How long should you keep a bike (specifically the best one)

notsoblue

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too. I've had a Bravia LCD for the last 4 years, and I'm not looking to replace it soon. Not until I have anything that outputs higher than 1080p. And it'll probably last until then too. It replaced a 28" CRT that became damaged from just being moved a couple times.

DonDaddyD

BigMat wrote:

I do agree that 3-D TV sounds b*ll*cks though (although I am yet to see a 3-D film so perhaps I'm missing out?)

On my comic book website a guy posted a report by the guy involved (or developed, pioneered dolby sound) had written about the current 3D effect.

Basically the current more popular 3D doesn't leap out of the screen like old skool green and red glasses 3D. It's affect is to add 3 Dimensional depth to the image. The trouble is that the human brain cannot process the effect and motion at the same time all that well. The resulting effect is that when you watch it, it feels like too much is happen all at once.

This is consistent with my experience and others I've spoken to. I could be wrong. All I know is that I hate the present format of 3D TV's and films.

DonDaddyD

notsoblue wrote:

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too. I've had a Bravia LCD for the last 4 years, and I'm not looking to replace it soon. Not until I have anything that outputs higher than 1080p. And it'll probably last until then too. It replaced a 28" CRT that became damaged from just being moved a couple times.

My Dad pointed said something brilliant along the lines of this

"In the Brixton riots during the 80s you'd see two sometimes three big adults struggling up the road carrying a 24-28 inch TV.

Now [during the London riots] you see a 15year old sprinting along with a 32 - 37inch flatscreen under his arm.

Haven't times changed."

davis

DonDaddyD wrote:

After savings and other personal bills the very little I have left I get to spend on myself. £200 a month for 10 months - plus find £500 from somewhere -

Not to pry, but I really couldn't let that one go... Does £200 pcm count as "very little" to spend on oneself? (sidenote: kudos for doing the saving before you consider the money "left over"). That is way more than I've got at the moment.

DonDaddyD

davis wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

After savings and other personal bills the very little I have left I get to spend on myself. £200 a month for 10 months - plus find £500 from somewhere -

Not to pry, but I really couldn't let that one go... Does £200 pcm count as "very little" to spend on oneself? (sidenote: kudos for doing the saving before you consider the money "left over"). That is way more than I've got at the moment.

Oh dear. It's all about perspective init. I earn more than some, less than most.

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh dear. It's all about perspective init. I earn more than some, less than many.

FTFY
I get the feeling you earn more than the national average.

Also, its largely about overheads. If you earn minimum wage but have zero outgoings, you are better financially than a person who earns £60k but has £70k of outgoings.

notsoblue

DonDaddyD wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too. I've had a Bravia LCD for the last 4 years, and I'm not looking to replace it soon. Not until I have anything that outputs higher than 1080p. And it'll probably last until then too. It replaced a 28" CRT that became damaged from just being moved a couple times.

My Dad pointed said something brilliant along the lines of this

"In the Brixton riots during the 80s you'd see two sometimes three big adults struggling up the road carrying a 24-28 inch TV.

Now [during the London riots] you see a 15year old sprinting along with a 32 - 37inch flatscreen under his arm.

Haven't times changed."

Moving house with a 28" CRT was a nightmare. Must have weighed about 70kgs. Needed two people to carry because of how awkwardly shaped it was. And you have to be really careful to "let the gas settle" (that could be BS) or you risk damaging it.

veronese68

notsoblue wrote:

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too.

Glass is a lot thicker on a CRT, a large part of why they're so heavy. The kids will never manage to launch a Wii remote through that.
Also, as a response to pinching telly's during looting sprees, chucking a flat panel telly out of a hotel room window isn't very rock'n'roll. Am I showing my age again?
This is now so far OT that it's travelled further than DDD's best bike.

rolf_f

notsoblue wrote:

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too.

This is all irrelevant! CRTs have picture quality advantages over a lot of flat screen TVs and you only notice that sort of thing in comparison. Bit like HD - for most purposes, when you switch to an HD channel it looks great for a few moments and then you cease to notice it. Obviously, sport is one place where it can be really useful but I don't watch much of that.

Heaviness - mine has been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it. Why would I move it.

Clunky - its been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it. Clunkiness is not an issue!

Fragility - its been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it - fragility seems irrelevant!

Cheapness - however cheap a flat panel TV might be, it is a lot more expensive than a CRT that is already sat in your living room.
As others have said, obviously a flat panel will follow when the CRT expires - but any sooner is foolishness.

Incidentally, I replaced my 17inch CRT computer monitor with a 23 inch flat panel this year. It's nice but I can't say it has transformed my computing experience. I have just adapted to it. I only bought it as the CRT started going off a bit after 10 years of good service.

soundninjauk

notsoblue wrote:

Moving house with a 28" CRT was a nightmare. Must have weighed about 70kgs. Needed two people to carry because of how awkwardly shaped it was. And you have to be really careful to "let the gas settle" (that could be BS) or you risk damaging it.

Gas, what gas? Aren't they vacuum tubes inside (hence the thick glass on the larger ones)? I'm sure it's fridges that you have to let the gas settle in...

(upgraded to a 32" Sony Bravia HD TV a few months ago and my god it's amazing).

EKE_38BPM

notsoblue wrote:

And you have to be really careful to "let the gas settle" (that could be BS) or you risk damaging it.

BS
Cathode Ray Tubes are vacuums so there is no gas to settle. Its the big glass bit on the front that means you have to be carefull.
Fridges and freezers do have gas in them though, which is why you should let the gas settle.

rick_chasey

Rolf F wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too.

This is all irrelevant! CRTs have picture quality advantages over a lot of flat screen TVs and you only notice that sort of thing in comparison. Bit like HD - for most purposes, when you switch to an HD channel it looks great for a few moments and then you cease to notice it. Obviously, sport is one place where it can be really useful but I don't watch much of that.

Heaviness - mine has been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it. Why would I move it.

Clunky - its been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it. Clunkiness is not an issue!

Fragility - its been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it - fragility seems irrelevant!

Cheapness - however cheap a flat panel TV might be, it is a lot more expensive than a CRT that is already sat in your living room.
As others have said, obviously a flat panel will follow when the CRT expires - but any sooner is foolishness.

Incidentally, I replaced my 17inch CRT computer monitor with a 23 inch flat panel this year. It's nice but I can't say it has transformed my computing experience. I have just adapted to it. I only bought it as the CRT started going off a bit after 10 years of good service.

You'll notice HD when you're staring at the overhead helicopter shot of the peloton on the penultimate climb of Milan - San Remo trying to spot which of the sprinters are really falling back and which ones aren't.

Can't do that on normal res.

DonDaddyD

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh dear. It's all about perspective init. I earn more than some, less than many.

FTFY
I get the feeling you earn more than the national average.

Also, its largely about overheads. If you earn minimum wage but have zero outgoings, you are better financially than a person who earns £60k but has £70k of outgoings.

What's the national average? At the moment I'm lucky and thankful.

But in general the last bit mostly applies to me. Relatively low outgoings.

rick_chasey

DonDaddyD wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh dear. It's all about perspective init. I earn more than some, less than many.

FTFY
I get the feeling you earn more than the national average.

Also, its largely about overheads. If you earn minimum wage but have zero outgoings, you are better financially than a person who earns £60k but has £70k of outgoings.

What's the national average? At the moment I'm lucky and thankful.

But in general the last bit mostly applies to me. Relatively low outgoings.

Which average do you want?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8151355.stm

According to ASHE, "mean" gross annual earnings across all employee jobs in 2008 came to £26,020. You may think that's rather a high "average" salary. And if you look just at the figures for full-time employees, that figure rises to £31,323.
Another way of measuring it is "median" gross annual earnings. According to ASHE, this was the more modest figure of £20,801, across all employee jobs. If you are earning that sum a year, you are "Mr or Mrs [or Ms] Mid-Point" - precisely half the surveyed working population earns less than you and half more. For just full-time employees, the median rises to £25,123.

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh dear. It's all about perspective init. I earn more than some, less than many.

FTFY
I get the feeling you earn more than the national average.

Also, its largely about overheads. If you earn minimum wage but have zero outgoings, you are better financially than a person who earns £60k but has £70k of outgoings.

What's the national average? At the moment I'm lucky and thankful.

But in general the last bit mostly applies to me. Relatively low outgoings.

I think its between £25k and £30k

DonDaddyD

Rick Chasey wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh dear. It's all about perspective init. I earn more than some, less than many.

FTFY
I get the feeling you earn more than the national average.

Also, its largely about overheads. If you earn minimum wage but have zero outgoings, you are better financially than a person who earns £60k but has £70k of outgoings.

What's the national average? At the moment I'm lucky and thankful.

But in general the last bit mostly applies to me. Relatively low outgoings.

Which average do you want?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8151355.stm

According to ASHE, "mean" gross annual earnings across all employee jobs in 2008 came to £26,020. You may think that's rather a high "average" salary. And if you look just at the figures for full-time employees, that figure rises to £31,323.
Another way of measuring it is "median" gross annual earnings. According to ASHE, this was the more modest figure of £20,801, across all employee jobs. If you are earning that sum a year, you are "Mr or Mrs [or Ms] Mid-Point" - precisely half the surveyed working population earns less than you and half more. For just full-time employees, the median rises to £25,123.

Ah Ok...

Anyway, I got my 26inch TV for my 25 birthday cost £450 back then nearly 5 years ago. Got it to replace my 15inch CRT with built in video player (which had a german porn video permanently stuck in the player... I was single for a long time).

I got my TV as playing Gears of War was a nightmare to look at on a small CRT. Even then I should have got a 32 inch as it was a little small for my bedroom at my parents house. But 32inches cost £550 - £600 back then (for a Samsung) and I didn't want to spend that much.

Paul E

I have a 40" 3D Samsung LCD, it depends on the film/content being put through it but most stuff I have seen in 3D works very well and my brain is able to cope with depth and motion the same as it is in real life.

I have a smaller 28" 1080P panel for my PS3 so I don't hog the big screen and it's fine for that.

DonDaddyD

The 3D depth effect you see in the cinema isn't the same depth your eyes and brain process in the real word though.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2 ... d-too.html

Dr. Deborah Friedman, a professor of ophthalmology and neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said that in normal vision, each eye sees things at a slightly different angle. “When that gets processed in the brain, that creates the perception of depth. The illusions that you see in three dimensions in the movies is not calibrated the same way that your eyes and your brain are.”

And

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/1723 ... films.aspx

Samsung's warning that 3D TVs could be dangerous to some people's health has raised some eyebrows. But Samsung aren't the only one's concerned about eye strain and other issues associated with 3D.

Warnings about eye strain and potential other hazards resulting from watching 3D TVs are starting to appear all over the Web, triggered in part by a recent health precaution issued by Samsung concerning its 3D TVs.

And

http://www.brainathlete.com/brain-process-3d/

"Looking at a movie in 3D requires so much heavy brainwork to process all this information it doesn’t have the energy for anything else.

You are processing 24 images per second as the screen projects the movie. Your pre-frontal cortex, involved in impulse control, moral choices and future thinking is essentially de-activated – which is why you seem to ‘get lost’ in what you are seeing.

Are you tired after coming out of a 3D movie? You should be. Due to the extra exertion your brain has to go through to accommodate all the sensory changes it can be exciting, but overwhelming and exhausting."

And

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html

The biggest problem with 3D, though, is the "convergence/focus" issue.

'Motion' comes into to play because the brain can process at a still '3D' image but when you add motion, i.e. multiple frames of 3D images (24 images per second I believe was quoted), the brain has to work a lot harder and that's where the problem occurs.

Paul E

Thanks for all that, but my eyes and brain cope fine. Maybe my brains got a lot more spare power.

tailwindhome

DonDaddyD wrote:

I think I'm just going to buy some wheels and tyres for the Kharma.

You want a new bike - why? So that when you ride the bike you'll recapture the great feeling you had when you first met Karen.

Sorry to say that dropping even £2500 k on a new bike isn't going to buy you anything better than you have.

IIRC Karen has a pretty decent wheelset so it'll take a lot of cash for an improvement in that area.

I suggest you spend your treat money wiser.

ASSOS.

Better kit, you'll 'feel' better on the bike and by all accounts it lasts forever.

Oh and you could consider an entry to a European sportive (etape or such like) to give your motivation a swift kick up the ar5e.

DonDaddyD

Karen had Fulcrum Racing 5's, which are currently on my commuter.

I'm thinking of either:

Fulcrum Racing 5
Mavic Ksyrium Equipe
Shimano Ultegra 6700 wheels

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

Karen had Fulcrum Racing 5's, which are currently on my commuter.

I'm thinking of either:

Fulcrum Racing 5
Mavic Ksyrium Equipe
Shimano Ultegra 6700 wheels

So, Karen has no wheels at the moment?

rolf_f

DDD - I was on a ride a few weeks back. This girl turned up on a brand new bike; a rather cheap Viking I think. However, it did look rather good; in the rain the water was all in droplets over the silver grey paintwork and the chainrings etc. I reeked of newness!

Anyway, it did inspire me to give the Ribble a proper clean. It was clean by normal standards anyway but this was a proper one - eg taking the chainrings off and completely degreasing them so each tooth looked like new and then using car polish to get the dropletty look when it gets wet. Cassette removed and each sprocket degreased. Wheels properly cleaned including each spoke separately. Plus every last bit of cack out of the mechanisms. Wheels off and dirt under the fork cleaned out. Brakes flossed of all dirt. Sidewalls of tyres cleaned and blacked. Cables slackened so any dirt at the ends of the outers could be cleaned off. Underneath of saddle cleaned. Frame cleaned, scratches polished out and the surface polished with Autoglym car polish.

Result is a brand new bike. You don't need another. Give Karen the tlc she deserves and stop threatening to dump her. What message does that give the Missus?

EKE_38BPM

Rolf F wrote:

What message does that give the Missus?

EKE_38BPM wrote:

[Swiss Toni]Bikes are like a beautiful woman. You ride them until they die and then you get a new one.[/Swiss Toni]

That should keep her on her toes!

rjsterry

Rolf F wrote:

DDD - I was on a ride a few weeks back. This girl turned up on a brand new bike; a rather cheap Viking I think. However, it did look rather good; in the rain the water was all in droplets over the silver grey paintwork and the chainrings etc. I reeked of newness!

Anyway, it did inspire me to give the Ribble a proper clean. It was clean by normal standards anyway but this was a proper one - eg taking the chainrings off and completely degreasing them so each tooth looked like new and then using car polish to get the dropletty look when it gets wet. Cassette removed and each sprocket degreased. Wheels properly cleaned including each spoke separately. Plus every last bit of cack out of the mechanisms. Wheels off and dirt under the fork cleaned out. Brakes flossed of all dirt. Sidewalls of tyres cleaned and blacked. Cables slackened so any dirt at the ends of the outers could be cleaned off. Underneath of saddle cleaned. Frame cleaned, scratches polished out and the surface polished with Autoglym car polish.

Result is a brand new bike. You don't need another. Give Karen the tlc she deserves and stop threatening to dump her. What message does that give the Missus?

:shock: Got some spare time on our hands have we?

Coach H

Rolf F wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

People still have CRT TVs? :shock:

Picture quality aside, they're so heavy, clunky and fragile! LCD's are so cheap now too.

This is all irrelevant! CRTs have picture quality advantages over a lot of flat screen TVs and you only notice that sort of thing in comparison. Bit like HD - for most purposes, when you switch to an HD channel it looks great for a few moments and then you cease to notice it. Obviously, sport is one place where it can be really useful but I don't watch much of that.

Heaviness - mine has been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it. Why would I move it.

Clunky - its been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it. Clunkiness is not an issue!

Fragility - its been sat in the corner, in the same place, since I bought it - fragility seems irrelevant!

Cheapness - however cheap a flat panel TV might be, it is a lot more expensive than a CRT that is already sat in your living room.
As others have said, obviously a flat panel will follow when the CRT expires - but any sooner is foolishness.

Incidentally, I replaced my 17inch CRT computer monitor with a 23 inch flat panel this year. It's nice but I can't say it has transformed my computing experience. I have just adapted to it. I only bought it as the CRT started going off a bit after 10 years of good service.

The other great benefit of big CRT's (not sure of the size of mine, 36" widescreen I think) is that your average burgular can't shift them either. There was a bit of a break in spree on my (middle class) estate. When the scrotes were finally caught they said they looked in our front window and didn't bother with our house due to the size of the TV. They knew they wouldn't be able to shift it and thaught we would only have other 'old $hit' as well! I know this for a fact because the copper who interviewed them is a friend.

rolf_f

rjsterry wrote:

me wrote:

Cables slackened so any dirt at the ends of the outers could be cleaned off.

:shock: Got some spare time on our hands have we?

C'mon - that's the easy bit - chain into biggest rings and shift down the with the bike stationary. Cable that's normally in the outers magically reappears and any gunk that's trying to work its way in can be purged ruthlessly!

Seriously though - a couple of hours work for that new bike feeling instead of a couple of grand!

Coach H wrote:

The other great benefit of big CRT's (not sure of the size of mine, 36" widescreen I think) is that your average burgular can't shift them either. There was a bit of a break in spree on my (middle class) estate. When the scrotes were finally caught they said they looked in our front window and didn't bother with our house due to the size of the TV. They knew they wouldn't be able to shift it and thaught we would only have other 'old $hit' as well! I know this for a fact because the copper who interviewed them is a friend.

In my case they probably wouldn't have bothered to walk up the garden path what with the obvious lack of double glazing! And there's really not much to nick in my house anyway!

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

oh and IP i know i cant talk but that is some serious wedge you will be spending. Which EPS are you getting?

Record. The weight/cost to go to Super Record is just nuts.*

Well the whole thing is note, but f*ck it.

i think you'll regret not going super record eps. never scrimp and scrape. What wheels?

I simply cannot afford to go to Super Record. No new wheels either and Alu cockpit. I'm going to wait another year for full carbon clinchers to develop and then treat myself. Thinking Enve or Zipp on Chris King, or 2nd gen Mad Fibers if their first attempt goes down well.

Fuck-it jash just get thee a used Ferrari and be done with it (I miss my M series, might have to buy another)

cyclingprop

Keep it you know you want too. Be careful that you don't let it get lonely though, it'll need more friends for company.

il_principe

itboffin wrote:

Fuck-it jash just get thee a used Ferrari and be done with it (I miss my M series, might have to buy another)

Pffft. I'm dreading the day I have to buy a car. I imagine they drain finances even quicker than a child does. Also, the missus is Turkish. Give a Turk a car and they will drive EVERYWHERE, and I mean everywhere, even if it's the slowest. least practical option available.