Has anyone with a camper recovered any of their costs by renting them out, or has anyone looked into the maths of renting verses purchasing e.g. via Outdoorsy?

Just wandering what the experience or costs where like (as someone who will have access to a pot of pension cash later this year but wary about buying a van due to post-COVID/imminent electrification price crash…)

20, 19, 18, 17, 16….

Let’s see

4 seconds….much better, thanks 👍

The fly in the ointment will always be the nukes.

Let’s face it, without nukes, Team USA (probably with Britain as useful idiots) would have already flattened Russia…
(IMO)

@kryton
Are you responsible for generating your own leads? If not, I’d be asking them what their plans are for that? If they can generate 70% more qualified leads than they did last year, maybe the target is more achievable?

Alternatively, has their marketing budget suddenly increased by 70%?

Or does your product have a new unique, killer feature which makes sales a lot easier? Or are they gonna slash prices to makes sales easier?

And is everyone else in the sales team been given similar targets?

If the answers are no,it would seem they are trying to engineer you out of a job….

13 minutes to the moon is all about the Appllo 11 and 13 missions. It isn’t strictly tech, but it does talk a lot about it, albeit 1960’s tech. It’s an incredible podcast serious though.

+1
Probably the best podcast series I’ve listened to.

qwerty

Free Member

I reckon it’s the start of a Chinese balloon armada, just for giggles 🎈

You could be right! They’ve just shot down another one over Canada….

nickjb

Free Member

Interesting. I also bought it years ago. I’ve not used it for a while but just had a look and I only have the “demo” version. On play store it wants 12.99 for the full version, no record of me buying anything . Similar to above, I’m not 100% sure what I actually bought so it’s a bit hard to complain. After the heartache of losing viewranger this is another blow

 

You sure you are using the same Google account?

 

 

ampthill

Full Member

Is the problem that a kindle fire doesn’t natively access the play store?

Seems plausible….

FWIW: I’m a long time BCN user and I also paid a one-off fee many years ago. I’ve installed the app on three or four phones but I’ve always installed on the new phone via Google Play and never had problems with the license.

Granted, I don’t actually know what I bought many years ago! And I’ve no idea which maps should/should not work with my license

small car

So that Tesla SpaceX launched into orbit a couple of years ago has returned…?

Interesting thanks @vlad_the_invader is that a rim braked TCR? I just assume that anything these days is disc braked and I really don’t want that…

Yes, it is the disc brake version…moving to discs was the primary driver for me so I didn’t even look at a rim braked bike

I have a 2013 era SuperSix which I really enjoyed riding, and the geometry suits me.  When I was looking for a replacement, I carefully checked the geo charts of many manufacturers to get something as close as possible to the ‘dale and ended up with a Giant TCR (2020 model) FWIW

We were originally going to go to Glacier but scrapped it because all the timed entry passes have gone

Is the timed entry a COVID thing as I’ve never had to “book in advance” for any national park (except campsites, of course)?

On a similar subject, keep an eye on the US political news, particularly this year with the Republicans playing silly buggers with the budget…a couple of years ago, I happended to be in Moab when the Federal budget “ran out”.
Great, I thought, no one to collect the park entrance fees…wrong,they closed the gates and kicked everyone out of the parks 🤬
(State and local parks where ok but all National Parks where shut)

I’ve been to Glacier NP twice, and both times it was badly affected by wildfires. First time smoke was so bad you couldn’t see any views though park was still open. Second time, I was hoping to ride Going to the Sun road but south side of park was shut due to fires.(I ended up circling around to the north side and riding up the N side which isn’t anywhere near as dramatic as the S side)

Sorry, not very helpful! Would recommend popping over the border to Watertown national park in Canada as a fall back option. Similar scenery and a lot less busy.

Anyway, keep a watch for news/closures due to fires…they seem somewhat more common these days…

Try not to get eaten by a wild animal.

See, I know this was probably taking the piss but I’ve got a massively different attitude to wild life.
I’ve been hiking and biking in the US and Canada multiple times, many times deep in the back country and often solo.

If you stop to look at the stats, the chances of being eaten by a wild animal are virtually nil*. So don’t be a city-slicker afraid of your own shadow 😄 Get out and explore – there’s so much more to see away from the safety of your car!

I’d obviously be more cautious in grizzly country than black bear country, and will often take bear spray with me but black bears usually actively avoid humans anyway.

My most dangerous encounter with wildlife was actually in Grand Teton NP when hiking up a somewhat overgrown trail early one morning when a moose came galloping down the trail towards us. The moose was somewhat surprised to see me and the Mrs so early in the morning and jumped off the trail into a nearby stream. He stood about 3m from me and we looked at each other quizzically but he seemed happy we weren’t gonna cause him harm so we carried on our hike…

* I’m excluding deer flies, mosquitoes, rattlesnakes,scorpions and various poisonous spiders from this…they probably won’t kill you but just make your day very unpleasant 😉

On a similar note, I’ve discovered some unopened Stilton cheese in the fridge with a “best before date” of Dec 29.
Still safe to eat?? Would hate to see it go to waste….

If your phone goes into battery saving mode,it switches the GPS chip off to save battery life which means it’s less accurate. Different phones and different apps handle this in different ways but I’d
1. Check the battery settings on the phone
2. Make sure the phone is fully charged (or decent amount of battery life left)
3. Check the location settings for the phone or app. I’m not a iphone user so no idea how to do it on Apple but it’s possible to have different settings on Android phones. Make sure location is set to high accuracy (or similar)

And what scotroutes said – a chest pocket doesn’t offer the best view of the sky. Usually GPS antenna is at the top of the phone so at least try to make sure it’s upright rather than upside down…

We got one a few weeks ago. It’s about the same shape, size and weight as a (amateur DIY level) electric drill – so surprisingly weighty and quiet awkward to use for back and neck (which is where I need it).
I’ve not needed to use it on my glutes, but I would imagine that to be quite awkward as well. It should be easy to use on thighs.

So, initial impressions are fine if Mrs (or Mr!) Finners is doing the massage for you or the sore point is easily accessible but potentially tricky otherwise.

Can someone explain this to me?

BBC News – Formula 1: Widespread concern after Mohammed Ben Sulayem controversies https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/64501890

Seems to me that certain parties in F1 object to Ben Sulayem (which may be valid but the complaints seem to be fairly trivial and muck-raking in nature) but F1 have no mandate over the FIA.
So, I’m not sure whether this is significant or it’s just a slow news day…?
Is there a good podcast or blog or something to provide more scope/context behind all the bickering?

Dry January ✅

Units of alcohol consumed = zero
Units of chocolate consumed = lots

Depends on the type of riding you’re doing and whether everyone is aligned.

“Social” rides where no one is trying to get fit and/or trying to squeeze in a ride in a short time slot – mixed abilities/fitness/bike-types shouldn’t matter (type 1 ride)

But rides which have particular objectives (eg fitness or training, time-constrained or particularly demanding rides <distance/climbing/duration>) (type 2 ride), then the mixture of riders needs to be more closely aligned and this is where ebikes mixing with non-ebikes may be a problem as there IS a fundamental difference in dynamics. So I can see why a (lone?) ebiker wouldn’t be welcomed.

Personally, if it was just type 1 rides or the occasional type 2 ride, I wouldn’t be bothered by presence of ebikes BUT I’d not want to regularly do type 2 rides with an ebiker, same as I’d not want to do these types of rides with a non-ebiker who is massively faster or slower than me.

For the record, I find it really irritating if a faster rider sits on my back wheel up technical singletrack climbs I’m trying to clean, whether they are just a lot fitter than me or on an ebike.
For whatever reason, it doesn’t irritate me as much if I can hear them suffering as badly as I am! Call that a character flaw if you want…

I occasionally listen to the “Nothing much happens” podcast which is, basically, a female narrator with a very soothing voice who reads the most inane bedtime stories where, surprisingly, nothing really happens so your mind just zone out…

Weird. You’re not on a foreign VPN? i.e. HSBC think you are trying to open a UK from outside the UK cos of your IP address?

If not, sounds like you need to walk into the nearest local branch or pick up the phone and talk to someone.

The anti money laundering regs are a pain in the arse….

The other thing to do is ask them specifically which form from HMRC do they want. Then Google that form for more info…

Just for the record it’s a UK bank account and I am and have always been a UK citizen.

Yes, but do you actually live in the UK?

What’s the micro-topography in the vicinity of the muddy path?
If it’s at the bottom of a basin, you’re not going to solve the problems just by dumping aggregate on it.
However, if it’s on a side slope you may have more options.

I can, but fairly straightforward basic stuff, as I’m just not interested in the process of cooking. And as there’s just me, spending several hours preparing for half an hour eating, it’s just not worth it.

You just described me, though there isn’t “just me” so the missus does most of the the cooking (she likes it and is more fussy).
Frankly, I’ll eat anything as long as it fills my stomach and provides the needed nutrition. Meals rarely take longer than 10 minutes for me to devour so it never seems like a worthwhile use of time faffing around in the kitchen. I guess that makes me some sort of heathen.

It’s 4 pints in an entire year?!

Good God,4 pints of what? you must have a lot more expensive taste in booze than I do

Debbie does Dallas

For some unknown reason, my subscription was billed in US$ so it varied slightly each month due to FX rate variations but I’d been paying $6USD since 2013.

I haven’t received an email from Strava about price increase but my account page was showing February renewal would be $11.99 USD per month,so doubling.

Obviously, I cancelled. Shame as I found the personal heatmap and leaderboards quite useful but I’m sure I’ll find a replacement for those features eventually…

And finally I am pleased to report that I will be getting a replacement from Giant. So thanks for all the support from STW and the members.

Yay!

Hmmm, some food for thought. Thanks for the input.
“Unfortunately”, the lighter bike is 11spd Di2 and the heavier bike is 10spd GRX so it’s not realistic to swap components around. And I’ve also been told by my lbs that the rear derailleur does not have the capacity for a bigger cassette (otherwise I’d try and put a 34t cassette in there).
I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m assuming I could put the light weight wheels from the Giant onto the Diverge (and swap cassettes) which may save a little weight.

Anyway, it’s early planning stages and I’m not sure what type of riding I’ll be doing other than the Tourmalet.

Tick

@ampthill

I think if you add in the sheldon brown gear calculator it will tell you everything you need to know

Tell Shelton brown about your gears. It’ll give you speed in that gear at an rpm you choose. Then put that speed into bike calculator

Yeah, that’s what I needed, thanks:

Using Sheldon Brown Gear Calculator to predict speed based on different lowest gearing and different cadence’s:

Giant (56/36, 11-30 11 spd + 700c x 25mm tyres @8kg)
90 rpm = 13.6 kph
80 rpm = 12.1 kph

Diverge (46/30, 11-40 10 spd + 700 x 47mm tyres @ 10.4kg)
90 rpm = 10.6 kph
80 rpm = 9.4 kph

Using bikecalculator.com with Col du Tourmalet as sample climb (18.4km, 1324m climbing, averaging 7.1% and 90kg bodyweight)

To average:

13.6 kph (with 8kg bike) needs 301w for 82 minutes and would consume 5961 kJ

12.1 kph (with 8kg bike) needs 266w for 92 minutes and would consume 5917 kJ

10.6 kph (with 10.4kg bike) needs 237w for 105 minutes and would consume 6018 kJ

9.4 kph (with 10.4kg bike) needs 209w for 119 minutes and would consume 5990 kJ

So, the time difference between fastest and slowest theoretical speeds is 37 minutes but only a 100 kJ difference between the most and least “efficient” efforts….

Hmmmm, took a look at the bike calculator and it’s not giving me the info I want.

Some more background: I weight 90kg and my FTP is around 300w. I have a couple of local sustained climbs between 8-11%. My lighter bike has 36f 30r lowest gearing and a power meter. To get up those climbs, I’m usually in that lowest gear and cadence is around 70rpm (I’d normally spin around 85rpm on the flats) and I’m putting out around 275-300w.
That’s not sustainable for me.

The heavier bike is a gravel bike which is why it’s so much lower geared but I don’t have a power meter on it and I haven’t taken it up the same climbs (yet).

Ideally, that bike calculator needs input parameters for gearing and cadence so it could calculate likely time and power for a given climb…anyone know of such a tool?

(Btw: I can’t swap the gearing of the lighter bike without a big outlay of cost as it’s got a short cage Di2 mech…and it’s a Giant so warranty would be void 😉)

Strava + FATMAP: A match made for adventure
Bring your trail and winter sport dreams to life like never before now that the FATMAP app is part of Strava!

FATMAP’s high definition, 3D satellite views of the routes you’ve explored (and the ones waiting to be discovered) will be available on Strava in the coming months.

And if you want even more – like drawing 3D routes of your fave slopes, trails or streets – a Strava subscription will get you access to allllll of FATMAP’s best features soon.

We’re stoked to keep bringing improvements to Strava to inspire you to get out there. Check out FATMAP here and keep your eyes peeled for more updates.

To expand on what piemonster said…above is an email I got from Strava (the day after I cancelled my Strava subscription after they doubled the cost…)

Thus voiding any warranty.

Lol!

Just make sure the banks phone app is actually installed on your phone before leaving the UK.

I’ve had problems in the past trying to install the Nationwide app outside the UK* but if it’s installed it works ok

*eg you decide to buy a new phone when in France

Let’s play devil’s advocate for a bit and assume it’s your job to write up the warranty policy for Giant.

How do you exclude people who obviously take the piss (either ham-fisted servicing skill, 14 year old kids jumping off a roof on a road bike or fit completely inappropriate kit like triple clamp forks and 220mm discs to an xc frame) versus users like us (middle age men swapping out low end components as they aren’t on-brand or bling enough)?

I can’t say they’ve got the warranty wording correct now – and as written, I wouldn’t consider a Giant if in the market for a new bike. Though Ian@Giant seems to be implying they would warranty “our” typical use cases.

…just ticking the “Notify me”…option as I’m keen to hear Giant’s response about warranty…

When I started reading this thread, I had some sympathy with Giant as obviously there’s been some element of miscommunication by the dealers and Giant have not had the opportunity to inspect the fully-assembled bike. And I can see why they might have rejected the warranty on that basis…

BUT that email from Giant UK effectively saying that irrespective of anything else, they will reject warranty claims unless “ALL SERVICING” is carried out by a Giant dealer is outrageous!

(I thought this was specifically outlawed a few years ago – though that may only be in the context of cars).

Anyway, as it happens, my Giant TCR has just been serviced by my LBS (who are not a Giant dealer but have some of the most professional, trustworthy mechanics Ive ever had the pleasure of dealing with…). I guess I can now kiss my warranty goodbye

OP: good luck if you choose to keep fighting this and let us know how this goes…