Mine has only got 80mm – I’m doomed…

RaceFace ‘half’ bashguard works really well, is light and doesn’t look too bad on the bike.

Had about 500 out of mine and still going strong. Previous Dicta one lasted about 400…

Sounds like Oldgit was overtaken on a training ride…

Plastics and Rubber Weekly – the title has potential obviously but I’ve never found any rubber wear in it yet…

Stage 4 – follow the link:

http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/400/index.html

Unless of course the official TdF web site is wrong… :)

Evans won stage 4 didn’t he?

Loved the Volvo comments on page 1 – the alternator in my old 940 failed and I just replaced the brush pack. It cost a whole £20…

Old car in user serviceable parts shocker :)

Oh and you can fit mountain bikes in it…

Errr – the RaceFace one is designed to protect the outer chain ring on a triple not actually keep the chain on guys…
With that in mind I suspect RN’s will work as well as the RaceFace one!

Following on from SBZ’s comments on this thread – am I the only one who wonders what exactly SBZ was up to to get a knife pulled on him a few days ago? Perhaps discovered that being a **** in real life rather than on an internet forum can get you into trouble?

And once again The Daily Mash gets it spot on…

Parents to break Michael Gove

My XT front mech is a 34.9 that came with a set of shims to fit narrower diameter seat tubes. I am 99% sure that all reasonably modern XTR is the same, so you should be fine.

+1 for bol.
If you think 2009gt is asking too much – don’t buy it!

Shouldn’t worry too much about the teachers – they’ll probably be on strike…

True Companion – Marc Cohn
A more fitting set of words I couldn’t imagine…

Have a look at this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/race-face-triple-half-bashguard-protector

I’d ignore the review – I’m running one on a 44t Middleburn outer and it fits fine and more importantly works. Virtually all my riding is in the lakes (i.e. quite rocky) and whilst the ‘half’ bashguard is bashed to hell, all the teeth are still straight!

Might be worth a look at the Osprey Flapjack – bit smaller than the Howies bag but readily carries a laptop and change of clothes. Plenty of steady strap options too.
My commute is relatively short – 10k round trip – so can’t comment how comfy it would be if you have an epic ride to work.

For me its got to be the Paul Components Melvin – unbelievably good bit of kit – unfortunately they cost a small fortune…

Not sure if they have a UK importer at the moment – you sometimes see the odd one on ebay though.

And the best bit about the Ridgeback Scoot is that you can ‘upgrade’ the rubbishy ‘v’ brake on the back to an old pair of your XT’s and really show off to the other parents…

I’m not sure how I managed this though being ‘afraid of a 15mm spanner’ :)

Brilliant quote on BBC website – ‘Elections expert Prof John Curtice says the No campaign has apparently won the referendum by securing the support of older people, Conservatives and those who have not enjoyed a university education’.

Wrong on all three counts in my case…

Or perhaps democracy in action?

molgrips – 69% of those who voted thought it was a ‘no-brainer’ for them too…

Over the last twenty years…
Mini estate with Clubman front end (stage 3 head, twin SU’s etc)
SAAB 900i
SAAB 9000 Carlsson (tuned by Abbott Racing – mentally quick – ate front tyres…)
Mini Cooper S
Volvo 940

Still own the last two… I don’t really change cars if I like them!

LOL at cynic-al – I honestly can’t see much point in any ‘battles’ with either you or TJ – the pair of you just seem like attention whores… :)

And to be fair you both seem to be quite happy battling each other!

Brilliant statement from Loddrik – ‘We hate them and they hate us’ – you must regret not being born in Glasgow – just think how much fun you could have had picking a side and waving flags and singing songs… maybe you could send a suspicious package to SAF?

But then again I am a Man U fan and therefore by definition an idiot :)

180/160 Hayes Stroker Gram/Carbon – ‘trail’ bike
180/XTR ‘v’ brake – singlespeed

What a great thread – I have been ignorantly riding my road bike with mountain bike SPD’s for years without realising the offence I have been causing!
But wait – since I have an Ellsworth road bike – does that mean it is ok to ride it in mountain bike gear???
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH – my head is spinning…

Cairngorm Plateau anyone… :)

There is a great route in last months Singletrack.

+1 for 5thElephant…

Keith Bontrager to start making frames again…

+1 for Rusty Spanner

The Ritchey WCS foam grips are also dirt cheap (£6.99 on ebay for e.g.)

ROFL at Samuri – Brilliant… :)

I just like to ride both – singlespeed when it’s muddy generally…

But I love my gears too – it’s all good!

To be fair, if I only had one bike, it would have gears :)

Bontrager Race OR in red with white decals – first thing I bought with my first pay packet from my first proper job after finishing University in ’96.
Still got the bike – it’s currently set up as a singlespeed and still makes me smile every time I ride it!

I’ve got a soft spot for Yo Eddy’s too – a friend of mine has a really nice one (although he has resisted the singlespeed option for some reason…)

Joe’s tubeless rim strip (yellow pack i.e. 19-25mm width) with Stan’s tyre sealant (and a 2.3 Conti Gravity tyre).
Works fine for me and a lot cheaper than DT’s own strips (or Stan’s strips for that matter).

Thanks for the reminder about CRC – they e-mailed me a £10 off voucher earlier in the week and I’d forgotten about it! I’m off to buy something now.

LBS has never done that :)

It’s just wet and ‘orrible up in Cumbria and I can’t be bothered to clean my bike (again) so I’m going for a run instead… :(

Mainly because I don’t really like spending a lot of time cleaning bike drivetrains when it’s muddy…

I’m not really much of a singlespeed cultist though – if it’s dry I’ll take my geared fs thanks very much :)

Have a look at Thule RideOn 9503’s – tow bar mounted. I use the two bike version (9502)- it’s relatively inexpensive, robust, comes with a lighting board and the bike sits on the rack rather than hangs off it so no hassle with odd frame shapes(my Tomac is a pain to ‘hang’ off a rack).

We go to Whinfell (the one in Cumbria) at least a couple of times per year – never had or heard of any bikes being nicked. However as others have said, I also keep mine in the chalet at night.
It’s worth noting that the bike parks dotted around are really set up for the cheap and cheerful bikes that they hire – i.e you stick the front wheel (or back one obviously) into the stand and lock the through the wheel – which is fine if your wheels are bolted on…
If you have a q/r it wouldn’t be too difficult to just leave you with the wheel :)
I just take along an extendable ‘wire’ lock and loop through the frame. No one has nicked my wheels yet…
Enjoy your holiday!