I agree with tomthumb spd’s are a very good chioce for commuting, but more for the fact that they are easier to walk in, road cleats are generally a real pain to walk in. Having said that all my road bikes, commuter included ,use look keo.

rock lobster is good choice imo or maybe an orange p7.

Always on the trainer, never on the road, occasionally when mtb on my own.

The Queen Mother was once arrested for fly tipping.

If your trusting this doctor to give you the snip why can’t you trust his advice to stay off the bike for 6 weeks? It maybe he feels that at 53 it may take you longer to heal than many people on here who were probably a lot younger when they were done. I think I was 39 when I had mine and Im sure it was few weeks before I wanted to ride.

Paul Herwitt is very good I got some record/ open pro wheels from him a few years ago and they have lasted really well still true after much winter abuse.

I haven’t but someone I train with has one. He has the t which is standard 7005 and he really rates it, the finish quality is excellent The tk is made with kinesium which is a just high grade aluminium made by kinesis its very light but also importantly gives a nice ride. ( many cheap aluminium framed bikes such as ribble and my surosa tend to have a rather harsh ride which can be wearing on long rides). Kinesis have a good reputation and are definately a step up from many cheaper training / audax bikes.

Go to ebay or classifieds on here. Lots of people buy them use a few times and realise its not for them. Look for tacx, elite, cyclops amongst others.

If your spending £900 I would be looking at a better frame than the ribble, it makes a reasonable £500 ish bike but I wouldnt spend any more on one ( They have slighty strange geometry). If it was me I would be looking at a kinesis racelight t build , very good frame which is ideal for audax/training/ light weight touring or take a look at ridley triton t.

Torq are good and I like squeezy ones too, particularly peach n pineapple.

The Tour is Won on the Alpe by Jean Paul Vespini- not bad , an interesting enjoyable read
Before that, The Eagle of Canavese by Herbie Sykes- excellent read, highly recommended,a well written and a fascinating account about italian cycle racing in the 60s.

We went to the museum on Tuesday and it was pretty good. It kept my 7 and 11 year old entertained for a good hour and a half, maybe more. The Blue Peter exhibition is worth a look and the interactive tv sets are good too. We parked at the museum with no problem, cheap too. Sorry I can’t help with anything else.