Articles and advice on cycling, technology, home efficiency and more - 2004

Looking for family photos? Our family pages have moved

These pages are written and managed by John & Julii Swindells, and we take every effort to ensure their accuracy, relevance and engagement. If you don't think this is the case at any point, please contact us and explain where you think that we're going wrong. Otherwise, happy browsing!

A brief history of NTL

Internet Access: UK Broadband 03 Oct 2004

I have been with NTL for a few years, between 1999 and 2004, on their NTLWorld package. Technically the service is reasonable, but their customer ...

Our Evaluations, Decision and Experiences

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Having done no research at the time, we bought a Koolstop (Caboose) trailer 2nd hand in March 2001 to transport our 16 month old, and expected ...

Age of child when you can use a trailer

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Not least because of the helmet stipulation (see below) manufacturers say that their trailers therefore generally aren't suitable until the child ...

Child Bike Trailer Conversion Kits

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Some trailers, especially the more expensive ones, have accessories to go with the trailer to make it into a jogging stroller/pushchair, a stroller ...

Flooring for the Child Trailer

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Solid or fabric. Solid is said to be more durable (the canvas floor on our Koolstop, see below, started going after about 4 years) but solid ...

Whether to wear a helmet

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Trailer manufacturers will tell you that your child must wear a helmet in the trailer. Helmet wearing is considered so important that some of ...

Hitches: 3 ways to attach the trailer to the bike

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Chainstay (on the frame near the back wheel axle). A chainstay hitch (Koolstop do one) can have the advantage that any bike can tow the trailer ...

Luggage capacity of a Child Trailer

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Burley & Wike both brag about this, Chariot is often slated for it being on the low side.

Child Trailer Safety

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

Burley has a tremendous reputation as very safe; many stories abound of Burley trailers being hit by cars, flying up through the air, landing ...

Where To Buy a Child Trailer

Child Trailers 04 Jul 2004

As for the trailers on offer, these are the ones we are aware of, roughly in order from cheapest to most expensive:

Lidl - only available ...

A study of VO2 Max

Performance Matters 22 May 2004

I had my VO2 max measured today, at Loughborough University, and it came out at 67.5, with a max pulse of around 184. Not sure if the oxygen ...