The post man's been ...

[RIP]

Oh, and postie? Some antique sugar tongs. And why not eh?

[PaulB2]

When I lived in Toronto, I didn't bother owning a car, just used Zipcar for those odd occasions where I needed one. I've not owned one in nearly 13 years now, though I do cheat since I can borrow my wife's if I need one. An electric car club does sound like a good way to go.

[thenorthwind]

Oh, and postie? Some antique sugar tongs. And why not eh?

To go with something like this I assume?

[RIP]

Oh, and postie? Some antique sugar tongs. And why not eh?

To go with something like this I assume?

Not quite . Project still under the wraps for the moment .

[thenorthwind]

Not quite . Project still under the wraps for the moment .

Oooohh, suspense!

[RIP]

Not quite . Project still under the wraps for the moment .

Oooohh, suspense!

Best not build hopes up too much .

(edit: to reassure you, they won't be part of some bizarre MYOG for the bike )

[MuddyPete]

Not quite . Project still under the wraps for the moment .

Oooohh, suspense!

Don't encourage him .

[thenorthwind]

they won't be part of some bizarre MYOG for the bike

Disappointed.

[Borderer]

When I lived in Toronto, I didn't bother owning a car, just used Zipcar for those odd occasions where I needed one. I've not owned one in nearly 13 years now, though I do cheat since I can borrow my wife's if I need one. An electric car club does sound like a good way to go.

I am trying non-car ownership for a bit to see if I can make it work. The trouble is that although we live in a reasonably well-served small town, the surrounding area is very rural and so public transport is poor. The electric car club might just tip the balance though. Its something like £3.50 an hour to rent one and no fuel costs so really a lot cheaper than driving a conventional car. If I rent a car less frequently than a full day a week I should be quids-in on owning one. It's obviously not as convenient but a lot greener.

[PaulB2]

.a 80mm bolt for the mudguards on the gravel bike

Sh1te , what size spanner for that bolt

Ok, the joke's doubly on me since I didn't double check the bolt size that I found on the internet and it's the wrong size, sigh.

[Verena]

not exactly the postman, but a driver anyway....and brought me a brand new car! Electric! Finally taken the plunge as it were. A Nissan leaf, which will of course be called Twiggy.
All spaceship inside with a ten thousand page manual to read.

My van had to get scrapped this year, so I joined an electric car club in my town. They have a Leaf which I have now driven a few times. Oh wow it is amazing! It pretty much drives itself - it's like sitting there watching a video of someone else driving a car! It does everything for you - puts the wipers on, dips main beam and all sorts of clever things. Just effortless and so quiet to drive. I love it.

Doesn't it just ! I half expect it to tell me off for picking my nose, and it will give me a right bollocking I'm sure when I crash it while being distracted by all the gimmickry! There's even a pedal for if you can't be asked to lift your foot from gas to brake....
It does worry me slightly what would happen when you switch from this back to a more normal car and you've just forgotten about switching lights on and how to brake

[Verena]

When I lived in Toronto, I didn't bother owning a car, just used Zipcar for those odd occasions where I needed one. I've not owned one in nearly 13 years now, though I do cheat since I can borrow my wife's if I need one. An electric car club does sound like a good way to go.

Forgot to say, it's a lease car for work, for driving round Powys for home visits.

[Verena]

Feeling oh so very middle class now

Not without a pizza oven in the garden you're not. Also, don't forget to call your shed a 'cabin'

Phew so I'm at least half pleb still.

Yep those really do seem a strange idea to me. I mean going out into the garden to cook, when you've got a perfectly good oven inside?? Hang on....wait a minute

O and our shed started life as an observatory

[Verena]

...

O and endless, unbearable smugness of course . Especially as this week we've also had a log burner put in. Feeling oh so very middle class now ... to be honest, we've been dreaming of one for seven years or so, and thanks to covid we've been able to spend a bit less over the last year, so silver lining and all that

Ach, and you were doing so well until burners became the latest environmental pariah

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... tion-fires

Ha ha, guilty as charged !

Don't suppose it helps that it's a super eco low emissions DEFRA approved one, we don't live in a city, and we promise only to burn properly dried wood?

How about the survival argument of greater self sufficiency in case of zombie apocalypse or climate change induced collapse of society ??

No? Didn't think so....

It's ok, I'll just stick forks in my thighs every time I light it https://youtu.be/yO4nStCQkCg

[sean_iow]

A GoBites Duo, I'd never heard of them either until I saw them on a YouTube video.

It's a plastic fork and spoon set, shorter than normal cutlery for packing. The genius bit is they clip together to make a long handled fork or spoon for eating out of packets.

I ate my dinner and pudding with them tonight so can confirm they work configured as individual items. I'll try them in the long handle set up at the weekend.

[Bearbonesnorm]

A GoBites Duo

22g!

[sean_iow]

I know, and my long handled ti spoon is only 16g. I had a win on the euromillions and treated myself... well I had to chip in as the win was £3.40 and theses were £3.99

They feel a lot stronger, and they are certainly thicker, than my plastic spork.

[Jurassic]

A PDW Bindle Rack and Revelate Terrapin dry bag to try out. I've been considering a Revelate Spinelock seat bag for ages to stop the dreaded seat pack wag that plagues my Alpkit bag but they keep selling out at the Bikemonger and Bothy Bikes so I decided to try this as an alternative. The combined weight of the rack and bag is less than the Spinelock bag and it may be possible to carry my packraft on the rack (tbc). Hopefully the flaming torch and pitch fork bearing BB anti rack hordes won't descend on me as a result of this decision! I'll report back on the rack (if it's sub standard I'll let you all know).

[ScotRoutes]

Feedback would be great. I'm still after a rack solution for the fatbike.

[sean_iow]

A Thomson seatpost, thanks Greg

[Jurassic]

Feedback would be great. I'm still after a rack solution for the fatbike.

I'll update once I've had some use out of it (which may be a while for obvious reasons). I'm not sure how it's going to work out tbh, I did buy the thing with some doubts and it's not exactly cheap. I've read all the reviews that I could find and the main complaint seems to be the threads in the seatpost clamp bit stripping. I thought that would be easy to rectify if it happened by simply using longer bolts and putting a nut on the other end but now that I've actually seen the thing in the flesh there's very little space to allow that (it would have to be a very shallow nut). Maybe flipping the bolts and counter sinking the heads and putting a nut on the other end might be feasible, dunno. I think if it holds together it should be quite good though.

[Jurassic]

A cheap fat bike wheel bag from AliExpress to hold my fatty wheels when I'm using the alternative 29er wheels (and vice versa). Surprisingly the wheels and tyres actually fit right in and the zips close unlike the more expensive name brand wheel bag that I bought to hold my spare pair of 700c gravel/road wheels. Yay Ali!

[PaulB2]

...and dropped off an acepac stem cell, courtesy of the classifieds.

[JohnClimber]

Pack size


Scrunched up packed size

and from above


Weight

Ok so not superlight, like the DD superlight I sold on here this weekend just gone.
But when you are over 50 you need comfort and this is the all new and improved version of the Woodsman X hammock
Available from a new start up company ran by Nick from North Wales
https://www.dragonhammocks.com/

The one I went for is the single skin Woodsman X as it's the largest one and most importantly for me offers a long flat lay area for my 5' 8" height, I could have gotten away with the non X version but sod it, I'm old and I need comfort.

Just had it up in the works yard but didn't take photos (not very glamorous I can tell you) and the build quality and attention to detail are spot on, It has a bag to store the midge net in overnight if you want that open feeling, 2 hanging pockets on the fixed guy line, 1 to use as a pillow and another for kit

Gonna try it out this weekend and sort out fixing my under quilt to it.

10/10 for service, communications and I went for the titanium tie outs making the whole hanging process easy even on my first attempt. All this for £120 including postage

[Bearbonesnorm]

A copy of ' The Secret Horsepower Race' Western front fighter engine development ... in truth, a title not for everyone but for those with a mechanical leaning, it's packet full of interesting stuff about fighter engine development before and during WWII.