BTW I’d agree that bubble wrap is next to useless when it comes to heavy metal parts banging together (eg bike bits). The damage on the forks is in an odd place if the wheel was strapped to the side, it looks to me as if something was banging against the forks – looks like a series of circular chips as the item hitting the forks moved about.

It’s a nightmare packaging bikes for transit. I won’t do it anymore as I find it very time consuming, I like to pack them so they can survive being dropped, stamped on, buried under hundreds of Kgs of other packages etc.

The problem with the standards changing is that you can’t just buy a couple of bits and be up to date. When things used to change you might buy a new frame and maybe new brakes or forks or something but now if you’ve not changed bikes in 3 or 4 years you can’t upgrade, you really have to buy most things again new. So it’s bettet to buy a fulll bike. But the enthusiasts are getting a bit wary now because in the time you’ve spent building the bike part of it will be obsolete – so you know you’ll struggle to upgrade it as time goes on.

Sticking with the old standards is still possible and a lot of people have switched off to new bikes. I used to follow all the changes but I’ve given up now, don’t want to buy mags and read web reviews as it makes me want to upgrade which I can’t do. I’ve got a £2500 bike which i can’t upgrade now but I could only maybe stretch to £7-800. Years ago I could just buy a new frame but that’s impossible now. So why bother?

just makes you sound like someone who flunked police school.

Sorry, but with posts like that you’re very unlikely to change people’s minds. You’ll probably achieve quite the opposite.

I probably would flunk it. Never tried though. I just can’t stand people’s attitudes towards the environment, they complain on forums like this one about things like VW and the emissions scandal, only buying locally, buying natural products etc etc but when it comes to making a status symbol like a log burner at risk they suddenly don’t care any more.

One stand out thing at university was when I was studying indoor pollution. The professor who was an expert in it said he’d never have a fire in his house because they were so bad for your health. That’s before the smoke even gets outside!

wrightyson – Member
I only burn tanalised offcuts and peat on mine. I’ve had it in 8 years or so, so way before the middle class trendiness. Do i also go to hell?

8O

Treated timber, when burnt, let off all sorts of poisonous chemicals. It’s reallt really bad and you should not do it at all.

environmental idiots

Well this idiot has been working with people who have spent their entire careers ensuring there isn’t horrific chemicals and pollution in rivers and groundwater so you can have clean water, fish in the streams and kids/adults can use that water without becoming ill. One colleague was recognised earlier this year for turning one river from an open septic sewer to a stream which you can canoe down, there’s fish in there now and you can pretty much drink it without treatment.

My work involves me working with companies to make sure they don’t poison the ground and air around them, and spending months building cases to ensure people who commit environmtal crimes are brought to justice. You know, people who will gladly dump toxic chemicals and asbestos where kids play and in the countryside.

You live a healthier and longer life, without chronic respiratory issues or bodies poisoned with lingering environmental problems.

So I might be an “environmental idiot” in your eyes, but at least I’m not a selfish cretin. Keep burning stuff if you want, and wait for me to knock on your door one day, I’ll enjoy every second of it.

Speaker crossover broken?

Blimey you lot really have no idea do you?

Sorry wrong forum.

I had been listening to various bits of music up till I was 18 but when I heard this track I never looked back. Still an amazing song although I’ve gone off their newer stuff and onto other harder stuff this still packs a punch.

Speaking of harder (ish) stuff, I still blast this out on a regular basis – was featured on my favourite 90’s BMX video….

My plan with EE which works every time.

1. Ring up and ask for PAC code
2. Refuse offers for a new contract
3. Don’t use PAC code
4. EE will ring you 4/5 days later, this time a different retentions team with more cash, they will hopefully make you a great offer.

I’ve done this the last 4 contracts I’ve had for my iPhone 4,5,6 and 7! Each time I’ve got a deal which has been astonishing. I’ve generally had a new phone when they are 6 months old and paid around £35 a month, enough data (currently on 10gb) and the phone (currently a 7 with 64gb) handset completely free ( last time I changed the absolute best deal on the internet for that monthly fee and data the handset was £200+).

Hope that helps a bit.

https://8values.github.io/results.html?e=57.3&d=35.6&g=22.7&s=36.6

Karndean is the name people want but it’s very expensive and no better for home use than a lot of other cheaper alternatives. We’ve just had some TLC LVT flooring put down and it looks amazing, just as good as Karndean but £26 a square meter. We paid £1050 for 27 square meters to be laid down, that included screeding the 9mm ply I had laid first. The fitter my flooring guy used was extremely good – we’ve got a border around the room with the planks at 45 degrees within in and it looks absolutely stunning.

Honestly can’t imagine a world without marmalade. How anyone eats toast without it I don’t know.

Its a very one-dimensional flavour – i think people’s palate has changed.

Have you really just said that??

Peoples palates haven’t changed, they’ve just got too up themselves to still enjoy simple foods that have been round forever – just cos something is traditional/old/simple doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious!

I’ve been having jam sandwiches for lunch some days recently and people in the office have almost laughed at me thinking it’s a kids thing!

They are LOVELY. A nice strawberry jam sandwich is a wonderful thing and can’t help cheer you up.

I really hope Ton finds the thief, they won’t be doing it again if he does. ;)

On the lookout too.

My adapter just stays on the headphones I use, the connector is a very firm fit on the headphone jack so no fears of it coming off.

Use the connector in the box, why is that hard to do? Wired connections are almost aleays better than wireless.

In a connected topic, I’ve just washed my headphone adapter for my iPhone 7 by accident in the washing machine. Still works fine and it smells nice now too. ;)

Hate to break it to you but they met you and decided they’d rather not bother

Why don’t they let the customer know then?

I’ll say it again, I’ve worked in the service industry a while before my current job and if I did the sorts of things tradesmen have been described as doing in this thread I wouldnt have lasted the day out before being fired.

Maybe but you’ve to remember that we’re working, which doesn’t involve sitting in front of a computer or walking around staring at your phone.*
So you either forget or put it off till later when you get home at daft o’clock.

Sorry not acceptable. I’ve taken a holiday day off work so I can let you in the house etc so you not having the courtesy to let me know you aren’t coming means I lose a days holiday for no reason at all. Sort yourself out.

The building trade complains they have a bad reputation for various things but when you can’t even let clients know when you aren’t going to turn up how do you expect to be treated any differently?

This is interesting! I’m guessing it’s because the phone doesn’t charge as quickly?

There’s enough juice to power the lights or the usb socket for phone charging but not both.

It sounds like good fun, and I’d like to have a go, but not where they are planning to put it. They do make a decent amount of quite annoying noise. The big one in North Wales I’ve been to and that’s in a location where no-one can walk (old mine) – been to that one and I can confirm it is noisy.

I never want my fun to be at the expense of anyone else’s peace and quiet.. Let’s try and keep some beautiful areas with natural noises in them please?

And the argument that becausr the reservoir was built there then anything else is ok is the dumbest bit of logic I have heard this year.

Our company cars have them removed if they come as standard as apparently it’s too dangerous to change wheels.

Hmm some over the top H&S people there!

I have been told I have to wait for the AA or whatever too but if I’m not on the motorway and can pull off the road ok I’m changing it myself!!! Not waiting for an hour for a job I can do in 5 minutes. My wife can do it too as her dad made her practice.

Most of the punctures I’ve had I have found when getting the car going in the morning (must have gone down overnight), not calling out the AA for a puncture on my own driveway!!

I’ll take them all for the price of postage as long as I haven’t got them all already.
No interest in digital!

You’ll get more places with proper winter/snow tyres on that 125 than an x-drive with regular tyres.

The problem with a worktop is that it will become shabby over time. I would say a couple of layers of marine ply to make a 30-40mm thick surface screwed down with a thin layer of smooth hardboard on top which is pinned down. When the hardboard becomes knackered just pull it up and put another layer down for a couple of ponds.

However I’ve used used some lengths of 4×2 I used to make the bench as the top, my word it’s strong now!

It’s the mad scientists that invent the stuff we now use everyday. What an awesome character!

supposed to be truly horrible to drive

It’s often quoted by people who step out of their new modern luxo barges and drive one for the first time. No they aren’t easy to drive but they aren’t as bad as people make out.

They aren’t, and never were, designed to be driven slowly which is what most people do in them. Apparently at higher speeds everything lightens up and they handle very well indeed.

As I mentioned before Harry Metcalf had power steering fitted to his – he has a video on YouTube about what they are like to drive which is worth watching.

They are designed for Italians so tall and far people don’t fit very well but I think I’d be great in one as I’m small!

By almost every metric you could use to judge them the F40 (or the 288 GTO) is superior. Faster, rarer, more valuable, better handling, racing heritage, first production car to do 200mph, last car signed off by Enzo Ferrari, one of the first production cars to use carbon fibre body panels, the fastest accelerating and fastest top speed car of the decade. If you were to buy one as an investment you’d buy the Ferrari, if you were to buy one to drive you’d buy the Ferrari. It was actually faster and more powerful than claimed as opposed to grossly exaggerated figures and under performing.

You can say all that but if I was given the option of any supercar for free (and I couldn’t sell it) I’d have the Lambo.

I simple couldn’t pretend I was in the Cannonball Run in the F40.

Harry Mercalf has one and he’s had a custom power steering unit fitted to it which apparently transforms the driving experience.

THE Supercar.

It might be the ultimate Ferrari, amazing handling and power etc etc. It might be an amazing car I would agree, but at being a supercar, vehicles which shock and amaze and are coveted by all, the Countach will remain king forever.

I’ve been with BG for years and they’ve always paid me back any money really fast when I’ve asked for it.

Currently at a new house so unsure how much it’s going to be. I like the pay the same amount each month throughout the year so in credit in autumn so I won’t have any big bills at Christmas and new year.

By being in credit you are giving them a free loan and its costing you money.

How is it costing me money? I have £7k in an ISA and I get about £1.50 a month interest. I think I can live with a handful of pennies less a year for the ability to budget a lot easier.

Unless they ever owned a Playstation and a copy of Gran Turismo.

I have never had those things so I had no idea! Glad the legend lives on.

That’s the Ruf yellow bird, you’d have to do it yourself, I doubt you’d find a paint shop willing to risk the ensuing maelstrom should they perform such a task

This x1000. Legendary car which nearly no one has heard of. I love the fact it was based on a Carrera not the Turbo of the day as the Carrera was more aerodynamic. I have always preferred the looks of the standard Carreras over the years.

Anyone who knew anything about cars would know it was the Countach

I thought I’d would the Ferrari to be honest but I’ve just checked and am glad to see the Lambo beats it hands down on value. I’m a car guy but I don’t keep abreast of classic aupercar prices!!

Anyway, I’ll see your Countach and raise you a De Tomaso Pantera

Now Binners, you should know you can’t “raise” on a Countach. Simply not possible.

YRM is simply awesome. That’s all. Sorry not able to help with the rest!

There’s a dealer in Sydney with a Countach and a Testarosss.
One is worth 3 times the other.

I would guess it’s the Ferrari, just because it’s a Ferrari.

However the Countach is still the best design. Even now it has the ability to stop people, even non car people, in their tracks and stare at it. Utterly bonkers and still looks futuristic even 40 years on from when it first came out. Imagine what people thought in the 70’s when it first came out when you think of all the other cars that were on the road back then.

If I won the Euromillions I’d still buy one, I don’t think you’d ever get bored just even looking at one.

Eh?

1 channel is mono
2 channels is stereo
2.1 is stereo but a sub/satellite setup (used on PCs most often)
3 is stereo front and single centre, 3.1 adds a sub
5.1 is the traditional home cinema setup of stereo front, centre and stereo rear (if Dolby digital) and sub. You don’t have to have the sub but it is generally catered for in home cinema amps as films sound better with bass for explosions etc.
7.1 adds extra side or rear speaker
Etc etc

I have a cinema amp, but with only front and centre speakers. Never bothered with rears. I love how the speech is very clear from the centre speaker – with a cinema amp you could turn up the volume on the centre speaker if you wanted it louder.

My worry with him, is that he is portraying actions and risk that he is not actually taking,

So what? Whats the point of inspiring people to go out and be adventurous then saying at the end “ooooh actually its really dangerous so lets dial down the fun please”. Its going to put people off and parents might stop their kids doing it.

Anyway, the sort of people who are daft enough to be injured by, for example, jumping in a river or climbing up some rocks, would probably be daft enough to do it without watching the programmes.

I meet a different bunch of year 6 kids evey week and if I bad mouth him it’s like I’ve killed Santa in front of them.
They don’t care if he’s top roped up that. They don’t care if he sleeps in a hotel after pretending to whittle a bed out of a goat’s carcass.
They don’t care. He is awesome and makes them want to go outside and do stuff.
Which is great.

^^^^This very much…… you don’t inspire kids by frightening them and warning them, you go out, do awesome stuff and they want to do the same. Ray Mears is also great, and probably inspires a love and respect for nature more than Bear, but Bear inspires excitement and adventure.