I reckon it would be a good video to play to fat people every time they reach for their bucket of saturated fats. Could improve the national fitness index.

andym –
Complete crap. You’ve obviously never owned a Shimano Nexus. Yes people have been using the (SRAM/Sachs?) 3/5-speed gears for years and they are pretty bombproof, but the Nexuses were poor. We’ll have to see if the Alfines are better.

And there are millions and millions of derailleurs working without problem – hub gears are a solution looking for a problem.

There were a number of Alfines used in the StrathPuffer 24 hour a few weeks ago. As far as I know none had any problems. There were a few derailleur bikes converted to single speed during the event though :D

You’ll replace several derailleur drivetrains before you’d wear out a hub gear.

As I see it, derailleurs are consumable gear changing mechanisms – fine for the bike you race, but for the bike you use, a hub gear is much longer lasting.

nina –
thats why everyone should have pinhead.

that’s why everyone should have a baseball bat

muggomagic –
…Might ask Brant how much for a slot 29er with Alfine, before a part with my dosh.

If you’re going to Brant, then get one of his Pompinos with a 120 rear end and fit a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub.

All the gears you need, light, reliable, and you won’t even know it’s there. It’s a brilliant bike.

Mine gets hammered offroad too. With 40mm Marathon Racers it can handle almost anything.

If you don’t like the Pompino there’s a ready market for them secondhand so changing your mind won’t cost much.

I’m doomed! I’m going to die one day, maybe in 30 years.

So in the meantime, it’s all good.

Stoner
epicyclo hits nail on head.

time is priceless. 3 score and ten on the earth, it would be nice to spend as much of it as possible doing what you want.

I’ve been my own boss and worked my own hours for the last 25 years :D If I had to start again and pick a profession, I’d do teaching, because in the period I had a job I felt trapped (even though I liked my job).

Free time is all!

The most important thing in life is how much free time you get. If I had my time over I’d go for a profession that gave me that. It’s more important than swags of money.

You can spend your working life saving up to get free time. Enjoy it while you can :)

Surly and On-One do stainless rings. SIngle speed stuff but will still work with gears, just not as slickly. Last forever though.

Alfine – beautiful piece of kit.

Plus, when you see the light, it’s easier to convert to single speed :)

Bugger that lot. We have a right to use the road, car drivers are only licensed :)

Thanks too – I’ve just dug my GX680 out of the attic

Kylie is perfect.

I reckon the helmet is the best place so long as you remember not to look directly at other people’s faces.

BB7s are great brakes – I have been using them for 5 years. I use them on my favourite bike (got Juicy 7s on the other).

Take the time to learn to set them up properly and they are great – good feel and powerful stops.

One very important advantage is if you are doing a lot of mud riding. You can wind the pads back a wee bit and there is less scraping when the brake is off, so your pads will last longer.

My daughter’s new X9 lasted half a lap of the ‘Puffer last year. It never worked properly again.

Almost all accidents are because someone is driving at a speed where they cannot stop within their sightline.

Everytime someone gets injured on a section of road, the speed limit should be dropped by 10mph, and the sign should make it clear that it is because of accidents. Eventually really bad spots would be at 10mph.

Think of how much money this would save the authorities, no need to improve roads, just cut the speed limit. The only cost would be the sacrifice of a few cyclists and nobody cares about them anyway, or there would be prosecutions and jail sentences for random killing.

singlespeedstu –
Ton if you like beer and bikes you’ll fit in just great.

I’m not sure if I like beer, but it contains electrolytes, right?

So it must be a sports drink. Therefore I must like beer.

Sorry about the demented logic – I must be low on electrolytes.

All this is directed marketting, you know.

I also keep getting enlargement offers and viagra offers sent to me.

The burning question that keeps me awake at night is how do they find out I need this stuff? My missus swears she hasn’t told anyone.

Or is it to prepare me for my new lifestyle with lots of hot totty when I help Mrs Bigboobia from Nigeria collect her bequest and get my commission of £7.653 million?

I reckon he was hiding his light under a bushel. This race wasn’t important enough to win.

If he had won it, he’d be a marked man for the rest of the season.

What he’s done is finish well enough to prove he can still do it, tell everyone how hard it was for him, and it gave an opportunity for him to check the out the legs of his team mates.

After the drug testing fairies had finished with him he probably did it on less blood than everyone else :)

I use them on my Pompino with Avid (adjustable) levers.

Plenty reliable stopping power.

Try again

Girder (linkage) fork, drum brakes

This niche enough?

http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=413007&stc=1&d=1228125892

You don’t need an event to ride in Scotland.

If you have had it for a while, another consideration is that the brake posts may be worn.

Ah well, my drum braked ancient single speed wouldn’t beat that lot.

Did you steel that irony pun? It’s scandalous!

Oops, I’ve got a few

One thing to remember, before the Highlands became a playground for wealthy weekend warriors, people lived in those remote areas, and they walked through all those passes.

Persuade the lad to take up shinty. Cures all front teeth problems.

One point is they died doing something they loved, not too bad a way to go.

I like mine. The early ones are a bit solid under the rump if you do a heavy landing, but that quickly teaches you to ride properly :D

(Easy to adjust, and nice and light too)

As far as I know the Anthem has the least chain growth. Where’s the pics?

Legrange was right!

Conditions can turn nasty up here really quickly. Many people don’t appreciate how short a time it takes to die if you get it wrong.

I suppose it’s a bit like cycling deep into the mountains wearing/carrying just cycling gear.

Be free, be single

I reckon those guys riding BMX are phenomenal. Wish I could do it.

If you had a real cat, I would expect to see at least one Doberman in there. :D

It’s more fun when it’s rigid

Cables need to be replaced with longer versions

An oxymoron is an apprentice welder despite what the dictionary says. :D