There is a lot going on at the moment including chucking nearly 30 years of computer and amateur radio junk out of the loft.
This was to make way for roof to be felted as it is currently held together with lime mortar which has mostly fallen off over the years.
Going through all this gave me time to reflect on how thing have advanced in the last 30 odd years. I haven’t used my callsign for godknows how long now so all the copies of Radcom and all the group magazines I used to suscribe to had to go. Groups such as BARTG, Amsat, Datacom, UHF communications all lost to the paperbank.
I can’t see myself going back to doing home construction to any extent again and wouldn’t know if packet radio still exists or anyone uses RTTY anymore.
Anyway it’s gone now along with all the 8 and 16 bit computer junk. As Sony are to stop making floppy disks they went too. A couple of hundred of them at a £1 a pop in the good old days.
I’ve kept a Spectrum microdrive and ZX1 interface as it’s probably going to be rare.
Had a couple of spinning sessions with Tex and Becky at the Oval and a ride to the Eureka but thats about it ride wise.
Bought some Team Sky kit which is going to get it’s first outing when I’ve finished. I’ve missed a lot of good riding days but better to bite the bullet now and make up for it later. By later we could be looking at next year or the end of this one.
Off out on a ride in the Team Sky kit along with the rainbow stripped shoes breaking rules 9,10 and 11. Only thing missing is the team socks and bike. That should be another rule ” Thou shall not ride in a mix of team replica kit from two teams” . I’ve a couple more up my sleeve for later.
Saturday: Rode out to the Eureka on what was a scorcher of a day just missing the Northend heading out. The Mayor of the Eureka Cafe was there if your familiar with FourSquare. I didn’t twig on to Dave comment about buying the Mayor a tea until Sunday when I picked Paul up from Manchester and he said the Mayor would get free coffee in the likes of Starbucks. There was more debate about replica kit seeing as the comic touched on it again. I’d class Assos as team kit as you’ve got to be in the too much money club to wear it.
Later another chap rolls up in Team Sky kit, he’d jut come off his bike and had gravel rash on his leg luckily his new kit hadn’t been damaged on it’s second time out.
I’ll do a post about “The Rules” because unless your a club rider you’ll be breaking a few of them. Even my shoes break the no rainbow stripes rule.
Eventually I set out on a ride that had me calling in Eureka Cyclesports for a cadence sensor battery and BikeFactory to look at the £9499 Pinarello.
Picked up Route 56 that goes around the back of Chester Zoo and headed back to the Eureka and home via the Missing Link.
Sunday: Picked up a long sleeve Team Sky jersey and some socks from Evans in Manchester. It’s moving fast despite the price of it. £80 for the long sleeve jersey, £10 for the socks. Killed a bit of driving around Manchester calling at the Lowry and then getting lost following the Iphone satnav app that had been set to cycling to get to Manchester airport.
I thought the routing was a bid odd as I kept seeing cycle path signs everywhere.
Frank Kinlan's Blog 
Frank, I saw the Sky kit and it looks great, but with a red bike it’s not for me! I saw the original letter criticising team kit wearing – what a kill joy! I think this strikes at the issue with too many people in cycling who want to restrict, it as much as possible, to themselves and a handful of like minded chums. I can’t help thinking that Lance is seen as their chief cause of hatred and as he has inspired so many people to go and buy the kit of his teams, or even his shop, this has become their war cry.
Good on Adidas and Sky for selling kids sizes – or should they not be allowed to wear it either in case they get all uppity and start wanting to emulate Bradley??
As for the rainbow stripes, I think nature might have claimed that trademark before the UCI so i wouldn’t let that bother you either!