Nothing will stop someone who really wants to break in. What you need to do is make them not want to break in in the first place. Something with big teeth and a bad attitude* should do the trick…

*No, not Janet Street Porter 🙄

I can't believe that Sunderland isn't top of the list!

Theoretically, a normal 1.5 headset should work, although there's a fair chance that it would need to be a specific depth for cannondale. I'm just speculating though…

HBIS20 will only allow you to use a 20mm bigger disc on an IS caliper and IS mount. What you need (in theory) is the HBSM20H, post-mount to IS +20, although it will require a little bit of filing to get it to fir Marzocchi mounts. (file the adaptor, not the fork).

Are you absolutely sure the brake has an IS mount, and not just an IS adaptor on a post mount caliper? AFAIK, SLX calipers are mostly post mount, with an IS adaptor where necessary. If that is the case, all you should need is mount "H", (STD post mount to post mount 183mm).

You can get away with too long far more than too short. You just have to be careful that the spokes don't come too far out of the back of the nipple, (a potential problem with the closed rim bed on the 819s), or that you run out of thread on the spoke.

I would come and show you around, but it's raining, so I don't want to. 🙁

Just about. Assuming it's done 3 cross, the shimano should be using 259mm left and 258mm right spokes, and the hope would use 260mm left and 259mm right spokes.

Although there's a bit less margin for error on the spokes, you should get away with using +/-1mm different from the reccommended lengths.

Personally though if the old wheel's been in use for a while, I'd be tempted to change the spokes anyway.

Not a huge amount of weight gain with braided hoses, but not much performance gain either. The only REAL improvement is the looks, although many would argue that they don't look any better than the black hoses.

If you're not careful with your routing they can quite easily cut into your frame too.

Get em if you want em, otherwise don't bother. Threre's no point trying to justify an aesthetic upgrade.

To be honest, if you're thinking you need to up-size your discs, do it when you get the new brakes. There's very little weight difference, and if you don't, a few months down the line you'll be wishing you had, and shelling out for new mounts and rotors.

If they're cartridge type bearings, the number will be written on the rubber seal.
I get the feeling that they've called quite a few of their hubs "Omega", so there's no easy answer, other than to take it apart and check them. If by any chance the number has worn off, measure the outside diameter of the casing, the inside diameter of the hole, and the depth, and any bearing supplier should be able to find you the right ones.

Are you running AVG by any chance?

Was it on repeat?

Probably either a dead PSU, or a dead motherboard. Do the fans start up? If not, it's probably the PSU. You can replace them for about £20-30.

So will the forum be developing a crack soon? 😉

If you ride the bike up hills, go for the Revelations. If it mostly points down, go for a 36.

Having run foxes for years, I've been blown away by my Rev's performance. They're plusher than a plush thing in a world of pillows. Way better feel than my old Talas 32s and 36s. Not as stiff as the 36s, but waaaay stiffer than the 32s. And they weigh about 2.5lb less than the 36s.

I used to work on AS/400s, many moons ago. RPG was quite possibly one of the worst languages ever invented. Designed to be written on punch cards originally, when they swapped it to a screen based version they kept all the punchcard layout, so everything had to be in exactly the right place.

All you could do with it was crunch numbers and move data around. No graphics other than plain text on a green/black screen. Can't believe I spent 6 years doing that crap. Tis no wonder I had a nervous breakdown! 🙂

How does crank brothers hesdsets compare to CK?

Not used their headset, but if their other products are anything to go by, it'll look lovely and shiney, as well as being really light, and in 6 months time there'll be more peices than you started off with… 😉

So, to summarise…

A £20 headset will most likely fail after a couple of years, with or without maintenance.

A £50 headset will last as long as you like, provided you look after it and regularly service it.

A £100 headset will last as long as you like. Virtually no maintenance required.

Seems pretty simple to me: If you don't mind doing maintenance or replacing the headset, go cheap. If you want a fit and forget product, go expensive. It's a sliding scale between the two.

Personally, I don't mind doing maintenance (it's my job after all!). I bought a CK because it was light, smooth, lasts well, and was just a bit tarty! 😀 I've kept it because it's stayed as good as new, despite the fact I've destroyed pretty much every other component I've ever used.

Who?

If it helps, mine is now installed in its 5th frame and has been going since 1999, with no problems at all, and has only been re-greased once in that time. And yes, it has been used a lot, (and also jetwashed 😳 )

There's a nice little box at the bottom of the first page where you can tell them to sack James Martin… 😀

Not me personally, but a friend ordered a pair of conti tyres, which arrived with a 3" slit cleanly cut in each sidewall.

It is vaguely possible that the tollerances on all three parts could be out to the point where the caliper and disc are touching. There could also be a problem with the brake mount adaptor.

There's also a chance that the fork has been over "faced", so that the caliper is now sitting too far out (left).

Assuming that everything is assembled correctly, you can sort it by either shimming the mount adaptor with paper spacers, and/or shimming the disc with rotor spacers.

…and if you don't pay up, the flaming batons get stuffed in your fuel tank… 😯
😀

Attenborough is a cock IMO ever since the Private Life of plants did almost a whole episode on Fungi.

Elloquent as ever Andy! 😉

Yeah, coming round here, talking about funghi like he's all that. Who does he think he is?

I think the point is that funghi aren't actually plants, they're funghi.

I've broken plenty of oranges in my time. They've always been warrantied, and I've had no real complaints about them. To be honest, I've broken pretty much every bike I've ever owned, and I've still gone back to Orange. They just suit my riding style perfectly, and look great (in an industrial sort of way). When I've had other bikes, I've always found myself lusting after oranges…

For XC on a hardtail I can't see any reason to go up to the V2s to be honest. You're not a lot heavier than me, and I've run a mixture of minis and M4s over the last 10 years or so, and only had 1 real problem; I melted the hose on my rear mini (165mm) on the Les Gets DH track.

I now run M4s with 203mm front and 180mm rear discs, and I've never found a situation where they've not been powerful enough. The only real issue you might have is with heat dissipation, if you are particularly heavy on the brakes for a long time, ie. constantly dragging the brakes for 2-3 minutes.

It's true that there is slightly more to go wrong on an M4, but you're only talking about 2 extra pistons, and it's not likely to take much more than a clean and a bit of pressing the pistons to get it sorted.

If I were you, I'd stick with the M4s.

You're right Mikey-simmo. Only a court appointed bailif can enter your property without your permission and/or sieze your goods. Debt collection goons (they're not actually bailifs in reality even if they like to think they are), cannot enter your home at all without your permission, and if asked to leave your land should do so immediately, otherwise they are technically trespassing.

If they try to force their way in they are breaking and entering, and if they use any type of force, or threats against you that suddenly becomes aggrevated burglary, which carries a much higher sentence…

As for proving that you aren't the debtor they're after, it's up to them to prove that you are, or that that person is living there. If they can't produce the proof or a court order there and then, tell them to leave or you'll call the police. The police will get involved, and the goons really don't want that, as an official f*ck-off from the plod means they can't return without good cause, otherwise they could be arrested.

The sad fact is though, they are probably just trying to put the frightners on you, just in case you are the debtor, and you're trying to fool them. It's not nice, and it shouldn't be allowed to happen. The OFT is trying to regulate debt collectors, so if you find out who is harrassing you, a quick call to them might help…

I don't understand why they'd need to know your bank details in order to know that you'd transfered the money. Surely just a unique order number as the payee reference would suffice!

Personally I'd steer clear of them…

This is mine…

But if I had the choice, I'd probably go for black. Classy, timeless, and no components are going to clash with it! 😀

PS. I think the orange paintjob looks hideous 😕

Nope. And I'm not even going to give a flying **** about it. 🙂

I'd take their hands off for that…

Durham – Glorious!

I've got a pair of 150mm dual air revs, and I'm pretty pleased with them so far. Way stiffer than my old 130mm talas. The suspension action is pretty much the same, although the Talas were possibly not quite as plush at the start of the stroke.

Good luck Petesgaff. Heart of an ox eh? 🙂

You can do it, but you'll need to get hold of a different compression cartridge, as the return spring is built into it on the lockout version, so if you simply removed the lockout and swapped to a lever/top cap adjuster, it would immediately return to the minimum setting.

Crap? Crack?

Judging by where they ride, the self styled "Northern Chapter" is already based in the midlands… 😀

I've got a set on my five, and they seem pretty good, although maybe a bit keen to blow through the middle of the travel. On the whole though, they are a little bit plusher than my old Talas, and a bit stiffer (both are QR versions)

Also, they aren't 150mm. With any air in the negative chamber there's only 130mm of stanchion showing, and that only goes up to 140mm with no negative pressure.

Unfortunately Mrs M likes to mix sparkling water with her white wine.

Time to find a new Mrs M who doesn't like to spoil the goodness of wine! 😛