Still not arrived….

OMM or Osprey Talon packs here too.

I think quite a few of you guys are a bit more serious about this than me. Most of the time I want a camera I’m happy to carry (not an SLR) that takes pretty good photos in most situations. I currently have a Canon A720 IS, which isn’t that bad, but any of the ones above would blow it out of the water, especially in low light. Maybe the LX5 or S95 would be a better choice for most of what I do.

So should I be pushing the LX5 / S95 back to the top of the list? They’re certainly far more portable. Do they offer good (much better than most compacts) low light performance for indoors stuff and shooting in the trees?

I’ve had SLRs in the past (film ones, a fairly long time pre digital being the main choice) and rarely used them because they were too big and bulky to take with me. I’ve just been in town and had a play with the EPL-1 (no GF1 in stock) and it seemed really nice. The folding lense was a good feature and the menus were quite familiar feeling. Also at £380 it seemed very good value. Would the Panasonic 20mm pancake fit the olympus?

some knee warmers and some woollie boolie socks.

David – I kind of agree with you; but it’s a good time to get bought the things that I’d never get round to buying myself (I’m one of the rare bikers that agonises over spending money as I feel like I should be spending it on something more “useful”).

so is Hillsborough

I’ve not got mine either, but neither have I got WMTB which is also out in Smiths. There are also various parcels that were apparently dispatched 2-3 weeks ago that still haven’t arrived. I don’t think we can blame ST for this one. Most of the time I get my issue within a day or so of when they say I will.

I’m on pair 2 of altura attack and am about to send them back as they’ve never kept me dry. One wet descent and I’ve got a wet chammy that’ll take longer to dry than if I’d just worn normal shorts. The fit seams to be much worse on the second pair as well. Not impressed.

The very top bit was always a bog anyway, so it’s probably not the worst that could have happened.

codraphenia
a.salt & battered

Glentrail house in Innerliethen is great, but you do need a few people to really make the most of it.

The 2.25 is noticeably bigger than the 2.35 HR. I think they’re fast enough to be ridden throughout the summer and manage fine in the winter (but, as above, aren’t the best in really muddy stuff).

3 years post qulaification social worker with 2 years experience prior to qualification: £26K for 50+ hours a week without a sufficient support network, too many cases and no overtime. It’s amazing they manage to recruit anyone at all. Teachers certainly start getting paid more very quickly.

I’m on Altura Attack pair two and they’re also not waterproof. They then keep my arse wetter than normal shorts ‘cos they don’t breathe as well. I’ve given up and will be asking for my money back. Not sure which way to go next, though.

NiteRider do their cordless minewts now and Light & motion still do the Vega. Both are similar (not as powerful) and cheaper.

I wouldn’t count on them being better. I’m about to send pair number two back as neither this or the previous pair has kept water out from day one!

Advantages seem to be very popular amongst our group of regular peak riders. I’ve had a pair on my Prophet for nearly a year now and think they’re great. 2.25 folding are what I’m running (I think that’s 62a compound). I’m considering putting something more toothy on the front for more muddy conditions – not because the Advantages are bad in mud (They’re one tyre I reckon could be kept on all year round) – It’s that I’m not very good in mud and need all the help I can get.

My wife is one. I could never do it. The people you work with rarely appreciate what you do (and often hate you for it); the people you work for rarely appreciate what you do (local authority); the public rarely appreciate what you do (and often hate you for it – be prepared to always be the scape goat); the hours are awful (often 50-60 a week); the pay is pretty poor (although local regrading has helped), and there never seems to be any sort of reprieve. My wife works in child protection, which is about as bad as it gets with regards most of the above; I doubt she’ll last much longer there. The average ‘burn out’ is about 2 years which she has more than exceeded and is now the longest serving member of her team by a long way. When it does work, though, she finds it immensly rewarding and satisfying. All i would say is make sure it’s what you really want.

too slow

Topeak mountain morph or turbo morph dependant on whether you want a pressure gauge or not.

I agree Rik. They’d fit me well, but are immediately off my list for Kate. I’ll talk to Kate about Adele’s frame.

Brant, have you got more sizing info on the 14″ frames (effective top tube mainly) – especially the Blue Pig & Piglet?

What length will the effective top tubes be on the piglet & blue pig?

Brant, is that in the Blue Pig as well as the Piglet?

I have found the lakes to be more forgiving of tyre choice than many places I've ridden (not sure whether that's true, or why it might be). It's rocky and drains well, and it's going to have been pretty dry, so whatever you would want for your local riding, but make sure it's a reasonable volume and on the tough side of things.

Tubus racks every time. Mine have survived some serious multi month touring, commuting, a few crashes, lots of very heavy loads, and are still working perfectly with only a few rust spots to show for their trouble.

Great. I went on the "stop crashing" day and my riding has improved considerably since. I'm glad I went for the most basic one in the end, as it was really good to review my basics and get them right before getting onto other stuff. Ed was a clear and patient instructor and the simple instructions / rules are easy to remember day to day to keep forcing myself into better habits.

I'm very happy with the Altura pro gel bib shorts I bought a few months a go. I had a voucher for EBC and needed some new shorts, and these seemed to fit the bill. Much comfier than any of the Endura (and other altura stuff) stuff I've used before.

Have you tried the Bike Tree in Sheffield – they do Morewood IIRC.

Like LoCo's mate, my GF and I rode 26" wheeled ones to Ethiopia from London (with better wheels and contact points). Since then, mine has been used as an mtb with suss forks and front discs; a geared commuter, a single speed commuter; and now my mate has it as a 1×9 speed commuter. Not bad bikes, especially for the money, but they're not light frames and feel quite brutal and wooden compared to better steel hardtails.

Si, would it suit an out of work Architect who can only manage 3 days a week from september?

Hi Nick, how're things? I hope things are looking a bit better. Can kate or I do anything?

Paul

I have Hope Hoops with Crests on my Prophet for general trail riding. Seem to be sturdy enough so far and give the tyre as good a profile as my DT 5.1s did. My first time tubeless also, and that seems to be pretty trouble free so far too (maxxis advantage kevlar 2.25).

Lost my job 2 weeks ago. Not bore yet, but I've been redoing our bathroom at home. I expect the boredom isn't too far off, though.

The new Haven Carbon low riser is meant to be 170g for a 711mm wide bar. Not sure if they're available yet, though. When I researched before, the Sunline V1s that I eventually bought seemed to have one of the better weight / width / strength / cost balances.

Are These the guys?

18bikes are pretty good at getting them in quickly. I got a pair with Crests as soon as they were available from Hope and that was after only ordering them a few days earlier.

We toured through Bulgaria on the way to Turkey a few years ago. I quite liked it. We particularly liked Veliko Tarnovo where we had a rest day. The roads were worse than any we saw this side of Sudan, though. I don't remember things being that cheap, though.

I think that's the diameter of the bolt. I think you can get bolt through to take one of the 10mm QRs like Superstar and others do; or bolt-up where the ends of the axle are threaded to take 10mm allen bolts at each end.

There did used to be an LX Kaffenback build, so mtb stuff obviously works ok on the frame.