Drooper

Good sense of humour, too. Great guy! Sorry, I missed where it was you work....

You know, its a funny thing, but you've always been my favourite poster on here....

It was an interesting watch. I like Brian Cox. Honest, authentic, and earthy. A bit like a good malt, in fact

I've heard great things about the 12 year old Scapa. Reviews of the 16 year old are a bit more mixed, but, as you say, I got it for a great price, so I won't have lost anything if it isn't the best (in any event, I'll enjoy finding out!)

Wanky Arrogance?

Amen to that!

I took delivery of a bottle of 16 year old Scapa and a 10 year old Aberlour last week, courtesy of a colleague whose father-in-law used to work for Diageo, and therefore receives a discount on a very lovely selection of tipples each month. I asked for 12 miniatures of Absolut vodka to be thrown in for my daughter's Christmas. The total cost? £35 RRP? Something in the region of £105 I've never tried the Scapa, but at less than £16 for the bottle, what's to lose? 10 year old Aberlour is one of the best low costs malts money can buy, so you can't go far wrong with that (not least at £11). Apologies for sounding a bit smug, but I can't help it....

CHAPEAU WIGGO! Sports Personality of the Year. Thoroughly deserved, another great result for cycling.

Sorry to hear about your spill. Take it easy, and rest up for a while. Hopefully the bike will be okay, but the most important thing is that you're okay (for the most part).

With a 15mph tail-wind.

Cheeky bugger! When I say 'well in excess', I'm talking about hitting 31, sometimes 32mph

Much as I think designated cycle lanes have their place (there is a good one in my area that runs from Balloch to Helensburgh, for example), they can't be regarded as a means of getting cyclists off the main roads. First off, there are all the issues already highlighted, but there is also the simple fact that we are as entitled as anyone else to be out there, and it is the reponsibility of everyone who uses our road network to accept this and adapt their behaviour accordingly. I was cycling over to Helensburgh on the road earlier this year, and an old buffer driving towards me was gesticulating towards the adjacent cycle path, indicating that I should be using that. Needless to say, I didn't welcome his intervention. If I am averaging around 18mph during a ride, and hitting speeds well in excess of 30mph at points, I don't think it is a good idea for me to be weaving my way past families with their kids on bikes with stabilisers, or old couples walking their mutts etc. That would be more hazardous than me cycling in a perfectly reasonable manner on the road. Infrastructure is one issue that has to be looked at, but attitudinal change is at least as important. I try my damnest to be a courteous cyclist, and I'm 100% convinced this pays dividends. I try to acknowledge a courtesy - eg: when a van has sat a decent distance behind me until the driver has an opportunity to pass me leaving a safe gap, i'll give a wee thumbs up as they pass - and I've had drivers stick their hazards on or waved an acknowledgement in return. I always adopt an assertive position in the road, but never shoot red lights or take unnecessary risks by weaving in and out of traffic in order to gain a few seconds advantage. You only get folks' backs up when you ride like this, and it isn't worth it, in my experience.

Link to shite BBC documentary in case you missed it: Shite BBC Documentary In Case You Missed It

Aye, I tuned in too. I thought it was mostly at the shit end of the range (almost entirely there, in fact). Whatever else the documentary achieved, it won't have served to foster more positive cyclist/other road users relations. The guy who was consistently on from the start (with the glasses), was a cock, while the vigilante type who referred to himself as Traffic Droid or some such clearly requires psychiatric treatment. Most of the motorists were rockets too. It was poor TV, and considering it was given a prime-time slot, and there was an opportunity to actually try to constructively address some of the important issues surrounding cyclists and other road users sharing the highways, it was also a monumental opportunity missed.

I'll look into silk inners (MATRON!), cheers. I've got a pair of heavy duty Trek winter gloves that I used to use on the MTB, and they'd probably take a pair of liners. I haven't used them on the road bike as they seemed a bit bulky, but I reckon I'll have to try them out as I can't go through another morning like yesterday.

My youngest was diagnosed with Raynauds last year, but, like the pictures in your link, her hands go strange colours, while mine just go a bit red but hurt like buggery. That said, you might well be on the money.

When I got into work this morning, my hands were so cold I felt physically sick I was wearing waterproof, windproof, Polaris winter gloves, but my circulation seems to be fucked recently, so I'm not sure if even the most expensive gloves would do that grand a job. I'm fine up to about 2 - 3 degrees, but anything below that is nightmarish. The roads were very dodgy on the road home, so the bike will be staying in the shed tomorrow, unfortunately (at least me fingers will remain attached to my hands).

What was the series called. I'll check it out, cheers.

Aye, I thought the film was a bit shite, and imagine the book was far superior. As you say, he's a self-effacing guy (or certainly comes across that way), and I liked his writing style. I'll look out for his other material.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. It was billed as 'laugh out loud funny', and full of 'belly laughs'. Er.....no. It was quite amusing at bits, and generally quite interesting and informative (even disturbing at times), and certainly worth a read. Prior to that, I read The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd. Another decent read, and quite eerie and atmospheric, if a tad disjointed in the plot at times. Before that, I enjoyed The Tao of Muhammad Ali. An interesting take on Ali, and written in a way that makes a change from the typical boigraphy affair.

I intended to build my own bike this year, but it didn't come to anything. The plan was to polish up my maintenance skills and also have a unique, bespoke bike at the end. The plan didn't seem so attractive when I started to price components, though. Off the shelf bikes benefit from economies of scale, and you can buy a bike that costs the same as the groupset and frame alone, but obviously includes wheels, stem, seatpost, saddle, etc....etc.... Don't get me wrong, I still fancy the idea, and will always be on the lookout to scavenge bits from here and there, but I reckon you could buy a better-specced ready-built bike for £700 than you would end up with if you built it up yourself (unless you inend to beg, borrow, and/or steal the bits).

Snap! In saying that, with Di2, one-size-fits-all You'd need to invest in a frame that would be compatible, as far as I know, but that would be the only downside in picking up one of these bikes (even if it isn't in your size), stripping it down, punting what you don't need and biulding up your new Di2 equipped steed. If I had the wedge, I'd be seriously considering it - though the titanium offering from Planet-X might win the day. Ah....decisions, decisions. Then again, I don't have the wedge, so it is a bit academic

I'd like to try a bike set up with both SRAM and Campag. I like the look of Campag brake hoods - they look more ergonomic and comfortable that Shimano, which are a bit bulky when, like me, you've got smaller hands. The new Campag electronic shifters seem to get well reviewed, and I don't doubt that SRAM won't be far behind in developing their own version. Wiggle had a bike on sale recently - a full carbon machine with Di2. The cost of the bike was £1700. I can imagine some people might have been tempted to buy it for the groupset alone (to transfer to another frame) and then to sell off the decent component parts or use them to build up another bike. ETA: link to Wiggle sale bike (price is actually £1800, but still much cheapness for a Di2 equipped beastie!): Prorace Deamon Titan

Like you, I've never used them, my bike is all Shimano. A colleague at work bought a SRAM equipped carbon bike from Planet-X and did say that it took a bit of getting used to, but he seems happy with the quality and smoothness of shifting etc. I suppose it is just a case of adapting. I also bought a largely Shimano-specific tool set last year that set me back about £130, though I'm not sure if that alone is reason for me to avoid SRAM and Campag

Planet X have got a fantastic offer on a Van Nicholas titanium bike with SRAM Force groupset. The frame retails around £700, while the groupset is similar. Add wheels, saddle, seatpost etc., and £1499 is a cracking deal: http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBVNEUROS/van_nicholas_euros_sram_force_titanium_road_bike Now, if only I had a spare £1500.... ETA: the bikes weighs in a paltry 7.6kg!