boats are for posh people

that is such a load of bollox

so realisticaly a £300 to £500 boat could be competative in some classes

seems a bit optimistic to me

Disgruntled (with the people who vote in changes to allow carbon masts in older classes rather than just joining a new class with them)

well if there was vote then you have to go with it. Its not good to keep a class in aspic or else people will gradually move away from it and it will die

Mast £1500 (for a straight tube, compare that to the swoopyness of a carbon bike frame!)

I’m no expert but wouldn’t be surprised if the forces and dynamics required of a mast wern’t quite a bit more challenging than of a bike frame where the longest unsupported section is perhaps 5 to 10 times shorter.

It is a shame though that there just isn’t much agreement in the dinghy word over how many classes there should be, what direction the sport should go in etc etc

It has gone full circle I’m just repeating myself. Now I have convinced you all it is not just marketing I feel that my work here is done.

whoa there – that’s a bit optimistic

I’m not convinced that so many people have test ridden 650b bikes

I do think the differences between 26 and 650b are really very small and that the blog in the OP includes some marketing BS, albeit pretty gentle, that bigs up the keenness of people to adopt 650b

I dont think he’s talking about commuting 😉

Hi Jon, I dont know why the Gore Tool is better, maybe it has some type of spray proofing on it? That might help with your new trousers. How did you buy them, shop or t’internet?

offers enough protection for all but the wettest of weather

when its wet, its wet and what this really says is that these do NOT give protection for wet weather

perhaps the marketing spin is a bit misleading, but wind stopper only stops wind

liked this one this year:

also really like what tazzymtb posted

but hate the seatpost on the kona richen987 posted

a fair few seem to comment that there is no difference but haven’t actually ridden 650b

how do you know what bikes people have or haven’t ridden?

thanks chief – very interesting to see those adjustable frames

I can’t say I found any difference in the 27.5 I tried when compared to the 26″. I couldn’t actually tell.

correct – the difference is soooo… small, most people cant tell either when they look at a bike casually without reading the tyre or when riding

is it this one sea of rock

I got one to work after about 3 tries 🙂

Cant see how to get any free STW ale though?

not really i.e. there’s no wetsuit type bit, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem

+1 for MT91s – brilliant:-)

definitely use someone else – de-pressurising the shock makes no difference

yes reindeer steaks on a BBQ in Norway – very good:-)

Merry Christmas STW 😆

but you cant expect a mountain bike group to solve all of the constitutional-type problems with the system of representation and local government!

how many have signed up so far?

just received one of those track pumps from Parker International through RM – compressed gas – RM are total muppets

a big well done for this – joined as a an out of Peak supporter

eh hmm.. bike forum?

unusual and unexpected

maybe, but the stats don’t enable any further analysis of the reasons for the cluster. without more info on the particular circumstances, all we can do is ‘shrug our shoulders’

oh great, as I am sitting here off the bike this week with chest pain that comes on while climbing fast and an odd fluttering feeling across my chest between rides. Had an ECG day before yesterday and more tests to come in next two weeks:-( Any (sensible) advice on whether I should be riding at all (e.g., zones 1-2) / drinking coffee at all over xmas?

yes but the difference between 650b and 26 is so small that the effect on the angle can be less than one degree and nearer zero?

ask them which law permits them to dispose of items owned by other legal persons

at 5’11 youll probably need a 56 or 58 cm frame

try something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cannondale-Caad8-Claris-Road-Bike-/121234716262?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1c3a26f666

(and no I am not the seller)
for around £500 you could get something pretty good secondhand

I’m still riding my 1996 Cannondale – its still just a good as ever (but different from more modern bikes)

reckon iolo and wwaswas are right, looks like deformation / fold rather than a dent. Not sure if it suggests there must be more deformation elsewhere on the main triangle?

as to value, the depreciation formulas are one thing but then you need to reduce the price even more for the damage

oh no, surely its too soon for there to be dyed in the wool 650B supporters yet who get upset by jokes like that

I agree scandal

Most people could be in the Auvergne or the Alps quicker

– this completely misses the point – the west coast is a special place

I think we have the first public announcement from Specialized on this issue in that un-atrributed front page article.

appartently its written by some guy from Albuquerque

no good for clipless road pedals though

for what its worth, if money isn’t a big constraint, then “internet research” does tend to point towards road bikes at the £3-4 k level such as the Synapse, Domain, Infinito etc – these also get really good reviews in the magazines and if you are new to cycling, can seem to be “mid-range” compared to the ~£9,000 Sagan replicas, for example. But as others have said, for a first road bike that’s pretty misleading.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/tyres-road-tri-track-rigid-continental-grand-prix-polyx-rigid-tyre/conttyrr510

Everyone makes mistakes when driving or riding, sadly. Hard to know what to do really. Is it fair to ban someone because of one incident? Even though it could’ve been fatal?

+1

it is hard to decide – that’s why we have a system with judges who at least can benefit from seeing lots of cases and who can try to brings some consistency / balance (even if they make the odd decision too)

just because it seems to be needing yet more engineering, in this case of the saddle, to get back to a set up that works for the rider as well as earlier designs

another implicit admission that the 29er design didnt live up to all the claims

it’ll be low profile tyres next (like on cars) to bring the effective wheel size down closer to 650B

why would you want to – plenty of good 26″ wheels / rims around and better choice of tyres?