some of those answers made me smile,thanks I needed that.

always ride alone,most often at night.
some food,some water.hammock(tiny foldable one)a book I don’t mind rereading.
a multitool.some zipties.
little ziplock bag with sugar and salt.
sometimes I take a spoke wrench.
pump-
on the road bike,tyre levers and a tube,pump.phone.cc.10-20eu.

the ambulance/police usually take care of most things if things go really pear shaped I’ve found.

I mount my 605 with some bar tape stuck on the bottom and a bungee round the unit and the stem.
I’ve got 10 bikes,and I wasn’t too keen on buying another 9 mounts.
besides,it’s just like mounting with zipties,but cutting zipties was too much of a hassle.

a bigger tyre on the rear would also compensate for a slightly higher fork.
And dropping the stem a tad would be different,but I’m sure it would feel similar.

I’ve got the 80mm 1×1
http://surlybikes.com/parts/1x1_fork
bit shorter.
these look the same
http://www.rosebikes.es/article/rose-big-fork-mtb-26/aid:31595
but I think I said something similar above.

you could always file the dropouts 3-4mm.that would gain something.
as would choosing a low stack bottom cup for the hs.3-5mm can be easily shaved there.(dunno if the hs is external on that bike tho)
413(1×1)-3-3=407.that’s near enough.

some 26″ rigids?
surly make them in different ac lengths.
+rose has a cheaper one that looks identical.

thorn audax
fits 35mm tyres,or 28 with guards.
I’m running 28mm on my racing bike,I think it’s faster/as fast as 23mm.I gain about 5kmh on the downhills.I tried riding a road bike with 38mm tyres and it’s a bit of a boat,but the traction on curves and the comfort is nothing short of amazing.I think on really long rides,ie 8h+ the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.especially if you ride that long day after day.ie touring.
back to the thorn-
every braze on know to man.
some excellent thorn carriers.
takes both 135 and 130 hubs.so you could even build it up with a hub gear for winter.
comes in lots of colours.
comes with a steel fork,seatpost,hs.
had mine for..5ys?def reccomend.commuted every day for 4ys.couple of spills.the bike is as new.

a racing bike is comfortable going fast.
An audax /touring bike is comfortable at a different pace.
a racing bike is uncomfortable going slow.
slow and fast depends of course.I’d say fast is 35kmH+ average.on some climbs as well.
Often a comfortable bike feels like a noodle at higher speeds.I draft trucks and buses,It’s not hard to do 55-60.The bike feels mushy sometimes.Though obviously it could be a lot of things.Hb,stem.tyres,wheels.
don’t tour on 23mm it feels shite.
That’s what works for me,if the advice above was useful.I’m glad.If it wasn’t.well,c’est l’internet.

get a broom handle and practice wrapping that.
might put some inner tube on the bars,like those gel pads they sell.Find the different density of butyl and the foam(open core I think) tape work better together.
make small adjustments,I changed bars and my hands were going numb.a 2mm rotation made all the difference.
I’d ride the bars tapeless for a ride or two.easier to move the levers.
stem-short and high then gradually go longer and lower.

jedi,if you’re ever in barcelona send me an email.I’d like a session.
can lend you a bike if you want.

soft rain in summer is lovely,there’s less RR as well.Best of all is the silence,everything seems muted.
But I have rollers.
commuted for 5ys all year round,without fail 5days a week.Even have a rain bike.
full length guards,montane waterproofs,lower pressure and something like a marathon supreme/gp4seasons in 28mm.and good lights,bright, asides from sealed.

try changing air pressure in the front a bit.
asides from checking hs/hub bearings

wipe sweat from my brow.
colour coordinates with my outfit.

if you can’t go fast,at least look good going slow.

bruce-Might try the freehub buddy from morningstar.
I’ll get one next month and report back,been meaning to for ages.

there’s a chapter on fatness in grant petersen’s book.
Can’t remember what he says cos I have the opposite problem.
something about proteins.
But,If you go on the rivendell website,under books there’s the book that inspired his chapter.
Chapter is about 2 pages,he just says to read that book.

is that we,you and your bike?
I’d not mind one.

a clean chain is a happy chain.that’s all you need really.
and stanchions.and der pivots,and bushings,and bearings,and grips,and cables.

aye,good quality stuff worn in looks so good.
Or even normal quality stuff that’s been taken care of.
Clean old stuff looks great as well.

Al-it’s just people trying to justify their purchase.
There’s no need,really.

there’s a french (international)organization dedicated to cols.cant remember the name tho.

I got a sweater down to newborn size.easy,wash it at 90

even my cheap bikes have so much attention to detail/nichewhoreness that they get a lot of attention from bicycle interested people.
Not really.I turned up to a ride with a 1970s bianchi,pretty normal one at that,original paint,so it’s a bit worn.
got loads of smiles.
Get a lot of ‘nice bike’,cool helmet(giro remedy with some awesum graphics,white.green and gold)
but people are quite laid back.if they’re not.well.I am.so I don’t dwell on their externalized insecurity.

Recovered (by me) slr.was 140g,now 170g.On a hustler.it’s survived a few falls.some cotton tape on the sides helps.
I use it because it’s comfortable.I had a gobi and didn’t like it.

bash and granny bash from bbg.
diy bionicon type guide.
about 20quid.

mrp/e13 about 120quid

might look into an unramped chainring.can skip if using the stock chring.

I think Xt compares to hope.but with xtr prices.
1.You can get a lx hub from germany for half the cost of the bearings in a hope.
just exchange the internals if you’re having trouble finding the races.SJS have a good selection of races,btw.
2-Mathew,if you use the sheldon method you can adjust the hubs perfectly in with just 2 cone spanners.in about a minute.It’s so easy it beggars belief.
3.I have some mavic classic hubs with adjustable cartridge bearings,they roll as smoothy as the DA/deore/Xt/Lx hubs I have.
But honestly.Deore works really well if you bother to do some maintenance.Even if you just buy replacement hubs and swap out the internals it works out cheaper.Only bad thing is the engagement.
I do notice a diff between 36 points of the DA(new)/Xt an d the 48 of the hope SS Hub.
And even more so between the 36 and the 18 points of the deore / lx.

I think surly does adjustable cartridge bearing hubs.Not too expensive,about xt price.
I know the WI hubs I have yet to build up have adjustable cartridge bearings.

I really think it’s one variable.I ride in really dry conditions,like to maintain my own stuff.
If I rode in wet conditions I’d probably weigh up the time/cost equation differently.

I have hopes and I’m glad I bought them.Might buy some more.Shimano hubs are better vfm though.

I find the 20mm shimano hubs to be a bitch to set properly.The 31mm cone wrench is bloody expensive as well.
the new xt rear is a bit more fiddly to set up.as is the rear DA
the older/cheaper shimano hubs I have (plus ft DA) are so easy to set up perfectly.
I.e. so that the slight slack is taken up by the compression of the QR.can’t do that with cartridge.
However,I was reading about the Maxicar hubs used on herse bicycles the other day.original cartridge bearings have lasted 40+ years.
mind you.I’ve got a 1973 bianchi that I’m pretty sure is still on it’s original bearings.
overhauling the HS was a bitch.there’s hundreds (well…) of tiny bb that make the job really fiddly.

I have hope pro2 on another wheelset and They sound great,but don’t roll quite as nicely.
Though it’s not really a concern off road.

plus they’re more expensive than xt.

slow is smooth,and smooth is fast.
ride it slow,and smooth.then go faster.gradually.
you don’t survive the trail.
you work the trail.
pad up and let go of the brakes.

bcn’s not too bad,but I remember cordoba being lovely.
not been up north,but have heard nothing but good about asturias,basque country and some of galicia.
might be a bit of an easier climate to bear,I’d look at that as well.somewhere high up/next to the sea.
people are allright,always ask what your bike weighs tho.

can’t be bothered to tell you the bbg guards cost about a tenner each,a nylon tube,about 3/4 dia 1-2 inches thick is free.6-8″ of gaffer tape you prob already have.
otherwise a cheap/spare front mech,locked into place works fine.
christ!
as my dad says,being lazy makes you more lazy.

amateurs.
I got one of these..5ys ago?
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/coin.htm
excellent,like everything I’ve got from Riv.

cheap and effective is a granny mounted bash as well as a bash mounted on the outside.
from bbg- they’re cheap and work.
makes a racket though.so either a stinger or even better a diy bionicon guide,I’m using the core off some widish electrical tape roll,it’s nylon I think,so it’s pretty quiet.
two wraps with gaffer tape.and it’s fine.
I’ve also got a sunline chainguide,works fine.
and an mrp g2 works fine as well.

you can adjust chainline(to a degree) with chainring spacers.

it’s usually cheaper to just buy a new one.

stw 0 – sektor 1

somebody must know..

sunny here.nice breeze as well.Mostly go out at night as it’s cooler/nice and peaceful,got home at 330am this morning.
met a hiker,two mtbikers,some wild boars,few rabbits, deer,some goats.

it’s pretty good.

(barcelona)

Found it really useful to tape the small chart on sheldon’s page printout on my stem(as he says).
that way you see the gears you’re using,the ones that are too high,too low.
most important I’d say was seeing the gears I was mostly using,so for example I changed the gearing to only go down into the granny for 2-3 long climbs I usually do.
running 22-32 with a 14-28 6sp enables me to use the 32-28 without any crossover.
that’s the best reason I run 6sp,I wasn’t using the 13-12-11,nor did I need 32 or 34 to get the 28 into an acceptable position.
but it’s what YOU need.tape the chart to your stem and after a month or so you’ll be thinking gear inches instead of cog size.

On the stanchions it has the sag % for both the 150 and the 140 travel.
So I suppose it’s the same chassis.
I think it’s a straight swap for the 140/150 spring.

I think you can fit more than 3 travel spacers in the air forks.

I swapped the pikes and the sektors over on my hustler.
Sektors are quite a bit flexier,maybe it was the extra 10mm.

An inconvenience of having a 40mm diff in a dual position is that it would require an even heftier push to change travel.bit easier on a fs as there’s a bit more weight transfer going on.

troutwrestler,get well soon.

no takers?
seems to be a bit of a faff to take apart my pikes,change springs over.ah well.

what would happen if I chopped off 10mm off the dual position spring?

ah,yes.
but you can clamp the cable the sheldon way.
it’s a shimano A.
1997 vintage.

running a 7sp mech on a 1×9.works fine.

I got some really thick protection tape from rose,have used the swedish made frame tape,it’s much thicker and softer.seems pretty good.
there’s two frame tapes on rose,Its the dearer one.