Good brakes can apply more braking force before locking up.
Bad brakes lock up with lower braking force applied.
Really bad brakes don’t lock up at all.
Therefore ability to lock a wheel is nowhere near a reliable indicator of braking power.

Of course drag means lost watts and therefore more effort. It reads like this isn’t seal drag since it spins freely when the preload is backed off.
If you can’t find a preload where it spins freely with no play, you’ve got a problem (which could be the broken ring).
FWIW I canned my dub BB as it just didn’t last. First one did only 500 summer miles, the replacement lasted only two wet rides! I had a sense of humour failure and replaced it with hope BB and xt cranks! Probably an over reaction but it’s been faultless for thousands of miles

Reading this with interest as I have a spare, rarely used, bike with Zee brakes that howl like a strangled goose and have very little power (front and rear). They’re out of warranty now so I’m not sure whether to try and fix or just replace with another brand (Clarks?).
No signs of leaks at the calipers (I guess that there could be leak between the two halves – never had much joy trying to fix these on gravel bike). Can it really be lever? Why would that cause the caliper to howl and shudder?

Used to use keepass with veracrypt and Dropbox for years and it worked just fine. However, and I know this isn’t helpful, there is a security issue in that setup (might have been veracrypt which was used to encrypt the database) that made it unsafe.
So I swapped to LastPass which was fine. The integration with websites and phone apps is very good. It also tells you off for reusing the same password all the time (which is actually a bit annoying).
Then they put the price up for multiple devices (pc, android phone and iPad in my case). So I tried BitWarden but it just doesn’t integrate as well. Gritted my teeth and paid up for LastPass family account and then let the (teenage) kids use it too.

I only know the three you listed but you have them in the right order of priority.
Penmachno is favourite but ALWAYS wet – any water runs into the trail so waterproof socks and shorts if you’ve got them.
Marin – everyone will tell you about long fireroad climbs but they’re ok and obviously you need to cycle up if you want to ride down! Penmachno climbs are more scenic though. Final section to sawbench is great.
Llandegla – enjoyable but a bit short. If you’re near Coed y Brenin, it’s quite a long drive for a shorter trail.

1998 Marzocchi Bombers. Came into a bit of cash so built myself a decent hard tail with the new fanged suspension fork thingy. Hated it – terrible handling and pogoing everywhere. I even pined for my old fully rigid set up! Rode it, but didn’t enjoy it, for a couple of years and eventually replaced them with rock shox (Tora?) – that transformed the bike and made it really very good.
The bombers cost me a fortune, still annoyed by them to this day!
Like tomd, I bought Merlin’s hand built wheels for the bike but they rank as one of my favourite purchases – still running true to this day!

Creaking like this?
If so you need some grease on the weird plastic thing in the hub. Not hard to do

You did use a torque wrench to set up the clutch (it’s in the dealers manual 1 on their website – I couldn’t get the link insert to work!)?

Horrible thing to get caught up in. But I’m pretty sure you’re entitled to a similar standard of vehicle for a reasonable amount of time. As always, the judge decides how to apply this, not the insurance companies. I got a nice convertible sports car after my TVR was bashed with no questions asked. Had it for 3 weeks.

Interesting article about a genuine case at truthlegal.com

So… if you haven’t been since before covid, has it got worse?
And definitely park at Brandon – the cafe’s better too

Just ordered from wych bearings and after reading this, checked kinetic to see if I’d paid over the odds. Similar prices but wych had better stock (which could just be luck obviously).
So +1 for wych but I’ll be keeping an eye on kinetic too in future

+1 for James Holland. Currently reading Sicily ’43 and it certainly covers allied and axis views. It’s a very good read

I built a couple of wheels with stans rims 3 years ago. There was a big drop in tension when the tyre went on, so I pinged Stans exactly this question. They said to set tension before the tyre goes on. I set it as close to max as possible (much lower when the tyre went back on) and they’ve been absolutely fine and are still true.
Guess there must be some tyre/rim combos which could cause problems but asking the rim manufacturer is always a good option.

Check the b screw – it has a huge impact on chain tension. This helped get mine right (same set up as you).

Unproductive simply means that garmins estimate of your VO2max has gone down whilst your training effort has gone up.
The estimate comes from your power data so if you’re a bit tired or underrecovered it goes down. It’s probably only temporary.
The performance condition mentioned by DrP is useful – if it comes up as a negative number then there’s a good chance your estimated VO2max is going to reduce if you push on.

Spark plug?

Strava power estimates really aren’t very accurate but, if you’re a regular cyclist (riding once or twice a week and ok with the occasional climb) a power to weight ratio of 2.5 is perfectly reasonable.

Can’t get the link to insert. Google cyclingwales and you’ll find it.
Never had a problem with midges (that’s more a Scottish thing) but plenty of big black flies if you’re near farming areas

Not that familiar with Barmouth but my parents live a bit further north near Llanrwst so a regular visitor to North Wales (but not for a year…).
I thinks it’s an amazing place – mountains and beaches, what’s not to like? Countryside is stunning and lots of things to do.
Not so close to Barmouth but Greenwood and Zip World are both fun places for a family day out.
And maybe a sneaky trip to Penmachno or Gwydir Mawr too (not for the 8 year old though.
If you want to make a good impression, and amuse the kids, learn how to pronounce Welsh place names properly too:

I’ve just had the same debate with myself (well, with google really). I ended up going for the feedback sports sports mechanic stand as most reviews seemed to say it was a bit better than park. Probikekit had the best price – ordered it on Friday and it turned up on Sunday – no Brexit taxes or delays.
It’s very impressive – massively better than the cheapo £30 stand I used to use. I’ve never used a park stand so can’t comment on that but I’m happy with the one I got.

I’m glad it’s not just me who had trouble with the SRAM kit – it’s fine in summer but mine fell apart v quicky in mud. Mine chewed up a couple of BBs, seized the jockey wheels and then the derailleur failed, all within a month or so of summer finishing. I lost my sense of humour and replaced it with XT which has been great.
If you intend to ride mud with it, consider the 909 if it still comes with XT. It would have been cheaper for me.
The size debate is interesting. After reading around, I think the conclusion is that bike designers still don’t size their bikes properly. In the old days, the reach was way too short in larger sizes but presumably OK for smaller. I’m 6’3 and still have memories of just how painful it is to hit your knees on a handlebar clamp whilst pedalling hard!
It looks like modern “long” bikes now fit the taller among us (yay!) but could be too long at smaller sizes (which I can only assume is bad: I can honestly say I’ve never ridden a bike that is too long).
So I’m going to amend my previous comment: if you’re tall, you’ll love the extra length but if you’re not, then don’t listen to me…

I got one of the early 905v2 models. Great bike. Huge amounts of grip and very comfy once you’ve bought a gauge capable of measuring sub 20psi (my track stand happily goes to 180 but was useless at such low numbers).
I wouldn’t agree about sizing down though. The length is part of the bike’s character – I ride an XL which is possibly the longest bike I’ve ever seen and have never wanted a shorter one.
Ideally you want to test one but when I did it was just in a car park which didn’t tell me much (other than it was long!). I bought the XL on faith, took it straight to the local trails and then gave it a proper test ride. Thankfully all the reviews were right and it’s great.
Apart from the components which just didn’t survive well in a British winter…

Not true that CETV will give you a lower pension once reinvested. But you need to be able to manage the investment and keep costs low for it to work and even then you are facing the full risks of investing in volatile assets. Moving from DB is definitely a step up in risk and complication.
The CETV is already an actuarial calculation – do you have any reason to believe that it is wrong and needs checking by another actuary? You could contact the pension administrator and ask for details of how they work them out.
I have no idea why you say it would take 5 months to get an actuary to do the calculations – I’d be surprised if it takes more than an afternoon! The high fee is because of the liability that the actuary takes on for giving advice.

Having a well sorted garage is great! Like many others, I painted walls and ceiling white and also painted the floor. This alone makes it a nice place to be.
Lots of lighting (I have 5 double strip lights, wouldn’t want less) and sockets near most corners.
Don’t let the family fill it with junk!
Dehumidifier is good too – garage was a little damp and had no airflow. Think it cost £20 secondhand. Helps to dry wet stuff too.
Mine isn’t heated and it’s ok but it isn’t drafty.
But, to your question, what more do I wish I had? More space (a bit like n+1, it’ll never be enough). And a hot water tap – it cleans muck off a lot easier (so no need for detergent) and is just much more pleasant in winter!

My son has one for uni. He’s very happy with it (it wasn’t in Chinese). It’s true about the webcam being an odd angle but it’s not too bad

Yep, had some of these on an ebike. Almost impossible to remove. The only thing that worked was getting a pair of running shoes with a solid heel and standing on the tyre with the heel as close as possible to the rim. Bend down, grab a handful of spokes and pull like heck. Then pull harder… It’ll go eventually

Another vote for Microsoft surface – had mine for years and it is superb.
I think Lenovo do some detachable screen laptops too.
Can’t you get an ipad with a bigger screen though?

You’re not a customer of their insurance company. The other driver is. The insurance contract indemnifies the other driver for the cost of their legal liability to you. They are liable for the cost of the damage they have done (i.e. repair and reasonable costs you incur such as a hire car while its being repaired, or replacement if cheaper). You always have the option to ignore the insurer and sue the other driver directly – but is it really worth the hassle?
I guess if they’ve offered £2700 and it’s reasonable (use autotrader ads to confirm this or as evidence to ask for more), then they’ve been fair. If you choose not to accept, that’s up to you.
I would gather evidence that the price is unreasonable (if that’s true) and write back asking them to increase their offer. This is always worth a try – it costs you nothing more than a stamp (or email).
If they pay up and write your car off, I think you have the right to buy it back at scrap value and then repair it yourself but would you really want to own a write-off? It’ll be worth nothing when you sell it on. Alternatively, if you use the money to buy a replacement from a dealer then it might come with a warranty and have a better resale value.

Hyundai i40. Fits your requirements exactly if you can find one in budget.

Chrome will sync passwords across devices if you’re logged in to a google account. However, I prefer LastPass – 2 pcs, one iPad and one android phone all working from the same account. And it’s free

I guess it depends what system you’re using. Gmail is good at filtering junk emails but if you’re on a computer, something like Thunderbird can set filtering rules (for example dump everything with the phrase “confirm email” into a separate folder – there should be bits of text that help filter them out and likewise to keep an eye out for purchases).
If you’ve used the same email and password combo several times, you need to change them ASAP.
There are websites that will tell you if your details have been compromised. Most obvious one being: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Good luck

Interesting. I ride a chunky LLS hard tail (2.8btyres) and a modern trail FS (2.35 because it’s a couple of years old so missed the latest fad). Both are great, amazing machines compared to the 90s stuff I started with.
However, sometimes I miss the raw speed and acceleration of those old bikes (although they didn’t go round corners at all well) and I look at bikes like a Canyon Exceed with envious eyes.
They’re all different – the FS is great for bumpy steep stuff, the hardcore HT is amazing for forest blasting but if I’m racking up miles off road or just want pure speed, sometimes a lighter faster bike (like they were in the 90s and had near road bike geometry) would just be more fun.
But, all of these bikes can ride all of these things. And what’s more they’re all good fun even when they’re away from their natural habitat. You’ve probably picked the right one to transition with, the sluggishness of heavier machines might put you off before you learn how to get the best out of them.
Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself expanding your collection in years to come!

So, don’t fit it like the one in the picture. I have one and really rate it. Mine is fitted high up (the bikes are on a rack) and just behind the frames – you couldn’t get a crowbar in there because two bikes are in the way. I also have a fatter lock which fills the hole more.

Pretty sure that Shimano hollowtech ones fit.

Just stickers – don’t use water with them. I just laid some masking tape alongside the old ones and used that as a guide. Easy to do. They’ve been on two years and still look good (better than the original rockshox stickers on my other bike after 1 year!).
I’d happily but then again if needed.

An urban ride on Saturday but found some interesting signs. You might have to zoom in to see what Peterborough council consider to be “uneven”

Forget all the sporty stuff, get a 110 defender and keep the change.
Great to drive (you don’t even need roads!), doesn’t depreciate and carries filthy mountain bikes with ease.

Have you tried this?

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/pressureprof

Official line on what pressure to run.

Kickr core here too. Very happy with it, unlike the Tacx I had before – that had several reliability problems. When the (second) Tacx stopped being able to do more than 400W after the warranty ran out, I swapped to Kickr rather than fork out to repair it and have it break again.
Talking to the chap at Rutland when I picked it up, he said he didn’t think he’d ever processed a return on a wahoo which I took to be a good sign.

South by Ernest Shackleton.

Get it straight from the horse’s mouth. Absolutely amazing book and, if you look around, you can find it for free since it’s so old. I found it on kindle but Gutenberg have it too

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5199/5199-h/5199-h.htm