Agreed with that last statement, Dez. Those blocks are great. Not perfect but a million times better than magic paint. Good luck getting something done.

I have a section of those on my commute and only occasionally do I have to move out in to the dual carriageway to avoid a van or par parked in the cycle lane. 🙄

OTOH, there’s a section of single lane carriageway and a cycle lane approaching traffic lights. So what happens? Two lanes of queuing traffic form, fill the bike lane with stationary pollution boxes 🙄🙄 so I ride on the pavement instead.

Because the Serial No is only any use to confirm that the bike that has been located is indeed the bike you’re looking for?

WRT serial numbers, I take photos of a new bike, including forks, maybe I should put in in a document on the cloud just in case.

Also, BeeLine bikes in Oxford (think they’ve closed now) definitely did take note of the serial number when I bought a complete bike there – they wrote it on the receipt and handed it over to me.

we’ve got a EBAC (maybe recommended off here) which is great and hasn’t let us down after may 8 years so far. It’s got an 8hr boost mode for quicker drying. I’d also consider adding a fan blowing at the clothes to help with moisture transfer from clothes to air before the dehumidifier removed the moisture from the air.

Yep, at the Kendal mountain festival I spoke to the Five-Ten fella about the rumoured gore-tex boots – in time for next Winter he reckoned.

Me and the Mrs used it as a way to get cooking more veggie for a few years. We would only cook veggie – eating out or being fed by friends we were less fussy. It was a good stepping stone towards expanding our repertoire and eating less meat overall.

Was going to say – Alpkit Clould Covers will popper together. Also can be used on their own etc.

Paying the extra for your moving company to pack for you is 100% worth it once you have kids

Also this. It cost us, maybe £300 extra on top of the move? They look far longer than estimated and damage a few minor things, but it was still worth it to not be living out of and around boxes for the weeks it would have taken us to do it in the evenings.

Don’t rush it, don’t stress. Maybe start looking but then there’s a risk you’ll find the perfect house and have to GO NOW, which is going to be stressful….

I don’t really remember this, but my older brother used to play The Knife Game with me. This involved a large cardboard box (from a TV? Fridge?), me inside it, and a kitchen knife.

Hence why we’re trying to keep stress levels down this time (during pregnancy)

Well just do it later then. If you have too much stuff/too small house, rent some storage for a year.

Doesn’t drop the saddle down as far to the frame, late to the party and too expensive.

Super light (<400g is light, no?) though so ok for SC racing, bikepacking and maybe a bot of cross.

The risk with going 2nd hand (you already know, just got to spell it out) is that if you have to add on shop rates for suspension service* (£100), shock service* (£100) and a new drivetrains and tyres, then you’re quickly in to New Bike money.

*Proper service, not just an oil change. If you’re not happy doing an oil change and bleeding brakes then you’re paying shop rates for lots and lots….

The old saying I’ve heard is that if you had flu, looked out the window and saw a £20 note, that you wouldn’t be able to go and get it.

I’ve had flu once and was in bed for a week (missed lectures, finals year). Do not recommend.

That said, I do suffer when having a cold. Sometimes it’s ok and I get on with it. Often I’m a snotty mess surrounded by sodden handkerchiefs (ffnnar), nacking paracetamol to get through the day. I’ll happily refer to that as manflu.

Back on topic, have you see/read Good Omens?

I’ve unburdened myself

Is that what you’re calling it now?

NZ flights. Emirates have just charged me £384 for book seas for my family

Funny. We last week chose seats for our flights to/from NZ (Emirates/Quantas) and didn’t have to pay extra.

Result. Surely DHL should have left you a note saying “Left with neighbour (Evans, No. 55)”?

Same issue happened to me too although that was UPS.

No no no no no no

Has it been appropriately heat treated afterwards?

Run away!

That’s exactly what happened on my old Winters, I didn’t notice a difference between them and the Winter Plus when I bought.

I used to use Panaracer Flataway Kevlar puncture protection strips, which possibly helped me extract a little more life out of them (but added to the confusion how I was getting puntures).

I probably got 12 months use out of a rear tyre (4 months, 3 winters?) before it wore through in this way.

I can get home and have a look at what carcass these were, I think I kept one that hadn’t failed yet.

Still worth it.

No point in the Winter Plus IMO. You’ll have to be leaning waaaaaaay over the side for the outer row to engage with the ground.

Used the Winter for three seasons, currently have Winter Plus (as they were on offer).

Spiky and spiny shrubs and bushes

not compatible with a family friendly garden and small children! Bramble, climbers, creepers etc. going in over the fence to make ti difficult to climb over though.

Move house?

absolutely not 🤣 after one lot of half-arsed thieves? the seemed to have a go at the whole estate so probably won’t be back until after the alarm is fitted.

Window guards on the inside

Thanks, that’s now the plan 👍 Alarm also going inside.

those that like it and those that don’t

It’s not that folk don’t like it, it’s just how nasty and vitriolic some of it seems. I dunno, maybe I’m reading too much in to the responses or the “banter” being lost on me.

The amount of old man rage going on in this thread is pretty awful. No need to wonder why STW has the reputation it does.

I was expecting to not enjoy the Bond theme base do the whinging going on, but that’s brill.

Yeah I had similar and I concluded it was overscan.

the solution was to change the aspect ratio control on the TV from 4:3, 16:9 Widescreen, Letterbox, Cinema, etc. to Auto.

Simple but fixed it for us.

I got the hinge screws replaced with coach bolts yesterday evening and replaced some of the screws from the hinge to the door with one-way screws.

Yes, “security” fasteners are an inconvenience at best but that’s the point – make the investment not worth the imagined reward.

the mini PIR alarm is exactly what I was looking for too.

As an ex water-rower (as in I used to row, on the water) I have spent many, many hours on a Concept2, with nothing but a mix-tape to entertain me. An hour solid on the C2, I’d maybe break it up with a stretch.

I used to warm up and down with an in-boat routine, building the stroke up and down, bringing in the different parts of the stroke.

Lots and lot of stretching.

I don’t really miss it, I don’t have the willpower to do that any more.

I do miss being that fit. It was amazing.

Anyway, doing intervals is a great way to build up fitness. Like incredibly effective and efficient. Problem is, (and I assume it’s similar for doing intervals on the bike*) that you have to be incredibly motivated to put enough in to make it worthwhile. Having a coach or instructor yelling at you, or a group, is really good for your work rate.

* I don’t do training on the bike, I wouldn’t know

Hahaha, I could get myself some fake mines and minefield clearance paraphernalia… , might just make more more of a target though 🤣

So security bars on the outside or inside?

What DJ Spoony said.

The long-term need is to make us change our behaviour and attitudes by any means necessary. If that costs some paper, so be it; it’s an investment.

Yeah I did think coach bolts are better than security screws if I need to take hinges off at a later date, but I need to measure the length that I need!

A second lock & hasp is definitely a good shout.

OK on a British General LED dimmer

These are the dimmers I found to be poor – with both Philips, Amazon and random brand dimmable LED bulbs. All the above are spot on with the Varilight dimmers.

But to answer the question you actually asked – if you use a non-dimmbale bulb with a dimmer, use it either full on/off and you might be ok. Attempting to dim may kill the bulb.

What sort of a dimmer are you using to drive the light?

I’ve not tried any non-dimmable bulbs on my various dimmers but I have had success using Varilight dimmers and dimmable LED bulbs – the MK dimmers were no good.

FWIW – my understanding was that and incandescent bulb is made dimmable by reducing the supply voltage; the dimmer would be a potential divider (not an adjustable resistor). An LED bulb is made dimmer by reducing the frequency at which you give it current and voltage and/or by reducing the current supply.

I may be wrong, a bit of googling would correct me…

Is the solution to your problem a stem that folds out sideways or a clever way to save space (like the front wheel drops out in seconds and you can hang the bars sideways)?

To save space in the hallway you’re either looking at a “normal” road/touring bike with narrow bars, hipster fixie or a folding bike…. or a novel way of storing your bike. Hang it up high on the wall or from the ceiling?

frozen tracks ( transmission)

yeah, I always forget how icy that hill and hillside is 🤣 amazing little micro-climate on K-line and Triple Tranny.

Sensible/safe thing is definitely to stay at home 👍 better than messing with ice when you’re out on your tod

Hamsterley on-piste is pretty good all-weather (though I always skip Root 666). No idea about damage though, I’d expect there to be a few trees down around the place.

I’ve tried the Enduras on before. I’m a medium in Giro, Met, or Bell, the M/L was a good fit and shape.

Is this different from the organic veg boxes and subscription things that lump you with an four & a half potatoes and three turnips?

hipster coffee pot things

is more likely to not work because it’s aluminium.

Pans for induction must have a steel base

The hobs cool won much quicker than ceramic because they do not have a bug lump of material on top getting hotter than the pan itself.

Touch controls are of course nowhere near as good as a proper rotary knob but we’ve got to make do, eh.

Check the maximum power output – cheap ones might do 2.4 kW per zone, but if they have a plug or maximum 3 kW total, then forget bringing a pot of water to the build the same time as a hot frying pan. If it has a 13A plug fitted then you’re talking low power (3.1 kW max)!.

Apologies for the Amazon link but this is the one we bought. Only downside is the touch controls are rubbish. If you put a baking tray down on top of the controls, it might switch everything off!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cookology-CIB605-Induction-Built-Bridge/dp/B072XLCLLW

If you use a really thick layer of paste then the paste will flow, so keep it sensible. You can use grip paste at any torque setting so no reason to leave it out.

Is the frame a particularly loose fit on the seat post?

Self serving bollocks justifying inadequate grease fills?

Don’t SC have a lifetime replacement policy on their bearings? So it’s in their interest to keep their customers bearings alive and not just make excuses?

IMO pay more attention to the damper spec than the stanchion diameter. Unless you’re 150kg+

An Oxbridge degree will open many doors.

College selection is crucial, the more famous colleges are less inhabited by the more normal students. The amount of support on offer between colleges will also vary enormously, with up to 4 years of subsidised accommodation, food & facilities (rowing, gym, societies), bursaries and grants available if you pick wisely.

Dark chocolate Tunnocks Teacakes

They exist and are tasty.