[peted76]

Stage three in my home town

Stage three in my home town was awesome, my daughter and I handed out my local club’s flags to wave about, we saw Marianne Vos crash (which was brutal, Vos was really, really shook up by it she got on her bike and crossed the line and ended up having a fractured collarbone, we met Lizze Deignan who signed an autograph for her, then a policeman gave her his ‘route notepad’ and told her it’d be worth a million pounds if she held onto it (it’s very detailed, laminated and quite impressive BTW), then a boels doman mechanic gave her a bidon, then Trixie Worrack and Lisa Brennauer spent about ten mins with her getting an official team guide autographed for her from the team in the bus, giving her a canyon sram rapha cap and generally making her (and my weekend). Then we watched the highlights on TV and spotted all the flags we’d been handing out being waved. I’m just happy that my local roads were featured, there’s something quite nice about knowing just how hard a climb is or where someone could have pushed to breakaway for the line.. 

[peted76]

Decent brake calipers were a

Decent brake calipers were a revalation to me, I went from non series shimano’s to 105’s to Ultegra, the difference between the Ultegra’s and the 105’s was huge and made all the difference. 

Swiss stop pads will cost £20 from anywhere, a new set of Ultegra calipers including pads will be about £80 and is worth spending on IMO.

 

[peted76]

I’ll be at the finish line on

I’ll be at the finish line on todays stage with my daughter cheering on!

[peted76]

That’s not what I thought LSD

That’s not what I thought LSD was… 

 

The joy of cycling is that no matter how you ride, why you ride, or where you ride, you’re out there riding and enjoying it.

Maybe you want to set yourself a goal to aim for.

I find it cathartic, I ride for fitness and to clear my head. I’m never going to beat Wiggins 25mile record, or Cav in a sprint for the line, but if I can thrash myself and leave it all on the road and keep improving again and again and again I personally will be happy enough with that.

How slow is slow? My mate’s currently riding the Trans America Bike Race, it’s 4200miles from one side of America to another.. he’s going really slowy https://trackleaders.com/transam17i.php?name=John_Cooke  but he’ll be going really slowly for a very long time…  I couldn’t do it.

 

[peted76]

alansmurphy wrote:

peted76 wrote:

I’ve voted conservative, no matter how unpopular it may be on the internets and on this very forum. I did this for two reasons mainly. One of them being that I believe that a country and commons divided is not what the UK needs right now.

I want us to get through this Brexshit and then next election (it’ll be here very quick) I’ll use my vote based on parties manifesto’s (of which I think the LibDems are probably more my pick this year).

I wanted to trust corbyn but I can’t get past the fact he had links to the IRA and has refused on mutiple occations to condem any IRA bombings, to the point where Mi5 investigated it (as I believe the press would have us believe). 

 

Ironic that the Tories are now in discussions with Sinn Fein…

I don’t think there’s much irony here. There’s a difference between Corbyn being an open Unionist supporter in the 1980’s and Gray May scrabbling about for some friendly faces for some odd couple coalition.

[peted76]

Well I think the clear winner

Well I think the clear winner in this years assault on the population by the most expensive PR teams each party employs was Lord Buckethead – I reckon he nailed his manifesto and he managed to get a selfie with Theresa May 🙂  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/09/lord-buckethead-elmo-and-mr-fish-finger-a-very-british-election

I’m pleased Jimmy Krankie has been put back in her box regarding the scottish referendum. 

Ho hum, now back to spinning those legs out..

[peted76]

adamthekiwi wrote:

If we were dealing with ‘normal’ Labour then things may seem less cut and dried but the country has never wanted the extreme left or the extreme right so Corbyn will not get in. Labour was most successful in recent memory when it was nearer the centre.  Tony Blair is now long demonified because of Iraq but a Labour now that resembled anything like that Labour would be in with a chance. Not marxism, no way.

I’m not a big Corbyn supporter, despite my statement of (temporary) Labour allegience above, but I’m curious: can you point me to anything that he’s said or done that shows him wanting to implement an “extreme left” government? I’ve read in the press a lot about how he is a commie demon, but not seen any actual evidence of it…

[/quote]

 

 

Corbyn’s manifesto, not that I’m voting for him, is actually more right than most think. I think the issue with him being views as a marxist following, socialist loony lefty is unfortunatley down to the fact he’s had quite the hardcore socialist lefty views in the past.

We the unwashed (or rather the press) ‘demand’ that our politicians should be squeaky clean at least when they come to office, then we set the hounds on them to find out their hidden dirty secrets. With JC it’s plain to see in his past being quite a vocal strong minded chap, a union leader sort of bloody mindedness. In fact he was a trade union representative before he joined politics.

I shall be very pleased when this election is over, it’s been a right load of balls since it started – in fact this little snippet of an interview between BJ Baffoon and some stiff sums up the whole thing for me.. https://youtu.be/kPPyBLC5ddM  I love Boris, he gives us the best entertainment.

[peted76]

rkemb wrote:

So I’m hoping for the continuation of a Conservative government who have a track record of not screwing up my life*

Brexit’s not enough political and economic instability for you? That’s pretty firmly the Conservative’s responsibility, so unless you are unaffected by it or positive that the outcomes will be to your benefit I’m not sure you can say that they have a track recored of not screwing up your life.

Selling off our gold reserves on the cheap, borrowing more than we can afford, taking us into the Iraq war and bending over and getting taken up the bum by doctors in the 2004 contract negotiations which has had serious NHS repercussions ever since isn’t enough of Labour screwing up your life? 

A nice facebook post the other day I saw said choosing who to vote for was akin to being asked whether you’d like a kick in the nuts or a punch in the face..  

[peted76]

I’ve voted conservative, no

I’ve voted conservative, no matter how unpopular it may be on the internets and on this very forum. I did this for two reasons mainly. One of them being that I believe that a country and commons divided is not what the UK needs right now.

I want us to get through this Brexshit and then next election (it’ll be here very quick) I’ll use my vote based on parties manifesto’s (of which I think the LibDems are probably more my pick this year).

I wanted to trust corbyn but I can’t get past the fact he had links to the IRA and has refused on mutiple occations to condem any IRA bombings, to the point where Mi5 investigated it (as I believe the press would have us believe). 

[peted76]

Good that, thanks

Good that, thanks 🙂

[peted76]

So many questions still…. 

So many questions still…. 

It seems like you really just need a basic bike to get about on, a Dutch bike style would be grand.

Take a look at these https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-780581-leisure-bikes

Decathlon are huge, they supply affordable decent stuff in the main. I personally would not buy an unknown bike/brand from Amazon. Decathlon have shops all over Europe, you should be able to try one instore.

That or buy second hand, google is your friend in your local. 

I’m a bit of a fan of the old postal bikes used, quality made and being sold off as refurbished for £250 – https://elephantbike.co.uk/ 

Best of luck, ta taa!

 

[peted76]

The one you’ve linked to

The one you’ve linked to looks like a womens bike to me, they make a mens version in the same range.

Good news is that it’s a ‘cheap bike’ but that’s about all it’s got going for it for my eyes.

What are you looking to use it for specifically?

You might be better of on a single speed if it’s city riding, or one without all the panniers and stuff on it if you’re looking at occasional use.

[peted76]

I suspect this isn’t a wind

I suspect this isn’t a wind up actually.

If we’re to believe the marketing from Castelli, Rapha and the like as soon as the sun comes out we all need a ‘climbers jersey’… it’ll keep us cool AND stop the sun from burning our weak pathetic pale bodies into cinders. All hyperbole firmly aimed at middle aged men who should never be seen in such tight flimsy and often see through material, team sky look stupid in see through tops and skin suits, emperor’s new clothes, Vladimir should know better too but even heads of state can get caught up in the marketing….  see here for the new tech from castelli is helping catch fish more efficiently.

 

[peted76]

LOLZ, you’ll be fine, keep

LOLZ, you’ll be fine, keep well hydrated and wear a top with a ‘full zip’ otherwise known as a thermo biological temperature control slide.

[peted76]

Vote for the Algarve over

Vote for the Algarve over here also.. Portugal is lovely and pretty cheap if you can book the flights at the right time.

 

[Author]

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