Some interesting reading related to @kelvin’s post above.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine,1 found that vaccine efficacy between the first and second doses was 52% (95% credible interval 29.5% to 68.4%), with 39 cases of covid-19 in the vaccine group and 82 cases in the placebo group.

– https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4826

Note the wide interval.

The second estimate comes from the UK’s Vaccine Committee, the JCVI, who decided to calculate the efficacy of the vaccine differently. Instead of using all the data on the number of infections, including from days when the first dose hadn’t yet started to work, they only looked at days 15-21. Using this method, the efficacy of the vaccine jumps up to 89%, because it’s not being diluted by the relatively high number of infections before the vaccine begins to have an effect. Taking things even further and only looking at the first seven days after the second dose (days 21-28) – because the second dose might not have kicked in yet by then – it’s 92%.

However, these calculations are controversial.

– https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210114-covid-19-how-effective-is-a-single-vaccine-dose

Saying that, what are they going to do, not let you in the pub unless you … are over a certain age?

There’s precedent… ;)

Doesn’t look like it:

https://eu.ritcheylogic.com/eu_en/distributors

Also:

https://eu.ritcheylogic.com/eu_en/support/eu-shipping

@toby1 I was merely trying to redress the ratio of useful advice to elitism, this is STW after all.

Note that if you clip trees often the Sahmurai Sword might not be there when you need it…

Not in my experience. It’s really firmly fastened if you wind it in.

Looks like they’ve changed the design since I last used them. They use to use an expanding bung rather than a screw thread. Happy to hear that the new design works better.

Note that if you clip trees often the Sahmurai Sword might not be there when you need it…

I think it’s in your head. And my head.

I can’t believe these people give so little of a s@@t about their relatives that they think this way.

That cuts both ways.

It’s general coverage in the UK seems pretty poor but it’s good for pointing you in the right direction in some areas, eg Golfie, around Risca/Wyllie.

If you need an Ambulance then it makes no difference where you are* and if you just need your wife/partner/work colleague to pick you up then it’s just a longer wait.

*Riding deep into the Gnar is a separate discussion and can still be done locally.

Possibly a more important discussion. The main reason I’m not driving anywhere to ride at the moment is to avoid “the gnar”. Crashing and requiring medical attention would be bad for all involved, and on a selfish personal level I really don’t want an injury that ends up having an unnecessarily bad outcome due to insufficient capacity resulting in suboptimal treatment.

However your interpretation of the law (that you can exercise as a permitted reason for leaving home but not travel to it) would also preclude anyone for travelling to any of the other permitted reasons. So you can go to work, but not travel there. Buy goods or services, but not travel to do that. Etc etc…..

I think the difference here is that most people can’t walk out of their front door and immediately start working or buy goods and services, they have to travel to do so. Most – obviously not all – people can walk out of their front door and immediately start exercising. It might be the form of exercise they would normally choose, but they can do it.

Crud XL for me. It seems to give better face/body protection than the Mudhugger FRX. It doesn’t protect the stanchions or seals, but doesn’t get blocked either. Easy to adjust, remove and fit (bungies rather than zip ties). Not limited by the fork crown so can be moved up to fit burly tyres, but will buzz off the fork CSU at full compression.

I noticed that there is a new bolt on Mudhugger EVO coming out, but can’t find many details. It was one of Rob Weaver’s gear of the year items over on the other bike website that navigates like a submarine.

You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (e.g. a picnic or a social meeting).

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#exercising-and-meeting-other-people

Do we mostly mountain bike for exercise or for fun? Do the health benefits of mountain biking require us to do it somewhere that is fun?

From the FT (https://www.ft.com/content/f1550dbb-e36f-43be-a537-306ccfdaffca):

Several Whitehall officials told the Financial Times that the Cabinet agreed on Monday afternoon that primary and secondary schools would probably close until the mid-February half-term break, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

I find friendliness out on the trails varies a lot depending on where you go. I find Forest of Dean much friendlier than Surrey Hills, for example.

If you’re already comfortable with bodyweight movements then using resistance bands to make them harder is a relatively cheap and portable option.

A weight vest is useful too

Also a good option for making cardio harder, eg wear it and go for a walk.

I thought the Everest camps were pretty well known as rubbish tips?

But that’s not climbing, that’s mountaineering…

I think for most people, and especially teenagers, climbing has a higher barrier to entry compared to mountain biking. It’s easier to ride whatever bike you have to hand in the local woods with your mates than it is to find a rock face and figure out how to get up it without dying. This leads to a stronger community that can show new initiates “the way”. I’ve seen plenty of people being dicks at indoor bouldering walls, where that barrier is removed.

Reading the original article reminded me of 90s videos like Dirt, Mud Cows, Kranked etc. and how not that much has changed. If anything slids are less of a thing than they used to be.

Special mention for Black Iris Little Nipper. Amazing for its strength at 3.8%.

At the other end of the spectrum, Cloudwater Thanks Again For Your Support is possibly the best beer I’ve had all year. Only being sold through independent retailers.

Pressure Drop, Verdant, DEYA, Pomona Island, Cloudwater and Northern Monk all do some brilliant American style IPAs. Some do relatively small weekly releases so worth signing up their mailing lists.

I’ve been doing the Absa Cape Epic workouts on Zwift once or twice a week as a substitute for getting outside a bit less. I can appreciate what is being said above about the training plans/sets of workouts having quite a lot of high intensity stuff, but that suits me as my rides outside are for fun and mostly fairly low intensity winch and plummet type outings. I’m ‘enjoying’ the workouts, but it’s too soon to comment on their efficacy. What I’m hoping for is a bit of a fitness boost so that I’m fresher for the fun stuff for longer during the days out.

Used Blinds2Go in the summer. I don’t have particularly strong feelings about blinds, but was true to size, easy to put up, reasonable quality and does the job.

I have found Virgin to be much better in this respect. Every time I test it I’m getting what I’m paying for.

Pleased with the Skoda Octavia Scout I’ve had for the last couple of years. Handles muddy fields better than most of the cars around it, but that’s about as far I’ve tested things.

Probably worth bearing in mind that those time frames are probably a ‘best case scenario’ from the perspective of vaccine availability, which then forms a useful target for logistics planning.

That is what I inferred from Hancock’s press conference just now.

Have you got a link for this?

3:57pm update on here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-oxford-vaccine-christmas-lockdown/

(Probably paywalled, but there are some good browser extensions available which jump over that)

Edit: here is the original:

https://www.hsj.co.uk/coronavirus/exclusive-nhs-planning-to-start-covid-vaccination-of-under-50s-by-end-of-january/7029015.article

Currently being reported by the Telegraph:

The draft plans, seen by Health Service Journal, say that the “bulk” of vaccines of the last group are likely to occur in March, meaning that almost the whole population should have been offered jabs by Easter.

The dates pencilled in for beginning each group are:

Care home residents and staff, healthcare workers – from beginning of December
Ages 80 plus – from mid-December
Everyone aged 70-80 – from late December
Everyone aged 65-70 – from early January
All high and moderate risk under 65s – from early January
Everyone aged 50-65 – from mid January
Everyone aged 18-50 – from late January, but with the bulk of this group vaccinated during March

Over the last couple of years I’ve used DHF/DHR2, Assegai/Assegai, Assegai/DHR2, Wild Enduro and recently switched to WTB Verdict/Judge for the winter. I’m finding the Verdict/Judge combo the best of the lot in wet and soft conditions. A bit heavy and draggy, but not as bad as Maxx Grip DD/DH Assegai’s. Shed mud really well.

The legislation says nothing about traveling for exercise, so it’s not illegal. The guidance is clearly to stay local.

The page quoted below is clearly out of date. The the section directly above what is quoted below says that gyms can open.

From Gov site

You can travel for physical activity. Ideally use your nearest, local appropriate venue to reduce pressure on transport infrastructure. But you can travel to outdoor open space irrespective of distance. You shouldn’t travel with someone from outside your household unless you can practise social distancing – for example by cycling. It is not possible to practice effective social distancing in small vehicles.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-phased-return-of-outdoor-sport-and-recreation

There are anti-mtb signs condemning ’wild trails’ from Forestry England around The Pludds that have appeared recently. They’ve removed features and called the cops apparently.

The Pludds is one of the few areas of FoD off piste[*] that I haven’t ridden yet, and was planning on going there soon. How sensitive is it?

[*] that I know of…

Genuine question why do so many twitter experts that back brexit & covid deniers etc have ‘Forex Trader’ in their bios?

A lot of retail forex trading it done based on systems that demonstrably don’t work, but which people believe in.

https://dilbert.com/strip/2015-02-23

I am not surprised there’s a correlation with Brexit supports and Covid deniers.

I had the same issue when I created a new segment last week. Refreshing achievements didn’t fix it, but toggling the activity as described by WorldClassAccident did.

If you’re trying one for the first time do it on a carpet rather than a hard surface. Slows things down and makes it much easier.

Most of the Risca trails are on Trailforks.

Strava with heatmaps here. Great for telling you where the path actually goes and where the ‘unofficial’ trails are. The resolution of the heatmaps in the route planner isn’t as high as on the dedicated heatmaps page though.

As an alternative, would the bike fit in the car with the family if the luggage went in a roof box?

Will bearing race punches work for removing the bearings?

I had success in both loosing and gaining weight using the templates from Renaissance Periodization (https://renaissanceperiodization.com/). They’re mostly aimed at strength sports, but I’d argue that if you’re eating to loose weight then you should definitely be doing some strength training to help loose fat rather than muscle.

In a nut shell: eat to a plan and/or record what you’re eating, measure your weight. If you’re loosing weight at the appropriate rate keep at it. If you’re not then adjust your plan so that you’re eating a bit less (reducing carbs first, other than around workouts, then fat). Repeat until you’ve reached your target (assuming your target is realistic).

The manual only covers setup. Regarding servicing, “Only EXT or authorized Service points can perform these operations.”. If the service manual and spares aren’t available to the general public that’s going to significantly increase the cost of ownership, and downtime. I wonder if the same applies to the rear shocks.

In a similar vein, the bead clip on these tyre levers is also a massive help:

https://www.rotae-tech.com/tyre-lever-set