and ask them how there day has been.

Make an effort to contact an old friend you’ve not heard from for a while.

Bring your neighbours bins in one day.

If you a kid(s) at school or college who are doing well or enjoying it email their teacher and thank them for their hard work. I did that last week and my daughter said her teacher almost cried when she read my email as she’d been having a bad day.

I would recommend joining the Facebook Group Zwift PC Masters and Riders group. Download the excellent ‘How tos’ in the Files section and build yourself a dedicated Zwift PC. I’ve built a PC for less than £160 that runs Zwift in the ultra graphics mode. It was pretty easy. I bought a PC recommended in the the files for £35 off ebay then got a second hand graphics card from CEX, a solid state drive from Amazon and some additional memory from CEX. The base unit came with Windows 10. It boots in about 12 seconds and runs flawlessly.

So sorry for your loss John. I hope you can take some comfort from the messages on here.

@ed34 Please look after yourself and reach out to professionals who can help. Stay safe.

If you need help now please check this link

Ha ha. Damn you with your Rick Astley..

Merry Christmas Whamageddon participants.

Made it. What do we win?

I’m still in. My best run ever. I had a minor panic as I strolled into Tesco’s yesterday when they were belting out the Christmas hits but managed to get out before Wham came on.

I said to it ‘Rewrite the nativity but in the style of Donald Trump who thinks its all a fraud’

It gave me:

‘Okay, so let me tell you about this nativity thing. It’s a total fraud, folks. I mean, come on. A virgin birth? Give me a break. And this guy, Joseph, he’s supposed to be the father? He’s a nobody. And then there’s this wise man who shows up with gifts. I mean, who are these guys? They’re not even from this country. And the whole thing takes place in a barn? A barn, folks. I mean, can you believe it? It’s all just fake news, trust me. And the whole thing is a total disaster for the economy. I mean, think about it. The innkeeper probably lost a ton of business because of all these people showing up. It’s a total mess, folks. And I’m telling you, it’s all just a big scam. Don’t believe it. Trust me.’