Government Obesity & Bike Scheme

[LDC]

All the announcements did make everyone in my house go on a BMI calculator this morning! As well as do a rough audit of our immediate circle to assess whether the 2/3 of UK adults being overweight was 'correct'. Science that early in the morning.

Was actually thinking of starting a thread to see if all this was making people make some changes to their life/diet etc.

 

[LDC]

How much for a Trike?

3/4 of what you'll get for a quad.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

A windfall...

 

[SpookyFrank]

All the announcements did make everyone in my house go on a BMI calculator this morning! As well as do a rough audit of our immediate circle to assess whether the 2/3 of UK adults being overweight was 'correct'. Science that early in the morning.

Was actually thinking of starting a thread to see if all this was making people make some changes to their life/diet etc.

BMI is widely discredited I'm surprised the NHS still have the calculator thingy on their website.

 

[Sprocket.]

There’s none more fit than us cyclists tha noz!

 

[gentlegreen]

BMI is widely discredited I'm surprised the NHS still have the calculator thingy on their website.

Works for me - though I suppose it's relative.
I was stupidly fit at 35 at a BMI of 23 and a BP of 120/80 - which was the UK average in 1980.
UK average is now 28.
At a BMI over 30 I managed to nudge into diabetes T2 territory.
As I made it down into "overweight" territory, I could feel the benefit in spades.
At 27.5 I'm not hugely worried because I've seen a lot of research, but I still want to get down to 24 at least.
I have sprinter's legs, but I doubt that allows me more than half a point or so...

I made this a while back ...

 

[NoXion]

As someone who has lost weight since this fucking plague broke out, I perhaps should be feeling smug about this. But instead I feel quite fucked off actually. Maybe it's the sheer fucking gall of cunting Tories telling us what they think is good for us. Fuck off, you toff cunts.

Probably because they're going to fuck it up with the incompetence, their corruption, their general cuntitude.

 

[LDC]

BMI is widely discredited I'm surprised the NHS still have the calculator thingy on their website.

It's not widely discredited, it has limitations, but it is useful for an indicator for most people. The NHS do have some caveats on the page explaining its limitations.

 

[DotCommunist]

these go on every few years or so. I'd try to tot up the amount of times I've seen another not really listening anti obesity drive but life is too short. This one doesn't specifically have the overtext 'poor people can't shop properly' but plenty of people are running with that anyway because hey the previous drives usually had that and any conversation that can turn on the lack of responsibility of the poors absolutely will do. Meanwhile the fat cunts are collecting rents and eating subsidised meals in the HoC.

 

[DownwardDog]

They won't be able to get any 26" tyres or 9 speed rear mechs either.

Dunno what it's like in the UK but at the moment we can get very little Shimano stuff in Aus even direct from the distributor. Plenty of "Fucking SRAM" ( © Bauke Mollema) available though.

 

[weepiper]

High current demand aside, is decent 26" parts availability becoming a problem now?

I'm on 27.5 which seems to be a failed idea and I wonder what the future holds.

Yes, you're a bit limited with choice for 26" although given the absolutely massive increase in demand maybe that will change?? Who knows. The Bob Elliott rep came round earlier this week and pretty much opened his overcoat and said 'pssst, wanna buy some 26" Schwalbe Smart Sams?'. That's a £35 tyre. Normally we wouldn't stock that because people running 26" just want a cheapo knobbly tyre, but all the cheapo tyres are long since sold out. We've bought 20 of them. I predict they'll be all gone in a fortnight.

I need new handle bar tape and possibly a mini service.

I looked on the website last night and it was very vague as to what you were allowed to do. weepiper have you been given any guidance as to what is allowable?

Sorry, it's England only so I don't know the specifics.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I've been thinking of getting a bike, preferably one with a bit of electrical assistance. Because the whole thing is crazy at the moment, I was going to leave it until things calmed.down.

The lad arrived on his bike last night, so I thought that I would give it a go.

Fucking brilliant idea.

The bike has 18 gears, but the lad just uses one ratio, it hadn't changed gear for a long time. I went down the hill, no problem. Coming back up I changed gear. The bike promptly shed it its chain. I overbalanced and landed in a bush, arriving home with prickles stuck all over me.

Mrs Sas is still laughing.

Anyway, I can still ride a bike.

 

[spitfire]

Yes, you're a bit limited with choice for 26" although given the absolutely massive increase in demand maybe that will change?? Who knows. The Bob Elliott rep came round earlier this week and pretty much opened his overcoat and said 'pssst, wanna buy some 26" Schwalbe Smart Sams?'. That's a £35 tyre. Normally we wouldn't stock that because people running 26" just want a cheapo knobbly tyre, but all the cheapo tyres are long since sold out. We've bought 20 of them. I predict they'll be all gone in a fortnight.

Sorry, it's England only so I don't know the specifics.

Ah, fair enough, thanks for the reply anyway.

 

[likesfish]

ebikes are great they make getting up hills and not arriving in a sweaty mess doable

 

[cupid_stunt]

Anyway, I can still ride a bike.

I think you mean, you can still crash a bike.

 

[SpookyFrank]

High current demand aside, is decent 26" parts availability becoming a problem now?

I'm on 27.5 which seems to be a failed idea and I wonder what the future holds.

I've still got a load of 27.5 inner tubes left over from my bike mechanic days. Nobody ever needed them. All 26" or 700.

 

[Sue]

Going by the media, the focus of this anti-obesity thing seems to be bikes. Which I find kind of strange. I mean exercise is all well and good but is diet not more important in terms of cutting obesity? And why choose a form of exercise that requires equipment (ie a bike) and that many people will never do because they don't feel safe cycling? (And yes, people should feel safe cycling and yes, increase the number of cycle lanes etc but that takes quite a lot of time to implement.)

Why not encourage people to walk more, given it's free, doesn't require any equipment and is something many people will safer doing than cycling? If you want to encourage people, what about giving out free (cheap) pedometers and introducing a 'walk x steps a week and get rewarded with something' instead? (Okay off the top of my head but you know...)

 

[SpookyFrank]

Going by the media, the focus of this anti-obesity thing seems to be bikes. Which I find kind of strange. I mean exercise is all well and good but is diet not more important in terms of cutting obesity? And why choose a form of exercise that requires equipment (ie a bike) and that many people will never do because they don't feel safe cycling? (And yes, people should feel safe cycling and yes, increase the number of cycle lanes etc but that takes quite a lot of time to implement.)

Why not encourage people to walk more, given it's free, doesn't require any equipment and is something many people will safer doing than cycling? If you want to encourage people, what about giving out free (cheap) pedometers and introducing a 'walk x steps a week and get rewarded with something' instead? (Okay off the top of my head but you know...)

Everyone will just stick their pedometers on their dog/child and let it run laps of the garden to earn what I assume from current government policy would be a discount card for Greggs.

 

[Sue]

Everyone will just stick their pedometers on their dog/child and let it run laps of the garden to earn what I assume from current government policy would be a discount card for Greggs.

As I said, off the top of my head but then who knows if the bike scheme has been thought out any more thoroughly...

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Everyone will just stick their pedometers on their dog/child and let it run laps of the garden to earn what I assume from current government policy would be a discount card for Greggs.

I'll stick mine on your wrist Frank, 100,000 steps a day and I'll be up for four sausage rolls and a box of donuts

 

[klang]

Everyone will just stick their pedometers on their dog/child and let it run laps of the garden to earn what I assume from current government policy would be a discount card for Greggs.

are you sure it's a good idea to stick a paedometer on a child?

 

[8ball]

are you sure it's a good idea to stick a paedometer on a child?

A meter, yes.
A klaxon, no.

 

[klang]

A meter, yes.
A klaxon, no.

I don't know what a paedoklaxon is, I'm afraid.

 

[maomao]

Going by the media, the focus of this anti-obesity thing seems to be bikes. Which I find kind of strange. I mean exercise is all well and good but is diet not more important in terms of cutting obesity? And why choose a form of exercise that requires equipment (ie a bike) and that many people will never do because they don't feel safe cycling? (And yes, people should feel safe cycling and yes, increase the number of cycle lanes etc but that takes quite a lot of time to implement.)

Why not encourage people to walk more, given it's free, doesn't require any equipment and is something many people will safer doing than cycling? If you want to encourage people, what about giving out free (cheap) pedometers and introducing a 'walk x steps a week and get rewarded with something' instead? (Okay off the top of my head but you know...)

There are a lot more people who could cycle to work than could walk to work.

 

[8ball]

There are a lot more people who could cycle to work than could walk to work.

I fancy my chances much better with the walking.

 

[maomao]

I fancy my chances much better with the walking.

I live 10 miles from my last place of work and about 7 from my next one. I could walk either but not twice a day five times a week.

 

[Sue]

There are a lot more people who could cycle to work than could walk to work.

A lot of people could cycle to work but wouldn't feel safe doing so. And a lot of people don't have showers/somewhere to store their bike at work either. Why not more a 'walk where you can, get off the bus two stops early' kind of approach instead?

 

[8ball]

I live 10 miles from my last place of work and about 7 from my next one. I could walk either but not twice a day five times a week.

What about all the people working from home? No way I’m getting up and down my stairs on a bike.

 

[klang]

A lot of people could cycle to work but wouldn't feel safe doing so. And a lot of people don't have showers/somewhere to store their bike at work either. Why not more a 'walk where you can, get off the bus two stops early' kind of approach instead?

Imagine how much cleaner London air would be if everybody got off the bus two stops earlier

 

[8ball]

Imagine how much cleaner London air would be if everybody got off the bus two stops earlier

Imagine if the bus stopped two stops earlier.
That’ll learn ‘em!