Really? That’s excellent news! I had given up on it and (clearly) not been in for a long time although I pass it regularly climbing up from the Misbourne Valley to ride home via the woods opposite.

Given the winter monsoon season is about to start rendering everywhere else unrideable in 5 minutes flat, I will be out there a little, I think.

I could never properly master that 180 degree turn through a ditch.

It would be brilliant if it did! Right on my doorstep and as you say very enjoyable.

Post up if you hear anything.

Oh no. The cat’s eaten it.

I understand, aa. They are all good friends to me.

I think the rant was worthy of a B-; it was reasonably incoherent but I do agree was let down by the cynical announcement that it was coming. It lacked sufficient unintelligible spellings and would have benefitted form more crazed grammar, but ceratinly had good use of unnecessary capitals.

As a first effort reasonably promising – well done. Some more additional and unintelligible follow up in subsequent threads would help too.

B-.

“I can be sitting in shorts and T shirt while she has jumpers and fleeces on and still complains she is cold.”

Same here.

Not on yet it’s not October. But as it’s the equinox tonight, I can start wearing a jacket to work tomorrow. it’s certainly cool at 6.30am now.

What an unnecessary apostrophe

I hope they are too! Our coal fire has been pretty useless (lights fine but it might as well be a candle) and it’s being replaced in a week by a woodburner. I really hope it chucks out some more heat.

A superfast and compact winebottle cooler that I recollect worked by sudden pressure drops.

Oh and when I was young a digital wwatch that made you go invisible if you pressed a secret button. Loads of fun with that (in my head).

Certainly tick the ugly box so I see why I’m skint.

Thanks for explaining!

Mrs O picked up a copy last week and brought it home – I’d never read it before. Halfway through it now and thoroughly enjoying it – I’d sooner pay more for a quality read than less for a poor read, so yes I will buy it again. The Nepalese article was particularly good, a very thoughtful angle. I personally found the Warner one somewhat annoying, though.

Each to their own – whilst there are those who would dismiss it entirely on the cover price, there are others who would spend hundreds of pounds on TVs and channels, which I personally find odd.

And yes, I love factory tours.

I am pleasantly astonished that the police even took it remotely seriously. That wasn’t my experience.

Good luck OP. I hope you’re soon back on a bike.

Caveat first of all – I have virtually non-existent technical skills.

26″
Presta
Turn bike upside down
SPDs

I would like to try a dropper but my bike has a 27.2mm seat tube and 1. I’m not changing it and 2. I’m not aware that anyone makes a reliable and affordable dropper in that size (happy to be corrected of course).

Without a dropper I just cannot get on with dropping my seatpost as I find I cannot get my feet in the clips for some reason owing to feet / brain interface malfunction, and then cannot pedal through anything so just end up flailing hopelessly before stopping on the first large obstacle.

I have nothing more to add.

We’re away that week riding in Portugal, sadly (not with the tandem). In any case I think we’d be way too crap.

Hi Stu!

A dream that will need
All the love you can give

As I always say….”Climb every mountain, ford every stream….”

The slightly silly party polled no votes at all.

Over to Leicester East!

If you press the little arrow key in the bottom left hand side of the keyboard at the same time as a letter, it makes it a capital letter, which makes it English and readable.

Can I just say this is the first time I’ve appeared on a helmet thread?

For some reason I can’t see the pics. Awwwwwwwwwwww!!

Local singlespeed hack on Friday evening to try to blast out chest infection – I think it worked. Lots of post-ride coughing and then much clearer.

On Saturday Mrs O and I had one of the rides of the year from Stoke Row via Mongewell Woods (in the West Chilterns) along the brilliant singletrack on top of Grim’s Ditch and back via Ipsden and Satwell Woods (found an excellent track down from Nuffield which I’d always ridden in the “wrong” direction before); on Sunday we spent the day doing the garden I had a quick local evening loop via Chenies and Flaunden. I almost cleaned the one local slope that I can never do, but span out on a step. Re-started though and then cleaned it.

Perfect weekend.

I’m not sure many “office workers” worked a fixed number of hours as many state above, persoanlly I think that’s a myth. It naturally expands to fill an increasing workload. I don’t think of myself of starting at x and finishing at y. It tends to end up as a 12+ hour day though. It is increasing at present as well as there aren’t exactly a lot of alternatives to go to.

Wwaswas – Oh no I don’t!

Uh, OK. Thanks. It’s very different somehow without them, but I don’t miss the incessant arguing over every point.

I thought I missed a 50 Megaton argument over Maggie Thatcher’s cat wearing a helmet or something!!

Most are fine in my experience, I always try to be polite, however there do seem to be a few – about 10% – who look up, register you then move to fill the entire path and just stop. Bizarre.

Obviously a metaphorical slap.

…..but in which case:

Thatcher
Pickles
Jeremy Hunt

for me.

Having met you Karinofnine I know what a really nice and decent person you are, and am very sorry indeed to hear your news.

Good work on thinking of the positives, keep it up but you will get down days. I wish I could suggest something more positive, but at least write something up on here when you do. Oh, and ride your bike, but I don’t need to say that do I.

Best wishes

We should put a bulk order in.

I’m interested in this as I have a (lovely) black Soul which is likewise battered which may get re-done some time soon. (Pillar box red?).

Is there a deal of heat used in the powdercoat process? Any danger of heat damage?

Scapegoat – well done. Pics tomorrow please!

You have my support, it really sits on your mind afterwards, it’s a really horrible thing.

EDIT

I really hope you get your bike back. Good luck.

Great. We know for sure what this government thinks of us: “More subsidies for car drivers? Why not. We can always raise public transport fares to pay for them, and those commoners on bikes just shouldn’t be there. They should buy a car or two.”

Hi Jedi – waves – Mrs O and I were just talking the other day about the profound effect you had on our riding.

Keep it up, good fella!

Not me – just not for me (largely geography related).

An open mind and positive approach.

Enjoy!

That clown’s hand is too big. I wonder if he has an over sized pigeon?

Why’s the Jubilee Line technically so last year?

nbt above is right.

I tighten my SPDs a little on the s/s as I really pull up on hills and definitely don’t like them popping out (clips that is, not knees).

I rode my s/s in the Chilterns Challenge on Sunday, first ride for a while, I’d forgotten how much fun singlespeeding is. Until I get knackered I do reckon the s/s is faster than geared – partly because it’s lighter and partly because I have to ride in a set rhythm which = momentum.

I’m still trying to persuade Cy to man up and bring his demo days south…… 😉

I want to try a Rocket and a Solaris. Actually, better that he doesn’t probably….!!