fitting a rear one to my Inbred was a doddle, I must say. front a bit more of a faff as you can see above but nothing too bad.

Swearing at tools is a core part of my approach to bike repairs and upgrades and isn’t a reflection on the quality of SKS guards. They are really rather good, it’s just I’m a bit of an impatient clumsly fool.

I fitted mine by swearing loudly at them. That and angrily throwing tools around the garage seemed to do the trick eventually.

They’ve been invaluable in the mucky winter weather but what a PITA to fit.

This is getting silly now.

Anyway, my neighbour used to wear a tie to do the garden, so a hat is possible.

Me and a mate helped his dad fix one of these one summer:

Ahh, the good old Allen Scythe. I’ve actually used one of these on a marshland wildlife reserve. It weighed a tonne, made a noise like a dying Ford Escort at full throttle and frequently broke down. I also seem to remember it dragging one of my fellow workers through a reed bed when the sharp clutch got the better of him. Happy days…

My mums birthday is coming up in the middle of March. The day will also mark three months since her death from Cancer. Not sure what I’ll be doing on the day although I have booked it off work; somehow I don’t think I’ll be up to it.

Seeing as she loved gardening I’ll probably spend a few hours in the garden trying to tidy it up. Spent some time in the garden this weekend attempting to prune stuff and do some weeding. I’m probably making a bit of a hash of it but I like to think that I’m trying to care for the things she loved.

I’ve managed to fit 2.4 inch big apples onto some touring bike rims. I think the minimum they will accept is a 28mm tyre.

Its all very well people saying let Scotland do its own thing but I don’t think that approach could be taken. Whilst the Scots may have their own parliament and are very proud of their national identity they are still part of the UK and having what would effectively be a Scottish time zone out on its own would be a right sod to deal with, especially for businesses that operate both sides of the border.

I really don’t see the point. Wasn’t this tried before in the 70’s and deemed a bit of a nuisance?

I suspect people in the far North of Scotland will be less than impressed with this stupid idea.

I think one of the arguments for this idea is that it will enable people to have more time in the evenings to exercise and thus reduce obesity. Surely longer evenings will just mean more of an excuse for many to sit in a pub beer garden?

The older I get, the more stuff I own and the more fed up I am at lifes pitfalls the more right wing I become…

Not sure if I’m happy about that or not. Must stop reading my dads Daily Mail.

Secretary :wink:

DON’T BUY THORN

I’m going straight downstairs and throwing nine in the skip, I’ve only had it 5 years so not really long enough to realise it was so bad

I’ve had my Thorn Sherpa for about five years as well and love it. With the right tyres it’s OK off road. Its been designed for rough stuff touring and whilst it isn’t the most agile of bikes it is nice and stable and something you can ride all day with no hassle.

Thorn now do a frame called the Ripio which is a kind of touring MTB. The only problem I can see with Thorn bikes is the fact that the designer feels that disc compatible steel forks are the work of the devil so its V brake only on the front unless you buy your fork elsewhere.

You’re probably better off with a Fiat Panda if you want a small car. It can actually take four adults and has a much bigger boot than the Aygo. It has a lot more space when the back seats are folded down as well so with the wheels off you should be able to get a couple of bikes in there. Similar fuel efficiency and just as easy to live with and park etc.

I’ve just bought a set of 2011 BB7s and the rotors aren’t roundagons but normal looking rotors. Haven’t stuck them on yet but maybe Avid have done it in response to the complaints I’ve heard about roundagons.

null

Seems veggies are at risk as well. Some animal products ended up in all sorts of food…

I think I would want to know. It is a terrible disease and knowing would give you time to sort out your affairs before you reach a point when you are not able to.

Given that it is a disease which strips away everything that a person is and undoubtedly rips whole families apart as they try to cope I would probably choose to top myself once the symptoms start to appear.

Like Trimix, I like to know stuff even if it isn’t for the best.

I have to say I would probably have smacked her one. If only to just shut her up. Just watching that clip has given me a headache.

Try speaking to Chris Grange at this place in Hertfordshire:

Unit 11 Southmill Trading Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Essex CM23 3DY
01279 658991

He used to have a habit of buying up redundant stock from bike shops that went under and had an aladdins cave of NOS stock. He had a thing for all things vintage so may be a good person to speak to. I seemed to recall he even made replica vintage parts.

Used to buy my bikes and wheels of him. Top bloke.

i’m not a good person.

Neither am I and incredibly cold hearted with it. After 20 years I’m sure you have nothing to say to her so why speak to her. If she has been terrible to others in her life that is her burden to bear.

The fact you are on here asking shows you have doubts about her intentions. Don’t humour the daft bint.

do not go there…………….it is even saderer than here……

Good god, it does look quite sad. I just happened to buy a bike with big wheels. Some people need to get out on their bikes more.

I really feel for you. I lost my mum to cancer just before Christmas. The important thing to remember is that you haven’t lost your mum yet and she is going to need you to help her through this.

Like Boxelder says; make sure you are there to speak to the consultants whenever they have something to say to your mum. They are there to help and will understand why you want to hear what they have to say. Take a notebook and keep a record of what is said about treatment and the prognosis, it will help.

Also, try to speak to a Macmillan nurse (the hospital should have one in residence) and check out the Macmillan website. There is a huge support network out there that you will be able to tap into and get information from.

Plan ahead for when your mum comes out of hospital. Think about where she will be living and what support she will need. If the course of chemo she will be on is going to be aggresive you may need to arrange for help for her at home or even have her live with you for a bit. It sounds drastic but right now what your mum probably wants more than anything is to know that she will be looked after and you need to consider all of the options. Even if planning ahead for this seems perverse at such a time it will give your mum something positive to aim for.

Above all, try to stay positive, accept the support of others and try to make sure life for your mum at hospital and at home is as comfortable as possible. When my mum was diagnosed I knew that the big issues were out of my hands but I was still able to make sure the little things worked out alright.

All the best.

Wow, from my limited knowledge of meterology that looks like a big sod of a storm. Austrailia is having a crappy time of it at the moment. Hope it all works out.

I don’t bother any more after coming to the conclusion that I’m too old and fat to be able to get away with just one gear in a hilly part of the South West. I stuck a 9 speed drivetrain on the bike last summer. It doesn’t look as cool or feel quite so direct when you stamp on the pedals but being able to spin a lower gear when tired after a long ride is much nicer :D

I’ve got a poorly dog at the moment. He has had to have a tumour and an anal gland removed and is restricted to the house until the incision starts to heal and the pain starts to subside. My dog isn’t insured as he was always my folks dog up until recently and they couldn’t afford it. So far the bill has come in at just under a grand but that may be subject to increases depending on the treatment options. Following this I may take out insurance to cover him for accidents but now that he has cancer he won’t be covered for most conditions. Looks like I won’t be buying anything shiny for the bike for a while.

The enforced rest is the hardest thing to deal with. I’ve been told not to let him jump on the furniture or climb stairs so of course the first thing the furry loony did when I got him home was charge around the house and leap on the sofa. As I type he is noisily attacking the recently delivered mail despite the fact he must be in pain. Best check he hasn’t pulled his stiches out.

I work from home so the situation is the other way round for me. The dog has never had a problem with me making a noise on the phone or cluttering up the sofa at lunchtime so I think the arrangement works quite well.

Maybe one of these attached to the front of your bike would do. With a bell as well of course…

Its an old style train cow catcher for those of you who have never seen a western…

I am of course perfect in every way. Its up to the rest of you to change.

I think the coolest thing about that video is the idea of using an RC model car as a chase camera car.

The Segway. An American solution for a problem that never existed. Unless of course the problem is that you are too lazy to balance on a bicycle and pedal the damn thing.

Why don’t you buy a Salsa Fargo front fork for your bike and use both of the fork leg bottle cage bosses to have a double barrelled set up?

Far too soon for both of them to go.

Pull women.

Sadly I just look like an idiot on a bike, a clumsy idiot at that.

Oops double post.

Bigdave you’re missing his point – you were talking about clarks cables, whereas the cable in question here are BB7’s. Ie you’re talking about a Fiat 126 and we are talking about a Escort Cosworth.

I was using my example of Clarks cable operated discs to show that not all cable discs are created equal. The BB7’s were quite pricey when I considered them before and I thought I’d try another option.

I’ve driven many Fords and Fiats over the years. They have all been fairly shoddily put together, the Fords because of penny pinching at the design stage and the Fiats because they are Italian. Always found the Fiats more fun to drive mind you. Clarks cable discs are more like Perodua of the braking world than Fiats IMO.

You must really hate ramblers.

As a point of interest CRC are knocking out cheap BB7s at the moment. I’ve ordered a set to replace my cheap Halfrauds hydraulics when they eventually reach the end of their useful life.

The BikeHut branded hydraulic discs were only about £60 a wheel, were pre-bled and have so far been pretty decent. My only worry is getting spares for them longterm. The only problem I have had with them is the noise them make on anything other than a perfectly dry day. They get so noisy its easier to not brake and risk crashing than having to endure the godawful racket they make. Good for clearing ramblers out of the way… :twisted:

I listened to a HiFi unit once, it sounded crap – I checked it in the bin…

I drove a car once and that was crap so I walk everywhere now…

They were truly awful brakes and very poorly made. The rotor mounting bolts were made out of some sort of metal alloyed with butter and weren’t even a recognisable size (I couldn’t find a single allen key that would fit properly). The callipers had a notchy feel to them and the rotors themselves weighed a ton and would have possibly only been useful if I sharpened their edges so I could use them as novelty oversized ninja throwing stars.

Fair enough, they didn’t cost me much but I did ultimately feel that the bin was the only place they were fit for.

I tried a set of Clarks cable discs a while ago. They were totally useless. chucked them in the bin they were so bad.

Cyclists were around long before numpties in cars and I believe were the first people to campaign for better quality roads so we have a right to be on them.

IMHO I think shared cycle and footpaths are a disgrace and just a cycnical way for local authorities to meet their green targets. I refuse to use them.

Currently in bits in the garage but it is now set up with a 1×9 drivetrain, different saddle (the Brooks was just getting trashed) and Mary bars. Needs some better brakes as well.

Raceface – I’ve come to this post late after a few very good contributions but I felt I should chip in anyway. Don’t whatever you do sell your bike.

I too suffer from depression and having lost my mum to cancer just before Christmas I’ve discovered an all time low. I haven’t been able to get out on my bike much since the start of the year but riding my bike has been the only thing keeping me sane. It doesn’t matter if you just ride familiar trails; on the three rides I’ve had this year I’ve just ridden familiar routes. The weather has been bad and every hill has hurt but the important thing was I was out there, on my bike, experiencing the outside world and finding I was able to concentrate on things that weren’t connected to my grief. I’ve always found that riding my bike is a release. Persevere with it and I’m sure you will as well.

“Life is like riding a bicycle – in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein

What tyes for conveyor belts?