The Broomwagon (off topic chat)

Glitterangel76

petethedrummer wrote: »

Yup, I mean er no.

Too late...the secret is out

Its ok, you are safe there won't be too many of us invading...Taco fries seems to be the favourite drunken food at the moment... eeuuuggghhhh

unionman

ROK ON wrote: »

Best pizza in Dublin

(1)Cafe di Napoli (Westland Row near Pearse St station): They do a pizza bianca (no tomato sauce) topped with dolcelate and provolone. Divine. Also do a lovely one with mortadella. Also, best espresso that I have had anywhere, EVER.

(2) Steps of Rome: (Chatam St). Particularly the brocolli and chille flake pizza.

(3) Gotham for something funky - love the Peking Duck and cashew nut with hoisin sauce.

Must check out Napoli, that sounds particularly good. Steps of Rome is great too, and number 3 is known in-house as the 'Chinatown'. I served up thousands of those bad boys when I used to work there*

Also worth mentioning is the Margherita in Boulangerie, Bulfin Road, Inchicore. Emty recommended it and it is the the most amazing, simple, tasty pizza I have tasted since my last trip to Italy.

Almost forgot! Il Fornaio on Killbarrack Road, on a par with Boulangerie but handier for those of you on DNS.

*A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

seamus

First proper spin on the bike today, 35km in 72 minutes. Very easy route, from Firhouse up the N81 and a couple of km past Brittas. The plan was to go to Blessington and get an easy 40k in but various bits started going numb and it's my turn to do the hoovering so I turned back. 5 minutes after I'd turned back, the numbness went away and it felt like more so I took a longer route home and added 5k onto the trip.

Things I learned today:
Get up before midday to have any hope of getting a longer spin.
Water bottles which haven't been used in a couple of weeks don't make the water taste good. Blech.
That would be way more fun and much easier with even one other person.

Loving this road biking thing

Lumen

unionman wrote: »

Steps of Rome is great too, and number 3 is known in-house as the 'Chinatown'. I served up thousands of those bad boys when I used to work there*

Went to Steps of Rome today with the kids. Pizzas good, service pretty inadequate. Can you get your old job back?

Also, €10 for a toddler portion of pasta. Isn't there supposed to be a recession on?

Chips Lovell

Lumen wrote: »

Also, €10 for a toddler portion of pasta. Isn't there supposed to be a recession on?

Hey, it's not their fault if your toddler puts away enough pasta to feed a pro tour team the night before a mountain stage.

ROK ON

Lumen wrote: »

Went to Steps of Rome today with the kids. Pizzas good, service pretty inadequate. Can you get your old job back?

Also, €10 for a toddler portion of pasta. Isn't there supposed to be a recession on?

Have to say, that in my experience (working with Italians) that there is not a great service culture in Italy or in Italian run operations here. Service is painfully slow, one almost has to plead for a bill. But thats just how they do things. Relaxed to the point of being comatose, unless something needs to be done, then its panic stations.

Also, what is it with toddlers and pasta - its like the only food group in their universe?

Lumen

ROK ON wrote: »

Have to say, that in my experience (working with Italians) that there is not a great service culture in Italy or in Italian run operations here. Service is painfully slow, one almost has to plead for a bill. But thats just how they do things.

I miss proper Italian meals; the whole four course thing where the alcohol doesn't seem to ever reach your bloodstream and you have to walk slowly out of the restaurant in case you puke or pass out.

Is there anywhere in Dublin to eat like that? Northern Italian, like. Pizza is tasty enough, but peasant food nonetheless.

AstraMonti

I bought this Park Tool Home Mechanic PCS9 Repair Stand the other day and i just managed to put it together. It's HUGE! I don't have anywhere to put this thing! It's like the size of a small cannon.

DirkVoodoo

What do you mean put it together? It comes in like 2 or 3 pieces. That ranks as a 3+ on the lego scale!

Captain Havoc

My alarm went off this morning to wake me up to go for a spin with the club before I go into work. I realised I was too dehydrated so I tried to sleep again. I couldn't sleep so I started playing around and came up with this:



I don't know what possesed me to do it but it seemed good at 8am this morning.

DirkVoodoo

I hope that was just the first picture you saw in your drunken state, otherwise I am afraid.

Captain Havoc

Drunk, me? I think not. Actually that picture does look muck now at 18h30.

Google searches for stuff related to an assignment I'm finishing off keep bringing me to bike related websites. I'm unsure whether this is good or not.

Planet X

http://www.flixxy.com/invention-suction-tires.htm

nitrogen

Are there any boards cyclists based in London? Might be a bit late in the year to join a club, but would like to go for a spin with someone.

Hungrycol

Does Altura have a website? Search engins only come up with Altura stockists.

Jawgap

A jet powered bike!!!

ednwireland

meh - this ones moving

thebouldwhacker

I'm looking to replace my alloys, I was told about

http://www.alloywheels.com/

but I know nothing about the different makes of wheels re quality and durability... any experience of this web site or any advise on which make of alloy to go with and which to avoid?

I tried the motoring forum but they musta smelt the cyclist off me and havent replied to my question:( this being off topic chat I thought I'd throw it here....

I need to get them soon so any and all help is appreciated

Cheers

Captain Havoc

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I'm looking to replace my alloys, I was told about

http://www.alloywheels.com/

but I know nothing about the different makes of wheels re quality and durability... any experience of this web site or any advise on which make of alloy to go with and which to avoid?

I tried the motoring forum but they musta smelt the cyclist off me and havent replied to my question:( this being off topic chat I thought I'd throw it here....

I need to get them soon so any and all help is appreciated

Cheers

I don't know, they might be a bit wide for the forks

I'm sorry

DirkVoodoo

What's the car? Unlike with bikes, keeping it tasteful is important, let's not go to chavtown:



Oh Stephen, you can take the boi out of Cobh...

thebouldwhacker

jerseyeire wrote: »

I don't know, they might be a bit wide for the forks

I'm sorry

Taxi for jerseyeire.......:p


Its an Alpha 156, I do a good bit of milage so I need a set that wont fall apart after a few thousand miles but I know nothing of makes etc....

AstraMonti

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Taxi for jerseyeire.......:p


Its an Alpha 156, I do a good bit of milage so I need a set that wont fall apart after a few thousand miles but I know nothing of makes etc....

Ah it's Alfa.. don't worry. The car will be falling apart much sooner than any alloys :P

Ok joke of the day:

A young boy had just gotten his driver's permit and asked his father if
they could discuss his use of the car.

His father said he'd make a deal with his son. "You bring your grades
up from a C to a B average, study your Bible, get your hair cut, and we'll
talk about the car."

The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the
offer, and they agreed on it.

After about six weeks, his father said, "Son, I've been real proud.
You
brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your
Bible, but I'm real disappointed you didn't get your hair
cut."

The young man paused a moment and then said, "You know, Dad, I've been
thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson
had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and
there's even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair.

To this his father replied, "Did you also notice they all walked
everywhere they went?"

:pac: :pac:

thebouldwhacker

AstraMonti wrote: »

Ah it's Alfa.. don't worry. The car will be falling apart much sooner than any alloys :P

HEY HEY!! Dont dis the Alpha's... one of the best looking cars out there, both inside and out... I wouldnt need the new boots is she wasnt so nippy:rolleyes:

alfalad

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Taxi for jerseyeire.......:p


Its an Alpha 156, I do a good bit of milage so I need a set that wont fall apart after a few thousand miles but I know nothing of makes etc....

Good taste, have the 156 myself and it's a great driving car once you are on smooth roads, but rough irish roads destroy the suspension and you'll be replacing that long before the wheels I reckon!
Much and all as I hate to admit it Astra is right. But my next car will still be an alfa, just the 159!

thebouldwhacker

PERTY:D

AstraMonti

Just joking, i had an 156 Alfa, they look absolutely fantastic. But the engine failed at 52.000 kms. (literally it blow up)

thebouldwhacker

alfalad wrote: »

Good taste, have the 156 myself and it's a great driving car once you are on smooth roads, but rough irish roads destroy the suspension and you'll be replacing that long before the wheels I reckon!
Much and all as I hate to admit it Astra is right. But my next car will still be an alfa, just the 159!

I have her nearly 5 years and she has 126 K miles on her but still drives like a lady:)

Thing is if I were to change car there isnt anything out there I wanna drive... However Hammond said on top gear, everyone should own an
Alpha once in their lives, but only once... My gf has the 147.. some car:D

alfalad

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

HEY HEY!! Dont dis the Alpha's... one of the best looking cars out there, both inside and out... I wouldnt need the new boots is she wasnt so nippy:rolleyes:

Not meaning to be picky, but as a proud Alfa Romeo owner, please spell it right!

thebouldwhacker

AstraMonti wrote: »

Just joking, i had an 156 Alfa, they look absolutely fantastic. But the engine failed at 52.000 kms. (literally it blow up)

That'll be the timing belt then:(?

alfalad

AstraMonti wrote: »

Just joking, i had an 156 Alfa, they look absolutely fantastic. But the engine failed at 52.000 kms. (literally it blow up)

Is that cause you didn't change the timing belt?

DirkVoodoo

The best 156 alloys are the "telephone dial" ones:



And Alfas are great cars. If you want a super reliable, boring every day car...get the bus! Everyone needs a bit of fun.

Long arm, short leg ftw!

Also, I hope it's an "Alfa Rosso" finish, otherwise I retract my advice and point you in the direction of the Saab section on carzone.

alfalad

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I have her nearly 5 years and she has 126 K miles on her but still drives like a lady:)

Thing is if I were to change car there isnt anything out there I wanna drive... However Hammond said on top gear, everyone should own an
Alpha once in their lives, but only once... My gf has the 147.. some car:D

I wouldn't mind the only once cause he has owned about 5 at this stage! I plan to own many more, including a nice little 3 Litre GT, they are a stunning machine!
Also saw pics of the 169, not due out for 18 months or so, but gorgeous!

alfalad

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

The best 156 alloys are the "telephone dial" ones:



And Alfas are great cars. If you want a super reliable, boring every day car...get the bus! Everyone needs a bit of fun.

Long arm, short leg ftw!

Also, I hope it's an "Alfa Rosso" finish, otherwise I retract my advice and point you in the direction of the Saab section on carzone.

Just so your happy dirk, mine is red and has the telephone dial wheels. The only other colour i would consider for the 156 is black on the ti sport version!

AstraMonti

alfalad wrote: »

Is that cause you didn't change the timing belt?

I don't really know, it was one of the first 156 that were out (i was still in Greece back then). When the car reached the alfa romeo service, the mechanics had no idea what happened. So because i was out of warranty and they couldn't find what it was the company gave me 70% off from the repair costs (5.5k euro back then). After that i sold it and bought a boring Opel Astra. I would still buy an Alfa, but i would never recommended it to a friend.

alfalad

So as well as owning an Italian car I own an Italian bike!

thebouldwhacker

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I'm looking to replace my alloys, I was told about

http://www.alloywheels.com/

but I know nothing about the different makes of wheels re quality and durability... any experience of this web site or any advise on which make of alloy to go with and which to avoid?

I tried the motoring forum but they musta smelt the cyclist off me and havent replied to my question:( this being off topic chat I thought I'd throw it here....

I need to get them soon so any and all help is appreciated

Cheers

Sorry to bring this back but any idea about makes of alloys?? good makes etc, I have 12 spoke atm...

alfalad

AstraMonti wrote: »

I don't really know, it was one of the first 156 that were out (i was still in Greece back then). When the car reached the alfa romeo service, the mechanics had no idea what happened. So because i was out of warranty and they couldn't find what it was the company gave me 70% off from the repair costs (5.5k euro back then). After that i sold it and bought a boring Opel Astra. I would still buy an Alfa, but i would never recommended it to a friend.

Least they gave you 70% off and the newer ones are more reliable now as well. They hired one of the head guys from either BMW or Volkswagen (can't remember which) to work on the reliability, hence why the launch of the 159 was delayed for a year and now the totally new 169 as they want to get rid of there name of being unreliable!

DirkVoodoo

alfalad wrote: »

Least they gave you 70% off and the newer ones are more reliable now as well. They hired one of the head guys from either BMW or Volkswagen (can't remember which) to work on the reliability, hence why the launch of the 159 was delayed for a year and now the totally new 169 as they want to get rid of there name of being unreliable!

BMW.

My car was (is) a bright blue punto. Falling apart, overly stiff suspension, only a 1.2 and has already needed a new steering column thanks to the electronically assisted power steering being crap, but man is it fun and loves to be revved!



Then I thought about this:



followed by this:



Then I started cycling. Would only go back to driving for this with a DSG of course:

alfalad

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

BMW.

Thought it was alright!

thebouldwhacker

Funny that this got more posts here than on the motoring forum.... cyclists rock...:D

DirkVoodoo

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Funny that this got more posts here than on the motoring forum.... cyclists rock...:D

We are all closet motor heads, just don't tell Tim Allen!

alfalad

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

We are all closet motor heads, just don't tell Tim Allen!

We just give cyclists a lot more room and respect when we are driving!

DirkVoodoo

alfalad wrote: »

We just give cyclists a lot more room and respect when we are driving!

Not me, I draft as close as I can behind them, then shout "on your right" out the car window before overtaking and dropping them like the freds they are. I even take my hands off the wheel and make a pistol salute when crossing the (imaginary) line into the driveway.

ROK ON

Had my first experience of poor cycling while I was driving yday.
I was taking the daughter to see the film Up (great movie btw), and we were driving on some very very narrow raods with lots of twists and turns (Molls Gap road to Killarney).

Anyway, this cyclists was ahead of me (descending at a ludicrously slow pace). Now this is not the type of road, nor am I the type of driver that would attempt to overtake when the road is so continuously twisty - there is no view of the road ahead.

Anyway, this bloody cyclist (dressed in USPS Gear IIRC), just kept hugging the middle line and would not pull in. More often than not cyclists can descend faster than cars (particulalry on a windy descent. This guy was descending at between 30-40km/h at most. Hugely frustrating.

Being a cyclist I held back until I could pass safely. But I have to say I had a pretty bad taste in my mouth abouth this guys road hogging behaviour. I can understand why we (cyclists) have such a bad rep among motorists.

thebouldwhacker

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Not me, I draft as close as I can behind them, then shout "on your right" out the car window before overtaking and dropping them like the freds they are. I even take my hands off the wheel and make a pistol salute when crossing the (imaginary) line into the driveway.

I hear ya, I love speeding up to pass out cyclists just before pulling a hard left and coming to an abrupt stop to answer the mobile...

Jawgap

More fun to drive alongside then flip on the left indicator as you come to a junction or driveway:)

.....or overtake them and wash your windscreen as you go past - better done when there is a group:)

Planet X

Scally with an aero chainring..........:eek::eek::eek:



Must just be out of the feed zone with his musette (full a gear)

bbosco

He should pop into Cycleogical to get that rear tyre pumped up

Lumen

Planet X wrote: »

Scally with an aero chainring..........:eek::eek::eek:

Are you sure? I thought it was normal to use solid chainrings on a BMX. The BMX rotting in my back garden has one.

WTF happened to this place? It's turned into a Top Gear forum. Anyway, Alfas are ugly expensive unreliable crap. Give me a Fiat Panda any day.