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Of late, I've been using mainly gear that I've bought for hillwalking. For seriously wet weather, I wear a pair of Craghoppers goretex trousers which keep my legs and bum completely dry. On top I normally have a t-shirt or t-shirt and fleece if it's really cold, topped with a 3/4 length...

Still do it now - it's the quickest, easiest way to tell whether a PP3 battery is fresh or not.

I wouldn't worry to much about vibration: modern handsets are designed to take a fair bit of abuse and have no moving parts apart from the vibrator and the speaker. Bigger issues are watertightness and being able to see the handset's screen in bright daylight. Most of the "waterproof" holders...

It's to be hoped that Apple Maps has improved since it's launch...

Ahh, I see what you mean now. My bad.

I'd be very wary of manufacturer's figures but wiki is generally quite reliable on things like this because manufacturer's statements can be easily challenged. In any case, I doubt that there's a big difference between a good belt and a chain. Certainly, after some use in the field, it wouldn't...

This is undoubtedly a limitation. Given the requirement for accurate alignment and setup, belt drive is never going to be ideal for those who like to fiddle with their bikes and experiment with different ratios. For me, however, it's a non-issue. I just want to buy the bike and ride it.

The same article also states that 95% efficiency is typical for belts in general. Why not? I'm envisaging a system where the belt is completely enclosed and alignment is ensured by the manufacturer in the design of the frame and choice of components. Whilst I can imagine that in a home-built...

Very close. Toothed belts are capable of 98% efficiency (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_(mechanical)). Can't find good figures for a chain but by the laws of physics it must be less than 100%, so they're extremely close. Compared to other losses, I think you could consider them to be...

I don't think my bike has any kill switches on the brake levers...but I'm not sure it needs any. It's BH with Panasonic crank drive. As soon as I stop pedalling the power stops.

I don't see why not either. As far as I can tell, there is no legislation on audible warning devices for bikes. The highway code suggests they're optional: https://www.gov.uk/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82/overview-59-to-71 "Let them [pedestrians] know you are there when necessary, for example...

I've got Google Maps and Co-Pilot live on my phone and I find them both pretty poor for cycling navigation because neither include all the local cycle routes. Their idea of cycle route planning appears to be to put you on minor roads, taking twice as long for the same journey with no obvious...

I'd think the main reason you should keep your fog lights off unless visibility is severely compromised is because it's the law. Unfortunately some motorists in these parts seem to think that sidelights + front fog lights is a cool alternative to actual headlights, at night. Fortunately they...

Really, if you're struggling to tell the difference between a bicycle and and emergency vehicle, you really need to go and see your optician, ASAP. Motorists driving without their specs on is a whole other can of worms though. With our ageing population in the UK, I reckon it'll be the next...

Depends whether you're buying the bike for fitness or for other reasons. Personally, I don't care that much about fitness and, frankly, any type of bike will make me fitter than driving a car. What I do care about is cost, sustainability and my carbon footprint.

Mike - you've inspired me to actually work out the TCO for my old car. Based on an annual mileage of about 6k, it cost 45p a mile to run. I'm going to keep track of my bike expenses so, hopefully, in a year or so I'll be able to make a meaningful comparison.

I've found Tuffnells to be pretty good. As one of the smaller couriers, they seem to give a more personal service.

Ahh, I see, you're basing it on huge mileage - far more than most people ever do. You've got to compare like with like if you're going to make a meaningful comparison. There's also the fact that when you've got a car, you're more likely to make longer journeys and more journeys than are...

Including fuel, tax, servicing, MOTs, repairs, depreciation and insurance? The problem with comparing transportation costs is that motorists often neglect many of the costs of motoring because of "having the car already", for whatever reason.

Can't disagree with you there, John.