^^^^ +1

The sheer number of sub forums on some forums puts me off reading them. STW is a bit like smoking, fire up the internet and before I realize what I’m doing I’m reading a thread on something I had no previous interest in.

I like the breadth of cycling on here. Must be a number of people who similarly ride road/off-road on a weekly basis or even both at the same time!

Tim, I’ve got a spare, funny shaped chainring in 32 flavour if you want to try it out? Presuming it works with 11 speed.

Working for me, clutch and non-clutch. Really rate these chainrings.

The singular one is nice but I found the Exotic carbon one more comfortable on the whole. Weirdly I have both for sale, attached to a frame that would work well with them. Blatant I know!

I dont get how you can do that without doing daft things with stems or a custom fork and hoiking the front end up off the ground. I still want a monstercross with 650b+ clearances, but I’m going to have to get custom.

I had that with trying to turn a Singular Swift into one. Almost worked but not quite. Then I remembered the Gryphon. It worked.

There were still a few Titec ones at £45 on ebay as of a few days ago..

Jones Ti Diamond with Ti truss forks. Or even just the forks!

Jones Ti Diamond with Ti truss forks. Or even just the forks!

I use toe clips and don’t care.

Stopped by halfway through a ride that took me through Stanmer, inadvertently got onto the course and then told ‘wrong way mate’ as I was leaving it ;). Fantastic atmosphere and really chilled buzz around the arena. Highlight for me was how sparkling Simon’s Jones looked AFTER a lap.

Tim I’ll be swiming over to BD on Saturday. I’ll bring you a soggy cinnamon bun!

Been riding with a Chronicle on the front of a Jones and a Knard on a Gryphon. Only riding 29er+ at the front but the Chronicle wins for me in every respect.

I paired it with a Hans Damph front and it was great for speed and grip round South Downs parts. Really liked it. Put a big gash through the centre tread running down a fast flinty stretch and found fitting and removing on a Stans Crest rim bloody hard work. Poor impulse control meant I took a knife to it in an embarrasing display of how not to remove a ‘difficult’ tyre.

Bit like a Gryphon? (which incidentally I’m loving). Pleasantly surprised at the difference in handling between it and a Swift. Re: the Tour de Fer, what’s ‘continental-style handling’?

Aren’t the AB cx ring narrow wide and 110?

It’s a blast riding the Jones though I’d love to try some truss forks, got the unicrown. Like the above I’m thinking it’s time for gears,8 of them, more for the flats than anything else. I’ve got a Chronicle on a P35 and it’s brilliant, fast and more than enough cushion for my skinny wrists, Knard on a rabbit hole by comparison felt heavier uphill and poorer in handling. Never felt the desire to go fat as I just imagine it’ll be heavier and more draggy. Obviosuly I’m wrong about this!

Assuming after 3 weeks of gut busting he gets more than a bunch of flowers and a cuddly toy?

Assuming after 3 weeks of gut busting he gets more than a bunch of flowers and a cuddly toy?

Race might be starting at 2 laps to go. At least he might stop going on the ‘controversial’ glass pyramid. Hasn’t it been there for 25 years or so?

Nice film. Do a lot of that on a weekly basis, even more on my door step, feel very lucky. Only downer, literally, is slippy green chalk.

Love it! In Lewes so got hills, bridleways, singletrack, road, coast, brighton, variety is fantastic! Riding buddies are a few roads away if I or they want company and have got to know my locale through the seasons more and more. Keeps me sane.

Been running a 36T for a few months and I’ve gone wobbly. Didn’t expect to notice much difference but it feels easier up hills or at least pedaling feels more consistent over hills and flats.
Liked it so much I’ve just ordered the Chain Reaction Black one for my Jones which are cheaper and less machined.

Got Bell Laps and Cowbells on a 29er and the Tripster and always found them really good off road, especially on descent. Better for me than Midges were..

Apart from the misuse of ‘too’that is a beautiful piece of social commentary, I was imagining it sung by Morrissey or perhaps a commentary by Alain de Botton?

I had 42 and 11-36 for a long while and it was great for on/off road. Very rarely needed higher gears. Only went to a double because of longer road rides. May go back.

I’ve had a 47mm Landcruiser in the front no problem. Any wider would have been a problem.
I don’t think there are many bikes you can ride round Stanmer, change the tyres for slicks and then ride a comfy, nippy London to brighton!

Got HyRds on the front and Spyres on the back of 2 bikes and find them good on balance. Don’t think they’re any better or worse than BB7s, just a whole lot easier to set up and fairly fettle-free, also better in terms of pannier clearance. Personally don’t think they’re any better than the V-brakes I’ve got except in the wet.

Had trouble with judder on the front brake for a while but copper grease and probably something else cured it mostly.

Also found it difficult to find the right pads. Last lot were squealy horrible. New kevlar ones seem ok so far……

Done it a few times on CX bikes but like others have said it does get a bit gruelling after a while. For short sections definately my prefered option though. Going to be trying it with a Gryphon when I get time to build it up, hoping that might improve things comfort-wise.
I’d say anything above 40mm eases the punishment considerably. +1 for Thunder Burts!

Had this last year and the year before that. Really sympathise. Most extreme pain I’ve had. It won’t not happen again but you can manage it.
Definitely don’t overdo the stretching and absolutely see a physio as soon as poss.

He showed me a simple exercise. Stand up preferably against a wall and kind of pelvic thrust gently with your hands on your hips. Don;t do it in the office. You get weird looks.

Muscle relaxant also good for the pain relief at the begining,

Best of luck!
Will be out between Afriston and Ditchling and hope to open a gate for you!

It doesn’t look like it should but I’ve been using the Burt since mid-Feb up and down the Downs and haven’t died. And that was coming from a Maxxis Beaver for most of the Winter!

Really impressed with a Thunder Burt on the back! Fast and surprising amount of grip.

I just got a new wheelset for my Tripster with this exact idea. Decided in the end to just change tyres instead cause the particular ones I’ve got go on really easily and in reality I’m not swapping about that much. Also I had to realign the caliper each time. Went out on some rough terrain at the weekend and the front 42mm tyre was making some weird sounds on some of the bigger bumps like it was reseating itself. This is on a Kinesis CX wheel, don’t know if the tyre is too wide for the rim?

The bike could handle the endless dried-out hoof terrain around Lewes but I couldn’t. Totally shagged.

Deuter bum bag. Kind of like Batman’s utility belt. Kind of……

Got HY/RD on the front and spyres on the back of two bikes. Don’t notice much difference between the two. Spyres are much easier to set up but agree that they feel slightly under-powered compared to the BB7s they replaced. Much less fettling though and power is enough for my needs.

Landcruiser fan here, but quite heavy. Continental cyclox king folding in 42 have been amazing though.

Go on then ride them round Stanmer at full speed or better still take that fat bike with Clarkson on board down a narrow steep-sided Alpine pass. Age of Stupid.

Yes as has been said the only time it is a pain is on a flat road and spinning out just to keep in sight of your mates. Then one of them says ‘I bet you wish you had gears’ and you think ‘I bet you wish you didn’t when you were eating my trail’.

Really glad mine didn’t come with a website address on the head tube, is that a new addition?