I will second trains.

Here’s a shortcut to my local woods.

“Good god man, why did you not say so sooner”.
Then immediately veer off said singletrack at full speed launching yourself into a large thorny thicket.

For heavens sake he is on a starva run.

Seriously if anyone catches me up, i am happy to let them past at the earliest safe oppurtunity, its nay bother to me.

I have the x2,
It arrived last week after taking two weeks to arrive.

The light it gives off is excellent but due to being injured have only ran it for twenty minutes on full while trying it out. and all three indicator lights stayed lit.
If I have got this right,
If all three of the indicator lights are lit the battery power level is between 100% and 80%.
If two are lit, level is between 80% and 50%, And one lit below 50%.

I don’t see how much better a £150 light could be and why you would need anymore light than the x2 could provide.
Providing it lasts at least a year trouble free it will be well worth the money.

Can’t believe I got my suggestion in and could not post due to injury.

I will third shortcuts,
And try and get out this week.

After a couple of far from satisfactory repairs by halfords I now do all my own maintenance.

I also recently built a bike from scratch as to get a complete understanding of how everything works.
That way there is nothing I cannot repair and I tend to nip any potential problems in the bud rather than let them escalate to the point where I would have to take it in for repair.

after initially worry about every task ahead i found everything quite straight forward once you actually get the tools out and make a start, using only supplied component instructions and park tools online information was excellent for the times I could not make sense of said supplied instructions.

And on the couple of a occasions where I needed help or reassurance with anything this forum came up trumps.

the best advice regarding any maintenance is have patience and the right tool for the right job.
And if you are unsure of what you are doing a little reading will put you right as once you understand how something works and not that it just does if you do this makes emergency repairs when you are out and about easier,which could save you a long walk home.

I am sorry I have not read the previous helmet thread.

I always wear one so really not bothered if they make them compulsory.
The reason I wear one is because shit happens, and when it does it normally happens to me.

And I am not bothered if it makes me look a bit of a tit as I have never let looking a tit stop me doing anything in the past.

I find this not dissimilar to when seat belts were made compulsory.
Upset a lot of people but I am sure has since saved a lot of lives.

Broke a rib last week and the pain was just starting to ease then
Last night I had a stretch while in bed and felt it pop in and out of place accompanied by instant agony,
Now feels like I am back to square one.

Tried to go for a ride this morning regardless but as soon as I hit the first hill and my breathing got heavier the pain got worse with every breath.

So now looks like more R&R which is bad enough but doubled with the boredom induced fridge raiding makes it twice as frustrating.

saucer of milk for beanieripper

Today I drove through the area where I grew up.

Gave me an idea for next weeks challenge,
I suggest “change” for next week.

Today I forgot that it was not 1983 and I was not 9 years old.
I also forgot that I was not unbreakable and that I infact actually have the prowess and skill set of a tricycle riding circus elephant and not andy ruffell.

I am currently in a lot of pain across my chest and shoulders but intact.
Although on impact I thought the loud audible crack was my collar bone giving way but pleased when a stewards revealed it was only my elbow pad.

I always fall off due to getting carried away.
Never had any serious injuries despite some dramatic OTB.
In a perfect world I would have a few scares every ride with out actually falling off that way I would know I was on the limit of my skill level with out he pain, bike damage and embarrassment of falling off.

That said if I never fell off I would know I was not pushing myself and not have the thrill you get when riding on the edge of control, and the only way you can determine you are on the edge is by overstepping it every know and then.

I would personally get my money back.
First and foremost because I would not be happy with the seat tube as is especially if it started creaking.
And secondly because of the lame excuse, either the person who you were dealing with thought You are a numpty or he is one.
It really winds me up if someone tries to BS me.

I am 5’9″ over 15 stone of very relaxed muscle and I get overtaken by everyone and don’t really care.

I was recently overtaken on a tow path by a young woman in a tight denim mini skirt on what can only be described as a proper old butchers bike complete with huge basket on the front..
She literally blew past me head down and arse in the air,

You know what they say about every cloud.

Tell a lie recently on a road ride a 7 year old on a bmx tried to race me.
Me in the road and him riding along side on the pavement, I left him in my dust.
Although he would probably say it was only because he was not aloud to go further than the end of his road.

As long as you enjoy it, and the more you ride the more you can ride.

Took a small detour on the way home from visiting a friend in hospital to get these.

It was 12:54, I checked my watch as I drove in after having spent an eternity at snails pace on the m25.

I am always crashing due to my getting a bit carried away but thanks to good fortune and decent padding and lid, no injuries so far.

Hope they get well and back in the saddle soon.

I was there saturday too, enjoyed it as always especially as I am starting to get a little air.
There were two ambulances driving out of the car park as I drove in and another one plus a fire engine at the start of the blue trail when I got there.

Don’t know what happened but hope no one was hurt to badly.

I took my bike into halfords to have the forks replaced under warrantee as they had developed play in the bushes.
When I went to pick the bike up from the bike hut manager I notice a lot of play in the headset.

He pulled an Allen key out of his pocket and attempted to remedy this and could not because when tightened enough to get rid of the play the forks were locked up.

So he said he would build me a new bike, which he later did.
when I asked what was the problem he told me that they could not get the race off the old forks.

So not only did they knowingly try and send me away with a bike without a crown race but built me a complete new bike for the sake of it.

I do all my own repairs now.

With out a dropper and my seat at prefered riding height i can just get my rear over the seat and low above the back wheel, but a couple of times the twins have taken a hit which can effect concentration not to mention trying to see where your going with tears in your eyes..

Can’t afford a new dropper for my fs build so will have to rob the one off my hardtail.
Gutted really as I use it all the time and my confidence in being able to ride certain situations has grown 10 fold since fitting it.
I will have to replace it ASAP as I love clattering down hill on my HT, and I know I would not drop the saddle half as often without it, Possibly resulting in a few hairy moments.

iainc,

Thanks very much for help, you have put my mind at rest.
Cheers.

It’s an xt triple,
And a long cage xt shadow + rear mech.
If that makes any difference.

I fitted the chain, still no cables to either mech but I slackened off the front mech to allow me to put the chain around the big ring and adjusted the rear mech to line up with the small cog and the two jocky wheels are pretty much spot on vertical with each other.

I think I will have to wait till the gears are set up and working and run through them with the bike in the bike stand and the shock empty. If i have to buy a new chain, I will have to buy a new chain.

Right, I let all the air out of the shock and compressed the swing arm fully until the piston had practically all but disappeared into the shock body and cable tied it there.
Wrapped the chain around big big and added one external and one internal link, then broke the chain.

I don’t know how, whether the chain had slipped somehow when I was offering it up or I counted the excess links incorrectly. Either way the upshot being I was at home to Mr Cock up.

Because when I offered the chain up after breaking it only overlapped by just under (a gnats appendage) one link.
So thinking I would have to order another chain (shimano 10 speed) or at least another reinforced connecting pin I refilled the shock.

Out of interest with the shock filled and the bike upside down I offered up the chain again and was surprised to see it overlapped by a good three and a half links.
So if I did add another two links, one internal and one external to get over the min plus two links when the suspension is fully compressed it would mean I would be over five links slack uncompressed.

So now I don’t know what to do.
I would not put it past me to find myself in big big by mistake. But what I don’t know is will I if ever bottom out the rear suspension being a fast approaching middle aged mincer.
What kind of drops does it take to bottom out a five with rp23.

Xtr mech was up for £10.95 (if memory serves me correctly)
At time of posting, it has since gone up somewhat.

I vote encroachment next week.

Hi,
I have just bolted the rear deraileur on yesterday but its not set up with no cables fitted. Getting this set up was going to be my next job after the chain.

And was hoping to not even consider setting up the rear mech untill then as I have been building the bike one job at a time and learning that one job as an when I was about to do that one job.

If you know what I mean, as I did not want to feel overwhelmed by the process.
And so far everything has proven quite straight forward.

Providing you still have the original parts to put back on surely.

With everything happening in the Middle East and north korea you best hang on to them.

You may find yourself pootleing along a post apocalyptic wasteland on a bitsa wearing nothing but a Mohican and a pair of chaps, only stopping to share a tin of dog food with your ever faithfull trail buddy fido.

I’ll get my coat.

Halfords do these in different colours.
Whether they are any good or not.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10001&productId=873871&categoryId=165566&langId=-1

Up until a week or so ago I had a minion up front and a highroller on the back.
now everywhere appears to have dried out I have left the minion on the front but swapped out the highroller for an ardent as I had one knocking about.

All seems fine so far.

If the bike was insured and they have paid out, then the bike would be the property of said insurance company.
Maybe they would sell you it cheap.

Also I would definitely look at finding out exactly where I stood legally as far as eBay is concerned.
But at the end of the day if it was your bike that was stolen you would want it back and Rightly so.

Where can you get wellgo mg-1
Pedals for twenty quid.

I bought some yesterday for my hardtail and payed twice that.
I also bought some v8 s the day before for my new build as they were only twenty quid.

I have a similar noise at the mo,
Coming from the left side when left pedal is at top center.
I am pretty sure it is the pedal itself as every thing seems pretty tight on the crank side of things.

It’s just a bit of fun, if you do not wish to participate you do not have to.

In fact you need not view the thread if it vexes thee.

This chap thinks so.
And he has a very understanding girlfriend.

I wouldn’t worry about what anyone thought. Wear what ever you feel you need to.
I am 38 and fairly new to mtbing, crashed several times now, going over the bars a couple of times.
Both times through hitting patches of thick deep mud at high speed slowing me to a holt almost instantly catapulting me over the bars. And have got up laughing every time non the worse for wear.

Now I should imagine this is true of most crashes but then as another current thread shows you can find yourself quite seriously injured.

Amongst my list of previously broken bones all non mtb related the most serious was a fractured spine in a motorcycle accident. And so spinal damage through an mtb crash is the fear that lives at the back off my mind.

But then i have Broken an ankle playing football, so if wearing something will ease your fears and help you relax and enjoy your ride more what does it matter what anyone thinks.

What is a BOB rider.

I don’t understand the bikers line.
He comes around the corner practically on the central marker then goes as wide as possible on the outer most marker to hit the cyclist.

If the the cyclist was two foot inside the marker I could understand it as daydreaming.
Or if the biker was gunning it, then I could understand his line and lack of reaction.

I go around corners all the time and I have never hit anyone unexpectedly because I don’t drive to my expectations but to what I can see.

There may be no master plan. Just someone who found them self in shit street, thought they would have to sell some stuff, and then through bad circumstances decided he wouldn’t or couldn’t honour his sales and had already spent the money so then could not refund it even if he wanted to.

Desperate measures in desperate times.
Would not make it right. But that is the only thing I can think of.