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markn🚲

@markn@mastodonapp.uk

mastodon 4.6.8

It's mostly bicycles, books, & bumbling + some inept attempts at learning to draw. Work sidelines in CPU arch & open source.

93 Followers

145 Following

50 Posts

Joined November 08, 2022

markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 1w ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @jdarais@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A3. Maybe the shop's right, maybe not. Some Shimano shifters (e.g. Shimano road 10 speed) are just prone to fraying cables. Just a poor design. Also dirty cables or poorly adjusted limit stops can mean there's just unnecessary force needed to shift. Which obviously doesn't do wonders for lifetime. But, cables aren't gonna last forever - I swap mine (post winter) every year. It's really quick to do and cheap if you don't change the outers every time. I've (touches wood) never broken a shift cable in a lot of cycling. But, I do carry a spare and the avoidance of front derailleurs altogether also helps!

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@MatthewNewell@mastodon.social @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social Good going non the less! I'm riding up to Leeds on Wednesday and it's "only" 30degC. I like your lessons about social pace. I gave myself proper heat stroke last year and the gastric consequences were deeply unpleasant. Now I'm really wary.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@grammasaurus@mastodon.social @MatthewNewell@mastodon.social @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social fortunately my route on Wed has a supermarket pretty much every 50km. So I think I'll be ok. Jeez they are pricey. I wonder if my existing Camelback bladder will fit in my equally gougy Tailfin frame bag. Heads to shed ..

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@MatthewNewell@mastodon.social @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social at that temperature I'd only be able to do night rides!

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 4mo ago

#thicktrunktuesday gnarly willow curtains (definitely a shady character)

Mastodon App UK

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A8. Very different cycling surfaces. Cherry blossom and sand. Cherry blossom is definitely the winner.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A8. Heard my first Cuckoo of Spring (landmark moment in the year) while out on the mountain bike in Thetford forest. Hard work on the sandy surfaces in places with a few treacherous little pine cones that act like ball bearings. I do like the art installation at the visitors centre that shows the layers of geology and human activity. This place has been lived in for a *long* time. #bikenite

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

#audax RRtY 7 of a possible 12 (it's not over til it's over). Instead of trying to go somewhere specific and back yesterday I rode a meandering route that joins up some of the best (& quietist) bits of NW Norfolk. For such a small area the variation in the terrain is surprising. And obvs there's a mandatory trip to the seaside (which won't be quiet in another month or so!) Need to re enable my Warmshowers account as open for guests. Happy to act as a tour guide to any #BikeTooter types who want to camp in the garden.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @gbargoud@masto.nyc @bikenite@fedigroups.social A5.

I constantly ask myself the supplementary question. What if you could only have one?

I do ride them all and they do have different uses.

Classic road bike. It's light, it's got narrow tyres. It's faster than I can ride it and makes my neck hurt nowadays.
Audax/light tourer.
Foldy bike. My train travel companion.
Commuter & winter bike. Always has a rack & a lock fitted. Looks old & cheap on purpose.
Turbo bike.
Rigid mountain bike. The answer to my supplementary question.

If we ever move house (& I think that day is coming after 2.5 decades) I will need to make choices. It's been a privilege.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A8. I cycled to the seaside this week and I've never posted a video before. Masto moment excitement!

Fun pub quiz fact Hunstanton is the only** seaside town on the east coast that faces west. See maps for details.

** In Norfolk. Other seaside towns I am unaware of may share this quirk of geography.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on sfba.social

@ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social A8. On Wednesday I managed to sneak in my February RRtY #Audax ride (4 of 12). Leaving it till the end of the month meant I almost finished in the light & had a few bats for company on the final leg in the twilight. The route is a DIY creation forming a 200Km circle through 3 UK counties: Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire. It's got a nice variation of landscape and quiet roads. There's even a bit of gravel (see last week ;-) ) as you cross Wicken Fen North of Cambridge on National Cycle route 1. If the light falls well (sunrise & sunset) it can be a magical landscape. If it doesn't it's generally a windy, featureless and uninspiring place. But, I kinda like that about it. The photo is near a vineyard in Suffolk - I think the photo is a field of hop poles. They should have nice associations, but I found them a bit disturbing in their winter bareness.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

I've never seen a little flint cannon ball with a face before. Wondering if these egg shapes are common & I'm just not looking hard enough.

Part of me wants to tap it with a hammer. But, I'll probably leave my new friend alone.

We're on a similar geology to Grimes Graves in the UK (& not too far away from there) so flint nodules are everywhere. But, the new deep ploughed ridges, for potatoes, had turned up way more interesting stuff than usual. It was like inland beachcombing.

#geology #norfolk and pet rocks.

Mastodon App UK

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@wlukewindsor @ascentale @daihard @bikenite

Thanks for that - interesting. Although it's very fuzzy about the underlying reasons or the poll details. I am worried about my job security, so I dislike AI... Is a long way from having concerns about ethics or the viability of the technology**. I guess sometimes it doesn't matter why, sometimes it does.

** I should rephrase that! I am not even sure "AI" is a technology, more like a non specific marketing term that over promises with bells on and lays the foundation for the current hype cycle.

BELLS! See I knew I'd get back to bicycles by the end of the comment.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@ascentale@sfba.social @BongoTwisty@social.vivaldi.net @bikenite@fedigroups.social A6. Yes! Because sadly I have neither the core strength or the souplesse I desire.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@jfparis@rouge.eu.org @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social that is a much more pleasant photo than the view I saw of a Range Rover parked on the pavement straight across the door of a polling station. No point speculating on their voting habits, I think we already know.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@Heyweldon @ascentale @bikenite love a criterium. I was once as marshall for one and it was interesting to see the huge speed differences between the guys with different racing categories (cat1 down) and then the local club riders. I will always remember the poor guy at the back who had just enough breath left to say "make it stop" every loop.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 6mo ago

Replying to on sfba.social

@ascentale@sfba.social @pete@masto.hypertelia.com @bikenite@fedigroups.social A3. Congrats on having a tubeless thread without any insane religious position crusaders. What's with this Masto audience - why aren't we incoherently yelling "I'm right" at each other? To answer. I've found tubeless fabulous YMMV as might your opinions. Much better ride, especially than something robust like Schwalbe marathons. Many many (many) saved punctures. I especially appreciated the massive hedge thorn I didn't even notice in the dark and sleet last month. But, they're just not worth the faff on a short trips utility bike or a bike you use infrequently. For longer rides or rides where fun is the aim they're great. But, they can be a rim/tyre combo minefield. Some combos are hard to initially seal, others are too tight. If I can't get the tyre off on the road and bang a tube in (as a last resort) it's no good to me. Low volume/high pressure tyres don't work as well either e.g. my old road frame permits max 25c. I've tried, it wasn't pretty.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on masto.hypertelia.com

@pete@masto.hypertelia.com @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social it's a striking place. I'm gonna go back round in a month or two and see how it looks. Hopefully a bit less WW1 battlefield. I assume it's part of https://www.wykenvineyards.co.uk/ given where it is.

wykenvineyards.co.uk

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on masto.hypertelia.com

@pete@masto.hypertelia.com EXACTLY THIS. This is the way. Or maybe it isn't the way. But, if FB Marketplace didn't make me despair of humanity I'd have sold more of it. That's my feeble excuse.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@alexanderdyas@mindly.social his related work Name This Child implies you can also override parents decisions and assign a name you prefer 😆 A cross over with his work on RAF slang would be promising. ChocksAway Partridge sounds quite exotic. I like it.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@FourT4@mastodonapp.uk @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social the joints are surprisingly ok to ride over. Or maybe that's the magic of 32mm tubeless. Hunstanton is nice in parts, tacky in parts with some WTF crimes against architecture. But, that's mostly any British seaside town. Definitely winning wrt Morecambe, based on my last visit.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@nigelpstanley@mastodonapp.uk nice to see KL getting a bit of love. Great photos.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@scottrossi@mastodon.social I read the Forever War last year, yeah I'm late getting to it! I was amazed by all the social stuff often absent from Sci-Fi. e.g. the heterophobic society stood out as an idea. A lot of it must have been fairly radical at the time it was written. I should return to his other work. But, I like a bit of chaotic variety in my reading habits.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@FourT4@mastodonapp.uk Pacstodon!

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 6mo ago

Kelham Island museum in Sheffield. I'm feeling this poster from 1917 has modern resonance. It relates to a "wake up America" day in New York city.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on social.v.st

@th@social.v.st it's obviously bricked everything connected to it

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on mas.to

@wav3ydave@mas.to 🎉 congratulations. May the only rain on your parade be lemon drizzle.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on rouge.eu.org

@jfparis@rouge.eu.org @Pionir@masto.bike @MatthewNewell@mastodon.social I've had to start a dedicated Joplin notebook based on this thread ;-)

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to on sfba.social

@ascentale@sfba.social @daihard@sharkey.world @bikenite@fedigroups.social A3. The total consistency of the answers is interesting, if not surprising. Sadly I doubt views of Mastodon Cyclists != Cyclists in general. Or for that matter the general population. Even if, as Mulder would say, "I want to believe". It's obvs not a valid data set. But, I find most of my non technical friends & family are still in the unthinkingly impressed phase of AI consumption. ( We won't even talk about the hype boosting views of those still in thrawl to my previous employer and its bankers).

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on mastodon.org.uk

@v_perjorative@mastodon.org.uk Spa Cycles will make a decent hand built set for £235. I know not £200 (sorry!) but they're probably better quality than most factory options. https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s233p0/Wheels/Handbuilt-Wheelsets-%28650b-584%29

spacycles.co.uk

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on urbanists.social

@MartyCormack@urbanists.social @uxmark@mstdn.ca @pete@masto.hypertelia.com @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social agree, love a bit of audio bird spotting, especially now Spring is here in the UK. Not quite as magic as Pete's photos, but it'll do. Especially for a 5min stop.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@wlukewindsor@c.im he's tyred bless him.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@catsalad@infosec.exchange looks away, tries to forget, has nightmares about castling.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on mstdn.plus

@gcvsa@mstdn.plus @ascentale@sfba.social @uxmark@mstdn.ca @bikenite@fedigroups.social I very much enjoyed that game! Fortunately I wasn't a gardener.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 6mo ago

Replying to on c.im

@wlukewindsor@c.im @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social as you can tell. It's been a while since I did that journey! Good to know it's improved.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on mastodon.social

@steevo83@mastodon.social it definitely made an impression on me. Printers & sharks, I'll say no more.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on c.im

@wlukewindsor@c.im @jfparis@rouge.eu.org In case it helps... I have/had the same issue. I've got an 199x classic road race frame I love dearly. It used to be ok with my 199x body, less so with my 2026 body! (Neck & shoulder pain) Stem is slammed and also it's hard to lift the bars without criminal aesthetic acts. I did fit a set of those Spesh Hoover bars which lift up the front end by 15mm. That looks acceptable and wasn't expensive. I'm never doing an Audax on it, but it definitely helped.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@dcz@fosstodon.org I get about 2000km on my MTB (lots of sand & muck) and about 4000km on a road bike. That's just regular chain oil, cleaned properly if mucky, just wiped if not. Your mileage feels a bit on the low value side, could be the chain or the weather or residual grinding muck. A new 9 speed chain is still winning at the cheapest transport option though! FWIW https://bikecalcs.uk/maintenance/chain-wear-calculator/

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 6mo ago

Replying to on mastodon.online

@Pepijn@mastodon.online i think "you've had your money's worth out of that" as we say in Yorkshire, UK.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on sfba.social

@ascentale@sfba.social @BongoTwisty@social.vivaldi.net @bikenite@fedigroups.social A4. But, if it's somewhere - how can it be nowhere?

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on social.coop

@Anibyl@social.coop nice photo, nice bike.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to

@moira@mastodon.murkworks.net @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social It's certainly a captivating horror of a thing. I need to change the v belt on the ride on mower and I could.... No!

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on urbanists.social

@MartyCormack@urbanists.social @uxmark@mstdn.ca @pete@masto.hypertelia.com @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social but that cardinal is proper bling, worth 3x points ⚡ I think we're just a bit further ahead with the seasonal progress. Small as it is, you can still see a pretty big difference between Norfolk and Northumberland wrt the pace of Spring in the UK.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on sfba.social

@ascentale@sfba.social @uxmark@mstdn.ca @bikenite@fedigroups.social A1. Think Goose! (Cue music from the AristoCats). Specifically a German goose from the Rhine cycle path.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on mastodon.scot

@jbenjamint@mastodon.scot simple is as simple does - classic looks attempt.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@tg9541 and as well as functioning fine, it still looks good too. I quite like friction shifting in a stately progress, no hills context.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 5mo ago

Replying to on sfba.social

@ascentale@sfba.social @Pionir@masto.bike @bikenite@fedigroups.social A6. Great thread. Confession of self interest. I'm looking at exactly this question too. I enjoy taking photos on my rides. But, I'm frustrated at how phones (even recent ones like the Pixel or iPhone) handle some images. They can be impressive, but there's something about the quality of all that post processing I really don't like. I have an SLR, but realistically I'm never taking that on the bike with me! Close to buying the new Ricoh IV as the *compact* in camera is the thing that will make sure I use it! But, it's only worth it if meaningfully better than the phone images. I find these folks actually write meaningful review content. https://thecotswoldphotographer.com/best-compact-cameras-travel-photography-2025/

thecotswoldphotographer.com

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 6mo ago

Replying to on masto.hypertelia.com

@pete@masto.hypertelia.com ohh dear god Liv. I think the text is actually worse than the front guard photo. It's classic LLM bloated recursive slop. Interesting to learn that mountain bike fenders are called mudguards though.

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markn🚲 @markn@mastodonapp.uk

· 7mo ago

Replying to on rouge.eu.org

@jfparis@rouge.eu.org I've done bits of it on my way home from Nice. Definitely recommend. The descent into Martigny off the Forclaz is epic. How hot were my discs!? But, yeah. Not many easy days. Couple of photos for you. I just made my route up following some of the Euro velo options. Happy to DM you details if interested. I didn't regret any of my choices.

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