Its a problem my wife struggles with (5ft on a good day). She currently rides a Yeti ASR5 in XS and the quoted stand over is 28.7. This is ok and gives a bit of room but could be better. I was worried with the advent of 27.5 wheel that any future replacement would inevitably have increased stand over. I had even considered that she may need to run a 27.5 frame with 26 inch wheels and shorter cranks to compensate. However we recently had the opportunity to test out a Santa Cruz Bronson and 5010 in small at the factory (28.27 and 28.42 respectively). Despite the bigger wheels they appear to have managed to drop the stand over heights a smidge. So all good for the vertically challenged. Not quite the end of the story though as despite the Bronson having a marginally lower stand over, the bigger forks push the front end up quite a bit. So even with the higher quoted stand over the 5010 had much more real world clearance.

On a side note she was of the opinion that given that the Juliana frames were in fact just rebranded Santa Cruz frames with no change in geometry she would far rather go for the less obviously girly specific Santa Cruz. This may have been different if she was looking at a complete bike rather that frame only, as some of the component choices would certainly be a plus. But she does seem to sit very much in the anti girly specific branding camp. Not sure if other ladies agree but there are some who are put off by this branding and would seek to banish the pastel colours and flowers for good? Horses for courses I suppose.

Thanks for the replies

To be clear, I have no issues with moving on. I may well get it re-sprayed and take the chance it wont break again in the remaining warranty. I’ll think about it when we get back from our hols.

Have Yeti done enough to keep us as customers? Maybe not. I’m not going to apologise for having high standards. We work hard to be able to afford nice bikes and make sacrifices elsewhere to be able to do so (you should see the car I drive). Had they gone the extra mile as per my experiences with Hope for example they could have counted on future bike purchases. But as it is that SB6 I like the look of will have some stiff competition and has moved a couple of places down the short list.

One crack running under the chainsuck protector and also one on the brake mount

I like the T-shirt, I think it would suit her.

Shit I hope she doesn’t read this

Sorry no pics at the moment, I have just packed it away in a bike bag for a holiday (life’s not that bad)

Glad to hear you are having a positive experience with D&C Police it makes a change from the usual abuse we get.

The advice you have received on here seems pretty fair but for what its worth I would strongly recommend the driver awareness course. Although the driver has had a bit of a wake up call, we could all do with giving our driving a some extra thought now and again. The courses are very useful and will look at the whole way he approaches his driving. It will also be relevant to the incident you described and is different to the speed awareness courses many people will go on. It focuses on hazard perception and anticipation. I believe he will also get the chance have some practical experience driving with the instructor. £150 is actually great value for level of instruction he will receive (although he may no appreciate that at the time).

Sorry for the blatant advert but as a fellow D&C officer too often we see the consequences of a moment of madness or even a simple lapse in concentration. Contrary to what the Daily Mail would have you believe we are not all corrupt motorist hating fascists and we would rather just help people improve their driving than hit them with a big stick.

Chakaping

Unfortunately “police are investigating” is likely to be the only response that will be released until the matter is finalised. This may take a while and is all they can really say without jeopardising the case.

For those who are interested here is an insight into how the police will deal with issues like this. Despite the obviously appalling manner of driving displayed it may not be as straight forward as you imagine and this may give you an idea of where cases fall down.

1. The incident is reported to the police. An officer will look at the evidence and establish if there are any possible offences. This is not optional and a duty to investigate offences is enshrined in law. Now each officer is different and they may interpret the evidence differently. I would not seek to criticise other officers and in this case the evidence is clear enough that this should not be an issue. But if you disagree with the officers conclusions you can challenge them. I would advise politely putting across you views to them. If this does not work then ask for it to be reviewed by their Sgt. The last resort is an official complaint and the systems are their to ensure that reports like this are taken seriously.
In this case there are obvious offences of Dangerous or careless driving. The test for Dangerous driving is weather the standard of driving ‘falls far below what would be expected of a careful and competent driver’. In this instance most reasonable people would conclude that it has.
The issue of whether the driving was likely to cause injury does not effect whether the offence is made out, but does add to the seriousness of it when it come to how the offence is tried and sentenced.
The next issue, is can the offence be proved beyond reasonable doubt? Are there independent witnesses? No, but there is good video evidence and this suggests there is a good possibility of proving the offence should the driver plead not guilty. The time, date and location of the incident will also have to be clear (camera clocks are not always reliable).
Can the driver be identified? in this instance the registration is not clear but the vehicle is recognisable and it shouldn’t be a problem (the owner has legal duty to state who was driving at the time of the offence).
A statement would be taken from the cyclist and the video footage seized as evidence. Then the driver would be reported for the offence and summonsed to court. An interview under caution could be considered but the offence is clearly made out in the footage. So as long as there is no doubt over who was driving an interview is not strictly necessary.

2. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will receive the file. This is where the real problems start. The job of the police is simply to present the evidence. It is the CPS who prosecute the offence. The CPS don’t like traffic offences. I don’t know if they think it is below them but they seem to have little interest in aggressively pursuing them (from personal experience only). They will only pursue cases if they are certain they can win. To this end they will ask the driver how they will plead. If the driver (or their lawyer) has any sense they will either plead not guilty or ask if the CPS if they will accept a guilty plea to the lesser offence of Careless Driving. Nine times out of ten the CPS will accept this as they do not want to risk losing in court. If the driver pleads not guilty their Lawyer and the CPS will look closely at the evidence. In this case it will hinge on the video evidence (If it were not for the video then it would be one word against the other and it wouldn’t have even got to court). The defence will try to have the video evidence excluded on the grounds it is unreliable. They will say it could have been altered, it is not clear or could have been staged. This may sound ridiculous but all they need to do is introduce a bit of doubt and the CPS will fold and the case will be dropped.

3. Trial by Magistrate or Jury. If its a guilty plea it is likely to be for careless driving and the driver may not even have to attend court. They will likely receive 3 points and a small fine. If by way of a miracle it’s a not guilty plea and the CPS have had the balls to run with it, then you are relying on a magistrate or jury to come to a conclusion (assuming of course the defence don’t try again to have the video evidence excluded). You just have to hope they have not been held up by a cyclist on their way to the court.

Hope BB’s are available with a GXP converter. Bearings are replaceable but mine are still going strong 3 years later. Definitely worth the investment.

I would just like to provide some clarification on the Police use of bus lanes. The attitude of all involved is another matter that i’ll keep to myself.

The question as to whether police vehicles can legitimately use bus lanes when not responding to emergencies is not straight forward. It will depend entirely on the wording of the Traffic Management Order (TMO) for that local authority. Most will contain exemptions for all sorts of vehicles, which would be far too much information to put on a sign. Most (and indeed Edinburgh’s) will include wording such as “public service vehicle providing a local service”, “vehicles being used for a legitimate policing purpose” or “a vehicle being used by a universal service provider”. Some of these are a bit ambiguous and would require case law to establish if police vehicles are exempt. But on the surface it would appear they are.

It would not be true that a police vehicle would have to have lights and sirens going to be legitimately using the lane. Some may disagree but I would also pose the question, that by preventing them using the lane you would in fact be reducing the service they are able to offer?

Hope that helps?

Hope this works

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IMG_0066[/url] by MikeH78[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Will try again when I work out how to do it

Here’s mine

Have a look on the Dorset Rough Riders site. They will usually be doing a ride on the Purbecks at the weekend. Give the ride leader a call and they’re usually happy for you to tag along.

I have two Exposure Flare’s, one on my bike one on the wife’s. Never had any issue with them turning off or on. But I can say they are the only rear light I have found that is truly weatherproof. I used to go through a light every three months or so in my search for one that didn’t let the water in (Smart. Knog, Cateye etc). They are also incredibly bright and despite the slightly high cost they have paid for themselves by not needing to be replaced.

Did the Bontrager 24 hr solo a few years ago. I can never face a gel again. A guy who was riding out of our pits did the whole thing on Jacobs Crackers and honey. He came 5th. Make of that what you will.

26lb dead according to my scales

Interesting video from Bikemag “Why do people care so much about this change?”

I’ll tell you why people care Mr Graney. They care because if like me they have had a heckler for the past 6 years and fancy (or are forced into) to change then they could simply buy a new frame to go with all their expensive components. But now if you want to buy new you are going to have to shell out about £750 on new forks and a load more on rims and tyres.

Now as my wife will attest to I am not averse to spending money on my bike and if I think It will suit my riding and genuinely offer a performance benefit then I will happily shell out (In fact i’ve chosen to do just that and eagerly await the arrival of my XX1 drive train). I do however resent the implication that I am a “hater” for questioning the necessity of this ‘new’ standard, whilst in the same breath being told that the performance benefits are marginal. This just strikes me as the fairly arrogant attitude of a man who has had the luxury of free bikes and not spending his own hard earned money on them recently. If there is a clear difference then fair enough but you have just said “we built them both and they were both great”

Definitely would advise against normal porridge oats if you have coeliac disease. We know that many are contaminated and many people do not have symptoms even though they have underlying intestinal damage. (I know this as I see them in clinic years down the line with complications, e.g. osteoporosis). There are now gluten free oats and cereals on prescription (Juvela) but unfortunately if you don’t have Coeliac disease diagnosed then your GP is very unlikely to give you them on prescription.
I would recommend joining the charity Coeliac UK as you can now join even if you are not diagnosed. I believe membership is free at the moment. They will send you a GF directory which gives a detailed section on GF oats and many other GF foods.
Compass

Repaired several flint cuts (up to about 8mm) with an internal patch over the past three years and all have held well. Through experimenting out of desperation I have found that super glue and whatever robust material is knocking around works just as well as commercially available kits. My current favourite is off cuts of Fizik bar tape from my road bike. Cut to size and shape its held for six months with no issues.

Ride to work most days on a busy A road, regularly get shouted at, **!! off, wan*!er etc. Fortunately I have a solution not open to most people. I take the registration, get to work, put my uniform on, get in my car with little blue lights on and turn up at their address. The conversation usually follows the same pattern.

“I presume you wanted to speak to me?”

Confused look

Identify myself

“Oh shit”

Road safety education lecture

£80 Ticket

Hopefully that will make some of you feel there is some justice.

I’ve had various DaKine packs for riding and snowboarding over the past 15-20 years. All of them simply refuse to die. Not even a pulled stitch. My drafter bike pack shows no sign of wear after 6 years use. I have a helipack that must be getting towards 15 years old now and even the buckle I trod on in my snowboard boots 10 years ago still works with a big crack down it. The bog standard ruck sack I bought from a windsurfing shop when I was still at school (20 years ago) is still being used by my dad.

Wouldn’t buy any thing else

If you are still unsure give hope a ring and they will tell you exactly what you need.

I was recommended Red Rubber Grease for lubricating the pistons as it does not degrade the seals like some silicone lubes. After a thorough clean with some cotton buds I applied the grease (google search found a supplier) to the pistons and they have been running smoothly ever since.

For the price the ready made XC-SP3 (or SP6 if you want to keep 6 bolt rotors) seem a bargin when compared to the equivalent Mavic’s or DT’s. I’ve been running a pair for three years on DT4.1d’s and was so impressed that I got my wife a pair on Crest’s which seem even better. If you are after light wheels these are the ones, she (who 8st if you’re lucky) really noticed the extra zip in her ride up the hills. Reliability appears excellent and maintenance is straight forward.

There is a fairly obvious lesson here – Buy a Thomson seatpost, they appear to be tough as old boots