Going to a snow dome or dry ski slope first is a great way to avoid a very expensive holiday that no one enjoys…

…BUT…

…a huge part of the appeal of a ski holiday is the snow, the mountains, the atmosphere, the food, the drink etc etc.

I personally don’t enjoy skiing on dry ski slopes that much, yet I love ski holidays. In summary, it would be a shame for a bad experience on a dry ski slope or snow dome to put you off a ski holiday.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned practicality. I looked at a 520d last year and a Passat. The BMW had a very small impractically-shaped boot which, if you’re carrying bikes and stuff, would be a consideration.

Woody I use a Chromebook. I wanted a Macbook Air but couldn’t really justify the cost for what was a secondary machines.

Pros
Cheap
Light
Great battery life
So many great cloud-based apps these days that a “proper” computer with local apps and data isn’t needed for many people
Disposable – perhaps not a good point in itself, but the advantage of the Chromebook approach is that the hardware is “dumb”. If you lose it/drop it/break it all you have to do is sign into a new one with your Google account and you’re back to where you left off.

Cons
Quality – screen and keyboard aren’t great but you get what you pay for
Needs internet – although Google Drive has offline access (e.g. for docs, spreadsheets and presentations) you do really need internet to get the most of them. This has not proved a problem for me and how I use mine, even in meetings in the pub where inevitably there is wireless.
Apps – not everything is available as an app for a Chromebook. Check what you need to do with it and make sure there is a cloud-based option.
Envy – if you’re like me you will still envy those who paid 5 times as much to get a spangly Macbook Air 😆

[EDIT] – I wouldn’t be happy if my Chromebook was my only machine since the screen isn’t good enough for photo viewing/editing, but as a second, portable, device it is great.

I’m sure it’s been said above, but just to add my thoughts on the obvious omissions from the poll options:

– The mud

…and hence…

– The cleaning

No such thing as a “quick” ride when it’s muddy, but I do tend to use the single speed for quick evening blasts so not as bothered about keeping it clean.

I use my Reverb like gears, regularly changing seat height as the trail changes. I change my seat height many, many more times on a typical ride than I do suspension damping/lockout. I think it would be frustrating and impractical to have my lockout and seat height linked.

I find it so hard to believe that this is real; there must be more to this story than meets the eye.

I notice the partner is remaining quiet and “unnamed”. Maybe she and birthday boy’s mum have some history leading up to the invoice going out.

{EDIT}

So it does seem that the parents on both sides are total weapons.

^this

I’d like to say nothing surprises me these days…

…but I’d be wrong
😯

I find what you’re doing really interesting but I gave up on the second page. Any surveys that have lists of things to rank need to keep those lists shorter than you have on this survey. Maybe others will have more patience than me 🙂

DCC asked Peak District MTB – amongst others such as Ride Sheffield, Peak District Local Access Forum, KoftheP, Ride Sheffield and friends of the Peak District – to submit a formal response to their Rushup Edge plans.

Here it is. Interesting alliance forming

http://www.peakdistrictmtb.org/index.php/70-rushup-edge-our-official-response-to-derbyshire-county-council

Threads like this crop up regularly and you’re far from alone in experiencing this. As someone said above, don’t worry about it . Try something different; don’t worry about where you find your fun. You may or may not learn to love mountain biking again but so what?

I had a crash that took a lot of the fun out of mountain biking; it came back.

Can I copy movies onto the Hudl?

*bump for the evening crowd

Always leave it until middle of January at the earliest. Don’t find it too much of a bother now I’ve got a routine.

Something for 38 Degrees to latch onto? They’ve had some successes recently.

Some years ago I had a fab holiday in Austria and had a silly fall, putting a hole in my knee. The injury wasn’t serious but had it not been the last day it would certainly have ruined my holiday. I got home and bought some kneepads and wore them – and still do – for most of my off-road riding.

[EDIT] – summary: get some

^Well said.

The root problem is that we have to charge our Smart Phones frequently. If we only had to charge them once a week would wireless charging be of any value? Probably not. By looking at solutions for the root problem we start to see innovation and that really needs the combination of a technical solution and the accompanying infrastructure.

But if it were supported by infastructure wireless charging could be great

^Nail. Head.

A wireless charging pad might save me a tiny bit of inconvenience but it’s hardly revolutionary since I still need to have the pad plugged in somewhere. However, if I could jump on the Tube and know that somehow my phone would charge without me having to do anything, then likewise at the cafe, then likewise at the library etc that would be something worth getting excited about. Apple make a tonne of money licensing the technology to all and sundry and Joe Punter doesn’t worry about their phone dying ever again.

This is no doubt being worked on right now in an Apple secret laboratory 🙂

Even stuff I enjoy, such as riding bikes, has lost its “fun”

Try something a bit different, something that challenges you more than just your normal ride. Like Binners did, try BMX, or do what I did and spend time practising skills rather than doing a ride. A couple of sessions practising tabletops, drop offs and cornering did wonders for my enjoyment of mountain biking.

When time, motivation and imagination are in short supply it’s very easy to pull the bike out of the shed and do the same ride you’ve done time and time before and then before you know it you’re bored of riding.

^This could be applied to any activity you do and even life itself. Make some changes. Do something different. What did you used to enjoy but stopped doing? Start doing it again. When we were young kids we were always trying new things and having new adventures. Don’t be afraid to live like that again.

“Getting older doesn’t stop you doing things, stopping doing things makes you older.”

Standard practice in many industries, n’est-ce pas?

Claim problem exists

– 29″ wheels too big, 26″ too small

Tout expensive solution

– buy a brand new 650b bike

I remember experimenting with an “Audio enhancer” from Argos once. It cost £20 and was just a pass-through box: interconnects in one end and out the other with an “Active” button on it. No power. Even to my untrained ears there was a very noticeable difference in the sound coming out the other end. Not better, not worse, but different. Not *quite* relevant to OP but thought I’d share.

modern forum functionality

Tell me more. What delights does a modern forum have? Serious question since I quite like this one compared to many I’ve stumbled across.

If you ring the well known retailer to report a fault they divert you to the manufacturer and take no further responsibility.

Let me know who this well-known retailer is so I know to avoid them for any future purchases.

Seriously, this sounds like you’re being taken for a ride. The TV should be well within warranty and as said above the contract is between you and the retailer, not the manufacturer. Demand a refund

^yep that’s the one I was thinking of, but remember you can start and finish anywhere in Buxton since it’s all road work in and out. Used to live right next to the old Roman Road on that loop so did it a few times in the old days. Worth tagging on the Macc Forest loop if you’re fit.

Are you looking for doorstep riding or are you prepared to jump in the car first? There’s loads of choice if you don’t mind 20/30 minutes drive.

If Bunnyhop is thinking of the old classic Buxton circuit that I’m thinking of, it’s probably quite a good time to do it. Normally it’s not that technical with a lot of road work and is often horribly muddy at this time of year. However there should still be some snow around on the back roads and the muddy bits should be frozen. That’s where I’d head if I wanted a doorstep ride from Buxton and it’s easy to extend over to 3 Shires Head/Macc Forest if you want a big day out.

@jambalaya that’s what we do. We used to have iPlayer on our BD player, but the Beeb no longer support that version of the app and I can’t upgrade it. I’m a fan of Airplay but would much prefer iPlayer on the device itself. Likewise Spotify.

@Jamie can I not just use iTunes and stream from that? My media is already organised in iTunes and this set-up works well with Apple TV for music, movies and photos as well as home sharing to other Apple devices on the network. Just wondering if I could ditch Apple TV and do the same on a Fire TV preferably without resorting to faffy setup with Terminal commands etc.

Fantastic photos. Proper inspiration to get out and ride 🙂

With internet that slow there’s no point IMHO buying something like YouView for an internet streaming service you won’t be able to use. However, if you have a load of digital content (e.g. music, photos, movies) it might be worth looking at something like Apple TV. Such devices will allow you to stream your own content over your local network but also have access to streaming services for if/when you get 21st century internet.

It is a bit of a minefield since not all TVs and set-top boxes have the same features and services, so start small and build up rather than do it all at once. It if were me in your shoes I’d just buy a TV with built in Freesat HD tuner and sort the rest when you learn what you miss.

[EDIT] for example I have music, photos and movies on my Mac. I can access all of them via Apple TV for viewing/listening on the big screen and stereo. No internet needed. The screensaver is a nice mix of photos from years gone by that mean photos are seen and not just filed away on a hard drive.

Our middle child did similar but I can’t remember specifically what we did – if anything – to stop it. Not much help other than for you to know it’s not unusual.

Disappointing lack of activity for most of the Christmas week, but made up for it yesterday with a fab snowy ride on the single speed in the morning…

Roaches snowy ride with Paul – 4 by stilltortoise[/url], on Flickr

…then after a lovely Sunday roast I went out with the family for a walk at the Roaches…

Staffordshire sunset by stilltortoise[/url], on Flickr

^maybe you’re right, in which case I’ve been deluding myself since justifying my last purchase 😕

If you don’t need the money and have somewhere to keep it, then keep it. We’ve all lost MTB mojo at least once in our lives but it returns for most of us. Sounds like you have a special bike that would be hard/expensive to replace.

If you do sell it make sure you do something fun with the money so it becomes harder to regret. Take your CX bike on a holiday for example.

Really interesting thread this. I’m sure there are solutions to most problems of abandoned standards, but as more and more MTB parts are designed and sold as consumables the problem of availability becomes bigger.

Has anyone ever had to park their bike up because they can’t get replacement parts for it?

Many of us buy a bike and then replace parts with upgrades. If the only replacement parts I can get are effectively downgrading my bike, I’ll be pretty disappointed. The bike may still be rideable, but will it be as good a bike as it was? No. Will I then be tempted to look at a new bike? Probably. This bothers people like me.

Bikes are of course subject to capitalism as much as any item, but as prices have gone up the idea of a dream bike “for life” for which parts can be easily replaced and upgraded is for many a reality (and often the way we can justify such as big expense for a toy). As standards disappear that situation becomes frustratingly unrealistic.

Thankfully I’m nowhere near the level that my bike can cope with so I probably won’t even notice it getting crapper 😆

Had another child who is ace
Learnt how to jump an 18ft table top

Everything else pales into insignificance 😆

Gave it a miss this year. 160 mile round trip.

I think the article raises some good points in relation to that specific trail and if I lived there I’d like to be able to use it year round. My issue with the article – and with the whole trail maintenance debate – is the comment at the end (emphasis mine).

For all these reasons, isn’t it time we jumped forward two hundred years to 2014, and engaged seriously with the benefits of properly designed infrastructure for walking and cycling, wherever it happens to be, and wherever it needs to go?

“Wherever it happens to be” and “wherever it needs to go” are hugely important factors in deciding the most appropriate way of surfacing and maintaining a trail. The very problem advocacy groups like Peak District MTB face is the “one size fits all” approach to byway maintenance adopted by authorities like Derbyshire County Council.

Thanks for all the help. The cynic in me does wonder if it’s a way for BT to persuade me to upgrade my Home Hub to one of the newer ones. Shame, since until the last week or so I’d been very impressed with the reliability and uptime of my internet connection.

Step 1 of BT’s advice on dealing with a poor connection:

Turn off your Hub, computer, and any devices you are trying to connect for five minutes before restarting. If you have a white Openreach modem as well as a Hub, make sure the Openreach modem is the first thing you turn back on

I’ve habitually restarted routers as a first port of call (pun intended) when having connection issues and it’s not previously wiped any settings (e.g. port forwarding). Is this something unique to BT?

^why Flaperon?

I agree that paper ID is better than relying on phone, but for iOS 8 users it’s worth knowing that you can access emergency information from the lock screen.

Key medical info you add to the Health App (e.g. blood type, spouse, whether you are an organ donor etc) is available by going into the emergency call screen and then clicking on Medical ID (bottom left). Granted it’s buried a bit deep to be of much use other than to those who know it’s there, but it’s another worthwhile thing to know.

I mean with everything people wanna put on at some point anyway

^There’s your problem. No one can second-guess what “everyone” wants to put on at some point anyway since people have different requirements. That’s the beauty of being able to cherry pick what you do and don’t want.

– I might want to add a child seat so I can take my kids for a ride; should all MTBs therefore come equipped with a child seat?
– I don’t like to ride with a rucksack; should every MTB come equipped with a frame or saddle bag?
– I’m buying a bike in winter; should every MTB sold in winter come with mud tyres?

etc

mikewsmith has it 🙂

As a landlord it is in my interests to assess the suitability of a tenant in terms of paying the rent, looking after the property and getting on with the neighbours. Only the extreme right would try and make tenuous correlation between these qualities and immigration status.

Do I get some free training for all these new skills I need to check immigration status?