Nostalgia: it’s not what it used to be!
That sounds like a lot of guilt to me. Sponsored by Jesuits I’d wager.

As Ed Helm's character said in the finale of The Office, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." -- Recalled by Amy Curtis at Townhall.com

“A Jesuit, Edward once explained to me, never lies. A Jesuit has already put himself beyond the necessity of lying by telling less than the truth to start with.” -- My literary protege, Dakota Franklin, putting words in the protagonist's mouth in TROUBLESHOOTER*

I hasten to add that all the Jesuits I know love the truth more than being popular with the heretics.

*Readers who want an e-copy to read over the holidays, PM me.

Generally speaking, nostalgia is a waste of time. Nothing is ever again going to be as good as when we were young. Realities are simply different today. So I Reserve St Stephen's Day for Cycling Nostalgia.

It's 17 miles cross-country over broken fields, thorny hedges without gates, across streams that qualify as trencherous rivers with your bike held above your head, through farmyards knee-deep in liquified pig dung, to reach this magical headland, and you need someone with a car who knows how to find the Devil's Whirlpool past Dunworley to bring you back because night will fall soon after you reach there, so I haven't been there again for nigh on thirty years, and it is highly unlikely I shall be back. We'll resist the temptation to wonder whether I will still cut such a muscular profile... On another occasion, we took turns holding everyone's ankles so they could hang over the edge to watch the seals playing on the rocks at the foot of the sheer cliff.

What, or where, or who with, is your moment of nostalgia, now that I've set you off?

Hey All!

Happy Holidays have brought news of a new plastic version of Rohloff's EX(ternal) Switchbox, as shown in the attachment. Photo and announcement from De Vakantiefietser (The Holiday Cyclist) in The Netherlands.

I'll admit to a pang of disappointment as I always prefer metal over plastic for long-term durability against UV and environmental degradation as well as thread longevity, but Rohloff rarely make mistakes and I'm sure this version has been thorougly tested. It likely overcomes any problems of galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals and looks a bit more compact than the previous version.

I presume this is the pulley cover and adjuster mount only, with thebacking plate and geartrain holder being aluminum as before.

Anyone have one yet and wiling to share impressions?

Best, Dan.

Merry Christmas Andre, and to all the fine folk here on the Thorn forum

Ron

This is absolutely and wholly lovely, Andre.

Thanks so much for the good wishes and the very same to you!

All the best, Dan.