Review: Finisterre.

12°C, wet start and strong wind building.
Ted Baker Finisterre is a digital radio and Blutooth speaker..

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Ted Baker are a fashion house, why they sell radios is anybody’s guess. Whatever the reason, they have designed a gem.
It looks great, stylish and well made. But even better, the sound is as sweet as a nut. Straight out of the box, the music is smooth and detailed. Overall there is a healthy balance between bass and treble with a tonal range extending widely enough to do justice to most types of music.
The product is better than radios made by Pure or Roberts. It’s probably about level with Bose. I may add a comparison in a later section.
They’ve obviously decided to use a good quality driver mono-player instead of placing a pair of stereo-looking speakers immediately adjacently. There’s never been any point attempting stereo unless the speakers are at least a metre apart. An astute decision it turns out.
After some shopping round, I have a few opinions on where this radio is in the marketplace. It beats the Pure brand, it makes Roberts sound dull and restricted and it is probably best compared with Bose. In which case, price may make the decision for you. I got a bargain at a quarter of the list price in Ted Baker’s catalogue.
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There are no equaliser controls, or bass boost or anything like that. Like genuine hifi, TB seem to have decided that the sound is correct so why adjust it.
DAB reception is good enough to sound clear from stations that care about sound quality, most notably BBC Radio 3. Bluetooth reception works well with decent recordings saved at higher bitrates.
The whole unit looks great in my opinion. At 2.4 Kg, you get an immediate impression of quality. There is no attempt to resemble wood with vernier, the metal grille really is metal and the switchgear offers a quality sensation in use.

Even the user manual is a conscious reflection of the ‘retro’ theme- it looks like a 7″ Single. There is no laughable translation inside, just a clear set of hints written in plain English.
Negatives? It’s a kitchen radio, so although it has a carry handle, this is no portable radio. There is no battery, rechargeable or replaceable. You won’t be taking this out to the garden while trimming the roses. You do get tonal enhancements to play with, there is a set of acoustics to select. In my opinion, there is no need, the sound is already right. If you get any bloom or reedy thinness, then try re-position the unit. Solid surfaces sound best but it is quite tolerant of a site in a room’s corner.
Opera, even for a non-opera fan, is listenable. You probably won’t get that warbling shrill sound on massed highs.
You’ll enjoy it, I say.

Fog and mud.

I rode CX Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 35.67mi, time: 03:14:03, pace: 5:26min/mi, speed: 11.03mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1233102627
Woke to very dense fog; and a choice of Fixie or cyclocross bike for today’s ride. CX gets me away from the traffic in poor visibility and to safety.
I picked a familiar route and took a diversion in the last leg. Along Southport seafront, a few cyclists pedaled northwards, and I steadily passed them.
One guy was on a Fat Bike so I asked him about it. They’re intriguing machines, and bizarre looking. Anyway, an odd thing happened moments before- I got told off! It happened on filtering though a small group of less experienced cyclists. (See below)
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The Fat-bike guy showed me a route thorough gravel roads to get me close to the return leg by canal. Excellent route, but the ‘Private Road’ signs were offputting. Maybe I made a mistake somewhere near the start. I never did find a level crossing.

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A fine problem to have.

8°C, still and light. Cold.
It’s a fine problem, to decide which bike to ride today: Jake, the cyclocross; Arrow, the mudguard winter ride; summer racing bike- Racelite. I’m recovering from a virus thing, so to be cautious- it’s cyclocross today. ‘Cross is not exhausting, simply difficult.
I dread bringing that virus back, as happened last week. A dose of exhaustion could be an invite to that damned bug. It’s gone on long enough already, more than two weeks. No chance of beating 6,000 miles this year then.
Never mind.
The ground should be still be firm, perhaps with some mud patches. Anyway, mud fun should be guaranteed. Perhaps the cattle will be away.
How it worked out:

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Lay the bike down while I check the route.

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Too bright?

Are modern cycle lights too bright? I’ve just taken delivery of a Knogg Blinder. At 44 lumins it’s nearly double the brightness of the light it replaces.
Great, I feel safer. But. Is it a problem for anybody else, you know- drivers?

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What prompted this is a comment by somebody at work. They complained that it bike lights are too bright and are annoying.
They can’t be as bright as an Audi, so are cyclists aiming their lights carelessly?
I suspect so. I fit two front lights, one aimed at eye level. The other, a brighter one, points downwards to pothole level. Sometimes, I turn the light left if on full power when there’s oncoming traffic. Also, there is no need for full beam in towns. Modern led lights are bright enough to ‘be seen’ on lowest power. Some riders do blaze away, probably unaware of how drivers see them. Drivers have a much lower eye-level than a cyclist, a factor that is worth considering.

Rubbish.

I rode Arrow with MapMyRide+! Distance: 11.51mi, time: 47:27, pace: 4:07min/mi, speed: 14.56mi/h. Slow.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1218989531
Mediocre ride with the energy sapping virus’s return the culprit. 12 days feeling ill, some at home. On a return to health, pent up energy poured out in a few fast rides. Now I’m all weak, trembling and pathetic.

Turning right at a roundabout, a young guy cut me up. I hate pulling the brakes on a sharp turn. He argued that I was not in the right lane. It doesn’t matter, you give right at a roundabout. Simple.

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Diesel engines can be unlocked am a company like Revo. Apparently, the engine is detuned in the software for lower powered cars in the range. The manufacturer gains because their range of engine models is smaller. We can gain fuel economy, power and delivery through the Rev. range. The car is not really built for the higher power, not the gearbox suspension or brakes. But, if you drive normally, you get the benefits at no loss. I will wait until VW have removed their emissions cheating software first.

Quiet day in the driving seat.

10°C, calm grey and dry.

As she walks in the room
Scented and tall
Hesitating once more
And as I take on myself
And the bitterness I felt
I realise that love flows


…(Portishead- The Rip).
~~~
Today, I meet my car. We will go for a drive and I will closely inspect what I am soon to hand over thousands for.
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I rode Fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 19.66mi, time: 01:12:08, pace: 3:40min/mi, speed: 16.35mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1215746635
Two weeks off, and I return. Fresh and like a coil, to unspring.

It was all a gorgeous mistake.

11°C, white cloud add calm. Earl early.
New lodger, talking about music, Portishead played out from the IPod dock at the time. His favourite track is ‘Sure’. Blimey, don’t know that one.
Well, I should have. It’s there is my collection.

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It turned up on this LP, of the same name.
It’s too easy to buy things and not listen to them sufficiently closely.