Drooper

Glad to hear you got back out with the guys. I'm sure your mate who tragically lost his life wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I also enjoyed getting out tofday - on my tod, as usual. It was hard going on the hills as I'm not in the best riding shape, but good to be out all the same.

You'll have had time to get an extra few miles in this afternoon?

Cracking day to get out on the bike. I'm about to set off for a wee hurl over the Glen Fruin, back through Helensburgh and over the back road to Balloch and then home. Only about 35 miles in all, but I'm looking forward to getting out for a decent ride for the first time in a while.

So sorry to hear that. I read the news story at the weekend, but didn't guess it might be your club. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to have been there. Truly awful, mate. My thoughts are with his family and the rest of his mates in the club.

FFS, was this your club?

I thought about buying a GPS next year at some point, but have since decided that I want a new bike to put it on first! Now, I deliberately say that I want a new bike. I don't need one, nor am I 100% confident that this time next year I will have one, either. I have to acknowledge that my desire for a new bike is a bit irrational. My current bike is more than adequate for my purposes, and I've only had it for 18 months. If I'm being brutally honest, I don't want a new bike, I want another bike. I have no intention of getting rid of the Cube - I love it. It would be my winter/commute bike. Can I justify this in any way, shape, or form? Probably not. Does that matter? Probably not. Perhaps I should just buy a GPS after all, but....

If you can accommodate it, go sister!

Always the way with these beasts. I love a Subway from time-to-time, but know I can't tackle a 12 incher (phnarr ) so stick with the more manageable 6 inch option (actually, I'm stopping this now, as I'm starting to feel a bit creeped out.... ).

Good stuff (fall excepted of course). Wire brush and Dettol should do the trick for the road-rash

Hmm, I suspect it might come back on you later....bro. ETA: I'm having a fruit salad for lunch

I'm up for that, how much much does she charge (I'm assuming 'take off' is a colloquialism )?

Cracking day for a bike commute, but it was bloody chilly this morning. So much so, than I put the roubaix fleecy bib-tights on for the first time since April. Hardly a breath of wind here either. On my arrival at work, people were queuing up to see me, though, so they were subjected to my lycra-clad glory until 10.45am before I had a chance to get changed. What a way for them to start their weekend

For me, there isn't really such a thing as good or bad when it comes to pace. Some days you feel up for thrashing it, other days you fancy a leisurely trundle, taking in the scenery. Weather conditions and road surface impact, too (as do numerous other variables). Just enjoy it, would be my advice

Looks fine to me. Can't really go wrong at that price.

Yup. I've never tried them, but if you put something along the lines of "using bike rollers" as a search on Youtube, you'll see plenty of footage of people trying to get going on them - pretty entertaining stuff.

Rollers require more skill and concentration by all accounts. I think it takes a while to get used to using them, and inevitably results in a few spills while getting the hang of it. Looks like a laugh, for all that. I fancy rollers, as it seems to me that they would be more like the real thing. Using a turbo is pretty tedious, TBH. When I finally get my man-shed erected next year, I think I'll invest in rollers (assuming I can fit them in, what with the beer fridge, La-Z-boy, and table football ).

I used a turbo trainer occasionally last winter. It's a magnetic affair and isn't too noisy but is bloody hard work. I watched the BBC iPlayer on the laptop while using it to combat the boredom. One thing I would recommend, though, is that you set up a fan (as in 'shit hitting the....') nearby, because you'll overheat and sweat like a labourer's arse crack using the turbo.

Drivel. Have you ever been at a gig (festival maybe) when people have surged forward as the band comes on? Were there fatalities as a result? Pushing people does not cause a disaster. It creates a situation that has to be managed appropriately by those charged with doing this. Your analysis is so simplistic as to suggest you either don't have the first clue, or you don't want to accept any alternative version of events. If the pushing had been enough in itself to account for what happened on the day, why were the dead tested for alcohol levels? And why were their criminal records checked? It would surely have been enough to simply claim that too many people had surged forward. Jostling and pushing can be a feature of crowd environments. Of course it can. And people must assume a level of responsiblity for how they conduct themselves, but to suggest that this is what caused the events of that day is nonsense. The people of Liverpool who have remained aggrieved about how this incident was reported - both officially and in the press - are primarily aggrieved, it appears to me, that the supporters (including the dead) have been blamed for what happened. There is now evidence that, not only were they blamed, but corrupt and illegal means were employed to this end. I'm confident that most of those who have campaigned for the truth to come out would have preferred if no-one had pushed or jostled that afternoon, that things could have been different. I think they are entirely justified, though, in pursuing justice for those who were held up as responsible for the incident - clearing their names to some degree. In some respects. it is similiar to the families of the helicopter pilots who campaigned to have their loved ones absolved of responsibility for the crash in Kintyre in 1994.

Given that you'll be looking at what is effectively a 40% discount on accessories over and above the bike itself, it would be worth sticking a couple of hundred on there to cover the things you're likely to need in due course. That way you'll ultimately be paying a lot less than you would if you pick stuff up as you go along. My advice would be to get a good set of rechargeable lights for your commute.

If you're on a tight budget, buy the absolute essentials, and get the other bits and pieces as you go along. If you intend to commute during the winter, I'd suggest the essentials are a high-viz, water-proof jacket, and decent lights. TBH, that could be your £100 accounted for already, but I wouldn't buy cheap shite, as your comfort, and, more importantly, your life, could depend on having decent quality kit. I haven't mentioned a helmet - that goes without saying. Monkeyblair's advice on that is spot-on. In terms of lights, they fall into two main categories. Be-seen lights are to alert others (ie: motor vehicles) to your presence, while lights to help you see where you are going are higher end, and therefore more expensive for something decent. I use a combination of both for my commute. Obviously, all rear lights fall into the first category, and it is worth having two on your bike. One with a static light, which is better for assisting drivers behind you judge how close you are, while a flashing rear light makes you stand out more. For front lights, I've got a very powerful rechargeable unit. It is almost as bright as a car headlight, and is fantastic for lighting the road ahead, especially in areas with few or no street lights. It is important to judge the tilt of the light, though, so as not to blind oncoming motorists. I also have a 'be-seen' light at the front - mainly as a standby in case the main light fails, but will also have this on flash mode from time-to-time. Dawn and dusk are the times when it is most crucial to ensure that you pay attention to how visible you are to others, as the light conditions are tricky. When its very dark, any bike light is more obvious. During the day takes care of itself unless you go for the ninja approach. A high-vis jacket with some reflective trim, and other reflective bits and pieces on bags, wristbands etc., all help. I don't think you can be too obvious when out on the roads in the late autumn winter. Some folk might think I go a bit OTT in this department, but that is plain daft, IMO. You can't rely on other people to keep you safe.

And I'll appear somewhat padded around the upper trouser area....

Sounds good - I'll have my Pampers on standby

Ah yes....jazz cigarettes! Now you're talking FFS, I think if I were to smoke a joint on top of 8 - 10 drinks nowadays, I would soil myself, to be brutally honest WILLIEA's comments about laughing at middle-aged men pissed up in the town is starting to give me the fear. The abyss is already staring back at me....

TBH, I kid myself on that I can drink, but I'm a bit of a pussy when it comes down to it, so after I've had half a dozen we can order tomato juice and talk about everyone else in sanctimonious tones.

This sounds genuinely hellish. A truly fucking awful way to spend the day. I'm up for it.