… more spaced grip… even

Yes, but it might actually be cheaper to buy a new set and sell the Dual Controls on eBay. Especially if you’re close to getting new pads, need bleed kit etc.

Schwalbe Marathon XR? I’ve got the 29er version on the commute bike and they’re nice, though a touch expensive. Though if you believe their website you’ll be puncture proof for 8000-15000kms.

Had some DMR Motos a while ago on the old 26er, never had an issue with them, though I always thought they were a bit heavy.

Imagine the Motos might clog up a bit in mud, the XRs have a wore spced grip that sheds the crud a bit better IMHO.

Mike – maybe the programme made (shock) it look like the neighbour was being the baddy.

If I was the neighbour and the guy plonked a 100 feet tall orange building in the way of my view I might get a bit narked. And we only have his “word” that he spoke to the neighbour and got a verbal agreement, judging by him gawd knows what he actually showed them as a plan….

Why does the site “need” a tab structure? We’ve often found in usability trials I’ve been involved with some people don’t ‘get’ tabs – you are falling into the classic trap I see over and over – people see something they like and try to shoehorn their requirements into using it – this STW site doesn’t use tabs, just a nice simple “Home” “Forum” “The mag” “Blog” “Trail guide” “Shop” top nav which could easily translate (without knowing yor requirements) into something like “Marketing” “Sales” “Support” “Health & Safety” “Expenses”….

Personally a nice clean navigation should avoid some of the need for tabs.

Sit down with a bit of paper/speadsheet and list all the branches you need to drill down.

If it’s for non-computer people just go with the simplest thing.

Think all the big players should have reasonable websites – the more complex the proposition the more tricky they are. Always forund Amazon to be fairly simple to use, or indeed Wiggle…

Think eistrar is correct – probably worth EasyJet not being full of £1 passengers – the fine for late passengers and not getting off stand in time might wipe out any profit they’d make on them.

Well, if they removed the facility whereby old threads with a new reply got bounced to the top it might stop all those annoying ones appearing again and again.

And of course stop people bumping their threads back to the top…

colnagokid – you anywhere near Newcaslte – it’s lovely day out there now, pretty much no snow even on the grass now. It’s like it didn’t happen yesterday…

Check all the hidden ‘extras’ too – if it’s a popular skiing destination it could be they’ve not got any space left to carry your skis, if they do then it might costs you £30 each way or something daft, plus charging to put you other luggage in the hold, it all suddenly adds up.

I’m not sure you could connect (via the work internet) to your home PC with the purpose of using your homes PC internet connection to get you into gMail or the likes. The works firewall would stamp all over allowing that content to be shipped back into your office.

Or rear mech needs that tension adjusting screw in the back tweaking to pull the jockey wheels down and out a bit…

Could be the chain is too long and maybe pulling the top jockey wheel up close enough to the cassette to rub in that particular combo.

Think a nice sharp Stanley/kitchen knife (sush, don’t tell the missus) should give you a cleaner cut.

Interesting programme on telly a couple of days ago – apparently in some experiment they fed this fat bloke only water and vitamins so he obviously started burning off his surplus fat supply. He didn’t need to eat for a year!!!

So that fact the OP called him a lad – does that make him sexist as well?

But yes, did the write thing. I think most people would much rather you were asking this question alive and unharmed, rather than you’re family asking the question “why did he have to die?” or the like….

Think Deore will work – the new fancy ‘composite’ type middle (XT, XTR) etc. won’t as they are not the standard fitment.

Though I got a set of Hone rings off fleabay and they don’t fit onto my Raceface Prodigy chainset. Think as Nickegg says, you can fit standard rings to a Shimano chainset though, annoyingly.

samuri – those watchers will be people with the same things to sell – just seeing how much they go for probably. Found starting at a lower price like 99p gets people into the bidding war and the red mist descents. Though gets worrying when you expensive stuff is still only a fiver with 10 mins to go…

Best eBay bargain recently – 14 special halogen bulbs, about £3-4 each, 99p for the lot. Magic!

If you’re shortening hose that have already been built up you’d be fairly unlucky to need a top-up. Just make sure you’ve got a new olive and insert and aren’t expecting to reuse the current ones!

Your wedding, your rules. But for god almighty sake please don’t feel the need to stand up and do a song and dance routine with the two best men – that was the most teeth-pulling experience I’ve ever witnessed at a wedding.

My cousin just got married a couple of months ago, she had two best men, her brother and aunt (it’s a long complicated and sad story so don’t ask…) and it went down great – if they know each other and can get a bit of banter going that’d be even better.

Let them share the ‘boring’ bits reading out cards etc.

Teacake – you’ll get lots of replies telling you the best thing is a wet shave (I asked the same question a while ago) – then it’ll descend into a bit of a macho men thing “my razor is hand crafted by a man in Sheffield who called Archie who only makes ten a year…”.

Basically, yes, wet shaving is probably better (my King of Shaves is a nice cheap option).

But, like you I wanted a quick “wake-up late, quick buzz and out” kinda shaver – I’d certainly recommend either the Philips (or Braun equivalent) with the lotion dispenser – I got a Philips HS8020.

Seems to cool the razor burn nicely, can use it wet or dry (shower and shave at same time!!!).

Think it’s a good shaver if you use it every work day just to tidy up a bit. If I’ve got a weeks worth of stubble it tends to leave a couple of stragglers that need a quick wet shaver to remove.

I electrocuted my head at university. That was fun. Think it was a couple of days before I stopped running around. The hair stopped looking like Einstein a little while after….

Would you really want to risk sending $2000 worth of kit halfway around the world and declaring it’s only worth a couple of quid on the form. If it goes missing/broken then you’ve lost an awful lot of money – the bike firm ain’t gonna stump up and send you a new frame, they’re just gonna claim compensation off the courier. And why should they risk getting caught and fined just so you can get stuff cheaper – I can see why they’d not want to mark it’s value down for you.

Stuff I’ve imported has been cheaper but nothing like a ‘bargain’. And if it goes bang then potentially it’s not warrantied over here, you might have to send it back to the states.

I had older Julies once – the lever body was plastic and bent quite a bit when I pulled on it – don’t know if newer ones sorted that issue.

I’d personally go for the new Deore ones but don’t think there’d be much in it on both for weight/functionality

My cousin swapped to a meter to save money.

Her first months bill was £800 as there was a leak underground in the pipe on her side of the meter that no-one knew about….

I’m gredually building up a 29er for the start of summer – just the forks to go (plus moving shifters/chainset/brakes etc. off old bike).

Any recommendations for forks for a Niner Air-9 – everything seems sooo expensive these days, looks like bog standard Rebas are the cheapest option at £300+….

If people can’t stop buying things and have landed themselves in so much debt then I wonder how many would either blow the lot of nice frocks/tvs and still have the debt to pay off.

Then there’d be a number who’d just save it, thus not benefiting anyone.

And the rest of the people on benefit/earning over £50k who’ll be baying for someones blood….

Maybe a significant reduction in income tax for, say a year or two, might be better though that has flaws too.

I’m still not convinced we need to plough money into banks like Barclays who are expecting a ‘disappointing’ profit this year of FIVE BILLION POUNDS…

Trying out Comodo on the sisters laptop a the moment – seems okay.

That’ll be Kwit Fit that have twice let family members drive away without actually remembering to do up the wheel nuts properly?

Can anyone remember Take Hart when they started having foxy chicks doing some art stuff too? I distinctly remember one bending down doing this big painting on the floor and her top was wide open (and there was no visible means of support underneath (if you know what I mean…). The cameramen must have been having a right laugh. Mid painting suddenly her top was button up right to the top…

I’ve got a little solar powered courtesy light on the front door – there’s so little day/sunlight during winter it just about manages to stay lit in time for you to get the key in the door!

coffeeking is right, it just gives burglars the light they need to go about their business. Maybe one with a buzzer might be more effective (though that’ll please the neighbours if it keeps going off….)

Electronic shifting will probably appear after much expensive research about two weeks after everyone has gone to lightweight integrated hub/bb gearing…

Like someone says, I’m not sure what problem it’s trying to actually cure. Replacing heavy(?) gear cables with a lighter cable and a, erm, heavy, battery. Solenoids to move the mechs ain’t exactly pixie dust in weight.

Can you sign up to a contract knowing your boiler is already knackered?

Try drinking caffeine free pop and coffee – your brain might think it’s still getting it and let you down easily.

Or it may absolutely throw a wobbler with you and shut down for a few days.

Think it’s not a huge amount per kilo of luggage – it’s not "we lost your Armani suit" here’s another.

That’s what travel insurance is for.

Think you’d be lucky to get £250 otherwise everyone would suddenly have packed designer suits/dresses/shoes/cameras etc. – the only thing the ailine knows is your suitcase weighed, say, 17.9kg

Mmmm, that sounds suspiciously like "you might have noted in your diary you worked 12 hours that day but I don’t believe you and our official records are not available, unlucky"

Surely there isn’t enough airspace to get many more planes in to Heathrow even with an extra runway? I can see the argument that there should be less stacking or planes just flying round London waiting to land thus less pollution but it does seem an extreme way.

Not living in the capital for such a long time I’m not sure whether I feel this is good or bad.

Not sure why this bit of land Greenpeace has bought will be such a stumbling block – government issues mandatory purchase order, we’ve enough civil servants to plough through the individual inch chunks ‘owned’ by various people – sure it’ll take a month longer than otherwise but hardly a spanner in the works…

If you want to stick to chunky sized tyres I’d recommend Schwalbe Marathon XR – you can get them in 26×2.0". Kinda rugged extreme touring tyre so should cover you for most things.

Defo check forks and frame. I had a reasonably gently prang and the car buckled my front wheel – the guy was okay and stumped up for the rebuild.

A while later I realised I couldn’t get the full travel on my u-turn forks anymore which must have been down to the knock.

Surely it has to be square taper as s/speeds need to be ‘old skool’ and you need to show everyone you’ve built it out of old parts lying around in your garage, even though secretly you’ve bought it all?