Any question answered...

That's definitely a thing, but you should get a prompt on the terminal to insert your card and enter your PIN, not just a straight fail.

I've never experienced that. Only Payment Declined, the same message as if you had insufficient funds. The teller then has to restart the card payment process while I try inserting it to find out if I'm due to enter my PIN or I've been the victim of fraud and I'm now penniless

I'm sure this is the problem since the second card is very recent. However I don't get prompted to enter my PIN, just gets declined so I don't have the option. I suppose I could go to an ATM and get my balance, see if that lifts the block.

OK to MIG weld off the floor? As long as I connect the negative terminal?

Pic added. Bike is off the floor

Edit. Didn't die

1 Attachment

What's the go-to for hollowtech ii road bbs? Cheap and cheerful (read: replaceable) or shell out big bucks?

Have tried to UTFS but swamped with classified ads (second question: is there a way to filter search results on here?)

What's the go-to for hollowtech ii road bbs? Cheap and cheerful (read: replaceable) or shell out big bucks?

Depending on whether you do your own swaps or pay a shop to do them, something like a Hope has to last 3-5 times as long as a Shimano SM-BBR60. Do you fancy taking a punt on that being the case?

Is there an LBS in north London where I could pick up some traditional black cotton bar tape?

Oh, didn't you find the instructions clear enough?

Does anyone have a link to the Flickr album where a guy did a DIY smoke effect on his frame?

How rubbish are these? Just want to be able to use normal shoes on a bike every now and again for nursery drop off, local shops etc.
Seems like a good cheap option unless they’re utter shit, in which case I’ll get dual use pedals.

1 Attachment

I assume http://www.clevermike.co.uk/ would have some. Worth a call to double check though

if not, condor would

Is there a UK-based reseller who has stock of individual Shimano sprockets?
I found the possibility on Bike24
https://www.bike24.com/p2177354.html?menu=1000,4,27
I could do with an 'old bloke hill climbing' cassette that starts with 14-teeth.

You can buy ultegra 14-28 cassettes off the shelf - they are designed for Junior restricted gearing.

https://www.pedalheaven.co.uk/29779/products/shimano-cs-r8000-ultegra-11-speed-cassette-14-28-teeth.aspx

@platypus used to have some until something went wrong i think?

I used these for about 6 months commuting.

They are ok but did eject themselves a couple of times, fortunately nothing bad happened but it could cause a crash if you're unlucky. The biggest downside is that they still have float so don't really provide a stable base, you get used it it after a while but they aren't great.

I've since replaced them with these and the difference is massive, wish I'd done it sooner.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-t8000-xt-mtb-spd-trekking-pedals

Ok cheers - good to know. I reckon I’ll probably give them a miss then and just get some spd/platform pedals of some sort. I’d need the platforms Reasonably often but not for very long journeys - probably not worth getting the XTs, but some £30 jobs might be better than sketchy pedals with a kid on the back.

Thanks for that link.
Touching for you to believe I can get away with a 28.

I've picked up an 11-34, so a 14- and a 16- to replace the 11- and 13-
will be a bit cheaper than a whole new casette.

We have a 'Boycott everything' thread.
Do we have a thread for praising firms with good to exceptional customer service?

^^Smaller chainrings not an option?

Yes I'd definitely avoid them if you have a child seat on the bike.

My partner got some cheap SPD pedals with these included, they are a smaller platform and you need a flathead screwdriver to remove them but they are more stable than the aliexpress aluminium platforms.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Cleat-Clipless-Mountain-Automatic/dp/B07RR8JQD9/

IME, brushed steel Shimano platforms are slick as greased ice if your soles get wet.

Hadn't considered it,
as,
swapping cassettes is pretty easy.
This bike might even end up as a triple.

Thanks - didn't know about clever mike

Anyone know anything about distributing a HDMI signal over coax.
My house has aerial points in each room so I thought I could use them to distribute the picture from my virgin box in the living room to the other rooms.

I assumed that something like this should do it but reading the reviews there's lots of talk about connecting sky boxes to the RF in and the HDMI which I don't understand the reason for (I've never had sky so don't know if it's a sky quirk). I'm not worried about remotes, that will be done over wi-fi.
http://www.technomate.com/store/products.php?product=TM%252dRF-HD-IR

Any ideas on what to go for?

That box turns the HDMI signal into (roughly) a Freeview HD signal, which means the TV in every room needs to have a Freeview HD receiver.

Also, depending on how your coax is wired and whether there are amplifiers involved, you might not be able to feed a signal into the system from the living room socket (i.e. it needs to come through the loft or whatever).

I'd skip the coax and just get generic wireless HDMI boxes, which will be cheaper and much less faff. How many rooms are we talking about?

RF in and the HDMI which I don't understand the reason for (I've never had sky so don't know if it's a sky quirk

I have vague memories that Sky boxes can output a second non-HD TV channel over the RF output.

not me, altho I have had other pedals explode in the past :)