You’re missing the opportunity for the longest alliteration on STW….? :-)

Stihl here. Highly recommended.

6’4″ here, got an XL, it’s quite baggy, also not very cycling specific, a bit short in the arm and back but doable.

For your build and size I’d suggest L.

Not breathable but very visible!

I agree totally with the sentiment of charitable rides where the percentage of your entry fee given to charity is openly stated….. 8O

I’m not an audax rider but I do admire the ethos of long rides and self sufficiency. Plus entry fees are sensible and I hear the support (cake) is good! My personal choice is to ride the Britsh ‘Sportif’ routes with a gaggle of mates in preparation for La Marmotte. The banter and competitiveness is there, and none of the expense!

Surrounded By Zulus – Member
There is nothing in this country even comes close to the Marmotte.

Absolutely. It’s real mountain biking :-)

£40 for roads in the UK you can ride anytime 8O ? I find the fact thta some people think this is good value astounding.

And what exactly is the point of a ‘Sportif’ anyway? Apart from relieving mugs of their money? I bet the organisers can’t believe their luck.

And ‘big’ Sportifs in the UK? Don’t believe the hype. This is a Sportif route, enjoyed with 7,000 other riders…..

And 7 months is young to be running the dog hard. Lurchers are sprinters not endurance dogs, so be wary of going too far. Keep an eye on his pads, take water and food.

He must respond immediately to your voice if you’re going anywhere near other riders, I’d build up very gently.

But most of all go easy on him physically, he’ll literally bury himself keeing up, you have to set the workrate and distance. My dogs prefer steady singlespeed pace :wink: .

Rorschach – Member
Rebuilt a royce mk1 before christmas.Nice and he’s an amazing bloke to talk too but was’nt that impressed tbh.Bit like a uk Pauls.

I think you’ll find Cliff is some way past Mk1! My disc hub has the new lube ‘up the centre of the axle’ system. Awesome. And I definitely would not compare todays Royce stuff with Pauls. Maybe Pauls from the 70’s but things have moved on a bit in New Milton since then…. :wink:

Buy quality, buy once….

Dambusters dog (the one that get his wings) is now called ‘Nipper’, apparently…

I use Porelle’s, years old, calfish length, with MT500 overshoes. A very waterproof combo, the overshoes have a nice velcro tab that can be used to help with ‘sealing’.

Just work out what percentage of the combined weight of you, your bike, bottles and kit 2.2lbs is. Not much.

Of (much) more importance to me is fit and function. Plus you want it!

And of course you’d be dealing with someone who seems to come highly recommended.

:D 69er (probably an equally old git)

I’m out riding in a minute, reckon it would kill a shi*mano rear hub tonight…

I gave up on shi*mano hubs after replacing many freehub bodies and as many drive side cones and bearings. Yes you can strip them down (ish) but the seealing is poor.

Hope for me now, sensible prices, awesome customer service and they are simple to service. Bearings go now and again, knock them out, knock some more in. No-brainer.

What works for me;

Ibuprofen, ice, warm, keep moving (walking, gentle swimming) until you feel it getting tired, rest by laying down, possibly knees up, mobilise, don’t sit, don’t drive, stay inline, relax, massage.

When it’s all over work on CORE-STRENGTH and FLEXIBILTY!

Ive got Duo/ Sram XO shifters/ XTR mech set up. I’ve found using middle ring position on the shifter for the 29t (inner), and big ring position for the 44t (big) ring gives absolutely fautless performance.

City Link are the worst couriers I have had experience of. Similar experience to the OP. And their depots seem to be in remote locations.

So I no longer use Wiggle either for the reasons same stated above.

Don’t listen to the knobbers. Long seatposts are wikkid!

Can’t help thinking Victoria Beckham would be a darn site more attractive with her head cut off. What is wrong with her face?

Outwit them by staying calm and polite. Ride away laughing knowing their day is spoiled more than yours :wink:

OR[/i][/u] carry some smashed up ceramic particles from the insulated section of a spark plug in a convenient pocket and flick a piece at the cars’ windows. If you hit, you’ll score! (Plan getway first though…) :twisted:

This is the bike forum.

I’m working Xmas Day and Boxing Day this year, ho hum. Thanks to all for the kind remarks here.

IHN – Member
But don’t they get gold-plated pensions as a reward? :wink:
Well said all, here’s hoping that I only ever have to meet you socially.

At last, some light relief from the ssssh ‘P’ argument…. :D

There’s too much use of the words vagina and penis up there for my liking :D

Great thread though, upto our usual hysterical standards… :roll:

All dogs are thick. Dog owners (all of them) are worse…
How can anyone really care about a retarded Quadraped with a panchant for wiping its arse on your carpet and chewing toddlers faces off…

:roll: Well done.

+1 for Simpson Cycle Services. Tim was, err, a bit more expensive.

Forks are (DUC32 here) awesome. Stiff, light plush, incredibly easy to service and ugly different!.

Go on then:

I bought a couple of sets off eBay in less than good order. Serviced them both for a few quid and sold the second pair on which paid for both!

They’ve been great brakes, I’m not all worried about getting spares or servicing them, they have plenty of power and they’re British!

I like it too. That’s no great recommendation btw :wink:

Rachel Riley’s at the top of mine…

6’4″ 20″ Kona, 20″ On-One, currently on 19″ 69 ers. Fixie is 60cm traditional, roadbike is 63cm equivalent sloping custom Roberts.

What Neil said. No need for any fancy kit. One reason for buying Hope!

Had some Juicy’s that were at best inconsistent. I only like stuff I can service myself so I bought Hopes.

A mate has Juicy’s and had to wait over a month for spares to get them going again.

I wouldn’t bother.

I wouldn’t bother. Done it a few times, and it chaos each time. Poor organisation, food and drink stops depleted. You may as well go self supported with a bunch of mates and spend teh money saved oin a damn good feast afterwards!

I don’t really get riding UK sportifs and paying £25 plus for the benefit. They’re hardly ‘epic’….

Thankyou! :D

2nd or 3rd the above, if it’s a road frame I would go any longer than 170mm or you may get a nasty suprise…

I have a steel Roberts roadbike and it is the single best thing I’ve spent my money on. It handles amazingly well, descends like a demon and is very sure footed. maybe a pound or two heavier than a carbon frame but who gives a sh1t? I’m certainly more than a pound overweight!

Robin recently quoted me £1500 for a steel mtb frame, a few years ago it was £650. You get what you pay for but £1500 is sadly out of my league :(

If I had the money I wouldn’t hesitate.

I’m still not sure…. :D

Losing body weight is the top tip for climbing.

Ride loads of road climbs sat down, but retain the ability to stand of for periods to give eveything a chance to stretch out and use different muscles. When out of the saddle change up a gear or two and back down as you sit down, this will help to maintain consistent speed as your cadence varies.

50 rpm seems quite slow, but that is a personal thing. I would use the perceived rate of exertion scale for training, and climbing Alpe D’Heuz for the first time is likely to feel extremely hard by the time you’ve done the first three ramps….

The main issue for me on the Alpe or anywhere else is the heat and humidity, not sure how you train for that here..

It’s not a bearing puller you need it’s a £60 ring nut tool….. :o

69er‘s post ride routine – take the chain off, splosh around in a bottle of degreaser, wash off and leave to dry. Rinse bike off when I can be arsed. If not arsed just clean chainring and sprocket. Put chain back on, lube and ride. 10 mins to clean, more time for riding and beer. Simples :-)

(It is a rigid s/s)

Yes