Simon R Green’s Deathstalker series is entertaining. Big space opera type with scary monsters.
Peter F Hamilton’s Naked God series. Read this multiple times and still enjoy.

Aldi have a jersey in this week. £19.99

Fair enough, was thinking this too. Wife won’t be happy taking up essential packing room 😛

Does anyone have experience of the hire company itself, or recommendations for alternatives in Cala D’Or?

Thanks for the comments so far.

@FuzzyWuzzy: Yup bib shorts, not longs. Lovely cool Assos things too that I picked up from the York Cycle Rally.

Have seen that they hire shoes and helmets. Does anyone have experience of these, or am I better off taking my own?

Off to look on RideWithGPS to see if there are any suitable routes planned, or to make my own. The ride to the monastery looks like a good one.

Anyone know what the MTBing is like in that area?

Planning on riding early morning so missing some of the heat, but under no illusion that it will be a sweaty, hot experience. May leave the hire to the second week to acclimatise first.

Oops, wrong Island. 😳 Have been to Menorca lots. First time in Mallorca…..where Canyon.Base is..
Ta for that. 🙂

Any advice about the gear I need to pack?

Cheers

MODS can you close this thread please? TIA

So what we’re really recommending is do a full strip down, clean and regrease everything, use copper slip on threads.

Do you really need an excuse to spend more time tinkering with the bike(s)?

My historical noises have come from the BB, cracked frame, and a slightly loose dropout. Hope you track it down (and it’s not the frame).

+1 for Snowtrex. We used they a couple of years ago and were very pleased.
The resort we stopped in was Chamrousse and is aimed at families.
We hired a car (Fiat 500L – comes with snow tyres as standard + snowchains had been left in boot) at the airport, bought all food for the week at a supermarket near the airport where it is a lot cheaper.
ESF ski school for total beginners was very good, and they ended up on some of the easy reds. Week enjoyed by all.

Google Photos works for me.
Use it to store iPhone 6S and SLR images.
They store the original images up to 12MP in size (I think) for free and anything over that they either charge for storage, or you can choose to have them resized automatically.

+1 for Stolen Goat Orkaan SS and arm warmers. Use mine down to freezing, but on the cold days use a Bioracer Spitfire jacket.
Both options with differing base layers depending on how hard I decide to ride that day.
Lots of reflectives on them too.

If you want to do it properly, have a look on the Uk Wood Fired Oven Forum[/url]

You can make it out of old bricks, but proper fire bricks will work so much better.

I trust my wheel builder, and he has a good reputation. He built a set of wheels for my Clockwork (Hope Hubs, DT Swiss spokes, Mavic 710 rims) and they haven’t moved out of true in a couple of years of abuse.

On the Caadx I’m moved up to 35 tyres from 28 and running at 60psi.

Quick PSA. SportPursuit has a flash sale on Level Gloves until the 12th

SportPursuit have Bioracer stuff in at the moment.
I have a few Bioracer/Stolen Goat tops/jackets so far, and find they fit really well and are well made.
They have a pair of 3/4 length tights for £37.99 Bibtights

Also like the Wiggle Aeron 3/4, but tend not to use so much now.

We did 6 weeks in March and April 2006, 3 weeks in the South and 3 in the North.
We hired a car and stayed in holiday parks, b and bs and hostels. At the time all were relatively cheap, so hiring a camper was very expensive in comparison. This may have changed.
We felt that we got to meet so many more interesting, like minded people, by staying in these places too.
If you decide to go this route, don’t book too far ahead. Pop into an iSite (travel information) and see what they recommend in each area. We only had one duff place (Samurai Lodge before doing the Tongariro Crossing).

We used newzealand.com and Lonely Planet guides to plan activities. We had a real problem fitting everything in.

The South Island is stunning landscape, from the arid east to the fern rainforest west.
Whale watching and dolphin bothering swimming in Kaikoura, spherical boulders on Moeraki Beach at dawn, Canyon swing and jet boating in Queenstown, kayaking Milford Sound, helicopter on the Franz Jozef glacier, walking the Abel Tasman, driving the Queen Margaret’s Drive (Very twisty. As driver I felt car sick 😆 )

The North is drier, and volcanic. Sky diving in Taupo, Zorbing in Rotorua, hot water beach on the Coromandel, Cape Reinga, racing catamarans on the Bay of Islands, the Tongariro Crossing (one of the best one day hikes in the Southern Hemisphere).

We even managed to fit in a few days with no travelling!

I’ve a photo gallery at tallpaul’s smugmug page[/url]

Can recommend the Bugaboo Chameleon. Ours is 9 years old, and still going strong on it’s 4th child (our second child).

It was expensive to purchase, but was one of the only travel systems that would fit easily into my wife’s Yaris boot.
Handles have a lot of height adjustment, and it is comfortable for me to push (I’m 6’4″), and my wife (5’8″).
Very easy to maneuver.
Car seats can be used (with adaptors), but tend not to use these.
All of the kids have found it really comfy, either as a pram, or pushchair.

Get thee to TKMaxx and pick up a bargain.
Can recommend the induction specific Stella stainless steel range of pans.

Our favourite frying pan at the mo is an Aldi cast iron one with ceramic coating.

If you are feeling flush go for a Woll saute pan + lid. Handles are detachable, so the pan can go into the oven too. Still haven’t got around to replacing ours after we moved house and ended up on induction. One job for the new year.

As above, go for a quality saute pan (which has higher sides than a frying pan). Much more versatile.

My dhb Windslam tights has been very good and comfy for the last two years. Only starting to die due to an off on the road. Never been cold in these.

Stolen Goat Command and Conquer tights (made by bioracer) look good, but only recommended for when the temp dips below 6C. Wind and water resistant.

Oh, yes we will. About 2:30 in. Only took 3 attempts apparently Linky

And a really weird/annoying gif to boot:

Ding lights[/url]. Literally light up the road. Good forward spread too.
Lenses direct the light towards the road, without dazzling drivers coming the other way.
Quite happy batting along at 20mph on the unlit sections of my commute with this.

I was going to recommend a Kenwood Major (1500W), but then read your budget.
May be worth looking for a second hand one on ebay. They are built like tanks.
MIL’s Kenwood from the 50’s is still going strong.
You may end up spending quite a bit on accessories too. I don’t need an ice cream maker, I really don’t.

We shied away from recent Kitchen Aids due to reports of quality issues.
Make sure you have somewhere to store it as they are generally pretty big and heavy to move around.

+1 for TKMaxx.
I picked up a 15k/10k Bonfire Jacket for £60. Really well made and even after a lot of use is still looking like new.
Previous to that I had a Quiksilver Mission for £60 (also TKMaxx). Great jacket, but a seam went shortly after we returned from our week away.
Longest lasting so far is a Burton Hellbrook, bought in the EB sale.

Westbeach stuff (either Westbeach website, SportPursuit or TKMaxx) looks to be well regarded and is usually on sale somewhere.

@nickjb – Would want the 4K support from the Fire TV. The Stick does not support that yet.
Oh, and I’m trying to hardwire all of the streaming devices in the house too.

Use our v1 Chromecast all the time for Netflix, iPlayer, Plex, etc.
The iPad and iPhone apps for the above, when they detect the chromecast on your network, will display a Cast icon which you select to connect.
No need for casting via a Chrome tab for the above.
Our series 7 Samsung has all of the above apps, but the chromecast is just quicker and easier to use than faffing with the TV apps.
At that price it’s a bargain.
Only alternative I’d consider is an Amazon Fire TV, but that’s 70 odd quid.
There’s cashback through quidco too from Currys too.

You could have a look at SnowTrex. We were very happy with them last time when we went to Chamrousse, France.

Ideal for beginners, but may be a little limited for the more experienced skier/snowboarder.
Our 9yo daughter loved the ski school and was attacking the reds by day 5. She also recorded the fastest time out of the three of us when I put my phone in her pocket. I was having problems keeping up on the board.

Wife learned in Tignes and managed to ski a fair amount of the resort in the afternoons. The apre-ski was good too.

@igm – Wish I could, but it’s been an expensive year, and Mrs TTP has just entered the skint part of her maternity. Even bike purchases have been curtailed 😀

That’s the first skiing video in a long time that actually tempted me to try skis again after 24 years on a board.
Won’t be this year though 🙁 . 6MO MiniMissTTP has stopped play.

agent007 » Wow how do people find the time to watch all these box sets and stuff?

By watching in 10 minute chunks (or in lunchtime at work).

I have kids.

Enjoying Stranger Things at the mo, and revisiting Enterprise. Every time I think of stopping the subscription they add something else I want to watch 😀

Someone will correct me probably, but here goes.
You generally have a programmable room thermostat that turns the heating on and off within the times that you want the heating on.
The thermostatic radiator valves control the temperature in their area.
You need to make sure that at least one radiator (usually in the bathroom) is fully open at all times. This is so that in the event that the thermostat is calling for heat, but the thermostatic valves are all shut as their area is up to heat there is still a route for the water to circulate. Prevents the boiler trying to pump water around a closed circuit.
Our set up has a wireless thermostat that we can move around (just stays in the hall), and thermostatic valves on all radiators apart from the two bathrooms.
Quite interested in the Honeywell evoHome system though as it’s a lot more intelligent and zone-able without having to alter the pipework.

[Edit] Crossed posts with Stoner

+1 for Northwave Arctic Celsius boots.
Wear mine with merino socks when very cold, normal cycling socks at other times.
My feet are the same shape as the OPs. Wide across the front and narrow heels. Very comfy and toasty. The arctic version have more insulation than the normal celsius.
In the 3 years I’ve had them I’ve never felt cold seeping in from the spds.
Soles are stiff, so may not be so suitable for flats though.

+1 for the Summit Worldwide Evolve goggles. Went for silver mirrored and low light lenses. The two covered all conditions we encountered.

Lens swapping is really quick and easy. Comfy too.

Had people coming up to ask what they were all week, especially if they saw me swapping lenses. Should have been on commission.

I know you’ve bought for the wife, but surely you need some new bling too.

In the bogs on the back of the door is a “how hydrated are you wee chart” I always find that kind of odd, most folk know how hydrated they are.

Ours had a little rhyme too.

1 to 3 is health pee,
4 to 8 you must hydrate.

Still in my head 6 years after leaving.

Sat here watching my automated tests run (and fail regularly), and checking that STW is still working (but that’s a personal project 😀 )

If you’re feeling flush (and want road kit) try the stolen goat orkaan range (like the Castelli Gabba). Reflectives in the arm and leg warmers, and a large area on the back pockets.
Looking forwards to the temp dropping so that I can use mine again.

Don’t personally use waterproofs on the commute as we have a drying cabinet and showers at work, so can get sorted out reasonably easily if the weather is less than ideal. Also can’t tolerate the boil in the bag effect.

As scud says get good lights and mix flashing/pulsing (Exposure flare) and static (Moon comet) on the rear. I’ve just received a front light that I backed on kickstarter (Ding Lights) that illuminates the ground as well as ahead, to give drivers a better frame of reference. I commute on both rural and city streets, so will be interesting to see how well they work.

It’s been a lovely quiet, and relatively close pass free summer, but now the kids are back, the idiots are back on the commute.
Three blind corner overtakes this morning. One mpv and two city type cars. How they didn’t clean me, the drivers coming the other way and themselves up I can only put down to sheer luck.
No particular brand or type of vehicle bias as far as I’m concerned, just individual pillocks who should know better/have a better appreciation of others safety.

7 miles in, 11.5 home flat commute. May add a bit extra if it is a nice evening.
Only drive in if the puddles completely span the road.

@sputnik XXL. I’m a 44 inch chest, and very wide across the shoulders. The sleeves come to just above my elbow, and the back length is generous. No flappy material, as the roubaix lining keeps the material just stiff enough.

@iainc SS + armwarmers is much more versatile. If you set off early morning and it’s cold, and then the sun makes an appearance, it’s really nice to be able to remove the arms to run that little bit cooler.

+1 for Stolen Goat[/url] stuff.
Orkaan SS and arm warmers work a treat.
May have to invest in their bibs and leg warmers later in the year.
Reflectives on arm and leg warmers are a bonus too.

Really like the fit too. I’m 6’4 and relatively long limbed.
No problem with the castelli stuff, but the fit just wasn’t for me.

Same suggestion as taxi25. This one drove me bloody insane tracking down.
Removed, cleaned, applied copper slip and refitted, then silence, sweet, sweet silence (until the BB started….).

I feel your pain.

Got to re-lay a load of 600×900 pavers this weekend. Going to use a dry mix, but only need the job to last a couple of years before garden is redesigned. The pavers were laid over 40 years ago on a dry mix and only started moving last year.
First go at paving, so could be a right dogs breakfast.
Still, it gave me a chance to dig a couple of land drains too.

Fiat 500L – Enjoyed ours, driving in the Alps last year. A bit asthmatic, but comfy and took three of us and all our ski/snowboard gear comfortably.