If you’re in the south east.. Singletrack Premier Dealer Velo Virtuoso sells KTM

Velo Virtuoso homepage

Yes, I work there 😉

Just chopped in my old car (had from new) for something cheaper to run.

First there’s the piss off factor that people think its perfectly fine to bang the trolley into it, scratch it with their handbag/trolley/anything else dangling from them (delete as applicable), open their car doors into it and / or clip the bumpers/doors while going in to/ out of a space.

To add to the fun the old car (Nissan) seemed particularly tin like and any kind of car park mishap couldn’t just be a scratch.. it had to be a dent of some kind at least..

Thanks.. feel better now! 🙂

Tory MP’s and voters can be opposed to major infrastructure projects in their own backyard, HS2 is a good example of this. Some wind farm projects too IIRC

Hi Binners,

Based on a cross section of posts it looks like those anti wouldn’t vote Tory, although I would admit it’s not obvious that those pro fracking would either. In general the wider coverage of the debate (papers etc.) seem to divide on left / right lines with the odd NIMBY exception from the Mail / Telegraph.

As I said i’m probably more anti than pro fracking despite living in the SE. Neither left nor right leaning / voting as the government always gets in 😉

At my old place I had an uninterrupted view of an offshore wind farm. I have less of an issue with where these are built than the fact that you hardly ever see them turning / working. I didn’t move because the wind farm got built BTW

I would agree that people who are opposed to developments in their backyard don’t split on political lines but it’s not hard to find someone living near a proposed development of any kind who will have ‘genuine’ concerns.

HTH

Ford have seen a drop off in diesel engined sales as a result of DPF issues. They are introducing ‘technology’ on new diesels that will heat the DPF from start up to make it work on shorter journeys.

Interesting thread.

I saw the ‘Gasland’ doc a while back, which certainly made me nervous about fracking. However whatever the respective POV’s of everyone on here (and elsewhere) we have to recognise that the UK is going to face increasing problems with ‘keeping the lights on’.

While there remains a significant amount of coal available in the UK even the most ardent anti-environmentalist (with a long enough memory*) wouldn’t suggest coal power as the solution.

It’s interesting that many of the anti-fracking views come from the left side of the political spectrum. It’s certainly true to say that the way things are done in the UK via lobbying and civil service ‘advice’ (doesn’t matter who’s in number 10) the end result of fracking (or any other infastructure project) will result in massive profit and huge taxpayer funded subsidy for a select few involved.

This is also true of the proposed new nuclear power station programme (proposed taxpayer subsidy will run for 60 years).

Nuclear is one of the greener (even George Monbiot thinks so) solutions to our future power needs (cheap too!) but we object based on (mainly) political and environmental grounds. The latter reason is the biggest fallacy as the (French) channel and atlantic coast has more than it’s fair share of nuclear plants; closer to Surrey than Sellafield.

We should be getting mad about the way successive governments have allowed us to become reliant on imported energy and that private businesses are allowed to milk subsidies (funded by the taxpayer) to provide UK based energy (be that nuclear, windfarm or fracking).

* see ‘pea soupers’, clean air act etc.

VCSE

It’s entirely road racing based.. Don’t flame me straight away 😉

Typo’s are all mine

WordPress works really well for me, but worth looking at wordpress.org rather than .com for fully featured ecommerce

HTH

I had a Boardman CX team for a couple of weeks (£750) and thought it was pretty good until noticing that the paint had worn off the forks due to a poorly routed cable. Halford’s were pretty good about trying to fix the problem and then refunding the money.

Now have a 2013 CAADX Ultegra. Paid £1100 from LBS as they wanted to clear it and you can get the 105 or Tiagra model for less.. Decent weight, nice finishing kit and a fairly comfortable ride for an alu frame.

Def worth a look if you want Defy a like geometry; the CADDX has a slightly taller head tube than the CAAD road bikes and I will happily do 50+ miles on mine.

Highline is great..

If you want to see Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty the Staten Island Ferry is worth taking and cheaper than an organised tour.

Plenty of good eats in Tribeca or the Meatpacking districts to the south of where you’re staying or some good ‘neighbourhood’ restaurants to the upper west side.

Somewhere that’s a little cheesy but good for a drink or two is The View revolving restaurant that’s pretty much on time square. You will get a really good panorama of the skyline from there.

The dismantling of the welfare state was begun by the people that created it (The Labour Party) in 1950. National Insurance, which was supposed to service an individuals welfare needs (e.g health) was ‘raided’ to pay for an increase in armaments production for the Korean War.

Aneurin Bevan resigned from the Labour government in protest over this.

Successive governments have tinkered with the welfare state ever since until today it bears no relation to the original concept that people voted for (and probably still would) in 1945.

Link this to the massively changed country that we live in now (service rather than manufacturing based economy etc.) and it’s hardly surprising that the arguments for and against a particular suggestion (in this case the ‘right’ to a council house) are so polarised and often misleading.

It’s hardly news that the Tories believe that the answer lies in a smaller state, but an incoming Labour government would not be taking us back to the utopia of the immediate post war welfare state either.

Great presents from mrs nano and family (mine and hers) but we tend to front up about what we want beforehand so hard to get wrong..

We ‘do’ boxing day every year and never seem to remember that we will spend too much money on too much food.. No fights or arguments from anyone that came round (we’re always complimented on the spread we put on) but it does seem like a bit of mission for what in effect was 4 hours of gluttony..

First thing mrs n said after we sent the last people off was “can we go away next year?”. Mind you she says that every year 😉

Verdict – score draw

IIRC they used to pick up second hand originals here and there but now source from china (replicas)

Another +1 for Captain Flash

It seems as if they aren’t sure themselves what you could potentially reveal so this could just be an attempt to cover the arses in the unlikely event of you saying something you shouldn’t.

I would ask them to be specific before you would be prepared to sign anything; chances are they won’t be able to. In which case the pointless nature of the document is clear.

I was ‘told’ that I wouldn’t be able to hire any of my old team when I left a former employer (gardening leave followed by notice period) for at least six months. Complete nonsense, but it made them feel better at the time.

I’ve got a LS version. It’s nice enough; seems to keep me warm (ish)around the torso even when wet, but don’t think much of its water repellent qualities even in light rain.

Always wear a base layer with it and wouldn’t say it’s as good as my Endura stealth for either water or wind proofing.

Conclusion – i’m probably not ‘pro’ enough to get the best out of a Gabba 😉

Spend what you can afford to, but it’s definitely worth getting measured / sized properly. How flexible you are can have a pretty big impact on the type of bike you end up with. Sportive geometry will give a more upright position for example. I wouldn’t suggest that you need a particular size based purely on how tall you are.

It’s worth remembering that you can get a better alu framed bike that will often ride better than a similarly priced entry level carbon frame. A couple of good examples here would be Cannondale or Canyon.

+1 for Slaying the Badger, The Secret Race and Bad Blood

Also check Sky’s the Limit (same author), A Race for Madmen

Would really recommend ‘One more kilometre and we’re in the showers’ – in a similar vein to Ned Boulting’s latest.

The OE Sammy Slicks that came on my X’er got 3 punctures in a week. Now riding off the shelf Rapid Robs and puncture free so far.

Have been poring over the supplier catalogues in search of grip plus puncture protection and there just doesn’t appear to be that much out there in a 1.35 width.

IIRC that Majorca ride is 300km plus so he’s going to want something comfortable. For example (looking at one of the ‘big’ brands a Giant Defy rather than a TCR or Propel)

Agree with some of the others who have posted already that he should be able to get a decent ‘first’ bike for £1500/2000 (higher spec carbon frame and at least Ultegra group).

Nothing against custom, he would end up with something that he would have the satisfaction of knowing is perfectly sized for him. But, i’m not convinced the £4000 would get a custom bike that could compare in spec at least to a properly fitted off the peg bike. Plus, the wait for some of the bikes mentioned (Mercian etc.) is long.

Go for something with proven comfort and handling (there are enough tests that can be found online to draw up a shortlist) and a spend half as much again on decent wheels and a proper bike fit. I spent £1500 on my (second) road bike and spent the next 12 months wondering if I should have spent more until I invested in a set of decent wheels (Fulcrum Racing 1) and realised that the bike is now as good as it needs to be.

Whatever he ends up with if the Majorca ride is the one i’m thinking of it’s a decent chunk of training that will be just as important as choosing the bike that’s right for him.

Saracen Tuff Trax with proper dual shifters (lx I think). Can’t remember if it was 89 or 90 but it was the blue one with Tange main tubes.

Only mods I can remember were taking all of the stickers off and adding an alloy flexstem.

Can’t remember what happened to it. Sold I guess.

Shouldn’t Ernie be on this thread by now? 😉

+1 for the epidural although IIRC it depends on where the nerve is pinching.. (mine was due to a slipped disc in my lowest two vertebrae)

If you haven’t been already ask to be referred to a neurologist. I was treated nearly 20 years ago and while I can’t touch my toes anymore (due to the disc) I haven’t had sciatica since the epidural.

I get why original Zesty/Spicy will have some appeal as a classic.. Using the motorbike ‘formula’ it’s bikes like the original Fireblade and R1 that are seen as modern classics.

MTB’s that changed the game in that way deserve to be seen as classics.. perhaps more so than (what are in comparison) fairly generic hardtails

Edit – would love a Klein tho’

I picked up one of the 2013 Boardman’s with 20% off as web order. Got it around the time they recalled the 2014 models with the paint problem.

It’s a great bike for the money although I wasn’t keen on the high BB as this meant I needed the saddle much higher than on my road bike. SRAM apex and BB5’s all worked well.

I returned it after the cable wore the paint through on the forks through to the carbon after 3 rides (approx 100 miles)and they weren’t able to colour match a replacement set. Service from the local Halfords was great though and there was no problems getting a refund.

I now have a 2013 CAAD X Ultegra that I got for £400 less than the current 2014 model (only difference is 11 v 10 speed Ultegra). Def recommend looking at Cannodale although the alu models are more of a commute on weekdays / race on weekends geometry than the carbon models. Must be some more 2013 bargains out there.

Wouldn’t bother with glucosamine… chondrotin on the other hand seems to have something going for it..

Diagnosed with arthritis in my left knee after an injury 12 years ago. Can’t run or play football since then but riding is fine.

Doc says every 1kg in weight lost is worth 4kg less impact on my knee.

Leaving aside should you expect expenses for an interview (getting anything is a bonus IMHO)

The rate is most likely based on HMRC rates (albeit based on those for a company car). HMRC allows (or allowed IIRC) 45p for a private car used for business purposes

HTH

mega +1

There are some common faults that most magazines that have run 2nd hand buyers guides on pick up on (shared Discovery parts) – steering and suspension get mentioned more than anything else and are four figure fixes..

Add in monster fuel consumption..

At least it’s not your money iolo 😉

Bit of both.. have managed to persuade Mrs Nano that anything up to £1000 is cheap 😉

My Garmin works fine despite my ‘pelt’

Reckon as long as it’s decent (garmin, polar etc.) you should be fine

If you don’t mind swapping the sensor over (e.g. from ‘best’ bike to winter hack)then stick with one. They are easy enough to remove although you only get one thick & one think bush to use so that can be an issue.

If you use different bikes regularly then a second cadence sensor is a good idea. I’m glad I got the second one.

I’m more concerned with cadence on the road but a mate rides purely on HR zones and doesn’t bother with cadence. Summary, try both and decide what works best for you.

HTH

Not entirely the same situation, but when I sold one of my (motor)bikes earlier this year the buyer arranged a courier.

Made sure that I had plenty of pictures of the bike being loaded and strapped down together with lots of date stamped pictures of how it looked on the day. Also got the van registration etc.

The couriers were pretty amateurish TBH so I was glad I was around to see them load it up. Wanted the buyer to know it had left me in good condition etc.

Still no guarantee it would have turned up but by then I already had the cash and he had the V5 so technically it was already his. I just wanted to provide a bit of after sales so he knew the bike was ok when it left.

andyl, khani, thanks (again).. 🙂

browsing the Hope ‘site now

Thanks Khani 🙂

It’s carbon ‘wrapped’ according to the Cannondale website. The carbon is gloss finished which I suspect isn’t helping.

Andyl, the only info on the clamp is the torque setting. I know I over tightened it as it said 5nm and I nipped it up a good half a turn over that. After several stops to get the post back to the correct height and re tightening the clamp the bolt ‘cried enough’ and sheared.

For clarity it’s a 27.2 post in an Alu frame. The clamp itself looks like alloy. The problem is that it is designed for each side to meet when the clamp is tightened to 5nm. This would be fine if that clamped the post firmly, but at that setting I can still move the saddle from side to side.

I’m working on the basis that a clamp that has more of a gap between each side would allow me to tighten a bit further and stop the movement on the post.

Maybe I should have put this detail in my first post. Even i’m yawning now though 😉

So.. suggestions, cures, alternative clamps? I am listening.. 😀

Zone 1 ticket is fine for CG to Kings X

Piccadilly Line from CG or Leicester Sq or Holborn (they are all pretty close depending on where you are eating around CG) to Kings X

Picked up a 2012 model after the PSA on here a few weeks back.

Frame looks the same as the hybrid and the top tube length and cable routing is not for the CX purist. Enjoyed it on and off road so far but its currently awaiting a replacement fork as the paint has worn through to the carbon already where the cables pass around.

Seems the 2014 model isn’t the only one with a paint problem.

Hungry Monkey +1 my main bike is carbon, but there are some great alu ones out there that will be better spec’d for same money..

Cannondale alu is not too harsh with 27.2 seat post and narrow stays.

Wiggles range is worth a look, all made by Ridley.

Depending on the size of company, you taking prebooked holiday while working notice shouldn’t be an issue. Whether you have informed them of your resignation or not if the holiday has been agreed you should be entitled to take it under most circumstances.

Notice periods of up to 4 weeks are generally in place to protect the employee. If you were in an essential and / or senior role then a notice period of 3-6 months could be in place to allow the employer the time to replace the leaver and not put their business at risk. No offence meant by this statement btw.

Your notice period provides you with some security against your employer coming to you on a Friday and saying don’t bother coming in next week.

In theory you could just walk out if you wanted to start your job asap. Employers rarely try and enforce notice on the leaver or similarly refuse a resignation as this isn’t practicable in most businesses. Assuming you want to leave on good terms then working your notice is of course the right thing to do. Most reasonable employers would also accept your reason for taking owed holiday as part of your notice period.

It sounds as if you are trying to do the right thing here, so if I was in your employers shoes I would be accepting your actions gracefully.

Other posts are correct in that if you don’t take all of your holiday before your last day that you should be paid the remaining amount in your final pay (which may of course be paid after you have left).

Not all of the above will apply if its a smaller business, but HTH anyway

About 10 days..

Mrs Nano rides too, so getting it past her is relatively easy. Downside is there’s no getting any upgrades or kit past her, no way at all.

We have a bit of an arms race with bikes; i’m currently leading 4 to 3

Windows phone UI is great, but they lack some of the most common apps Strava being a good example.

Don’t let that put you off though as the relative lack of popularity for the platform can mean you can get a great deal on contract.