I actually lost weight during my wife’s pregancy as I was cooking more and going away less but that all went back on with interest once the wee fellow arrived.

Getting better now he usually sleeps through the night and is old enough to go for longish rides in the Chariot. It wa sa very unhealthy first 12 months though.

And how the flip is Hemel posher than Watford? It’s a dump too!

This plus 1

Come to St Albans dear boy, we’ll show you posh.

High Chair
Floor Matt to contain the inevitable fallout from meals
travel cot with a sheet they’ve already slept on so it smells familiar, helps when you’re trying to get them to snooze somewhere new, a worn item of clothing that smalls of mummy also works.
Industrial mega packs of wipes and nappies.
Pram

Anything else can be sorted at short notice through the cunning use of money.

Keep your schedule loose, leave loads of time and whatever happens try and keep calm.

Short answer… Yes

Long answer… Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees

Hmm, I did actually search for Copenhagen before I started this thread but didn’t see that.

Looks like I’ll be having lunch by the harbour then going to Christiana for a tie-die kaftan and a bong the size of my leg.

That’ll go down well at the meeting later.

Thanks all.

I think it would make a difference. In London I see people walking all over the place. 20 mins at each end, 1h20 of walking every day makes a big difference compared to sitting down all the time.

Which is a large contributor as to why central London consistently comes bottom or near bottom in surveys of U.K. obesity rates. It has amongst the lowest levels of car ownership,(Source: RAC) people tend to use the tube or bus and that involves a lot of walking.

Yes, higher incomes, the younger population etc all make an impact but the way Londoners get around is easily as, if not more important.

Nothing more irritating than a flexy, wobbly wheelstand, get something solid so that it stays put when you’re working.

Team Rock Radio test broadcast, some suprisingly good stuff on there.

Hope they make it happen.

I’m with clubber on this, we saw them a few times when our nipper arrived last year and that was it. There was a slight sense that we were being assesed but judging by the way we were very quickly left to our own devices they seemed pretty happy with what they saw.

I must say I’m torn on this, on the one hand there is something about a state employee judging my suitability as a parent that rankles but on the other hand whenever a child slips through the cracks and the worst hapens (Baby P) the Great British public and press scream ‘never again’ and call for heads to roll so I can understand why social services feel like they have to be proactive.

The only way for this to work is for everyone to get the mandatory few visits, otherwise the stigma of geting visited would make the job almost impossible.

I’m not sure that tiny little custom builders count but every time I’m at Eurobike there’s some humungous stands from companies (usually German) that I’ve never heard of.

Here, this should keep you busy

Just gave it a try, bugger me they’re only playing Pantera followed by The Sword, Ooooooo color me impressed!

Much as I love Planet Rock there’s any some much Emerson Lake and Palmer one man can take.

Come on chaps make it happen, need something hefty and Bieber-free that isn’t stuck in 1978!

*strokes beard in approval*

36 posts and nobody’s mentioned the glaringly obvious way for a single gentleman to unwind at the end of a long day?

I know he said keep it clean but come on people!

As a fellow larger gentleman I generally find that when riding home into a headwind my speed is affected less by the wind itself than by the presence and quality of the dinner that awaits on my arrival.

I’m also very popular on group rides as I apparently leave a hole in the air you could drive a transit though.

I find they’re not as effective as the more ‘pro’ recovery drinks (SIS etc) but FGS are pretty much the only recovery product I’ve used that doesn’t make me fart like a moist blunderbuss so I’ll rate them on martial preservation grounds alone.

I used to ride through Sparkhill in Birmingham on a frequent basis and I have to agree that full Niqab behind the wheel made my blood run cold, especially whn pulling out of a side road. So many close shaves.

I have no problem with people choosing to wear them but they simply shouldn’t be allowed to drive in them, high heel shoes are forbidden, the niqab should be treated no differently, it’s a basic safety issue.

Not a huge fan of the Pearl Izumi Elite or Select stuff (I have a fussy 4rse) but their P.R.O kit is genuinely superb and their bibs in particular.

For extra Euro roadie cred I’m also a fan of the much under rated Santini Gel Intech/(GIT) pads. Santini slot nicely into the ‘a bit nicer than DHB/Endura but not silly money’ category. They tend to last really well too.

Why not talk to Sydney Street bikes up in the North Lanes or Freedom Bikes over in Kemptown?

They’re both Brompton dealers and have been pretty helpful to me in the past back when my missus lived down there.

Surely someone’s suggested this:

Went there last week, did blue twice with a detour to do a few red sections and session deer stalker/labyrinth.

Don’t get to go that often so the changes are pretty dramatic since I was last there. Very impressed with the blue route, pretty easy for anyone to ride but great fun if you give it the beans. The whole place was riding beautifully in fairness, perfect conditions.

And paying for the carpark? No problem with that at all if it keep the trails there and a much better system then the old permits.

Fry’s Turkish delight although it is a bit of a ‘one bite wonder’ or Mint Aero, especially one that’s been in the fridge a while.

Mind you I’ll eat anything of that nature, I have the unreconstructed taste buds of a 7 year old when it comes to confectionery.

I started going bald at 22, MTFU

Sugoi Gustovs or Pearl Izumi launch kickers for me, I’d say the liner and Pad is a touch better on the Sugois but the outershort on the Pearls is a better cut and generally better thought out regarding pockets etc.

Both are ace though, proper comfy.

How can they be controlling when they live 150 miles away?

My Dad and I wound each other up no end when I lived at home, by the time I was 18 there was only room for one of us really. Now I’ve had my own place for a long time our relationship has improved no end and continues to do so (touch wood).

At some point you need to stop being ‘their boy’ and start dealing with them on equal terms, it’s a bloody hard to make a smooth transition, mine invoved much huffing and I only saw them 2-3 times a year for a period but I’m glad we stuck with it and avoided a major falling out.

Since our nipper arrived he’s got right into being a granddad which has been great to see and made it all worthwhile.

So, there, no useful advice but at least I empathise eh?

Did 2.5 hours round Ashridge yesterday evening with some mates, dusty trails grip, speed, a crash, and then pub afterwards, just the tonic.

Going to take the nipper offroad in the Chariot tomorrow if it stays dry, should be a giggle.

Tortec expedition racks are £45 at SRP, now you’ve changed bikes you’re having to buy another rack which will also probably end up being the best part of £30.

The Thule would have moved across and would have had the added bonus that you could have whipped it off stuck it on your MTB for a bit of bikepacking of a weekend.

I’m guessing from your opening post you switch bikes a fair bit, though something you could transfer would make sense, hence why I recommended it.

Thule Pack’n pedal?

http://http://www.thule.com/en/lu/products/bike-bags-and-racks/racks

Fits pretty much anything, can be switched from bike to bike and front or rear and with the side panels you have a low mounting option.

Pretty much standard issue for a picnic in Verulamium park eh wot?

So long as its the Moroccan style houmous with chick peas, tahini and moroccan style spices

Well of course, what kind of peasant do you take me for?

A Harpenden/St Albans STW meet? Surely that would be the most middle class event this side of a recording of the News Quiz.

I’ll pack my fair trade Waitrose houmous.

St Albans here, not going to go over Luton again but it suffices to say… AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I lived happily in central Birmingham for many a year so that’s not an idle statement.

Harpenden and St Albans allow you to get fast trains straight into London so there’s all the flange acquisition you could ever want right there. Plenty of posh totty closer to home though.

There’s some lovely road riding around the villages (Kimpton, the Ayotts etc), and you can easily loop over to Ashridge for even more greenery and bigger hills. Plenty of bunches go out from St Albans on a regular basis ranging from ‘nodder’ to ‘2 hours in the pain cave.’

There’s even a ‘cyclists refuge’ cafe called the Hub in Redbourne just west of Harpenden which would be a good place to start if you want to join a few groups.

Yeah, it’s expensive, but it’s nice and there’s plenty of pubs that don’t mind trainers… honest.

Luton… just say no.

If it’s a Truvativ crank there’s a fair chance it’ll be a Truvativ ISIS BB. If so you’ll need an external spline BB tool (Park Tool BBT-18) to remove it.

These came in two variants; DH/FR which had thicker axle walls and used a 12 mm bolt and XC/Road which used a 15mm bolt. The XC version has very thin walls so it’s easy to mess up without the Isis specific crank puller (Park Tool CCP-44)

If it’s the DH/FR version there’s much more to push against so you may be able to use something to block off the axle and use a standard crank puller.

If it’s an FSA/Raceface unit then it’ll have Shimano style internal splines. all modern BB tools will fit but when Isis first came out some tools didn’t have the internal diameter to go over the oversized axle so if you can’t get your BB tool to engage you’ll need a newer one such as Park’s BBT-22 or BBT-32.

Hope that helps

Crikey, of all the people to nick it off…

Exactly the opposite for me, I was chewing the bar tape pretty much the whole way and a good 8 minutes off my personal best (11 mile commute).

Looking forward to the ride home though.

Chariot Cougar here, took the nipper for a loop of the FOD in it on Saturday, great fun with the 29er, even got it airbourne at one point.

In the trailer he’s essentially in a 5-point racing harness with lumbar suport, a head support and a full metal roll cage so I’m much happier taking him off road then I would be in a seat on the back.

The suspension makes a huge differnce off road as well.

That’s a nice looking van!!

Thanks mate!

What does your wife think about driving it?

My wife’s a septic and learnt to drive in various monstrous GMC vans so she’s pretty relaxed about the T5, she’s used to naturally aspirated V8’s though so the comedy turbo lag on the Sportline took a bit of getting used to. Parking sensors would also be a good move as people will put bollards where you can’t see them throug the back window.

She needs a car for work so has her own 306 and rarely drives the van which is why I didn’t comment on it’s ‘sole family vehicle’ status.

My SWB van is almost the exact width and length of a normal multi-storey or shopping centre car park space, the extra space of the LWB may be nice when you’re on holiday but I can see it being a pain to park for day to day errands, used to drive an extra long Merc sprinter for work and it was a nightmare, couldn’t leave it anywhere.

Happy van hunting!

Well, since this is turning into a minor ‘van-off’ here’s mine.

SWB Kombi Sportline, pretty much standard with no camper bits as it’s still under warranty and I like being able to mop it out after a muddy weekend.

Just come back from a week in the Forest of Dean with the missus and the nipper, happily carried 2 bikes, the chariot, travel cot, high chair and related baby paraphernalia, love it to bits.

To answer questions above, it’s 59 plate and I haven’t had any leakage issues with the side windows, no major issues yet but a recent service identified slight seepage from the turbo, this is getting sorted under warranty and doesn’t seem to have curbed its’ usual enthusiasm.

I have no doubt that the 1.9 is the sensible engine to go for, the 2.5 however, is a right giggle, and I get about 35MPG when being sensible. That does go straight out the window the minute I really put my foot down though.

Rear rackwise the Thule Euroclassic G6 fits fine and clears the tail gate when tilted, the older G5 version sat the bikes a bit close the the rear window though.

I get classed as a car for the M6 toll, Severn bridge etc due to the windows.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about living with this.

All fair comments, it depends on what your priorities are, mine were

1. stiffness
2. high strength to weight ratio
3. braking

The SLR’s ticked those boxes very nicely and for what I want they’re perfect, others have different requiremernts and should buy differenm wheels.

oh and crosswinds aren’t an issue, the rims are pretty low profile.

As a matter of interest: How many miles do you reckon you would get out of a set of £1000 wheels before the rims need replacing?

Good question, these are very much my ‘Sunday best’ wheels and are looked after accordingly, the grim weather last year is why these have only done 900 miles or so. The Exalith coating seems to be lasting very well so far. The payback is that the special pads for them do seem to wear quite fast.

That is too much for a set of wheels. You are being milked like a cow.

I feel the same way about people with iPhones or who fly business class, each to their own.

I have Mavic Ksyrium SLR’s, they’re perfect for Clydesdales and MTB’ers who are getting into road cycling.

I’m a fairy hefty unit and have no problems cranking along on the flat. So when it came to choosing new wheels for the ‘Sunday best’ bike aero wasn’t that big a deal but low weight and stiffness were, these areas are where the Ksyrium’s major.

The Exalith braking surface is ace as well, the extra modulation and power is genuinely impressive. Just be aware that the first set of brake pads will get munched in no time as the rim beds in, during the bedding in period they will also howl like banshees under braking, it gets better, trust me.

I’ve probably done about 900 miles on these now so if you have any questions feel free.

Sister Sledge?
Doris Karloff?