FWIW I started reading Singletrack precisely because it seemed a bit more grown up than MBUK/Dirt/MBR, had a wider focus around off-road cycling and didn’t feel like is was just being sold the latest and greatest.

In recent years I’ve come to a point where I’m reticent to describe myself as a mountain biker, as it tends to conjure up an image in other people’s heads that doesn’t match up.

Plenty of Nitto offerings about, look into Albatross, Billies, Choco’s, M’s Bar, even Magic Components Moth bars? Try Freshtripe

I tried doing this years ago in a spell of unemployment; it’s not really worth it.

What can work though, is scouring the local Facebay, Gumtree etc for the stuff, particularly retro bikes, that people either don’t know what they have or just want rid of. Clean up and sell off the interesting stuff, possibly bin the rest. You won’t make a living at it, but you can get some good pin money out of it.

Is the 151 the one with the 16a supply or a 13a supply? I had a Clarke 135 with a 13a and I always struggled to do much over 2mm.

8mm plates you could always heat up with a MAPP torch first?

Get flat sanding discs for your grinder, get rid of any scale and prep the joints and you should be OK.

@Jameso

There’s some interesting custom bikes built in New England area, Beast of the East or Jones-y ideas with higher BBs and bash guards. Woods bikes. I always liked the look of them.

Have you got any links or pics?

Well, I think I had one, possibly starting around 36 when my dad died, then an old friend killing himself a year later. It didn’t feel like what I thought a MLC would be, so I never joined the dots, but lots of internalised anger, loss of confidence, feeling a bit lost for a few years. Ended up going to therapy, which helped figure a few things out and how they still affect me as an adult. No expensive purchases, or bucket-list stuff though

Just to add my 2pennorth, my OH has been perimenopausal for “some time”. Possibly since the birth of our daughter 11 years ago. She has a history of depression, so it’s difficult to separate the symptoms of one and the other, plus effects of AD’S.

Lots of echoes of similar behaviour as others have said, the extreme mood swings are very difficult for me to deal with.

It took a few goes to get the right HRT, but she’s on Oestrogen/Progesterone patches now and they’ve definitely made a difference. The Progesterone weeks can be a bit hairy, but the Oestrogen weeks are nearly back to who she was.

Used to like Count Arthur Strong years ago, but it did run out of steam, can’t believe it got a TV series, that was even worse!

Some of the afternoon plays I think have been very good over the years, Prayer for Owen Meany always stuck in my mind and Pilgrim is fantastic.

But, Any Answers………..Jesus christ…….

It is perfectly possible for two riders on the marsh to meet each other going in different directions and both have a headwind.
When I had a roadside, I generally avoided going round there. It is flat and the coast road can be very fast, otherwise I’d say go out and get lost inshore.

To be honest, I’m surprised the link hadn’t been taken down by the moderators here.
This has been a very useful and informative thread so far, but that’s really going too far.

That’s nothing. There’s the OTHER high mileage Volvo:
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a25165860/irv-gordon-million-mile-volvo-p1800-obituary/

This reminds me of TE Lawrence’s tactics disrupting the Hejaz Railway. The aim wasn’t to destroy a bridge entirely, as it could be rebuilt fairly quickly. If its just rendered unsafe to use, it would have had to be dismantled and rebuilt, wasting time and resources.

This thread has been something of both a comfort and a source of nightmares, but always informative and interesting.
I was reading a David Aaronovich piece in yesterday’s Times, concerning Putins’ mobilisation speech and something popped out at me; in it, Putin was claiming that Nato is at the gates and that the nuclear threat and talk was coming from our side. Bearing in mind that the speech was a performance for the home audience, he goes on to say that the use of nuclear weapons is a double-edged sword and that the wind can blow either way…..now, considering that, as far as we all know, it’s Russia that are doing the atom-chat, could that snippet have been something of a dog-whistle to show that they don’t actually intend to use nukes?

I seem to remember the blonde woman from Raw Power always wearing a red leather jacket?
And Bouff! One of the others was Dr.Alex Krotowski who’s regularly on R4 these days.

Loved the Iannucci/Morris stuff, not only TV, Radio 1 used to have some good comedy on in the week a lot back then. I remember Lee and Herring being on there, Blue Jam, John Shuttleworth.
Late 90s channel 4 had some excellent programming on on a Friday too, Vids, Bits and the magnificent The Trip, if anyone remembers that?
I also discovered the Johnathan Meades programmes on BBC that are absolutely gems.

I think one of the best things about them is that they didn’t go for the TrueTrackGeometry that was all the rage about 15 years ago. Add a set of canti lugs all round and some cable guides and I think it’d be perfect. Not a Cross-Check!
Brother AllDay seems fairly close to that, and at a more palatable price.

I had one years ago and always regret selling it. Very versatile. Street fixed, upright, drops, gravel, dirt capable.

Even though I barely touch my bike at the moment, it’s threads like this that keep me coming back.
Mrs.Willies had been perimenopausal probably just after the birth of our daughter ten years ago and it’s dragged on since. Coupled with ongoing depression, fybromyalgia, it’s been pretty rough for both of us. She’s recently started oestrogen and that seems to be doing something, but I totally recognise all of the symptoms that have been outlined above and the effects on the relationships. The hardest part for me to deal with has been the feeling of being incapable if doing anything right.

Yeah, as distasteful as that may be for some, I do think bridges will have to be built (or rebuilt).

I haven’t commented on this thread yet, but have been reading it with horrified interest throughout.
One thing I’m beginning to wonder is, with China and Russia having border disputes and argie-bargie over Siberia, will China see a vastly weakened Russia and effectively open a second front? If so, do we see something akin to what happened after WW2 with the Nuremberg trials wrapped up fairly quickly and a rapprochement with Russia? A Marshall plan type aid package with certain requirements?

FWIW I’m enjoying The Mandalorian and Book of Boba WAAAAAYYY more than any of the newer (last 20 years worth) films. Loved the Lawrence of Arabia references in the last episode!

Funnily enough, I used to ride around 94-2005-ish. By the end I just got fed up with the people and more into VWs and motorbikes. Had a few dabbles since, but never could rekindle the Stoke!
I started out with a Falcon Pro I swapped for a Sex Pistols tape then progressed to;
95 Mongoose Villain
ProLite Dirt Bike, which was a powdercoated and stickered Curtis Pro! God, I wish I knew where that was!
95 S&M HAF (terrible!)
1″ Reynolds Racing Fresh 40 (toooooo long)
1″ S&M Dirt Bike
1″ S&M Holmes
Dyno Slammer
Schwinn XS race bike
1 1/8″ S&M Dirt Bike
Volume Helion
S&M late Challenger (stolen, and my favourite one)
S&M earlier Challenger
Dirt Bros Trail R Park
SE Floval Flyer (just felt dead)
Hoffman Flash.
Loads then, I never kept anything for very long. That was various jump spots and homemade ramps around Ashford and Canterbury, though most are gone now. I preferred the dead, diy years, there just seemed to be a better attitude, then it got all too serious.
Oddly enough, I recently bought an old Specialized Fatboy frame with a view to building up for pump tracks, manuals etc.

Double post.

My god, James Dellingpole…..not even the Mail or Express will have him now then?
I really wish I hadn’t looked at the rest of that site 😬

Are you using rim brakes on a disc only rim?

When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of the Analog stem. As far as I understood, stem length on its own has little bearing on steering feel?
I think there are some 0mm BMX flatland stems,but you would also need 7/8″ bars.

Stooge for sure, possibly Velo Orange or actual moto bars?
If you’ve a bit more wedge, check out Monè bikes and Oddity Cycles on IG too.

I’d been looking at similar bikes recently for C2W and had real trouble actually finding anything to buy. I ended up getting a Trek XCaliber 8 though, which wouldn’t normally have been something I’d have gone for. I’m pretty happy with it,though realise I’d want to make a few changes and addtions to get it to suit.

@davewalsh ok, 30mm will be what I’ll be using, so I’ll assume that the 2.8 will be about right too. Just need to see if it’ll squeeze in with wiggle room, if not, 2.6 it is!

@Jameso I used that Jones mod for years, originally with an XT 34t cassette and an old Shimano 600 derailleur then found Sunrise do a wide range 8sp cassette which when split and replaced, gives you 13-34 or 15-40. The cogs are even 10sp width, so could probably be spaced 7 at 10sp spacing.
I’ve recently gotten a modern bike with SX and I’m seriously unimpressed with it, which may be me, mud or general wintryness.

I’ve pretty much always had a SS somewhere, usually as a work bike, sometimes a fixed, vintage Road bike or retro mtb, but at the start of lockdown, I converted my old Karate Monkey to ss, mostly for more of a workout in the 1hi we were advised. Id always used a 6 cog block before that and couldn’t work out why I hadn’t done it before. There is a flip side though, when I got back on a geared bike, I felt massively unfit. I struggled with bigger gears and spinning small gears for climbs felt just as hard.

Noice! I’d been after one of those for a year or so, but the combo of no stock and not available with my C2W meant I got something else. Might be able to get a Marino with similar dimensions though!

I wouldn’t have known about it, if it hadn’t been for this thread; STW delivers again!
It is properly impressive stuff……however…….the landings I’ve seen always look a little fishy, like cameras turning off at JUST the right second, in this case, the camera position seemed to switch exactly at the moment it exploded, so it just looked badly edited, then the comment about “Great work everybody”. I’m not one for conspiracy theories at all, it just looked a little odd, that’s all.

I got it when I started my apprenticeship and although found some of it hard going, I have gone back to it a number of times since. As an engineer and a tinkerer, its been almost a Bible for me. One of the things about it, is that there are so many concurrent threads running throughout that you could probably edit three different coherent books out of it.
Radio4 did a version of it that seemed to concentrate on his mental state and relationship with Chris and barely touched on any of the inner talk.
I think I tried reading Kant after and failed miserably.
Brave New World is a definite recommend; I picked that up in 6th form and it got me reading.
I can also recommend The Craftsman by Richard Sennen which is more to do with the personal relationship with making things and also various writings of Soetsu Yanagi, who was a Japanese master Potter, but to my mind it is all linked in a linear way.

I’d like to point out that Vesta curries, Birds Semolina, Dream Topping, Custard and Angel Delight are indeed still manufactured. I’m responsible for the machinery. Add to that the unfathomable amount of Bigga and mushy dried peas. Who still buys those?? Apparently, we used to make Beans in Wine in a can in the 70s too. I seem to remember Boots had some strange foods in their shops.
Bit 80s, but what happened to Ritz cheese sandwiches? God I loved those.

Well this is a timely thread! I’m currently going through therapy myself. My wife and I did couples therapy a while ago and although it helped, I “got away with” not having to do much and, in doing so, have left some issues unaddressed. After doing something silly, i decided that enough was enough and it was time to have a rummage about upstairs. It really is a great help OP. I’m sure you’ll know, deep down what the individual issues are, but you might not be linking them together. Just saying them out loud and have a professional help you through it is something I would recommend anyone do. I always thought I was fairly self aware, but we all tell ourselves stories. The focussing on activities and hobbies is something I can definitely relate to; I spent a lot of time on my own growing up, so I can tend to fill up time in different ways, not all of them helpful to relationships.
Do talk to your wife, you dont necessarily have to go into dark depths, but at least give her the courtesy out of love. Give it a day or so after a session to chew over things, then talk with her; she may even open up about her own feelings. Coping strategies are what you have noticed, you dont want any more.

I’d been interested in these; where would you get the whole lot from? Microshift Advent would be worth a look too. The only thing that concerns me would be how long they’d stick around and cross compatibility.

I had a couple of years doing a few audaxes and could never get to sleep afterwards, often laying awake til 2 or 3am. I wouldn’t necessarily feel shattered the next day, but it would be frustrating more than anything else. Never did get to the bottom of it.

I spent a lot of the 10’s thinking the 90s was cack for music, until I recently reassessed my views, considering my midlife crisis etc. Anyway, my ten pennorth;
Faith No More- Angel Dust
Stereolab- Dots and Loops
Sepultura- Chaos AD
Autechre- Amber
DJ Shadow- Endtroducing
It seemed like Radio1 was a bit more grown up then, with Peel, the evening session, Mark&Lard, lots of interesting comedy too.

PVD talks a good game fo’shure and doubtless he has some pretty good ideas, but if you look at the sort of riding he’s actually doing on those bikes (as opposed to the riding he talks about doing) it’s pretty tame.

S’funny, but that’s what I’d always suspected. I dread to think how much money he’s wasted invested in his stuff.