Old wives’tales?

But that article is 13yrs old. What actually became of that? Was there a scandal after all? I keep hearing things like this but it never seems to end up being substantiated – but I’d like to say that I keep an open mind about it all the same.

Pananama hat in the back window of the car is a dead giveaway. Lets the old bill know not to pull them for drinking and driving

If I put a panama hat in the back window of my car, I’m not going to get pulled over? That can’t be right, surely, unless all police officers are freemasons? I keep hearing things like this all the time, but does it really go on or is it just rumour? Has anyone actually been convicted of perverting the course of justice through their involvement with freemasons?
(Again, I’m asking because I don’t know and it strikes me as odd that they’ve “got away with it” for such a long time if such things really are going on)

A bunch of bent coppers perverting the course of justice for favours.

But is that really true? Such goings on would have been rumbled by now, if it was happening, surely?

Julianwilson – are you saying he’d developed a squint and winced for a few weeks every time he sat down?

An old boys network providing favours for your “mates”

I’ve heard things along those lines but is it really true or just hearsay?

On the other hand, I love these STW versions……..

I agree. However, pity poor Chris Boardman. The text probably looked ok when the fawning ad men gave him the lines, but I bet he’s cringing every time he hears it now. Funny how they can get it so wrong sometimes and it just sounds corny, cheesy and naff. Gives Boardmans a bit of a naff image that they don’t deserve. Who on earth looked at that ad and thought “Wow, that sounds seriously impressive, let’s sign it off”. Whoever it is, I bet (s)he has “motivational posters” on his wall. (Although I bet it was a “he” – women are far to sensible to be taken in by all the “yellow – it’s not a colour but a state of mind” nonsense)

Something nice, not crazy expensive, and either the countryside or possibly the bay

If you’re considering travelling to the Ffwrwm Ishta, then I’d consider The Bush Inn in St Hilary[/url] (closer to city centre that the Ffwrwm Ishta but heading towards Cowbridge rather than Machen). There are loads of nice places towards the Cowbridge side of Cardiff but they tend to be a bit more pricey. I really like The Market Place[/url] in Cowbridge – a bit on the pricey side unless you go for the set price menu (which would be my choice of all the suggestions given).

Keppoch has given a few good suggestions (especially Patagonia). Let me give you a few more. Bullys was recently voted Cardiff’s best restaurant and is certainly one of the best places I’ve eaten in Cardiff. Further afield, but still in Cardiff is Caesars Arms in Creigiau – you select your meat or fish from a cold counter and they cook it. Great Welsh black steaks. Only downside is a £15 taxi ride from the centre of Cardiff. Treharne arms by Culverhouse cross is another option. A very well regarded restaurant used to be Le Gallois and a friend told me last week that the chef has relocated to the Kings Arms in Pentyrch (Cardiff). I’ve not been there, but if it’s true, the food should be very good.
If you’re after Indian, try the Cinnamon Tree in Pontcanna district or Juboraj (however, Juboraj Rhiwbina restaurant is vastly better than the city centre one – not sure why).
For Chinese, try Summer Palace in Llandaf or the Happy Gathering..
My favorite Italian in Cardiff is Cibos in Pontcanna. It’s a bit rough and ready and the Italian speaking staff can sometimes be a little surly but the food is very authentic and good quality. The only downside is the high markup on decidedly mediocre wines. Often frequented by Welsh media celebs and current/past rugby internationals (or at least when I go that seems to be the case).
If you’re looking for somewhere to go with a few pubs or restaurants in the vicinity, I’d look at either Pontcanna or Llandaf. City centre is pretty much the same as other city centres in terms of places to eat (i.e. chain restaurants – nothing necessarily wrong with chain restaurants, just that your at the mercy of whoever’s operating the microwave in that particular branch as to whether the meal will be any good). You could take a water taxi from the Castle grounds to Cardiff Bay. If you do, Woods is quite good (but small portions and a bit pricey for what you get) or Garcon (ditto). Plenty of bars and a comedy club down the Bay too.

I’ve used one of these for a round 18 months and then switched to a Camelback MULE. The camelback is definitely better, both the rucksack itself and the bladder, BUT it’s not enough to justify the massive price differential. There’s nothing wrong with the quality of the Tesco rucksack, it’s just v basic with none of the expanding pockets etc of the camelback. It’s also slightly too small for a winter day ride (for me).However, it’s the bladder that really provides the biggest difference. The filling hole on the Tesco bladder is narrower and much more fiddly to clean out, the fittings are much more fragile (just need more care handling – mine never let me down), but the biggest pain is the constant dripping of the mouthpiece. I have 5 of them altogether (for the kids and Mrs T). Once you’ve tried the Tesco rucksack, although the Camelback’s better, you’ll resent paying more than £25 for it and it really does highlight that the manufacturers are taking the p with the grossly inflated Camelback prices.
For £7.99 though….can you really go wrong?

Raleigh Road Ace. Shimano 600, 1987 two months wages (or something).

Nice one, Pegasus. Same here. Months of hard graft in a factory as a student to pay for it. I couldn’t believe how well it handled compared to my wine red Raleigh Clubman 12 (hardly a racer, mind). Years of memories – hill climbs and 10 mile time trials on hot summer evenings (I can’t remember much of the rainy days but there must have been a few). Mrs T reckons that my developing body was moulded around that bike (as she irons my bow legged jeans). It was my pride and joy. Recently got it fully restored and about to resurrect the old girl for a few rides….until something breaks and I can’t replace it. Just wish the roads were as quiet now as they were then.

Brilliant. Thank you, Drac. You’re a gentleman.
Edit: Thanks also Wally

I see that Larry Mullen Jr has been to Staples…..

had a good curry for lunch

wind behind me on commute home

I take it those 2 phrases are linked?

I’m glad I’m not the only one who found it difficult to tell the difference. I thought it was just me. The main difference I find, is that when propedal’s on and I’m hurtling down hill, too fast, out of control and way beyond my skill level (i.e. 98% of the time) the bike tends to throw me higher into the air with each “thwack” of the seat on my buttocks. Whereas, when propedal’s off my backside is touching the seat for fractionally longer and I’m not as dependant on reaching down to the handlebars in order to keep in contact with my bike. However, it’s enjoyable and a bit of a challenge in the same way that rodeo riding a raging bull gives an immense sense of satisfaction for every extra second gained in the saddle (or thereabouts).

I’d also recommend the Bonchurch Inn. Great, authentic Italian food in a unique pub full of atmosphere with great hosts. The best lasagne I’ve ever tasted. I’d also second the St Catherines lighthouse and Buddle Inn combo. Also worth visiting Ventnor botanical gardens (exit at the back of the gardens to walk down to Steephill cove for great seafood).

Dinosaur footprints at Compton Bay. Absolutely amazing. Only visible at low tide, so get the tide times, park at the NT car park, then when you get down to the beach take a left and walk for a couple of hundred yards. You’ll see a rocky ledge about 50m or so out to sea (there are usually people gathered looking at the floor, so you’ll know where it is). Wade out, knee deep and hey presto. A series of v obvious footprints about 50cm wide “walking” along the ground on the ledge. An incredible sight and sends shivers down the spine that they were created by a dinosaur walking along that spot a long time ago. Well worth a visit.

I was talking to one of the blokes in Cranes music store in Cardiff recently and apparently, ukeleles are selling like hotcakes. Can’t mention ukeleles without posting a bit of Jake Shimabukuro

(somebody had to do it……)

Thomthumb……used to eat for £5 a week at uni

Yeah, but, come on……you are only one inch tall. A single thread of spaghetti would probably last a fortnight.

I’m not religious in any way (not against it, just not my cup of tea), but I have a lot of respect for Rowan Williams after reading his letter to a 6 year old child, Lulu, in The Times.
I couldn’t find the original letter, but this is the nearest thing I could find: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100084843/a-six-year-old-girl-writes-a-letter-to-god-and-the-archbishop-of-canterbury-answers/
I think he’s a good man, irrespective of any religious beliefs.

During a rare moment of boredom, I decided to measure the length of all my scars. They add up to 11″ in total.
Form an orderly queue, ladies and no fighting at the back……..

Probably because it’s garbage

Thanks – I’m not advocating it. It’s just that a few people have mentioned this guy to me and that they were following it and I wondered what evidence there was in support of it (or vice versa, of course) and what people’s experience was of it.

the karvonen heart rate stuff has been known to be flakey for more than 20 years

Why’s that? (not doubting it, just curious to know why)

Has anyone here followed any of this guy’s advice?
http://briancalkins.com/HeartRate.htm

They’re not worth anything

Very true, in monetary terms, as every bike shop mechanic has reminded me when I’ve asked about help to get mine sorted.
However, it’s full of memories of blasting around the Bwlch, Rhigos, sunny days riding the back roads of mid Wales as a teenager. It’s probably not worth £100, even as minter, but I wouldn’t sell it for 10x that – not that my bike’s anything special.
I remember lusting over the exotic Italian bikes with high end Campag group sets advertised in the mags when I was a teenager. I would love one of those. Shame to think that many of those lovely old bikes may have been scrapped, resprayed or singlespeeded (nothing wrong with singlespeeders, but there’s something very special about an old, fully original bike). Perhaps it’s just me.

I’ve just restored my old Raleigh Road Ace 531c bike from the 80s to a level where you’d struggle to see any sign that it isn’t brand new – helped by the fact that it’s spent 20yrs in a frost free environment, covered with a cloth. The Shimano 600ex groupset works as it did on day 1, with no sign of wear and the block on the back has accepted a new chain without skipping. The only non standard bits on it are the cork tape, black (not amberwall) tyres and the Specialized saddle (plus new cables, but original outers). In fact, the only bit that doesn’t look new is the worn away anodising on the rims of the grey MA40 rims (where the brake pads have been rubbing). I absolutely adore it and savour the infrequent fairweather rides. The “ChipsAway” guy was completely baffled by my request to make a light 1″ scratch on the top tube invisible, but he succeeded in the task and the frame is now blemish free and totally original with all the original frame stickers in place. I dread the day when I’ll be unable to replace worn parts. I should post pics, but I don’t know how to do it and I don’t think that anyone but me would be interested anyway!

Back in the 70s, a “home mechanic” in our village decided to clean out the petrol tank of his car before removing it (the reason why he needed to do this has never been clear to me but, for reasons best known to himself, he did). He used a cylinder vacuum cleaner to do it. Apparently, the blending of petrol vapour and the sparks generated by a rapidly spinning Electolux motor yielded a result worthy of Pratt and Whitney’s finest. My Dad told me that they found debris over a mile away, while s***-for-brains himself was left with a Jules Winnfield style speech impediment ever since, but at least live to t-t-t-tell the t-t-t-tale. Apparently, he suffered more trauma from his wife (who was ironing in the soon-to-be-demiloshed bedroom above the garage) than from the explosion itself. True story.

I remain in awe at the level of skill and artistry displayed by some of the contributors here. STW please bear these guys (and gals) in mind when you’re looking for photos for any future calenders. Blows away the rubbish that was used in the last STW calender.

If you want top quality and you mean £1.5k for the cost of rental, then look here: http://www.rookecottages.net/
We’ve been there loads of times and can’t recommend them highly enough (at any price). Exceptionally well run and immaculately presented. The fact that they’re booked up for most of the time until November tells you all you need to know. Looks like there is a free week in July. Ideal location for visiting most of Cornwall and plenty of stunning coastal walks and really good pubs. Storing your bike won’t be a problem either.

Thanks v much for posting that LapSteel. The Giro documentary is brilliant.

If anyone’s reading this in south Wales, I can recommend the ChipsAway guy based in Llantwit Fardre. He first did some work for me around 4yrs ago and again about a year ago (i.e he’s been doing it for some time, which is probably a good thing in light of earlier comments). Each time, the repair was faultless. I’d use him again – and I’m v fussy about the end result – but I appreciate that they’re not necessarily all as good as that.

I had it last week. It rendered the children’s sub account un-usable because I couldn’t log in to a web page to download the software. I deleted the sub account and all seemed well but after reading about it on here, I downloaded the free software from http://www.malwarebytes.org/ . When I ran the malware bytes it picked up some rogue program and deleted it. It surprised me because I run McAfee and it’s updated all the time and the kids sub account wasn’t an admin account, although they play a lot of online games (which I suspect may have brought it in).
If your computer doesn’t work, you can apparently download the malwarebytes software to a dongle on a different computer and then run it off that.
Edit: Ah, Allthepies beat me to it.

The honest answer is no, because I simply don’t have time between work, family and leisure (read “cycling”) commitments. I have to say though that I’m amazed at how much time some people – one in particular – spend on here. Some names always seem to crop up all the time and you wonder what they must do for a living or how many things they have besides singletrack. That’s not a criticism – each to their own – just an observation.
Although spending time on Internet forums seems to attract distain and criticism, I think that it’s not such a bad thing if it’s balanced with other activities. I quite like it on here and consider it a bit of a treat – not a lot different to face to face discussions. There are always interesting views and I learn a lot from some of the discussions on here. I’d happily share a pint with the vast majority of people on here – but I prefer riding my bike and spending time with my family, so I haven’t got much time to spend on here, much as I’d like to. I think if I spent most of time on the Internet I’d consider it a bit of a waste of life, in the same way that I would if I spent all my time working, or reading, or sleeping – anything to excess, because there are so many other wonderful things to do in life.
Don’t mean to sound pious with all that, just a personal view. Other people can spend as much time as they like on the Internet as far as I’m concerned – it’s their life.

Your boy will love it, Rockhopper70. I took my children to the Millennium Stadium to see it when they were about that age. They loved it. It’s Loud…correction, no it’s LOUD, but right up their street. It’s not something I’d do several times but worth seeing at least once. For someone like me who considers drop offs from pavement edges “risky”, the motorcyclists at half time were just astonishing. You’ll have a great time.

Here you go, Posty540. Slap in the middle of your budget too:
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/category-is-Wine/category-is-France/category-is-Bordeaux/category-is-M%C3%A9doc/category-is-St-Julien/product-is-01356
I’m not surprised at the 5* reviews either.

Leoville Barton St Julien is one of the nicest reds I’ve ever tasted. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. I’ve not seen it in the supermarkets though, so you’d need to try a local wine merchant or something like Majestic online.
Penfolds Bin 389 is great and usually available in supermarkets. Can’t remember how much it is but I think around the £20 mark, possibly less. In fact, even if it’s less than your budget, you’d struggle to find anything that tastes better for £20-£30 to be honest.
Would definitely check out the St Julien though. Trust me. He won’t be disappointed.
(is this the bit where I add something like “/pretentious” or whatever the computer speak is?)

I’ve been using SportsTracker on a Nokia for the past month and I really like it. Plots out where you’ve been, how high you’ve climbed, distance, time etc and can also upload it to the web (I haven’t done that bit though). You can collect data from a bluetooth HRM and combine that. It even geotagged a few pics I took whilst doing the GAP ride the other week. I posted a thread on it on here about a month ago and from some of the replies, I gather it’s a Nokia app but coming out for other phones soon.
That said, I mainly use the distance/elapsed time data. I only used the tracking feature when I was showing a friend one of the routes so that he could do it too.
(It’s free too)

Many thanks, Molgrips.

Is this the one that keeps showing ”fake” windows security alerts? My kids have just welcomed it onto my machine (despite McAfee). It’s taken me most of the day to get rid of it (I’m and IT ignoramus, by the way, so anyone who knew what they were doing could probably get rid of it in 5 mins). In the end, I think I’ve got rid of it by doing the restore thing to an earlier state and deleting their windows account and setting up a new one (the fake alert only popped up on their user login). Seems to be gone now but I might just run that malware thingy – can it be trusted though?