Any question answered...

thanks, i bought some 2 stroke mix, so will get some unleaded for now. need to get PPE too

Cassette question:

I’m looking to use a 10-speed MTB cassette on a 7-speed hub in a ‘9 of 10’ fashion.

The first three cogs are 11-13-15; will I be OK swapping the 13 for a 12t serrated ‘lock cog’, and where can I get hold of one in the UK?

Yeah, totally. I had a license when I was a kid in Canada but hadn't driven since then. I think that helped me get my license a bit quicker, but I certainly wasn't a capable driver when I got back into a car for the first time. This is really why I want to keep at it!

Would doing citycar or whatever and just doing a drive every week/fortnight/month be enough? Not sure how that sort of rental works out for that level of useage

Zipcar are free to join, you only pay per hour used. Good way to try out driving other types of car too, including vans.

Yeah, thanks guys - car clubs are a great idea (and I've already joined). Just thought it may be a bit less... wasteful... to do something useful while driving about. Only so many trips to IKEA I can really imagine taking!

you can offer your services? I don't mean commercially, but I'm sure you know many car-less people who might be glad of a man and van/car every so often.

Doesn’t have a car, just a license.

Yeah, sorry meant licence-less!

Do we have a lockpicking thread? Couldn't find one, maybe I missed it?

I'm sure you've found this one. :)

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/257062/

I'm not sure, I think there may have been one once upon a time, but I think it may have got deleted. I may be imagining this, though.

You have to have had your license a certain amount of time before you can join. 12 months I think. You don’t need to have driven a car at all during that time. Most rental companies are the same or worse.

I’d expect other places that might provide you a vehicle would likely have a similar condition on their insurance.

Yes, I did! But I was looking for something more general.

Enterprise doesn't have that restriction (thankfully).

Christ alive. All I want is a 44 (or 42 at a push) 104 BCD 4 bolt narrow wide chainring that'll work with my existing set up.
Why wouldn't they go up to 42/44? Is there something stopping them from working over 38t?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264553622818

Although I just got a 38t because it was purple, not from that seller but same brand I think, seems fine.

I have one of them and it doesn't mesh with the chain that's on the bike.

I was lying, just checked and mine are branded as motsuv. I think someone at work got one of the snail ones in a 44 that worked, but he's running 8 speed, mine is fine with 10.

I had some like that on 11 speed chain. A few minutes with a file sorted them.

I was trying to avoid that, did you file the sides or the teeth?
The 10-42 cassette is really testing the chainline, it might be better to stick a chain catcher on.

You need to look at where it's catching. I took a fraction of a mm off the sides of the wide teeth one-by-one until it meshed smoothly.

I used Enterprise Car Club for a while when I first got my licence - it's better than the main rental side of the business if you're doing short-ish trips or multiple trips within 24 hours, because their pricing (for a small car) is about £5 per hour up to 6 hours, but £30 max rental charge in a 24-hour period - so if you're going to book a car for 6 hours you may as well book it for 24 as there's no extra cost.

The only catch is that they charge for mileage too, but not much. I tended to get a car for day trips out of town, and we could come back late at night without worrying about returning it before the place closed, just take it back the next morning. Generally cost around £45 including mileage to get from Glasgow to the nearest national park - if you get 3 or 4 in the car it's cheaper than return train tickets an equivalent distance and we could get to hidden spots.

If trips out of town aren't an option or you don't want to drive for its own sake you could ring round local food banks and see if they need stuff collected/delivered...

Yeah - I've signed up and used it once. Seems to work out alright. Got the membership that's a quid more per hour, but also gives you 60 free miles per trip. Did some maths and should be cheaper in most of my imagined use cases. On the whole, though, not much driving necessary on my end so need to find some reasons to keep active at it.

On the RD-7402 the upper pulley wheel has it's teeth made out of metal, whereas the lower pulley wheel is full plastic. Why is this, greater forces on the upper?