Yeah the Tifosi came close for me, but the tyre clearance isn’t going to be enough for 700×40 with guards.

The other candidate Al frame that seemed to keep popping up is the Cinelli Zydeco mud, except the chainstays seem a smidge too long to me.

I’m being picky myself but that’s because I have no immediate pressure to buy a new frame and would prefer to bide my time and get the right one this time, the last not quite right frame is still hanging about and not dying a decade or so later…

So tell me … what should I be buying to finally put my old Edge into permanent retirement.

Alternative option, Don’t retire the 800? Get the battery replaced and crack on, it seems Garmin made the perfect device for you, 15 years ago. 

If you’re adamant you don’t want to expend any effort on setup of the Explore (and I can understand, if perhaps not sympathise) then basically you’re snookered (at least with Garmin). For the most part of it includes the things you want, it’s going to include some stuff you don’t and will have to turn off.

Having said all that the UI on the V1 explorer was more basic, with no climb pro, the trouble was the charge socket was micro USB, it was still on the big side and the battery was dog shit… In which case, why not just get the 800’s battery replaced?

I’m mulling a similar frame hunt (next year) and lots of the same options have popped up (note: the size 56 Rostra in black is only £350 on merlin currently OP https://www.merlincycles.com/tifosi-rostra-disc-alloy-frameset-245356.html)

I sort of want the same thing, a roadyish Gravel frame that I can run a sub-compact 2x drivetrain on, with guards, 12mm axles, flat mount calipers and be able to to swap from 700x40c gravel wheels to whatever sized road tyres with minimal fuss.

The precursor experiment is going ok so far:

If you ignore how comical 28c tyres look in those guards.

(*Nope I’d never recommend a London road, despite somehow getting a decade and counting out of this one)

Last week I was considering a Marino frame to my own numbers, cost wise it’s not crazy, but I’ll admit those HUPcc frames appeal as it would easily be a kilo lighter I would of course need to break out the drill and rivnuts immediately and void the warranty though. Is the Ribble CGR still a frameset option? The website seems borked and I can’t find frame only options.

A newer Edge. 840 if you think the maps are big enough for you, otherwise 1040.

That’ll just be a variation on the same UI as the Explore 2. But also…

Then just go through a few Settings to switch off the stuff you don’t want (like ClimbPro).

Very much ^^this^^. It’s worth spending some time going through turning off widgets and features you don’t want and customising your data screens, the whole point is you can choose what you do and don’t want to see, but you do have to pay some attention and set it up.

Failing that why not try Wahoo, Hammerhead, Bryton, Coospo, IGPSport or any of the many, many alternatives available.

He did apparently punch Piers Morgan, so hes not all bad…

Meh, just evidence of poor impulse control innit? Surely everyone who encounters Morgan wants to punch him…

But honestly, who cares about their various shows? It’s just oaf based telly for oafs. I take the piss out of my missus for watching some utter shite “Real housewives of… Who gives a shit” but Clarkson based TV is the equivalent, pitched at stupid blokes.

I won’t deny enjoying it once upon a time, but the jokes, banter and contrived situations got old, and I grew up…

Most interesting photo taken on a bike ride?

Everyone gets one submission voted on by participants (can’t vote for your own). 

Only rule is you have to have cycled to the spot where you took the photo (bike in frame as ‘proof’)…

Progress eh?

Lighter, moar aeros… Just knackers your back.

There is something to be said for just being able to change a stem to sort a bike’s fit out…

It all really depends what the brief was doesn’t it, if WDB/UCI told whoever drafted it that they wanted to drive more elitism and cost into the sport, whilst making things easier to package for broadcast then many of those proposals would work quite well.

The idea of ‘wildcard’ teams/riders being picked based on Social media profile is an interesting one, clearly they’ve taken note of how the Lifetime Grand Prix operates.

The tech regs setting travel limits are interesting, not necessarily an issue (I do note the image is headed “Sport and Product alignment“), but I wonder how that would affect national and regional series if it’s cascaded down, I for example happen to own a bike that doesn’t sit in any of those travel brackets, not that I would trouble the podium, but I can’t see it helping uptake if implemented further down the competitive tree.

Ultimately you have to wonder how it’s all going to shake out once there’s a shift in WBD management and they drop cycling and meddling with the UCI (as they inevitably will)…

I’ve gone back to Garmin recently after  having a pretty successful dabble with Lezyne specifically because they’re cheap and have good battery life.

Garmins are (IMO) on the pricey side but they are ubiquitous, quite intuitive to use and do the job well.

I would say that the manufacture’s sizing recommendations are pretty much spot on these days. If you’re in the middle-ish of a size then I’d have no qualms about just buying what they suggest. If it’s second hand you can always move it on for a minimal loss if it doesn’t work out. I’m on the cusp between a 54/56 (at 5’10”) so I can ride either with a bit of bar/stem fiddling, but I would usually size down.

Same here but I seem to prefer sizing up.

IME/IMO The thing you notice looking across geometry charts is Reach figures, a ’54’ or ’56’ is an almost meaningless measurement, they can vary wildly for reach, the sweet spot for me seems to be about 390mm (+5/-10ish). From there I can adjust stem lengths and seat position but the reach has to be in the right ball park for me.

I’d try whatever/whoever’s bikes you can OP, but then look up the geometry for each one to see what the actual numbers are like, you can at least start to build up a picture of what fits (or is at least in the ballpark) and what doesn’t.

It’s also worth budgeting for for a change of stem and saddle, and possibly a new set of bars and/or seat post as these all allow you to tweak the fit and comfort of a bike (much like an MTB)…

When people don’t have to pay for the thing, they don’t value the thing.

But we do have to pay (at least us PAYE plebs not dodging our taxes), and I think most people do value the NHS, hence most are up in arms when it’s decline is increasingly obvious.

Two decades of politically engineered decline with a RW press trying to coax us towards a national consent for destroying a key national resource still hasn’t quite done it.

Coordinated NHS reform along with joined up social care and broader investment is very much needed. It’s not just about money.

Most fundamentally (beyond the NHS in fact) the national discourse needs to get away from focussing on financial costs, but looking at consequences. Every time the question back seems to be “how much will it cost?” rather than journalists, politicians and the public asking “what are the consequences of not doing this?” 

The Neo-Libs have had their go (Someone does need to tell Reeve and SKS though) anyone still believing that Austerity works needs to be challenged and asked what they think ‘Success’ actually looks like.

Isn’t this just the old “if you could only have one bike?…” question just pitched a little differently?

My answer (for the last couple of years) would be a gravel bike with 700x40C tyres that can cover local On/Off-road loops from my door or multiday loaded up trips and all sorts of riding in between.

For a good couple of decades the default answer would have been some variation on a HT. But despite having owned various MTBs over the last 30 odd years, they’re beginning to interest me less and less. I’m not sure if that’s just me, the changing nature of “MTBing” or a bit of both.

Plot twist, if I’m reading the results correctly, its not whether you were right or wrong, your results are what percentage of people agree with your opinion, regardless of actual facts.

If you have to explain a joke…

74% what do I win?

Looking at the ‘Telegraph’ how pronounced is the difference between ‘Light and Supple‘ and ‘Durable‘?

Interesting as cheaper Road tubeless options to maybe try over winter.

I’m OK enough with the SIS Variety packs, I can stomach all of the flavours but I prefer the citrusy ones (orang, grapefruit, etc).

Like others I tend not to use them for all day rides and take them only as emergency bonk prevention or for races where I’m piss poor at managing nutrition TBH…

I don’t think it’s your phone, I think it’s just STW.

Whenever it kills a post for me, it’s a nice little opportunity to reflect on the value of whatever I was expending my efforts on… Half the time I go do something else.

IME rear tyres are under a bit more load/stress and already wear that bit faster. It’s honestly not worth the effort of patching and sticking the thing back together repeatedly.

Money ‘wasted’ I know but bin it and replace. Would you operate the same policy with car tyres?

most bottles have been fine for me, only issue I’ve had recently was ‘Grip Grab’ who appear to be more of a branding exercise than anything else.

But I’ve currently got Elite, SKS, SIS, High5 and Acid (Felts inhouse parts/accessory brand IIRC)  and none of them seem to leak…

I’ve owned/done DH bikes don’t want another now and ‘Big’ Enduro bikes 150mm+ travel don’t really appeal anymore. Currently I have a 130mm trail bike (Stumpy) and a basic rigid MTB which cover lots of bases. I would like to do some Enduro racing, for which the Stumpy or similar would suffice, I know I wouldn’t be that competitive now.

The one thing I’ve never really owned is a proper racey XC bike (HT or FS), but then I don’t know that I’d enter many/any XC races with such a thing so is it really an ‘itch’ I need to scratch? Especially when I’ve gotten more and more into curly bars and have a CX and Gravel bike for head-down, arse-up type action…

Dunno, maybe a really light-weight HT as more of an efficient Trail bike? than an XC race bike, either an AL or Carbon frame with some ~5″ forks and Carbon wheels, just to see what such a bling machine is like to live with… but otherwise I think my days of lusting after various different MTBs are maybe trailing off now.

it is reasonable to assume that the Tories have probably hit rock bottom.

I’m not so sure, as kerley noted there’s still this RW tension where some seem to think they need to chase RUK, while others want to pull back to a more moderate “one nation” version of conservatism. What they do now have is some time to figure all of this out

Set against that Reeve and SKS are doing their best to take the shine off as quickly as possible and get people muttering about “new austerity”. I think Labour are trying to do some early “expectation management” and play the same “cupboards are bare thanks to the last lot” game that the Cameron government did (and was still being tried by Rishi) if they spend the whole of the next 5 years doing that then yes they’ve handed the country back to the Tories.

But in the same way you think the Tories will start a bounce back soon, I reckon Labour will have to drop this rather depressing narrative within the next 18 months or risk really damaging their prospects.

If a Tory voter didn’t vote Reform UK at the last general election then I think they are probably even less likely to in 2029.

Why would a Tory voter who did not vote Reform UK last general election do so after 5 years of a Labour government?

Eh? Traditional Tories stayed home harder right Tories flipped to Reform, who knows what will motivate them in 5 years…

Labour played the GE safe, it was much harder to pick holes in absent policies, all they really did was point at the Tory party and say “anything is better than this lot” and TBH they were right.

If Reform UK eat into any party’s vote over the next 5 years I would expect it to be Labour.

I don’t think you can predict much anymore TBH, but yeah sure RUK are out to disrupt aren’t they there are disaffected people and racists in all walks of life ripe to be influenced.

2019 demonstrated that traditional voting patterns and old wisdom on how certain demographics or regions should vote are not to be trusted anymore. But the Tories fought the GE by chasing the Reform narrative and talking points, Stopping boats and sending people to Rwanda and trying to sell themselves as a force for change whilst very much being the political establishment.

Labour’s win wasn’t as definitive as it should have been in terms of actual vote share, but the Tory loss was certainly substantial and exacerbated to some extent by RUK splitting the right leaning vote as well as some “natural Tories” just stating home.

My point wasn’t so much about the rise of Reform (that’s really just a symptom) more that whoever is leader the Tories are a very damaged  brand with the wider public, and the splits and psychodramas of the last decade are still being played out.

They are out of touch today, and the same handful of dusty old buffers that gifted us Liz Truss as PM are about to pIck a leader again… Let’s be honest, they’re all still pining for Boris but he’s not an option is he… Yet. 

The only way is up for them and under those circumstances I would have thought that a leadership challenge would be very unlikely.

With the spectre of RUK sat just across from them on the same benches, press speculation about Nigel muscling in over the next 5 years and no real sign of unity within a party that has knifed their leader roughly every 36 months since 2015?

I wouldn’t be so sure…

Whichever headbanger gets the job of head git for the next few years they’re going to be praying for some real disasters under SKS, and ideally another recession/global downturn to really suppress living standards. Labour have taken over a pretty low point, there’s an argument to say “the only way is up” or you know “things can only get better” for them too.

The best hope for the Tories in 2029 is really reliant on collective amnesia and some really unimaginable economic events pushing us back into their arms…

Is it just a “monthly meeting” OP or does it have a specific Title or Topic? Is there an agenda and/or actions list?

Personally I tend not to prioritise meetings where the purpose is not clear and/or an agenda is presented ahead.

It’s good to be clear what the whole point of a meeting is, whether I have any role in it and if there are any actions that need to be reported on/accounted for. Actions without a (realistic) timeframe attached aren’t really actions, you’re within your rights to refuse attendance where your role can be addressed in writing or by sending a delegate.

10sp 105 shifters

5700?

If so it’ll be a different cable pull ratio for both front and rear.

I recently goosed a 5700 front mech and ended up replacing it with a 6600 triple from the spares tub that just about fitted/worked with my double.

You’re after an earlier road front mech 6700/5700/4600 series or earlier.

4700 is the anomaly, using current road (11 speed onwards) pull.

GRX wasn’t about yet when 105 10speed existed.

In the last five years or so I’ve needed the Chain breaker twice, once to shorten my Gravel bike’s chain for a lashed up SS bodge to get home after a snapping a mech hanger, and once to help a Hungarian couple on borrowed bikes who were having a mare of a day at Swinley.

It both instances it was the only tool that could solve the problem. you don’t need a chain breaker often, but when you do need one there’s not really any viable alternatives.

It’s nice to be a good Samaritan, and it’s nice to be self sufficient and get that positive affirmation that comes from having the right tool for the situation.

In terms of ‘Bulk’ a chain breaker doesn’t add a huge amount of volume/mass to a multitool, and as already noted a pair of quick links is potentially useless if you don’t have a chain breaker as well…

The cynic in me would assume they’re blocking the mobile signals to:

1) to keep your attention on the products and shopping.

2) to stop you comparing prices

The conspiracy theorist reckons it’s so they can properly calibrate the 5G nanites in their samosas to properly control your brain…

I’m just assembling the last few bits to try a ‘low range‘ Tiagra 2x drivetrain on my gravel bike over winter (will also serve as a winter road bike).

I bought a Tiagra Triple chainset (130/74 BCD) which I plan to run with a 30t (inner) and a 46t (mid position) to effectively make it a “sub-compact” double (sticking to the 16t chainring difference rule).

I’ll be running two wheelsets so probably 11-30 (maybe 11-32?) for the roadie wheels and 11-36 for the Gravel wheelset.

AIUI the trick is still just making sure the total tooth difference isn’t too much, whether you’re running 52/36, 50/34, 46/30 or even 44/28 keep the front to a maximum of 16t and you can probably stretch the rear mech a couple of teeth past the shimano approved maximum (34t with a double)… Interestingly the new GRX double comes in a 31/48t flavour.

I reckon a 30-36 ratio will be plenty low enough for me, I might even decide to play with 11-34 for gravel down the line… basically it gives me (cheap) options to tweak gearing range and increments.

This is all an experiment to better figure out a what I actually want from my next gravel bike (and possibly road) drivetrain which will no doubt be 2×12.

4700 Tiagra is relatively cheap, but still compatible with parts from the posher groups, Importantly you get hydraulic brakes (4720 levers). I’ve done 1x for gravel for a while (about a decade), it’s adequate but I’ve started to notice the gaps and limitations.

Meh:

Helene Rosenthal lives in New York City and writes about families, friendships and relationships

TLDR: Someone without any real challenges, problems or what half the planet would consider a “proper job” has a minor realisation about time management and shares their insight…

Probably a bit of a common choice but in the context of what the OP was talking about its Pulp fiction for me.

The way it’s chopped into a set of out of sequence episodes, the characterisation, the dialogue, the framing of shots. It jumps between filming styles in places to suit the scene. The audience get to watch certain scenes knowing more than the characters in it, and the fact that several plot events happen completely off-screen but the exposition is handled without being clunky… It’s a master class in keeping an audience engaged.

It’s all very deliberate and you can see much of the intention on first viewing, but other things click after the second or third viewing. It’s peak Tarantino.

I’m also a weirdo though and like Wes Anderson films (most people seem not to), I re-watched the Royal Tenenbaums the other day and after seeing the French Dispatch, Anderson is a very consistent director, his style appeals to me, I can understand why others might not like him though.

My preferred tool to take out riding is still my CB-M19, tempted to get a couple of M17s to distribute around the fleet.

The CB tool has been far more robust than any other multi-tools I’ve had, and that goes a long way, I’d rather a tool was solid and functional when I need it, than  a bit more compact/lighter, but starts falling apart after a few uses…

I keep looking at the Granite designs EDC knock-offs too, but Steerer stashed tools do often seem a bit too compromised to meet the space constraints IMO.

Has it not sunk in yet?

STW posters don’t like anything.

If you like.

TBH OP, much as I like DH I no longer really have the time to engage with it as a fan, and not having a DHing child (I’ve tried) I’m not really engaged with it anymore.

Weeksy is the man living many of our middle-aged MTBist dreams at present, I’d guess he’s probably busy doing the ‘DH Dad‘ thing currently rather than typing about it on here… Hats off to him.

15-20 years ago I had a cobbled together DH bike, dabbled in local races and watched whatever coverage I could lay my eyes on… But now, without any real connection to it, a lack of talent and an aging body, there’s other things for me to do of a weekend…

These days it’s a younger (better funded?) persons game. And who really wants to be an avid fan of something they’re not really able to participate in at some level? 

My recent experience from my 540 (should work the same as the explore 2) is you can is you can chuck it a route from your phone or pick one already uploaded from the navigation menu at any time during an activity without having to pause/end the ride.

There’s some more affordable groupset options now everyone is trying to move 12 speed kit, you could do worse than buy a base spec bike bike like this:

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt-g2-claris-gravel-bike-2024-197226.html

And then buy this GRX 2×10:

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-grx-600-gravel-groupset-2×10-speed-297559.html

Combine the two and bung the claris parts on eBay… Gets you GRX hydraulic brakes and a carbon fork for ~£1k plus some effort, odds on though within a year you’ll be looking for lighter wheels…

(Note: Shops other than merlin are available)

Have you got ‘auto reroute’ or whatever it’s called turned on?

Part of me wonders if this is the New Labour government borrowing a trick from their predecessors?

They’ve not said they’ll implement the blanket outdoor smoking ban, just that it’s something they’re “looking at“.

That’s been the kind of test marketing of policy that the Tories used since 2019, leak and idea or a recommendation and see how the internet/vox pops/news reactions go and then either adopt or back away from the idea.

I think the SKS government is going to keep borrowing Tory tricks like this TBH.

As for the idea of wider smoking bans in public places, yeah I’m in favour, dunno if Vapists would be included but I’d have no problem if they were. But then I’m not a smoker. TBH though it wasn’t top of my agenda, I’d have been fine with them just voting through the age based sales restrictions Rishi failed to put to a vote and saving this up for later.

As part of a wider set of public health measures it makes sense to give the idea a good run through debate and chuck some other things in the mix for that discussion. But let’s not use leaked rumours or SPADs secret briefings to choose policies via the court of public opinion. It’s not worked well for the last 5 years…

That popped up in my YT feed but I gave it a swerve, like I do now with a lot of Sci-Fi complaint content now…

I’m a fan of Trek, Especially the TNG era shows. and yes some of the recent relaunches/re-treads/retcons have been variable in terms of quality, or just trying to do “Fan service” without much effort expended on plots or scripts, but I’m not sure it’s healthy to spend half a day watching long-winded complaint videos on top of burning screen time watching the shows themselves. It’s probably even less healthy to be making such content (discuss).

I could go out for a 4 hour ride instead, that feels like a better use of my time…

I find it really interesting that forum member’s kids are “obsessed” by them.  When you were 16 to 25, were you listening to 30+ year old bands?  In the mid 90s, that would be like listening to early Beatles, or Elvis!

Went to see Pulp in Finsbury park last year and there was a very obvious contingent of under 21s who seemed to treat the whole thing as a cosplay thing. All trying to dress like 90s Jarvis, I assume all of the charity shops in and around London were completely out of velvet jackets that week.

We’ll be joining the Ticketmaster scam queue, but I won’t be heartbroken if weiss out.

Your either trolling or I’m a bit confused by all of this but some scroaty Mcwanker is riding a motorbike on a path and you think it’s fine because he waved????

I’m with RNP on this, We have various shared use and canal tow-paths near us, there’s also proper MX track within a couple of miles. But all the little shits do is practice their wheelies and rip up and down paths where bikes/peds/kids/dogs have ROW but not motor vehicles.

The ones on Surrons are just the one’s that have shifted enough product for a special gift from their favourite ‘Uncle‘ so they get a stealth moto to really **** with strangers and try to evade the Rozzers.

The last thing I want is the wider public perceiving some sort of equivalence between me on my push bike, and Scrotes on stolen crossers and Surrons funded by the proceeds of the drug trade. I certainly don’t feel any affinity for them just because their toy’s have 2 wheels as well.

Honestly **** ’em; the couple of times they might decide to be civil, doesn’t undo the constant noise, antisocial behaviour and real risk of harm they pose to people, every bloody summer…