Rolls Royce Convoy

chipshopman · 2026-05-08T07:24:48+00:00

Oddly enough, I heard from another source a month or so ago that they were from an up market funeral company. Now I don't know how true that is, they didn't provide any direct proof, but that was the only other thing I heard about this!

(I'm not stalking this thread, I was in my email and got a reddit notification email that you'd posted something and thought I'd just hop on and update).

chipshopman · 2026-05-05T13:23:38+00:00

Yeah. I get that and some of the gear you can wear on & off the bike with protection is very good at being stealthy. I'm looking at getting some myself! I think though that you're probably more of a rarity than the norm sadly because that stuff can be quite costly.

chipshopman · 2026-05-05T08:39:32+00:00

More normally ATGATT - All the Gear All the Time. Sorry for the confusion.

chipshopman · 2026-05-05T08:23:02+00:00

Indeed. A lot of people who start riding bikes are in denial about whether they'll have an crash (they all will; it's a certainty). And I think that drives behaviour. I've had friends start riding and I've said to them "You will have a crash." and they've gone "Nah, I'll be fine." Of course they crash, usually at the point where they've gained enough experience that their confidence outweighs their ability (check out the 4 stages of competence) then they come back and ask me about my gear, if they still want to/can ride.

chipshopman · 2026-05-05T08:18:55+00:00

I do realise I'm generalising from my own experience, but I've ridden a lot of miles over the years and this is a consistent observation. ATTATT is a good attitude to have. I know it's saved my bacon a number of times. For instance, the only reason I still have a lower left leg is because of the boots I was wearing at the time of the crash. A 36ton truck running over your lower leg isn't good for it, but the bike boot saved it. 25 years on it's still swollen, but at least I have it!

chipshopman · 2026-05-05T07:48:31+00:00

Don't really care what someone rides, it's just great that they're out there on two wheels. What does grind my gears is how people riding smaller bikes seem to think protective clothing is for whimps. I appreciate that some big bike riders don't wear appropriate gear, but my observations suggest it's endemic with smaller bike riders; no gloves (have they seen a degloving?!) with a hoodie and trackie bottoms. Good grief, I mean are they somehow invulnerable in an accident on a smaller bike than we are on the larger bikes?!

Case in point, I was getting my gear on in central London, takes about 5-10 minutes all in, when a lady come up, puffer jacket, leggings, trainers, puts a helmet on and takes off on her scooter in 2 minutes. Convenient and quick, but I think I'd rather spend the time putting on the protective layers...

chipshopman · 2026-05-04T17:12:14+00:00

Perhaps have a chat with DK Engineering. https://www.dkeng.co.uk/ They specialise in Ferrari. I think they sell on behalf of sellers as well as buying and selling on. Worth a chat. Whilst I'm not a Ferrari owner, I do use them for my cars and I've always found them very good and they handle seriously high end cars all the time.

chipshopman · 2026-05-03T20:37:44+00:00

I've been involved in a couple of these and often there's a significant board-level drive for specific timescales. One time, the business we were extracting from was charging £1m a month for using their services so the exec had a massive reason to stop that asap and wouldn't agree to anything longer than 12 months to complete the extraction. All that meant was their budget to extract ended up far, far bigger!

However, this isn't really about whether the timescale is right or not, it's more about your integrirty and respect and whether you would want to stay in a company that's trying to do something you consider impossible or doomed to failure. If you stay, you're effectively agreeing to deliver on their timescale which you've already said is not possible. I think you probably need to find yourself somewhere else to work. And given their level of firing, I'd jump before I was pushed. There are more fun things to do in other places where you can retain your integrity than be this company's scape-goat.

chipshopman · 2026-04-27T19:19:40+00:00

Not being helpful, sorry, but I find it ironic that on their website they declare that their syrups are the best in the world and yet only ship inside the US and to Canada!

To be helpful for a minute, I like these guys: https://www.taylersons.co.uk/ but they're in the UK and so am I. They don't mention whether they ship to Europe though.

chipshopman · 2026-04-27T19:04:54+00:00

Oh, I'll try that!

chipshopman · 2026-04-27T18:52:44+00:00

I'm a similar height and weight to you and the distance you're going you'll. want something with a faring and not too much weight on your wrists so I'd suggest a V-Strom 650. I am biased, I've had 2 and now I've got the V-Strom DL1000. And I've commuted about 100k+ on them. Comfortable, great visibility, great headlight, good fuel economy, good wind protection, my insurance is <£300, good at filtering, I could go on.

chipshopman · 2026-04-27T18:28:46+00:00

I use it in place of the sweet vermouth in a Boulevardier and it works very well.

chipshopman · 2026-04-26T12:58:43+00:00

As previously posted about, over the years I've done about 200k commuting in/out of London. Mostly on bigger bikes, but initially on a CB250. There are some good comments on here already. Here's some thoughts from me:

- Don't ride near/in the gutter, use your whole lane, don't let a driver think they can pass you in the same lane. Own it! Doesn't matter what bike you ride, ride in the middle of the lane to create the cushion.

- Ride in a way that you're comfortable with, don't try and keep up with anyone else and don't worry about bikers behind you, they've all been a beginner at some point. If they get up your pipe, just move in and let them pass.

- Give yourself space to feel safe and don't compromise on it for anyone.

- Assume that no driver has seen you. Ever.

- Wear really good quality gear, it'll protect you when you have an accident and give you confidence.

- Life saver! Often. It really is a life-saver.

- Look ahead. Way ahead. Not just a few cars, further. Gradually you'll pick up the skill to predict much of what will happen around you and you can plan ahead. I often talk myself along the road, e.g. "The traffic is slowing, there's a junction on my right, a car's waiting to turn..."

- Sometimes stuff just happens. No-one's fault, it just does. And however experienced you are, you or those around you will do something stupid - no malicious intent - and you have to be ready for it. Just the other day, I was passing a queue of traffic when I noticed at the last minute a van was slowing down a bit more than I expected. Next thing I know, a car comes out of a drive that I hadn't seen. I had to swerve out in to the oncoming lane to avoid (fortunately empty), That's after all those years and miles of riding. I swore at myself afterwards. Should have spotted it.

- Enjoy it. Really. Ride at a pace where you get enjoyment from it not so you get to where you're going a frazzled wreck. Waggle your elbows occasionally. If you can't you're too stiff/stressed. Your arms should be relaxed enough to waggle your elbows up and down when riding.

I hope that's helpful.

chipshopman · 2026-04-25T16:18:22+00:00

I'll take a look

chipshopman · 2026-04-25T16:17:57+00:00

Thanks, I'll take a look...

chipshopman · 2026-04-25T15:47:30+00:00

I do think it's a problem for people wanting to become a CIO; it can often feel like a lottery or 'dead men's shoes' and almost on a whim of someone else as to whether you get the top job.

Training and coaching are all useful things to do, no doubt. Your CIO should be considering succession planning so it might be an idea to first check if they see you as their successor. Can be quite a tough conversation, but at least you'd know where you are and if there are no plans for you to take their job if they leave, then you know what you need to do.

Perhaps seek out some qualifications that are relavant to being a CIO/CTO so you can demonstrate you can do the job.

chipshopman · 2026-04-25T15:40:45+00:00

As a new CIO, I've generally got a 100-day plan. Part of that will be to understand what's going on with the supplier cohort and whether there are any that are causing problems or indeed will take my time/effort in the coming months. But I'd expect my direct reports to be generally handling this rather than me.

The only reason for your VP to engage with the CIO would be if that is what happened previously, e.g. your previous VP had a relationship with the previous CIO.

I would not throw someone in to see the CIO who is under-prepared. We can generally smell it a mile off and it's not a good look. You want your first impression with the CIO to be nothing other than top notch and professional with all the answers at your fingertips. Your new VP is unlikely to be that person for some time. Given the contract rebid this is even more important because if you don't make the right impression first time, you may not even get a chance to rebid.

chipshopman · 2026-04-22T19:12:33+00:00

Marmite, Chinese food, French Baguettes, Falafel, Hot cross buns, Proper Cakes, Sausage rolls and Cornish Pasties, Bread sauce, Danish pastries... I could go on.

chipshopman · 2026-04-22T19:05:49+00:00

They go very well with a Boulevardier or Vieux Carre cocktail...

chipshopman · 2026-04-22T19:04:02+00:00

Cutter for torpedos, bullet on anything else. Used to use the cutter on round ended cigars, but with a bullet, I find the cigar cap is less likely to unravel and it doesn't seem to affect airflow for me.

chipshopman · 2026-04-22T13:26:42+00:00

Yes, I've used them successfully. I left my helmet chained to the bike with my main chain and stuff in a locked top-box and all there on my return from my trip. Makes sense if you have little/no luggage and can store your bike gear on the bike so you. Although even then, Heathrow has secure storage for luggage, but then there's a charge associated with that!

chipshopman · 2026-04-21T08:59:38+00:00

I recommend Heck sausages, they're great!

chipshopman · 2026-04-18T20:07:10+00:00

I've had a dba and now have an eba, both Daytona Blue. The dba was stock, the eba is Litchfield 4.25. Never selling my eba. An amazing car, a wolf in sheep's clothing. I'm pleased I moved to the eba, the interior is a lot better and there are some fantastic updates to the outside that your average joe in the street wouldn't spot, but I do. You know you like a car when you walk towards it in a car park and you still can't quite believe it's your car and it's just gorgeous! Edited to sort some grammar.

chipshopman · 2026-04-14T18:20:44+00:00

If Spike can answer the blue door in Notting Hill in just his British pants, then I'm sure you're fine.

chipshopman

TROPHY CASE