I put a set on rebuild of an old hardtail. They have been really easy to fit and I didn’t need to bleed them after shortening the hoses.

They have only been used a few times but seem to do the trick. The feel isn’t as good as a more expensive brake. But for less than £50 a pair they have been great.

I wanted to know if it was well organised and an event worth doing. We’re thinking about going back to New York next May. If it’s worth doing then we’ll plan to be in the city for that weekend. If not then we’ll wait until later in May and just stick to the baseball for our sporting fix.

How fast was it? Is it an event that is popular with riders who aren’t used to riding in big groups or with large numbers of other riders around them?

No idea about Washington but the following for NY:

Top of the Rock
Baseball (if you like sports)
Ellen’s Stardust Diner (cheesy but the staff are aspiring Broadway stars and they sing)
Grand Central Station
Highline Park
Liberty
Ellis Island
Katz Deli (go hungry and don’t lose your ticket)

If you are interested in history the Tenement Museum is really interesting.

Where are you Captain? The current plan is to take it to the tip.

As soon as we moved into the house in February we decided to remove the laminate. Now the time has come after all the plastering and painting has been completed. Some friends think we’re mad but they haven’t tried to clean it and it made the room feel really cold until the last 2 months.

Thanks for the ideas.

Have you looked at jobs in universities? A friend left teaching a couple of years ago and now works at a uni in their student recruitment team.

The money might not be the same as a HOD but you wouldn’t be expected to take work home. Look at jobs related to widening participation.

If it’s not too late pack overnight bags for everyone. Pack all the stuff you would normally take for a few days away. Keep those bags in your car and then put them somewheere easy to access. It means you can get showered and changed without searching everything looking for towels etc.

Thanks Survivor. I’ll give it a try.

MY friends 4 year old loves the Unreal single shot scene and anything by Danny Mac. Had to explain that he must never go near railway lines.

I’m away with friends for the weekend. The what’s app group has started to fill up with Eurovision. I’m hoping the village has a good pub with a decent selection of beer.

But if the Polish milk maids are back then I might stay in.

I’d never thought of that but it seems obvious. What are the downsides?

Thanks.

I’ll place the order tonight. I’m looking forward to getting an old bike back on the trails.

For a fire road climb or if I’m on the road I normally lock the fork and shock. I don’t do it because of any particular research or test findings, it’s just what I prefer.

Norrebro Bryghus is really good and a short walk from the city centre. It’s in a nice area for bars and restaurants. Sorry the site won’t let me post the link but google it. There is a market near the brewery that did good pizza. I can’t remember what it’s called but just over the bridge as you walk back to the city centre.

The meat packing district was also good for food and drink when we went a couple of years ago. Also a few small galleries in the area.

Yeah!

I see your problem. You’re letting other people use the remotes. The solution is to keep them with you at all times and if anyone tries to touch YOUR remotes threaten them with a fate worse than death (or no pudding). Problem solved.

There’s not much more I can add. But I’m rooting for you and your family.

It will be a PITA if you’re planning to ride in Grizedale. But it’s very well organised and the Greystoke stages are brilliant to watch and very accessible.

I’m not going this year but I’ve been for most of the last 10 years. If you’re in the area it’s worth a few hiurs to go and watch.

For rally fans there is normally a collection of former WRC cars and some old Escorts.

I did one in Cumbria 2 years ago. It wasn’t a complete waste of time but I’m not sure it needed 4 hours.

Think of it as detention for grown ups. You’ve been a little bit naughty so you have to give up some of your time as a punishment.

A few people on the course had been on it before. The guys presenting had that annoying superior tone and kept telling the group about their driving credentials to make out they knew everything.

Take the course, do the 4 hours and move on.

Thanks for the recommendations. It’s always good to try somewhere new and avoid the big chains. Rapha was my back up option.

I’m currently in Ezra & Gil. So far, so good.

Thanks Kayak. I’m going to do a final check on the house tomorrow before we exchange and complete next week. I’ll have a look for the little plugs.

Fingers crossed

Thanks for sharing this film. Much better than the rubbish on the tv.

I hope that when / if I retire I have the time to enjoy our beautiful country like he has.

Senor – it’s our new house, so no great rush.

This is as I thought it would be. I’ll have a go at it next weekend and see what happens. If it needs re-plastered then it’s not the end of the world and I would rather have it done right while we’re decorating the rest of the house then we can forget about it for a while.

I never thought a sewing machine would be joining woodburners, double edged razors and coffee machines on the list of STW must haves. That’s why I love this forum.

I have been sew-curious for a while. I have big thighs and struggle to find trousers and jeans that fit well. I fancy having a go at adjusting or making my own but wouldn’t know how to start. I can sew to replace buttons and other small tasks.

Probably a shop assistant trying to be helpful, making sure the shopper found the right size for them.

Nobody compains about the “plus size” shops not supplying their products for skinny people.

+1 for long distance trucker.

The idea of the open road and seeing parts of the Europe off the tourist trail excite me. Once I’d done a few months of European roads I’d go to the ice roads. I’ve watched enough ice road truckers to be a pro when I arrived.

If she wanted chicken wings she should have gone with them. She’s only got herself to blame. :D

All the above are really good.

I would also recommend:

Gotham West Market – mixed street food market not far from Times Sq. youngish crowd, great food and not expensive.

Sandmans Tour – free* walking tour around the south of Manhattan. *you are expected to tip the guide

Katz Deli is brilliant but be prepared to queue and go hungry the sandwiches are massive.

If he is interested in social history the Tenement Museum gives a good insight into what life was life for the immigrant communities as they moved in to the city.

Try to get tickets for live sport. We went to the Yankees and it was a great Friday night out. We are planning to go back later this year, partly to watch more baseball.

I had a few pint of that at the weekend. Never seen it before but it was a lovely beer.

At the moment I’m not using a HRM or powermeters. So the Garmin is just using the GPS to track my effort.

I know that to get an accurate reading I need to use a HRM and I have ordered one.

I have been going by the Strava estimate. But while I’m losing weight I’m limiting myself to net 1000 calories per day so if it’s under estimating by half then it might cause problems for me.

Thanks for the responses. They have mostly confirmed my thoughts.

We’re probably going to ask the seller to get the gas and electric tested at his cost.

Beard clippers and razors. Sooner or later they’re going to want to get rid of their beards.

I’ve driven a couple of the earlier models. They were bad and put me off them. The cabin felt really small and the seats weren’t very comfortable. The ride wasn’t great either.

They felt a bit like a BMW for people that couldn’t afford a 3 series but wanted the badge on their keyring. It didn’t compete with the Golf or Audi A3. The Focus at the same time was a nicer place to be.

The new models might be better.

It will be a real kick in the teeth for road racing if Sky and BC are found to have broken the rules.

With regards to the package, it could be that BC and Sky are being vague is to protect a riders medical history. Perhaps they needed antibiotics for an infection in a sensitive area. If that was the case then they may not have wanted that info in the public domain and the fall-out for family as the papers have a field day. It could be that it was full of dodgy banned substances in which case why not learn a lesson from the LA example and be sure that we will all find out soon enough.

I think cycling as a sport gets a bad deal in the sports doping story. Athletics must have a massive problem, there are loads of ex-dopers at the olympics and world champs and there is not a big fuss about them. Look at the size of rugby players in both codes. The average pro player is now massive compared to only 10-15 years ago. That can’t only be advancements in sports science.

Cycling is the easy target for the media as a minority sport that most people now think is all about the best drug user.

I agree. There have been a few underrated series on BBC and the iplayer.

Others to watch include:

People Just Do Nothing
Uncle
Him & Her

Most of it is better than the tosh they put on at prime time.

Some of the films have been interesting. There is a lot of older content but it’s watchable if you have some time to spare.

I enjoyed Mountain Bike Adventures, it got mixed reviews on here.

I’ve been riding with one of these since mid November.

Karrimor Hotrock

It’s not really waterproof but it’s not very thick so I haven’t overheated. It’s quite long in the body and arms so it keeps you covered when on the bike.

I wear them for riding. They’re not bad and they’re good for walking if you have to push / carry your bike.

My pair have lasted me for ages it’s nearly time for a new pair.