Any question answered...

My relatively unimaginative colleagues have asked me what I would like as a leaving present. It's difficult as I don't know how much money there'll be, so so far my suggestions include: cash, lots of dry shampoo and booze. Apparently none of these will do as they want to get me something cycling related. Can anyone think of anything? I really don't want to end up with another wicker basket (leaving present from my last work...).

mdcc would say loads of chains, you'll end up using them all eventually

Get them all to sign a direct debit into your account for £4/month

I have a large rickshaw zero messenger:

http://www.rickshawbags.com/customize/custom-bag/fabric_selection/large-zero-messenger

Does anyone know of someone in london who could add some straps and buckles to the front? Want it to be a bit more useful

Is there an easily obtainable compatible band-on for Simplex retrofriction downtube shifters, probably the second chunkier type? I can´t seem to find a consensus anywhere on whether campag ones work for example - should I wait for a fairly rare band on version of the levers to come up?
Cheers.

@hats: heat pads for gloves/pockets, cycling food aka sweets, these: http://leduswheelus.com/ (but not if they are likely to buy crappy alternatives off amazon)

I overheard this in the pub

"The wife got a Samsung Galaxy S3 the other day and she has already smashed the screen.

How long do you reckon from me insuring it to me claiming to have it fixed?"

Two weeks.
I thought about saying but kept out of it as it is illegal.

I'd wait at least a month before contacting the insurance company, but then I am a coward when it comes to such things. Have you checked to see if it is covered on your home insurance? You may not need to wait.

Brand new phone -> more likely to have accidents

or

Brand new phone -> deadly careful until you become complacent and eventually drop it

not sure which is most plausible. Your wife is in the former, I am in the latter. :-$

How long do you reckon from me insuring it to me claiming to have it fixed?

How long do you reckon from your announcing your conspiracy to commit fraud to getting a visit from Mr Plod?

It was for a friend of a mate innit.

Forgot about house insurance so I....he is going that route.

It was for a friend of a mate innit.

That still makes you a co-conspirator, same gaol time for everybody involved.

I'll shit your gaol time*

*by shit I mean be a prison wife and cry till I hang myself.

Half decent multi tool. With a knife obviously for the leaving work massacre you have planned.

snottyotter in sensible idea shocker (the first bit of your idea anyway...), thanks!

Get them all to sign a direct debit into your account for £4/month

Dammit wins 2nd prize, thanks also.

Is there an easily obtainable compatible band-on for Simplex retrofriction downtube shifters, probably the second chunkier type? I can´t seem to find a consensus anywhere on whether campag ones work for example - should I wait for a fairly rare band on version of the levers to come up?
Cheers.

I read a similar query a while back: someone found a spares diagram showing the band-on and braze-on variants had different parts.

IIRC it was only a couple of washers or suchlike, so you might be able to bodge it.

If you can be arsed, I think it was on RB.

snottyotter in sensible idea shocker

Why do people have this impression that I only talk bollocks. I'm literally full of good ideas. I inserted them all myself.

i dunno... could be a fluke. give us another good idea for something to prove you're not just talking bollocks.

I gots nuffin.

So, I'm looking for a couple of UK versions of the Triad WSU075-1000 (see http://triadmagnetics.com/pdf/WSU-Series%20datasheet%20(2012).pdf )

Spec:

• input 100-240 volts AC
  
• output 7.5 volts DC
  
• output 1 Amp
  
• 11mm long, 2.1mm interior center positive barrel jack
  Can anyone point me at some for a resonable price?
  

How do they work?

Here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-mode_power_supply

looked at http://www.tandyonline.co.uk/ ?

is there an online thing where I can collect a personal database of books? I tend to work on lots of different computers and I'm rubbish at remembering where references come from, or what that book I read last year is called, and something I could log-in to from anywhere and made it easy to search for books by keyword, title, author etc would be great. maybe it could even automatically order things alphabetically or something. does this thing exist?

readernaut might work.

http://doughellmann.com/2009/06/using-readernaut-for-taking-notes-on-books.html

scratch that i just logged in to my account and they've royally fucked the site up somehow. almost unusable now.