Show us your toys.

Posted by: Steve G on 15 April 2005

As a relief from the boredom of elections & royal weddings how about a more cheerful post for pictures of our favourite big kids toys.

Here's my latest one, bought last summer and used lots since - but leaving me a lot less cash for other toy purchases:



And a few others from my personal toybox:







In both the above mine is the bike on the left.
Posted on: 20 April 2005 by JBoulder
I'm at the point of having to sell either my sistem, my bike or these I just got a few months ago:

Can't sell the bike as it's the only way to avoid using public transport = saving more money. And the cameras? Well, I may not have much, but documenting what I do have is something you can't replace. So the sistem has to go. Well, maybe I could afford a Nait2 and a pair of little Regas...
Posted on: 20 April 2005 by domfjbrown
quote:
Originally posted by Steve G:
I've found the road bike to be a lot faster over any kind of distance. My 10 mile road commute is 10 minutes faster on the road bike, I often see 25-30mph on the flattish bits and 40mph+ downhill.

The riding position does take a lot of getting used to and I find I tend to ride on the hoods most of the time, rather than use the drops.

Our roads aren't great either so with the road bike you have to make sure you keep the tyre pressures up (110psi on my bike) to avoid punctures. My bike has aluminium forks which are quite harsh so I've been considering a cheap set of carbon forks for it instead.


Hmm - on the route I take, there's not much opportunity for REALLY high speeds, but I've got 39.5 mph out of it downhill (not bad for a standard ATB bike) on the road - ran out of room(lights were red) before pushing +40. Bike was stable though Smile I usually get up to no faster than 28 on the cycle paths/long downhill stretch home on the new route I ride.

The front suspension (hard tail) on mine seem to make me lose a lot of power going uphill, although I never stand on the pedals (wallows too much!). I like the look of the road bikes around - how are the gears arranged on drop handlebars?
Posted on: 20 April 2005 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by domfjbrown:
Hmm - on the route I take, there's not much opportunity for REALLY high speeds, but I've got 39.5 mph out of it downhill (not bad for a standard ATB bike) on the road - ran out of room(lights were red) before pushing +40. Bike was stable though Smile I usually get up to no faster than 28 on the cycle paths/long downhill stretch home on the new route I ride.


On my commute there is a very steep hill (I can only just get up it without getting off and pushing) which I hit 40mph+ on before I panic and apply the brakes! No idea how fast I could get up to down there if I was trying.

quote:
The front suspension (hard tail) on mine seem to make me lose a lot of power going uphill, although I never stand on the pedals (wallows too much!).


The forks on my mountain bikes only bounce a lot when I'm out of the saddle and climbing. Both bikes have lockouts to stop this but I rarely use them as I tend to remain seated and spin a low gear when climbing anyway.

quote:
I like the look of the road bikes around - how are the gears arranged on drop handlebars?


With most modern road bikes the gear shifters and the brake levers are combined - you change gears by moving the brake levers to one side or the other (some setups have a little subsiduary level under the brake lever).
Posted on: 21 April 2005 by John Sheridan
quote:
Originally posted by domfjbrown:
I like the look of the road bikes around - how are the gears arranged on drop handlebars?

with campagnolo there's a gear lever behind the brake lever and a button on the side. You push the gear lever inwards to shift one way and the button to go the other. Easy way to remember is big lever goes to bigger cog, small button goes to smaller cog.
Posted on: 22 April 2005 by domfjbrown
I like the sound of that Smile

I might trade The Beast in for something more road-friendly - the idea of .75 inch tiny tires (a'la road bike) hitting some of the potholes I rode over on the way in today fills me with dread though! Exeter's roads SUCK!
Posted on: 22 April 2005 by Steve G
When you're on the road bike you tend to get pretty good at avoiding the potholes.
Posted on: 22 April 2005 by Stephen Bennett
This is my latest..



BBC7 on the Naim for £49. Lovely!

Cool

Stephen
Posted on: 22 April 2005 by Rasher
Steve - I've just noticed this thread. Bikes and a motorhome?? Eek
Do you shake you fist and swear at yourself? Big Grin
Posted on: 22 April 2005 by Steve G
Winker Rasher - for one thing bikers don't really mind caravans etc as they don't slow us up much, it being so much easier to pass other vehicles. The motorhome isn't anything like as slow as caravans (having the same speed limits as a car) but on the few occasions I have had faster traffic catch me up I pull over and let them by. I just wish someone would point out that section of the highway code to your average caravanner though!
Posted on: 23 April 2005 by John Channing
My most recent big purchase.
John
Posted on: 23 April 2005 by Steve G
It was a remarkably nice evening so I took one of my toys for a spin in the hills behind the house:

Posted on: 23 April 2005 by Berlin Fritz
I know that some Jock's are bampots, but why d'yer take a life ring for a spin ?

Fritz Von Shocked & Stunned, though Emotionally Rescued innit. Big Grin
Posted on: 23 April 2005 by Steve G
I like to rescue that life ring once in a while, just to make sure it's still there. Here's one from last year:

Posted on: 28 April 2005 by count.d
Just got myself my first compact camera, a Nikon Coolpix 8400.


Posted on: 29 April 2005 by count.d
How do you get the image to stay on the original post?
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by Stoik
My toy is my computer, i build it from selected parts all by myself. It is consisted of the following:

Case: Antec SX-800
Power supply: Enermax EG-465P-VE 350 Watts
Motherboard: Asus P4P800-SE
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3 GHz
Memory: 1 GB PC-3200 Kingston Value RAM Dual channel kit
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar special edition 80 GB
DVD Burner: LG GSA-4060 16X
CD Burner: LG 52-32-52X
Video card: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256 MB (built by ATI)
Sound card: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
TV Tuner: ATI TV Wonder PCI
And many accessories like a Vantec Nexus fan controler, Zalman 7000 Al-Cu CPU cooler and Logitech MX-510 mouse.

Audio output is taken in charge by my Nait 2 and a pair of B&W 601 S3, along with a AKG K-240 Studio monitors headset.

Here's a 1 year old picture of my kit, about everything have changed into the computer box, you dont see my actual Soundblaster and speakers (i bought my pair of B&W last week, and SB Audigy 2 1 month ago) but it still give an idea of the layout.

http://www.boomspeed.com/rs5420/bureau.jpg

And a little close-up:

http://www.boomspeed.com/rs5420/mon_ordi.jpg
(my DVD burner wasn't there at this time, i bought it 6 months ago.)

Bye.
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by Berlin Fritz
How much housing does your processor have mate ? Winker
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by count.d
Thanks to everyone for the advice on how to post images on this new forum.

I'll remember that.

Christ!
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by AndyFelin
quote:
Originally posted by Steve G:



How do you guys ride bikes with the saddle sloping down. As an ex roadie I must inform you that for the most comfort and power transmission the saddle should be level or slightly pointing up. I know you will say I like it like that but I just had to tell you.

Andy hitting the crossbar with your wedding tackle makes the eyes water
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by AndyFelin
quote:
Originally posted by AndyFelin:
quote:
Originally posted by Steve G:



How do you guys ride bikes with the saddle sloping down. As an ex roadie I must inform you that for the most comfort and power transmission the saddle should be level or slightly pointing up. I know you will say I like it like that but I just had to tell you the correct position.

Andy hitting the crossbar with your wedding tackle makes the eyes water
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by Steve G
quote:
How do you guys ride bikes with the saddle sloping down. As an ex roadie I must inform you that for the most comfort and power transmission the saddle should be level or slightly pointing up. I know you will say I like it like that but I just had to tell you the correct position.


The saddle is actually level - it's the bike that's sloping!

I've tried the saddle sloping forward and sloping back and I don't find either comfortable.
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by arf005
To continue the bike theme......

That's me just pinged off me GT (xcr 3000) at Glentress a couple of years back....

[IMG:left] [/IMG]

This was the result.......

[IMG:left] [/IMG]

And a dam good reason to wear a lid.....

[IMG:left] [/IMG]
Posted on: 29 April 2005 by AndyFelin
Originally posted by Steve G:

The saddle is actually level - it's the bike that's sloping!
________________________________________________

Apologies Steve, it does look like a ski slope though.

Andy
Posted on: 30 April 2005 by Steve G
On the subject of Glentress, here is one of my favourite pics from my trips there:

Posted on: 30 April 2005 by Stoik
quote:
Originally posted by Berlin Fritz:
How much housing does your processor have mate ? Winker


The Zalman 7000 is not that big, it's about the size of an Intel stock fan for Socket T. And the socket of the P4P800-SE is well located, i had no problem at all to install it on my processor.

If you are talking about the space inside the case, well, it's not that packed up, there's still air inside the case! Big Grin Or course i'm out of 5 1/2 inches bays, and the Vantec Nexus is now bolted at the bottom of the case... Roll Eyes

Bye.