How are these in the wet? I have heard a few reports of the water getting in in the winter months and the USB port being particularly venerable…

Thanks, DanW

Samoa look strong too!

I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage to top the group even though it seems unlikely

Sean Lamont is an immense but at times he seems such a ‘confidence player’. He certainly gives it everything but when things aren’t going his way he seems to struggle more than most. When he’s on fire he’s a machine!

Watching Scotland today was like watching Glasgow playing at home a year or two back with Parks at the helm- almost a carbon copy!

Georgia were not as bad as I had expected. The fly half was kicking so smoothly and sweetly while most seem to be struggling with the new balls.

Awesome crowds on Caerfilthy Mountain! Really good turn out by the Welsh

I would expect a split at Caerphilly Mountain which will decide the stage winner- so should be a great place to watch. I reckon watch on the first half of the climb then dash towards the finish to catch the race again.

That said I agree with Mooman… I want a good spot so I heartily recommend Brecon :D

Enjoy the race everyone!

Lawes can be clumsy but I don’t think there was much in it. A case of not separating ’cause’ and ‘effect’ perhaps during the citing process? If the prop jumped up with a smile would it still be a citing?

How many times do you see someone do the same or similar when a try is scored? If you are unlucky enough to have a lump of a second row nearby when you score you can bet they will drop an elbow or knee on you.

I think the Welsh selections were the correct calls for the players available. A lack of subs seemed to hurt them though.

A lack of a out and out in form 15 is hurting Wales hugely too. It would have been nice to see Hook at 12 with Halfpenny at 15 but that would be a huge risk based on the game time Halfpenny has had and the fact he is a winger by trade.

I also feel Jon Davies needs a good game. He really hasn’t had the form he had for the Scarlets in the earlier part of last season- his injury sadly interrupted his form.

Wales have a world beating side with the first choice 15 all available and all in form but if they are missing even one of these players or one of them has a quiet game then they are in trouble

If Garmin are less than great mcboo then what are the alternatives? What is wrong with Garmins?

I don’t think the HTC Desire would ever be practical for what I’m after (eg no HR or cadence) but I was pretty shocked by the lack of GPS signal! I’m glad in a way that it isn’t just mine

Sorry to drag this up again- I thought I’d post here first rather than start a new thread…

How well do the modern GPS units hold a signal? I have an HTC Desire on Orange which I thought would do the job of recording my rides but it never gets a GPS signal! Any problems with Garmin and the like?

I am looking for all the same features as the OP (Real time mapping/ navigation when exploring trails and getting lost, HR, cadence, elevation and all the normal bike computer functions) and seem to have only come up with the Garmin Edge 800. It seems decent but is rather pricey. Are there any other options to consider?

Also, are they robust and waterproof or do they benefit from a protective case?

Many thanks in advance, Dan

You can’t really go wrong with any of the race bikes from the top manufacturers.

For me though the main companies didn’t really represent good value for money. I was set on a Canyon but when they sold out had a rethink.

I went for a Santacruz Superlight in the end on the basis that it was light, reliable and beautifully balanced both up and down. It also feels much more solid than an out and out race bike which suits me much better. Here’s a little pic of my SC Superlight at 22lbs with no crazy light or expensive parts:

PS road pedals are there to get a comfortable fit for my knees and are not all that bad/ impractical

I don’t think Crossmarks can be considered good in mud for the majority, especially on the front, but they are indeed nice on the rear when it is a bit drier.

I guess it depends on the interpretation of ‘all around’ tyre and what the OP is looking for. For me this means can ride any trail I’m likely to come across, in any conditions, any time of the year. “All around” is a bit of a vague term, but I wasn’t meaning to criticize Crossmarks!

Just double checked the reviews for the Rendez and they seem to echo my thoughts. There is even a thread here on STW where someone compares them to Maxxis other tyres.

Do not trust the Bikeradar review- it says they are useless on the back as the tread does not work well reversed. They are not designed to be reversed and this is even written on the tyres! Keep the tread facing the same way front and rear and you’ll have no problems. Wear is definitely not a problem either. Numpties :lol:

I have been really enjoying Maxxis Rendez in the 62a Exception series:

http://www.justridingalong.com//shop.php?product=196

They are ridiculously light and grip like nothing else. I have left them on from wet Feb right through the drier months and am still on the same set now.

The central section is not as high as it looks in the photos so rolling speed is really great. Sure they are slower than Crossmaks as the review in JRA says but then Crossmarks are a very specific tyre. I also think that the description on JRA is a little misleading- these are in fact great in the dry. Don’t be put off by the look of the photo!

These are the best tyre for true all round use I have found and have always been very picky and underwhelmed by some of the other offerrings mentioned here.

Tyres are very subjective but hopefully this gives you something else to consider

England will be fine… apart from the cover in the props, scrum halves, centres… oh and the old men that make up the bulk of the remaining squad :wink:

There isn’t much excitement or spark there in the England squad but I wouldn’t bet against them doing pretty damn well

I have been using Conti Supersonics in rocky South Wales for the past 6 months and love them. 191g for a pair. I like to change tyres regularly so have always been put off tubeless (although did try it briefly). Haven’t punctured to date and hope it continues!

I think Phillips has improved in recent matches and no doubt whatever was going on at the Ospreys killed his appetite for the game a bit.

Phillips is solid if not spectacular… a bit in the Stephen Jones mould. So long as Wales have one 9 or 10 that can make things happen then it’s not so bad (e.g. Phillips and Hook together).

Tavis Knowle will wind up players and referees far more than Phillips! The only Welsh scrum half with more ‘chat’ is Martin Roberts

Phillips will never get a snappy pass out though! Stop. Bend down. Leisurely attempt to find the ball. Stand. Look around for a bit. Pass. I guess being a big guy he will always struggle to have the smooth fluid motion of getting a ball out of the ruck like smaller, more traditional build of scrum half though…

I didn’t mean to give the impression that bobbing was a problem – it really isn’t. I was just curious as to how best to use the adjustments provided. I rarely use the lockout to be honest as there is very little smooth terrain on my normal rides. As I say I was just curious. Ta!

Ken Owens… Tavis Knowle… Not more Scarlets in the Wales team please! :D They’ll promise so much and then break little Welsh hearts just as it gets to the crunch (as if Wales arn’t capable enough of doing this :roll: )

It’s the only way I can set the cleats to be comfortable for my knee (control of the rotational position and also lowering the Q-factor slightly). They have served me well so far

You buy Hope hubs to be able to pedal up behind people ninja style and then use the freehub to scare the life out of them. I’ve only had one ride on them so far but it kept my simple brain amused.

The other plus is that I can’t hear the things that used to (and probably still do) creak elsewhere on the bike

Mine was a little stiff from new. I had to be quite firm with it to get the first few clicks. Once it got moving it was fine.

I decided to go for it in the end and am very glad I did. Thank you to everyone for the pictures!

My baby Heckler aka Superlight :D

Anagallis- I think the whole of Wales think they will win the world cup… especially after one victory! ;)

The positive for Wales is that the young guys in the team seem really eager and passionate when they play which was lacking from some of the older guys.

I think Gatland’s idea to bring back some of the more experienced guys for the game with Argentina will see a very different style of play from Wales.

The flip side to this is that some of the young guys lack experience, especially against the very top teams so I can see Wales getting turned over pretty easily in the RWC more by guile than anything else.

It is also worrying to see so much of the Wales team made up of Scarlets and Dragons as the Blues and Ospreys didn’t really meet their potential last season. The Scarlets and Dragons were hugely passionate and pretty much always exciting to watch but results didn’t always go their way, especially in the tighter games.

The best thing for Wales would be to scrape through the pool to lower expectations then take it from there. High expectations and pressure is the curse of Welsh rugby!

Long comment over :D

That’s pretty good! :D

On a furniture related note… there is a bed shop in Cardiff that proudly advertise (on an absolutely massive board across the whole shop) that each new bed frame comes with a free pair of handcuffs. Very odd indeed…

I had similar concerns about oil levels and phoned Mojo. They said they have never heard of the low oil problem on new forks which I don’t quite believe as it’s all over the internet and in MBUK reviews etc.

In fairness they said if I have any concerns I should learn to check it myself as it is something that will need to be done every 20 or 30 hours of use (think the timing is probably a little over the top but hey). So long as they are happy for the user to take apart the forks without affecting the warranty then I’m happy too :D There is a video on their website showing how to replace the oil.

I have been using the KMC X9 SL for as long as I can remember. As soon as they wear out I am straight back to the X9 SL.

I have never had any problems- don’t know what some people get up to with their chains! If the link is really such a problem (never been in my experience) then just buy one from a different manufacturer for about £1.

As someone has already said, Merlin Cycles is the place to buy from

I think the Cotic looks more ungainly because of the saddle rather than the seatpost. Regardless, if it works then who cares :)

I am liking the look of the Thomson on the two Santa Cruz’s- I think I agree with Kelvin on the point of them suiting the bendy top tube bikes.

Hardly a too small frame M6TTF. The Thomson post I would be looking at buying is the 16mm setback version, so it is more a case of getting the seatpost clamp as centralised in the saddle rails as possible as Selle Italia SLR’s have a habit of getting a bit creaky as you go even slightly off-centre of the rail clamp section.

Thanks for the pictures ltheisinger and clubber- it really doesn’t look as odd as I thought it would…

In response to the original post- this is how to cover the gap left by removing the gear indicators (started as XT, polished, added an alu clamp bolt, custom alu barrel adjuster, carbon fibre section to cover hole where gear indicators used to be) :D

Also reminds me of another reason why Shimano is so great… super reliable, no nonsense components that are easy to tune and lose weight without losing any of the original durability. Great stuff!

It’s very, very hard to go wrong with Shimano.

Jimmy- as cool as your discovery is… why not cover the hole with carbon fibre for a bit of bling? :D It cost me less than £3 to do and looks great! I’ll get some pics up of this tonight

DanW

Both the vouchers have now gone…

Thanks, DanW

Toronto Cycles are absolutely great for bolts! They do every colour under the sun including green (in both Ti and Alu).

http://www.torontocycles.com/Selling/Aluminum_Bolts.html

Ordered from them several times with quick shipping and no import taxes every time.

DanW

Anyone else have any advice?

I could always be tempted by a good offer :D

(sk8erdj50[at]hotmail[dot]com)

They seem to be very good from what I can gather from reviews- great traction and climbing ability with a robust, stiff feel…

I really can’t fault Look Keo Classics and have even been using them on my MTB for the last year. Definitely durable, solid and have all the adjustments you could ever need.

Speedplay are to be avoided IMO (‘lovely’ company plus far too much float)- Shimano is another good option

Anyone at all?

grahamh, tell me more… are you referring to the amount of press releases of 2012 bikes lately or have you spotted some reductions I’ve missed?