bonio

Well blow me down. Still learning stuff at my old age.

When I got my first bike, it was a couple of months before I even realised that the chain needed lube, poor thing. It survived though.

As a rule of thumb, I was told to lube every 300 miles, clean and lube every 900/1000 miles. But it depends on the kind of conditions you're riding in; I wouldn't clean the chain as often asthis if the bike doesn't see any rain.

Have we done this topic before? Or is it just déja vue? (classy 'é' ) I thought WD40 was a no-no for chains, an O ring killer. Or have I just been believing old wives' tales?

Nice one, Tony. All the best with the next shift. A 14 hour shift sounds grim. I've done 3x12hours + 4 days off before, and by the end of the 3 days on, I was fairly worn out.

8 is close, but 7 is perfect. And before you argue back, 7 is also the perfect number, which proves my point.

I rode it a couple of years ago. Awesome piece of road Sorry can't join you this time; it's a bit of out of the way from my part of the Far East.

I thought this was going to be a thread on the vegan enlightening of the midlands. Sadly disappointed.

Although I seem to remember that you're meant to wash Goretex textiles from time to time, others the little holes bung up and it doesn't breathe any more. Not that I've ever bothered.

Happy birthday, Stu!

I write software. I've written software to control robots in the past. I used to think my job was safe, but now I'm not so sure. This made me change my mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5VN56jQMWM. This is so far beyond the kind of situations that computers have been able to deal with up to now. And although my job is safe for now, it won't be long before computers are doing it, with just high-level direction from (a very few) people.

Ooo. Here's saying goodbye to another week of my life...

Why do you need do it? To pass the test. Man up But seriously, I often end up pushing my bike backwards in a semi-circle, usually in a gravel-covered car park. Sometimes that's the only way into a spot that leaves me in a position where I can ride out. And the bike is probably a fair bit heavier than yours. And I am a weed, too, made of twiglets. But at least you've realised what you did wrong, and next time you'll nail it

*sigh* Yes Google will tell you places but if you get a personal recommendation from someone it's better than 10 recommendations by people who could have been held at knifepoint to write nice things It turns out that Facebook was my friend - a post on the local FB page got a load of recommendations for a place in Beccles, with a nice lady instructor to boot.

Hi there, Anyone with any suggestions for places where my wife can renew her CBT? It lapses tomorrow or Saturday, and she is eager to get back on the VanVan soon. Thanks in advance.

I think there's an error in the calculator. If I put the speed and acceleration as negative values, then it gives the right answer But, putting your numbers for part a (with t = 1) into the equation s = ut + 1/2gt^2 you get 25 = 20 + 0.5*10 which is correct. My guess is that the person writing the page confused themselves by writing the equation as ut + 1/2gt^2 - s = 0, which led them to messed up the signs.

IAM and RoSPA both do advanced rider courses. They're both voluntary organisations, and the upshot is that the cost is kept very low. The last time I did anything with RoSPA the deal was a tenner for each session to the guy who was following and observing you to cover petrol costs - that was a couple of years ago. Both run themselves through local groups - typically county by county - rather than having a single nation-wide administration. So the thing to do would be to find out your local group and get in touch.

Sure you can do it! Leeds to Manchester is about 50 miles, which is not a bad distance for first longer ride. Give yourself plenty of time and allow time to get off for rest - even it's just for a few minutes - every hour so. This will help stop the fatigue setting in. Wear gear appropriate to the weather; it's one thing being a bit cold or wet when you're on the bike for 20 minutes, but a lot more uncomfortable and distracting when it goes on for an hour. Plan your route carefully; the ride will be long enough as it is, and you probably won't want to be adding miles to it by wandering around trying to find your way. Have a great time!

I had a fooked battery on the VanVan. It had been on a trickle charger all winter and showed a merry 12.6V on the multimeter. But it couldn't even give a faint glow to the headlamp and the starter was stone dead: not a click, not a whirr, let alone an attempt to turn the engine. Measuring the voltage across the battery's terminals when it was actually on the bike gave a miserable 3.something volts. Fooked.

I'd say that's not really a phobia. It's like trying to avoid opium dens or down-at-heel brothels. More like common sense, really, unless you like a spot of misery.

Can you get it post instagram pics instead of tweeting? That way you could check it's ok without getting up.

That looks awesome. Nicely done.

Can we start planning your route now?

Ah that's great news.

[mention]Glorian[/mention], you star! Congratulations But pics is the rule on these things.