Well not the Bissell 90T1-E we have for the reason I mentioned above. Which? even later withdrew their recommendation based on similar complaints to mine and I since removed my Which subscription! Not sure what is recommended now, but I would buy another one. The concept is excellent. But yes, be careful with laminate or Karndean etc. After the laminate fail I only use ours on ceramic tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms.

Yes, with mixed results. I bought a Bissell one as recommended by Which? It was amazing for the first 6 months until it started getting clogged up with limescale. Now you have to faff around unblocking the nozzle with a paper clip every time you use it.

So yes they are great when they work!

Also note that you cannot use them on laminate flooring. I tried once and it well…. delaminated the floor.

The ‘rules’ of road riding are not well-publicised so unless you join a club then you won’t know them.

I’m sure you are right. If I still had a road bike, I’d be tempted to don the lycra and test the theory once and for all. Maybe someone who rides both could try this test 🙂

Out of interest how many of you would totally blank another biker crossing your path on a quiet trail? Don’t you think it would seem a bit rude?

I can see why you are doing it then, but in the snow the inherent understeer will still turn to terminal oversteer at some point. Summer tyres are next to useless in actual snow and that’s when you are likely to get caught out when braking downhill for example.

I am talking about in the winter. They’ve not been used in the summer.

What car are you driving?

I think I’ll stick with my current tyres then, and not go out in the snow!

That or fit winter tyres all round. Honestly there is no other safe option. But it is worth noting that winter tyres are much better in general winter conditions and not just snow. They are well worth the effort if you want the safest winter driving option. Especially if your car has wide low profile tyres.

If you do replace the fronts only, make sure they put the new tyres on the back contrary to what someone suggested earlier.

Put winter tyres on the front…still understeers

That’s probably because in current conditions the rear summer tyres quite likely still have more grip than the winter fronts. When it gets really cold – say close to freezing – or actually snow it will be a totally different story. I look forward to your report on that one.

Sage advice I think. Drive at the same speed you would on a full set of summer tyres and you can only be better off, surely?

It doesn’t work like that. You watched the Michelin video right? What happens in reality is that the front has a LOT more grip on snow and the rear comes round and you spin off. Obviously that wouldn’t happen in all conditions, but it’s what happens on snow.

As for getting out on the road, it depends where you live, how bad the conditions are and if the road has been gritted or not. I’ve been in many situations where summer tyres would be a non-starter, but winter tyres have been quite safe. They have a totally different level of grip in certain conditions.

Rant – It honestly amazes me how people (especially in the UK) insist on going against all the advice that’s readily available from dozens of industry sources. I’m a vehicle dynamicist by the way, which is why I’m pushing this point. If the OP or anyone else listened to some of the poor “advice” spouted here it would be a tragedy – Rant over!

This threads almost turning into that scene from Django Unchained with the KKK and all because someone didn’t wave back.

On second thoughts it was well worth it just for that clip. Awesome!

No, you’ve just started a thread on a subject that’s been done to death twenty gazillion times already.

So why not just ignore it then? I never said anyone had to read it. Can some mod put this thread out of its misery then?

No worries JCL. I know the shock manufacturers and most serious frame designers are well aware of the benefits of reduced friction.

spawn – don’t know whether to laugh or cry 🙂 Class.

Aah yes, it’s bantz! Blates! You’re so desperate for recognition and acknowledgement from people you don’t know that you started a thread on the internet about it!? Kidding, it’s banter!

Jesus, I think I may have joined the wrong forum here by mistake.

Not what he asked, do you wave to other car drivers/bus/train passengers etc?

I thought I’d said no to that. Who does?

I never get how people can get so upset because someone else has broken their personal, inexpressed rules for social engagement…

You seem to be the one who’s upset. Calm down it’s only a bit of internet banter. It’s not exactly a personal rule either, when I was a roadie it was pretty much standard etiquette to nod when passing and I doubt that’s changed in the last 10 years. That’s why I was questioning it on this thread, but in hindsight I shouldn’t have bothered

Do you apply the same rules to strangers when you’re taking other forms of transport/leisure activity?

Yes, when I’m out walking in the countryside or if I pass another cyclist or dog walker while on a trail. It’s just being polite, nothing more or less. But of course I don’t wave to strangers in busy towns or when driving.

I **** give up!

that’s a whole different argument trat. But it still doesn’t make it a good idea to stick winter tyres on the front end only, which was the question.

don’t believe there is a single reputable motoring body, tyre or vehicle manufacturer who would endorse mixing winter/summer tyres. But naybe you can prove me wrong?

and you are sure it was 100% down to their tire choice ……..

In some cases I would think so. What do your insurance company say about mixing winter/summer tyres? I wouldn’t fancy your chances in a claim. But fit what you like, your choice.

Every fitter I’ve been too rotates the news to the front too,

They’re doing it wrong then. Decent fitters do the exact opposite and advice from all motoring bodies I know recommend fitting new on rear e.g from AA website:-

New tyres to the front or rear?
Check the handbook first as some give vehicle specific advice.

Generally it’s good practice to fit the best/newest tyres on the rear – in wet conditions, this favours understeer rather than oversteer.

So if you have the front tyres renewed it’s best to have the rear ones moved to the front and the new tyres fitted to the rear.

Tyres with deep tread are less likely to puncture and it’s more difficult to control a car with a damaged rear tyre.

well Michelin state you put the new tyres to the rear to prevent unexpected oversteer.

This is standard industry practice when fitting a new pair of tyres. Always better to have the newest tyres on the rear. Nobody in the industry will advise mixing summer and winter tyres.

FFS, the only safe option is to fit the same tyres on all 4 corners whether summer or winter. Preferably winter tyres for the winter. Any other combination is stupid.

FWIW i didnt put winter tires on at all last year ….. never died.

Unfortunately some others did though, but they are unlikely to contribute to this thread

but less stupid than summers all round

I disagree, as it can unbalance the car massively if you are actually driving on snow. Only 4 winter tyres is safe. At least with summers you tend not to get going in the first place if they are not up to the job. That’s the main issue with fitting winters on the front only. They can get you into a lot of trouble when the rears can’t keep up. Here’s a comparison of all combinations for you.

Is it a very stupid idea to put winter tyres on the front (driven wheels) and leave the normal tyres on the rear?

In short yes, it is very stupid. People do it, but it is still stupid.

How do I distinguish between a person on a bike a cyclist and a roadie?

lycra mainly

not really fussed if I bumped it off the kerb….

You will be when it pokes a driveshaft through the diff 😉

Feel free to revisit your observation being made my others. This will probably explain some reactions on the thread…

Fair enough, I’ll let it lie. Kind of answers my question though.

Is it possible that everything was actually quite similar 10yrs ago, but the slightest percieved break in etiqutte didn’t automatically get filed in the the brain under “Things to moan about on an internet forum when I get home”?

I strongly suspect the difference was my bike back then. But anyway it’s not a moan, just an observation which I thought was a bit surprising.

Well, we get bored of the desperately needy always seeking attention.

So that’s how you would interpret a quick passing nod is it when passing a fellow cyclist in the middle of nowhere?

moshimonster, welcome to the forum, btw.

This comes up a lot on here.

Yeah, seem to have hit a nerve with some.

This was my first thought, but I decided that would be madness and I must have misunderstood.

Ah I see how it reads. Should have said instead of taking the car to better trails further away. Only time I drive to the local woods is if the kids are coming too. It’s only a mile, but there are no footpaths and what little traffic there is tends to be the racing type.

Depending on what’s going on traffic wise they might be concentrating on not getting struck by the driver brushing her hair or squeezing a spot on his nose (I’ve seen both in recent days!).

There’s absolutely nothing going on traffic wise. There is no traffic.

there isn’t a roadie v mtb thing, its in your head.

Granted it’s about 10 years since I was a roadie, but back then other roadies used to nod when passing almost without fail. It was pretty standard etiquette. Are you telling me it’s changed or are you all riding around busy towns and cities where nobody would even stop if you dropped dead in front of them?

They are waving but it’s generally a subtle raise of the finger or a nod of the head, nothing more. You’re probably just missing it.

No I was a roadie for years and always noticed the subtle gestures and most other riders did exactly that.

Does this mean you used to *drive* the 1 mile to the local woods so you could ride your mountain bike?

No of course not. The trails in the local woods are pretty tame and the only reason I’ve started riding them recently is because I’m working from home and any riding is better than no riding.

Call my old fashioned but I also nod when passing people out walking (again I’m talking village location here, not a city centre) and you can 100% guarantee they will acknowledge unless they are complete social retards. That’s why I was thinking the roadies (most of them anyway) are a bit off.

For future reference; the happiness of others is not directly related to their acknowledgement of your existence. It’s perfectly to be happy without interacting with you.

**** hell, I only raise a hand or nod my head to them. I’m not trying to flag them down for an in-depth discussion. This is not central London either, so it’s not like there are millions of people around.

WGAS?

Had to google that one! Guess I’m getting older, but there was a time (especially around small villages where I live) where cyclists would generally acknowledge each other when passing on the road. I was wondering if those days are over or if it was just a roadie v mtb thing. I don’t actually give a shit either, just wondered what the score was.

I was a graduate Mech Eng sponsored by a very large company (Ford). I graduated back in 1991 and the prospect of designing bumper trims, exhaust brackets or maybe even door mirrors if I was lucky didn’t appeal. The career path of an engineer was also mapped out in depressing detail with little chance to do something out of the box. So I went into Motorsport with a much smaller company and soon found myself designing entire racing cars within a small but highly motivated team. The formal training was obviously less structured (actually almost non-existent) but the experience I gained from just working things out for myself and working with talented colleagues more than made up for it. To be honest I was well out of my depth early on, but I eventually ended up as a chief engineer with a leading F1 team, which was a dream come true.

So my advice would be to look for a smaller company, but a forward thinking one with talented people around. It’s more of a risk, but I think the rewards can be higher if you make your mark. The big companies tend to pigeon hole their employees and while the training programmes are more professional and structured, they also tend to be inflexible. Obviously I’m generalising somewhat, but you get the idea.

I read that devices which use a digital output from an iPod are rare

Yesh I read that too. I may be wrong, but I think the B&W Zeppelin (at least the newer Air version) uses digital output, which would make sense as Apple seem to be in bed with B&W.

They are also likely to claim that spending £300 on an HDMI cable will improve your TV picture, do wonders for the sound, and cause world peace to break out.

That’s when I finally realised audiophiles generally talk shit.

Can’t really say rear stiction has ever been an issue

It’s one of those things that you only tend to notice when it is significantly reduced and the suspension suddenly becomes a lot smoother and more sensitive in a very positive way – I’ve experienced this first hand after replacing all my suspension bearings and just hadn’t realised how sticky the old ones must have been. Low speed sensitivity was night and day better and interestingly braking was much improved too. A much bigger improvement than I had expected to be honest.

The benefits of ultra-low stiction have long been known in high level motorsport (my personal background as an engineer) and it’s good to see mtb manufacturers making an effort too. I’m sure low friction is one of the factors that makes the Spesh design so supple – although people rarely pick up on factors which are not so tangible. Another example would be Cannondale’s Lefty fork, which is buttery smooth on it’s roller bearings and often commented on by riders. I would imagine it has very low stiction compared to conventional forks.