As a younger man I read the Lord of the Rings every year for 13 years.
It is one of my favourite novels of all time. The films were brilliant, (the Hobbit less so, 3 films WTF)
I had listened to an old audio book of LOTR, but the narrators voice was horrible. A bad narrator can ruin a good book. Not the case here, Andy Serkis is great, especially the Gollum/Smeagal character.
It took me about two weeks of listening to get through it, well worth the effort. Listening to the book helps with the pronunciation of names. The only things that could make this production better would be a full treatment like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series on Audible. The three Sandman audible books have multiple actors doing characters, excellent sound effects and music. In effect a movie sans moving pictures.
As a pedestrian, motor cyclist and bicycle rider I hate SUVs. The only good thing about them is in a collision I probably won’t have to worry about being maimed because I probably be dead.
A driver in the car above can’t see the kids in front of the SUV.
Was riding my bike to work and I passed one of those massive SUVs that Americans love. It was massive, normally when lane splitting the motorbike handlebars or mirrors might hit the SUV mirrors (they go over car mirrors).
With the American SUV it went under with plenty of room to clear. The front end of the SUV was about the top of my helmet.
Cleary owners of such trucks are over compensating.
Back in July I was talking to a bike mechanic about how bikes were in short supply due to COVID killing the supply chain. I said I was looking for a Surly Bridge Club and surprise, he had one to sell for $1,900.
Not a bad deal, as the frame brand new is $1,200 at commuter cycles. The front rack is $250 at commuter cycles, but you can get it for around $215 if you look carefully.
I bought it! Some minor fit issues, which I am now only addressing.
Clearance for 47mm tyres in 700c (or fits 27.5 x 2.8” tires)
Oodles of frame mounts for all kinds of accessories such as racks and water bottles or micropanniers
11 Speed Shimano components
Versatile bike
Geometry:
SIZE
XS
SM
MD
LG
XL
Reach
376
397
419
434.5
444
Stack
553
567
576
590
609
Head Tube Angle
70.0°
71.0°
71.0°
71.0°
71.0°
Head Tube Length
110
120
130
145
165
Seat Tube Length
335.6
406.4
457.2
508
558.8
BB Drop
60
60
60
60
60
Wheelbase
1032
1047.5
1073
1093
1109
Chainstay Length
435
435
435
435
435
Top Tube Length, Actual
534
547.5
570
591.5
610.3
Top Tube Length, Effective
545
570
595
615
630
Seat Tube Angle
73.0°
73.0°
73.0°
73.0°
73.0°
Standover Height
709
750.5
780
812
845.5
Stem Length
80
80
90
90
100
Stem Angle
6°
6°
6°
6°
6°
Crank Length
170
170
175
175
175
Fork Length
420
420
420
420
420
Fork Rake
43
43
43
43
43
As a highly versatile touring bike, the Bridge Club hits the sweet spot that separates on- and off-road excursions. The simplistic design makes it fully adept to handle a full rack and pannier setup, frame bags, or any combination of the two. It doesn’t feel sluggish on paved shortcuts, but can also hold its own on dirt detours. If you’re feeling a little zesty on your next road tour, you won’t be ill-prepared for reroutes through the woods. The Bridge Club is designed to handle it all.
Crankset: Shimano Deore M5100 32t
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore M5100 Shadow Plus
Cassette / Cog: Shimano Deore CSM5100 11-51t
Chain: KMC X11 EPT
Handlebar: Surly Terminal Bar
Stem: Promax, 31.8mm
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Shifters: Shimano Deore M5100 Rapid Fire
Brake Levers: Tektro HD-M275
Brakes: Tektro HD-M275, 160mm rotors
Saddle: WTB Volt 142
Seatclamp: 30.0mm Surly Stainless
Seatpost: Promax, 27.2mm
Hub: Novatec 9×100 QR Front and 9×141 QR 11-spd Rear
The Shimano CS-M5100 is the suitable cassette for the new DEORE 11-speed group.
The distinctively designed HYPERGLIDE sprockets incorporate specially positioned shift ramps and tooth profiles for improved chain control during shifting. Fast and responsive indexed shifting is the result. The HG cassette sprocket, which was developed for 11-speed system, underwent comprehensive optimization to achieve super-highly efficient shifting.
PRODUCT FEATURES – SHIMANO DEORE CS-M5100
Use: MTB
Group: DEORE M5100
Model: CS-M5100
Type: HG
Gear: 11-51 for 1×11-speed
Compatible chain: HG-X 11
GRADATION
11-51 (11-13-15-18-21-24-28-33-39-45-51 teeth)
MATERIAL
Steel, Nickel plated
Microspline freehub body is not necessary with this cassette.
The 11-speed DEORE rear derailleur enables precise and quick shifting within the 11-51T range. 13-tooth pulley wheels and SHIMANO SHADOW RD+ technology reduces chain chatter and gives you improved chain retention thanks to a stiffer derailleur arm and higher chain tension.
FEATURES – SHIMANO DEORE RD-M5100 1X11-SPEED REAR DERAILLEUR
Shadow RD+ For optimal chain retention
RD-M5100-SGS
51T max cog size
Works with 11-speed 11-51 teeth cassettes
Pulley size with 13T increased for reduced friction
PRODUCT FEATURES
Use: MTB
Group: DEORE M5100
Model: RD-M5100
Mount: Direct Mount
Technology: Shadow RD+
Gradations: SGS-Type 1×11-speed
Compatible chain: HG-X CN-M5100 11-speed
Max. teeth large sprocket: 51T
Min. teeth large sprocket: 51T
Max. teeth small sprocket: 11T
Min. teeth small sprocket: 11T
Max. Front Difference: 0T
Total Capacity: 40T
CAGE
Type-SGS long
Shimano Deore M5100 11 Speed Rear Shifter
The DEORE 11-speed right-side shifter benefits from the same technologies as XTR, DEORE XT and SLX. Together with the speed of RAPIDFIRE PLUS and a TWO-WAY RE-LEASE feature you can shift up and down the 11 gears of your cassette faster than ever before.
SHIMANO DEORE SL-M5100 11-SPEED SHIFT LEVER RIGHT RAPIDFIRE PLUS
20% quicker lever access time
Compact design and lightweight
Quicker lever access and light operation force maintains rider concentration
Greater flexibility and action-optimized cockpit layout
A wonderful book, the audio version is just over 50 hours long. A great biography of a great man. I really enjoyed the book.
Written by British biographer Andrew Roberts, the book is based on extensive materials, like diaries, letters, unpublished memoirs and detailed notes taken by King George VI, which have never been used in former biographies of Churchill.
According to Roberts, “There have been 1,009 biographies of Winston Churchill written over the past 113 years. It might seem hubristic to say it after quite so many books, but I think the shelves will fit one more cradle-to-grave biography of him.”
He made trips to many places related to Churchill, like “the Cuban jungle where Churchill heard his first shot fired in anger on the eve of his twentieth birthday”, “the battlefields of Gallipoli in Turkey where his reputation floundered”, and the rooms where he was born and died.
“I hope that readers will take away from the book a sense there is still a place for honor and heroism in what can sometimes seem like a crabbed, ill-tempered and petty world. Also the knowledge that, however many mistakes one might make in life – and Churchill made dozens, this is no hagiography – if like him you genuinely learn from them you can still achieve something great,” Roberts said.
Just finished reading this great book. It is full of references from my stay in Korea and from Korean movies, that bring back good memories. But no Granny assassians 🙂
From the amazon page for the book
The Old Woman with the Knife
by Gu Byeong-mo, Chi-Young Kim (Translator)
The kinetic story of a sixty-five-year-old female assassin who faces an unexpected threat in the twilight of her career–this is an international bestseller and the English language debut from an award-winning South Korean author
At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. She lives modestly in a small apartment, with only her aging dog, a rescue named Deadweight, to keep her company. There are expectations for people her age–that she’ll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin.
Double-crossers, corporate enemies, cheating spouses–for the past four decades, Hornclaw has killed them all with ruthless efficiency, and the less she’s known about her targets, the better. But now, nearing the end of her career, she has just slipped up. An injury leads her to an unexpected connection with a doctor and his family. But emotions, for an assassin, are a dangerous proposition. As Hornclaw’s world closes in, this final chapter in her career may also mark her own bloody end.
A sensation in South Korea, and now translated into English for the first time by Chi-Young Kim, The Old Woman with the Knife is an electrifying, singular, mordantly funny novel about the expectations imposed on aging bodies and the dramatic ways in which one woman chooses to reclaim her agency.
