Lots of people do it without issues.

Hanging by the front wheel gets the bars higher up and gives a bit more storage space lower down (where the bars would be getting in the way perhaps). However, the only thing I was warned of by a fork manufacturer is that the fork bushings may deform over time given causing sloppy forks when hung by the front wheel. I don’t know anyone having this problem and they are most likely just covering themselves…

The easy solution and best of both worlds is to hang by the front wheel and make sure the rear wheel is taking the weight of the bike and the hook is just keeping it in place (i.e. rear wheel makes contact with the ground). Plus more storage space on the ground too.

I’d say they were the only ones who pulled their weight today, myself included

Fair enough crashtestmonkey, I misread Froome’s quote as including himself in the one’s who pulled their weight.

Anyway, even since 2002 (and maybe before) Brad’s descending and handling skills were being mocked :D

Froome: “I didn’t see what happened to Brad today. I think the only two guys who actually did anything on the GB side were Cav and Luke Rowe. I’d say they were the only ones who pulled their weight today, myself included.”

Although he may well have a point, Froome needs to stop his public whinging and criticism of team mates and sort this stuff within the team rather than in public. I can see why he won’t be fond of Brad but to suggest people like Geraint are not team players and don’t pull their weight is hugely disrespectful to their sacrificial efforts past and no doubt in the future too. Lots of people struggled on the day so have a bit of respect for that surely. That being said, hopefully it was just a poorly chosen quote from a competitive guy at the height of his frustration and doens’t represent his general attitude to team mates…

So were the more natural trails in the area any more rideable Rocketman? If so it would be some very unforfortunate localised snow :D

Good for riding in the middle of winter when you want a ride where you can guarantee most of the trails will be rideable and weather proof rather than explore the more natural stuff and get stuck in most of it….

The chances of a GB win in the mens race were slim even in the best weather so why is it a big surprise they weren’t competitive in all that carnage? Team SKY/ GB are absolutely dedicated to the TDF overall victory and any other Grand Tour overall they might be able to mop up and do this at the expense of one day competitiveness. Not many riders or teams can cover the broad spectrum of races effectively enough to be competetive in all so specialise to a certain extent. This race was never going to suit team GB so they seemed to cut their losses and focus on the future. Pride and whatever else doesn’t come in to it if they are going to hinder their chances of future success in races the fans/ sponsors actually care more about

Another thing to add is that “an area of grip” can still be on the slippy rock or roots/ whatever. I wouldn’t be put off if the slippy rock/ root section is long and you can see some nice cushy loam to start regaining control in. A “grippy area” might be where the rock stops being smooth and gets a bit rougher or could be a small channel between rocks which will catch your wheel and stop the side to side slip. It’s the same with roots where you might have to accept you will inevitably slip side to side but do so on your terms knowing there is a rock/ root running parallel to you which will catch your slip. Looking ahead and ready the trail while staying relaxed is the challenge, and as others have said, speed can often help.

Practice, confidence, faith and buying compensatory shiny bits for your bike are key :D

You won’t have much grip on mossy rocks whatever the tyre.

The best advice I was given was rather than look where you don’t have traction (which will make you focus on the slippy thing, panic, brake and slide) focus where you think you will get grip, stay straight and neutral over the low traction areas and make the most of your braking and turning in the high traction areas (even if the place where you have grip is just a meter or so in between the slippy bits). Focus on the grippy parts, commit and go with the flow through the slippy parts.

Sounds stupid but a focus on areas of grip rather than areas of impending doom can be a good first step. I’m sure everyone else will have better advice :D

I think at least one of them should be laughing… maybe nickname that one the “Henson”… could be Charlotte Church :D

Chris, is it one of the soft straps?

I had no end of problems with the Garmin soft straps (newest versions) with erratic readings and searching online suggested wind, jersey material and all manner of other thing might be responsible. I had a warranty replacement and still the same problems. As far as I can tell it is a known problem with Garmin soft straps.

In the end I got another warranty replacement but opted for the hard strap as the soft one appears to be too temperamental and not worth the hassle. I’d rather have something I had 100% confidence in working correctly and touch wood no problems since switching to the hard strap. Although side by side they feel different, once you get riding you will not feel any difference going to the hard strap IMO.

There are also a few compatible Polar soft straps which would be the best option if you want to stick with soft straps (I think the DC Rainmaker review lists these)

If you are having trouble with the hard strap then I have no idea what might cause the issues! Firmware update required?

DD, that is indeed one insane set up! I guess the “big” clubs need a USP to bring in the big players and it would certainly make an impression. Not a bad place to turn up to work :D

I was going to mention how I once accidentally found myself halfway down Madonna’s back passage but soon got stopped by two blacked out 4×4’s but I thought it daft to mention it….

Out of interest Dave, is all of the route passable even in the middle of Winter?

Looks like good route. Lots of familiar trails around Ashmore/ Win Green although I look forward to exploring the more easterly trails soon :D

I have somehow managed to miss this again! Not enough time now to change plans get there for Sunday having seen it late :(

Is there any chance of a GPS file to look at the route at a later date as I have family around that area?

Weather looks like it should be great for all those able to make it :D

Hi Rick,

On the chain subject regarding these rings.

9 and 10 speed chains have the same internal diameter, only the external diameter is different. 11 speed chains have a 0.1mm smaller internal diameter.

That makes complete sense and while 9 speed chains may be fine on your rings I just wanted to make users considering other brands aware that they may also need a new 10 speed chain to avoid disappointment. At, least that is according to another manufacturers blurb…

Can be used with 10 or 11spd chain only. If used in 1×9 drivetrain – 10spd chain must be used to obtain the performance. (yes – 10spd chain will work great on 9spd cassette)

For the OP, I don’t know what I think of this myself but at least if you buy a Narrow/ Wide ring get in touch with the manufacturers regarding set up and compatibility as they may vary between designs

Anyone know of any example of a 40 + athlete dominating ?

Are ultra-athletes of various disciplines not generally in the Horner age range? It is probably a better comparison that to gymnasts and suck like as above but still… winning a grand tour requires a great deal of speed not just endurance

The cynic would say publishing data just means that Horner has confidence in nothing being detected from the data, not necessarily that all variables to refute/ establish cheating are covered. So long as you keep things under accepted limits no-one can complain. Now… how these generally accepted limits of physiology and performance presumably set to someone much younger in their prime relate to that of a much older man who knows???

I do feel sorry for anyone riding clean as you can’t win either way!!!

Some manufacturers of narrow/ wide chainrings require a 10 speed chain on an otherwise 9 speed drivetrain for the “chain grip” effect to work correctly with their rings (and apparently no loss of performance elsewhere).

Clutch mech would be a must IMO. I would also be very skeptical of any information suggesting the clutch needs to be off on certain frames… I would say it is just a case of being even more careful with getting the correct chain length

All of the Celtic Unions have released statements saying they will not play in any tournaments not sanctioned by the IRB…

It is also worth noting that “thick thin” teeth profiles differs between manufacturers and have varying amount of chain grip if you can call it that. My particular issue is with the rings unsurprisingly claiming to be the gippiest. I suspect SRAM are a little more tolerant to mud than some others. Anyway, it is something to bear in mind if you live in sticky mud areas…

I questioned the manufacturers advice on not using KMC chains too since I find KMC far more robust to our wonderful winters but they were adamant KMC’s own chains are off spec “according to industry standards”. Maybe KMC brand chains are the only ones getting chain making right was my reply :wink:

C&B Seen do a 500 Lumen rear light if you really want to be daft.

I thought I had suddenly become amazingly quick on a group ride as no-one was even close behind me on the descents…. then I relaised the real reason for this :D I don’t use it very much now due to the bulk mainly

Tbh i can see every manufacturer shifting to this type of design, there just doesnt seem to be a reason not to, even with a chainguide why not?

Because if mud collects around the teeth or the chain starts to get muddy the tight tolerance in the chain/ chainring interface combined with mud stops the chain sitting down on the teeth making a dropped chain very likely… I have had this happen even in the “Summer mud” although your mud may vary :-) The shape of the teeth an the tight tolerances make it hard for the chain to clear the mud off the teeth as with a normal tooth profile.

Also I have been told by manufacturers that KMC chains have very poor tolerances so are liable to fall off. SRAM or Shimano should apparently be fine. I am skeptical of anything requiring such tight tolerances to work well on a MTB subject to mud/ wear but continue to use my Narrow/ Wide and live with the dropped chain every 3-4 hours of riding. It is good, but I feel there can be improvements.

Of course physio “could” be a waste of time but the should complex is exactly that… complex, relying on a large number of muscles to get multiple joints in the shoulder play nicely together. This is where a good physio can be a massive help. As gluton says you will most likely need to keep at the exercise indefinitely to keep the shoulder complex in order

So have the English and French definitely broken away from the Heineken Cup?
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/heineken-cup-english-french-clubs-launch-champions-cup-121614331–spt.html

There was some interesting discussion of it here

Seems like a complete mess and the IRB don’t seem to be involved too much at the moment :? It seems a bit like the IPL T20 league in cricket in some ways… although I can’t see rugby going that way. Seems the English and French have the financial clout to be in the stronger position and no doubt the Celtic league and IRB will bend most in the “mediation” going on last minute here

Maintenance does sound very reasonable and the few videos I’ve seen of the bearing reset make it seem super easy. Good stuff!

Does anyone have any thoughts on the OPI stem and steerer installation and the strange sounding greasing instruction from the Cannondale manual in my first post?

What “high quality foam air filter oil” did you use on the foam air filter?

As you can probably tell STW isn’t the place for asking questions about bike weights :D Weightweenies will give you far more sensible answers.

The lightest Weightweenie saddle and seatpost is around 130g all in so start there and work up to something that is practical for you. My pick would be a tuned Thomson Masterpiece (~140g) and whichever of a Selle Italia SLR/ Specialized Toupe/ Bontrager XXX or similar suits you best (~140g). That should save you around 320g which in weightweenies terms is massive. Attention to detail gets a low overall weight bike and patience with picking up bargains gets it cheaply :D Price-wise, “don’t race what you can’t replace”!

Does weight matter in the grand scheme of things? Probably not too much- most of the pro- tour road bikes are around 7.5kg although it does feel damn nice riding a light bike :D

Another good point, thanks. I will be sure to check the axle bolt thread when the fork and new wheel arrive.

I should also add that Tony at Thumbprint tuning has a Lefty Carbon DLR SL for sale as a buyer let him down. So in fact I have been searching for a Lefty for ages and three became available at once :D

Just a quick update:

After lots of overpriced second hand Leftys on ebay finally two came at once! Can’t wait to see my new Lefty Speed Carbon DLR in the flesh. :D

If anyone else is looking for a good value Lefty wheelsports-weselberg.de have a new (with warranty) 2011 Lefty Speed PBR Alu in white for ~EUR 550/ £450 (they were open to offers on their ebay and shop online prices).

Can’t wait to get rocking with the Lefty :D

I had these overtaking things on my mind since recently considering Oktoberfest at Ashton Court… looking at the trails on Youtube it would appear there is a reasonable amount of singletrack and I was wondering how “racing” works in practice on such trails?

I assumed you mind you own business (being aware of what is going on around you of course) until someone shouts they want to pass on one side or another and when there is room you move over the other side. I would also assume the top guys won’t generally give a slower rider too much bother as they have the skill/ speed/ experience to pass safely. Does it work like this in reality? From the comments here it would seem polite communication from both riders is key

Would Ashton Court and Oktoberfest be a painful first introduction to racing?

500g is massive in Weightweenie terms :wink: But as a percentage of the total bike weight for normal people.. not bad going, quite surprising :-)

Digital scales and Excel typically underestimates total weight with discrepancy due grease etc used during assembly and a whole host of other inaccuracies. This approach is good for trying to justify individual component upgrades but nothing beats a hanging scale for a complete bike weight.

I have just bought the Windstop version, the Cyclone I believe. No real reason other than the main reason I wear one is to keep the wind off my neck and Windproof material seems a nice way to do this :D Merino seems like a very sensible option too although I tend to wash them quite often so smells and wotnot are less of a concern

Bathroom scales are also inaccurate. Hanging scales are the way to go.

If you do not want to buy a set of hanging scales then take your bike to your LBS for them to use their hanging scales (most have a Park Tools one or similar) to show how vastly inferior your bike is compared to the Spesh :wink:

I can’t find the links quickly but there are several people using clutch rear mechs and offset rings without any issues. The chain growth is small as BigJohn says- if it works with singlespeed then it would look to be fine with a clutch mech too.

Is the Rotor ring the singlespeed version? If not this might be an issue helping the chain to drop a bit.

This dude would not ride a fat bike

Fat bike references at the start and at 41 seconds[/url]

Thomson has 16mm layback and there aren’t that many carbon seatposts with 15-16mm layback. From memory the Kinesis is the closest carbon post to 16mm layback but I may be mistaken. Other posts will have 20-25mm layback IIRC.

Why carbon? I have a Thomson Masterpiece (30.9 x 350) tuned to ~150g if weight is an issue?

After CaptainFlasheart’s post… Would be nice for Bath to let Henson have a penalty or conversion right under the posts at Sarries :D