I’ve got one of these to add Bluetooth to the car but I’ve also used it to do what you want to do. Sound quality is very good and it has a decent amount of power to it too. Battery lasts a long time too, not the 15hrs they claim but I’ve got over 10 out of it while at a picnic and it was connected to a small bluetooth speaker that wouldn’t pair so we hooked this up to the aux in instead.

I had a pair of rear tyre fitted by them, also Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance as it happens, and they’d fitted one of them the wrong way round with the inside on the outside. Noticed when I got home so phoned them up and they said to pop back so I did. The guy who fitted then was waiting for me in the car park and directed me to drive straight into the bay, quickly sorted the tyre while I had a drink in reception and gave me the keys back. I drove out of the bay and was about to leave when a suited guy tapped on my window. It was the area director who asked why I was driving out of one of their bays. Told him the story and he immediately apologised, said I shouldn’t have been made to drive in and out of the bay myself and gave me £100 in vouchers as an apology!
Three weeks later I got a phone call from them, expecting the usual insurance speil but no, it was the area manager. He again apologised and informed me the guy I’d dealt with had been disciplined ie sacked. I got sent another £75 of vouchers too!

The company seems to be pretty good, it’s the staff in the centres that are the problem.

They both use the same axle, bearings and bushings but the Vault is machined where the V12 is cast. The Vault is slightly larger, roughly 5mm in width. The bushing does wear pretty fast but as the V12 shape suits me and I have 4 pairs on different bikes I’ve bought the bushing tool and a bag of bushings off Amazon, takes 2-3 mins to replace them and they past roughly 3-400 miles a pair. I had a pair of the Vaults for my bling bike and while they were slightly grippier than the V12’s I found they caught on rocks more often, meaning I bent an axle so I sold them on.

Nnnnnggghhhhh…vana.

Shakespear’s Shitter?

It was as bigwill said, he’s not a natural public speaker but he came across well and got the audience laughing and into what he was saying. Did loads of autographs/selfies in the interval and afterwards too. My brother-in-law and sister work at the theatre and both said he was a genuinely polite and humble person to work with, not always a given!

My understanding is that parking in all Welsh hospitals is free – done by Welsh Government.

Correct, although some hospitals have ANPR and you have to type in your reg at reception to get 4 hrs. If you stay longer you either re-enter your reg between 3.5-4 hrs after arriving or if you’re stuck on a ward tell one of the nurses/doctors and they’ll either phone reception to do it or give you a number to enter in the machine when you’re leaving. Works really well at the Heath in Cardiff as otherwise all the students and local businesses take the piss.

Not for a long, long time. Had the odd 4-5 days that ran sweetly but there is always a sting in the tail before the week is out. The last year or two I’ve been lucky to get 2-3 good days in a row! The last perfect week I can remember was back in 2015 and it involved an Alps trip with a great bunch of friends. It only just made a good week though as a family emergency the morning I got back home brought me right back down to earth. Life eh?

Edit: it was 2015 not 2016 and even that week I had my Garmin stolen on the bus so it wan’t as perfect as I remember!!

PinkBike have found one, tiny upside to leaving with No Deal:

Cheaper Bikes!

Is that the only slight positive? Surely any reduction will be cancelled out by wage stagnation, inflation etc!

Going to see him Thursday, have seen Hans and Peaty before so expecting similar to that. Saw Hans at the beginning of his tour and he was obviously still feeling his way but Peaty’s was the last show in Cheltenham and he’d got it figured out by then so it flowed better. I’m not expecting a laugh-out-loud comedy show so as long as there’s interesting stories I’ll be happy.

Pity you can’t keep both as the hardtail will help improve your technique for the full suss.

I was also a FS only rider for about 8 years but last December I bought a cheap Voodoo Hoodoo as a winter mudplugger, took me a few rides to get used to unweighting the rear but once I got that figured out it’s so much fun! Every time I went back to the FS bikes I was riding so much smoother and safer it was a revelation. I even did a day at Windhill on it and it was so much fun it was unreal, went back the next week on the FS and my technique was so much better! It does beat me up on the rough stuff as it’s a 27.5 alloy frame with cheap wheels and skinnyish tyres so I tried a few HT’s at the FOD Steel Is Real event last weekend. There may well be a new arrival in the new year.

Another Lost Prophets fan here who has never listened to any of their stuff since the news came out. A sad one there as the rest of the band have been royally done over by one of their own. I’ve got 2 signed albums back at my parent’s house and am torn about what to do with them. They’ll never be worth anything but both were signed after great gigs as I got to meet them as a workmate knew them from before they made it.

The Glitter song in the Joker film, that was a surprising choice but then it’s used at sports games all over America to this day as they don’t really know who he was/is. It’s just a snippet of music used like they do with ‘We Will Rock You’ etc in pauses of play.

Michael Jackson? That’s a harder one to call as the waters are so muddy with him. Was he a victim/perpetrator/easy tabloid target? Probably a bit of each.

I’ll just judge each case on it’s own merit, it’s up to the record companies/film studios to sort out the financial side of things as the royalties will go to all of the people involved not just the artist in question.

It does raise a good question though, should we erase certain bits of cultural history or leave as is so that future generations can learn from it? Tough one.

I keep on getting a pop-up on my phone (it logs me out every time) saying I have been invited to join for free! Link doesn’t work then I get the Privacy thing again. At least it isn’t pron pop-ups this time.

The signs are there for them to go: high debt levels, reliance on special offers and vouchers to get customers in the door and never seem to be busy. They’ve also recently been squeezing their suppliers and other cost-cutting measures. Any business in the food/experience sector needs to be able to be lean and ride out difficult times by being able to change their offer, things that Pizza Express cannot seemingly do.

Just back from watching it. BoardinBob nailed it:

Simply stunning. Way, way darker and more off the wall than I anticipated. As Will Gompertz said in his review, it’s an art house film that’s tricked it’s way onto the big hollywood scene.

Visually it’s absolutely stunning. The sets, the street scenes, the camera work. It’s all fantastic. Tonally I think it fits in perfectly with Nolan’s films.

I loved how they managed to tie in “batman” to the whole thing.

The violence wasn’t actually as bad as the wet blanket reviews were whining about. If anything, the most horrifically violent moment isn’t actually shown on screen. You know it’s happened, you just never see it.

Phoenix is of course fantastic. the physical performance is mind blowing.

Not once in the film did I think that any of it had been overdone, dramatised, over CGI’d (some of the background is CGI, it has to be) or had violence for violence’s sake. Glad I went to see it on the big screen, can’t imagine it has anywhere near as much impact watching it at home. I might have to re-watch the Nolan Batman films sometime soon!

BB92 is plastic cups isn’t it? Pretty sure that’s what’s in my remedy, wish it was a proper screw-in but I’ve never had any problems knocking them out.

I’ve got a Fuel EX which is knocking on 3000 miles now and the original BB lasted 2200 without any noise whatsoever. Probably would have gone on a bit longer but I stored the stripped frame for a year and it seized then, including all the pivot bearings. I was expecting hassle from it but it’s given me none whatsoever. Speaking to the LBS when I had it changed they said they have very little trouble with Treks, it’s the Cannondales that cause them grief. I still prefer threaded but I wouldn’t completely rule out a frame due to a press-fit BB.

Not irrational, no. I’ve a friend who has got done on their new build for contaminants despite it having been passed as safe in the way geomickb describes.

They bought a new build on the site of an old filter factory (Cooper’s, next to Waitrose in Abergavenny for those that know the area) and they specifically asked about the ground as they wanted to have a small veg patch at the bottom of their (small) garden. They were assured that the ground was fine for that, it just had a no trees clause that they were told was because it was due to the bank at the rear being structural and a flood bank. The first crop they grew were fine but tasted strange. It was when talking to the rep on site (they bought and moved in during first phase of construction of the site) that they found out that there was a ‘no growing food’ clause in the later plots due to oils and other chemicals found in the ground. They had their plot tested again but it was still found to be safe, but by now they didn’t want to grow anything there that they would eat. They now have built up wooden planters with imported soil, which take up half the garden so it’s impacted their family space quite badly.

I’d have a long think about how you intend to use the ground and whether a ‘no veg/trees’ clause would affect you living there.

I knew you’d be on the case with that topic tjagain, it is indeed a big can of worms to open up!! Definitely one for another thread and time.

Yes, POA is being discussed currently. My sister is doing the ground work on that front as she’s a qualified accountant, she’s working my dad to get my mum on side as he is/was a chartered accountant so can help put any issues to bed correctly. We’re having to take it slowly though as my mum had a friend who used it to fleece her parents of their substantial wealth and steal it from her brother. She knows neither me or my sister would do that but it still makes her resist the idea.

Me and my sister looked into getting some sort of home help a few weeks back but my mum is dead set against it. Her bipolar means she’s incredibly untrusting of strangers and she craves her own space, as she has no sleep pattern (takes random naps of 3-4 hours at random times) getting someone to work around that is impossible. She’s bad enough if we offer to clean for her, her defenses go up and that’s the end of the conversation! Dad is also very proud of being able to do things himself, although he is happy to have his wounds dressed three times a week by a nurse but he goes to the local surgery for that.

She used to say that she was grateful to her parents for dying quickly

If only that could happen to all of us, it would make the whole death process so much more bearable. Sadly none of my grandparents managed to. Dad’s mum had a severe stroke and spent months in hospital virtually paralysed and unable to speak but was obviously aware of her surroundings and in terrible pain, mentally and physically. Mum’s mum had a gradual deterioration resulting in pneumonia before eventually collapsing in agony in our front room. Mum’s dad also had a heart attack after a long period of being severely ill but then went into surgery to save him, dying on the operating table the next day. My dad’s dad had a painful death too but it was before I was born so I don’t know the details.

Why can’t we have a service like Dignitas here? Surely that’s the humane thing to do, with checks and failsafes obviously. I know if I get to the stage of my life just being constant pain and discomfort I’d want the option of checking out on my terms.

Really sad to see this as I ride there regularly with friends who live that way. There was always such a good atmosphere round the start ramp with people of all abilities chatting and laughing over a snack or drink, usually had a pro or two joining in the chat most of the time too. Even in terrible weather you’d get riders doing a lop, nip in the hut to warm up by the log fire, do a lap etc.

They have had problems with low-level crime for a while now, cars broken into in the car park (which is away from the trails), tools and machinery stolen and the start hut shop was broken into recently too. But this is another level if it does turn out to be arson. They were lucky not to have the trees go up too, if that had caught hold the whole hillside would have been torched!

Well things are going in a bad direction.

Went to visit them on Friday and there were a few things that I saw that made me very nervous. Dad is stumbling over a lot, not really aware of where his feet are. He’s also repeating himself a lot too. I did notice quite a bit of food in the fridge was well past it’s best, had to throw out some of it together with 3 bottles of milk. He did say he was having a bad day when I asked if he was ok, but I’m worried he’s just saying that to hide deeper problems. Mum isn’t in the best shape either, sleeping a lot and not in the mood to do anything. She’s still planning to babysit my niece a lot the next few months as my sister finished her maternity leave this week, but we’re both of the opinion she’s not up to doing it. Breaking that news to her will be horrible as it’s one of the few things she talks about that makes her happy. Really felt like things were taking a downward turn in general, not just a small setback.

I would go visit them more often but A it upsets me every time and takes me a few days to get over it and B they tell me off for checking up on them rather than doing things I want to do, seeing friends etc. Good thing is I’m back at work although I do have 2 week’s holiday coming up so will have to try and resist going to them too much. Strangely mum isn’t asking about Christmas yet, she’s usually planning who will be where so that we all get to see each other by now.

How have others managed to cope with any of this? I can’t tell them what to do or be there every day to check up on them!

I hate all of this.

Great to see dc and wibber again but they padded fpr qn hour with only about 10 mins of cars! Hope the gp records fine on sky tomorrow…

Blame Sky for that one.

Yep, the deal for the highlights essentially limits them to any show (qualy or race) only having a maximum of 50% track action. And that’s 50% of the screen time so doesn’t count ad breaks! So a 2hr qualy show only has 45 mins of action, a race show around 50 mins. I think the Sky F1 ads and a mention at the end of the qualy show are in there too. My brother-in-law occasionally works with an ex C4 Sport techie and he told me the details, it’s why a lot of the analysis stuff is done away from the trackside as Sky try and make that count!

LeClerc is just whipping Vettel at the moment, every time he finds that little bit extra! Fantastic to watch, he really is lining up to be something very special indeed.

People who put a rag/piece of foam in the clamping jaws of their bike carrier, as if the silicone is going to leave a huge scratch on their beloved bikes.

I do that as other wise the slight twisting of the jaws over bumps (it’s designed to do it) pulls off my frame protection. Leaves little marks without the frame protection on so it’s a little bit of foam that works for me!

I remember that one well, mainly as I worked for his bank at the time (Barclays) so I could check the number was legitimate! ISTR someone set up a DD for £500 pcm to a donkey sanctuary, not only did Clarkson say it had happened he kept the DD going, and yes I did check it was still running a few months later.

OP, it’ll be a tester transaction. They’ll let it run for a while and if it still works a few months down the line they’ll know you’re not checking your statements. They’ll then hit your account for a large sum, usually around the beginning of the month as it’s payday.

Well I’m off work again, couldn’t sleep last night as I had nausea, my shoulder muscles were locked rigid (seems to be my symptom of over-stress) and my brain wouldn’t shut off despite me being really tired. Got no sleep whatsoever and my brain is really struggling to function. As soon as I’d made the call to work though I was out like a light, strange as I don’t find my work stressful and enjoy dealing with the customers!

The last few days have been stressful with mum struggling to get her FireTV stick to work (turns out she’d dropped the remote and it was dead), this made her stressed and argumentative so it was affecting dad who couldn’t really escape as he’s still not allowed to sit in the sun in the garden for any real length of time. Popped in yesterday on my way back from the Cycle Show (which was disappointingly bad, was hoping to de-stress looking at bike stuff for a few hours…) and the atmosphere was poor, they haven’t been keeping up on household stuff (hoovering etc) so I had to do a bit of that for them and arranged for a supermarket delivery for them for today. My cousin has still been pestering my mum to take her shopping, my sister is going to have a word with them about it this time. Going to get out on the bike for an hour, try and relax a bit.

RE: trailer years and competence.

Don’t forget that anyone who passed their test before 1997ish, so most over 40’s who partake in caravanning, haven’t had to have any extra training whatsoever to tow these things. When the trailer test was first mooted the Caravan Club strongly campaigned against it as they could see their numbers dwindling as eligible towers died off. It’s the reason you can tow a small trailer up to 750kg on a normal license. So the vast majority of caravanners have never done any formal training about speed limits, safe driving methods, loading correctly or reversing skills. There is nothing inherently wrong with a single axle caravan, a lot of issues are caused by user errors, particularly poor loading.

Went today and it was massively underwhelming. Was looking to try on a few helmets, look at saddles and peruse the choice of hardtails (mainly steel). No-one had a saddle to sit on but I got my arse measured on the Ergon stand, 11.4cm. could only try three helmet brands, Giro, Bell and Kali. Found a few hardtails but no-one would let me feel the weight of any, let alone sit on one! Most of the people manning the stands didn’t have much knowledge apart from the marketing crap and the description in the catalogue, a few notable exceptions were Calibre, Orange and Whyte. It would have been a better use of my day to go round the local bike shops frankly. Was noticeable that a lot of big brands weren’t there, bike, clothing and accessories. Quite a few brands that were listed weren’t there too. Disappointing really.

I’ve got rimpacts in the rear on my Rocket and by Fuel EX, both needed the rebound slowing down slightly.

The extra damping of rock gardens at speed is amazing! Did try them up front but could it made everything a bit dull so I couldn’t feel the grip as it were.

Not good at the moment. Contracts are shrinking (but being retained) and new processes are being introduced that supposedly save a load of time during the shift (25% has been mentioned, just not possible) which is leading to people being obstructive, working to rule etc. Due to this workload is about to go through the roof. Doesn’t help that what the company is solely focussed on (specialist courier service) is shrinking at a decent rate I don’t see my job being really viable in 5-10 years, happily I’m planning and set to leave in 2 years or so. None of it is really blamable on the big B but if it happens it will have a big effect. My work is directly linked to how well the economy is doing so if it catches a cold, or worse, we do too. Morale is crap as a result, but seeing as I’ve worked with most of my colleagues for over 10 years and we mostly all get along fine it’s strangely a good place to work despite all the issues!

Been going through this with my dad, he’s really struggling with nor being able to go to the shop to get the paper, mow the lawn or even get up the stairs without getting out of breath. He was getting better after the first few chemo sessions but a heart attack has knocked him for six. All we’ve been able to do is just be there for him and not blame him for anything he cannot do. Help-wise we’ve had a volunteer from one of the cancer charities visit him on a regular basis and put his mind at rest that what he is going through is normal, has made a big difference.

Just being there for him is the best thing you can do, support from your family is the greatest thing.

My condolences takisawa2. Don’t have any advice but I’m not looking forward to being in the same situation soon.

Just got back from visiting them on the way back from a ride. They were in good form, taking the piss out of me for getting slightly sunburnt (I was sweating so much the sun-cream just fell off every time I tried to re-apply it!) but they’re both struggling still. Dad’s not happy about not being able to go out in the garden while it’s sunny and mum is being harassed by her cousin to take her to the supermarket to get ice cream for her 4 kids even though she knows mum isn’t capable of driving. Facebook messages, texts etc. I’ve sent said cousin a message that she should pay for a bloody taxi or get a delivery, thankfully I don’t normally deal with that side of the family (they’re all a bit Jeremy Kyle: multiple kids by different dads, never worked etc.) so I was able to be very blunt and direct but she sent my mum another message straight after asking if she could do Tuesday instead!! My blood was boiling but held it together for my mum’s sake.

The good bit was the dog was perfectly happy to just lie there in his little paddling pool to keep cool, too hot for him to go walkies. Just got to get through the next 9 days when the results of mum’s tests on her legs should be available.

The Twrch climb is a bit of a bastard! I have to be on a good day to clear it all the same ride, usually fail at least one section. Although they have filled in a few bits recently so it’s a bit easier now than it has been and will be after the winter.

I find the climbs at Afan easier as they are generally of a similar gradient so you get into a rhythm. Either way they’re both a good test of your current fitness.

Thanks everyone, always nice to have complete strangers give words of encouragement!

Sorry to hear all that. I think you’re local to me (?) so if you want a ride let me know.

Yep, we rode on that semi-failed Cardiff meetup a while back. I tend to ride alone (always have done) and like the clear space but if I need company I’ll give you a shout. I have riding mates but they are all over the country and beyond so it tends to be pre-planned meets with them, which I also like. Riding regularly so that is one part of my life that is good right now!

That is a lifetime’s worth of crap to have to deal with in one short period. Sounds horrendous, feel for you!

It’s the cream on top of a long-running saga, starting with my mum being sectioned when I was 17 and having to drop out of college and redo the course the next year. Add in that school wasn’t a happy place for me before that and it has sort of become the norm for me to have something bad happening most of the time. Just taking each bit as it comes along, like I always have done. The problem is I’m so used to it that I have become very good at seeming happy and normal to others, putting a public face on that even has most of my friends fooled. I’ve actually had to cut a few friends loose these last few months as their reaction to me not coping has been somewhat un-friend-like to say the least! Some of the family haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory either.

The hardest part so far has been telling my parents that seeing them in their current states is heartbreaking and that I’ve been struggling to visit them, I always feel crap on leaving. To their credit they’ve told me to do what I want to do on my days off, they’ll let me know if there’s anything that’s needed doing. I still visit as much as I can cope with as they have a garden that needs sorting (it’s an overgrown mess) and a dog that really needs the walking they can’t give him so that he’s not running around like a demented devil trying to expend some energy. Plus they both have a habit of saying they’re fine but when you see them in person it’s obvious they’re not. It’s tough.