Search found 1091 matches

by st599_uk
21 Mar 2024, 8:03am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Yaw Know About Solar Chargers?
Replies: 77
Views: 4086

Re: Yaw Know About Solar Chargers?

Modern USB devices negotiate power levels with the charger. If that doesn't happen they go to the slowest charge level available.

You then have 2 problems - if the panel is producing more, where does the excess power go? (Heat) And if not producing the minimal level, the phone will stop charging (and the excess power turns to heat)
by st599_uk
15 Mar 2024, 1:13pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Europe 2024
Replies: 37
Views: 3729

Re: Europe 2024

Jdsk wrote: 15 Mar 2024, 9:48am
Jdsk wrote: 19 Dec 2023, 8:59am EU Entry and Exit System: dates, fingerprints and dire prognostications:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ne ... 65746.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ne ... 66353.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... cial-scans

6 October 2024 everywhere.
"Bungled EU app launch signals more Brexit chaos for British travelers":
https://www.politico.eu/article/delay-s ... der-chaos/

Jonathan
Which App?

The EES terminals at Düsseldorf airport are about 3m x 1m x 1m and have lighting, cameras and 2 palm/hand scanners:
Image

I don't think there will be an app any time soon.
by st599_uk
13 Mar 2024, 4:27pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1168

Re: Holland - Short Tour

Dupont wrote: 13 Mar 2024, 3:08pm How does this sound for a short tour of Holland or does anyone have any experience of the route?

1. Hook of Holland
2. Leiden
3. Utrecht
4.Dordrecht via Kinderdijk
5. The Hague
6. Hook of Holland

Overnight ferry sailings from Harwich return.
I've done most of that route (on 2 different rides). Really nice riding, plenty of time for sightseeing and taking piccies. Ferry is super easy to use. Be aware that some of the river crossings may be on small ferries, so get some Euro coins to pay with.

About 400m from the ferry terminal at Hoek there's a village square with a Lidl, a bakery and an Ice cream shop for stocking up.

All of the towns listed have fantastic cycling infrastructure - in between towns you can use the Fietsknooppunt to navigate: https://www.fietsknooppunt.be/nl-be/fie ... uteplanner. (Each crossroads on the cycle network has a numbered sign and pointers to the next number in each direction. You navigate by following a list of numbers).

Image

(Utrecht is not in either of the provinces of North or South Holland, it's in one of the other provinces of the Netherlands - don't say Holland when you're there or the locals will be unhappy).
by st599_uk
13 Mar 2024, 1:01pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: last second ebay bidding
Replies: 52
Views: 2840

Re: last second ebay bidding

deeferdonk wrote: 13 Mar 2024, 11:29am More perplexing to me is when you see a couple of other bidders have a bit of a bidding war when there's still a week/ages left on the auction, driving up the price early on. Why don't you just wait till closer to the end and/or put your max bid in?
Are you sure they want to win it? What's to stop a seller using a second account to force the price ever upwards?
by st599_uk
11 Mar 2024, 6:02pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Elbe Radweg
Replies: 46
Views: 7008

Re: European Cup football fixtures in Germany this summer

plancashire wrote: 10 Mar 2024, 10:44pm
Galactic wrote: 7 Mar 2024, 7:47am Here we go:
...
long list of fixtures
...
If looking for places in Germany it would help to use the German names.
Köln = Cologne
München = Munich
Frankfurt-am-Main = Frankfurt (there's another one)
Well done for getting Düsseldorf right - my home city.
For reasons best known to themselves, UEFA are using anglicised names for all the cities apart from Düsseldorf.

I had hoped that the NRW bid for Olympics 2032 would go through - seemed such a good, no new stadiums, no new hotels, 1 canoe course needed, 1/2 billion people within a 6 hour train ride, spend the cash on regional transport upgrade. (And could lead to a proper Kölsch v. Alt argument). But Melbourne won instead with "the greenest games ever" - ignoring the spectators flying to Australia.
by st599_uk
9 Mar 2024, 10:19am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.
Replies: 195
Views: 24356

Re: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.

Yes, that was it - big store with lots of different non-racing bikes to browse.

Shame they've closed. I suppose the other major retailer would be Condor, but that's a bit of a hike away.
by st599_uk
9 Mar 2024, 10:09am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.
Replies: 195
Views: 24356

Re: Cycle Retail In Meltdown.

xjs wrote: 9 Mar 2024, 10:01am Interestingly, when Evans goes, if you're in Soho or Fitzrovia, the only local place to get bike bits will be Sports Direct on Oxford Street... in a small corner of a dark little room up on the second floor
Sports Direct and Evans are both just brands of Fraser Group PLC.

Isn't there a shop on Great Portland Street or Titchfield Street specialising in steel bikes? They always had a range of accessories.

There's also a bike store hidden in John Lewis and I think one of the pay per day bike parks in the area has a small shop.
by st599_uk
8 Mar 2024, 9:38am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Elbe Radweg
Replies: 46
Views: 7008

Re: Elbe Radweg

I've decided that I'll delay to next year as my work commitments don't give enough time in the summer.
by st599_uk
7 Mar 2024, 10:44am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Elbe Radweg
Replies: 46
Views: 7008

Re: European Cup football fixtures in Germany this summer

Galactic wrote: 7 Mar 2024, 7:47am Here we go: cities to avoid in July and Aug in Germany
June and July. July and August you need to avoid Paris (and its arrondissements of Lille, Lyon, St Ettienne, Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, Chateauroux, Nantes and Teahupo'o Beach (Tahiti))

PS Wonder why UEFA are using British spellings for cities apart from Düsseldorf
by st599_uk
6 Mar 2024, 9:01am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Elbe Radweg
Replies: 46
Views: 7008

Re: Elbe Radweg

Galactic wrote: 6 Mar 2024, 7:19am
Jdsk wrote: 5 Mar 2024, 4:28pm
This might be our summer tour this year, starting with the sleeper to Prague.

School holidays:
Czechia 29 June to 1 September
Saxony 20 June to 2 August
Brandenburg 18 July to 30 August

Any other dates of relevance?
There's football going on in Germany this summer (European Cup or something?) Probably only relevant to know which cities to avoid when the crowds are there.
Matches are 15/6-15/7 in the main Bundesliga stadia, but you may also want to avoid Leipzig as that's where all the broadcasters are based.

Then the Olympics start 11 days later.
by st599_uk
5 Mar 2024, 6:38am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Importing a new or 2nd hand bike into the UK from the EU.
Replies: 50
Views: 4142

Re: Importing a new or 2nd hand bike into the UK from the EU.

simonhill wrote: 4 Mar 2024, 4:04pm It's actually £390. It doesn't take much to exceed that and if not declared it is smuggling.

NB. I don't think they call it smuggling nowadays, probably duty evasion or something.
It depends on the mode of transport.
by st599_uk
4 Mar 2024, 3:27pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Importing a new or 2nd hand bike into the UK from the EU.
Replies: 50
Views: 4142

Re: Importing a new or 2nd hand bike into the UK from the EU.

JBoneXC wrote: 2 Mar 2024, 11:18am Of course, duty, taxes etc are carried out by multimillion pound/euro/dollar import/exporters with ships full of containers with products shipped to sell in the UK, but Joe Public with a bike?
All fine when we were in the EU, but now we're a separate customs area, then moving goods across the border is a VAT event and VAT is due.

There is a small personal allowance for buying goods abroad, but it's only about £300.
by st599_uk
1 Mar 2024, 2:21pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Brittany May 2024
Replies: 34
Views: 2123

Re: Brittany May 2024

Don't think so, the around Treguier is called the Amroured Coast for a reason, it's granite and there are lots of high cliffs. It's beautiful, but not flat.

For example in Treguier the cycle route will cross the only bridge, just upriver of the marina, which is near sea level, but Treguier itself is up a relatively steep hill.

Dinan is beautiful, but it's built on a hillside and cobbled.
by st599_uk
29 Feb 2024, 9:49am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Brittany May 2024
Replies: 34
Views: 2123

Re: Brittany May 2024

Lazybird wrote: 28 Feb 2024, 4:22pm Have been studying the maps and I’m now looking at following Eurovelo 4 from Roscoff up around the coast. When I get to Treguier the plan is to divert north eastwards to Pleubian and do a loop around that peninsula following a 24k route suggested in Lonely Planet’s book “Best Bike Rides France”. On the way back to Roscoff, I’ll cut some corners off by going directly from Pleubian to Lannion.

Does anyone know this northern Brittany coastal route? Too touristy? It will be early May. Is finding campsites going to be ok? I’m hoping to keep it flexible.
Depends on what you mean by touristy. You'll find lots of nice eateries, and if the weather has been good, lots of visiting yachts. There are some steep climbs in some areas.
by st599_uk
29 Feb 2024, 9:41am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: London underground/tube to transfer between kings cross and paddington with a loaded unfolded bike?
Replies: 25
Views: 1419

Re: London underground/tube to transfer between kings cross and paddington with a loaded unfolded bike?

Apologies, forgot that there is a second platform on the Hammersmith branch.

However, I'd recommend a ride through Somers Town, Maida Vale and Little Venice in to Paddington basin. Lots of nice backroads, could even go via the Zoo. Lots to see and pretty quiet away from the main roads.