We’ve tried both Hello Fresh and Gousto in the past and they did give us more variety for less effort. You pay for the convenience though, as others have said.

Riverford are worth a look too – all organic and not as much waste packaging as the others when we last used them.

It worked fine for me on the Apple TV Red Bull app, in case that’s useful for anyone else.

Is it the ‘Komoot classic rides’ section? If so I can access that even when not logged-in, and pretty sure it’s been there for a while in the Magazine menu?

Or am I missing something? More route guides are always handy!

I’ve also just bought some premium bonds for the first time, next month will be my first draw. Great timing!

Depends. Because the interest rate on Premium Bonds is calculated taking into account the £1m & 9*£50k prizes each month (etc), if you don’t win one of those your own effective rate of interest is likely to be considerably lower.

According to this page 90% of the prize fund is used for prizes of £100 or lower, so assuming that stays the same from December, and assuming that my maths is right, even if you ignore the prizes from £500 up it’ll be a 0.9% effective rate. Still lots of randomness involved of course though!

Any photos of your bike?

Yes, although it almost looks black in the pictures rather than the lovely dark blue that it is in reality! Maybe it’ll show up better when the sun comes out.

Managed another short ride today and loving it so far, hoping to get out for a longer one at the weekend.

Mine has now arrived too. I’ve only had a very short ride so far but first impressions are great. It’s my first hardtail in 10 years and my first 29er ever so I’m not best placed to give a review but one thing is for sure – it’s certainly a big bike, makes everything else in my garage look tiny! 2.6in tyres help with that I suppose, plus me being more used to 27.5.

One thing worth pointing out that I haven’t seen mentioned, since it caused a lot of debate earlier in the thread. Mine (midnight blue) arrived with black dome headed bolts in all the bottle bosses, so nothing like the original photos and they’re barely noticeable. Even less so with a couple of bottle cages fitted. Nice touch of Cotic to do that as from what I saw it was the only complaint that a few people had about the original announcement.

LG make the OLED panels for Panasonic, I believe.

And Sony, Phillips, Toshiba and a load more. I think I heard that at one point I think they were the only OLED manufacturer but not sure if that’s still true.

We have an LG 55″ OLED, and it is amazing. But whether it’s worth it depends on budget I guess. If it’s mainly for gaming, it’s worth looking at reviews for input lag and other gaming-specific things. This site has a lot of detailed reviews: https://www.rtings.com/

As momo said above, it really depends what you want to do. I had an old, cheap dumb trainer and barely used it. I now have a smart trainer (Elite Direto FWIW, which seems good but I don’t have anything to compare to) and will happily spend an hour or two on it on Zwift, Fulgaz or similar. Well, ‘happily’ might be a stretch, but time goes a lot quicker than on the old trainer.

Anyway, DC Rainmaker has tried most of them and will give you all the details you ever need…

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/the-smart-trainer-recommendations-guide-winter-2019-2020.html

I can’t add to the comparison much as have never ridden ETAP or mechanical Dura-ace. But I love my Di2. As others have said it’s just perfect, effortless shifting every single time. I’m definitely in the “would never go back” category.

But just to add to the synchro shift comments, I didn’t get on with it either but do use the semi-synchro option. With that enabled, you still manually shift at the front, but it will automatically change 2 (by default, it can be configured) at the back in the opposite direction. So a front change has a smaller effect, but you still know when it’s going to happen. It’s the perfect middle ground for me.

For people waiting for frames, it shouldn’t be long now. Looks like they’re arriving at Cotic today.

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#CoticSolarisMAX frames arrive with us today!! They're going to be checked, prepped and posted as quickly and carefully as possible. Thank you for your patience waiting for these – it'll be worth it. Busy day ahead…⁠ ⁠ http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/solarisMAX⁠ ⁠ Link in bio⁠ ⁠

A post shared by Cotic Bicycles (@coticbikes) on Jul 21, 2020 at 11:01pm PDT

Make sure you post some pics when they’re built up! I’m waiting for a build so will have to wait a while longer.

As others have said, the newer firesticks (we have the 4K one) are a lot quicker than the old one, and the UI is every bit as quick as an Apple TV. Our old 1st gen one is relegated to daughter’s room and we have the same frustrations with slowness and flaky Wi-Fi. Just trying to hold out to Black Friday or a similar price drop to replace it.

We also have an Apple TV 4K in the garage, mostly for Zwift but also used for streaming or YouTube sometimes. I probably haven’t used it to it’s full capabilities but unless you want it for a specific app like Zwift or nowTV (which wasn’t on fire stick last time I checked) then I don’t think it’s worth the extra.

Ah, I hadn’t realised the frames haven’t even arrived yet. Looks like I’ll have to contain my excitement for a bit longer then!

Does anyone have one of the new frames built up yet? I’ve been considering one for years and after missing out on various colour options through indecision, I finally ordered one a couple of weeks back in Midnight Blue (with 120mm travel in an attempt to make it as different as possible to my Whyte T130). There’s a bit of a wait for the build so I’d love to see some pics in the meantime!

I see they’ve pretty much sold out so the bottle bosses can’t have put everyone off.

I currently have both a Wahoo Bolt and Garmin 530. I’ve been riding with both for a couple of months now – one for maps and one for numbers. They’re both good at either job. I nearly always use navigation while I’m riding because I like to take different routes every ride.

The Garmin definitely has more features (most of which aren’t really needed) and does have a bigger, colour screen. One annoyance for me is that it can only show 2 data fields on the map screen vs 4 on the bolt. The Garmin is better at rerouting when needed but I didn’t really find that a problem when I only had the bolt.

The bolt is probably a little easier to read in bright sunlight but otherwise the screen is smaller and not as detailed.

Generally I think I just about prefer the Garmin but it’s quite close and either is fine. I think the previous generation of Garmin had a lot of problems but they seem to be fixed this time around as far as I can tell.

DC Rainmaker has some very detailed reviews of both, and a handy summary here:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/11/sports-technology-buyers.html

I’ve had a Bolt for a couple of years and Garmin 530 for a couple of weeks, as couldn’t resist a big discount PSA here and heard it was a big improvement on previous garmins. I use planned routes on almost every ride, especially on the road. Honestly they’re both great. The Garmin seems to have more features (most of which are probably unnecessary) and a ‘nicer’ screen (bigger, colour, higher resolution). But the bolt is easier to read maps in bright sunlight as it’s higher contrast, and can show 4 data fields on the map page vs the garmin’s 2. The Bolt is all configured on the phone, Garmin on the device. But basically either does all I need and more. I tend to just look at maps rather than use turn by turn. I think I just about prefer the Garmin but can’t argue with anyone that would choose the other way.

I use strava to plan routes which works fine but there are probably better options mentioned here.

Ordered a 530 on Saturday night, arrived today and just been out for its first ride.

Thanks for the PSA!

That’s the easiest place to get to them.

It certainly sounds easier than my Canyon, where it appears to be in the downtube. Which, I think (but would be very happy to be corrected!) means having to remove the press-fit BB to get to it.

I just hope they’re as reliable as everyone seems to say.

Back to the original point, mine is pretty new but I’d estimate 800 miles or so from a charge. If it’s getting to the point it’ll be empty after 60 miles, might be worth replacing to be safe? Especially if you don’t have to remove the BB to do so…

Yeah, what nbt said works fine, I’ve done it before too.

The options you need are “Split” and “Crop”. So Split to separate the runs, and Crop to remove the uplifts, split again, crop again, etc.

I’ve no idea if that will “un-flag” the resulting rides though.

Are Oakley lenses difficult to change? Looking at nabbing a pair of the Radar EV’s

They’re really easy to change on the Radar EV – just pop them out and replace, takes about 30 seconds at most.

PSA: The direct mount version is currently £204.50 on CRC. 10% BC discount should mean about £184.

As far as I can tell, the direct mount version is intended for upside-down forks but comes with an adaptor so it’ll work fine with standard forks too.

FRIDAY-13 will get you an extra 13% of that today only.

Thank you… I’ve been thinking about a smart trainer for a while and that extra 13% made the decision for me!

Google “Woodhouse Eaves cottage surgery” and it’s directly opposite, easy to find.

I’m still recovering from a knee problem which means having to ride very slowly so won’t be joining you unfortunately. 🙁

one thing more than anything bothers me,
how can a bloke enjoy a victory, knowing that he cheated to get it?

I suspect it was seen in the same way that diving in football is now. It’s clearly cheating, but players, team managers and the authorities all accept that it’s just “part of the game”. Diving is usually easier to detect than doping of course, and the authorities could virtually put a stop to it by punishing based on video evidence. But it’s just accepted without anyone within the game really discussing it publicly except for the occasional big controversial event.

This does not in any way excuse it of course!

Nowhere near as bad as some of the above but I’ve got a mysterious knee problem that comes and goes. Have tried physio, had an MRI scan, all sorts, but at the moment it’s about as bad as it’s been since last November.

But I can at least get out for a gentle ride every week or two. Just annoying having to avoid long hilly rides and stick to slow solo ones with easy routes home if needed.

Good luck to those recovering from more serious problems!

Haha, no worries. I just remember the first few of these there was always one (usually me tbh) who turned up at 5 or 10 past when everyone else was ready to go. Makes sense to be specific. 🙂

Anyway, I’m running late tonight and I’d be even later than that by the time I load up the car and drive over so will just head out from home instead and leave the group thing for another week. My physio would approve anyway since I’m still supposed to be riding gently.

Have a good one!

ready to ride at 7

Things have changed 🙂

I’m hoping to get out for a ride tonight. I’m not sure I’ll be there by 7, and if I do then I may well have to leave you to it either due to an intermittent knee injury or my complete lack of fitness, having only ridden about 100 miles in the last 6 months. But I know my way around the area well enough so no problems if that happens.

So I might be there, or might bump into you somewhere in the area. Either way, have fun – looks like a nice evening for it!

My grandad was there, as well as missing the evacuation of Dunkirk (due to an injured companion – they had to hide out in France for some time afterwards) plus fighting in Africa and other places.

I spent a few days touring the beaches and cemeteries of Normandy a few years ago, from the grand impressive but busy American to the small peaceful British ones (still perfectly-kept) in the corners of sleepy villages. I’ll always remember a quiet chat (in my very limited French) with an elderly French couple out walking through one of the British ones. Also visited Pont du Hoc which was the closest I’ve been to imagining what they went through. Would recommend the trip to anyone but spend a few days there.

My grandfather never spoke of his experiences, I was in my early teens when he passed away and wasn’t interested in ‘history’ anyway. But I always wish I’d had the opportunity to talk to him about it, and now that I’m older to express my gratitude for what he and so many others did. As others have said, it’s incredible to compare our lives with to the things they went through. We don’t know how lucky we are.

Go Wiggo! Froome!

I have an abus one, like this. I doubt it would survive an attack with pliers, let alone anything more. But it weighs so little I just leave it in my camelbak and forget it’s there.

be good to get a few of the original NWLRC disciples out again too (Sam, Steve are you listening?)

Soon, I hope mate. Taking it slowly at the moment after a knee problem and have also lost a lot of fitness so doubt I could keep up but I am finally back on a bike at last! 🙂

Good to see plenty of people making it out, I’m looking forward to getting back out for a ride (and seeing the new trails Danny mentioned too…)

It is a good bit of kit but the user interface could be better…

1. It can handle multiple bikes. Go menu, settings (spanner), bike settings, bike profiles, and set up each bike there. You can switch between them by pressing the power button briefly, clicking the bike name and choosing another. It’s a bit annoying it doesn’t recognise it automatically but seeing zero cadence usually reminds me to change if I forget.

2. Yes, I did this once too and have never used the option to navigate to the start since. If you answer no, it will pick up the route when you start it and will handle diversions etc during a planned route too, works pretty well although you might want to disable off course warnings because they’re pretty annoying too!

Good luck. 🙂

Have fun out there chaps, looks like a perfect evening for it. I’m finally doing a bit of riding again, and realising just how much fitness I’ve lost!

I’m away with work this week and next but hopefully I’ll be joining you soon. Subject to physio approval anyway – I’m currently under instructions to protect my knee by riding gently and avoiding hills, which I’ve interpreted as using a low gear and riding slowly. Yes, even slower than usual…

When are you back out on 2 wheels mate?

Hopefully soon… Saw the physio this week and she said I can start riding again now. When she saw the look on my face she added “but no hills, just gentle cruising”. I’m not sure I’m capable of anything more than that anyway considering my level of fitness but hoping to go for a little ride tomorrow to see how it goes 🙂

So Wednesday rides might be a while away yet but things seem to be moving in the right direction at least!

I have no pictures but can confirm that going from a smallish car to a large estate was a revelation for bike-carrying. I’ve only used it a few times due to injury but can just chuck the bike in without even taking the front wheel off (the full suss is a tight fit because of silly wide handlebars but my hardtail goes in easily).

Another bonus is being able to sit on the boot edge when changing shoes, kneepads, etc. Much better than trying to do it in the passenger seat or hopping one one leg…

It’s been a while since I posted here, and even longer since I made a Wednesday night ride. Anyway, hi to those that remember me. And, well, hi to those that don’t – Good to see a few new names here!

Looks like it’ll be a while longer before I can make it out. After giving my dodgy knee the prescribed amount of rest, hot water bottle and ice treatment I finally got out for a ride a couple of weeks ago and could barely pedal after about 5 gentle miles. I’ve been referred to a knee specialist and had an MRI scan this week. Results are due the week after next. Much as I’m hoping for a miracle cure, realistically it will be a while longer.

I’ll definitely be back out when I can though, good to see you’re keeping it going – especially enjoyed Danny’s write-up of the peaks adventure!

I just hope I can get back to riding before I need lights… (Still have a spare rear light in the car though Scandal, just in case!)

Hi all

I’m still a definite no unfortunately, and will be for a few more weeks yet. The knee problem still hasn’t gone away but have finally been to see the knee doctor who has given me a series of activities to perform twice a day… plus strict instructions not to ride for another 6 weeks. 🙁

So hopefully early March, by which time it’ll be almost 3 months since I’ve had a proper ride so I reckon I’ll have some catching up to do!

Hope you manage to keep the rides going in the meantime, I’ll be back out there as soon as I can!

Happy Christmas all, and blwyddyn newydd dda to rascal (been drinking with my welsh-ish dad tonight!)

Have a good one, hope to be back out riding soon.

Perhaps postie likes to snack on bacon frazzles, meat, or something else which makes the letters smell like dog food? Doesn’t explain human teeth marks or Biro holes admittedly!

If you can borrow/buy a cheap webcam and have access to a pc or laptop there are various bits of software which let you use them as security cams I think. I’ve never actually used one but something like this might do it? You’d probably need to set it up inside but that should be enough to see if the dog is the culprit or not…

I wouldn’t normally consider myself a fair weather rider but I think last night would’ve been too much even without the never-ending cold and dodgy knee. Well done for getting out there!

Oh wait, you didn’t go to the pub after? Disqualified for failing to complete the course, I’m afraid. 😉

I have the 7dayshop one linked above and it works ok. I use it to play podcasts, radio 6 shows etc from my phone and the quality seems fine to me – considering the road noise etc, anyway.

The only problem with it is that it is a bit fiddly to switch on, and also plugging it in (or turning on the ignition while it’s connected to a lighter socket) switches it off. You can switch it on while charging but if only it was the other way around (power switched it on) then it would be perfect – I could leave it tucked away and never have to touch it.

But yeah, for the price it’s fine. Does the job and hugely better than fm transmitters etc that I’ve heard in the past.