Sainsburys I think we used .

When we went through this it was way cheaper to shop for insurance (with building work cover) then shop around again (with no need for that) once it was done, cancel and buy the new one.

PDF split and merge (just called PDFSam now):  https://pdfsam.org/

Basic version is free.  And does loads.

If this is a one-user setup and you are prepared to spend the kind of money this presumably already involves: consider relegating your current bike to the turbo on a permanent basis (leave it there, now you have a smart bike!) and get a new bike for outside instead.  No need to move stuff back and forth,  it’s still actually lighter, more mobile, easier to store albeit separated than a big exercise machine – and you’ve invested in outside fun where the payback can be more satisfying.

If it’s already a lovely bike you are bored of moving… it’s a lot cheaper to put a (partially built up!) road frame on the turbo and use the nice bike outside.

Is your handset old and not getting any more security updates?

Do you recklessly sideload apps?

If not, don’t bother.

As above, plus:  if you do manage to start another ride, the power doesn’t register in the pen and your avatar just sits there.

“Normal life without ACL/sport” is nonsense (especially as an immediate outcome). Anyone who expects you to just settle for that is letting you down.
Obviously you should be polite and constructive as you push/lobby for better.  But for the avoidance of doubt, keep in mind that you are in the right here:  that’s not a reasonable default outcome for a sporty 15 year old, you are absolutely right to push for more.  Don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise, and if anyone does, find a way to talk to someone else.
I’m parent to a sporty teen, it means so much to them.  I’d be absolutely gutted if I was expected to swallow that…but I’m also conscious that (deliberately or not) some of the people you deal with in these situations can make it feel like you are being demanding or awkward, which makes life harder and makes it more work to get what you want.  Don’t let them.

Find a way you enjoy using it.  Do that.

I think the finer differences between all these different approaches are often wiped out by whether or not you actually stick to it consistently over the winter.

If racing’s not for you…don’t do it.  But I don’t think (do you have a zwiftpower profile you are willing to share?) you should be getting dropped even from the lowest group (what do you mean lowest group?).

@villageidiotdan you should consider  la clusaz or le grand bornand.  

Don’t build a bike around a cassette.  Especially not that cassette.  I know how you ended up here, but it’s a crazy question.
That first wave of 10s large cassettes for use with groupsets not designed with them in mind are inherently compromised, yes they can work but apparently not for you.  So either go back to a smaller one, or move on to a (11s or 12s) groupset which will work reliably with a 46T sprocket.

If you want an answer just write anything (literate) which shows you intervened personally rather than sending the default message.

And are you clicking through and seeing the seller profiles?  You should be able to tell if they are documenting an authentic life which adds up.  Choose a seller who is a  real local person to avoid scams.

EDIT having said that, iPhone is a very risky marketplace purchase even if you are careful.

Hi @reluctantlondoner, I am very familiar with the doom loop. In fact, my own most recent doom loop (in Spring 2023) finally prompted me to tackle this.  So far, successfully.  My combo of reducing triggers and then sumatriptan for attacks works OK – but when it goes wrong (several times a year for me) it really goes wrong eh?  I’ll assume you are aware of your triggers and good at managing them (and to be clear – I know people doing otherwise are well-meaning).  Where to go from here?  Is propranolol the answer?

For years, I said no to preventatives, on the grounds that the NHS offering was rubbish.  Because for most of our lives it has been:  try 3 things that probably won’t work, hope 1 does, hope the 12-months of varied side effects are worth it. Game over.

The landscape has changed now.  Now, if you follow that same path and agree to try 3 things that probably won’t work, hope 1 does, hope the 12-months of varied side effects are worth it then there is actually a prize at the end which *can* make even all that worth it:  referral to a specialist who can prescribe drugs which are much more likely to work.    So the stakes are initially the same, but the end point has changed.

Anyway, my migraines are better controlled than they ever have been and this happened in the first stage which I had always avoided (namely:  low-dose amitriptyline). Am I cured?  No. But my life is transformed and it’s pretty clear that one of the three things I was offered that probably wouldn’t work does, in fact, work for me.

In hindsight, I wish I’d tried something – anything – earlier.  But “probably won’t work, nothing we can do if it doesn’t” never engaged me.  Better the devil you know etc.

Anyway, you asked about propranolol.  Noone knows the answer for you – because it doesn’t work for most people but for some it’s amazing (which is the same as the other entries on the menu your doctor is choosing from).

The final obstacle which delayed me was that I found it impossible to get advice on how to choose what to try (which three?  what order?).  If that knowledge exists at all it resides in specialists and (where I live at least) you only get to see them if three attempts fail.  And (no offence to the GP, or GPs in the thread) there isn’t much concentration of expertise in primary care on how to choose between the options.  Not least because there’s no evidence for that choice (they all work, some of the time, for different people, noone really knows why or when).   It seems like you are at that stage.   I wish, at that stage, I had just made a choice, any choice, years ago and worked my way through the options.  So what you choose is, in my experience, less significant than jumping in.

Bear in mind: everywhere you go there will be more anecdotes about failure than success for all options, and more complaints about side effects from all options than not.  But the game is now, I decided, worth playing – and it worked for me.  The thing is I still don’t think it’s possible to choose what might actually work for you.  Choose which side effects to sample in which order (!), choose what fits your lifestyle, follow your gut, just go with propranolol because it’s already been suggested and lacking anything else that’s a headstart for it.  Whatever.  But I regret not doing something, and you should avoid doing that!

If something words, it’ll change your life. If nothing from the first list works, get that referral and 14 months from now you will be on something which probably will.  Don’t make the mistake I made of leaving that permanently 14 months in the future!

I’ve been there.  I accept I might end up there again.  But the biggest mistake I ever made was being too demanding about *which* choice to make when, as it turns out, *any choice at all* will at least get you on the way.

As @ratherbeintogabo says are you *sure* their insurance is within a hassles-worth of one from elsewhere?

It’s the excess insurance where the fun begins – choices are normally enormous excess, massive fee from the hirer to get rid of that risk, or peanuts online.

There’s a real chance (given the course) that riders high up the GC will still be on the same time at the end of the race though @nbt and that’s when countback will decide the overall.

Rammy was fun. Lots of people and great atmosphere.  Seemed like a bigger event that previous years.

They made the rake – and lots of other unclassified hills along the route – look a lot easier than I do.

Race vehicles made harder work of it than the bikes.  A motorbike ground to a halt in front of our spot (at the start of the steep section)  and the passenger had to jump off for him to get going again.  He just left him behind.

I have same variety of use as you.

I really like my Gravel King SK *in use*.  But I have had enough hassle with the process of running them tubeless (they are hard to get on and off, even tubeless compatible they need a lot of sealant for that first seal, a fairly small hole I’d expect to seal didn’t etc) that I had decided to switch to…38C Terreno Dry (!).  Maybe I’m an outlier.  If SK’s are less hassle than I make them they are a superb tyre once on.

I guess your Vittoria’s are an OEM version (hence not tubeless, maybe a different compound to proper ones etc) but even so they might well be good tyres, maybe not worth the switch, esp if they go up tubeless..

It’s a lottery.  We went to Ruka in December and didn’t just not see the lights…we didn’t even see the sky once.  And locals said this was not unusual – just grey murk 24/7.  It was an amazing holiday, we’d do it again in a heartbeat, and the lights would just have been a bonus.  But even if it’s worked out for other people, I wouldn’t be organising a lapland trip in December which revolved around clear skies.

I’d still go somewhere good, where you might get lucky. So Lapland resorts, Iceland etc.  But don’t bank on the aurora.

The free drop off Hannah just posted is right next to (in fact carved out of)  JetParks1.  It has a free bus to the terminals (same bus the car park uses, so reliable).

It’s not glamorous, but it’s not rushed like the main drop offs where you are on the clock.

I wouldn’t use it specificaly for a long good bye.  But nowhere on site is suitable for that and it’s quite a relaxed way to get to the airport for all concerned.

It does look too short for a bike change @jonnyboi – but Pogacar practised one yesterday…

#TDF2023, Stage 16 (22.4 km, ITT)

⛰️ COTE DE DOMANCY (2.57 km, 8.68 %, 223 m)
———————————————————————
Pogacar's bike change at 45.912399, 6.649451

last 2.15 km, 9.21 %, 198 mhttps://t.co/5IroPrFwFy

— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) July 17, 2023

…and is accompanied by a road bike today.

I think your original plan was actually quite good. It offloaded all the misery into the tram journey (back)… which you wouldn’t be involved in.

But @binners plan is better – even though it pulls you back into the misery a little (post match traffic wherever) it’s worth it overall.

I’d add only: probably better to park on the side you are approaching Manchester from / leaving towards. If the stadium is walking distance then so are the quays / IWM etc.

Ordered something.
I’ve had mixed experiences with them (hasn’t everyone?) but for the stuff they are good for they are still amongst the best. I probably have something from there somewhere on me every time I ride a bike.

you need to remember where they start/finish really

I have one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sportneer-Bicycle-Adjustable-Removable-Maintenance/dp/B08X4DXCXM/

Not that exact one, but an equally made up brand and similar price (£20ish before the end times so £25 now looks OK). Detaches from wall when not in use. Multiple brackets (for different places in different weather). I have never got my folding telescopic stand out since buying it. And I built a bike from scratch on it no worries.

Here you go: https://nottenergy.com/resources/energy-cost-comparison/ – the column to compare is pence per kwh after boiler efficiency

The bottom line is that direct electric heating is *very* expensive.

You’re basically asking us, with no further context, if you should pay to install a system that will cost 39p/kw/h rather than 13p/kw/h to heat your flat. If there’s context missing which makes this sensible, maybe. Otherwise, no.

You indicate you’ve decided to go for it. Honestly, that’s quite likely a very costly mistake.

(@poolman: the maths is essentially the same if you “retain” the heat or use it straight away fwiw)

Zwift is odd. Its core requirements are pretty modest and by ramping up the equipment all you ever improve is the graphic detail. This makes laptop advice without further info awkward.

You don’t need a mid-range laptop to run zwift, and one won’t do a better job than a low end one. But you’ll need to spend a lot of money to get mid-range zwift graphics (which is the only thing that varies) out of a laptop.

If you buy a mid range laptop for some other reason, it’ll run zwift fine. But if your aim is fancy graphics in zwift, start again from the beginning – in particular why a laptop and how keen on good graphics are you?

nice ride @drp.
(I saw you anticipating an hour beforehand and wondered if you might go quite a bit quicker than that…)

Ooh. I’m happy to put an entry in if we have enough riders.

(I still can’t ride evenings though. in fact, I’ve barely ridden at all for a while and just getting back into it…)

Depends where you start (and therefore how late in the day you get to France)
We start up North, and always stay near Reims.
Usually in whichever chain option is cheapest at Thillois/Tinqueux or Bezannes.
Just slightly further, Auberge des Moissons is a nice non-chain option. And if you pay for indoor parking (and the bikes aren’t too high) you can leave bikes on the car pretty securely.
If you start nearer the South, listen to the Troyes/Langres/Dijon people. Any further North than Reims, it’s still a long way the next day, esp as a day 2.

Wow, @phil56 .
I hope everything is going OK (for both of you). Looking forward to seeing you back in zwift when you are ready.

1600 is great – like @matt_outabout said, perfect for the usage you describe and capable of more when you do something different. I use mine all the time, on road and off, on my head (a bit heavy, I get used to it quick enough, but I am in a minority) and on the bars.

But: we have a 1000 in the household as well and, honestly, that’s fine for all this as well. I think I might choose that in future.

happy now @grahamt1980?

Do you have bluetooth and/or ANT+ ?

That means both are off or absent.

If the pc has integrated Bluetooth turn it on in settings.
If it doesn’t you need a usb ant stick or bluetooth dongle.

I can only ride daytimes for now. This looks good though, I’ll join in again when I can.

Try this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.diskusage&hl=en_GB&gl=US
It visualises exactly what is using what space.

Peartree is best P&R from the North.

Has this been removed from the website? https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20220909-about-bc-news-Guidance-for-the-period-of-National-Mourning-0

Or is there a more detailed version of the advice?#

EDIT Curious – I clicked again and sometimes that bit is there, sometimes it’s not.

If you mean the Philips Park in Prestwich (there are two, @twistedpencil mentioned the other): if you aren’t ready for Gisburn then the reds there are not what you are looking for. The blues (officially down in adjacent waterdale) might be. But I don’t think they are worth you travelling for!

Why have you ruled out Bottoms Beck at Gisburn though?

Also Quercus trail at Whinlatter might be perfect. We used it for this, but full disclosure I think it’s attracted disagreement in this context here before…

Try it. But I think it’ll be fine. Basically I predict:
The game will run perfectly nearly all the time.
Graphics will be locked to the lowest level but that’s normal across a huge range of devices, including some of the most popular.
And you will get framerate slowdowns and limited visibility up ahead in massive events, but it won’t matter (again widespread and normal).

Just got home from this. Amazing from start to finish. Supergrass Gaz and Justin Hawkins know how to play a massive crowd, Them Crooked Vultures sounded as if they play together every day and from the arrival of Queen until the end was epic. Luke Spiller (trailed somewhere up-thread) strutted on unannounced (pun unintentional but I’m leaving it now), stole the show for 10 minutes, and then disappeared again. And it was a fitting afternoon of drumming as well – Omar Hakim just kept materialising, superb decision to give Stewart Copeland his “own” slot, Rufus Taylor looked very at home behind the foo fighters…, Shane Hawkins was astonishing. I could go on and on. My daughter’s first gig has totally messed up her expectations of going to a concert. Tiny downsides – sound problems early on but they got resolved, queues inside the venue were an arse like @swdan said – and Wembley has a lot of dead space which looks a bit rubbish from the back in daylight but it came into its own once the sun went down.

We went through this recently and I concluded that in this price range Pixel phones have the best cameras by so far that if the camera is your main concern it distorts your options. Basically:

If you can stretch the budget / wait for a deal (Black Friday might do £50 off) get a Pixel 6A.
If you can get a used 6A in budget in the meantime, get that. Prices are sticky though.
If you can’t, try and find a refurbished 4A 5G for £200.

I don’t think there’s anything between those two prices that’s a better camera option than the 4A 5G. I see others on the thread are making suggestions in that range, so I’d certainly also say listen to them too. We considered then ruled out, but haven’t experienced the phones they are suggesting.

@v7fmp if you are TTT curious, just give it a go! And it just got a lot less complicated, starting today. The start used to be a hack, but now it’s an actual event mode in zwift.

STW discord server is here: https://discord.gg/CHbYwYe6 it’ll be the TTT voice channel on the left.
You need a WTRL account here: https://www.wtrl.racing/registration/ for the entry links to function / the race system to know you.