Search results for:

It doesn't install. And the page about installation seems to be aimed at techies. https://mpv.io/installation/ But I went here anyway https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpv-player-windows/files/ , clicked on Download Latest Version and got a file called bootstrapper.zip, which opened a very scary multicolour window with a command line. No thanks. I rate this the worst technical help I've been given for a long time.

Does anyone know about video camera settings for Youtube? I've got a Gopro 9 and have made some fat files which my PC isn't powerful enough to play smoothly. They're 2.7k resolution and 60 fps. I think they're HEVC. Plus there are Protune settings which I know nothing about. I'm now using Any Video Converter in an attempt to make them playable on my PC without ruining the quality.

Those are some terrific ideas- thank you very much. Never heard of carbon tow, but it looks ideal.

As for tube width, I'm tempted to start with 2mm rod, if only for the excitement. Doesn't matter if the prototype breaks. And imagine a rack made of bits which are so thin that you can hardly see them!

I'm already mentally committed to triangles. Barnes Wallis is my inspiration. Getting compression will be a challenge. I'm no good at conceiving a design in my head. Didn't even pass Physics O level. So it'll be trial and error. I thought I might start by making something out of dowel.

Did I describe this wrong? The Clavicula arms are 175. The Sram ones on my bike are 172.5.

The rings are 34 and 50. The cogs are (or will be) 11-36. Just within the capacity of the mechs, I think. Hopefully OK for climbing with a loaded bike. We shall see. I'm trying to recover from ME/CFS. Am v. weak cos I've hardly been on a bike for 10 years. My touring plan is basically a big dose of Graded Exercise Therapy. I think it's my best (and only) way of beating the ME and having a normal life. I'm getting on a bit, so I fear this may be my last chance. I've tried touring as therapy quite successfully before, but some unfortunate things happened and I had some rather severe relapses.

The weight weenie fixation is both practical and psychological. My steel tourer is 25 lbs or more unladen, and probably 70 lbs with bags on my last trip. I've developed a fear of its weight...carrying it up the stairs at a railway station, or hoiking it over some barriers to cross a road. I live in a third floor flat and it's such a relief to have light carbon bike when carrying it up and down stairs.

Here's my steel bike. 853 randonneur with exery braze-on known to man. I built it on Dave Yates' framebuilding course.

The campervan is another way to prevent relapses. When I'm tired I can pull over and sleep anywhere. Same story having camping gear on the bike.

Extreme measures like carbon rings also have a psych benefit. The gleeful joy of having bits which for decades I've been telling myself are out of bounds...how do I describe it? It's like Father Christmas being real and actually popping out of the fireplace. Of course, if they start snapping and getting me stranded in the middle of nowhere, I'll develop some new fears.

I've also bought this on a bit of a whim. New rings, used crankset:

My excuse is that these cranks are, according to my Cyclefit file, the recommended length for me, whereas the Sram cranks which came with my second hand bike are 25mm too short. The weight saving will be roughly 200 grams. I think. I don't know what BB is on my bike. Don't know anything about the shell either. But a Clavicula is a badge of honour for any self-respecting weight weenie.

The Clavicula is 104 BCD, so I suppose I'll be needing custom rings for the rest of my life. I'll try to keep wear to the absolute minimum. The chainring instructions say not to put pressure on the pedals when using the FD. I wonder if I should give the teeth a sacrificial layer of nail varnish or epoxy resin?

I'm on the brink of ordering some materials:

• 3mm rod https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/3mm-carbon-fibre-rod for the tent poles, which will double as the major struts of the rack. I have no idea whether this rod is strong enough or agreeably bendy. It's 22 grams per metre. Is that too conservative? Should I try 2mm rod first? https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/2mm-carbon-fibre-rod It's only 4.5 grams per metre. I'm tempted.

• if I get the 3mm rod I'll get a bit of 5mm tube, which has an inside diameter of 3mm, to make ferrules. https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/5mm-pultruded-carbon-fibre-tube If I get the 2mm rod I'll get a bit of 3mm tube https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/3mm-pultruded-carbon-fibre-tube

I can test the poles by using them with my current tent. It's a single skinned freestanding thing and the fabric weighs about 800 grams. It has 2 poles which cross each other diagonally and fit into little pockets.

To join the rack struts to each other and to attach them to the bike, I'm thinking pieces of rubber hose and Sugru.

She had her first ride today, and there was less grumbling than expected, so off we go. The project has a green light. I pointed the Gopro in more or less the right direction so I now need a crash course in editing for youtube. Advice gratefully received. I got talking to a ten year old and he suggested Shotcut.

Thanks. Why do they have different layers to the pyramid? And how do you move up (or down)? I started following Valcar recently...they're not at the top level, yet they have the current world road champion and several members of the Italian team for the track worlds.

How does the structure of UCI women's teams work? Pro teams seem to be in a different category to WorldTeam teams. I think. Then there are Continental teams...are they something else?

I'm imagining this as a speed machine with modern components.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/304189183539?mkevt=1&mkcid=16&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&media=GMAIL

I don't know! Not read any. But surely the cat psychologists have a reading list? (Or do they just make it all up?)

I don't have any more third-hand tips I'm afraid. Maybe it's time to buy a cat psychology book? Your scenario sounds quite unusual, what with the cats having such different regimes, and the imbalance in the fighting.

Perhaps Higgs used the tray because she didn't want to go outside, or she wanted to dominate James? You could buy two more trays and see what happens.

Something to do with UV light and bacteria? Maybe. Science isn't my strong point. I once rescued a suitcase which had been doused with every known cleaning agent, but the cat stink never quite disappeared. I left it on the roof for a month. Now it can actually have human clothes put in it.

As an alternative to sunshine you can use UV bulbs. Which are also good for extending the life of a camera lens by killing any mould spores. (More of a problem with vintage lenses I think.) You can put a bulb inside a cardboard box so the UV light doesn't have undesirable effects. https://sensorex.com/blog/2020/01/22/does-uv-light-kill-mold/ I seem to remember that some people do this to sanitise pre-worn shoes....other people's fungus can be very persistent. The bloke who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb was killed by the Pharaoh's fungus.

Friends had a similar problem and consulted a cat psychologist. When two cats in one dwelling are enemies, the aggressor needs two or three litter trays. If there are cat flaps, each cat needs its own one. It's all about territory and smells. James wants dominance. He might compromise if he has more than Higgs, but he might not settle down until their zones are fully separated.

Sunshine eventually kills even the worst cat piss smell. If bleach and so on don't work, just leave the doormat outside for a few weeks.

That sounds ideal-thank you.

Cool. That's much more serious than what I had in mind. What do you use - a paintbrush? Is epoxy as runny as paint?

There are lots of videos about redoing the epoxy resin coating on carbon fibre, but they're all for big projects, involving power sanders and proper spraying of resin and then power polishers. What about fixing little chips, especially when your workshop is the kitchen table and you don't want to wreck the joint? So far I've tried polishing by hand with Novus plastic polish, and filling with extra strong nail varnish. These have been OK for disguising chips so they're not noticeable unless you look closely. But I would like to get a smooth finish on flat and curved surfaces.

Cats are so beautiful...I wish I could have 20. Or 50. But mine hates all living things, except foxes.

Here's my collection. I like them all but perhaps the only hardcore porn is the Rockstead in the middle. It's a Sai Tanto-Honzukuri https://www.rockstead.jp/collection/detail.html?id=311&category=knife. The axe is RAF firefighter gear, for rescuing people from burning aircraft. It's been chromed, probably as a retirement gift, but I've put an edge on it anyway. Also a bayonet for a British army SLR. Also a cheap imitation of a Ka-Bar.

I'm not good at sharpening. I've bought some so-called easy sharpening gadgets, but I reckon I should buy the same stones as JurekB and do the Blenheim Forge course. I particularly want the Rockstead to be as sharp as it was when new, when I shaved with it, dry. Not a good idea, but if I shaved wet I reckon the knife could double as a razor when cycle-camping, saving precious grams! Rockstead offer free sharpening but you have to pay postage to Japan both ways. The day I got it I chipped the blade by cutting along a metal ruler and cackhandedly cutting into said ruler. I was heartbroken. But I made the stropping gadget recommended by Rockstead, bought their recommended polish, and after not too much work the chips had gone. https://www.rockstead.jp/maintenance/

What a great idea. Almost makes me want to get married.

Is it the case that reservations are necessary for the fancy high speed mainline trains, but not for the local trains, the ones with curved toilet doors and bike/wheelchair spaces next to them, ensuring that cyclists and wheelchair users always sit in a stink of shit?

I wasn't following the thread then...can I have a link please?

Does this relate to a previous tag?

I like the vibe here, but I have noticed that I'm too prickly for it. I need to calm down and stop getting angry. Maybe I've spent too long on forums which have loud arseholes. Maybe I've become one myself. Also fed up with Brixton and the UK. Desperately need to be in Norway or similar.