Search found 4851 matches

by mattheus
19 Mar 2024, 10:15am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: LTN politics
Replies: 52
Views: 3138

Re: LTN politics

Oxford clarion response to the Gov Review, and a local motion to restrict LTNs:

https://oxfordclarion.uk/the-politics-of-ltns/
by mattheus
18 Mar 2024, 12:38pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: 8 speed chain on 10 speed chainset ?
Replies: 11
Views: 443

Re: 8 speed chain on 10 speed chainset ?

Brucey wrote: 18 Mar 2024, 12:22pm
...
However, in practice lots of used 8s chainrings have at least 1/128" worn off them on the side of every tooth, so will happily work with the narrower chain. This means that it is usually possible to run 9s chain etc. on used 8s chainrings.
Here's a tangential question: will the narrower chain run better/worse on those chain-rings? And shifts be slicker/worse? More fussy?
by mattheus
18 Mar 2024, 9:14am
Forum: Racing, Olympics, TdF, Competitive cycling
Topic: General racing chitchat
Replies: 52
Views: 32709

Re: General racing chitchat

Pendodave wrote: 15 Mar 2024, 9:50pm
MrsHJ wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 7:53am Milan San Remo I this weekend. It’s a good one to just tune in for thé last half hour of the race. Unless pogacar goes away with 80km to go like in Strade bianche.
I'm curious what he'll try, as what he's done before certainly hasn't worked.
The good thing about MSR is that despite (or maybe because of) the previous several hours, the last 20 minutes are always entertaining.
Well, he tried to win a sprint finish this time, and he came pretty close!

I really admire his approach to TRYING to win these races that really don't play to his strengths. AND going for the Giro-Tour double this year - gotta love 'im!
by mattheus
15 Mar 2024, 12:40pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

pwa wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 10:33pm
Bonefishblues wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 8:20pm Fairly or not she was criticised for delaying her visit for 8 days though.
A daft criticism, I have always thought. During that first week, unless she turned up with a spade and ready to dig, what was she going to do, except hinder proceedings? I have never heard serious criticism of her, here in S Wales, for that delay. All the serious criticism was directed at the Coal Board, for allowing the disaster to happen, and the Labour Government for clawing back funds raised for the community in the aftermath.
That sounds about right.

Good to know that fake outrage has been deployed for over 50 years (and counting ... )!
by mattheus
15 Mar 2024, 8:37am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: crazyguyonabike site
Replies: 11
Views: 796

Re: crazyguyonabike site

RecumbentRide wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 11:23pm Just noticed the site below is fundraising to avoid having to host ads and to keep going. I've known about this webite for donkeys years and it hosts many amazing journals of touring cyclists. It's an amazing resource that I think should be supported and reminds me of the Internet Archive. Pop along and have a look.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com
They seem like a worthy cause. Quite a close kinship to this one, IMO. Lots of cool stuff, just found this https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/blog/bo ... ted=0&v=15
by mattheus
14 Mar 2024, 7:15pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: UK Politics
Replies: 935
Views: 72532

Re: UK Politics

Nearholmer wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 2:37pm
Hmmm... does anyone see any problems?
I think it’s worth pretending that that form of words wasn’t put forward by a Government that is widely, and IMO rightly, distrusted in respect of the protection of fundamental rights and constitutional norms, and pretending that instead they were proposed by a neutral, trusted body.

IMO, if you do that, and assume that the legal tests inherent in them will be rigorously applied, they actually aren’t bad. I might prefer to see it all flipped the other way, to create a clearer set of rights, and then simply forbid anything that impinges on them, but, defining rights is always a complex subject, as prone to have unintended consequences as anything else.
My first impressions are the same.
[And I was utterly dismayed at their most recent anti-protest legislation, so don't trust the current lot one bit. They must be fooling us both, somehow!]
by mattheus
14 Mar 2024, 6:58pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

Jdsk wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 5:24pm
In what way does this image serve to deceive anybody? I mean "deceive" in the sense of a dishonest depiction.
Who has suggested that?

Thanks

Jonathan
:lol:

Just start re-readng this thread from 1:21pm!
by mattheus
14 Mar 2024, 3:59pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: The "Royals" Thread
Replies: 1350
Views: 54542

Re: The "Royals" Thread

toontra wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 1:33pm
Psamathe wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 1:21pm Recent outcry over William and Kate released photo being removed from agencies because of extensive doctoring (fake), royals then admitting it was "fake" and refusing to release the real image to me highlights a major problem. I could not care about an image they chose to release to public for their PR purposes. What concerns me is that they feel it quite acceptable to deceive the public for their own PR purposes, that they cannot be honest and straight with us. Not good.

Ian
Indeed. It's really playing the public for fools. Middleton is saying she edited the photo herself. I would suggest that's a lie. There isn't just one edit - there are numerous, some relatively sophisticated and some clumsy, either done manually or by AI. I simply don't believe she had the time, knowledge-base or inclination to have done this.

As you say that raises a whole host of issues - all varyingly grades of bad for the royal's standing. No-one likes being lied to.
You're making a massive assumption about "the public" and what "no-one likes".

I'm mildly favourable to the Royals, and don't give a monkey's about Kate/Wills tweaking a family portrait. They're not my kids! :P

90% of pictures published by the national press are processed in some way, often to give some bias to the story - this one seems very harmless.
by mattheus
12 Mar 2024, 10:51am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: last second ebay bidding
Replies: 51
Views: 2421

Re: last second ebay bidding

Jdsk wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 10:09am
mattheus wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 10:07am ...
Are folk here saying that the current Sniping Software is cleverer than eBay's inbuilt feature?
...
Auction sniping:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction_sniping

Jonathan
At the risk of sounding ungrateful*, do you have a yes/no answer?? :-)

*I promise, I am grateful!
by mattheus
12 Mar 2024, 10:46am
Forum: Racing, Olympics, TdF, Competitive cycling
Topic: Death of a Pirate
Replies: 4
Views: 3979

Re: Death of a Pirate

Paulatic wrote: 11 Mar 2024, 4:21pm Can be watched on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgXT6dpm00
Thanks!

Just started it ... does it have Rendell all the way through? :-/
by mattheus
12 Mar 2024, 10:07am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: last second ebay bidding
Replies: 51
Views: 2421

Re: last second ebay bidding

Paulatic wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 8:29am ...

That’s not how Ebay works. Ebay puts on automatic bids for the buyer. You as the seller will only see my highest bid and never my maximum.
...
That was my understanding, too. I only use eBay now for BUY IT NOW items, as I can't be bothered with all this ...

but back-in-the-day I remember telling eBay my MAX BID, then walking away, knowing I didn't WANT to pay more than that. (maybe I'll get the item, maybe I won't because someone was willing to pay more). And you couldn't outbid me by a penny to "win " the game, as eBay had a minimum "raise" (as would any sensible real world auction room).
So now I've made it clear that I am decades behind the times ...

Are folk here saying that the current Sniping Software is cleverer than eBay's inbuilt feature? IAMFI :-)
by mattheus
12 Mar 2024, 9:59am
Forum: Cycling Goods & Services - Your Reviews
Topic: SendBike
Replies: 3
Views: 377

Re: SendBike

maanderx wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 8:03am ; 'would it not have
been cheaper to take your bikes with you (eg, with an airline)
Cheapness isn't everything.

It seems likely that the OP found the courier option more convenient in some way. After all, it's no secret that airlines take bikes, so it's unlikely that he/she was unaware of the option until reading your post :P
by mattheus
12 Mar 2024, 9:57am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Why not have dual front discs?
Replies: 21
Views: 1294

Re: Why not have dual front discs?

Could we have the two sides balanced electronically? Would save the weight of some hardware.

Preferably run by Bluetooth. Hopefully with an App to control it?
by mattheus
12 Mar 2024, 9:55am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Why not have dual front discs?
Replies: 21
Views: 1294

Re: Why not have dual front discs?

rareposter wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 9:21am
Tiberius wrote: 12 Mar 2024, 9:11am I reckon it will come, only a matter of time.
Extra weight.
Extra complexity.
Unnecessary in terms of power and even in terms of balancing brake forces.
Would require a complete redesign of the entire front end and make backwards compatibility even worse than it already is.
Or in other words - the Bike Industry will love the idea, especially the last bit!
by mattheus
11 Mar 2024, 1:36pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: UK Politics
Replies: 935
Views: 72532

Re: UK Politics

Jdsk wrote: 10 Mar 2024, 8:54pm
Jdsk wrote: 1 Mar 2024, 6:16pm Very strangely pitched speech from the Prime Minister:
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/we- ... xtremists/
And the next step:
"Minister fails to name which groups or individuals will fall under new definition of extremism":
https://news.sky.com/story/minister-fai ... m-13091632

Fortunately it's being called out:
"UK terror attack survivors condemn anti-Muslim hatred in joint letter":*
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-terror-at ... r-13091864

Jonathan
*my bold
Thanks for that - genuinely good news:
More than 50 victims of Islamist-inspired terror attacks, including the Manchester Arena bombing and Bataclan shooting, have joined together to call for an end to anti-Muslim hate.

In a joint letter, they warn that it is the "height of irresponsibility" for unnamed politicians to equate "being Muslim with being an extremist" and say some have been "facilitating anti-Muslim hate or failing to challenge it".
IMO these 2 in particular could be influential:
Rebecca Rigby - the wife of soldier Lee Rigby, who was killed by extremists in London in May 2013 - and Magen Inon, whose parents were killed in Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, also signed.