mrmo – Member

Global warming should really be divorced from this discussion. The problem is energy security not global warming. AGW is used as a get out by those who reject it.

Yes, global warming is occuring and I don' think we humans are contributing that significantly (15%). The world was warmer before, sea levels were 6-7m higher than they are now and once the UK was covered by a thick sheet of ice. No fossil fuels were burned during this time, but we shouldn't use this as an excuse to pointlessly waste energy.

Mrmo, you are correct, the situation is all about security. This applies to food, energy and water.

There are too many people in the world and the numbers are growing.
This is the bigger problem.

When we run out of fossil fuels there will be serious strife. We need to cut down and cut out waste, but as one guy commented, "enjoy it while it lasts" I agree because we won't be able to stop this relentless march into chaos.

Yes Smee! I must try and remember that the lunatics run the asylum. 😀

Nuclear is the most expensive energy produced.

Nope, wind energy is. Especially when there is no wind.

I can't see a picture, but i've had a few disc rotor shaped burns in the Alps (pretty much every year). None that bad, but if you have 205mm rotors, it only takes a momentary lapse of concentration.

I was thinking of rigging up some tubing, a valve and a water bottle to cool my rotors. The easier option is to swerve the Alps.

Buy anything British and you won't go far wrong.

mrsflash – Member

Welcome to the stw jobless club. It has some lovely members

I bet none of us are as lovely as you.

I have been skiing 23 years now. It took a week to get the fundamentals. It comes down to how good the instruction is and your attitude. I don't recommend French instructors, they don't seem to have the interpersonal skills. I didn't rate any of the ones I had and my kids simply hated the "couldn't care less" attitude. I recently saw a couple of French instructors chastising a distraught English boy who couldn't have been older than 8. They told the boy (I quote) "Shut the fxxk up, we're sick of your whinging and get on with the lesson, do as I say, shut up you little sxxt". I nearly intervened, I wish I had done! Arrogant scroats!(like a good number of the French people you meet). I am boycotting France now due to this and their inflated prices. Austria is much cheaper (beer's a lot less there) and the Austrians have a much less hostile manner. I digress!

Looking tidy on skis takes a long time for most people, years even. Getting down the mountain on any slope looking tidy is something I haven't yet achieved. If i'm in the mood I can perfect parallel on all but the most mogulled up runs. I should get some lessons really.

Parallels take a couple of weeks to learn for most people. Looking sylish with skis together and distributing you weight correctly whilst facing downhill takes a lot longer, years, if ever!

Snow boards are a perfectly valid form of getting around on the mountain. It's easier to pick up and i'm sure is brilliant fun in deep powder off piste. My mate says that steep black runs are easier on a board. I've watched him and he doesn't put in many turns, he mostly slides down 'em.

The downsides are getting on and off lifts and it's not much fun if your group contains skiers and boarders. Buttons T-Bars and chairs, all a hassle on a board. Flat sections of runs are a pain for boarders as they have to stop and walk. Stopping anywhere usually requires you to sit down and without poles, boarders often have to hop to get going. Long less steep runs are more tiring on a board than skis because you always need to keep an edge. I find, as a skier, it's generally harder to predict where a boarder will go. They can be a bit unpredictable and I think these people are mostly the novices who are confident beyond their ability etc.

There's plenty of room for all types of user. Go enjoy! I love skiing.

Poor guy! Get's the ultimate respect from me. I know the hurt his family and friends are feeling.

It's at times like this that I think (rightly or wrongly) that we should leave America to fight it's own battles!

The other countries involved in supporting the effort should put in the same numbers as us and move to the frontline too.

We need to take a close look at what provokes the situations that we have suffered (7/7, 9/11, Bali, Mumbai). The mysery will surely continue for many decades whatever we do however.

A lot of people in the know are saying we are fighting an unwinnable war in Afghanistan and that the issues originate in other countries such as Pakistan.

All I know is that we keep ourselves on the hit list by continuing this, but then how do you deal with these madmen? Do you let them get away with it? We can't really roll over and withdraw. Perhaps our involvement is even isolating ourselves out to become the next target. If you saw the speech Obama made in Cairo a few weeks ago, you'll understand why the focus of hate has moved more towards the British. Unfortunatley we do not have a black Primeminister with an innate understanding of the Muslim culture and who has fabulous oratory skills.

RIP brave soldiers, doing their duty in highly dangerous situations. True heros!

If the endorsement has expired, you don't need to declare it even if it's still on your license.

Make sure you photocopy you license before you send it away. There have been thousands of cases of licenses being changed. I used to erroneneously have a category to drive a tank. That was removed last time I got a new license, but how did they know I hadn't ever driven a tank?

There have been experienced motorists who have had to resit car and bike tests as a result of these cockups. This was featured on BBC's Watchdog.

Tomtom are still the best, but having an older version running alongside a current version, you notice some stupid things going on with the new one which is just dumb! I'm talking about route planning. Any Tomtom will get you there, but you really must check the route it's chosen to ensure it isn't being silly.

I was travelling to a place near Bergerac in France last summer. Old version chose a 30m shorter route and offered a 2 minute shorter journey even though the maps of the area were identical.

I "back to backed" these two units over time and found that the route planning was not as good as one would expect.

Earlier versions of Tomtom allowed you to set speed cameras as an overlay, but now this is handled differently so Tomtom can charge you an annual subscription. I must see if I can use the old overlay, but i'm guessing that they will have put pay to this.

Another minor niggle is that that the current Tomtom's tell you when you are approaching a junction and need to take instructions. There are no less than three warnings which can be a tad irritating. The earlier version tells you just the once – much better. I guess they are pandering to "numpty". I turn the voices off now.

Tomtom are still the best satnav with a super slick UI and great online update support etc.

If it ain't broke, just ride it!

My advice is to leave it exactly as it is, but keep it well maintained and clean. If bits break, or wear out, get cheap replacements.

If you are still doing 30m plus rides a week this time next year, build a better bike.

Keep your current bike for the winter and bad weather.

trail_rat – Member

ill do what i do on the house phone – tell them the person that they are looking for is deceased and to stop calling me ….

😆 😆 😆

My mum gets frequent calls on her landline asking to speak to my dad who died 4.5 years ago. They keep asking if he wants to sell his timeshare. He never had a timeshare!

We registered with the TPS well before he died and have been telling these companies until we're blue in the face that he never had a timeshare, my father is dead and to not call us ever again! They aren't UK based so there's nothing we can do to stop their calls.

And still the calls keep coming! At first it was upsetting, but she has got used to it now. I'm thinking we should ask them to make us an offer and send a cheque. 😀

As this is mobile 118 service is a commercial venture, I wouldn't trust a single assurance from them.

After you have had an account for several years without any issues, 100% feedback and then decide to sell some stuff, if the end price is over £50, they will take the payment from the buyer, but withold it from you. They take their fees straight away however. You then have to buy postage and send your valuable goods off in good faith before you even see a penny. If the buyer is satisfied and chooses the option to leave feedback, Paypal will then release the money to you. If they choose not to leave feedback, you will wait 45 days! If the buyer has an issue, you won't get the money until the matter is resolved. You won't get your postage back and will have to pay the buyer's return postage.

Go ahead, get a Paypal account, but how many people agree to sell stuff and then send out goods before they have got their payment?

Paypal have recently adopted this policy to save them any inconvenience in the event of a problem.

If my experiences and those of a few other people I know are anything to go by, you'll have a long and protracted load of aggro if things go wrong. Not worth the 4% fees!

If you sell on ebay you will pay a further 10% fees to sell any item. As a seller, if you get a total wingnut buyer, you can't even give them negative feedback now.

Stick to cash is my advice.

If you are going to pay for something, use a credit card where you'll get insurance with your purchases.

skidartist – Member

If your 9.99 mattress isn't 'self inflating', then it probably isn't insulated either. The self inflation is just a by-product of having the insulation inside the matt. The point of thermarests and the like is that they are thermal mats that you can squish down, rather than air bags that you can blow up.

Nope, it requires blowing up, but the air is the insulation isn't it? It lifts you off the ground. I haven't had any problems with being cold sleeping on an airbed in the past.

This Hi Gear inflatable looks very similar to the Exped airbeds shown in this thread.

I think I might take a punt on this thing as it's only going to cost me a tenner.

I dunno, but open a Nationwide current account and also get one of their credit cards in time for the next holiday.

You can use a hole in the wall in your destination country as often as you like (using your debit card). You'll get a good rate with no charges. The credit card attracts no charges too.

A 4" chasing tool (like an angle grinder with a dust shield and takeoff)?

AEG – Atlas Copco used to make one.

Wagamama's – a chain, do cheap oriental stuff. Good for a cheap lunch.

http://www.radiofeeds.co.uk

Multiple formats for streaming radio, BBC included.

Jean Luc Ponty – Enigmatic Ocean

French progressive jazz rock 😆

cynic-al – Member

3/4 1" thermarest not too exp and lasts years. But I hate waking up at 4 am with cold legs! Is 1" thickness enough for a good night's sleep and isn't the pack size enormous?

Oh and your link is duff

Not on my PC it isn't!

coleman rigel x2 weighs less than a kilo and costs around £60. Good for one person.

I feel some bike trekking coming on!

Macpac Microlight Ultra looks like a great 1 man backpackers tent

I had a close look at this Coleman Phact tent. A super sturdy capacious geodesic design with alloy poles, but a tad heavy at 4kg. Ok if you split the tent between two people.

I liked the dual doors so each person has their own personal storage and the tent can easily be kept ventilated.

The additional poles will mean this would perform well in high winds.

It's an inner first pitch, but instead of having clips on the inner, it has sleeves. I find sleeves a bit of a pain, clips are quick and simple.

£120 seems cheap for this quality of tent however.

Must stop looking at tents! 😮

There's a long wide trail up Blencathra starting from Mungrisdale. It's a nice gradual incline, but not sure if you are allowed to ride it though.

You can link in with Skidaw from Blencathra.

I'd get some MTB route guides and I'd check out Bikely.com

I'd get a secondhand bike that originally cost £200-300, pehaps more. It just comes down to price and condition.

Ebay might be a good route, but as you say, people often pay over the odds.

Ask all your friends to ask around.

You might find a bike pops up pretty quick.

I assume you are talking about Camelbak bladders. The one in my Mule backpack still taints the water – disgusting! Mine's 5 years old at least. I've tried bicarb. It helps a bit for a while, but then the nasty taste just comes back.

I have an older Source Hydration pack. I recently replaced the busted bite valve and started using that again. No more nasty flavour. 😀
It's made of sturdy plastic and the ribbed nylon seam protection makes the bladder firm enough to easily push into the backpack. Miles better than the floppy Camelbak bladder.

The other problem I had with the Camelback was the cap was difficult to screw tight. It often felt tight, but would leak a bit. The first you'd know about it was when your back got wet – really annoying!

Source Vagabond make some nice packs if you can find a stockist. The do a bladder that opens completely at one end to allow cleaning and drying. Awesome.

I know what I'll be buying next time round.

Sub £100 bikes are nasty!

adey205 – Member

6 of the bloody things.
wifes got this thing about "needing" a bigger tent.

Way to go adey205! 😉

I'm quite keen on an ultra-lightweight hi-tech 1/2 man. The Vaude Hogan 2 looks good, serious money compared to a lot of stuff on the market. I see there's an XT version with large vestibule.

I'd like to sell the family tent and go for something of better quality too.

If only I had some money coming in!!

Am I a tenthead? Is this the male version of a handbag obsession? 😆

£24 2 man tent.

Seems like a great deal to me.

Your local "go outdoors" is the place to see pitched tents.

I'd shift your wardrobe any day cinnamon_girl! 8)

I hope they catch the scumbag(s) that nicked these and that you get both bikes back in good nick!

Always check on shimano dot com for compatibility queries.

She's too small! 😆

You can always leave the top pocket empty. I am tall so this isn't a problem anyway.

Vaude Triset 25+4 Daypack.

Aeroflex back system keeps the rucksack away from your back so promoting good ventilation. A mesh back with a lightweight metal frame which produces about a 2 inch gap.

2 expansion side pockets.

Integral rainhood.

Shock cord gear attachment ror quick stowage.

2 x Ice axe/walking pole straps.

Hydration system compatible.

Volume 25 + 4 litres. The extra 4L is in the expanding side pockets.
Side straps allow the pack to be fastened down in a more compact form when not so full.

I paid £36.

Excellent bit of kit!

Make sure you pipe lag your frame, remove discs, undo calipers and bubblewrap, fix sturdy plastic where your hubs rub up against your wheelbags. Put a a few layers of cardboard in your bag too.

The baggage people stack dozens of heavy bags on your bike when they unload. I had two different frames damaged on consecutive years. Insurance didn't cover it and that really smarts!

I was at Geneva airport last summer and saw a sign on a door saying "Lager".

"Lager" meaning "storeroom", but I was tempted to see what was behind the door anyway!

The one and only time i have ever been caught by speed camera was in Manchester in 1992. It was after midnight, i'd done 300 miles that day (part of which was in central London) and I had been chatting to my wife when I got flashed. I didn't see the signs as they were part obscured by foliage and green with algae. A 40 limit went to a 30 with no obvious reason. A combination of factors, but my fault. I was clocked at 43mph. What a crook!

The next day I read in the local paper that they had spent £20k on cameras on the A6 to catch people who "willfully flout the law and disregard the safety of others". The tone said it all! No mitigating circumstances come into play with a camera. Rules is rules! I concluded that they just wanted to get their £20k back (plus a profit) and that I was one of thousands who would help them with this. I coughed up my £60 which was worth a lot more then, than it does today.

If I ever get caught out again and a road safety course is offered in lieu of points, I'd definitely take it. I might learn something, but the main advantage would be that I'd be more focused on the hazards on the roads and the potential consequences of my actions.