Any question answered...

35-50nm

Assuming its the old type with the octalink BB.

I want to do 40 Neutrons but it seems very fine thread.

It's M15×1.0 for Octalink isn't it? Same thread as the centre bolt on Ultratorque, and the numbers on those are 42Nm to 60Nm. I'd say 40Nm is fine for Octalink/ISIS crank bolts if they are steel bolts and steel axles. The Shimano SI says 35Nm to 50Nm

Thanks @mdcc_tester and @Howard. Tightened and not stripped!

You'll be fine off-peak. In a 4 coach train the bike section will be either in the 2nd or 3rd (more commonly 3rd) coach. If it's the white rolling stock the door to the bike bit has two blue triangular flashes above it. If it's the newer blue rolling stock, the door to the bike bit has a red band down the side of it. I'm pretty sure Southeasterns booking system doesn't allow you book a bike rezzie.
I've never had an issue with getting bike onto one of their trains - it's a journey I do regularly. If the bike section is full when you get on, put your bike in the doorway opposite to the one you used to board. The doors on that side won't open until the train gets to Bromley South - by which time you will be gone.

Can someone come up with an explanation as to why one of my colleagues is randomly sent a pokemon card in the mail to our work address. One every few months for two years now. Hand written envelopes, different hand writing every time, some are being sent from Australia. Da fuq?

Ha that's brilliant. I might dig out my childhood collection and start terrorising friends with pokemon post.

Powder coat over existing powder coat.
Possible?
It's the Ikea Melltorp frame - currently in white, want it black.

No.
And paint is unlikely to stick to it either.
In fact, very little will stick to powder coating.

Could someone please explain to me the shift to internal/integrated head sets?

It happened more or less simultaneously with Bottom bracket bearings going outboards. I understand the BB thing as it let's you have a bigger axle in the same BB shell. But the headset thing is a mystery to me.

Why would there be two almost opposite evolutions going on?

Could someone please explain to me the shift to internal/integrated head sets?

If you wrap the headtube around the bearings you get a bigger head tube and more surface area on to weld interestingly shaped top and down tubes. I'm not going to claim Cannondale were the first to do this but they were at the forefront - it made sense for them. They called it the Si headtube. You get a bigger bearing, too. Stiffer + lighter at the expense of durability.

It happened more or less simultaneously with Bottom bracket bearings going outboards.

Not really - outboard bearings had been around a long time but Shimano and Campag hadn't really got on the train. Once Shimano did it became the accepted way of running a modern, durable stiff crank, but the tech had been around a long time. Pretty much at the same time - early 2000s - we had BB30 on top end race bikes.

I understand the BB thing as it let's you have a bigger axle in the same BB shell. But the headset thing is a mystery to me.

Outboard uses an existing standard and cludged a bigger, hollow, stiffer axle in to it. The advantages stopped there. BB30 and whatnot achieve this and more; the new, wider press fit BB designs let carbon bike designers do interesting things with chainstay length, clearance, downtubes... and linkages on MTBs. Outboard is a stop-gap.

Why would there be two almost opposite evolutions going on?

Outboards were an evolution and 30mm pressfit BBs + drop in headset bearings were a revolution. My race XC bike has headset bearings that are pressed in to the frame...with a headset press. Go figure :)

Thank you very much! I thought there was more to it than I could think of.

Thanks JurekB and H20 for the advice, I did it, whahey! Actually I went on to Herne Bay for some nosh then back to Whitstable for a quick Pint in the micropub before getting the train back. I've never done that before, a Fixie + train adventure for me :)

Anyone who knows about wearable tech able to tell me why this is a bad idea? Seems cheap and attractive.

http://www.withings.com/us/en/products/steel-hr

I think @Sparky has one ..

On overall wearables, its the software that has failed the market not the hardware. Too many barriers put by OS and manufacturers .. its not as seamless as it should ideally be. Kinda like garmin on bikes, clunky mainly due to bureaucracy.

I commute on a Genesis Equilibrium Disc. Commute has a lot of towpath/gravelly stuff but the bike can take max 25mm tyres with a mudguard. It's also a relatively aggressive riding position.

I bought a (basic, cheap) cross bike recently and commuted a couple of times on that, and the position was much more comfortable.

Is it daft to think about selling the two of those and getting one bike that I could switch wheelsets and take on/off a rack and use for cross and commuting?

I've found a few decent-looking options but I was wondering what suggestions there were for a bike with:

-hydraulic discs (preferably SRAM but not too fussed)
-rack mounts
-clearance for 35mm tyres at least
-relatively light weight

The new Genesis Vapour carbon 10 has caught my eye but wouldn't take a rack. The Caadx Ultegra looks great but the colour scheme is pretty foul.

Owt else? Because I'd be selling a Genesis, swapping it for something more 'mainstream' would be a bit of a shame unless it was really special.

Just started dicking around with these things.

The bands and watches that have Optical HR built in to them are not as accurate as HR straps, as I understand it. That said, they seem to do OK. There's some medical grade ECG sensors on the horizon, and when they come along, HR straps will go away for runners and whatnot.

@Amey is kinda on the right lines when he says the App software is a key part, but I don't agree that it isn't great because iOS / Android put barriers in the way. The software I've seen for Fitbit and the Mio strap that I have is very polished. Setting things up was easy.

As the hardware gets cheaper and cheaper to integrate - all watches will have them one day - it's the software and the way it's positioned that will be the dealbreaker.

£15!

Garmin's software remains horrible because they try - as ever - to do everything and, and end up doing everything poorly as a consequence.

Arkose. Mine.

I think you'd get fed up switching between the two 'modes' though. Great in theory, but you're going to have to take off rack, muduards, change tyres, probably pedals...

Mason Bokeh - spendy but sexh

I've owned other withings stuff, seems fairly nice but, as with all of them, the software has its quirks.

The main issue with this and a lot of similar stuff is that the novelty wears off. These, step counters and the like are OK for basic information but tend to either get upgraded (eg a Garmin with HR zones, GPS, etc) or stuck in a drawer after a while.

Just change wheelsets - one with CX tyres, one with Marathons. Clip on mudguards, same ATAC pedals...

Definitely don't think I'll be able to afford that!

I have that xiaomi band. Its good the app is a copy of Withings app and is shit.

What about http://www.carbonda.com/road/gravel/cfr505.htm ?

Mine is on its way.

700x38/40 and guards.
650x48 and guards.

Its good the app is a copy of Withings app and is shit.

Heh. Without the app it doesn't do anything. That said, the android app seems to have acquired 22k 5 star reviews and 22k 1 star reviews.

What is wrong with it, if you don't mind me asking?