The contacts are only on one side, so that just has two sets of contacts. Surprised they stay in to be honest.

USB C resolves the orientation issue… and yes the cables don’t stay in.

I’d rather go back to micro USB and have the faff of getting it wrong and trying again, than the cable falling out frequently and end up with a flat battery.

isnt that going to reverse the polarity?

Routes I’m sharing, that’s what I do. I plan from somewhere bit further away.

But it has ride logging synced with Garmin etc. Followers can see these but only if public, and I can’t set them public. Different issue though as that’s not really about ride planning.

Although sometimes it’s nice to share a route with followers based on a ride I’ve done. I can do that but as soon as I edit it to remove bits near home etc, it starts trying to re-route off road/path parts. I select to not auto route those bits and it just does a straight line, not keeping the route I actually did.

Oh, and a decent undo feature would be nice. It offers undo if it throws an error saying it can’t route it but otherwise can’t find one (and the undo just reset it all to beginning anyway).

Frankly segments and also challenges for comparison with others are useless in many cases anyway until they acknowledge the existence of mountain bikes as an activity with their own segments and challenges. This has been on the much requested list for a very long time and ignored all along. Ebikes yes, MTBs, no.

If I read it right, KOMs are still there, just not more than the top 10 and drops follower leader board.

I don’t care about any of that anyway and just compare my segment times but only of vague interest.

I’d be happy with segments even being purely a paid thing. Less sensitive trails wrecked by hordes 😏. Cutting off third party apps might also mean Strava segments not showing up in Trailforks, so also a good thing. Trails actually added to Trailforks can be managed. Strava segments are not.

Anything to cut down on Stravawankers is good 😜

Liking Komoot for planning. Rides are syncing now from Garmin but I have to keep them private as I only really want to share with followers and better still would like a privacy zone. Sort that out and it maybe replaces Strava for me.

Well, there’s also the component tracking element of Strava.

Though all of these I can do with Garmin Connect, but it’s a horrid web site and app, few friends want to use it though they use a Garmin. It has the privacy bits, share with followers only and component tracking though. Has route planning also but no where near as easy as Komoot.

Don’t know specifics for a bike company, but gov starting advice generally…

https://www.gov.uk/topic/business-tax/import-export

Generally, my local walks have become slightly quieter as people now drive out of town

I’ve been avoiding the Wey and Basingstoke canals as far too busy but am hoping it might be quieter now they bog off in cars.

The total ban at the moment even just fire roads is perhaps OTT but to be honest people will then hit the trails, official or otherwise, if they know they’re allowed in. They’re doing that anyway though despite the ban.

Swinley’s had a long history of MTB and they’d struggle to ban it and police that. CE aren’t a fan of it though but to them it does keep bikes in one spot and they can maintain their ban in a lot of their other properties (Swinley Park over other side of A322 for example, very much bikes forbidden, though horses fine. They patrol and kick out bikes).

The formal stuff was a response to liability issues, being sued by riders stacking it on unofficial features. Idea was formal network that could be controlled and supposedly everything else off limits (occasionally they have policed this, especially loam trail spots).

Permit didn’t bring in much but paid for liability insurance. Just when the council decided to cash in on their lease of the car park, it wasn’t practical to have permit plus parking charges.

The Summit is with agreement / lease effectively, but was strictly for coaching only. CE didn’t want it to become a bike park.

Anyway, there’s been talk that CE are getting fed up of violations during lock down and are considering shutting it all down to bikes permanently.

North Downs car parks busiest even seen it.

Have seen pics of Walking Bottom car park, Peaslake. Mega busy. Like normal peak at weekends.

Wouldn’t surprise me if the castings were manufactured at one place and the dampers and damper assembly is done elsewhere in order to retain a competitive advantage and prevent IP being ripped off before a product is even released.

From gadget related work I saw a lot of secret R&D to get a product out to manufacture before anyone knows about it but the big problem was certifications process. Required sending samples, designs etc to external companies and before it’s on the market a cheap Chinese knock off is out there. Sometimes the technical quality was actually better than the original.

Yes.

Because, official advice, egg holder in fridge, less worktop space taken up and means I don’t need a poncey egg rack thing.

Never had an issue with them in the fridge and lasts plenty long enough (only off egg I’ve had was bad from the shop).

Mayo in fridge too though I’ve left it out before and been good for days. Just tends to dry out on the surface though if left out.

Ketchup does not belong in the fridge. Never goes off, so many preservatives.

Tunnel Hill has been busier than ever last few years and a lot of digging going on. Nice trails but the scale of jump digging has hit a tolerance level and MOD have gone round flattening all the big jumps. Still digging crazy jumps going on though. The next tolerance point may result in more serious action.

Porridgepot is technically fenced off but with the virus it’s been open mostly at the moment. Might note signs around the fence line saying “No Entry – Military Bylaws Apply”. Note no bylaw detail sign at present. That’s because the bylaws are under review and every possibility they will exclude the general public permanently.

More fences are popping up in various MOD spots. It’s more likely the majority of public will be restricted to Tunnel Hill and Caesars Camp (which is also very busy at the moment).

I’m assuming some car parks will reopen after the guidance comes into affect on Wednesday. Probably up to land owner / counncil though.

Forestry England have been saying still don’t drive so assume their related car parks shut. Many or most trail centres staying shut.

Peaslake telling non locals to stay away still. Though their car parks have been mostly open anyway, just not the big van park (sorry Walking Bottom).

On the “made in the same factory” (typically in Taiwan). Those are big factories, maybe same owner but maybe multiple sites. They do work for a lot of companies, small and large and do it to the spec and process given. The teams involved may not be the same but even if they are the quality is based on the design, spec and money involved.

I’m not in the bike industry but from an IT point of view when dealing with these places you have to be very precise in what you order.

What they’re good at though is scaling up.

The fact we have threads at all with the word interpret just says the message is confusing. People are just going to make it fit what they want.

[begin coffee snob]

If you’re going to buy cheap burnt beans (sorry, “dark roast”) which to be fair gets more consistent results, you’re better off making milky drinks and/or using a stove top pot or doing filter. Decent espresso needs good beans and fresh roast. Ideally not burnt (generally rules out supermarket beans).

[end coffee snob]

Blindingly obvious perhaps, and yet news last night suggesting trips to Brighton on the cards. Nothing has said a distance limit (never did anyway) and going somewhere to sit, sunbathe even is now okay.

Tourist spots are fearing the worst now. Though financially they need visitors.

View this post on Instagram

#clarity

A post shared by Matt Lucas (@realmattlucas) on May 10, 2020 at 2:20pm PDT

but you cant visit your parents

You can meet them in a park. Just one of them, oh but maybe both at different times, no wait, both at the same time. Raab this morning on various interviews.

The other thing I was puzzled by: last week the message of test, track and trace was fundamental. No mention of if this is in place but it’s OK to really ramp up the potential for geographic mixing.

They’re trying to distract from the app being a pile of crap and that they’re having it redeveloped with the Google & Apple APIs because they actually work, instead of going ahead with the half baked solution.

Though the app is also a distraction from actually doing enough testing, but the ship had sailed there. Should have been mass testing from day one and including everyone arriving at airports etc.

Taking of which, the airport restrictions with self isolation proposed, still not enforced yet. Again this should have been one of the first things way back.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/six-ways-lockdown-could-eased-without-greatly-increasing-risk/

I know this is from The Torygraph, but the same has been said by a number of people including ministers in interviews. Basically with all the evidence at hand now, the belief is the outdoor risk is much lower, so long as social distancing is observed and people wash their hands etc if touching stuff.

Viral load required and the nature of its spread via droplets and surfaces rather than being a true airborne virus, makes it harder to spread outdoors. Not impossible, but a drive to the countryside itself isn’t going to be much of a risk at all unless you stopped in a shop, started shaking people’s hands, hugging people you meet. There is of course a risk if someone coughs or sneezes near you. Hence keep 2m apart. But just being in the countryside and no one near you for a mile (most my rides have been like this) isn’t an issue.

Personally I believe the vast majority of cases have spread through offices, homes, care homes and even schools. The common cold typically spreads via kids picking up at school, interacting with families, who then go inti offices and work environments, spread there and they go home, spread it about, their kids spread it at school etc.

Though the virus seems to have little to no symptoms with kids, I’m betting when schools go back there’s a sharp rise in cases amongst adults.

An hour has never been enough for me tho.

There’s never been an hour limit. Only suggestions of it from the likes of Gove in interviews.

Raab said OK to meet up with one other from outside your household outdoors

And he just said on R4 to meet up with someone from your own household. Then challenged said you could meet with both parents. 🤷‍♂️

Does it allow countrywide travel though? Again, it’s vague. Drive to exercise, yes. So hordes of people heading for the beaches. Until someone says “oh, we didn’t mean that”.

See what this 50 page document thing says, and then how the police decide to interpret it.

avoiding unnecessary travel

But Boris says go and drive. Not just for exercise but to go sit in a park, sunbathe etc. Hardly necessary travel.

riding with your mates is not allowed

But it’s not so simple a rule now. Meeting up with people is a maybe but the likes of the BBC are interpreting it that way. Sports only with people of same household though.

Question is, do you consider riding bikes a sport? I don’t myself, unless I was into racing. It’s an outdoor activity. Personally off road riding for me is only partly about shredding trails. I can and generally have put that on hold. The rest is xc pootling, not much different to going for a walk, just quicker. Are people still banned from meeting to go for a socially distant walk?

It’s all just more confused but headlines most will take from it is go drive and hit the trails. Peaslake will be rammed this week, whether they like it or not.

I’ve got four sets of Reverb from over the years across my bikes with now just one working fully.

None of them are faulty because of the hydraulic cable.

Slow returns, sagging seat, stuck down or up, worn top bushings, nothing to do with the cable. The cable just activates the release which lets the seat go up and down. No amount of lever bleeding has fixed my issues, but things as simple as pumping up to correct air pressure can fix some things (though indicates needs a service really as leaking air). Mostly needs a decent service though. Like a fork but they’re not as simple to service properly.

That said the original lever design was a bit rubbish. With the exception that a RH mounted under on left matches neatly with a 1x (sram) brake set up.

Anyway the real thing was that factory workers & construction workers should go back to work from next, week, but they can’t use public transport & have to maintain social distancing

Nothing has actually changed. Factory work and construction wasn’t banned before. Don’t go to work unless you have to vs go to work unless you don’t have to. The same list of banned work applies, ie those with public gatherings, hospitality and retail mostly.

This is mostly about getting people off furloughing, as obviously it’s costing a fortune. The advice is the same but reworded to more positively encourage opening businesses up and no longer have to pay furlough.

Interesting that the unions are against it. Keep staff off work, get paid for doing nothing, unions happy 😉 (that’s not entirely serious comment, but…)

I’m not so fussed on the privacy side given how much Google, Facebook and even the government know about me. Though I trust the latter less with my data, but not that they have some secret agenda, just their incompetence.

My main concern is the accuracy. As said, distance measuring on BT seems very flakey. I could be told I should lock down fully for couple of weeks because signal suggested I was close enough for long enough to someone infected when I wasn’t, or someone behind a wall is infected. Could be my neighbour. Go to the supermarket, keeping as distant as possible, maybe wearing a face mask, but one person has the virus and everyone there is flagged. Even those in the next aisle to the infected person.

Meanwhile councils and wildlife trusts continue to chop down any Ash tree remotely near to humans for fear they may have the disease but they haven’t checked or may some day get the disease. In case they fall on someone. Despite some insisting this destroys the chance for more tolerant or immune trees to thrive.

I want one but don’t know why really. If there’s an adapter from C mount to Nikon F I can use my Nikon lenses. No idea what for.

Though more MPs than my old SLR (D70).

This has no shutter though? Electronic shutter I guess and viewfinder via an app or attached display.

Looks good for astrophotography, i.e. no filters?

Not much else to add but just this current situation doesn’t help matters either with mental health. It’s hard on a lot of us but in your situation I can see it’s a lot worse. It’s definitely not your fault though. It’s a shitty situation life has dealt you, but you have our support.

Really depends where you are and proximity. If you’re having to work with people or commute in close proximity to other people, even keeping 2 meter distance, then maybe.

Out in a park, countryside, barely anyone around, no. More so if on a bike and passing someone with clear distance.

That said I’m seeing people on rides wearing them now but more so walkers I pass either wear them or stand to the side shielding their face. The chances of either of us coughing and depositing enough viral load in a brief pass keeping distance is very low.

Anyway, a scarf is all you need. Trump said so.

To reassure people I pass I may wear a buff. I do have a stack of masks though they’re DIY ones.

FC are slight different to Forestry England though?

FC covers forests in general including those that aren’t technically open to the public or restrict access. Forestry England seem be more the public facing public facing forests with investment in public access, facilities, trails etc

I think?

If it’s the old style calliper without the bleeding edge port then very likely the lever will be the older design with sticky piston.

However this is usually only happens in hot weather. Symptom is similar. Bites and then won’t return.

If it is though you can get warranty replacement with some delay, or get a replacement fixed piston off eBay.

The age of Muppets

I’m not even cycling to work, for the first time in history, I think driving is the right thing to do

Driving is way more dangerous. With less cars on the road a bike commute is even safer and counts as your daily exercise (probably an exemption from the only one a day).

However still comes under only if it’s essential travel and have to be in work as a key worker.

Enduro are pricey. That’s why I’m thankful for Santa Cruz lifetime bearing warranty. 8 bearings – free.

I’ve used simply for basic bearings and seals. Stuff turns up next day. ACBs tend to be more expensive wherever though I’ve been using Superstar for headset bearings.

Stuff like bottom bracket, as I use GXP, I just buy another BB. £20. Price of two bearings and no need to faff extracting and pressing the bearings.

It may be the right time soon theoretically if prices crash but only if you’re not selling also, unless you can manage to sell now or already have, wait a few months then buy.

Practically it’s not going to proceed during a lock down and maybe for some time with big backlogs.

There’s also already a backlog with Land Registry even before all this and it will be worse after.

simplybearings.co.uk

What bearings depends what you need, what bike/component. Can also match fancy bike bearing brands with generic if you get the right spec for bearing and seals. Though Enduro do fancy things with theirs for bike use, though arguable how much difference it really makes. Still SB do them also.

https://www.extrauk.co.uk/product/cats/Enduro_Bearings/all/

100% hello response rate from roadies on the ride today. Never happened before!

Likewise all the normally grumpy afternoon folk on the canal towpath and walkers out and about were really friendly.

Meanwhile, noticeably quiet in Surrey with very few planes. Roads quieter in rush hour and near empty outside of that.

While it may be only be a blip, it must make a difference to the environment.

The hope is maybe longer term people will realise they don’t need to travel so much. More companies realising they can trust their staff at home.