.

for info:
Nordic region do not use the same winter tires as Continental Europe….
They have studded & non-studded (called ‘friction’) tire types with compounds designed to work in even colder temperatures.

They perform less well on cold wet asphalt but if driving on a fully snow/ice covered road they are surprisingly good.

In response to OP: I also drive BMW & the difference with winter tires is huge when the conditions get bad. Mostly though you will probably not realise unless you drive back-to-back another car with summer tires.
When snow is forecast I also sling some bags of sand in the back (50kg). Again without making back-to-back test its not crystal clear difference but I feel that it helps…

Thought Perez had finally been showing his potential recently….

I didn’t really get this either when I read the instructions.
I just had a look at the bits & pieces and used the single bolt option.

Worked fine….

(that’ll teach me to not read instructions) :)

Connect feels more industrial in my opinion but they seem to run forever…

My 705 survived a wash cycle (and falling off the roof of the car at 60) :)

Was very surprised about the wash cycle survival as it only has (had) that little push-in rubber bung protecting the mini-usb port

Crests on switch here. (White rims) :-)

Kept loosing spoke tension at the beginning but eventually sorted.
other than that, good value….

Fork brand certainly has a visual effect:

Still don’t think it’s particularly visible or ‘undersized’ but perhaps I’m basing my judgement on Lynskey set-up that I’m familiar with…

How can you see the steerer tube when the fork is fitted?

I was looking at one of these in the Ducati store with my lady (picking her Monster up) & I have to say the right hand side of a Panigale is wonderful. The left hand is really screwed up by the shock positioning…
Haven’t ridden one as yet so not sure if it protrudes on the road but still it looks like an afterthought

I’m up in Gallivare, Kiruna & Sodankyla for work quite frequently…

It can get a bit chilly when the wind is blowing. Makes the fingers hurt when working outdoors.

Was just typical autumn weather 2 wks ago…

Back to Polkowice tomorrow for a quick work trip.

Or just watch it on TV if you live in Flanders :wink:

Ian Field has been making excellent progression this season so far.
Great to see another nation (& especially a Brit) mixing it with the best.

The British ladies are doing brilliantly again too

Sadly it’s being encouraged / promoted by my employer (large far from cool corporate firm) hence any fun has been quickly destroyed…

They even sent everyone (including the ladies!) a fold-up flyer (with the history & ‘rules’ of Movember) & a razor for afterwards yesterday….

generally speaking yes.

For a similar performance (grip / rolling resistance / water evacuation) a ‘premium’ tyre will wear better.

It’s never so black & white as that but that is the general trend.

<10k miles is exceedingly short for an average tyre life. What car / tyre size are we talking about?

(I know there will lots of alternative comments but I get paid to develop tyres)

Dual sim phone? UK & France?
Or company just provide a tablet you can use wherever via wifi?

I’m British, living in Belgium, working for Japanese company & currently in Austria…
There’s always a solution :-)

I’ve got 50mm carbonzone clinchers and am really happy with them so far.

Nice & stiff even with my >85kg though as mentioned already braking is not great. (the pads that came with them did not help)

Engineering Manager for a tyre manufacturer….
Job is pretty interesting though travel & working hours requirements would better suit someone without a family. :-(

Pay is ok but would accept more :-)

More importantly (for me) Belgium has just qualified for the world cup :-) :-)

Another vote for the Orbea MX team 24…..
Light / good spec. No crappy suspension fork or obscure 7×3 gear sets…
My son has the matt black version.

I feel for you…
I’m a motorbike commuter (no other real option due to Brussels location) and have to filter through 30-40km of queues each way.
Been hit twice in 10yrs but miraculously stayed upright both times, though seen more than enough incidents :(

Try & increase viz (stronger lamps/those blue tinted bulbs help as they differentiate you from most cars).
Fluo helmet like the cops over here is good too but less cool ;) (I compromised with Haga replica)
Stick a noisier exhaust on it ( I know some people will hate this suggestion but I really notice the difference in reactions)…

Keep the speed down, and the ‘warning’ you just had will keep you even more alert for the next 3 months…

He’s already done it? drug enabled “Limitless” :-)

Flanders is only 1.5hrs from Calais…

Maybe stay in Gent & make a nice couple of trips around the classics area of Oudenaarde?

i’m just back from business trip there.

Sofia is quite nice & very similar to central / southern Italy but outside of the city it’s indeed rather 3rd world.

Depends on what type of vacation you’re looking for…..

However they can put it in your contract that you agree the limit doesn’t apply to you

I have this :cry:

Ar$e

Gent is a lovely city but I’m probably biased :-)
Wonderful old architecture.

What ‘war’ related things your friends will find I don’t know… (We do have a medieval castle with a small weaponry & torture display…)

North coast of France is nothing special but to be honest neither is Belgium’s. Tram is convenient public transport as it links the coastal towns but after an hour any initial novelty will be gone.

Gent is a lovely city but I’m probably biased :-)
Wonderful old architecture.

What ‘war’ related things your friends will find I don’t know… (We do have a medieval castle with a small weaponry & torture display…)

North coast of France is nothing special but to be honest neither is Belgium’s. Tram is convenient public transport as it links the coastal towns but after an hour any initial novelty will be gone.

I’ve got a 610 & its been excellent. Use it for work (tracking haul routes) as well as sport…

Battery life could perhaps be better but haven’t got any comparison with anything similar. Thought the touch screen might be vulnerable but so far so good.

That sunto looks cooler though…. :-(

Leffeboy; where is that street?
Haven’t come across it yet on my motorbike commute through Bruss..

The magazine ‘bike’ is a good read (if you can find it in the UK)
Lots of enduro type stuff covered, as well as the expected alpine things.

Shock for starters I think

Very old story and limited only to the pay rises we get linked to cost-of-living etc.

I just received a pay rise (employed under Flemish contract) and did last year too… (Though they weren’t huge)

And FYI: we turn the motorway lights out now at night some places.. :-)

I’ve spent quite some days working at that place.
At the top of the hill, there’s a marksman ready to take out errant wildlife….

Striped Capellini :-)

Plus 1 for good experience with Hope BB ( non-ceramic).
Its the only BB I haven’t had issues with. I certainly have self-inflicted issues caused by washing and then leaving in the garage damp but the Hope BB has withstood same punishment without complaint….

I thought it was an awesome race. RadioShack Leopard controlled the race about as much as possible for a Vlaamse classic. First hour was 49 kph, second was 46kph.
Devolder managed to pull the peloton along for a 10km stretch on his own approaching the final loop, despite having recently punctured and having to chase back.
Brilliant tactics by Roelandts to get in a position where he had a small chance, Kwiatkowski showed his great potential with a long shot attack and we saw the 2 favourites battle it out head to head…
Maybe I watched a different race…. :-)

The breathalyser law was dropped already….

The breathalyser law was dropped already….

No snow in Gent anymore…
Today was lovely sunshine and up around 7 degrees.

Weekend looks like its going to be wet though :-(

Edit: woohoo – forecast has changed since this morning. Saturday cloudy & 7 deg…. :-)