Renault do not make good s/h buys they are fragile, poor quality build , relatively expensive to repair and service avoid,avoid,avoid avoid! FFS she has already been made redundant!
Make sure each session has a structure/goal and just do it! Remember if you stop riding/exercising you lose fitness making those outdoor rides harder. Music also helps.
Andy have a look at the profiles of the climbs you will face on the dragon ride they are really not steep at all, all but one have an av % LESS THAN 5%! If you feel you need a triple and 12-27 then do it, but to me it says you lack confidence and fitness which both can be solved by riding more. Your doing the sportive not the bike sorry if I sound harsh I really am not trying to be. You will have a great time it's a great ride if you have prepared for it.
andy the key to finishing or doing well on any sportive is YOUR fitness not how light your wheels or how much carbon you have or how many gears you have. The dragon ride is an excellent sportive that with a reasonable fitness is very doable. All you need is sensible gears( say compact 12-25 easliy enough imo) plenty of miles in your legs and preferably experience of riding in a group.
I would really recommend you get out and ride more if the climbs in the dragon ride seem that daunting. The climbs on the dragon ride are really not steep, and apart from Bwich and cray not long either. Honestly riding more and gaining reasonable fitness is what you need not triples and 27 gears.
It is a lot of work for the student and she finds it more work as a mentor than a normal B ed student. You need to find a good school ( by that I mean supportive and used to having students) a mentor who is committed to helping you and most importantly you need to be certain it is what you want to do. You need to be a quick learner who can take onboard how you can improve and develop as a teacher. It really helps if you already have some teaching skills, this lady was a TA for many years.You also need to be very organised as there is a lot of course work involved too on top of your teaching commitments.
Kurt kinetic do a computer which will measure power on a trainer and they are only £25ish. You can get one from planet x/on one. By all accounts they are pretty good for the price.
Get the Isla bike you will not be dissapointed they are quality child friendly bikes and when he has grown out of it and you want to sell it on you will be amazed at its resale value.
Dolan mythos and Focus Cayo are both around that price. However a more practical and usable all rounder particularly if it is your only road bike would be a kinesis racelight TK2. Great mudguarded trainer in winter and – mudguards decent sportive/audax/club ride in summer + it will even take light touring duties.
Take the camper van, ditch the wife and kids and get down to the pyrenees for the start of the third week. Make sure you take your bike and ride up the mountains to watch, you will love it!
DrP this doesn't sound the same at all as we experienced. This chap asked a lot of questions about the birth my wife's health etc, then carried out a series of massages on my sons head. The first time he calmly fell asleep while this was being done completely unheard of untill that point. There wasn't any mumbo jumbo psychic nonsense from what I recall.
One of my children had it when he was about 3 months old. It turned a very fretful unsettled child into a calm little boy who slept very well. We took him 3 times over a period of about a month and I was to say the least sceptical but the effect was quite dramatic!
I'm in complete agreement with tinsy's comments and I love how reading this thread there are such a huge variety of recomendations.You could get confused.
Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs
Running down the wing
Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs
Running down the wing
Feared by the blues
Loved by the Reds
Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs, Ryan Giggs
