‘That’s just acclimatisation though’.

Er no. Bought some really funky Ritchey carbon bars for my P 29er and wanted to love them cause they looked so right. Had to give in after a couple of months and get some second-hand Titecs. Bike and rider happy now.

Thanks for the feedback. Apart from drops I can’t actually used any other bars since I started using Jones bars.

Out of interest is there anyone with experience who can say whether any difference between the alloy and the carbon or Ti bars is worth the expense?

Just posting a pic of mine cause I just got back from yet another ‘grinning like a loon’ ride, happened to take a photo and saw this thread. Not a good photo cause it’s something I rarely do.
Haven’t read the thread but can imagine the comments anyway, ‘ooh it’s all hype’, ‘just ride it’ etc.

Nearly sold mine when I had the unicrown fork, then got the ridiculously expensive truss fork at a knock down price of really expensive and it made the difference. Went from being like a good 29er to something different. In a a good way. Still surprised at that.

IMG_20160915_181542612 by Matthew Bird[/url], on Flickr

Agree with above. Will be swopping out the Nobby Nic on the rear for a Maxxis Beaver. Worked well for me in 29er format don’t see why it should be different for 27.5. Besides don’t need the ‘suspension’ plus gives me in the winter. Need the mud clearance!

P1070037 by Matthew Bird[/url], on Flickr

Don’t know why the saddle is pointing up but this gets me out early in the morning and playing with traffic. Light enough for me at 8.5 kg.

It’s also the only way we serve coffee at a monthly pop-up bike cafe I do in Lewes. Reckon there’s a fair few folk who have gone out and bought aeropresses after trying the coffee.

Use it every day. Never had the ‘plasticky’ thing. Fine grind, metal filter and inverted method would be my preference.

Organised one at work today. Made cinnamon buns and coffee for the breakfast and did a Dr Bike thing at lunch. 10 people who don’t normally cycle came in but I wasn’t one them. Had to carry the tools!
All said it wasn’t the distance that put them off but the traffic. If we had some decent investment in cycling infrastructure the commute would be very different.

Singular Gryphon with old ultegra 10 speed shifters, old 9 speed xtr mech and 11-40 10 speed cassette. Works very well. Wondering whether there will be an 11 speed 11 – 42 option when this lot fails? Unless there already is?

2.8 NN been fine as a rear tyre. Nothing outstanding but not had a puncture on flinty, rooty stuff yet. Could do with something a bit faster so trying an Ardent till the slop takes hold.

Levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution on Oxford Street are the “highest in the world”, according to an air quality scientist at King’s College London (KCL).

Researchers from the university set up a monitoring station on Oxford Street in the capital, which found a peak level of nitrogen dioxide at 463mg3 (microgrammes per cubic metre).

Boris Johnson has been forced to accept that London’s Oxford Street has some of the worst air pollution in the world.

In an exchange of letters with the Environment Audit Committee (EAC) of MPs, the mayor said he now accepts scientific evidence from Britain’s leading air research group that the street has some of the world’s highest recorded levels of nitrogen dioxide.

The mayor of London had said in a Twitter exchange in July that it was a “ludicrous urban myth” that Britain’s premier shopping street was one of the world’s most polluted thoroughfares, saying that the capital’s air quality was “better than Paris and other European cities”.

Stand beside a nuclear power fuel rod. Thats not good for your health either, but if thats whats powering your electric car is it any better really?

That is BS on two fronts. The biggest proportion of electricity production is from gas and renewables produces more electricity than nuclear currently.

How many people stand beside a fuel rod? Oxford Street is at times the one of the most polluted if not the most polluted places in the World due to air quality failings. FACT.

I’ve got a Leaf on lease and it works out the same for me as getting the train to work. Cause I can charge it at work it costs me nothing to run. I probably couldn’t afford a new Leaf but will be looking to get a Zoe when the lease runs out. I’m a Sustainability Officer so I’m fairly smug but depressed anyway. There are always going to be the embodied costs of car and battery manufacture but both have good recycling/reuse options and less ‘engine’ parts to wear out.

The big win for me is the absence of tailgate emissions from both a greenhouse gas and health perspective. Air quality is a serious issue and on this alone they’re a winner. Oh yeah and the acceleration. Leaving boy racers standing at the traffic lights is always fun. 1 nil for the Greenie against the Petrol head. Then they catch up.

With advances in home battery storage we are reaching that point where some proportion of renewable electricity will be produced at home and used to charge battery packs for use in the home or the car. Sales are already rising fast and once range increases by about 50% and the charging infrastructure becomes more widespread and standardised I think a tipping point will be reached.

Got a Chronicle up front and a 2.25 Ardent Racer at the back and has worked really well for me. Obviously changing this fairly soon as it gets sloppy but it’s been a good Summer pairing. Also liking the 29er/650+ combo on my Ritchey. Guess I’m easily pleased!

Can recommend ridewill rims from Italy. No problems with postage and a 29er+ rim with hope hub and build worked out at £85 for me. Light as well.

Yes they’re heavy but found the Landcruisers difficult to argue with. Also quite like the Cyclo x kings black chili version.

Thanks. Planning on doing a comedy fall in the assessment for effect…..
It’s the impact stuff that makes it worse over the years, like running, walking down stairs etc. And damp weather!

Yes to operation. Got my torn at 18 playing rugby and nearly 30 years later it’s got worse to the point where my knee swells up if I walk more than a 100 yards. Never really affected my cycling at all but just got a referral to a knee specialist and will be pushing for an op.

Have a feeling that if I don’t get it I’ll be using a stick within a couple of years. Which would be depressing……..

Done it on a CX bike and a dropped-barred 29er in the dry and way more fun on the 29er.

It’s the flinty descents where the 29er wins out. Took me much longer to recover from the CX.

Found the Cambium C17 like a sofa over 30/40 mile distances. Rode 75 miles of the SDW and never experienced saddle rash that bad. Not sure what the reason was? (Note to self; Don’t put aloe vera body lotion on a raw bottie!)

Echo Lardmans sentiments. Rode from Winchester to Lewes on Thursday in 8 hours and it felt brutal. Ride the SDW a lot around the Brighton and Eastbourne area and love it but I didn’t find it enjoyable even though the conditions were perfect. I spent most of the time looking at the track in an attempt to avoid the worst of the flints.

On the plus side Singular Gryphon or a similar drop bar 29er felt like the prefect bike to ride it. Ridden the Buriton to Lewes Stretch on a cx bike before and that was a bit too bucking bronco.

The highways works at QE 2 Country Park are a bit confusing, there were no diversion signs, in the end just followed the tarmac road through the car park and up around the ‘field’ car parks and it worked out ok. Really good thing was the lack of people. Midweek seems like the perfect time to do it.

Ordered quite a bit from them, seatpost, forks and brakes. Never had a problem, always quick and definitely posted in UK. Better than my experiences with CRC, Merlin and Wiggle although they’ve not been bad. On one, not if it was free!

Got some silver ones for sale £15 posted, email in profile. Swapped to Salsa Cowbells a while back.

Ardent 2.4 29er on 45mm rim front and Nobby Nic 2.3 27.5 on 35mm rim rear. Stick that in your OCD pipe………

Just gone from 25mm to 23mm and haven’t noticed any difference except slightly quicker times, might be down to latex tubes though? Don’t really care.

Was really shocked to see that at the end of the TDF highlights. Obviously an inspiration and such a sad loss.

Changed from Stans Crest to Blunt 35s a while ago and never noticed any extra effort in accelerating etc, too many other variables including tyre weight, hubs, mud, energy whatever……

What I have noticed is a much nicer tyre profile and improved handling. Great rims.

Surly rings 110bcd always worked for me cause of their deep profile, don’t know if hey go up to 42 in 104bcd though?

My advice? Beware the Green Chalk! Sure it’s worse this year…Can be very slippery even a few days after rain. Grip can be very important, thankful for this yesterday.

Hardtail 650+ on the back and 29er 2.4 on the front. Thrilling. About to stick a Chronicle/40mm rim on to see if it turns into the Bastard I want it to be.

I think the Tripster is an ok road bike, an excellent light tourer and an absolute blast on trail/bridleways etc. Never tried the Shand (always lusted after it) but had a Peregrine (steel) which was a great ride but a bit heavy off-road. I’d imagine there’s pros and cons between both of them but ultimately both are great bikes. Stays on the Tripster and the headtube are still hard to beat though….

This is why I use Map My Ride. I feel good about myself being King of a small Kingdom. I don’t need the stress.

Wonder how the comparison is going to stack up substituting my EV? The electricity’s going to be produced from a number of sources including hydro, wind and nuclear possibly. Then there are other variables to add such as tyre pressure, breakfast etc. Got my lunchtime activity covered!

Energy efficiency only really matters if it contributes to a overall positive sustainability impact. A banana may be an efficient food in terms of energy conversion and g/CO2 but it’s not a very sustainable crop and has had negative social impacts.

Downtube shifters look elegant to me, especially the Dura Ace 9 speed one. Function is form in this case.

Got a Deuter one that has lasted 3 years with no wear at all, not sure if they still make it but always impressed with Deuter stuff. Features that make it great for me are, mesh pockets on left and right for quick access to glasses and whatever, one main pocket and smaller pocket on front, padding and good supportive waist belt.
Some of the ones on that Cotswold site look ok.

Less packaging not more! Got a couple of SIS tubes from CRC in a box 25x the tube size yesterday. It just causes strife when my girlfriend sees the box and thinks I’ve ordered more bike bits to feed my dirty habit. Which I have but they’re being sent somewhere else.
Worst one was some grips bought on here in a box large enough for a crankset.

Got an Ardent Race on ebay last week and put it on the back. Definitely faster than a regular Ardent and held up fairly well on slippy Friston trails.
It slid but not in a wipe out way and imagine it will be great on dry stuff. Paired with a Chronicle up front.

Thinking about it Ross at Proper Coffee Cafe mentioned by 5lab is one of the main guys in Sussex Bike Club.
There’s also some routes on the Hassocks Community Bike hire website and on East Sussex County Council (and other Council) websites.

Better road riding on Lewes-surrounding country lanes via Ringmer, Barcombe, Fletching, Nutley loops. Or head east along seafront to Rottingdean, Seaford, Exceat, Alfriston, Ripe, Ringmer, Lewes, Brighton kind of way? Can throw in Plumpton, Ditchling and Hassocks to extend the ride? Sorry I tend to make it up as I go along and hit the map if I’m lost.

Sussex Bike Club (check their Facebook page) leave Lewes most Sundays about 10am on 40/50 mile rides and a few of them cycle in from Brighton.