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I sit opposite this guy who types with one finger, and can only hammer his keyboard, it's so bad I often leave the office with a headache.

I've mentioned it a few times, suggested he tries some kind of soft keyboard to save his fingers from injury (!) but all falls on deaf ears - and I'll have deaf ears soon if it doesn't stop.

Any ideas what I can do apart from finding a new job?

I tired a few Boris Bikes on Sunday for the first time, gears seem a bit pointless but I was impressed, great fun nipping around on them and not having to worry about locking up etc. Only pain was finding a docking station when I got back to Victoria.

Boris Bike?

Beat me to it! 'Hire' one for a quid and don't return it - they'll charge you £300. When you're ready to go home call Boris and tell him about your 'mistake' and see if he'll split the difference, if not sell it on ebay/gumtree lol

LOL! love that cool cat!

Hi,

I wanted to replace the bar tape and rubber hoods on my s/h paddy wagon. Tektro don't sell the rubber hoods so I had to buy a new pair of levers, which of course are a different design (so I couldn't just swap the hood covers).

That meant new bar tape, fine, as the current stuff was OK but a bit dull. I bought some fizik dual tape, black with a grey stripe (to match the mid grey colour frame). It's very thick/cushioned tape and I was told, tricky to fit. Oooops

Then I found I had to fit new cables (had to cut the old ones to get the levers off). So a 'quick' job turned into a project!

Job done, the bar tape was fine to fit (my first attempt) and it's REALLY nice!

No point to this thread really, I'm just feeling pleased with myself and my smarter looking bike!

I'm thinking of yellow tyres now (it's got yellow highlights on the Kona badges) or red, or one of each............

Hi, a mate might be interested in the Paddy Wagon, can you send me details/pics? Cheers

I can't resist picking up old cameras, I bought one of these the other week - well I think of it more like giving a stray dog a home! http://members.tripod.com/nigel_richards/Othercameras/rollie_baby_grey.htm

And here's a few photos from it; http://www.flickr.com/photos/36227452@N00/sets/72157626233701392/

And these were taken with a couple of 1903 vintage Kodak Brownies http://www.flickr.com/photos/36227452@N00/sets/72157626052878855/

looks like poor agitation in the tyres pic, you can see faint traces as the dev has moved through the sprocket holes

That's definately an agitation issue, or if stand developed then it must have been caused by the flow of developer into the tank, but it's usually a symptom of insufficient agitation. Nice photos though.

Spoon was recommended to me by someone, it's fine, seems comfortable enough to me.

Charge Spoon. It's the only saddle you ever need!

As the old saying goes, you pay for what you get.

I see Sports Direct are advertising some mens Hybrid looking bike for £49. Why pay more!

Any face to face retail experience will mostly come down to how helpful/friendly/efficient the staff are. Opinions of a chain like Evans will come down to the individuals working in the branches so some will have good experiences others bad.

I found the staff in Croydon very helpful - they all seem to ride SS/fixes too - offered to get any bikes I wanted to test ride set up (although I ended up buying a s/h bike), and I took advantage of their 'fix it' session which was really helpful for me. They organise rides and bike demo days and stuff that gets people involved which is great so as a customer I'm quite impressed with them.

When I was looking for a bike I went to several branches of Cycle Surgery and they were really dreadful - I'd gone out that day intent on buying a bike. Evans didn't have the one I wanted in stock and I was feeling impatient. I fancied a Charge Plug I saw in CS even though I hadn't intended spending that much. First branch, guy on the phone talking to a mate by the sound of it, even though I was obviously waiting for service I was ignored so left - he paused his conversation to shout 'bye' as I left though, which was very nice of him. Wanker.

Next CS branch, assistant talking to woman with dog about dog, comes up to me and I explain I'm interested in a SS, he tells me I really don't want one of those, says I must have gears and suggests I pick a catalogue up on the way out and come back once I've read up on the bikes they have for sale!!!! Double wanker.

I gave up at this point, planned to go back to Evans Croydon the next day for a bike I'd seen there, but then browsing ebay that night I found I liked the look of.

That was my bike shop experience anyway!

Just found this thread - kewl! No time to read thru it right now but I'm a film user, I've got digitals too but just much prefer the look of film and using film cameras, 35mm and 120, but I bought a baby Rolleiflex the other day which takes 127 film.

Used Joes Basement back in the day too.

Here's some photos I took of the London/Brighton veteran car rally last year using a couple of 1900/1903 Kodak box cameras (period to the age of the cars) and 120 film http://www.flickr.com/photos/36227452@N00/sets/72157626052878855/

Excuse my ignorance but if you glue a ball bearing into your binder bolt to deter sticky fingers. How do *you *get it off?

I'm paranoid about getting my bike/saddle whatever stolen.

Surely you'd need to glue ball bearings in the seatpost clamp and the clamp holding the saddle on? Can they be 'chipped' out with a very small file or is using solvent the only way? Doesn't it damage the paintwork?

Perhaps its best just to have a really crappy bike?

Southwark Tavern on the edge of Borough Market and the George on Borough High St are worth a stop.

Mightyquin, get to it, sounds interesting. Fill out the form in the op and email through to lfgss.book@googlemail.com

Will do! Will be doing the 'research' and photography this weekend and next, so I'll get it in by the deadline. Be fun doing it, even if it doesn't make it into print!

More...be friendly to newbies, we all have to start somewhere! Don't ignore a customer because he's a bit 'lost', like the wanker at Cycle Surgery who couldn't even be arsed to finish his personal phone conversation to help me Grrrrrrr!!!!!

The DIY or while u wait service ideas are good, buy something new and have it fitted there and then!

+1 for a late night and Sunday opening, not all Londoners live/work in central, like me down here in sarf Lahndahn.

I like the idea of this, I'm new to SS and new to the forum, will definately buy a copy.

I've got an idea for an article too, but would need to spend Sunday cycling round some pubs in town to put it together...

Sounds like fun! How long is the race, can't see much detail on the link. Anyone know what the course is like, could I do it on a paddy wagon?

Wobbly, don't worry. I tried to buy a bike at Cycle Surgery, in person, and was completely ignored. You're doing well if you've got an e mail from them!

If you're worried phone them. They might still ignore you of course, but my guess is that the automated interweb ordering system they use won't allow 'queries' so your e mails fall into a big black hole.

Should have gone to Evans!

I paid £200 for my s/h Paddywagon. Evans are selling the Mongoose Maurice for £260. (did I do the right thing buying the Kona instead?!).

Excellent service from USE. I found that a part on the USE seatpost on my s/h Paddy Wagon was broken, I phoned them to find out where I could get a replacement and they just posted it to me.

That's great customer service.

As a reformed cyclist I've been to most of the bike shops in and around my area and Central London. Have to say I was less than impressed by some of them including specific shops mentioned already. I was ready to buy a bike, wallet with cash in my pocket, but ignored, or in one shop with a good array of SS bikes "you don't want to buy any of those mate".

Anyway, best so far was Evans Croydon for their very useful and free bike maintenance workshop, 2 hours of tuition and Q&A, and basically got my secondhand ebay buy checked over and adjusted in the process.

The workshop is probably irrelevant to most on here but the guys in the shop were really into SS/Fixed bikes too, so definately going back there when I need stuff and want to upgrade.

I'm new here but would love to join a pub bike crawl ride.

Couple of more suggestions, The Seven Stars nr Chancery Lane - Thomas Payne the resident cat and Roxy Beaujolais the barmaid! Pub pre-dates the Great Fire of London and has the steepest stairs to the toilets... The Grenadier off Hyde Park, former officers mess and haunted by a soldier supposedly killed over a game of poker. The Princess Louise in Holborn, renovated victorian gin palace, The Olde Cheshire Cheese, just a few of my occassional haunts.