Little Gems

[swee'pea99]

P J O' Rourke once said something like, 'There's a lot of discussion over the best car to use for off-road racing - some people say a saloon car, some a 4WD, some a sports car. I say the best is a hire car.'

 

[jonny jeez]

Just because you are paranoid, it does not mean they are not out to get you.

Perhaps only Norm and I will have a certain tune stuck in our minds for the rest of the day now!!

thanks

 

[jonny jeez]

[quote name='swee'pea99']P J O' Rourke once said something like, 'There's a lot of discussion over the best car to use for off-road racing - some people say a saloon car, some a 4WD, some a sports car. I say the best is a hire car.'[/QUOTE]


Hire cars are the fastest cars in the world

 

[benb]

So a £99 bike from Argos is more fun than a £1,000 bike?
And a Nissan Micra is more fun than an Aston Martin?

I don't think that's what Norm was saying. What he's saying is that the £1k bike though far better than a £99 bike, is not 1010% better.

Law of diminishing returns.

In that case fair enough.

 

[benb]

Go on, then, try and have more fun in a car that costs £150k than you could in a £20 scrappie special and a big empty field.

But don't bring me the repair bill.

This sort of misconception plagued me through many Porsches and BMWs which I worried about parking anywhere. Now I have a 20 year old Land Rover.

That's if your idea of fun is driving round an empty field. If it's driving fast (on a track obviously) then I'll have an expensive sports car please!

(edited for typo)

 

[Norm]

This is all getting a little silly now, it was a throw away line and not something that I had anticipated needing to defend.

Admittedly it was a while ago, but the last time I drove an expensive (approx £500k) car round a track, I had a lot of things on my mind and I didn't have any fun at all.

Have you actually thought about it, though, Ben? Would you really break out laughing driving an Aston round a track? Or break into a cold sweat?

 

[jonny jeez]

This is all getting a little silly now, it was a throw away line and not something that I had anticipated needing to defend.

Quite right.

Less debate...MORE GEMS

 

[swee'pea99]

Don't economise on brake pads.

 

[benb]

This is all getting a little silly now, it was a throw away line and not something that I had anticipated needing to defend.

Admittedly it was a while ago, but the last time I drove an expensive (approx £500k) car round a track, I had a lot of things on my mind and I didn't have any fun at all.

Have you actually thought about it, though, Ben? Would you really break out laughing driving an Aston round a track? Or break into a cold sweat?

Sorry for mentioning it!

I have done some track days, not in an Aston mind you, and I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it more than if I'd been driving a cheap slow car. Isn't that what insurance is for?

Let's just draw a line under this whole sorry affair.

 

[Moodyman]

* If you look after it, it will look after you (the bike).
* When cycling on the road, think like a driver (to pre-empt hazards).
* Cars only give you as much space as you give yourself (meaning don't hug the kerb).

 

[HLaB]

* When cycling on the road, think like a driver (to pre-empt hazards).

But drivers dont think

 

[Moodyman]

But drivers dont think

Precisely. I drive and I know the risky/silly maneuvres I can make when driving, so if I anticipate others making them when I'm cycling, I'll be alright.

 

[Glow worm]

The amount of fun you can have on or in any vehicle / boat is inversely proportional to how much it cost.

+ 1

Check your repair kit regularly- the glue in them little tubes can sometimes dry out completely which can leave you stuck (forgive the pun!) if you haven't got a spare inner tube.

If you are fixing something to your handlebars like a bell or light fixing, and you haven't got any spare strips of rubber- cut out bits of an old inner tube instead it'll work just as well.

Check all the nuts and bolts often to make sure they're tight enough. I once had a pannier rack come loose on me mid-ride and jam the back wheel- ouch!

If you have an old stylee front dynamo for a light (one that runs along the tyre wall), never fiddle about with it while you are riding to try to get it to work better. It may get jammed in your spokes and you'll go ar$e over tit. This is a particularly bad idea if you have a pannier full of curry from the local tandoori at the time and it happens just as you are passing a group of local teenagers (Still at least you'll only do it once!)

 

[TheDoctor]

There was me thinking this was about the little biscuit things with brightly coloured icing on

 

[marzjennings]

Always expect the worse from other road users, murphy's law is the law of the road.