Thanks very much. Van it is!

How are you finding those forks? I’m thinking of getting some myself.

Interesting. I guess if there’s a demand for motor repairs or refurbishment then businesses will start meeting that demand.

On the other hand I did spend a bit of time on Google looking for spare or replacement battery packs and it seemed like they are quite hard to get hold of. I presume the growing demand for lithium batteries in phones and cars is resulting in a restricted supply to the ebike after market?

The sad thing about this is that it is likely to the Brexit election when it should really be about the climate catastrophe.

That is a stunning looking bike. Thanks for sharing.

Went car free last month. Bought a bicycle trailer for when we need to carry a bit more stuff, and will hire vans if we need to carry more than that.

We’ve been living practically car free since March, but my other half wanted the security of having it ‘just in case’. I have to admit to relishing not worrying about paying out for tax, insurance, diesel, and repairs. We also took our first long trip away without it at the weekend and it was better in every way.

I’m enjoying that. Thanks! 😊 Will check out Popa later.

I’ve had a few wheels built by Spa cycles and they have all been very good. However I had SJS cycles make my most recent one as the choice of rims available through Spa is a bit limited. The SJS wheel is also very well built.

Another vote for the greens here.

A kettlebell or two and the simple and sinister programme. Only two exercises: swings and get ups. It works wonders and takes very little time.

This may be overkill, but I cant help wanting one…maybe putting a teardrop habitation shell on the rear and turning it into a camper?…

Electric container ‘bike’

We are one week into a three month experiment to live without a car. I do plan to hire a car occasionally for visiting family or going to festivals (maybe), but we just don’t need one for daily living as we live in a city.

Not having a car will mean that we have to make changes, but so far that means doing smaller, more frequent and local shopping. In the longer term it will mean less visits to trail centres or spur of the moment outings. On the plus side my level of activity has increased in the last week, life has slowed down a bit, and I have explored more of my local area than I have in the last five years. I fully expect to give up the car permanently at the end of the three months.

And another Instinct vote. Love mine.

I don’t let that guide my thinking or how I behave because that would be a bit, y’know…doolally. However I have experienced some crazy things that makes me think that there is enough room not to deny the possibility of spiritual events or synchronicity. I’m not going to speculate about how it might work though, but will just enjoy the absurdity of it when it happens.

Also, Dorian Yates, 6 times Mr Olympia, pot head, and the empirical opposite of a loser.

Another vote for Audio Technica m40x

Another one with a PRS SE and a Blackstar amp. It’s a great combination  I love the tone, action and finish of the PRS. It’s a great guitar. The amp is awesome too for the size. I couldn’t be happier. The PRS was noticeably better than the Squiers I demoed at the same time

I like hot sauces but steer clear of anything with capsaicin as it tastes artificial and slightly metallic to me  Whereas a bit of naga chilli gives great depth of flavour as well as a lot of heat.

I admire your bravery for trying it neat though.

This is exactly the position I find myself in. I can’t anyways find time to travel for proper trail riding, but I’ve got a couple of pump tracks nearby which I figure will give me a good bike workout and improve my skills if I get into the habit of going. So .. I picked up an Astronut yesterday and will be hitting the pump track tomorrow morning under cover of darkness so I can gauge exactly how little talent I’ve got without embarrassing myself.

I’m 105kg and tend to run 5-6 in 4.8’s – any more than that and I feel like I’m being pinged around like a pinball.

I pulled the trigger on an Astronut  was tempted anyway but £110 quid off the already bargain price was too good to ignore  Pick it up tomorrow. 😊 Will be hitting the pump track this weekend.

Thanks for the link and offer but as it happened I chanced upon the Go Outdoors website at lunchtime and snaffled an Astronut for £440 (I also need a large frame). Depending on how I get on with the Astronut I may still get a Bfe26 down the line. Cheers anyway.

Loving my ice cream truck. I now think of it as my bike rather than my fat bike. Put 29+ tyres on it once. Don’t know how people get around on something so skinny. 

Fat max – no, no high intensity work as I wanted to stick to the MAF protocol and he doesn’t allow it during the base build period.

Jameso – what you suggest makes a lot of sense to me. I can see how that would work as it’s more volume than I was doing with a healthy little injection of high intensity.

It could also be that I’m a non-responder to MAF type training.

I tried this for 3 months at the start of the year, typically doing an hour most weekdays and anything from 2-4 on either Saturday or Sunday. I stuck to the programme pretty religiously, and didn’t do any strength training or high intensity work during that time.

On the plus side I felt refreshed after workouts, with a sort of ‘glowing feeling. There was no problem recovering from them. Before I started I would regularly have allergic reactions turn into mini colds due to having a weak immune system. I didn’t have a single instance of that while doing MAF.

On the negative side it didn’t make a blind bit of difference to my fitness. I trained on zwift using a smart trainer and heart rate belt so had lots of data with which to evaluate my performance.  I saw no change over the whole period, if anything there was a slight downward trend.

It could be that I don’t respond to that type of training or that I didn’t do enough volume.  The book doesn’t give you any guidance about volume which is annoying, but looking at other LSD plans suggests that I wasnt doing enough.

The other issue I had with it is that it is boring. Yes I exercise to get fitter but I also want to have fun.

Aldi. Great ratio of cost to flavour.

I think this a cultural issue. Success is often equated with money and status in advertising, films, and tv shows. Sometimes it is an overt statement but if not it is instead illustrated by the way that charcters dress, the homes they live in, the cars they drive, the things they do and the places they visit – which are often way beyond the means of a real person with that job. These associations reinforce the myth that money and status equals success. Newspapers and magazines reinforce this these perceptions by glamourising the benefits of money and status.

It strikes me that thinking of success in these terms serves only to benefit shareholders and those above us in the organisation hierarchy as it encourages us to sacrifice our own happiness, time and health in pursuit of these fickle rewards, while the real profit from our endeavour is accrued by others. Got a promotion? Earning an extra £15k? Not happy? Then you need to work harder and earn more…and repeat…

The way out of this is, if there is one, is to first take responsibility for living and aspiring toward our own definition of success and happiness – one that serves us and our family. It is not easy to do because it goes against this prevailing culture and a lifetime of indoctrination that has shaped our thoughts and beliefs.

TL;DR OP – your life before was not a success on your terms, your new one is. I admire you for what you’ve done. Sounds to me like you are living the dream.

I don’t think your son should bow his head.  I also think the teacher should show some respect for your sons beliefs rather than the other way around. It is the teacher who needs to do the learning here

I’ve got a t20 hyper and it is very good.  It’s easy to erect and all the materials used feel first rate.

You can add Helsinki to the list of cities with cycling infrastructure we can only dream of here, with far harsher conditions to boot.  It’s also got a state of the art metro system and trams.

I made a lot of use of the city bike rental scheme there and it has completely changed my perspective on cycling for just getting about.  Sitting upright, going slower, with luggage on the bike not your back, while wearing normal clothes.  What’s not to like?  I’m definitely going to get a dutch bike when my cycle to work election period opens up again.

I am so sorry to hear that.  I hope you find a way through this.  Wishing you all the best.  Take care.

I’d look at the Merckx frames on Merlin. Don’t know if there are any mediums though.

Try not to dwell on the problem. The only way he’ll break out of this is by being able to visualize a future worth living for. I would also take a hard line and don’t make allowances for his bad behaviour. You don’t have to, and shouldn’t do it in an aggressive way; just make it clear that certain behaviours are unacceptable. If you do otherwise then you reinforce his bad habits which makes them seem acceptable or tolerated. If that is allowed to continue then it will lead to a negative cycle. The visualising of a more positive future is more difficult because that is something he owns. All you can do is to provide opportunities and encouragement. Despite all this there may be nothing you can do so look after yourself.

I used to have an up! albeit not a GTi but it was a great car. It was really fun to drive, nippy and nicely balanced. I always thought that the chassis could easily take more power. The interior was good quality and the seats were comfortable. It was even reasonably quiet at motorway speeds.  It felt very sophisticated for a small car and overall it was a great ownership experience. I wouldn’t think twice about getting the GTi version if I didn’t need to tow a caravan.

That looks like fun. I took up mountain biking less than a year ago so I find your videos very helpful when trying to work out where to ride and whether I might die. I learned a few things from your previous videos about trail forks and coil overs too.  Cheers. 😀

+1 for Spa Cycles wheels. I’ve had 3 sets now.  They’ve always been expertly built and never gone out of true despite me being a similar weight to the OP.   They are good value too.

Pedros, although Parks are good too.

Have to admit that I love my fat bike, a Surly ICT with blutos.  I agree that it’s a lot of fun ragging it around and over jumps, etc.  Can’t say I’ve ever overtaken anyone on a climb, although that’s probably me.

Thanks Nemesis.  That’s useful as the flow is one that I’m considering.

1 – Yes
2 – Yes
3 – No – it can be very difficult, even in some of the larger settlements.
4 – Not only would I entertain it but I would actively seek it out and may base my route around travelling there.