Search found 309 matches

by Barks
6 Jul 2021, 8:58am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Is your bottle clean? I wouldn't bidon it...
Replies: 33
Views: 1794

Re: Is your bottle clean? I wouldn't bidon it...

Once clean store bottles in the freezer to keep them that way.
by Barks
9 May 2021, 11:58am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Active cyclist protective driving?
Replies: 32
Views: 3602

Re: Active cyclist protective driving?

We have a quite wide 30mph road in my town with grass verges both sides - in my experience a high proportion exceed that speed limit and a significant few go well over it. But the worst is that if you drive at the limit then very often drivers come very close behind, clearly trying to intimidate, and some them will overtake and speed off into the distance. There are a number of side roads and occasionally when I see a car approaching quickly from the rear I indicate to turn right but then abort as the turn comes up and carry on straight ahead. I realise I might risk antagonising an idiot but as I am perfectly allowed to change my mind as long as I don’t create havoc then I feel reasonably justified in my token efforts towards road safety.
by Barks
6 Feb 2021, 11:07pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Food with maximum energy for minimum weight
Replies: 63
Views: 4778

Re: Food with maximum energy for minimum weight

Jdsk wrote:
Barks wrote:Rather than whole nuts I now use smooth nut butters spread on oat biscuits - I think they have somewhere around 600 kcals per 100 grams which i think is about as high as you can get without eating pure fat which come in at around 900 kcals per 100gms.

That is high... but there are some nuts at 650 to 720 kCal per 100g. (700 kCal per 100g is about 29 kJ/g.)

Jonathan


Back to the original point of my post - if you eat whole nuts a largish (I admit I have not investigated this accurately) proportion passes straight through such that you can’t get the full calorific value. As nut butters are processed the calories are more readily digested.
by Barks
31 Jan 2021, 1:17pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Folding Bike recommendations?
Replies: 28
Views: 2365

Re: Folding Bike recommendations?

I’d support the two second hand bike approach - I used that for three years commuting in and out of Paddington and it worked really well. I moved onto a a Brompton for the next job because it involved lots of travel around the country rather than a daily routine - if you want a folder though, it is usually the best option for commuting despite the cost ( I think somebody has also mentioned the cycle to work scheme).
by Barks
20 Jan 2021, 4:07pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Food with maximum energy for minimum weight
Replies: 63
Views: 4778

Re: Food with maximum energy for minimum weight

Jdsk wrote:
Sweep wrote:
Barks wrote:I’d avoid unprocessed (i.e. whole or chopped nuts) as a lot just passes through through you undigested in small pieces - you end up carrying the weight for no benefit.

Maybe daft question - does that mean you miss out on lots of the good stuff in them, along with lots of the bad stuff - as listed on the nutritional info on the packet?

I don't eat nuts so I don't know how common that sort of malabsorption is. But I'd be interested in others' experiences...

It will depend on the fragment size but you might wash out some nutrients from the fragments so that they are then available for absorption.

Jonathan


Yes you do miss out on the stated nutritional value but I’ve not looked into the actual amount. I suppose the more you chew the better absorption you will get but I’m not about to try to measure it - without going into too much detail, the fragments are easily visible in the ‘movement’ a day or so after.

Rather than whole nuts I now use smooth nut butters spread on oat biscuits - I think they have somewhere around 600 kcals per 100 grams which i think is about as high as you can get without eating pure fat which come in at around 900 kcals per 100gms.
by Barks
19 Jan 2021, 2:56pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Food with maximum energy for minimum weight
Replies: 63
Views: 4778

Re: Food with maximum energy for minimum weight

I’d avoid unprocessed (i.e. whole or chopped nuts) as a lot just passes through through you undigested in small pieces - you end up carrying the weight for no benefit.
by Barks
19 Jan 2021, 2:49pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Couscous - Do You Use It?
Replies: 59
Views: 3352

Re: Couscous - Do You Use It?

al_yrpal wrote:6 quid Ainsley Harriott Spice Sensation Couscous, 100 g, Pack of 12 Really nice in a damproof pack. I really like Middle Eastern food especially their rice based salads full of fresh herbs.

I really love Ainsleys cooking and attitude, a refreshing change from the grumpy full of themselves so called TV chefs. I am currently enjoying his TV series take on plain British food and last series and book on Mediteranean food. His Barbecue Bible is my Barbecue Bible.

Al


I do (or rather did up until 2020) lots of long distance hiking - pre-flavoured couscous like the Ainsley Harriet type, has been brilliant. Just add packet tuna, chopped up smoked sausage or similar and off you go. Pour on boiling water, leave for 5 mins, stir and eat. Minimal mess when cleaning up. Porridge in the morning though.
by Barks
19 Jan 2021, 2:36pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Foam sleeping mats
Replies: 53
Views: 3161

Re: Foam sleeping mats

Thermarest neo air - different types depending on how cold you expect it to be. They are very durable, come with a puncture repair kit that works and pack much smaller than any foam or self inflatable mat. Much more comfortable than foam
by Barks
10 Jan 2021, 9:40am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Tier 4 exercise limits
Replies: 315
Views: 17645

Re: Tier 4 exercise limits

1% of 67,000,000 is 670,000 - let’s really hope the vaccine is effective.
by Barks
9 Jan 2021, 9:44am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dangerous front lights
Replies: 82
Views: 7979

Re: Dangerous front lights

Pebble wrote:some vehicles mustn't have front lights! - how can anyone be so incompetent that they crash into 4 horses, they'r not actually very small.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... e-55506891


I suspect driving too fast and on dipped headlights - the speed limit is 40mph on this road but many regularly exceed this. Sadly, this was, and will almost certainly be again in the future, an inevitable outcome of the complete lack of respect of basic laws, rules and guidelines that are there for all our benefit and that of the wider environment when they ‘impinge’ on some people’s sense of their own importance.

In each of the Lockdowns, as traffic levels reduced we have have seen insane speeds on the roads in my area. You can even hear the excessive acceleration and tyre squeals from 100s of yards away.
by Barks
1 Jan 2021, 4:48pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Tier 4 exercise limits
Replies: 315
Views: 17645

Re: Tier 4 exercise limits

I just hope all the second homers and holiday rental lot that left my Tier 4 county to go and spend Christmas and NY on the Isle of Wight, now also Tier 4 of course, are now physically prevented from boarding the ferries when they try to come ‘home’. Bunch of selfish tossers.
by Barks
29 Dec 2020, 10:12am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Dangerous front lights
Replies: 82
Views: 7979

Re: Dangerous front lights

I once drove into the rear of stationary car that I subsequently found out was waiting to turn right. It was dark and raining, I saw two red lights ahead and continued following - something distracted me slightly in the car, I can’t remember what but when I looked back to the road I only then realised that the car ahead was stationary. I emergency stopped but slightly too late and had a lucky low speed collision with only minor damage. If the stationary car waiting to turn right had used his indicator I’m pretty sure that sequence of events would not have happened. Both the driver (very forcefully and aggressively) and my insurance company saw me as the person at fault - I accept this but only to a degree. The cyclist with double headlights did contribute to the mis-observation of the driver in a a similar way that the non-indicating driver did to me.
by Barks
15 Dec 2020, 10:47pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Jumping on a wheel...... musings....
Replies: 43
Views: 3490

Re: Jumping on a wheel...... musings....

What an odd conversation - the last thing in my mind when out for a ride would be to look for an opportunity to ride close up behind someone else. Get rid of the Lycra, stop thinking you are in some sort of race, ditch the Strava and just enjoy being outdoors in the lovely sunny day we have just had.
by Barks
7 Dec 2020, 2:45pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Flashing headlights
Replies: 40
Views: 2478

Re: Flashing headlights

I’ve seen three accidents resulting from someone flashing their headlights and the signal was taken as a sign that it was safe to proceed, and, on each occasion, I am pretty sure that was ‘the flasher’s ‘ intention (I was following behind the cars that were flashed). All were related to people pulling out into a road where cars were backing up and then being hit by a car proceeding along the opposite carriageway. I take anyone flashing their lights as a signal to stop or at least slow down and never pull out into a road based upon someone else’s judgement.
by Barks
22 Nov 2020, 4:45pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Bells
Replies: 114
Views: 5145

Re: Bells

I very much doubt anyone would near a bicycle bell from a 100 yards away. You are undermining your own point right from the start. Just wait till you are reasonably close, a few yards away, and ask politely, proceed past slowly.