Will be packing it in May this year and have worked it out. For the two of us it’s

£4800 for absolute essentials – bills/taxes etc
£4k for food and other stuff we have some control over

Per annum

I have last years shoes and sizing is typical Shimano. Apart from some old Diadoras I’ve only used Shimano shoes and they fit me as expected. In that sense they’re probably suited to very average feet – if you can buy shoes online with ease go for your usual size but if you have wide feet/high insteps/unusual toes etc you might find them uncompromising. The synthetic upper material has a tendency to ‘wrinkle’ over time but it doesn’t stretch so if they don’t fit out of the box they never will.

They’re very similar in feel to my ME7s and ME200s before that but less burly and a bit lighter.

For me it’s not a fast bike but it is very easy to ride and quite flattering in situations where a traditional HT might struggle. The geometry is great for descents but at the same time it’s pretty nippy uphill & the slack front end doesn’t feel like I’m pushing a wheelbarrow.

I guess what I’m saying is that it is versatile. I can ride it around hills all day but it has performance in the bank if I need it. it also has a certain character and stance that makes me want to ride it.

Interesting reading the replies

I’m 6’2″ 34″ IL and bought a size L 901 in September. The shop had M, L and XL 900s in stock. The XL was probably the biggest bicycle I’ve ever sat on it felt like something Orange County Choppers had made. The front wheel was out there, man.

The L was at least as big as my other HT which is XL but the 900 was slacker and had more standover. The M was pretty similar to my old school HT size L but not ludicrously small.

The 900s are long low bikes and if you’re used to riding something with a bit more ground clearance you’ll need to watch out for ruts and steps of any kind. Bus on a hump-back bridge effect.

otherwise the clever geometry works well everywhere.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xc7-xc701-carbon-mtb-spd-shoes-2019/rp-prod177960

http://www.edrawingsviewer.com/

235 here it’s a bit meh tbh

Doesn’t like going slow and the GPS straightlines a lot. Often doesn’t automatically restart after pausing. Uses GPS to get the time so if you switch it on and there’s no GPS it shows the time when you switched it off *roll eyes*

Peridic updates from Garmin crash it and it loses customisations.

On the plus side it is very light and the display is good in bright sunlight.

After you’ve used it a while it only tells you what you already know – that was a fast run, that was a slow run, your VO2 has gone up, your VO2 has gone down etc. Useful if you are actually following a training plan with a goal but not much use otherwise.

as we know, Wiggle is CRC and with that in mind the CRC site is not really any different to how Wiggle has always been

Your search returned 743 items
*selects in stock only*
Your search returned 24 items
*selects Adult + Male*
Your search returned 3 items
*selects size L*
Your search returned 0 items :|

The days of an actual business with tons of stock, an on-site sorting office and next day delivery are long gone

Should be the price

If bought from a business it would be the price advised by the seller

Right. So in a way the seller was doing me a favour by declaring the cost at the risk of non-delivery

Under value and under insure to avoid duty and you risk the thing going missing with no refund – bad idea as a seller if you are responsible for delivery

I understand now. Many thanks

So from a customs POV what’s the value of an item – is it the cost or the price?

The item marked up as < $5 was probably accurate in terms of materials but retailed for a lot more

Tamiya.

Are they better than they used to be? The cars and motorbikes we did were insanely detailed but didn’t go together very well.

Except their 1:48 Sea Harrier, i’m sure it’s a reboxed Airfix misfit

Is there a kit you’d recommend? I don’t mind as long it’s not a ship or a tank

It will have import duty but also £8 handling charge

Yes the label mentioned £8 handling as well as VAT on the item and the postage!

Thanks folks

The weather hasn’t been bad enough to start running but there’s still time

I generally take 4-6 weeks off biking around February and feel better for it

Singletrack is almost unusable on the iPad

+1

Even when it does load the expanding and collapsing ads mean it’s almost impossible to scroll and tap on anything specific

Reject capitalist war profiteering by not watching militarist propaganda. Also avoid superhero films due to their sickening elitism.

I’ve just bought the Mustang from Aldi for 4.99.

rocket jr went in for some crisps and came out with a P-51.

It’s been 10 years or more since we made any models – mainly WW II planes, rally cars and motorbikes – but it seems not much has changed. After meticulously painting all the bits the very first part (instrument panel + sights/crash pad?) didn’t fit so we broke out the needle files/craft knife/pin chuck/blu tac/tape etc which kind of set the tone for the rest of the assembly – lots of cutting and shutting and lots of parts that didn’t *quite* fit. Good luck everyone with the fuselage.

All things considered (see decals above) the finished model looks ok and I’m almost inspired to build something else but I’m not fond of the all the filing and cutting.

Bearing in mind it was Airfix and only cost a fiver are they all the same or are there any brands/kits that fit together properly?

BIL went a couple of years ago he was offered a great price for his mrs & daughter

Generally speaking no. Around Cannock if it’s not an ambush it’ll be a cockrotter who has done literally zero preparation and no I don’t have a 29+ inner tube or an SRAm 12sp quick link or some pads for your brakes.

Elsewhere I’ve stopped once maybe twice in 20+ years. I’ve had my own misfortunes and never expected anyone else to help so that’s how it is.

Many GBP/EUR here. Very rarely use plastic and never on hols

A few of us are thinking of a quick loop of Cannock on xmas day, will we be the only ones there, or is there likely to be a few saddos getting away for some fun?

Hmm Christmas Day is pushing it even for me. But Christmas Eve…

Some of our co-workers who don’t drink wanted the equivalent in tins of biscuits so this year we’ve had nothing lol

my new 12 speed gx is rubbish compared to my 5 year old XT 10 speed

my new 11 speed nx is also rubbish compared to my 7 year old XT 9 speed

For balance, so far this week

6x no lights no helmet it’s fine
3x fricken cyclists on the pavement
1x TREK SESSION (no lights no helmet but at least he was on the road)
3x the weirdo in the hi-viz t shirt, face mask and waterproof kecks. Glasses but no helmet

Oh and last week one of them fell off while filtering and hit my car. ‘Sorry mate’ (£360 repair)

Generally buy at least one pair per holiday. €5 for a random frame with an O on the arms or €8 for a pair based on an old Oakley design. By the time you get to €12 you’re looking at current models – maybe not *quite* the right colour frames/lenses but really, they’re just sunglasses

Its not getting better – any ideas that work?

Walking. 8k – 10k steps/day.

These Eagle threads put me off a new Whyte 905/909. I went for the entry level 901 with 11sp NX. It shifts like a crowbar and weighs many g but otherwise it’s fine.

I changed the chain to a KMC after a couple of rides. The original SRAM chain was full of sticky grease and turned the whole drivetrain into a conveyor belt of cack

Tennants Super + Strong white cider + port

if you can find it, try Leffe Royale.

McEwans champion is a nice, strong ale (7.3%). Nothing fancy!

Many thanks

Even something like a Leffe Blonde?

Not for some time but now you’ve mentioned it I’ll try it again

why not just buy one of the many high ABV “craft ales” kicking about now, or indeed some Belgian beer?

I have tried them but they’re a bit too artisan for my primitive palate. I prefer a basic but strong pint

btw has anyone tried freezing lager to increase the alcohol content? Apparently the water freezes before the alcohol so you can separate them. i wondered if you could do this in a domestic freezer.

Hmm quite like the variations on the snakebite theme

lager and vodka also

My car heats up automatically in the morning

Please tell us more about this car that heats up automatically :|

Next door’s boyfriend has a Volvo S90 that seems to do this without starting the engine. Never seen him long enough to actually ask him.

It’s a taste sensation :)

Have been many times. The wind isn’t that strong but when it picks up it’s relentless. Not gusty like it is here just a constant 20 mph northerly all day, for several days, any time of year.

imo February is probably one of the worst times to go. The place has cooled down and it’s quite often grey as if it’s going to rain but it never does. Although it’s usually 16-17 degrees a 4.5 hour flight is a long way for some fairly meh conditions. Southern Spain is half the distance and only slightly more meh

http://www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/liver-and-bacon-with-onion-gravy nom nom nom

Also https://www.irishtimes.com/news/kidneys-turbigo-1.229082 nom nom nom

My experience with inexpensive chains is that they seem part-worn already and are no doubt manufactured when the tooling has worn close to its limits. Packed full of crappy grease they seem ok for a while and then die.

Wippermann Connex have been premier league for me – the bike wears out before the chain – but if you don’t want to spend that much then a normal KMC X11

OP 6’2″ here and you look like me on most of my size L bikes. Miles of seatpost on a not-too-steep seat tube combined with tight chainstays puts you right over the rear axle. Pedalling, uphill switchbacks and slaloming between trees will be tricky but descending can be fun.

You can experiment with slammed stems and wider bars in an attempt to get your body forwards but then you run into  elbow/knee overlap.

The only answer is reach and lots of it (480 mm+). A wheelbarrow front end combined with a steep seat tube that actually lets you push backwards positions you mid-bike and yet you still have elbow/knee room on a bike that doesn’t look like a gate on wheels.

My mtb helmet is a Gen 1 Bell Super – but the new Super / Super DH is enormous in comparison in Large

Agreed. 59-60cm here and I find Troy Lee the same. Have had some success with POC their XL/XXL goes to 62cm but the shell doesn’t look like a bucket. Met Parabellum is a similar shape if you can live with the ludicrous visor. More recently a size L Lazer Revolution has raised the bar in terms of fit. The convertible design means the sides and straps are ‘inboard’ IYKWIM

You want some Fox Flexairs

wohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Wear them over your knee pads if it’s normal cold or combine with Aldi Women’s Fleece Tights (£3.99) if it’s really cold. Yeah

Biggest factor for me is traction

I’m a big powerful unit, gravity is not my friend and a few lbs or degrees on the bike is neither here nor there. I need to put down a certain amount of power to keep going forwards and without traction I stall really easily. This is why my fatbike is so fast uphill I can really mash the tyres

They’re usually 1000 mm front and 1800 mm rear so unless you have a 200 mm travel tandem they’ll need shortening

epicbleedsloutions method always works for me