I put 120psi in as I assumed that would roll the fastest and give best puncture protection.

I am new to this road riding game :-)

No problem with buying good tyres and tubes, always used continental tubes in my mountain bike.

What sort of pressure should I run ?

Bazzer

My Nan used to buy me an airfix kit every week when I was a kid.

She did it for so long after a while she ended up buying me the same ones again. She was a very lovely person.

Bazzer

I am on the second Millennium Trilogy book and I have to say its entertaining but a bit one dimensional and stereotypical. An easy read so I guess that’s why its popular, but I am not chomping at the bit to read the third.

Best book I have read this year was Shantaram, I was sad when I finished it.

Bazzer

Hmm I went through and the payment emailed to me was full price.

Have emailed :-(

No not taken the Patriot apart yet :-)

So still have a set of Lyriks and a Patriot 66 frame. Well in fact its still a bike at the moment :-)

Bazzer

Hmm just tried buying a pair of Revelations and it took the money off on the first page, but when I got to the credit card bit it put the price back upto the original price again :-(

Tried removing the voucher code and re adding it, now it says I have used the voucher. Oh well I will wait for a deal somewhere else !!!

Bazzer

My Vrs Estate petrol has run on Standard unleaded since new and its now covered 117K miles, does not need Super unless remapped and even then the knock sensor will just retard the ignition and you will lose a little power.

Bazzer

Spongebob, I have to ask if you were that disillusioned why did you carry on doing it ?

Why did you not become one of the salesmen ? Bottom line bulshiting is a skill and not everyone has it. I know a lot of sales people who could not do an engineers job and also a lot of engineers who could not do a sales persons job.

I am an engineer by the way and my way of dealing with the above has been to be a contractor for the last 15 years.

Bazzer

Another +1 for Diesel jeans.

Yep the max fork length is confusing, but I think they basicaly say the max axle to crown is 520mm.

I think the latest Revs are 518mm

Is it me or have Revs increased in price loads over the last couple of years !!!

Hmm mine is a Mk1 with a 1.8T petrol engine but it is an 04 and I do have a tow bar fitted. I was not aware it was any different to the earlier ones.

Bazzer

Got some coil Pikes on my Cotic and love them, but they are 5lb in weight, I think the Revs are getting on for a 1 1/2lb lighter.

Yep good point, when I say light, if its 30lb I will be happy. The Patriot with coil shock and Gravity dropper etc, is probably getting on for 35lb

Rims are Hope hoops which are tubeless ready with strips. I gave it a go with tubeless with XC tyres as kept putting holes in them. I run tubeless on the downhill bike on 829’s with dual ply High Rollers or Minions and that works great never had a puncture (front rolled of rim due to low pressure once but thats it)

Bazzer

Hmm I am 5’11 and have a large Planet X SL. Once I dumped the rucksack I have found it surprisinly comfortable. My backside aches after a while but thats about it.

I did a 70mile ride last Saturday and I am doing the Wiggle New Forest 100 this Sunday. I expect it will be a little uncomfortable after that :-)

thomthumb, who do you recomend for bike fitting in Southampton ?

Bazzer

Had mine a little over a month now and love it :-) I know other people say there are better bikes. This my first road bike since I was a kid, so to me its a rocket ship :-)

Doing my first 100mile Sportive on Sunday, looking forward to it :-)

Bazzer

I have had a GD for about 3 years and its been flawless, but it is damn ugly !!!

I have just bought a Hustler frame to build up and noticed this morning that the seat post is a rather daft 30mm too.

I am trying to decide what post to go for, looks like it will deffo need a shim as no one seems to do a 30mm upy downy post.

Half of my says to try somthing different, but the other half just says get another GD as they do exactly what they say on the tin.

Yes there is a little bit of movement on the saddle, but as others have pointed out, you do not notice it at all when sat on it.

The KS ones do look nice and I like the idea of the control build into the lock on clamp.

Bazzer

Bazzer

Forks are not going to colapse because you have not serviced them. You may get crap damping performance and they may leak oil but the stanchions are not going to wear paper then and colapse.

The worn anodising on a fork is only a few microns thick, it does not add to the structral integrity at all, just makes them lower friction.

Bazzer

PS I have heard Sam Hill uses Sudacreme on his Boxxers :-)

I just hope the large I have bought is not too big, it should arrive today so will soon see :-)

Bazzer

Did someone from here buy one of 2 Large black Hustler frames from CRC ?

I just bought the last one :-)

Bazzer

5050 XX. Not the single X version

Had three pairs for various reasons.

First pair both seized and needed rebuilding, When I rebuilt them hardley any grease.

Second pair, play in the axles straight out of the box.

Third pair screws holding plates on not enough locktite and they fell out and plates came loose and one of the pedal bodies is moving on the axle even though the bearings are good and the nut is done up.

On the plus side I like they way they ride and the importer is very helpful at sorting things out on the phone so far. Need to send them back to let them look at them for me soon.

Might try the Canfield Crampons though as they are on a Sunday and any improvment in ground clearance has to be a bonus :-)

Bazzer

I am pretty much bang on 5’11 1/2″ too

So you had a 17.5″ but would go for a 19.5″ if you had another ?

Pity though as 17.5″ are available in Orange and 19.5″ ones are black and I would have liked orange :-)

Bazzer

I bought an Acer Aspire one, about 18months ago. Atom, 1GB RAM, 160GB hardrive. Its the XP version and its very slow almost too slow to use on some things. I am thinking it might be better to add another 1GB of memory to it.

Also the battery died after about a year.

Bazzer

In a perfect world I would probably buy a Five frame but no one seems to be knocking them out for £950 like the CRC hustlers.

Love my Patriot the simple bearing replacement etc etc but the Hustler is a bargain and I did like the one I rode a couple of years back.

Bazzer

I am interested in this too.

I have an 18″ patriot which has an effective top tube length of 596mm and I use a 50mm stem, this is fine for me.

Would I be OK with a 17.5″ Hustler which has a 577.85mm effective top tube. I would probably run a longer stem on this bike too.

I am about 5’11

Anoying thing is I rode one a while back but can’t remember what size it was.

Bazzer

PS would go to shop and try etc, but want to buy one in CRC sale.

Broke mine skiing and was worried as I was going to Whistler 12 weeks afterwards. Mine was really displaced (still is) bit still healed no problem, the body is amazing.

I broke mine in France and they gave me a figure 8 support and it healed OK still have it just in case :-)

Bazzer

I would expect them to let you go without a fuss, but would have to make the time up or take it as holiday.

Bazzer

Not sure I could erase someone I loved for so long from my life as easily as some of you guys !!!

Bazzer

Seconds per lap just don’t count on real roads. What matters is whether or not you like the car and driving it.

Well I agree with you on somthing at last :-) In fact I use the term nippy quite often to describe cars that are not really fast but not slow either.

The converse is if someone likes driving a 500BHP petrol car there is nothing wrong with that either, unless you are a Polar bear :-)

A nice feel to the steering, predictability and a good linear power delivery make for better driving pleasure on the road, not ultimate grip. People confuse grip and handling, they are not the same.

Totaly agree with that, 1.8T is not an inspiring engine. Turbo is too small and runs out of puff higher up the rev range.

M cars can be stupid expensive to run, and in the real world on roads will be no faster than a 335d

I must admit to liking the noise a 911 GT3 makes I did actualy think about buying a E 55AMG but decided though it was fast was not special enough for what would be a weekend car. At the end of the day its just a very fast saloon all be it one that sounds fantastic :-)

Still thinking about maybe getting an Z4M coupe for a weekend car, Even though I know the 3L would be just as good in 95% of situation I would still go for the M :-)

Do you ever wish the 335d had an LSD ? I have driven a few powerful BMW’s including some M cars and I am sure they leave it off the list on purpose as they would challenge the M cars more if they could get power down better.

Bazzer

Edited to add

Remember listening to an R32 with a sports exhaust pulling away from a toll booth in France sounded great :-)

The sound thing is silly to me. We like the sound of fast cars because we have a pre-learned idea of what fastness sounds like, and that usually means petrol.

Diesels sound fast too, just differently fast.

Its all silly to you though Moley isnt it, its just not your bag !!!

Its not about the sound of fastness, some engines just sound sweeter than others. A Rover V8 in a TVR sounds nicer than the flat planed crank V8 in a Cerbera. The cerbera is faster and probaly sounds faster.

Some people like the look, history and feel of somthing like say an E type. Others want to go as fast as possible and not worry about the nuances of it like a Nissan GTR.

Most people who like cars are somewhere in between.

This is going to sound a bit arty but the best sounding engines are the ones that sound free and not strangled or restricted in anyway. Not just loud :-)

Bazzer

I’ve heard worse engine notes…

But you have not wound down the windows to listen to it though have you :-)

Bet you would have if you had paid the M tax and bought an M3 :-)

Dont get me wrong though its a great car and the new 300+bhp model is going to waft along at a fair lick.

but …

I think for pure driving pleasure you cant beat a normaly aspirated petrol engine.

If you had the choice would you go for a R10 TDI or a 333sp :-)

Bazzer

Ahh Mat, but when was the last time you wound down the windows going through a tunnel to listen to your 335d ;-)

I will probably sucumb to the Diesel barge thing next time I buy a car. Purley down to cost though, I do a lot of miles and they are now prety good cars if a little souless and it will save me money and the habitat of the odd polar bear.

Again my experience is limited to an estate Octy Vrs not a saloon. I drove mine around Llandow race track and I would describe the handling as dull. Masive understeer with the unloaded wheel spinning up when trying to get any drive out of corners. You could basicaly dial in the amount of understeer with the throttle. You could make it over steer but only really by stamping on the brakes when turning in and it pretty much snapped back into line as soon as you came off the brakes.

So basicaly designed to be driven on the road by muppets who don’t know how to control a car on the limit. So safe an sensible, but anoying on a race track.

I am sure a LSD and some way of getting some more -ve camber on the front and it would be a lot more fun. But then it would probably be a lot worse in the real world on the road.

Oh and you could destroy the edge of the loaded tyres in a few laps if you tried (again more -ve camber would probably help with this)

My Turbo Busa Westfield is fantastic on track, but utter shite on the road so I guess its horses for courses.

Still like it as a load lugging road car though, its cheap more than fast enough to make progress on the road.

Bazzer

Car nobs fail to understand that ‘fast’ is a relative term. When you drive around in 100bhp cars all the time, then a 180bhp vRS IS fast.

molgrips

I make a tounge in cheek remark and you have to be rude and call names. You are right it is all relative. You really have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to cars. Do the big boys take the mick out of your Toyota Pious :-)

People who like fast cars are not nobs they just have a different hobby to you. You don’t need a fast car to drive like a nob you can do that in a hybrid or an Aston Martin.

I used to do about 3000 track miles a year, so never felt the need to drive like a tit on the road. Not everyone buys a fast car to pose or to tail gate slower cars down the motorway.

Bazzer

I wish I got 35mpg out of mine.

Not wanting to sound like Mat here (Sorry mat :-)) but …
you guys need a trip in a propper fast car if you think a Vrs is fast :-)

Tron, you are so right about the Leon Cupra, my wife had one a from new a few years ago. Much nicer to drive than my Vrs Estate, though I have been told the Vrs Saloon is stiffer than the Leon and a better drive, but I have not driven one so its hearsay. Leon much better put together than my Vrs, little couches like the leon had a gas strut on the bonnet etc.

Still like the Vrs though, but I see it more of a work horse than a fun car.

Bazzer

I have had my 04 plate Vrs estate from new, its done 117K hard miles in that time.

Used it to transport bikes all over the UK and europe and also to tow my Westfield Track car all around the UK and europe.

Had a few bits of work done in that time

Both front wheel bearings
Windscreen wiper motor and linkage.
Front anti roll bar and mountings.
Rear high level brake light.

Pros
Fast enough for road driving.
Huge boot (4 bikes on roof and 4 people in car)
Pretty comfy

Cons
Not the most economical compared to a modern performance diesel.
Really really crap stereo.
interior a little plasticy.
Estate quite boomy.

But a really good car that does exactly what it says on the tin. I was following a MKII this morning and though about just getting a MKII Estate to replace this one. I do fancy a 530d touring but fot the extra money I am not sure I would get that much more out of it.

Bazzer

Well I hope the course is good, as I am doing the Wales course with Rowan Sorrel on Thusday :-)

I bought the SRAM red when it included the cranks etc.

I am 5’11 and ride a large. My first road bike so nothing to compare it too, but I love it :-)

Mine however has also started creaking from the bottom bracket area. Not had chance to check it out yet but will do at the weekend.

Bazzer

Si

So you stock the Crampons ?

Getting a little bit fed up with 5050's falling apart !!

Bazzer

Wow thanks for the quick responses.

I am doing it with a few guys from work, they have all done 100s before but many years ago and mainly comute cycle these days. So will have some people to ride with. We have all said we are not interested in gettin a "Time" just finishing. In fact I think we will stop for lunch too :-)

Bazzer

Talking of online backup services.

Does anyone know of a service that will work with Windows and Linux ?

They all seem to use custom clients rather than using a standard interface that is OS agnostic.

Bazzer