Carpet off-cuts can be had for nothing if you ask nicely in carpet shops.

Go on then.

Might not be as pretty, but 19 and-a-bit pounds.

Just use your old rear mech as a tensioner, works for me. Put the limit screws wherever you need them and job done.

Need pics!
Not that I'll be much help, just like looking at old Kleins.

If that XTR rear mech really is seven speed it won't be 1998, it will be pre-1995.

Couple of Dave Hinde ones, both still perfect and cheapest around. I avoid CRC at all costs due to very poor returns policy when things go wrong, just given up on them completly and would urge you to avoid as well.

I've got Tune Prince/Princess on Alex XCR-Pro Scandium rims & DT Aerolites. 32 spoke, sub 1,200g. I'm 9st12, and they have been fine, only slight problem was down to my incompetance! Unfortunately the pair cost twice as much as my car :oops:

Peice of advice, if buying Tune hubs (and you should) don't get them from Poshbikes, try Starbike in Belgium, they ship to the UK and have much better customer service.

You lot are all jumping to conclusions. I can't even see the min insertion mark on the stem with that level of detail. We need a close up.

;-)

http://bp2.blogger.com/_kJE_–2eepI/SDNcbJ7NjLI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/DnCmYr4kOJo/s1600-h/vw_sedan111_engine_diagram.jpg

I'm not a very good mechanic so I've found a picture. With some labels on too. Labels are written in American but I think it is the alternator belt after all.

2 seconds to fold a T-shirt?! You can change a cambelt in that time http://www.youtube.com/v/BQhfcdQf1QA

Brake! Brake harder! Harder!!!

Would avoid FSA like the plauge, bearings are shocking.

King is very nice, only had mine a year but good so far. If can't justify the cost get a used one.

Couple of quid here http://drupal.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/donations and your address to andy_howett at yahoo.co.uk and you can have a couple of old tubes with car-type (Schrader) valves. May or may not have holes in…

T5. With extra seats. Possibly T4 on that budget.

Yeti ASR-Carbon. If you have to ask the reason you have clearly never ridden one.

Although the one I am most found of is a much modified and abused Marin Attack Trail from 1999.

Fortunateson09, you are of course assuming that n<a, where n is the number of bikes owned by the person in question, and a is the number of bikes owned by their riding buddy. Let number of bikes required=r, and the number of additional bikes needed=y

So
r=a+1 if n<a y=(a-n)+1
r=n+1 if n>a y=1

So, yes you do need at least one more. How mny does your riding buddy have?

Of course, if the riding buddy then applies this formula to his own situation, using the new value of n, let's call it N, then his r and y are calculated as
r=N+1 if a<N y=N-a+1
r=a+1 if a>N y=1

The more asstute among you will of course have noticed that we have an infinte sequence in which inevitably
a=N= ?

One can never have too many bikes.
I once did hint to my riding buddy that I may have too many, but he helpfully suggested a solution to my problem. 'Get a bigger garage.'

B'ham and Worcester must be close enough for you to ride, and probably much faster.
I did it by mistake in the dark on Saturday, set off for a ride from the GF's house in Selly Oak and ended up in Worcester after not following the Kidderminster sign

Very nice.

Will a Hammerschmidt fit onto a Schlumph?

'Make or brake' is an easy DH route, wide and fast with no huge drops. Easily doable on an XC bike by a novice, think 'spooky-wood on steroids'. Take the uplift to the top of that.
The others are also do-able on an XC bike but require a bit more confidence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1_Cb2uHoIY&feature=related

Chef
Shelf stacker
Salad chopping in factory (one day)
Call centre, insurance salesman then Sky TV tech support

Administrator for accountants, first full time job at 26, couldn't avoid it any longer.

Anyone seen the one in Glen Coe village?

Two oil drums set about a car length from a short, steep bank and two sturdy planks running from the top of the bank to the top of the drums.

Cheap way to do it if you're feeling brave enough.

Don't skip the primer. I've done a frame in VW black touch-up paint with normal primer, looked nice for a while but going a bit funny now. More than one person has said I should have used an etch primer.

You will need the irish viewing card if you want to get RTE in UK. And vice versa, for BBC etc in ROI you will need a UK card.

(there are cards available without a Sky subscription from any decent dodgy market stall…)

I've got a Pitmate. About a third more power than a dirtworker, and cheaper when I bought it about 2 years ago

Meant to say card is set up differently on Sky's computers, they are physically the same.

Box is the same. Viewing card is different.

Either will opperate in either country as a freesat box, provided it's hooked up to dish properly of course, except that in UK you won't get Channel 4 (More4, Film4 etc) without a freesat card. Although free-to-air they are encripted for some reason.

The french have a new kind of tank. It has 14 gears. 13 of them reverse (they fitted one forward gear just in case the enemy attack from behind :-) )

Overtook a police car at 85mph on M74, about 2am. A few lories around but not much else. Got pulled over, didn't even ask me what I speed I thought I was doing. One kicked the tyres while the other looked at my licence, only carry the pink bit. Pointed out my rear number-plate light wasn't working and let me go again.

Mended a broken rear mech with my multi-tool, a stone, a dock-leaf and my teeth. Got me the 35 miles home.

Actually, the only thing I've ever not been able to fix/bodge and continue was a snapped frame…

I've gone the other way as it were, removing seats to install a bed. Insured with ibuyeco, they were very good. Slight premium increase (about £70) but otherwise no problems. Try them.

I blame ebay fees.
If your itemis worth about a tenner you will pay half as much in fees if it sells for £6 with £5p&p as if it sold for the £10 with £1p&p.
Hope that makes sense, if more of the price is in p&p the final value fee is lower for the same overall amount. And the fees are getting sill-high now.

Power sells cars.

Torque wins races.

Can't remember who said that, someone famous.

BMI 18.5 Bike 19.4Lbs.

Nicely balanced I think. Would like to loose another pound off the bike really, me and it together are over 11 stone!

FSA save about 10mm compared to Ritchey stems. However, Ritchey headsets are about 10mm lower than Hopes. Raceface SyStem is low stack too and much nicer than FSA but a bugger to find.

Send it to me, I can withdraw it without having pay any fees and then do the bank transfer for you. :mrgreen:

Serious point, not sure why I don't pay fees. Maybe to do with having a verified account? Don't pay fees on paypal gift either which is useful for buying/selling on here.

On the subject of insurance, I got my insurance from ibuyeco, rang them up and told them about the conversion I planned, no problem. Give them a try, I know some places can be a bit funny with home-made conversions. Also, if you don't min basic a 12v car-battery and an inspection lamp will be more than adequate lighting for your van, and give you a bit of heat too no doubt, I use one in the gazebo. Battery lasts for ever (well, I charge it once a season) with a 40W bulb and much less hassel to install than LB and LEDs.

If looking for ideas try some of the motorcross and sking forums.

WARNING! Possible thread hijack below.

Would be very interested to see some pics from you guys, you seem to know what you are on about.

I'm attempting a smaller scale conversion. I've got a Hyundai Trajet (don't laugh please). Just about big enough for a bed with tools etc underneath and 3 bikes in next to it. Just need a bed, have a gazebo for working on bikes if it's raining and all cooking will done outside on gas.

How should one attach the legs of the bed to the floor? Current thinking is a flat frame of 2×4 on the floor of the boot and then I can easily attach the bed and my home-made bike rack to that. Question really is what is best way to attach the frame to where the seats used to be? Or even directly to the floor? Buying old seat bases from a scrappy and attaching to them costs too much height (Trajet is somewhat smaller than even a Hiace!)

Need to be able easily to remove bed/bike rack and replace seats for use at running races, hence not getting a proper van (and I can't afford a 6 seat T5). On the plus side my interior lighting is already there and I have 4 12v outlets and speakers at the back. Also has a/c in the back for drying laundry whilst travelling. Need to get some nice curtains too. Not sure if rear windoms is advantage or disadvantage over a van. Certainly a plus at funny junctions and when parking!

I have had five cars in my life.
Sum total spent buying them would just about buy frame, wheels and front brake of race-bike.
It's all about priorities.
No qualms spending over £5K on my bike, could never justify that for a car, nor indeed afford a car that cost that without selling said bike. (first car cost as much as the gear cables on the current race-bike!)

Having said that, I've mostly driven cars costing a couple of hundred, until my most recent which was couple of thousand. Drove a Ferrari at a track day, I can see why people buy them, and can justify £150K if they want one that much. Same with bikes I guess, £500 bike is great until you ride a £5K all singing one and realise the difference.

Lion poo only works with cats.

Get a llama. Serious advice for anyone who has hens, they will chase foxes away. Don't know why.

Oh, fees collected monthly, not a monthly fee.

Cheers Curly, you had woried for a while there. Not used it for ages and was wondering what kind of dficit I would have run up.

Just shows what I think of them, that I would believe something like that!

Scrapped two this month, don't ask. Eventually found somewhere which would take them for nothing, wasn't going to pay to have them collected! Shop around…

Seriously, newish car like that must be worth something as spare or repairs, stick it up on fleabay with a starting price of whatever the local scrappy is offering and see what happens.
Sounds stupid but if you are buying a brand new one spend a grand on a engine transplant and then scrapage-scheme it.

Don't get me started on the %$@*ing scrappage scheme!

Monthly charges? Have I misunderstood you Curly?