I can swim fine, but I’m not efficient at all. It’s definitely technique. SIL is a swimming teacher and she just glides through the water with ease.

Don’t have an issue. Gear is washed after use, then on the airer and dried with the de-humidifier, for use next day. It works for ride in to work, and ride out, then washed. It’s done on 30c, 45 min quick wash.

You can’t always tell. No expert on MTB, but I’ll only notice from a more XC tyre to an enduro type – rolling vs much better grip – I opt for the better grip, especially off camber.

Road tyres, I can feel it more, but I care less now (long time road cyclist). Robust tyres roll less well, and are a bit dull in feel. Better ones do indeed roll better and feel better and ‘sing’ with the light inner tubes, but are prone to holes.

But compound to compound on a similar tyre, you’d have to be pushing them far to notice. The carcase will make a difference for DH etc. on robustness.

PS It’s “brand new”, just been publicised today from what I can gather !

Still got pins and needles in hands after KAW – the canti brakes, even rear only, would control the speed and stop, but the pressure is loads more than using hydraulic disks – it was too much over four days.

We’re thinking about it for 2025, after KAW on cross bikes in the wet in September just gone, with tents.  Looking to drop the weight and do pubs. Probably hit it on the bouncer TBH, or go ultra light on the CX with mud tyres.  It were hard on the CX bikes with gravel tyres on sticky mud and slippy chalk, bodged pannier mounts and too much stuff that was wet as it rained each night (tent packed wet). 3 days, one set of civvy clothes, warm weather.

Shrewsbury is within two hours from us, even with traffic. Only 85 miles away, and there is a train service from Manchester.

So what’s the going rate per month on salary sacrifice these days – seems £400 plus on ours at work, and can’t be justified as I cycle to work. I am looking to spend £30-£40k on a van next year that I will keep for leisure – the equivalent electric version is much cheaper but range is useless – 120 mile – won’t work to get us into Wales over big hills.

Bit late, but wash after use. That’s what I do with my commuting kit – washed every night

BBB make a number of PU coated overshoes and they work well as can be, especially if you have waterproof over trousers for the heavy stuff that covers the big ‘ole that your leg is in. I use boots these days – MW7’s.

Hopefully, you’ll just need a new cap once it’s off. It’s not dissimilar to GXP, just on the drive side instead.

You’ll just have fun removing the end cap.  Some end caps have four holes in and use a tool to twist it out..

You generally only apply for a reference after you get a job offer. This can really sour working relationships especially if the line manager is an ass.  For all we know OP’s partner could have just been seeing what the grass is like over the other side, but now the School think she’s looking to leave.

No longer in a dental practice after ours went private. My wife is still NHS, but me, daughter and son don’t have a dentist.

We’re fortunate that my Brother is a dentist and does see the family if he can fit us in – it seems most of his wife’s side have also lost their NHS dentist.  When I’ve lost a filling, I’ve had good success with the OTC temporary filling stuff you can buy on line – it really lasts unless you eat sticky toffee (just like the normal fillings).

Primary Schools aren’t the best place to be for equitable and fair recruitment policies.  My kids old Primary, you had to be bessie mates with the Head or someone they knew. If you weren’t with the ‘in-crowd’ you didn’t get in.  Let’s say two ‘mums’ in the playground got in, one admin side, one as a teacher after she got her BA Primary. Both were smoozing the Head for a long time.

Mid calf socks look stupid. I’m more ‘bottom of calf’ person, and then I think they are a bit long.

I think they can sometimes wake from ‘off’ to sleep if the buttons get knocked. I tend to make sure I charge mine before I go out as I’ve had occasions where it’s flat !

Very common side effect. Takes time for your body to adjust.

I’ve never been able to get on with SSRI’s – taken for pain. Side effects were worse than the pain. Obviously, far better for anxiety and depression once you are over the initial getting used to it.

We’ve an aggressive GSD in the area. It’s had a go at me, and my neighbour a few times when he’s been running. Owner doesn’t give a hoot. Told me to kick it, rather than actually recalling the dog and getting it under control. No apology.

Got attacked by a Labrador a couple of years ago. Owner got very shouty when I told her to get the ‘f-ing’ dog under control.  She said she’d get her husband to sort me out !

Roll on a few weeks, this ‘mouthy’ woman stops me and flags me down. She was visibly shaking and apologised profusely. Apparently it wasn’t her dog and the other woman she was with, it was her dog. Her own dog was the well behaved one.  I do say good morning on a regular basis now, and the Labrador hasn’t been seen since.

It’s crap owners who are the problem. ‘My dog doesn’t like bikes’ isn’t an excuse on a shared path when it’s used by commuters at that time of the morning.

We have a basic summer house. One thing I did was to line it with insulation, then ply line the whole shed and painted it. It looks nice, and the added benefit is there is no damp. Keeps cool in summer, and stays reasonable in winter, despite the front being plexi-glass.

I’ve added a home built storage shed to the side, but that’s un-insulated and has extra vents in just to keep air movement – seems to work OK.

Seriously, you might need a boot divider doo-dah.  I just pop shopping in the footwell of our cars if just a couple of bags.

Get an Aygo – it only takes two shopping bags in the boot.

Clever stuff, just saw it !

Say nothing, get home…  then go to GP.

We’ve a 2012 Fourstroke FS03 in the garage – got it for the Mrs from a ‘short’ mate. I’m only 5-9 but the XS is too small for me. It’s a cracking bike, very light still in alloy format.

Logan’s Run has appeared on Prime. I loved that way back, bet it’s crap now ?

You are probably right @FunkyDunc. My daughters iphone 14 took a great picture, only because by accident we were looking through the screen and saw a really clear streak. It’s not got the advanced picture of my S23 Ultra, but in the few seconds I took to then get my phone, the ‘streak’ had dispersed.  If you’ve got the settings right, you can see the aurora through the screen before you take the photo. I somehow managed this for a take before I messed the settings up.  I’ve seen some pictures from a professional photographer I know and they are amazing, but for us lot, phones seem to do a fabulous job.

Propper James Bond aren’t they now !

Peak activity could be any time – follow the aurora watch app and it shows the strength, but from last night, it was about 800 from 8pm, then dropped to 500  and below about 10-11 (but we got some good pictures then) then it did a sudden peak at over 1500 after midnight.

I’ve just ordered a phone tripod via Amazon for delivery this evening.  Just wish we could find my wife’s decent Panasonic Lumix camera. My son has two SLR’s though.

Our TV lost Disney and ITV X when the apps were updated, but it’s an early Smart TV. We access them now via a small media PC under the TV, but we hardly ever use ITV X !

Bit old school here – main TV and bedroom TV have ariels – bedroom was an after thought – just fitted an ariel in the loft (like the main TV) and ran it through the ceiling to the TV – far easier than splicing into the existing cables, and cheap.   The TV in the conservatory has one of those thin portable ariels and a firestick – these work OK if you’ve got a reasonable signal.

We still watch a lot of over the air TV TBH, especially if not wanting to get into a box set.

Recommended settings on phones ? – just using the night mode on a Samsung S23 Ultra, so it decides exposure time – 3-6 seconds – Could go for the pro mode and set it manually.

Certainly more subtle in South Manc. Last two looking south west

Intensity has dropped off quite a bit as of 9pm according to aurora alert.

Just further over from you, Woodley – certainly getting green and purples on the camera

Great build last night. Fabulous. Now we can’t be having two builds come in around time and budget and looking great. When is the next disaster ? LOL.

If I’m out all day and know the conditions are going to be bad, I use dry suit wrist cuffs (the ankle cuffs are quite large for dry suits) over the top of the shoe neoprene to create a very good seal.  Grip Grab and VeloToze seem to be the main bike specific ones.

For general use and commuting I don’t bother – Light rain, my Altura MTB trousers are fine for keeping the majority of the rain out. Heavy rain, I use waterproof pants, which covers the cuff so keeps my feet dry.

That said the PX shoes are a bargain compared to the MW7 (I have two pairs of MW7’s).