What are the most important things when buying a bike?

[Tumbleweed]

"Dave Kahn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 19:37:38 -0000, "Tumbleweed"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Or if you meant, why did I suggest a royal, then didnt Price Charles have
>>a
>>woodwork O level or similar and still got into Cambridge?
>
> He got into Trinity with A levels in history (B) and French (C).
>

For cambridge, thats equivalent to a woodwork O level.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

 

[Brian G]

Tumbleweed wrote:

> "Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>Tumbleweed wrote:
>>
>>
>>>BTW, why couldnt you afford Cambridge now? Surely not on the grounds
>>>you'd have to pay the price of a round of drinks every month to repay
>>>your loan?
>>
>>Don't know how many people you drink with, but if my children paid the
>>price of 10 drinks or so every month they'd pay off their education loans
>>sometime in the next millennium (Scottish and London universities, rather
>>than Cambridge).
>>
>>--
>>Brian G
>
>
> have you looked up earnings vs payments?

You're referring only to Student Loans, I think. Sadly my children,
like many others, are knee deep in straight commercial loans, career
development loans and so on in addition to Student Loans. These mainly
arise from post-grad studies.

This is the brave new world of educational funding.


--
Brian G

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tumbleweed wrote:
>
>> "Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>Tumbleweed wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>BTW, why couldnt you afford Cambridge now? Surely not on the grounds
>>>>you'd have to pay the price of a round of drinks every month to repay
>>>>your loan?
>>>
>>>Don't know how many people you drink with, but if my children paid the
>>>price of 10 drinks or so every month they'd pay off their education loans
>>>sometime in the next millennium (Scottish and London universities, rather
>>>than Cambridge).
>>>
>>>--
>>>Brian G
>>
>>
>> have you looked up earnings vs payments?
>
> You're referring only to Student Loans, I think. Sadly my children, like
> many others, are knee deep in straight commercial loans, career
> development loans and so on in addition to Student Loans. These mainly
> arise from post-grad studies.

So your actual statement should have been soemthing like 'if i wanted to
take a post graduate degreeI'd have to pay for it myself instead of everyone
else with a job paying for it like they used to in teh good old days". I
cant see a problem with that.

> This is the brave new world of educational funding.
>
>
With 5-10x the number of people going to university than when you went, the
old systems cant finance it. And even if they could, why should they
especially for post grad degrees. Of course, rich people can always pay for
their studies, but the same goes for everything else as well. Dont see why
it shoud be any different for a post grad degree in baroque music or
whatever.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

 

[Nick Kew]

In article <[email protected]>,
Dave Kahn <[email protected]> writes:

> He got into Trinity with A levels in history (B) and French (C).

There are always upper class twits with dismal A-levels like that.
Many of the older colleges have significant numbers of places reserved
for them under the terms of various benefactors, which makes it
profitable to accept them regardless of academic considerations.

ISTR there was even a degree for them. "Land Economy" was a standing
joke amongst us plebs, but was there for the nobs who wanted an
undemanding qualification to preside over the ancestral estates.

--
Nick Kew

 

[Nick Kew]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Tumbleweed" <[email protected]> writes:


> Suggest what?
> Thats its Cambridge...well, you said, if you go to the library, you'll see

Who said that?

> loads of bikes, Assumed you had looked up his originating address, otherwise

I don't have the original article, only the followups.

> why suggest going to cambridge library?

Who suggested that?

> BTW, why couldnt you afford Cambridge now? Surely not on the grounds you'd
> have to pay the price of a round of drinks every month to repay your loan?

Frankly I don't know how much it really costs. In my day, grants were in
decline, but at least they still existed: I don't think I'd have dared go
to uni if it meant a large loan. So I'd have had to hunt for a scholarship/
sponsorship instead of devoting myself to pure academia.

--
Nick Kew

 

[James Annan]

On 2004-12-11, Tumbleweed <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> With 5-10x the number of people going to university than when you went, the
> old systems cant finance it. And even if they could, why should they
> especially for post grad degrees. Of course, rich people can always pay for
> their studies, but the same goes for everything else as well. Dont see why
> it shoud be any different for a post grad degree in baroque music or
> whatever.
>

That's fine so long as the UK can import enough qualified
workers from 2nd/3rd world countries to fill the
various research and professional jobs that the local
population are no longer capable of doing. However,
most of those who are hostile to the public funding
of education are also hostile to mass immigration, at
least until they find their local hospital under-staffed.

James

 

[Jaguar27]

The #1 most important thing when buying a Bike is Fit...if it's too big or too small even a $10,000 bike will be pretty useless....

Im currently undertaking a project on the bike industry in the Uk for a University course and to be honest I have no clue whatso ever about bikes!

I'm just wondering if some of you could let me know what things you consider to be important when buying a bicycle (price, brand, features, performance etc) please, and to also rank them in order of importance

many thanks

rob

 

[Tony Raven]

James Annan wrote:

>
> That's fine so long as the UK can import enough qualified
> workers from 2nd/3rd world countries to fill the
> various research and professional jobs that the local
> population are no longer capable of doing.

And in the process denuding the 2nd/3rd world countries of their best
doctors, nurses etc so yet again they get a bum deal so we can live better.

Tony

 

[Tony Raven]

Jaguar27 wrote:
> The #1 most important thing when buying a Bike is Fit...if it's too big
> or too small even a $10,000 bike will be pretty useless....
>

At that price you hang it on the wall so fit is irrelevant ;-)

Tony

 

[Brian G]

Tumbleweed wrote:

> With 5-10x the number of people going to university than when you went, the
> old systems cant finance it. And even if they could, why should they
> especially for post grad degrees. Of course, rich people can always pay for
> their studies, but the same goes for everything else as well. Dont see why
> it shoud be any different for a post grad degree in baroque music or
> whatever.

I don't see the relevance of baroque music. Both my children took/are
taking post-graduate university qualifications necessary to the pursuit
of their careers in scientific and medical fields (in which, at least in
Scotland, we are said to be short of entrants).

I certainly don't see the relevance to me of "rich people".

I wasn't complaining about the current system. I initially gently
queried your assertion that student indebtedness at present could equate
to a few rounds of drinks. Were it so, some of us might be considerably
"richer" people.

(Of course, I might just be feeling especially petulant about the whole
situation as Christmas begins its annual assault on my wilting credit
card ;-))


--
Brian G

 

[Tony Raven]

Brian G wrote:
>
> I don't see the relevance of baroque music. Both my children took/are
> taking post-graduate university qualifications necessary to the pursuit
> of their careers in scientific and medical fields (in which, at least in
> Scotland, we are said to be short of entrants).
>

Not a lot of people saw the relevance a century ago when a bunch of
academics sat around having philosophical debates about the nature of
matter but today quantum mechanics underpins our whole society. Ditto
working out the structure of DNA - a pure academic curiosity pursuit at
the time. Virtually everything your children will have studied and
University and that they will use in everyday life will have been
impacted by at least one of those "irrelevant" activities.

As for baroque music being irrelevant as a subject to study, I bet more
westerners would be familiar with the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Handel
than Crick, Planck and Heisenberg.

Tony

 

[Steve]

James Annan wrote:
> On 2004-12-11, Tumbleweed <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>With 5-10x the number of people going to university than when you went, the
>>old systems cant finance it. And even if they could, why should they
>>especially for post grad degrees. Of course, rich people can always pay for
>>their studies, but the same goes for everything else as well. Dont see why
>>it shoud be any different for a post grad degree in baroque music or
>>whatever.
>>
>
>
> That's fine so long as the UK can import enough qualified
> workers from 2nd/3rd world countries to fill the
> various research and professional jobs that the local
> population are no longer capable of doing. However,
> most of those who are hostile to the public funding
> of education are also hostile to mass immigration, at
> least until they find their local hospital under-staffed.
>
> James
Doesn't that imply that the UK is still a first world country?

Steve

 

[Brian G]

Tony Raven wrote:

> Brian G wrote:
>
>>
>> I don't see the relevance of baroque music. Both my children took/are
>> taking post-graduate university qualifications necessary to the
>> pursuit of their careers in scientific and medical fields (in which,
>> at least in Scotland, we are said to be short of entrants).
>>
>
> Not a lot of people saw the relevance a century ago when a bunch of
> academics sat around having philosophical debates about the nature of
> matter but today quantum mechanics underpins our whole society. Ditto
> working out the structure of DNA - a pure academic curiosity pursuit at
> the time. Virtually everything your children will have studied and
> University and that they will use in everyday life will have been
> impacted by at least one of those "irrelevant" activities.
>
> As for baroque music being irrelevant as a subject to study, I bet more
> westerners would be familiar with the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Handel
> than Crick, Planck and Heisenberg.
>
> Tony

Ouch! My sloppy posting. I wasn't doubting the relevance of baroque
music per se, only to the (extremely off-topic) discussion on student
debt which I over-snipped. In my far-off university days I studied much
that seemed grossly irrelevant at the time. If my remaining brain cells
could remember any of it now I've no doubt it would seem to be right on
the money today. Each and every baroque music specialist is hereby
apologised to.

--
Brian G

 

[James Annan]

On 2004-12-12, Steve <[email protected]> wrote:
> James Annan wrote:
>>
>> That's fine so long as the UK can import enough qualified
>> workers from 2nd/3rd world countries to fill the
>> various research and professional jobs that the local
>> population are no longer capable of doing. However,
>> most of those who are hostile to the public funding
>> of education are also hostile to mass immigration, at
>> least until they find their local hospital under-staffed.
>>
> Doesn't that imply that the UK is still a first world country?

Well without being too pedantic about the pigenholing,
there is certainly a rough pecking order that places the
UK above say India and below the USA in terms of brain drain.

James, in Japan

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Nick Kew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Tumbleweed" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>> Suggest what?
>> Thats its Cambridge...well, you said, if you go to the library, you'll
>> see
>
> Who said that?
>

Not you I see looking up this huge thread ...apologies

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tumbleweed wrote:
>
>> With 5-10x the number of people going to university than when you went,
>> the old systems cant finance it. And even if they could, why should they
>> especially for post grad degrees. Of course, rich people can always pay
>> for their studies, but the same goes for everything else as well. Dont
>> see why it shoud be any different for a post grad degree in baroque music
>> or whatever.
>
> I don't see the relevance of baroque music. Both my children took/are
> taking post-graduate university qualifications necessary to the pursuit of
> their careers in scientific and medical fields (in which, at least in
> Scotland, we are said to be short of entrants).
>
> I certainly don't see the relevance to me of "rich people".
>
> I wasn't complaining about the current system. I initially gently queried
> your assertion that student indebtedness at present could equate to a few
> rounds of drinks. Were it so, some of us might be considerably "richer"
> people.
>
>

It does for student loans.Not for post grad loans as they would be done on a
more commercial basis no doubt. But that is their choice, presumably they
are doing it either because they will be substantially better off, or
because they just like to do it. EIther way I dont see why someone else
should pay isnteda of them.....unless its an employer.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Brian G wrote:
>>
>> I don't see the relevance of baroque music. Both my children took/are
>> taking post-graduate university qualifications necessary to the pursuit
>> of their careers in scientific and medical fields (in which, at least in
>> Scotland, we are said to be short of entrants).
>>
>
> Not a lot of people saw the relevance a century ago when a bunch of
> academics sat around having philosophical debates about the nature of
> matter but today quantum mechanics underpins our whole society.

Werent they all employed in soem respect by their universities.professors,
teaching assistants etc?

> Ditto working out the structure of DNA - a pure academic curiosity
> pursuit at the time.

IIRC crick watson franklin etc were all employed at the time in some
respect.

I take your point, but that doens't imply that therefore anyone should be
able to study whatever they want for as long as they want..which is the
implication of the complaint that people who choose to do post grad studies
should be funded by someone else (generally aka the rest of us).

> Virtually everything your children will have studied and University and
> that they will use in everyday life will have been impacted by at least
> one of those "irrelevant" activities.
>
> As for baroque music being irrelevant as a subject to study, I bet more
> westerners would be familiar with the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Handel

None of whom got grants or even student loans.

> than Crick, Planck and Heisenberg.

A sad comment on our basic education structure.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

 

[Tony Raven]

Tumbleweed wrote:
>
> Werent they all employed in soem respect by their universities.professors,
> teaching assistants etc?
>

And where does University funding come from?


>
> I take your point, but that doens't imply that therefore anyone should be
> able to study whatever they want for as long as they want..which is the
> implication of the complaint that people who choose to do post grad studies
> should be funded by someone else (generally aka the rest of us).
>

Who do you think actually does most of the research?


>>
>>As for baroque music being irrelevant as a subject to study, I bet more
>>westerners would be familiar with the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Handel
>
>
> None of whom got grants or even student loans.
>

But lived instead on patronage - the then equivalent of today's Arts
Council grant - and what they could earn from part time jobs and selling
compositions - the then equivalent of a part time evening job.


Tony

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tumbleweed wrote:
>>
>> Werent they all employed in soem respect by their
>> universities.professors, teaching assistants etc?
>>
>
> And where does University funding come from?

Some from the tax paper, some from patronage, some from industry. All a
fixed amount rather than an open ended sum available to anyone who'd like to
study indefinitely.

>
>
>>
>> I take your point, but that doens't imply that therefore anyone should be
>> able to study whatever they want for as long as they want..which is the
>> implication of the complaint that people who choose to do post grad
>> studies should be funded by someone else (generally aka the rest of us).
>>
>
> Who do you think actually does most of the research?

'the* research???'...you'll have to narrow it down a bit more than
that.....research into media studies..surfing....david beckham...quantum
mechanics..film criticism....DNA...genetics...????


>
>
>>>
>>>As for baroque music being irrelevant as a subject to study, I bet more
>>>westerners would be familiar with the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Handel
>>
>>
>> None of whom got grants or even student loans.
>>
>
> But lived instead on patronage - the then equivalent of today's Arts
> Council grant - and what they could earn from part time jobs and selling
> compositions - the then equivalent of a part time evening job.
>
>
> Tony

Well then perhaps todays post grads can do that instead of whinging about
not being supported by those on uk.rec.cycling (trying to get back on topic)
who pay taxes.


--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

 

[Brian G]

Tumbleweed wrote:
> "Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>Tumbleweed wrote:
>>
>>
>>>With 5-10x the number of people going to university than when you went,
>>>the old systems cant finance it. And even if they could, why should they
>>>especially for post grad degrees. Of course, rich people can always pay
>>>for their studies, but the same goes for everything else as well. Dont
>>>see why it shoud be any different for a post grad degree in baroque music
>>>or whatever.
>>
>>I don't see the relevance of baroque music. Both my children took/are
>>taking post-graduate university qualifications necessary to the pursuit of
>>their careers in scientific and medical fields (in which, at least in
>>Scotland, we are said to be short of entrants).
>>
>>I certainly don't see the relevance to me of "rich people".
>>
>>I wasn't complaining about the current system. I initially gently queried
>>your assertion that student indebtedness at present could equate to a few
>>rounds of drinks. Were it so, some of us might be considerably "richer"
>>people.
>>
>>
>
>
> It does for student loans.Not for post grad loans as they would be done on a
> more commercial basis no doubt. But that is their choice, presumably they
> are doing it either because they will be substantially better off, or
> because they just like to do it. EIther way I dont see why someone else
> should pay isnteda of them.....unless its an employer.
>
I haven't suggested someone else should pay. I supported both of them
substantially through their undergraduate years and continue to support
them to a fair extent now. The reality however is that the costs
involved in university education (in particular the punitive rentals
charged by many private landlords in our cities) have meant that they
have had to enter into significant loan deals in addition.

As to why they do it, you are quite right that if all goes well they
will ultimately be better off financially. What you are not allowing,
however, is that in many areas of employment a first degree is now
almost worthless as an entry qualification and post-grad is unavoidable.
The system of student support does not generally recognise this, hence
the levels of indebtedness.

--
Brian G