Any question answered...

Could you leave a polite note on the car? They might live on the street and just not use it very often.

Or if your neighbours are as curtain twitchy as mine, someone will probably know who it belongs to if they're local.

Yeah I don't think that the scaffolding lorry is a great reason to give out someone's personal info.

A few years ago, there was a Yaris parked outside over Christmas, and its alarm was going off every 15 minutes for days.

I tried to find out the owner's address from the police, but they would only give me clues, and there are 147 houses on my street, so I didn't go knocking.

The owners turned it off eventually, and left an apologetic note on the car.

I reckon I've done my bit - I've posted in the local Facebook group asking if anyone knows whose car it is.

The scaffolders can probably work around it

The scaffolders can probably bump it out of the way

Agreed.

The lady opposite who had spoken to me once and my wife once in 16 years had just knocked on the door asking me to move my car so they can get a skip in.

We had a car block in a hired mini digger. Trolley jack, car skates then put it back after.

car skates

Ooo, that's quite a cheap way to make my own LTN

Stem question.
If I were to want a slender ahead stem that would look ‘okay’ atop a 1 inch headset, which vendor would I be bothering?

For reference - the Prime Doyenne looks like it might be okay, but is there anything more skinny out there?

Any steel stem

which vendor would I be bothering?

Probably somebody at a cycle jumble, swap meet, ebay etc. You're after a natively 1" stem if you want it to look right. As McCamb suggests, a steel 1⅛" stem will be a similar girth to a 1" aluminium one.

Cheers for the steer, both.

cc. McCamb

Deda superlegerra, sworks or extralite tend to be the go to for 1 1/8

The prime one is about as skinny as it gets and is cheap. Superlegerra is the bougie choice. Extradite is full tart mode

I spotted a space round the side of the house, a double bay, and I've parked really badly in it.

I've also deployed a sign in my windscreen that I saved from last time I annoyed someone parking; 'good of you to park in two spaces' with a fairly basic drawing of a phallus. I might double my collection tomorrow morning

Too late now but the usual way is to arrange a parking suspension. My local council requires ~5 working days' notice: https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/parking/parking-bays/parking-bay-suspensions/how-we-suspend-parking-bays/

£37 per 5m space.

Once you apply they come round and put up the signs. They take photos of any cars that are currently parked in the bays that are being suspended.

On the day, if there's a car parked in the suspended bay you give them a ring (they're usually prowling round anyway) and they send a tow truck. If the car was one of the ones parked there when the signs went up they use the tow truck to move the car to another space, no ticket. If the car wasn't one of the ones parked there when the signs went up it gets moved and given a parking ticket.

When we last did it for moving we had to get a car moved in the morning just before the removal van came round. Bastard neighbour eventually came out and had a moan at me saying that the car has been there for weeks and they must have only put the signs up a day ago. I had the pleasure of telling him the bays were empty when the signs were put up, the council has photos of this, so go argue with them.

Of course, this is all dependent on being able to predict the day that the removals/scaffolding lorry/etc will be required.

Waterproof winter overshoes? Anything to know?
Or am I better buying a pair of winter shoes? There seems really limited availability.

I have always used either dhb or altura neoprene, I usually get a couple of seasons out of them before they need replacing.

I keep meaning to invest in a proper pair of winter boots though for my MTB, pushing a bike off road wrecks overshoes.

I have tried so many, even officially testing new Rapha ones and I've never found one that does both warm and completely waterproof.
I used these through last winter and they were amazing.
https://www.gripgrab.com/collections/shoe-covers/products/aqua-shield-high-cut-road-shoe-covers

The first waterproof overshoes that I've actually had dry feet in. They usually let water in the bottom or over the top of the cuff but not these, the extra length is the key bit.
They are flexible enough that I can put them over my shoes even with toe covers on and they do keep my feet a bit warmer anyway due to blocking all the wind and not letting much warm air out.

I’m using neoprene at the moment but feet and shoes are getting wet. They’re not drying much over the day and putting wet shoes back on is grim - and they’re getting smelly because they’re wet for so long.

They’re not drying much over the day

A dehumidifier sorts that out.
I prefer winter boots to overshoes.

They are better for keeping warm rather than fully waterproof, they are good when roads are wet but not in a downpour.

I have a shoe drying rack thing at home and drying closet at work , so mine get dried out fairly quickly.

I think some winter goretex boots would be an improvement but water must still get down through the top in heavy weather.

I would be interested to hear how people get on winter boots.

@eskay
It’s a tricky one. I have a boot drier at home, but I can’t use it at work - can’t use it in the changing rooms or the office.

My feet are getting wet just off road splash at the moment (with well fitted full length guards and neoprene overshoes). So I’m going to try something like these:

https://www.wiggle.com/p/northwave-celsius-r-arctic-gtx-winter-boots

Wasn’t quite ready for how expensive the winter boot options were though!

These look spot on. If I can’t face stumping up for winter boots I think these will be the go to. Thanks.

Those are the boots I have looked at in the past, I think they are probably a decent investment. Report back if you get them.

I had the sidi gore tex boots. They’re waterproof but at ankle height, they’re pretty useless as water immediately enters over the top and soaks the whole foot. I haven’t bothered with winter boots in a couple of years now.
Personally I would just look for a couple of overshoes that can be stacked. One for warmth, one for dry. It needs to be calf height and tight at the calves to keep your feet dry.