What height are you? I have a Specialized Roubaix comp that I would consider parting with for £700 size XL

Saw a bright red Ferrari once with the place EG0 2 BIG

It is the only personalised plate that I have ever thought was decent – probably because it was self mocking and clearly not meant to be taken too seriously.

OP – might be worth a visit to your local CAB for help in dealing with the DVLA over this.

I would second the vote for Miry. I have an A4 one and it is great. It raises your map off the bars so it is easy to see. Once you get in the hang of rotating it, you won't want to go back to a fixed holder.

Having your map on the bars is the way to go for TQs:)

I would suggest that as a first step you spend some time lying on your front and trying to let your back relax and stop spasming.

I would recommend that you book an appointment with a sports injury clinic / physio ASAP (worth paying for in order to get seen quickly).

Ibuprofen might help to dull the pain and reduce any inflamation.

I am contemplating a 'mid winter Whitton' with a few mates – the idea being to do the FW starting as it gets light and aiming to finish before it gets dark on the 21st December.

BB30 on the road bike. HTII on the MTB.

The difference in Q factor between them is alarming 😛

Kendal area very wet also. Just tried to get to a meeting at Lancaster and gave up after 3rd flood across the road in the first mile.

I hope the thing which is normally a stream at the end of my garden (but is now a torrent) stops rising soon.

Folk on the other side of the village are already in need of sandbags.

Edward Woodward – Isn't that a man with 3 planks on his head?

What do you call a woman who can get a 147 snooker clearance whilst balancing a pint on her head? Beatrix Potter

I have jury rigged a workable system in the back of my van consisting of an old QR front hub fastened to a bit of 2×2 timber.

I drop out my front wheel, pop the forks onto the hub on the 2×2, fasten it up and off I go:)

real name = actually me

real name = not actually me (thankfully)

Best of all is this (sixth image when searching on my forum name)

I think I am right in saying that it is an entry requirement of PGCEs that applicants have at least 2 week's experience in school. So making contact with your local school and arranging to go in to get some voluntary experience as soon as possible would be a good first step.

Most people find them hard; more in terms of workload than in terms of the difficult nature of what you will study. However, teaching is very rewarding and it does get easier as you get more experience.

Any idea whether you want primary or secondary?

I cried when my Saracen Conquest was stolen (I was 20years old at the time).

Good luck to them.

Thanks for all the great feedback here.

I guess my options are:
1 – stick with my Innovations inflator and buy Innovations branded threadless cartridges
2 – buy a different inflator and buy unbranded cartridges.

A quick search of the internet suggests option 2 will work out cheaper.

Anyone want a used once Innovations inflator like this??

Have you ordered threaded or unthreaded?

I will await your feedback …

When I asked at my LBS about this they said that I would not notice any performance benefits on my XTR 960 brakes if I switched to Goodridge (based on my Lake District riding habits).

The fact that they talked themselves out of a sale was enough to convince me that they were not worth the money.

Not sure if that gives you the answer you want but it may mean you have a bit of cash to spend elsewhere.

definitely

they should also be cleaned spoke by spoke after each ride

I feel rather obligated to contribute here given my forum name (not that I’ve had a serious mlc)

Mine has been based around having had kids young and not being able to ride much when they were little. Now they are getting older I have more time and I enjoying the fitness I would have liked in my 20s/30s.

Expensive bike – YES.
Younger women – no thanks very happily married.
Flash car – no thanks, but have just bought a VW T4 and having all sorts of daydreams about conversions.
Tattoo – yes, I am planning to get another done in the near future.
Tight trousers – by default as I have never been into that baggy thing (the Happy Mondays put me off it)
Hair dye – NO.

Days are like jigsaw pieces. Each one does not mean that much, but when you put them together they make up the big picture. You should live life in a way that the combination of all your days makes up a picture of life you will be happy with when it is complete.

simondbarnes – Member
You need sealant, much like with Bontrager Tubeless Ready tyres.

2BLISS MTB TIRES

Thanks – I did try and do a search of the Specialized website but didn’t manage to find that.

I’ll pop into the LBS for some sealant tomorrow:)

Good point …

Do: plan a big four hour ride for your family, pack everyone’s bikes in the van, wake your teenage sons early and drive for an hour to get to the start.

Don’t: forget your own cycling shoes.

Sorry to have opened up the old Mac vc PC debate, that was not the purpose of my OP.

I can understand the perspective of my IT services at work as it must make life easier if there are fewer different systems to work with and support. However, there are several other colleagues who have Macs (we are a HE institution) and we have a dedicated Mac lab so they are not an unknown species.

I have gathered some interesting points to support my case; this is what I need, I don’t think that I will be refused a Mac point blank, but that I will need to justify why a Mac will be better for me than a PC. Like I said earlier I make a lot of multimedia teaching resources and I am anticipating that imovie and garageband will make the creation of these resources easier and that I will end up with better products.

If there are any other specific examples of things I might refer to in my in my argument, I would be very glad to hear them. Anything about specific features of the software (ilife vs movie maker etc) would be very welcome.

Thanks for all the comments so far 🙂

Wow! thanks RudeBoy 🙂

Sandwich – unfortunately, I think that it will end up being the other way round: that I will have to justify why I want a Mac rather than a Laptop.

Great fun this thread 🙂

For similar related humour check these out:
How to MTB
How to road ride

I am now struggling to concentrate on work after having looked at the legs pedalling the red bike in CFH’s images.

😀

5.4kg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have just bought an ex AA van with only 90,000 miles from Poulton Vans[/url]

It was the seats and windows in the rear for family duties along with the capacity to carry bikes in the back without any external carrier that attracted me.

I am planning to do a bit of soundproofing in the back and to fit a Gaz stove in the back for post ride brews 🙂

+1 for drilling.

I made a washer out of an old inner tube to damp down vibrations.

Results

Hi STATO

are you confusing the Whinlatter challenge MTB race with the Helly Hansen adventure race?

My altimeter reading was 1650m of climbing by the end (knowing there was that much climbing makes me feel not so bad about the pain in my legs!)

It was a great day with some killer climbs – I would have liked a bit more natural tracks though to provide a change from fire road / trail centre trail.

I’m Spartacus

Your body will adjust to cope with the training load you put on it. So, if most of your riding is based around 7 mile commutes it will adjust to cope with this.

If you want to get fitter and find your commute easier, then you will need to put a bigger training load on it.

Also, if you are anything like me then you will always give yourself a training load that is the maximum you can endure i.e. even when you are fitter, going out riding is still hard – its just that you are going faster.

It is only when you back off the effort and soft pedal / glass crank it that you will find that the ride has become ‘easier’.

“You don’t get fit from training. You get fit by recovering from training”

I have had this problem with my commuting over the years. I have found that trying to vary the pace of the ride on different days works for me. For example, if I have been riding at the weekend, then a very gentle ride on Monday / Tuesday gives me time to recover. I can then have a high intensity ride on Wednesday / Thursday. Friday can be another recovery paced ride leaving me fresh for a ride at the weekend.

The hardest part can be letting yourself get passed by people you know you are fitter than on the days when you are taking it easy 😳

A bit of darkside

If you want a tent that is small enough to cycle tour then I can recommend a Wild Country Monsoon

Not really cheap, but well made, spacious and easy to put up. Great for cycle touring. You will probably get something cheaper if you want something to use for car based camping, but I am afraid I don’t have any suggestions there 😕

I have a pair of these on my Kaffenback (road duties only no CX)
They work well on the hoods. They do lack the facility to toe the pad in, but once the pad has worn a bit you lose any toe in …

proper bonks are ace (afterwards) it is like a separate reality. You know them dreams where you want to run fast but can’t … ? Just like that. Lieing in the ditch by the side of the road / trail for the rest of your life sounds like the best idea of your life.
You start to fantasise about all manner of foodstuffs and how much of them you can eat.

I wouldn’t confuse carbs with calories.

It depends on the ride duration and intensity.

If you are going out for a long gentle ride you should aim to eat loads of carbs the day before and start the day with a big breakfast. You can then top this up with stuff like flapjack, sandwiches, bananas etc. while you are riding.

If you are going out for a short, fast blast then you will not be able to metabolise carbs that easily anyway. I once read that the speed at which you set off dictates (to some extent) the rate at which your body will consume food. This means if you set off really quick your body will think it needs to provide fuel quickly and will use all the easy to access energy stores really quickly, this will leave you feeling weak and wobbly in no time. I try to set off gently and do a reasonable period of warm up and then up the intensity. You can use easy to digest carbs such as energy drinks and gels to keep yourself going on this kind of ride.

You will also need to keep yourself hydrated to ensure that you can make the most of your food.