Almost certainly, but I’m spoiled by having an excellent local, with excellent beer that’s insanely cheap for North East London.

Sampling pints of craft beer is just a taste thing right :D

Well Germany suggests 35 Euro’s an end for the Schwalbe things so allowing for £7 postage they look alright.

I have a bike for wet weather riding commuting and the winter it has disks because they work great when the weather is filthy and I have 15kgs of groceries on my back.

I have a lovely road bike that only ever gets used in the summer for unloaded riding, it certainly doesn’t need disks even Zero Gravity brakes seem to be enough to stop even my level of fat incompetence in dry conditions.

Dead simple order something custom and be delighted with what you receive ;0)

Euston Tap is busy because the beer is actually good, as opposed to the Bree Louise, some of the hand pump is bearable, but the gravity beer is just dreadful.

Live with busy spill onto the street and enjoy great beer!

I had a play on the bits I could access last week, on the grounds that council tax has paid for it and everything has been behind fencing for years, so if it’s not it’s fair game.

I have to say I think Andy Waterman has it spot on it’ll be no use for racing in it’s current guise, but hopping in to ride the trails for free should be no problem I’d have thought.

I have to admit I’d always been super sceptical about CBT, then having a pretty nasty episode with mental health issues I was referred by my GP.

In a word magic it really worked for me, certainly give it a punt.

IF are just right always, I’d happily just replace everything I have with an IF.

44 bikes look really nice too, there’s some serious thought goes into each frame.

Tom Donhou produces gorgeousness as well

Depends what you want really and how much you’re prepared to pay for quality there’s a huge difference in what you’ll get from different builders.

Conversely I’d avoid Mercian like the plague though worst custom frame I’ve ever had in terms of frame fitting components and finishing, very very poor indeed really trading off of a reputation these days…
For the money I paid for a Mercian I’d kind of expect my fork crown to be fully painted no matter how difficult it is and my seat tube reaming…

Pensions are not a benefit they are an entitlement paid for through compulsory National Saving, there should be no cut!

Cynically pensioners also go out and vote tory so under 25’s know what they need to do to keep their benefits…

Emirates Air Line is worth a punt on a fine day lots to do in Greenwich as well.

Paths of Glory as nobody seems to have mentioned it so far!

In regards to the weight loss thing I thought the magic formula was more activity performed than calories consumed, I pretty much reckon that you can eat almost anything and lose weight that way, whether it’s high carb or not?

I don’t see how that medical wisdom needs questioning?

I don;t think population getting fatter has anything to do with poor dietary advice it’s due to too much sitting about and eating too much of highly processed sugar added foods.

The diet thing really has air of the Gilliam McKeith’s around it all for me…

Why would you not take them?

Really are you that much of a xenophobic freak, I work behind a bar part time and I’m more than happy taking them.

If it’s a choice of taking cash or sending a customer away you’d have to be a blithering mongtard to say no surely?

Got a Superfly 8 recently and what the Trek has that the Orange above doesn’t is compliance with future standards for a good few years, thru axle front and rear tapered headtube, nice routing for cables.

It rides great was relatively cheap and with some Thomson and a tyre change and 1×10 came in at the same retail price.

Modern bikes are great, to the point that my lovely IF isn’t being ridden at the moment…

Paul levers really nice used them with BB7’s for years although I’m now preferring SLX hydro’s…

Out in Cademan and Grace Dieu woods today it would seem that some eejits are marking trees and footpath signs to point them in the right way.

Neither subtle or needed just disrespectful, and shows riders too lazy to learn where they’re going…

Bit shit really!

Trails are still great round there though :D

Or any frame with Whisky Parts forks which seem to have been around for about a year…

No mudguard eyes though but Ruckus can add those!

Quite liking the QR15 single handed ease of use!

I’d be surprised if Imperial aren’t doing it routinely across all subjects(Turning people away who meet requirements. The fact that they have the highest IB requirements in the UK suggests there’s no shortage of candidates.

Most STEM subjects don;t have to be selective outside of Oxbridge….

You’ve not heard of Imperial then which has generally as high if not higher entry requirements for STEM subjects.

STEM subjects in good institutions are plenty competitive, and applications are certainly read for more than five seconds.

What you will find is that a lot of institutions will only have applications considered by specific staff. LSE for instance has four/five admissions specialists that read every application that is passed to the after it’s been sifted by administrators.

They never see an academic.

Surely bursary application is easy it’s purely financial need, scholarship application, now that’s harder…

Personal statement the most important piece of text a teenager will write, the difference between getting into a world class university or not…

Bearing in mind competitive institutions comfortably will have up to 15 applications per place for the more popular programmes and that the vast majority of the applicants will exceed the minimum entry requirements in terms of grades. Combine that with a general move away from interviewing.

Still if it’s to study French at a low ranking institution, you can probably write “I luv French me” and be fine ;0)

If a school is insisting on a lot of rereading and checking they’re doing the job that they should be.

Oh and it was of course deadline day today for Oxbridge…

Neither the wife or I drive, yah I sometimes have to cadge a lift places but these days people seem more than happy to have someone else cover a good chunk of the fuel costs?

Public transport and bike for everything, not even a home delivery on groceries.

Granted we live in London but even so I use to manage when I lived in County Durham.

Just depends what you’re used to I guess kind it’s also a perfect excuse to keep buying bikes.

Really there new 26″ wheeled bike is ace I’d love one if I could afford it, the first Nicolai that’s made me just think yep…

Passenger services are a bit of a red herring really reckon the main economic advantage of a new line for fast passenger service is that it increases goods capacity vastly, pinch points for the key import points to the UK ie Thames Estuary, Felistowe, South Coast ares starting to get backed up in the midlands as capacity for freight has been increased around London.

Increased goods capacity is certainly going to be needed at some point, HS2 would allow that to happen.

The costs seem to be bonkers though particularly if a new line is going to be franschised out, it’s almost certainly going to be damaging to the rest of the UK if a high speed link to London exists…

Probably a better response than you’d get leaving up a tear off slip in the UCL bike sheds eh but I guess that’s all a learning part of research efficacy eh…

Yeah it’s very right really, I think my favourite shop is Condor, because if I walk in to get something I can pretty much just buy it there and then, there’s a lot to be said for the power of the instantaneous purchase ;0)

White Industries ;0)

Speedplay here super useful if you have a few sets of lights to deal with on a road ride, you’re generally clipped in when other people as skating cleat over pedal…
They’re light and available in pretty colours too which is nice.
Adjustableness is ace I’ve got mine set up so I can’t rub my crank arms, I can handle shonky knees as long as my bike looks nice!

It’s what you make of it I think, peaks is a day ride for me from London, early start for the ten miles to St Pancras 21/2 hours on the train ride in the hills then repeat coming back usually hope by about 8pm.

I’m neither that fit or committed, but it’s just dead easy, and cheap if you book in advance, I’ve had travel costs of £20 for that journey which seems to be a bargain ;0)

Have a look at Lepai, good for very cheap by all accounts, considering loosing my Cambridge Amp from the lounge for one.

I live in East London, and there’s certainly groupings of migrants, but that’s just common sense in that it means people can speak their own language and have access to goods that they want.
Certainly no blanking in the street no harassment and no racism that I ever see, just a nice vibrant culture with the ability to get excellent food and meet great people.
Every business I use seems to be delighted to see me regardless of the ethnicity of the staff/owner, it’s brilliant.

Immigration rocks on my way home from work I can pick up fresh Bagels, Samosa’s and Turkish Delight, I get to speak to amazing people from a huge range of backgrounds, I genuinely don’t understand how this isn’t the best thing ever?

Rothbury Simonside is ace when it’s dry!

Or go further up the valley for Scottish Border fun, all singlespeedable as well pretty much ;0)

Do get a speed controller and not the horrific variable adjuster it used to come with…

Exams shouldn’t have generic feedback as the marking notes should be available to be sent to an external for moderation, I’d have thought?

It should be added after second marking or moderation by an external, certainly I’ve seen that exist for a cohort of 15o granted it was some time ago.

PMSL at Jambalya…

Yes there’s increasing numbers of overseas students, elite institution should have a large percentage of students from overseas as they’re global educators, their global reputation exists on pursuing, and recruiting the best students available to them from the pool…

As for the best institutions disadvantaging students from independent schools have you read any of that Sutton trust material mentioned earlier?

What sort of degree programme is a year long?

Marking scheme should be outlined at the start of each module in the handbook?

I’m genuinely terrified that a degree is possible in a year, and would actually be worried about it’s validity?

The fact that basic information hasn’t been provided to students is terrifying.

I’m even more terrified that some places are giving back generic feedback, **** me students are paying more for their degrees and getting less…

A degree in a year?

Really?

I’d be looking at the Calendar for details of how regulations work after approaching the lecturer programe leader and local examinations office.

If there’s an issue with teaching this should be raised separately, and should have been logged at the time I’m presuming it was?

Blaming poor quality teaching for a poor mark will be seen as tenuous at best if there’s been no previous documentation or mention.

Chiefgrooveguru that research is very very limited as you’ll find if you look at it…

Oh and for other people who don’t know the points system is irrelevant to a good UK institution so your piano exam would only be any good as an illustrator of dealing with workload and flexibility in your personal statement.

Grades not points matter, which is why students with BTEC will often struggle to gain entry to elite academic courses.

I think this actually goes well beyond qualifications, granted independent schools with their resources are able to tackle teaching for examinations incredibly well, but that’s not the whole story. If anyone cares to take the effort to find it “The Class Ceiling” which was on Radio 4 some time ago by Polly Toynbee makes interesting listening.

What independent schools are particularly good at resourcing is technique for UCAS forms, coaching for interviews and instilling a particular attitude in their pupils.