I have found that Schwalbe tyres rip up quite easily on the rear from new but if you use them on the front for a few rides then swap it to the rear then the rubber tends to hold up better. Maybe it needs to bed in in some way a little??? I may get some internet hate for this but that is just my observation :D

Well it was the Welsh Lions on Saturday now it is time for the Irish Lions on Wednesday ;)

The good thing about this squad is you can imagine several different starting 15’s, all being equally strong with different +’s and -‘s. There doesn’t seem to be too much filler in the squad besides perhaps Maitland, Stevens and Farrel (on current performances) but they can all play a good game when on form.

Certainly an exciting squad and some good matches to come!

Pigface- I was thinking the same thing watching that match!

Lions did a good job- the eternal pessimist has to say how long can you keep being awesome for on a 6 week tour? Just kidding

Sexton looked good in open play and can be thankful 1/2p should really be in the Test side to take care of kicking duties.

If there was any doubt Farrel is no longer the “Ice Man” but instead Ashton’s long lost twin (who can place kick a bit) then today confirmed it. If you want to wind people up great- it’s part of the game. Winding someone up and then retaliating yourself is daft and he could have easily been binned/ sent off too. Clapping as the binned guy goes off is the Ashton icing on the cake. :roll:

As others have said, a lot of manufacturers are starting to feel the 26 short travel bike overlaps too much with a 29 inch hardtail/ 26 5 inch travel bike. Yeti would be another example doing away with the ASR-SL C.

For short travel single pivot currently being made I can only really think of the Santa Cruz Superlight and Morewood Zula…

I also gave up on the R1’s as the constant rubbing could not be cured.

I now use the XTR Race brakes and the difference in terms of maintenance and ease of use, the difference between them and the R1’s is night and day. Truely fit and forget as you might expect.

The pad clearance is very generous by comparison to the R1’s and I have never had any unintended rotor rub. I can’t see you needeing any more pad clearance so in response to your question- the Race version will do you more than fine :)

I think it starts from 9am which means people should be rolling out in staggered groups after that but Dave can likely confirm this

Pictures look amazing!

The thought of 5000ft climbing….. 8O

The BC page to register for online payments looks as though some extra fields need to load after the first displayed are completed. As before, nothing new pops up to actually allow you to register. The fields are pretty strangely arranged too but hey ho.

If it is ok to pay on the day I would be very grateful!

I am trying to enter this but the BC website is a complete waste of space (at least with trying to register for the online entry system)! I get to the section to create a new user account but then there is no button or option to progress or click register or anything like that. Hmmm….

why after 12 weeks, and physio am i still feeling pain at the site of my fibula fracture?

Different fractures heal differently in different people. Certainly do not be disheartened when you hear people suggest all fractures are equal and heal magically in 6 weeks. Bones take 6-7 years to completely remodel as a shocking bone fact but this has little/ no bearing on pain. To be more relevant- my tibia fracture took around a year before pain at the fracture site disappeared and I had full confidence in the leg again… As I say though, take this too with a pinch of salt as my fracture is undoubtably different to yours and there are numerous factors different between us

Bearback is completely right.

Suck up the physio cost and stop riding the bike for the sake of a few weeks patience until the physio/ MRI can find the underlying cause of your issues…

The pads have so little clearance around the rotor it is almost impossible to not have them dragging.

I can honestly say this has never been an issue, nor with any other brake in working order tbh. (mine are also 2010)

As far as I can gather this is a somewhat mixed issues affecting some more than others. The distributor were not entirely helpful, nor were Formula. From what I can gather online there seems to be a mix of quality control issues in the earlier brakes and the very small diameter pistons not quite sitting square in the calipers making retraction harder than intended. Quite a few people mention this online too so I am certainly not alone but with the distributors/ Formula not offering (or maybe even able) to fix the issue most people like me tended to be stuck with very expensive, very annoying brakes.

Pros: Light, powerful, bling, cheap (on ebay if you know where to look)

Cons: Need to replace all alu bolts with Ti, replacement parts have been tricky to get hold of until recently and replacement parts are super expensive and set up wise they are super hard to set up drag free.

The pads have so little clearance around the rotor it is almost impossible to not have them dragging. Slightly inconsistent QR tension between refitting wheels causes lots of drag for example. I got to the stage of needing to adjust them before every ride and decided I couldn’t stand them any more. They were sent for inspection and rebleeding under warranty but I was told they were perfect and this is just how R1’s are supposed to be. These were 2010 brakes but I have heard more recent versions should have addressed the drag issues.

I went with XTR which are a few g’s heavier but far more consistent and reliable

I would say that the same rules apply for most knee issues like this:

1) Go to the GP and beg for an MRI. If you suspect serious soft tissue damage do not get fobbed off with “rest for 6 weeks”
2) In the mean time while you wait for an MRI see a decent physio with cycling knowledge who can advise about managing the possible issues and advise about foam rolling/ stretching/ future exercises to address inherent imbalances (this might come further down the line if you remain in considerable pain and have a more severe tear)
3) When everything has settled down and you are cycling again get a decent bike fit.

As others have said any ligament injury is a serious issue and needs to be addressed ASAP if that is what it indeed is. It should at least be ruled out ASAP. I would not even consider further exercise and certainly not a bike fit until you get a diagnosis.

A lot of the advice here is a little questionable.

Rest will do you no harm at all until you find the source of the problem- take it easy and get it sorted. A few months of patience now is very much worth it in the long run. A week or two off does very little for a lot of the possible underlying issues you may have.

An MRI is the only way to determine soft tissue damage. Plead with your GP to get one ASAP or go down the private route.

In the mean time a decent cycling physio is the next best person to go to to learn more about your possible problems and non-surgical solutions.

Look up anterior knee pain and patellofemoral pain syndrome

Anterior knee pain is notoriously hard to get to the bottom of. Personally I would trust a physio (a decent one not a rip off merchant) to help with anterior knee pain rather than a surgeon if nothing is easily visible on an MRI. PFPS is exactly what the name suggets- telling you that you have pain aorund your patella. The underlying problem is not described by a diagnosis PFPS so is a bit of a cop out diagnosis wise but then I am very cynical :wink:

Fantastic little lights. Not “fantastic but…”, just plain old “fantastic” :)

On night rides one on the bars and one on the helmet is like riding in daylight and there is a noticeable improvement against lights on friends bikes costing stupid amounts of money.

You would be daft no to :)

Thanks for all of the info Binno.

Although the difference in eff TT is only about 1cm compared to SC (taking in to account the slightly slacker STA too which would need the saddle slightly further forwards) but I think it is exactly what I am after. A large SC just felt a bit too long whereas I have exceeded the limit of balancing correct fit and handling on the Medium SC.

Unfortunately I don’t come up Leeds way too often but thank you for the offer. I would be very interested in the frame only option if you decide to part with it any time. If you might consider this then just drop me an email sk8erdj50[at]hotmail[dot]com

antares- shame Rutland have put the price up again!

Any other ASR 4 inch frames knocking about new online- besides a complete bike on ebayland I haven’t come up with much.

Thanks all again!

Thanks Charlie. Good to know I may well be on the right track with the Yeti geometry even though I am struggling to find info online about these specific frames.

I had a look on Yetifan but it didn’t look like a very active forum (last post March 3rd in tech Questions)

Maybe someonne here might know too???

Wasps have some quality individual tries to pick from this season :)

Scarlets very much answered the critics who said they don’t really deserve to be playing for the Rabo title…. no they don’t deserve to be in the final 4 :)

Hmmm…. I think I’ll be going for a ride at half time

Damn, why did I just big up Bowe

Trimble looks to have come off second best… Liam Williams doesn’t take a lot of winding up :)

Bowe is looking very much up to speed too

Rabo Play Off Semis tonight…

Hard to see past an all Irish final. I would love to see the Scarlets do well but if there is ever a team to not get a result against it would be Ulster

I don’t think another Contador TDF win will do anything good for cycling- something bad has to come out sooner or later (same goes for Schleck and Cobo to be fair)

Anyway, chances or Cadel doing well at the TDF? Very, very slim barring lots of mishaps from the other big names which I can’t really see happening.

I think it is hard not to love Mr Akrigg’s riding… unless you are his wheels maybe :D

Thanks Nick, that makes sense. On a map the bike path looks like a long way round but as you say it probably works out more practical in the end.

Thank you!

I was in Bristol today cycling elsewhere from Temple Meads station and it seemed a mess of very busy multi-lane roads which I didn’t really fancy riding on if at all possible.

Thank you both for the excellent maps and directions!

Is there a better way to get to the Temple Meads area from the Bath direction without following the cycle path all the way by Warmley and Fishponds? I.e. is there a safe quiet more direct route to Temple Meads from around Bitton/ Saltford. Most of these roads look pretty busy so maybe sticking to the cycle path is the best route?

Thanks again!

Looks to be aiming for summer 2014. Should be good!

The squad gets a lot of stick for not being attacking yet the forwards are largely selected for getting quick ball at the breakdown/ turnovers (ideal attacking scenario in the international game with such structured defenses) and J. Davies/ BOD/ Hogg/ Maitland/ 1/2p are pretty intelligent creative guys (perhaps with limited opportunity to demonstrate it this season) to back up the battering rams of Roberts/ North etc. The squad has the potential for any number of approaches… it just up to Warren POOOOWWWWEEEERRRR Gatland :D

As this is the “all inclusive” rugby thread… How about that for a finish!

I think its so you can get the correct axel to crown height, which may require a zero stack at the bottom of your headset. You may not need to lower the stem on top.

As the name suggests “axel to crown height” is the fixed distance between the fork axle and fork crown, a headset won’t change that :wink:

Frames are designed around traditional, semi integrated or integrated headsets- the frame determines which one you need.

The reason for the extended top cap cover is simply to replace the normal spacers. They are generally sold in a variety of sizes to get the right fit. Only reason for this top cap on the headset is aesthetics over normal spacers really…

I think some of the English front row are there for mid week angry faces. Wouldn’t want the Welsh boys injured in the run up to the tests :D

Also, Gatland’s mentaility seems be the same as Clarkson….. POOOOWWWWEEEEEERRRRR! Aus are very agile, quick and have good rugby brains so I hope this is not the Lions undoing. Ironically the Lions can pick quite a mobile, dynamic pack capable of plenty of disruption at the breakdown but have a backline much like a back row 8O

Maitland, Hogg and 1/2p could balance this out though I suppose. Some nice options to have :D

Hogg is 10 cover I guess.

No risk of not having enough players in any one position as such as injuries can easily be covered with a new plane ticket

The Lions can name an entirely Welsh team minus fly half which I think most would agree is the only position lacking for Wales. A_A was on to something with the pro-welsh talk after all ;)

Score of 28/37 for me. :D

Seems I know least about Hooker and and the back row :D

Well that was quick!

Full-backs:
Leigh Halfpenny, Stuart Hogg, Rob Kearney
Wings:
Tommy Bowe, Sean Maitland, George North, Alex Cuthbert
Centres:
Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Brian O’Driscoll, Manu Tuilagi
Fly-halves:
Owen Farrell, Jonathan Sexton
Scrum-halves:
Mike Phillips, Ben Youngs, Conor Murray
Props:
Cian Healy, Adam Jones, Dan Cole, Matt Stevens, Mako Vunipola, Gethin Jenkins
Hookers:
Dylan Hartley, Richard Hibbard, Tom Youngs
Locks:
Alun Wyn Jones, Paul O’Connell, Geoff Parling, Richie Gray, Ian Evans
Back row:
Toby Faletau, Jamie Heaslip, Dan Lydiate, Sean O’Brien, Justin Tipuric, Tom Croft, Sam Warburton

I think anyone brave/ stupid enough to suggest Ashton in their Lions squad prediction should automatically get the win if he is in… for the sheer outrageousness of it all :)

Right then :D

3 Scrum halves- Phillips, Laidlaw, Youngs
3 Fly halves- Sexton, Farrel, Hook
4 Centres- BOD, Roberts, Tuilagi, Davies
4 Wings- North, Cuthbert, Maitland, Hogg
2 Full backs- 1/2p, Kearney

6 Props A Jones, Healy, Cole, Jenkins, Murray, Vinupola
3 Hookers Hibbard, Best, Owens
5 Locks AW Jones, Launchbury, Parling, Ian Evans, POC
5 Flankers Warburton, Robshaw, Tipuric, O’Brien, D. Ryan
2 No 8’s Faletau, Morgan

POC/ BOD as “squad captains” I think.

Good to see Ken Owens getting a mention too- he been developing nicely for Wales

How about bonus points Melon for correctly picking a “wildcard player” the makes the squad tomorrow- this could be defined as a player no others here have in their predicted squads (such a Wade as the current predictions stand)

apart from the bars its just a rigid bike, so not really a mtb/cx/monstrosity

At the end of the day a rigid 29er MTB and CX have a lot in common. Maybe a few geometry changes for the MTB to be better off road but these changes aren’t going to slow you down much on the road… which is kind of my point although I didn’t make it well. A 29er MTB is far more versatile than a CX bike. You can change the bars and tyres to suit your mood and terrain and have the option to add a suspension fork if you decide it is needed for your local off road trails. Also greater tyre clearance so a greater choice of tyres to suit.

The bars, brake lever, Di2, bar to saddle drop… it is a bit of a “different” as far as a traditional MTB goes- not bad though, I appreciate the different approach :)

Maybe we need to get the guy on WW to ride a loop on his adapted MTB and a CX bike to see if there are any real differences? :D