Another + 1 for Cateye Micro Cordless proved very reliable over 4 or so years. Never used the Sigma ones but as above a few friends found them pretty unreliable

I bought it but didn't get much further than that -really can't remember how far I got but it wasn't very far and I barely understood a f***** word. Compared with Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe" I found it a hard read and I am not thick 😆

I reckon at £14k you may as well be homeless – that equates to less than £1000 per month (assuming no pension contributions) which has to be close to impossible to live on unless you are then eligible for some state handouts?

£18k is still less than £1200 per month which seems barely better – but you could probably just about get by from month to month.

£25k is £1600 per month – you could probably live quite a comfortable single life in shared accommodation on that providing you have no longer term plans for saving etc.

This would seem to concur with Joes comments

Took me a bit by surprise when I heard it this morning driving to work although I really can't see what the fuss it about – brought a smile to my face somewhere on the M25.

Adam M, I friend of mine got Enigma to build him a steel Enigma Elite with mudguard clearance. Pretty sure that had a race geometry and tubing etc but with the extra tyre clearance – this was before they introduced the Ethos.

Mick, looks much better (more classy) with those hand built wheels than the Kysrium ESs – horses for courses I guess. Gary

My perspective on this, based on no hard evidence whatsoever, is that Lynskey is a not a well known brand in the UK with sweet FA market share even within the niche of American Ti builders they seem to have less market presence than Seven, Serrota, Merlin etc.

I would have though the risks of brand dilution in the UK is small and revenue dilution even smaller – it is even possible that building frames for on-one and Ragley is subsidising their US market -although this model seems unlikely in a small volume company where I would not have thought there are excesses of production capacity.

If Lynskey are also doing this in the US then my theory is fecked.

What is your favourite shop? SigmaSport in Hampton Wick / Kingston
Why is it your favourite shop? Only a 2 minute walk away (plus they give me lots of mechanical help for free, they know their stuff, and train their staff really well)
Is it located well? See above
Can you park? Not really applicable – see above
Does it sell you coffee? or give it to you? No – if I want a coffee I go to Starbucks
What kind of brands does it sell/stock? Seven, Colnago, Cervelo, Pinarello, Spesh, Trek
What do you consider the right amount of choice? More than 2 less than 5???? Can never be too much choice.

1980 Vauxhall Astra 1.2 (Bought 1987)
1989 Ford Escort 1.6GL
1994 Honda Civic 1.5LSI
1996 Honda Civic 1.6VTI
2001 Volkswagen Golf V5 2.3
2006 Audi A3 Sportback 2.0T FSI Quattro

6 cars in 23 years. Last 3 were new purchases. Will be keeping the Audi for a while – haven't finished paying for it yet 🙁

Done. New CC monthly cycle started today! Good Luck Gary

Thanks Guys.

Re budget will probably be thinking of spending up to £100 per night for a room. Expedia seems to be offering 4* for around that price.

There must be loads on match.com – faffing about earlier it must have taken me about 50 attempts to find a unique UserId. And now I can't remember it 😆

Mick,

Have you still got the 105 brake calipers that you bought off me – if so are you using them or are they in your spares bin. Or are they long gone?

Gary

What have you got to lose from going? You will learn the results of the previous tests and if you really don't want further tests then you can discuss that with the consultant F2F. Am I missing something?

Just realised I have spent the last 5 mins scrolling up and down looking at those pictures trying to convince myself that it is way too small for me.

Tim that's a very nice looking bike I would be very reluctant to sell the frame just to buy another s/h steel frame. Can't see how going down that route you would guarantee to free up much cash especially if you then found you needed a different post and stem and possibly front mech?

Also loads of great road rides to be had from your doorstep if that ever takes your fancy 🙄

I went from a 3 door Mark IV golf to an Audi A3 Sportback Quattro – no complaints, just a little bit more space in the back makes it much more bike friendly. Load space of 3dr A3 looked very small next to my old Golf.

Hmnnn …. that good eh!

I used to need to travel to Houston frequently when living in NYC and after perhaps two trips maybe just the one I hoped I would never have to go back again.

Not sure going to a shooting range would be a good idea – just been off sick for two months with depression 😆

Tim, the small size only has one bottle cage. Fine for short rides but could be limiting for longer rides if you don’t want to use a camelbak when road riding. Not sure if all small compact frames suffer from this or not

I suffered from it about 5 or so years ago – it was pretty bad and interfered constantly with one’s daily life. Like you I could not easily pinpoint specific food types as being a contributing factor.

In the end I started a very restrictive diet – cutting out pretty much everything and lived off fish, chicken, brown rice, salad fruit, nuts seeds for couple of years. I would eat almost nothing that I had not prepared myself from raw/fresh ingredients.

By and large this sorted things out fairly quickly or at least the cured the main of symptons. After a few years I gradually started introducing other foods like pasta, potatoes, prepared sandwiches and chocolate etc. At first i found I was OK as long as it I didn’t do it too many days in succession – but now it all seem normal.

I suspect now that stress if that was the cause has found other ways of screwing me up and I have since being diagnosed as bipolar but all in all it seems preferable to IBS

From my brief experience dabbling with a road triple I would never go down that route again. There seems to come a point in the gearing where it does not get appreciably easier it is just that the misery goes on for longer.

I am not really sure that switching from a 12-25 to 12-27 when running a 50/34 seems to improve things substantially for me (and I am no means a strong rider) other than psychologically … but that may be whole point

Wish you were here – Pink Floyd – would be close to the top of my list. Can’t see it listed so far.

I was never a big fan of Pink Floyd in my formative teens, a few years before my time. Still not really a fan but this album and Dark Side of the Moon are timeless.

I assume(?) you could pick up a Rotel for that sort of money. They always had reputation for being good amps for their money.

Otherwise, perhaps an Arcam. I used one for many years with my CD63SE. A warmer sound than a Marantz amp? but when I auditioned them side by side many years ago – it was a bit of a toss up

Also wonder if you can pick up an Audiolab 8000 for £100?

Its also considered bad form to mix components from different levels within the product range. OK to use a third party chainset and you may get away with throwing on some Zero Gravity carbon brakes (if you have an extra £850 going spare) but beyond that it is heresy 😆

Stiff link maybe?

Easy to check – just run the chain through your fingers and check that each link can move freely. No need to take your chain off.

In my experience (albeit limited but with new chains) is that stiff links tend to be a recurrent problem – it will be fine for a few rides but then seize again.

i am with Kevonakona. More likely to be a false economy not to get it done – I wouldn’t buy a s/h car where the previous owner had taken petty savings on servicing and maintenance. It was it was only £70 for my Audi in London so can’t be very much money

A friend of mine has one of the old Raleigh Special Projects Ti frame. His does not use seamless tubes. Given that is not painted it may be different. Worth clarifying if you are interested.

I have also had some really nasty flu type virus this week that has pretty much wiped me out since Monday. I was suprised by the severity of it given it is June and 25 degrees outside. Had no stomach problems though. I can never recall being so ill in the summer.

I had forgotten about Swine Flu but then checked my symptoms on some government online tool etc and it told me to phone 999 for an ambulance straight away FFS. Seem to be on the mend now.

I suppose it is too much too ask for Roger Federa to collapse on court 🙂

I recently went through the same dilema. I bought the Nikon D60 in the end.

I liked the Olympus E520 but was a bit put off by its nicheness and lack of OEM lenses etc. The Canon 450D seemed very “plasticy” and didn’t sit very comfortably in the hand. The Nikon has a lot of pluses the major limitation in my view was the lack of Live View – but I concluded I could live without that.

For £350 you could easily get the older olive series Naim Pre/ Power Combo of NAC 92 / NAP 90 – but I doubt you could pick up the newer integrated Nait 5 series for anything less than £400.

I have no knowledge of the older models like the Nait 2 integrated other than they are sought after on the bay and the price reflects this – I have always assumed they are picked up by Naim-o-phile collectors and hobbyists rather than people who are buying them as their sole amp.

The Rega Brio always seems to get good reviews. Think it retails for £350. No personal experience of it though.

This one has been recommend before blackcircles.com

It will be fine.

Pretty sure anything over 100 years is considered the norm. Banks/building societies would not hesitate to provide a mortgage etc. Not sure where the cut off point is where people think it is short perhaps around 70-80 years maybe.

i think mine had 116 years remaining of a 125 year lease when I bought mine. I didn’t even consider the question

Great minds and all that … I just bought the new 13.3in Mac book pro today after 25 years being a PC user.

So far so good. Oh and the joys of being able to boot up and shut down a PC in seconds rather than minutes is a big plus!!!

In relation to others who have posted I am a relative newbie in the depression stakes.

I have suffered from mixed depression and anxiety for the most of the last 4 years with the odd hypo-manic espisode thrown in for good measure. As sods law would be I don’t even get the joys of the mania as my manic episodes are typically characterized by dysphoric mood rather than than a euphoric mood that most people associate with mania.

I strongly suspect for me it will be a life long condition. The question will be how will it pan out in terms of more frequent cycling (not as in bike) or whether I can attain some equilbrium and maintain a relatively normal life.

I have tried all types of treatment – several anti-depressants (not all at the same time), short trials of Antipsychotics (now they really do have a list of worrying side effects), 12 months or so of physcotherapy both private and with the NHS (neither seemed very beneficial other than the cathartic value in the short term)

Now after some resistance last time round as I say above I am trying a mood-stabiliser.

PS. I stand corrected enhanced orgasm is clearly an “obvious” side effect 🙄

baa – I am also taking Mirtazapine. This is the second time for me.

Watch out for the weight gain, I put on 3 and 1/2 stone the first time in a litte more than 12 months and I was cycling regularly and pretty hard. Also the weight gain IMO did not correlate that closely to the increased appetite so I suspect it also had some impact on my metabolism

But apart from that I don’t recall any other obvious side effects. Also it is not an SSRI it is a NaSSa so no sexual dysfunction if anything it will have the opposite effect and enhance orgasm 😆

If people are interested in natural ways to be depression then the following book is a good place to start “The natural way to beat depression” by Prof. BASANT K PURI.

Its not a left field, complementary style medicine approach. The guy is Consultant Psychiatrist at a London Hospital.

His basic theory is that the standard theory of depression being linked to a shortage of neurotransmitters is flawed and depression can be linked to IIRC to changes in the Phospholipid layer in the brain (WTF that is I have no idea a few years since I read the book!).

There is something about changes in diet over the last century (evolution works much more slowly than that etc) and a significant reduction in the intake of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and the balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 (most diets comprise of Omega 6 these days).

He research has identified one specific EFA called EPA which is available in very pure concentrated forms as a supplement (VegEPA.com) which will be far superior to standard Omega 3 fish oil supplements and not tainted with mercury!

No clue whether it works or not I am far too screwed up to try. But an interesting read for those afflicted who like to understand their illness – depression and other mental health issues are not the type of illnesses where you can simply take a pill once a day and forget about it.

Everyone seems to know about St John’s Wort as a natural anti-depressant but ultimately it works in the same fashion as the SSRI by inhibiting the re-uptake of neuro transmitters – but never see any mention to this Guy – perhaps he is a complete quack after all!!

I have read that an option to reduce the withdrawl effects is to switch to another SSRI, most commonly PROZAC / Fluoxetine which has a long half life and therefore naturally lends itself to a tapering off regime.

Also, some meds are available in liquid form which allows you to cut down in ever small decreasing amounts thus avoiding the problem JulianWilson refers to when you are trying to stop from the lowest dose.

I don’t know in practice how commonly GP’s try either of these approaches. The liquid forms of the medications are considerably more expensive than the tablet forms so GP’s may look to avoid them. However, even if they resulted in one less GP consultation they would have paid for themselves!

TBH Mental Health Nurse or not – I can’t say I really agree with Julian’s mood diary. The examples quoted, especially not shaving or not, IMO are more indicative of moderate to severe depression. I think you ought to be looking for much more subtle signs of depression returning. If you get to the point where you are no longer taking personal care for yourself then I think you have allowed yourself to fall too far.

Although to contradict myself I still haven’t returned to shaving everyday for work since being diagnosed 4 or so years ago.