Any question answered...

never flown from Stanstead before.... what time should I aim to get there for a 07:50 Ryanair Flight on Friday?

Stansted Airport isn't the issue here... RyanAir however is!!! Be there minimum two hours early if we're talking about an international flight.

If you check in online you don't have to be there that early do you?

never flown from Stanstead before.... what time should I aim to get there for a 07:50 Ryanair Flight on Friday?

if you have already printed out your boarding pass and only have hand luggage, you could skim through in an hour

however, if you make the mistake of long term parking (just don't, the buses take an age), no pass, luggage to check, disruption of the terminal shuttle - then it could take 2 hours

Bombs apparently http://www.atomikclimbingholds.com/bombs

Thanks, cant wait to get my hands on some. Unfortunately I am probably on a MI5 watchlist now.

Noob question but does having toe clips have any effect when riding fixed?

The rather dull and serious answer is, if you are going to be using fixed as a brake you really should have foot retention (toe clips with straps, or clipless... But what ever, your foot should stay attached to the pedals even when they are going faster than a washing machine on spin cycle)... If you have a front and back hand operated brake, it doesn't matter.

Edit, oh have now put the idea of building a climbing wall on my garage ^

never flown from Stanstead before.... what time should I aim to get there for a 07:50 Ryanair Flight on Friday?

I fly with Ryanair from Stansted a lot and never get there earlier than an hour or so before the flight is due to take off. I think they're pretty quick at the security part and there always seems to be a lot of staff there.

What's the best value 3/32nd chain for fixed use?

If you just want cheap, these rebranded YBN chains from CRC are only a fiver, although I'd find the other fiver and get a Wipperman 7Z1 for general road riding.

"If you have already printed out your boarding pass and only have hand luggage, you could skim through in an hour

however, if you make the mistake of long term parking (just don't, the buses take an age), no pass, luggage to check, disruption of the terminal shuttle - then it could take 2 hours."

On average three parties will miss their flight when flying with RyanAir, "Mr if", "Mr could skim through" and you. RyanAir are complete cunts, and should be destroyed in ways so horrible, that frankly I feel physically ill just thinking about it. Like I said, Stansted isn't the problem...

Disclaimer:
I do not condole or encourage acts of terrorism or violence in any shape or form. In accordance with. Who am I kidding... Kill them with fire!

"I fly with Ryanair from Stansted a lot and never get there earlier than an hour or so before the flight is due to take off. I think they're pretty quick at the security part and there always seems to be a lot of staff there."

Mind you, I never fly with Ryanair, haven't done so for five or six years, and would never do so again for all the love and money in the world. Things might have changed for the better, but I very much doubt it.

Mr Lynchman, please entertain us with a csb detailing the exact ways in which Ryanair failed you.
I'm sincerely interested because:
a) I've flown with them a number of times without problem
b) I'm heading to that part of the world again soon

Not so much a specific csb moment, as their appallingly bad customer service and total lack of flexibility and ability and willingness to accommodate business travel and customers with needs above and beyond a seat on an airborne tube coach in general; the list is endless. Okay, so you get what you pay for, nothing. The level of service I expect, and will happily pay for, simply isn't there and can't be acquired either, check-in and boarding times is just one of many examples.

^^^^^ thanks. Better than KMC z610?
How much more would I need to spend to see benefits and. What might they be?

i'm looking for something with the same dimensions/aesthetics as these:

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=RA0093XX&gclid=CKfpvene4rUCFeXLtAode3gAEQ

but stiffer. any ideas?

I once missed a flight because I got lost in the fucking airport and the member of staff I asked for directions took so long to explain that the gate closed before I could get there.

^^^^^ thanks. Better than KMC z610?
How much more would I need to spend to see benefits and. What might they be?

KMC are fine too, as are SRAM, just get whichever one is on special offer. An extra few quid gets you different coatings for corrosion resistance on any of them. Wipperman 7Z1 is a bushed chain, which pretty much nobody else does in 3/32" and few do in 1/8" either. You need to go to £20 for a 7R8 to get a chain which is actually better in its basic structure than any of the cheap options.

i'm looking for something with the same dimensions/aesthetics as these:

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=RA0093XX&gclid=CKfpvene4rUCFeXLtAode3gAEQ

but stiffer. any ideas?

If you want North Road bars, get steel ones.

i'm looking for something with the same dimensions/aesthetics as these:

but stiffer. any ideas?

Nitto make a steel North Road bar (B352), although I think it's a bit narrower than the Raleigh one.

What's the best value 3/32nd chain for fixed use?

If you just want cheap, these rebranded YBN chains from CRC are only a fiver, although I'd find the other fiver and get a Wipperman 7Z1 for general road riding.

^^^^^ thanks. Better than KMC z610?
How much more would I need to spend to see benefits and. What might they be?

KMC are fine too, as are SRAM, just get whichever one is on special offer. An extra few quid gets you different coatings for corrosion resistance on any of them. Wipperman 7Z1 is a bushed chain, which pretty much nobody else does in 3/32" and few do in 1/8" either. You need to go to £20 for a 7R8 to get a chain which is actually better in its basic structure than any of the cheap options.

Is the 7Z1 not a derailleur chain? I'd go Z610 HX for fixed. About a tenner from most places, bike-discount.de have them for £7 (plus shipping though, so only worth it if you were ordering something else at the same time).

On one Mary are a bit like that. ^^^

Is the 7Z1 not a derailleur chain?

No, all the others are but the fact that the 7Z1 has bushes makes it easily the worst choice for your old 5-speed dérailleur set up, even though it, and every other option except the super wide 7R8 would work, just like bushed chains did in the olden days before the Sedis revolution.

I once got to Stansted 25 mins before the gate closed and still got on the Ryanair flight.

It was hectic and I collapsed in a heap when I got to the gate but I made it.

#csb

On one Mary are a bit like that. ^^^

But not enough like it, probably. The different sweep angle makes a big difference to comfort.

How can I get my gloves to smell less disgusting? I'm pretty sure my hands don't smell THAT bad, yet these gloves are awful. I washed them yesterday and they still smell. I really don't want to have to throw them away as they weren't cheap and other than the smell they're great (sealskinz) but if I can't get the smell to go away then I don't have much choice.

An update on my gloves, for anyone remotely interested in my “scientific” experiments. After washing and drying my gloves, I put them in the freezer. I then forgot about them, thought I’d lost them and bought some new ones. In the meantime, a friend came to stay and yesterday found the gloves and thinks I have dementia or something. The gloves have been thawed and I can report SUCCESS! After 2 weeks in the freezer, they no longer smell - AND I have new gloves! Win all round.

Just in time for spring…