I’ve used the EVOC one to travel from Aus to europe and around europe via planes, trains and cars. Relatively easy to cart around with its wheels, but adds a bit of weight to your luggage. I think the bag weighed 7 or 8 kg from memory.

Left shifter/left thumb, I’m blaming beer for my typing (it was sunday night here) or my inability to tell left from right.

I often had trouble with the left shifter, right thumb would go numb during longer events meaning I had to use palm to change gears, no problems now I’ve lost the shifter. I do miss the harder gears if I’m doing a longer fire road downhill though.

I’ve had no luck with garmin 800’s and 810’s. The computer port always ends up corroded eventually. I’m on my second 810, first was replaced under warranty, current one has just shat itself, screen stopped responding on right hand side, despite recalibrating the screen a few times, computer port had already given up on it.

Joint accounts for everything, she spends more, but then again she also earns more. If I was in charge of finances we’d be broke very quickly.

Had to call an ambulance for the first time ever on an outdoor ed excursion, student came off and somehow cut open his leg just below the knee, gash about 10 cm long, gaping open, down to the bone. The rotor severed his tendon, and cracked the bone. Ambo’s gave him the green whistle which led to some very funny conversations as he became stoned off his nut.End result was 3 nights in the local hospital.
I’d never before seen a rotor cut but will be a little more careful me thinks.

Routinely see kangaroos in our street (outer edge of melbourne). Swooping season has started for the local birds now also, It is annoying to get repeated thumped on the back of a helmet by an enraged magpie. Kangaroos and emus also move bloody fast, having ridden behind them down roads at times. The wildlife isn’t very bright though.

I take Ketoprofen 200 mg (Slow release) every night, have for the last 5 years or so on rheumatologist’s orders. I’ve luckily had no ill effects and it means I sleep through the night and can stay active without pain.

We hired one and got one bike bag and lots of luggage in for 4 people, think you would get two evoc bags in on a diagonal, worst case you might need to drop the single seat in the back.

Thanks for the advice. Friend has an old iphone 4 sitting in a draw, will charge it up and check battery life, if OK I’ll use it till it dies and save for a new one (or use the money for new bike bling)

Thanks for the replies, we need the car as we are travelling around, visiting the wife’s relatives. Bike would come in useful as a handy escape option, and a chance to ride some areas I haven’t in the past.
Will be travelling Europe by train also so it might end up getting freighted back to Aus from San Sebastian at the end of the race, just to avoid hassle though.

In Australia I’ve had not issues with Giant or Cannondale, Reynolds have been a bit more of a pain though. Local bike shp sorted everything for me (where I buy all my bikes and gear).

Kangaroo-infested north east Melbourne, Australia

I’m here in Aus, they sell direct to public and have them marked down about 50%. Worry is that Mrs Stevego is very tall (6’3″) and has long legs proportional to her body (no complaints here). My concern is that a XL might be too long in reach for her, we can try one as no stores stock them. Any advice?

Assume it is compound interest.
Formula for compound interest is
A=P(1+r)^n
Where A is final amount, P is principle (starting amount), r is rate for the time period (as a proportion, not percentage) and n is the number of time periods.

1997, Geentics and Biochem (sex-determination in flies), did 2 post-docs before a PGCE and now been a teacher over 10 years.

I have a similar problem with a road bike, alloy seat-post and carbon frame though. Also to complicate matters, the seat-post is not round, it is shaped (as is obviously the frame). Will have to ry the freezing route and maybe oil at some point.

Doing the Transpyr this year as part of a European holiday next year. Was going to do it as a pair but riding partner had other stuff come up so solo it is. Time to start training me thinks.

that bloody website

I take the science club at the school where I teach. We do the towers out of spaghetti and marshmellows, another is column strength using A4 paper to make the columns. Other ones include protecting an egg from breaking from a fall. I can send you PDF’s of the various activities if you like.

I’ve got one, I like it but wouldn’t buy one without warranty (read into that what you will). Not sure of frame weight, mine is a scalpel carbon-1. Stock (Reynolds carbon wheels, frame taped with helicon, and sensible tires (snakeskin Rocket ron or similar), 2 X 10 SRAM) it was 10.4 ish kg I think (I don’t weigh it). I could take more weight out of it easily, but want a bike I can ride up and down hills all day and not break (too often).

Lots of places near Melbourne, I live there. Out east of Melbourne there is buxton and lake mountain, warramate, smiths gully. If you are going out west then You Yangs or Forrest amongst others. There is even the single-track along the yarra which is close to the city. Drop me an email if you want, email is in profile.

Local shop has had a Look carbon frame come in as a warranty replacement, apparently about $5000 AUD. It is a thing of beauty, but I prefer remaining married to yet another bike. I have never bought a frame only or ridden a hardtail since I gave up on my old trek 6500 (which is going into hard waste this week).

Close race so far, Jason Engilish is only 30 sec off the lead overall, Bellchambers 14 sec up in SS.

Picking up our new mazda 6 today. I’m one of the fools who bought a new car rather than a banger, although it is our first and only new car. It is petrol and has over 15% better economy than our old diesel mazda 6 (07 model). New petrol engines are not far behind diesels in fuel economy now. Over 1000km it would use less than an extra 10 l of fuel than the comparable diesel.

4 bikes taking up (apparently to Mrs Stevego) valuable space in the office. Only 3 are mine though. Another 4 in the carport, the crap bike collection, only one is mine, the commuter, the rest are the kids and wifes bikes.

I fell for a cannondale scalpel carbon 29-er a few year ago, was aware of ‘issues’ so made sure the warranty was rock solid. It was RR about $8500 AUD, I paid $6500, more that I should have paid for a bike really but I excuse it as a mid-life crisis toy. Cheaper and safer than a motor bike, much cheaper than a car and can’t sink like a boat. I also don’t run a car or drink much any more (self-justification, obviously an addict, but at least only on cycling). Just upgraded the whole drive train to XTR and a few other bling bits with money from my secret cycling stash (which I suspect my wife know about but is happy with me spending it on the bike rather than coke and hookers).

Told me I looked like shreck, but in a nice way.

I have a lifeproof case, still managed to crack the screen on the iPhone in it though.

I’d definitely agree with Warhorse, I’d forgotten that gem earlier. I was also made to sit through Michael Jacksons thriller as a child by an older cousin who thought he was wonderful. Talk about child abuse.

In recent times it would be ‘Elena’. A genuinely miserable Russian movie about very miserable Russians. My wife likes miserable foreign movies but even she found it a bit much. Not really my cup of tea. I think watching it more than once would raise the level of alcoholism to high levels.

I think many do it by modifying the exhaust to give a louder deeper sound.

It is bizarre, but apparently many of the major manafacturers ‘engineer’ the engine sound to make it sound more sporty, not sure how many pipe it through the stereo though.

It is the first new car I’ve test-driven, we will also try similar sized cars (mid-sized estates). Currently have a ’07 diesel mazda 6, 250,000 km on the clock. We have been told by the garage to expect some big bills in the near-ish future and that it is time to shift it on. The dealership only offered $1000 on trade in so we’ll probably drive it till it breaks properly before going a new car. We’l also test drive a mazda 6 and a similar hyundai. Any other suggestions?

I’d argue having a pamphlet run which takes 1-2 hours a week is not a bad way for a kid to earn some cash to but what they want, especially as it is supervised and we help him with it. It makes extra work for us but helps him with the idea of responsibility and gives him a bit of responsibility.

My son’s ipad was a result of him having earnt the cash himself doing a pamphlet run on sundays (with our help at times). Kids can earn the cash if they are keen (child labour and all that), he is 11 and we do help him, however I had a morning paper round at his age and it never hurt me apparently (twitches a bit and drools). When he bought it he was aware of the limitations, not to be used in the bedroom, screen time limits, screen bans for bad behaviour means it gets confiscated for set times, etc.

Never had to give my daughter a screen ban, but she would rather read a book (seen as very unfair by my son though)

He is still being a pain in the ass though.

Son (11 years old) currently ahs his Ipad confiscated and is on a screen ban (other than when we are all watching TV) so no computeres for him. It was a months screen ban due to a bout of particularly bad behaviour. He has rediscovered his lego and has started reading and doing crosswords.

I’m one of the few with a taller wife, I’m 6′, wife is 6′ 3″, and she earns more than me (much more). No insecurities here, just wish she’d earn even more and I could buy more bikes.

It keeps getting more expensive for me, every bike I buy is more expensive than the last (I have only bought 3 mountain bikes since 1999 though). Currently debating whether I need the stupidly expensive XTR race brakes I want or should go with the ‘more’ sensible XT brakes. It is my hobby though and I don’t have any other expensive ones (never really got into ‘hookers and blow’ or cars or boats, and heavy nights out at the pub are long past.