DT Swiss Degrees of Freedom tech now fits more hubs and offers up to 40 degrees of deadband

Absolutely beautiful tool set!

This seems like an obvious yes from the chancellor. I can't imagine it would cost the treasury much, but will mean a lot to those who will benefit from it.

“Next to a leisurely walk, I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing.” – Helen Keller

@FionaJJ That is a fair point about reusing a contractor that has performed well in the past. Some companies I have worked for have required two or three quotations for work. However for processing machinery, selection is usually based on the best (or sometimes only) technical solution. Presumably lawyers get involved in approving public tender specifications and the contract awarding procedure? That would certainly add significant costs! I think another factor is that public officials are sometimes out of their depth. Several major projects executed by my local council have gone badly wrong, resulting in poor end results and or huge losses of money. It is not a good idea to expect multi £m projects to managed by official whose competency ceiling is perhaps deciding what colour to paint a bus shelter!

@FionaJJ You miss the point. Revenue from parking charges increased. People are trying to frame it as "the issue has been, there has been less parking income." Clearly that is a lie.

@Rendel Harris the issue is, that's not how this lands with the public. As a result of stories like this being promoted by cycling organisations, a tiny tiny proportion of people will use masks when they cycle. A much larger group of people will decide (or add another reason to their list) of "cycling isn't good for me so I won't do it". I'm not saying don't do the research. I am saying, cycling organisations will do more harm than good when they choose this as the message to promote.

@espressodan I could be wrong but it feels more like she's been told her services are no longer required and if she quits they'll let her say what she wants (in preparation for her next job no doubt). Clearly she hasn't made them profitable but she's not alone in failing to do that.

"Rapha’s holding company Carpegna Ltd also reduced the carrying value of the company by two thirds from £169m to £67m." Nobody is going to pay £67m for a business that has never made a profit, even in the days when Rapha kit was everywhere.

@Liam Cahill How exactly do you ride a "stationary bike" then?

@Mr Blackbird I'm sure lots of people would struggle to work out where those costs are going too. Not that I'm defending any specific spending on any specific new roundabout. But while private sector procurement still needs to comply with CDM regulations, if a director of a company knows that contractor A is good at building factories, and they liked what they did last time they can simply phone them up and ask for a quote. The public sector cannot do that, even if they know full well that's the best firm for the job who will give best value for money. Not to mention all of the other stuff that is required before you can do certain work for the public sector, like demonstrating that you don't use slave labour, or blacklisting. And because tenders are open to all, they have to include questions that rule out everyone that isn't competent in a way that can't be challenged by their lawyers. A lot of the work that goes into setting up a new factory is indoor work that can be done at any time of the year, and any time of day once you've got the lights installed. Some civil engineering works will never be scheduled for the winter months, and those that are will be subject to short working days and inevitable weather delays. Contractors have to factor all of that into their costs. I think you are right that the costs of public consultation are relevant. Not just the costs of the actual consultation, but multiple design iterations and the delays that come with it. Someone on my local Facebook couldn't understand why the council wasn't installing the replacement pedestrian/cycle bridge over a river entering an exposed and tidal bit of the coast during the winter when there would be less disruption for the fair weather dog walkers. When it was suggested that you can't set concrete below a certain temperature the response was 'that's just a rule of thumb as any decent builder can tell you'.