Search found 531 matches

by TwoPlusTen
22 Jun 2014, 2:26pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: square tyres
Replies: 18
Views: 2651

Re: square tyres

Square tyres would surely also require square wheels.

Surely a square wheel would be very bumpy and would require some significant effort to get the bike moving? Can you imagine... ga-donk-lurch-ga-donk-lurch... :twisted: :lol: 8)
by TwoPlusTen
22 Jun 2014, 2:18pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: excessive weight loss
Replies: 8
Views: 1927

Re: excessive weight loss

Your weight can vary by 4-5lbs naturally from day to day and even within the day (obvious stuff like eating food, how much activity etc.). I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Just keep hydrated and eat properly.

EDIT: as previously mentioned, if those two bottles are all you drank, then you're most likely quite dehydrated. Top up.
by TwoPlusTen
21 Jun 2014, 2:33pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Longer Truck Trial interim report.
Replies: 4
Views: 4100

Re: Longer Truck Trial interim report.

[XAP]Bob wrote:you are correct - gb registered vehicles only


At least they are open to the "better regulation created safer conditions" option.

Maybe 80% lives saved could justify putting more stringent conditions on all HGV operators (not necessarily the drivers, the operators)?
But of course that's not as good as 0% saved by wearing a piece of plastic.

I'd be interested to compare the "incident" rate with the rate that *these drivers* had before the trial.

And of course, it's a pretty good bet that the truck companies will put their better drivers on the longer trucks, which may skew figures in their favour as the bottom 20% aren't involved in accidents.*

* bottom 20% of drivers of longer trucks as in this trial
by TwoPlusTen
20 Jun 2014, 9:57pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: CTC ride question
Replies: 11
Views: 12589

Re: CTC ride question

This may help as a starting point (my local CTC group, which I keep threatening to go out with one day but have not yet quite got round to doing so...)

http://www.readingctc.co.uk/new-riders/
by TwoPlusTen
19 Jun 2014, 11:35pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Longer Truck Trial interim report.
Replies: 4
Views: 4100

Re: Longer Truck Trial interim report.

[XAP]Bob wrote:
So what is this safely they speak of?

20% accident rate...

At least they say:
"At this stage it is not possible to determine the precise reasons for this reported
difference. It is worth noting however that the operators are using the LSTs under a
specific operational regime and that LST drivers have typically been subject to special
(and recent) training. These factors may have a bearing on the road collision experience
of the LSTs to date, in comparison to the general GB articulated HGV fleet.
"


Not quite sure I agree with you. On the following provisos:
1) I only read the executive summary
2) Stats are not my forte

I understood it as them having an accident rate of 20% of that of the normal HGV fleet.

I may well be wrong but that's how I understood it.
by TwoPlusTen
18 Jun 2014, 9:22am
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: good news from Germany
Replies: 7
Views: 4737

Re: good news from Germany

I speak fluent German. I'll translate it in full when I get a moment over the next day or two.
by TwoPlusTen
14 Jun 2014, 10:19am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Electric 'car' fright
Replies: 38
Views: 11290

Re: Electric 'car' fright

661-Pete wrote:Back to the topic - I'm surprised that people find the Twizy completely silent. Someone at the end of our street used to own one, and I distinctly remember the hum or whine of the motor as it beetled past. Admittedly, nothing like the purr (or roar) of your typical infernal combustion, but definitely quite audible. There are going to be more and more electric cars on our roads, whether battery-only or hybrids. If they are that quiet, maybe we just have to get used to the fact.

I might also add, anyone visiting a city overseas with trolleybuses (there are plenty in Eastern Europe) - beware!

I agree with you. Not sure what noise the Twizy (odd name!) generates, but there's plenty of it. I was following one for about a mile while driving home from work a couple of days ago and it looks and sounds like a quad bike with a roof bar. Expensive too, apparently.

EDIT: Supposed to be 100% electric. Not sure what was making that noise then...
by TwoPlusTen
11 Jun 2014, 8:43pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Plastic Carrier Bags
Replies: 49
Views: 11745

Re: Plastic Carrier Bags

661-Pete wrote:One of the things that used to pique me a lot, buying a newspaper (and nothing else) at W H Smith, checkout assistant invariably used to say "want a bag for that"? Even in dry weather (I can understand it in the wet).

I don't know if they still do that, seeing as I avoid buying newspapers in W H Smith any more.

They stopped offering bags a while back but now every time you go anywhere near the till it's 20 questions of if you want this for £x or that at 2 for £y.

Our local Tesco still chucks carrier bags at you. We put all of ours in a sturdy John Lewis bag hanging off the kitchen door - when it's full, we take it to the local charity shop and give them the carrier bags we don't use. The look of joy on their faces every time we drop them in - you'd think they were going out of fashion!!
by TwoPlusTen
10 Jun 2014, 11:07pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Renewal Prices (Daylight Robbery!)
Replies: 15
Views: 9669

Re: Renewal Prices (Daylight Robbery!)

I had the same with the car insurance this year.

Last year I was paying £300 (with Axa). This year's renewal: £375.

I took my business to John Lewis who promptly offered me £220.

You get one guess who got the business.
by TwoPlusTen
9 Jun 2014, 11:16pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Thirst Whilst Cycling
Replies: 81
Views: 20116

Re: Thirst Whilst Cycling

One other thing that may lend credence to Mick F's theory (full english breakfast, couple of decent mugs of tea before you set off) is that a full english is usually quite salty (bacon especially). Sodium makes you retain water so you may be able to go further on the same volume of water.

Anecdotal evidence of this: I was at a volleyball tournament a couple of years ago. Moderately warm July day, nothing exceptional; we all had fried brekkies (2x sausage, 2x bacon, egg, beans) before we started. Others on the same campsite (who it turned out we were drawn against later) had other stuff (some of it cereals, some a bit more "hair-of-the-dog" style. Guess who got cramp? Clue = not us.
by TwoPlusTen
26 Feb 2014, 10:17pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Sky Broadband: Charging you for NOT having their service!
Replies: 3
Views: 14438

Re: Sky Broadband: Charging you for NOT having their service

Tigerbiten wrote:Try http://contactus.sky.com/uk
I found it via from Google, so I don't know how well it works.

Thanks. I think the number will be the easy part though :D
by TwoPlusTen
26 Feb 2014, 9:52pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Sky Broadband: Charging you for NOT having their service!
Replies: 3
Views: 14438

Sky Broadband: Charging you for NOT having their service!

We had our broadband with O2 pretty much since we moved into our current place (so almost 5 years). Our usual bill was £10, then it went up to £13 a couple of years ago.

O2 sold their broadband business off to Sky and the communication about it was worse than useless. A couple of letters from O2 saying it was going to happen at some point. We had a letter from Sky in about September saying how nothing would change... bla bla bla. No mention of not having Sky Talk or Sky TV.

So now here's our first bill from them.

Broken down by month (or part month in the case of the first period), we have been charged (this is exactly as described on the bill - 28/1 to 07/02 and then from 08/02 to 07/03 and then from 08/03 to 08/04)

Supplement for not having Sky TV: 89p +2.50 +2.50. = £5.89
Supplement for not having Sky Talk: 1.77 +5.00 +5.00 = £6.77
Sky Broadband Unlimited: £2.86 +7.50 +7.50 = 17.86
Sky WiFi: £0.00. Yay.
Welcome Discount offers: £0.71 +2.00 +2.00 = -4.71

Grand total: £30.61 of which actually only £17.86 is what I actually use.

The whole lot will be taken on 08/03.

We can't get Sky because we live in a block of flats and the management company won't allow it. (Qualification, they will but we have to arrange it through an aerial company who charge an annual rent of £100+, so making Sky even more expensive. We've not taken up that option.)

I have no idea what Sky Talk is, presumably their phone package? Not interested if it is.

I was thinking of leaving O2 anyway (I think the cable has been eaten by the weather, so we'd have to change physical medium - i.e. fibre) and now this pretty much confirms it.

Any suggestions on how I go about tackling this with Sky when I try to phone them on the number that hasn't been printed anywhere on the bill?


If it isn't already abundantly clear, I don't plan to stay with them any longer than I have to. I just want those "you don't have our stuff so we'll charge it for you anyway" penalty charges removed.
by TwoPlusTen
13 Sep 2012, 11:36pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Be Safe, Be Seen.
Replies: 181
Views: 14677

Re: Be Safe, Be Seen.

The other thing is that high-visibility clothing works as long as only a small minority of people are using it.

In the modern society, where seemingly even a walk to the shops requires hi-vis clothing, people will quickly filter out the hi-vis.

Then what do we do?
by TwoPlusTen
11 Sep 2012, 10:13pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Best helmet colour?
Replies: 16
Views: 4880

Re: Best helmet colour?

Mine's red.

EDIT: No, red and black. Nearly completely black from the back.
by TwoPlusTen
6 Sep 2012, 10:06pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Where are the wasps
Replies: 13
Views: 6205

Re: Where are the wasps

Found a wasp (or rather one found me) today.

That's the first one this year.