Jezzer, the above tool could be your friend.

I’ve used it sort your described ailment. It works perfectly for tweaking the mech in just the right places to perfect shifting.

Course, it does depend how much it bothers you. It bothers some customers a great deal, so out comes DT-2 :-)

Convince yeself not and don’t be believing, for, as mentioned, most setups can be made to work fine.

A 10 speed front derailer will work with an 8 speed setup, but, being narrower, it will rub more at the extremes of the cassette when using the middle chainring.

where did you get this wisdom from

Ich bin ein grease monkey. My only front derailer is currently controlled by an ancient Rock Shox BlackBox lockout lever.

Also, this is my favourite tool for working on front derailers:

Park DT-2

What Jeremy said. Narrower chains use narrower derailers to hit them betwixt the chainrings.

Having said that, most front derailers can be tweaked and cold-worked to work with most setups, assuming there’s no cable-pull issues (though even then…)

I long for the day that front derailers are but a distant memory, one of those memories that we laugh at in museums: “Ha ha, L-shaped cranks, UHT suspension, front mechs, who ever thought they were a good idea!”

Front derailers + triple/double = **** minefield.

Just try what you’ve got, it’ll probably work. See the ‘Long answer’ above.

Good luck!

“Yes I think to myself…”

“…c###s are still running the world.”

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: yes, but it might rub a bit.

World-weary answer: yes, about as well as any two pieces of metal designed to hit a chain sideways.

Thanks Crikey! As soon as Sidney mentioned Finland Michael Palin began crooning away in my head.

Never been there, but for that song it is my favourite country.

I’ve no idea if it’s like broken hard drives where some portions of the data can be recovered from around the broken bits, though an IT-wise person will be along soon to say yay or nay. It’s very likely a program could recover some of your data, but the tricky step is getting the damn machine to recognise the existence of the card in the first place.

Sadly flash memory just dies sometimes. I lost the contents of a memory stick and a SD card when they died recently. Irritating, but I have now (after twenty years…) finally learned that backing up is the only true path.

Anyone know if it’s a case of you get what you pay for? Does a branded SD card perform better than a cheapo one from a Hong Kong eBay seller or is it just luck as to how long they last?

The epiphany when you realise that going with the flow is the only way is such a blessing – suddenly you can relax!

I like that idea, and wish more motorists could get over their impatience and follow your lead, glen.

I wish, as I cyclist, to be allowed to go with the flow, but the proscribed defensive cycling techniques are still not respected by today’s more-right-to-the-road-than-thou drivers. Rock ‘n’ a hard place. :(

EDIT: Hope my statement hasn’t quashed the mood too much, mol…

Nothernstar, you obviously know more about safe speeds of cars than I do, having never driven in my life (please feel free, all, to quote that there statement of mine) but there is one aspect of speeding that has been barely mentioned and then forgotten in this thread.

Yes, modern cars are safer with their better brakes and all, but it is the consequences of speed that would appear to me to be why speed limits are stuck in their seemingly archaic past: it is less easy to avoid a random, collision-causing incident at speed, and if the collision does occur, the shitstorm is far messier at 90 than at 70.

Now I can stop being polite and just add:

If there are not regular accidents then it might suggest that the road in question has an artificially low limit for whatever reason and could easily be raised without problem.

This had better be trolling, cos if not, it’s the most scary, naïve and ignorant statement in the thread so far.

Impatience seems to be a important behavioural flaw contributing to dangerous road use.

There’s this undertone of scorn, arrogance and self-belief that leads to people speeding, overtaking badly and being dicks, all reinforced by their mistaken idea that they are more important and have more right to use the road than everyone else.

I see it everyday. Literally, everyday.

People just need to chill-the-****-out on the roads.

I’d hate to get one of those in the face

And after your face? Who knows?? Next time it could be a child’s face.

Nice pic there, Brick :-)

I never knew Lord Vader had a secondary cape projecting from his underpants. I have learnt my thing for the day.

I don’t want to get the feeling that I sound like a know-it-all patronising unt©, but…

Out on the trail i don’t notice it much.

So is there a problem…?

Servicing them is a straightforward affair, but not strictly recommended. Plenty of helpful fork servicers out there who’ll spruce ’em up.

the screaming vacuous face on the side

Cannot unsee!!!!!!

Also, pickelhauben rule.

The blossom looks right but there’s no fruit.

Ah, there’s no fruit that you’ve had a chance to see: try asking the feathered visitors to your garden if it bears fruit. I would wager that they got there first. ;-)

Ooh you lucky fellow, you! Kindles are ace. Hope you find some of the following useful…

Shortcuts:
http://blog.diannegorman.net/2010/09/kindle-3-keyboard-shortcuts-et-al/#files

Loads of free classic books in Kindle format here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Not actually tried this yet, but looks to be quite useful:
http://www.retroread.com/%5B/url%5D

As mentioned above, Calibre is very handy for converting files in order to read them on a Kindle. It mostly works, but sometimes books come out the other end with odd formatting. Still good though:
http://calibre-ebook.com/%5B/url%5D

Get rid of some of the more disturbing screensaver images and add your own:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Screen_Saver_Hack_for_all_2.x_and_3.x_Kindles

e.g.

Inspired by this[/url].

And while on the subject of xkcd:
http://blog.xkcd.com/2009/04/13/the-pursuit-of-laziness/%5B/url%5D
Brilliant.

I made a slightly less-refined version:

My final tip is to definitely not take your usual late-night shortcut over that high wall with your Kindle in a thigh pocket unless you wish to prove to yourself that Amazon’s Kindle warranty and back-up are as good as everyone says.

Enjoy your new toy!

(p.s. Can anyone see the above photos? I’m posting them from Picasa for the first time using a somewhat untidy process so I’m keen to know if they exist anywhere other than my (already-cleared-but-I’m-paranoid) cache. Cheers!)

Nowt wrong with MSG!

Here ya go, get two lots of this:

http://tinyurl.com/eBay-MSG

…with change for noodles left over!

Its Easter.

Just take an Easter egg then the need to communicate is negated.

Take something with enough sugar and E numbers to take the 3yr old to the moon

I’m actually taking along a batch of cupcakes (which I have been preadvised to perhaps limit the sugar-content of) so maybe if I lavish them in tartrazine green icing sugar it’ll liven the day up…

Thanks for the suggestions, I’m feeling more confident. Please keep ’em coming.

I did consider talking random inanities but do wonder about appearing to be a nutter in front of his wife…

flip –

I was running about 2 years ago and a ‘yoof’ lobbed an apple at me out of a car, it hit me in the stomach and really hurt..

It could have taken my eye out…

Next time it could be a child’s face.

That exact wheel was used by a bloke (whose name currently escapes me, but Google is your friend) to set the latest around-the-world cycling record. Apparently he had no probs with it the whole way.

Dr Pepper says: “What’s the worst that could happen?”

I’m gonna guess at these.

Went for a blast around Swinley yesterday and…

… utterly failed to find Stickler, as usual :oops:

Next time!

On another, slightly related note, the new stuff near the Lookout looks like it’ll be quite fun when it’s all bermed-up, and the pump track is pretty good if you’ve got the skills (I’m trying to learn) and can figure out which direction it goes in.

How are you getting on with the motion-sickness…?

Dear Flying Spaghetti Monster,

If you’re there, and listening, please can you make it so that MountainMutant doesn’t come to the Evans where I shall be mechanicking tomorrow? Undoing customer-mashed pedals from easily-scratched carbon-faced cranks is more-often-than-not an acursed job. Should your benevolence not extend to my working hours, might you see to it that MountainMutant brings biscuits along for the mechanic’s labours…?

(Just kidding, bring it on!) :wink:

Road maintenance.

It’s a little known fact that camper-vans left parked for more then two consecutive nights on standard-issue local authority highway tarmacadam will cause potholes that may develop into lavadome volcanoes.

Local council refuse removal

An even-littler known fact is that local authorities must supply all free-loaders, within ten working days of their arrival, with recycling; food-waste; and general landfill refuse receptacles.

Lucky it was just your lower leg: next time it could be a child’s face.

RH pedal, RH thread, yeah?

So undo it anti-clockwise if you’re using a spanner and facing the crank from the outside, or clockwise if you’re using an allen key and facing the crank from the inside.

Just to be totally sure you’re doing it the right way… ;-)

If it does go tits, you can clamp the pedal in a vice and unscrew the crank, or file spanner-flats into the axle and use a good ol’ AJ.

And coming in just a few months time, new to BBC2:

‘Lambing Death’ – all the lambs you knew and loved, killed for your viewing pleasure. Stock up on mint sauce and twiddle yer sheep-shaped keyrings in front of highlights of their shitty little lives.

Kula Shaker – 303

<<EDIT>> …and how could I forget my current favourite cheesey band’s contribution: Fountains Of Wayne – I-95

Ho ho ho, I’ve no doubt I’ve been there before but my usual inability to navigate Swinley comes into force! ;-)

I’ve been there twice in the last week or so (for the first time in more than a year following the ultra-stressful navigation/guiding disaster…) and got completely lost on both occasions! That’s with GPS and “prior knowledge”…

So this new bit of Stickler (which I’ll never find anyway!): is it towards the nine yards thing or Tank Traps? (going by the map which has got me into trouble so many times before…!)

Wikipedia…

(Though they did bow to good taste and keep the news genuine.)

I heard an interesting thing today about how if you wear a helmet on your arse, it prevents saddle sores.

Genuine question (as a veggie), where are you getting your protein-rich diet from?

Good question. I wouldn’t call my diet protein-rich, merely sufficient in protein, i.e. it’s not lacking in protein. If I wanted more protein, I’d just eat more beans or tofu or whatever else it is we vegans consume prodigiously. Should I need even more protein for bulking up I’d simply get me some Weight Gain 4000 soya protein isolate and hit the pull-ups.

Enough protein is really not a problem in any but the most weird of diets (of course, I have to regard a vegan diet as not weird ;-) ).

EDIT: with the sound off, that’s a jolly inspiring video there, Jamie!

coffeeking

How the hell was swimming hurting your hands?

Calm down, calm down. I thought I explained it at least somewhat well when suggesting it might be to do with being used to holding handlebars.

Talking to a triathaloning housemate has revealed that I shouldn’t be tensely cupping my hand to swim but rather have the hand rather relaxed and even have little gaps between the fingers. Something to try for next time.

Protein is key.

A good point. I eat plenty of protein, just as part of my normal diet. I totted it up a few times, in order to demonstrate to doubters that my diet is fine for protein content, and can easily be made more protein-rich. (Should I bait the trolls by mentioning it’s vegan…?)

If you’re congenitally skinny you might be SOL with regards bulk.

An excellent excuse and one I shall use in conversation. “Congenitally skinny”: like it, like it.

+1 for peanut butter.

There is NOTHING it doesn’t go with.

With the best will in the world, and not wishing to sound like an insensitive vulture, where is this fine-sounding twisty stuff? It sounds like fun!

Do you get motion-sickness normally (cars/planes/boats)? Ever take anything for it?

Ho ho, I’ve done my share of XC mountain bike races (low-level stuff, of course) and watched even more, and I’d still like to be not as skinny as I am.

Anyway, looks like it’s gym or skinny!

Yikes, that’s a scary proposition. Thanks, but that regime is kinda what I wanted to avoid, and the dietary suggestions are a very long way away from anything I could achieve (or would want to acheive…)

I think I may need to rethink this bulking up thing; maybe do a few press-ups; reassess how I see myself in light of skinny comments; and perhaps realise tha tmy body is already fit-for-purpose.

Swimming is good fun though!