Hey thanks for posting that excellent Esquire article. Really good read.

Ace photos! How cold did it get up there during the night?

The comments section against that story is depressing.

“Cyclists, if you really feel you must cycle, throw your bike in the back of the car, go somewhere that’s suitable for cycling and cycle away until your heart’s content. It’s just not worth the risk cycling in a pot hole ridden city centre like Edinburgh. You’ll get fit and possibly live longer by avoiding the inevitable.”

Etc.

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/edinburgh-faces-1m-tram-payout-to-injured-cyclists-1-2650601

To be fair, the bit where the lanes merge into one and force you to cross the track is a bugger.

I remember side-hopping my road bike over the tracks, fearing that I’d lose my skinny tyre in it. Must be a nightmare for less confident folk.

I now avoid Princess Street and commute over Morrison St / West Port which is longer and climbier but way less bonkers than Princess Street which IMO is broken for cyclists.

Good fun. Great trails. Did OK (107th out of 261) considering I bust my mech in practice limiting me to one gear.. and my timing thingy didn’t register the end of stage 3.

The No Fuss folks were kind enough to let me use my mates finish time plus a penalty ’cause he went down after me. Better than getting a DNF!

I have never seen so many Orange Fives in my life!

RE threading the cable – put a small kink in the end of a gear gear. Thread it down towards the rear. Spin it using your thumb and finger. It should – with some luck – catch in the hole.

Then just thread your outer over it.

I run a Straitline Silent guide on both my bikes (both 32t, one is 1×10 the other 1×9). Excellent – pretty quiet, no drag, robust, tidy.

Same here! 2 bikes (1×9 and 1×10) 32t, both Silent Guides, not problems. Smashed it off plenty rocks and it doesn’t care. Unlike the MRP/Gamut devices I’ve gone through.

Another ST TDCI here. Great car. No issues. Plenty fast.

Pretty confused. Don’t want to throw money at a problem that is just down to crap-luck / my stupidity.

Short-term I’ll try running my tyres a bit harder and hope it doesn’t happen again. Long term I’ll get a wider rim and UST tyre.

Riding Dunkeld this weekend – if it’s going to happen again it’ll happen there.

What pressure were your running? Sounds like it was probably too low for your “fastest run” gnar level

Somewhere around 30psi according to my crap pump.

I’ve had success running Maxxis UST tyres on Stans Rims. Easy to fit and inflate with just a track pump and no leakage once sealed with fluid.

I use Stan’s rims on my hardtail. I have a 2L coke bottle inflatermajig so seating tyres isn’t an issue. I just prefer the Mavic system ’cause there’s no faffing with tape. Stan’s rims are a fair bit lighter but I’m not too bothered about that.

Thanks for all the responses!

Wait until wednesday. The laws of physics are getting a service update to address gnarr-bugs like this. Once updated going dead fast round corners will be fine.

I’m running a pirated copy of physics so I don’t receive updates.

I run my rear tyre somewhere around 30psi according to my ancient EBC track pump…

To be honest the rim is knackered so looking to replace it anyway. I’ll take all this great advice on board and will:

1. Get a UST Minion.

2. Get a wider UST rim. I prefer the Mavic tubeless system over Stan’s so EX 823 I guess.

3. Run the tyre a bit harder.

4. Stop moaning!

34% of personalities entirely hat-based

Okay then, how about jumping things like logs where there’s no lip or face to the jump? I can sort-of get the back wheel off the ground by pulling up on my SPDs, but how can I improve things?

You need to learn to bunny hop. You don’t pull up with your spuds, you lean back to lift the front wheel (like a manual) then lift the rear wheel using a scooping motion in your ankles.

Watching youtube or reading about it will only confuse things. Get someone who can bunny to show you how – it’s dead easy

After breaking some bones and getting a metal plate in my shoulder last year I turned into a scardy cat on jumps.

I asked people for advice, read lots of stuff online, all that, but when it came to it I ran out of bottle. Really the only way to learn is to repeat the same jumps loads till you’re faster/higher.

I got over my irrational fear by spending the day alone at Innerleithen pushing up Make or Brake, gradually getting more confident. I now need a bigger chainring if I’m going to ride them quicker. After my 17th run at them I learned to love jumping again 🙂

TLDR: Find some wee ones, repeat till happy, move on to bigger ones.

Using the Straitline Silentguide on my Piglet and Five. Can’t fault them. Taken as many knocks as the breaky MRP/Gamut they replaced and still solid.

2.2 Mondeo ST TDCI – 40mpg with bike rack.

The cycle network in Edinburgh is amazing – I use it daily. In all the years I’ve been bombing up the Telford/Roseburn cyclepath I’ve only had one issue where I hit a black lab. In the dark. So basically an invisible lab! It didn’t seem too bothered and I didn’t crash. The owner apologised.

Yes – I did have lights – a Hope R4. Still not enough to see a lab dashing about in the bushes.

Vaguely related.. the EGR valve on my TDCI Mondeo ST kept clogging up with crap and jamming open. Highlight was breaking down on the north west coast of Lewis on my honeymoon – 2 hours from civilisation.

Removed it, popped a blanking plate on there and it’s run like a dream ever since.

I had it done 5 years ago and as a result lost vision in one eye for 2 years.

I got a disease called “Thygeson Superficial Punctate Keratitis” and as a result the cuts they made in my eye didn’t heal.

Had several operations to basically scrape the surface off my eye off with what appeared to just be sandpaper (ARARAGARGAGARGASRH!) in the hope each time that it would grow back normally. It didn’t.

Took steroids and a bazillion other drugs for years in an attempt to resolve it. Also had to clean my eye every hour with baby shampoo and hot pads which relieved the pain and irritation somewhat.

Oh and I couldn’t look at light as it hurt, so had to wear shades at all times. Which looks really silly when you’re a programmer 🙁

Eventually the disease cleared up and my vision returned.

I now have my eyesight back to 100%, but only if I’m wearing a bandage contact lens which smooths the scarred surface of my eye.

The disease still flares up if I’ve got a cold or something, but fingers crossed it’s gone for good.

TLDR: Worst mistake of my life, you’ll probably be fine, but why gamble with your eyes?

http://www.upliftscotland.com/

Build one of these Ghetto coke bottle inflater jobbies and you’ll never struggle to seat tyres again. They’re amazing.

I really enjoyed reading this thread 😆

I know 2 people who had Gary Fisher bikes. Both snapped their frames and both got sparkly new Trek Fuels. Including new shock. Lovely!

Do you spend much quality time together? I’m guilty of biking too much so me and my wife now spend every Sunday and every Thursday evening doing something together, taking it in turns to decide what it is. It works well.

Maxxpro instead of supertacky, if you want something similiar but less so?

But intentionally drifting the rear/doing cutties is mostly about weight distribution, you’re not so much relying on overwhelming the grip, as reducing the grip. Or so it is for me anyway.

Yep that sounds about right. The supertacky DHf is just too difficult (for me at least) to unweight and get drifting. I have a Maxxpro DHr. I’ll maybe try that tomorrow.

With the sketchy RQ’s I just tap the rear brake and use my heels in a side-hopping sort of motion and boom – I drift round the corner. With the Minion I have to “ride” around the corner in a line. I realise “slow-in fast-out” might be relevant here..

Maybe my technique is the issue here, not my tyre?

Drifting and ‘getting loose’ might feel faster but I bet it isn’t…

I had considered that. And absolutely agree with you. But it feels more fun! The Minion made it a bit too controlled. Less like I’m hanging on for dear life.

Maybe I can’t have it all? Maybe I need to learn how to ride round corners at speed with grip, rather than sliding round them at speed?

Threads like this are the reason I still browse STW. I think a “best of the forum” Christmas book would be ace

It’ll be fine if you enjoy dropping your chain and slamming yer nuts into your stem every couple minutes

I’m using 819s on my hard tail and FS. As above, ultra reliable and no faff. None of that yellow tape nonsense.

I previously used Stans Crest but really prefer the 819s now

I like to wash my bike listening to this

Interesting thread. I’ve often wondered this myself but I’m too sleep deprived to trade time in bed for food in stomach!

I commute on an empty stomach but I’m still full of energy. I’m skinny if that’s relevant. My commute takes 25 minutes at a decent pace.

When I get to work I eat a huge bowl of porridge at my desk.

That looks ace but using an appropriately sturdy container takes the fun and danger out of it!

I’m surprised nobody has come up with a cheap product that does this…

Another happy customer. After having a nightmare trying to seat a non-UST Baron on Mavic 819s thought I’d give it a go.

Cannot believe how well it works. Thank you thank you thank you thank you! 😀

Bealach na Ba

Can’t think of any perfect spot, I’m never up that early…just somewhere high with good views to the west?

Probably be better off with a view to the east.

Man up, leave her and make yourself happy.

Cheers. There are some more photies over here on my Flickr[/url] if you’re interested

Am I still me?

I misread the title as berm of the week. Really disappointed by the lack of massive berms now 😥