What's the number?

Not had Belgium yet?

'War on Terror- The Board Game.'

Not had chance to play it yet.

When do you need it? Hang it from the ceiling with a weight on the end and leave for ages.

Yep, rigid SS with very thin nobblys suddenly seems ideal for the country lanes round my way.

In the big ring there Northwind?

On my way home most nights I overtake a middle-aged woman on a shopping bike (no, really!)

Anyway, she has a reflective top, a reflective band thing around her rucksack as it covers some of the top and reflective patches on the rear of both paniers. She has a rear light on the seat-post and another rear light on the rucksack. She also has no helmet! WTF?

She can be seen from miles away, but so can people with one decent light. It makes no difference to the driver who isn't paying attention how many lights one has and that's when my helmet may be more use than all her shiney stuff.

Pedros make the best tyre levers

Is it a good idea fitting them at all? What happens when you puncture 40 miles from home?

I converted for about £2.

Old cassette spacers to pad out the freewheel with it's one cog, taken from the old cassette.
Shorten the chain a bit (trial and error)
Old knackered rear mech as tensioner, a good one would work perfectly well too if yours is fine. Set the limit screws in the right place.
Remove front mech, shifters and cables.
Spent the £2 on some shorter chainring bolts. Use middle ring in middle ring position, adjust chain line by moving the spacers around.

Don't tell her but actually found it on fleabay, brand-new, for less than the RRP of a Hope one. Bargain.

They are usually very good. I'm inclined to blame Royal Mail. Have you spoken to/heard from Wiggle?

Arbroath Smokies have to come from Arbroath, Melton-Mowbray pork-pies from Melton-Mowbray, Champagne from Champagne, Parma Ham, Stilton cheese etc, etc.

It would appear that south American beef full of growth hormones and anti-biotics can be labled as British as long as the sausage itself was made in Britain from that south American beef. Likewise, a Sainsbury's branch down in Devon sold 'local' beef from a farm 5 miles away. The cows were driven all the way to a slaughter-house in Doncaster and then back to Devon so they could be labled and sold as 'local.'
1) Don't beleive the labels.
2) Just a couple of reasons why I don't eat meat.

There is no Alaska in baked Alaska.

Well ahead of you. Pink Chris King headset, fitted and ready to go. Sometimes I surprise myself.

I've seen that one before Fuzzy. Spend far too much time there…

GT black is possible on a rigid, nothing too technical, but steel forks on a stiff (read, really, really harsh) magnesium frame and 1.8" tyres made it really painful on hands and wrists. Very fast on the smooth bits but anything where there was vibration was horrid, had to keep stopping to get circulation going again. Fitting of foam grips helped a bit, bigger tyres helped more.

New caliper half about £35 I think. PITA without pistons, seals etc as they will need moving across and bleeding. Complete caliper from fleabay/Retrobike Classifieds is better option.
If you can't find a number 9.74 get a 3 or 6 and a PM/IS adapter (using a 3 will require a rotor 20mm larger)

Five grand race bike very rarely used, less than 20 times last year. Cheapo steel SS used 5-6 times a week. As njee says this is to do with saving the nice stuff for when I really need it as I can't afford to be wrecking bits on training rides and some of it is a triffle fragile.

anyone remember when the trading standards people stopped that Welsh chap from selling 'Welsh Dragon Sausages' as they conained no real dragons? Honestly, I'm not making that up! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6159630.stm
Not sure how they would cope if they ever found out about fairy cakes or shepherd's pie.

Will they update it more regulary? (sp?) Is it just me or does a search on google for almost any part say they are cheapest, but then the website always says zero stock?

Lived on my own for three years without one, never missed it. Couldn't manage without Radio 4 though.

Moved back in with the parents and they have one. It amazes me how easily I'm drawn to the damn thing, if it's on I tend to watch it, although I never actually switch it myself, other than a couple of times for the F1 highlights when I've been in. Too easy to think 'I'll just watch this' and then three hours later. Better not to start, or remove the temptation completely.

Used to be Ti Project 2. That was many years ago. Try fleabay or Retrobike. No chance of 20mm though, and I don't they'll be new enough to have disc mounts.

The standard system changed around 2000/2001. It went from 69mm spacing to 74mm, don't know why. A number 9 Hope caliper will fit the older 69mm, a number 9.74 caliper will fit the new one. You only need change half a caliper, even the pistons and things will just move accross into the new caliper-half.

it is an hour and a half commute

Tell you will drive faster.

My home contants insurance coughed up when I rode into the back of a parked car and smashed the windscreen and spoiler. Cost £100 excess.

AP – Just report them for failing to stop after an accident if you are certain. The police should have to investigate, long shot them doing anything, but might scare the bus company into doing something. Usually a ban for failing to stop if theycan convict so the bus people may take it seriously. Any CCTV round your way? Check the front of buses for matching damage.

I'm pleased I'm not the only who worries about such things. I have tubes so don't know about Stans but I did ask google about the freezing temp of Magura brake-fluid. (-30C if you're interested. DOT fluid is -40)

Marzzochis are fairly robust, but their spare-parts availablity/Windwave customer service is appalling. I would avoid Pace too.
Maguras have been pretty good for me.

Avid pad change now complete. 3 hours!

I can recomend Mondeos. Boring, but reliable, big boot and good motorway cruiser.

I'm gutted. This means I now have a mainstream record in my collection, it will have to go. (yes, I have CD from way back when).

Never watched the Kareoke on the telly myself, he might be very good for all I know, but it's got to be a good thing to get some variety into the charts for a change. There is so much good new music out there at the moment, it's a shame it all gets burried beneath these bland Westlife/Spicegirls types.

If it's a minor fracture you will feel it tomorrow.

Came off at Inners a couple of years ago, landed on my left knee. Most painful thing ever, had a good long sit and nearly cried. Gradually faded, continued to the end, did the red route at G'tress then drove back to Kirkcaldy. Usual clean bike, make dinner etc before bed. Knee wouldn't bend the next morning, trip to Victoria hospital A+E as a result. Fractured kneecap. It's amazing what a bit of adrenaline can do to keep you going.

Anyway, if the pain is worse rather than better tomorrow, go and get yours looked at. I think you would know if it was broken but could be a minor fracture. Bruised bone possibly, they hurt too.

Caddy is very good to drive, but space will be limited if you do fit a rear seat.
Hi-ace is better space wise.
If it's just for bikes get a Hi-ace. If it's an everyday vehicle for occasional bike use get a Caddy.

I have two pairs of Hope C2s and one pair of Formula R1. Pad change is less than 10mins each end.

Just spent over an hour trying to get some pads into my girlfriend's Juicy 5s, only logged on to look for advice/manual. I'll be sticking with Formula I think.

I wish. Sadly moved away two years ago. In the flatlands of Linclnshire now. I'll be back in Fife as soon as I can afford to be though.

Not the one I meant Purplefm, although that one is fun (the only place I've ever had to stop and let my brakes cool down, Closed Hopes by the way)
I meant the one where you carry on around the top with the drop to your left, starts around NT185056 and finishes around 188057. Yours is great fun, but it's a bugger of a climb back to anywhere interetsing.

ChrisE, you know it makes sense, I know it makes sense, I'm sure everyone on here would agree with you.

Gordon and Alistair's minds don't seem to think in the same way as normal people's…

Start up Glenvale (car park just up the road from path) Mind the steps. Brings you to bottom of West Lomond. Continue passed down towards the woods passed the res. Come up the hill to where the weather station thingy is and the along the top of Bishops and back down at the end near West Lomond, fantastic decescent, a lot of 'rear-wheel in the air' stuff. For short route return along Glanvale, much better in this direction.
For long route, it's a carry up West Lomond, then down on the north side, which then loops around and follow the landrover track towards East Lomond, across the road at Craigmead and back onto the Landrover track all the way to the rdio masts (East Lomond on your left as you go passed it)
East Lomond is ridable up from the masts. Come down towards the closest trees (northish) This is in there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbAY4D61HJ4

Pub in Falkland (Stag is good) Road climb back to Craigmead (ridable but not great in that direction up Maspie Den) Passed Craigmead then right onto fram track, continue along passed res, West Lomond on your right. Turn right at the big track and back down Glenvale.

Get an OS map to see what I'm on about.

I'm feeling inspired. I've always just put my wheel into the singlespeed (which has rim brakes) but the vertical bit has always been a bit haphazard. Might try something with a hinged bit doing for front and rear wheels.

it's not the same people at the top RBS have IIRC only 1 executive director left from before the bailout. And those lower down mostly haven't done anything wrong

Seems a bit harsh to tax them then?
I just get the feeling the gov't like to legislate for every little problem in the hope that it looks like they are doing something. I find it odd that as the owners we can't do anything about it without legislation. Are those banks which are still fully private to be affected by this tax too? As a private organisation I don't give a monkey's what they do with their money but when my taxes are going towards paying for an RBS employee to get a bonus bigger than my salary after my taxes had bailed out his company I get a bit cross.

As Radioman says we are all to blame by borrowing money we couldn't affod to pay back. We then gave money to some financial institutions to prevent them collapsing as their management had failed to prepare for the fact that not all of the loans would be repaid, and then when they do have a bit of money it goes on bonuses rather than giving it back to those who bailed them out or building up capital to survive next time we hit a downturn. What's that all about?

While on the subject of legislation, how can they make it a legal requirement to halve the budget deficit within 4 years? (leave aside the fact that they need to go much further than that but no-one dares to say they will cut any services to pay for it) Why does this need legislation?

Landy 90 hard top?

Locktons (brokers, not underwriters) are very good. Not sure if they do policies only for personal vehicles. If the transporter is a business van give them a try.