yep electrical faults for me too. many folk told me to avoid French for this very reason, i also had a Clio too that was poorly built. I’d seek out a Transit or Sprinter

it’ll be a blather fest!

i have tried a few opticians, not sure of the compaany, and they said they couldn’t do them due to the curved lenses that Oakley do?!

STRIKE – what branch did you use?

fixed wheel road bike here with guards and rack. 18 miles each way and its kinda hilly :-)

i have an Adventure on its way and should be here quite soon :D it’ll be built up SS for now with Drop bar so i’ll post a picture and few first ride feed backs

i nearly bought a Fargo last year but am glad not to have as i wanted the option to run SS if possible. So now i am able to fund my dream, i’ve ordered a Genesis Fortitude Adventure frame set and plan to run it with drops, not sure on the drop of choice yet as i have a few options to play with.

The bike will be used as my only mtb abd also for the offroad tours i have planned, i also have a geared road tourer. It will have a combination of these 3 set ups, trailer, rack and panniers or just a bar bag and big saddle bag.

i’m really excited and will let you know how it all pans out if your keen?

i’d try drops on the Fortitude if i chose that. any Fargo owners? how do they ride unladen as a “normal” mtb?

i don’t like the canti studs on the Ogre :(

as the OP says, looks are very important. i think you must be a fool if you ride a bike and don’t like how it looks but also, a fool you must be to ride a bike on looks alone.

looks and feel plus price are what i would say are important, most shops will let you take a bike out for an hour and that would be enough for me.

i rode for years on a set up that felt good but a couple of friends kept telling me i looked “wrong” on my bikes so i went and got sized and fited correctly (James the Manager @ Evans Leeds, sound fella)

He moved my saddle down and forward sligtly and rotated my bars so my hoods are pointing slightly upwards and the differance is great.

in short, get sized up, even if you think you know it yourself, and test ride.

Traitor Cycles do one for a break from the norm :-)very happy with my Crusade

who’s next for the hot seat then? who is mad enough to take it on? 8O

http://urbanvelo.org/nahbs-2012-sacramento-image-dump-2/ :D

Any of the big American brands will offer you a good road bike for £500 or just a little more. IMO, Trek do the best at this price. Ribble do also have some great deals at just a little more. Make sure it has shimano and not campag, the Italians don’t do cheap and nice. If possible, try to get a bike with Tiagra shifters or better, the wee button/lever on Sora or lower is very hard to shift when not in the drops. Make sure its 9 speed too

Also, look at Cross bikes as they often have better spec for less money but you will need to up from the £500 for one.

Do not be bothered about finishing kit at this price as you can chjange as you go along. Get sized up correctly, take them for a spin/ride and buy the one you like the feel and look of.

A compact will be best for any starter.

:D

i use an Otlieb Zip-city but the Sling-it is good too :-)

bookmark this :-)

the Salsa rack is lovely and well worth getting. Its easy to fit and remove, looks great and works very well. Stump up the cash and you’ll not regret it, i didn’t. :-)

that would be swell, cheers :mrgreen:

I’vebeen thinking just like you fella but have also thought about clearance or the lack of it! i cannot find a small enough 29ere tire to fit in my frame. you mention a smart Sam in 1.8 but is that much bigger than a smart Sam in 700×40?

a good touring bike will feel cock on when loaded but a little wooden and slow when it’s just been ridden without the paniers.
Flipside is that a steel frame that can take a rack and bigger tyres but is not a tourer, will most likely flex like a wet noodle with any weight.

your better off going to the Swinside Inn for a pint then the Tea shop in Grange as you have one more climb just after you have a tummy full of tea and cake!

as you come off Catbells, you’ll bash down the road for a mile or so and its a few hundred meters down the first road on your left, marked Newlands Vally and Buttermere.

what about a WI ENO HUB?

“That salsa solution does look good, can I get it on a 26″ frame?”

Salsa Ala Carte :mrgreen:

3 days off next week starting Sunday so me and a mate are heading off into the Dales, one night at the Bike Centre and another some place else, depends on the route. looking to do about 60 odd miles a day

We’ll just have bar bags and seat packs with a slight change of clothes but no change of shoes so i’ll be wandering down to the bar/dining room in my stocking feet? i cannot wait! :D Friend will be on his new Steel lightweight and i’ll be riding fixed 8O

For Food and Ale, head to the Goerge Hotel, they do a Steak Pie that is huge and very tastey. Good ale too, try Jennings “Sneck Lifter”

It get’s busy so try to head up around 6/7 to eat in the bar or book a table in the restaurant, jeans and fleece/hoody will fit in no bother.

the Dog & Gun is also good for Ale

Both in town

i think Salsa have the drop out thing sorted

f**king love that last picture jimmy, just looks like me and my mates early 90s :mrgreen:

your very welcom. i’ll be doing just that too :D

why not park in Leeds, get the direct train to Morcambe and then a train back to Leeds from Brid?

i’m planning to do this on a fixed wheel with only a bar bag and seat pack. may camp but depends on the weather. looks like a nice route :-)

Flanders is very nice for a wee tour. i did one a couple of years ago for my 30th “Beer & Battlefields” Did about 40Km a day. from Cheshire you could drive to Hull, park up and go over with just your bikes, we did :D

save some cash and get a Mondaine :-)

that Merlin frame…..hmmmm

sorry Grittyshaker, CCTV showed nothing, my bad :oops:

There is no such thing as a “young naive pro who does not know any better” you know its wrong. you simply have to as its all over the sport so your exposure to doping as the wrong route to take surely must be 50ft high with flashing lights on!

ignorance is not an excuse

i put to you all, if you do something at work that runs you the risk of being cought and sacked, would you do it? – i’d say some of you do this and or knows someone who does, ahem, bend the rules, but… if you were cought, sackd and then not able to work in that field again! would you risk it?

so, ban them for life. it is simple, no doubt in my mind.

By making the punishment so harsh it’ll surely put folk off? no?

as said above, life time bans for the rider and the team boss.

i cannot run one of the swan neck jobbies from the fork due to my staddle yoke.

so, do you think it happend due to the frame/fork being to stiff or too flexy?

OnOne Midge bars are best value imo. i have used Bell Laps but tbh they don’t really flare our that much, try their new Cowbells if your after Salsa bars, or the Woodchipper.

i have thought about using a Jones/Titec style bar as they look like they’d be comfy but then i wouldn’t be able to use a bar bag.

i have Midges on my Sabbath and Cowbells on the crosser

will do Clive

i feel pretty shit now as the chap looked shady as and i read your post earlier in the week too! really really sorry i didn’t link em!

Michael

trust me Float, it ain’t.