Cycling UK Forum

Can I play?

hubgearfreak wrote:which party introduced VAT in 1973? - A condition of EEC membership, it replaced Purchase Tax
which party raised it from 8% to 15%? in 1979 - to raise money after the previous government screwed up (IMF etc?)
which party tried to apply it to jaffa cakes? (but failed)
which party applied it to womens sanitary products? (i'll give you a clue, it was under a woman PM)
which party added it to fish and chips and other takeaway?
whcih party added it to building improvements?
whcih party added it to domestic fuel? - green tax?
which party increased it again to 17.5%
which party increased it again, upto 20% - as in Q2

and then, these;
which party reduced the domestic fuel rate from 8% to 5%?
which party reduced it temporarily to boost the economy? - and why was that necessary exactly?
which party reduced women's sanitary products from the 17.5% rate down to the 5% rate (another clue, they had a lot of women MPs)

macphail8 wrote:Ribble responded saying that "Campag do not manufacture triple groupsets anymore but instead now only offer their compact or double options only".

That would be sad news if true - however they still show the Comp Triple chainset in their 2011 catalogue [caution 24MB file]

Check the Audax rides on the website calendar, a lot of them are CTC DA organised though you'll have to look at each ride page to find out which - my own local event (The Chiltern Hills Brevet) is very well organised by the S Bucks DA (shameless plug here)

http://www.aukweb.net/cal/index.htm

patricktaylor wrote:Depends on your personal domestic circumstances. Some cycle tourists are able to cut loose, some aren't.

and others reckon a netbook takes up less space than a stack of Baedekers, Michelins...... YMMV

Short answer is Yes it does, but...........

For a fast blast along billiard table smooth roads (remember them? no me neither) nothing beats a featherlight frame/wheels/tyres setup.

For touring & Audax rides, given the mandatory additons of lights, guards, clothes, food and spare everything then a pound or two on the basic bike matters little - steel frames are still the choice of many for their (perceived?) ride quality.

Trip to the shops on a towpath? - tough tyres & panniers put you back again into the diminishing returns corner.

Hence the need for more than 1 bike, (preferably n+1)

HTH.

I can't disagree with any of that!

Few points though:
I suggested the smart phone earlier as a better alternative to a netbook/GPS combo - for bike use I always use the Garmin Oregon (Legend previously) though the points about battery life and waterproofing of smart phones are not terminal as you say. I too have a Nokia 5800 and the free Ovi maps are brilliant - better than Garmins in display quality

The Garmin auto-routing works as expected provided both PC and GPS are set to the same routing method (i.e. Bike) AND you give it enough waypoints to force it on your determined route. Rule 1 - never give the GPS chance to think for itself!

Battery life for GPS IME is best estimated by dividing the manufacturers claims by between 2 or 3

As for paper maps - definitely! and a laminater is your friend!

Simples

Mattie wrote: Another problem could be cost - a netbook is about £250 ? and a GPS £100 ?

A GPS enabled smart-phone might be a better combination?

I liked the end paragraph concerning Lance

Today there were unconfirmed reports that a source close to the federal inquiry had let slip that the grand jury that has been taking evidence on the matter may be close to a decision over whether to issue any indictments

So that's clear then

+1 for memory map, the 3D visualization is great.

I have 2 FairFX cards, a euro and a dollar and found them very useful. The exchange rate for cash withdrawals was also very competitive.

Going to the site via Money Supermarket waived the £5 purchase charge.

Probably not is the short answer!

I have the updated Magicshine which is even brighter at maximum but adjustable down to sensible output for very long run-times, with daylight levels available when needed.

Used on a recent 200km Audax, after nearly 90minutes use it still showed >75% charge (the battery meter is very neat) and the build quality is excellent.

Something that occurred to me towards the end of Saturday's Audax that having the facility to turn down the brightness for group riding would be useful.

I think we have reached the stage where the lights are just too bright for these occasions - I certainly wouldn't want to be behind me

I've had a few Smart 1/2W and they all filled with water/died an early death - it will be a while before I buy another Smart.

THIS however is brighter and much better designed for water ingress, so that's my recommendation. Pretty quick delivery from USA too.

It's arguably too bright for night riding in a group, but really stands out in daytime.

Gearing is a very personal thing, but I use a 70" here in the Chilterns, although I did use a 65" over last winter.

I prefer the longer gear for easier flat & downhills, and uphills are hard work whatever gear you're in