A look on the OS map shows a place in the forest called Cocklick End. I’d be packing the car now if I were you, hospitality like that is hard to beat.

I ran my old Life frame with 100’s and 130’s and it was great with both. Very low down dirty racer with the shorter forks and really good fun on rocky steep stuff with the longer forks.

So that’s where all the ugly sticks went.

That’s hideous. Really really hideous.

There are a lot of bikes going round here at the moment (Stockport) and I’ve heard of a few multiple thefts such as this one. Drop me an email with your details and which nick you’ve reported it to (plus an officers name as contact if you have one) windowshopper and I’ll add you to the list in the shop then I can let you know if I see anything.

I hadn’t realised I was that bored. Best do something constructive now.

Sounds like the slipper soaker is probably your father in law who, on seeing a chance to hide his guilt under your drunken state went for a bit of wardrobe waterfalling. It’ll have been on his mind for years and he’ll now leave you more money in his will. The reason you were sick on arriving home is that he was so pleased with himself and glad of your cover, he forgot to wash his hands and then you remember that over-zealous handshake as you left? You then ate your chips with your fingers on the way home and it’s in law wee that made you hurl.

DezB – you owe me another drink because you’ve just made mine come out of my nose.

There may be hope (no pun intended, I’ve never been that poetic) yet Martyn, I’ve had a chat with a man who might know something about some stuff tonight. No promises from anyone but your tunnel could have light at the end, only thing is I can’t find out until Monday.

I’ve done it. Got some old Hayes 9 carbon brakes with split clamps, ground out the clamps to fit the bars and fitted them to the bike with long enough hoses (as on old, pre-aero-lever road bikes) that if there were any air bubbles in there, they’d stay above the reservior and it didn’t cause any problems.

The position of the levers left no usable hood area so I built them up with Sugru and taped over the top of them. Looks pretty shonky but they work and it’s not given me any problems in the little use it’s had so far.

Sometimes messing about with stuff is the best way to find out and I got to use a brilliant little air powered grinding tool I borrowed from my motor mechanic mate.

I’ve just watched that video.

Anybody want to buy all my bikes and riding kit as I obviously have no idea how to ride a bike?

Plain and simple ball bearings available from any bike shop.

You commute by patio?

I hired from Las Vegas Cyclery, somewhere on the west side of the city which is on the way out to the best trails. Pretty helpful staff and well maintained bike, plus they had trail maps and some good route suggestions. I went in early march and drank more water in a 3 or 4 hour ride than I would in a weekend away here. 2 bottles and a camelbak wouldn’t be silly. There were a few nice short loops that I linked together easily enough (Badger point rings a bell?) and you could easily spend a happy 3 days there enjoying the dusty trails.

We are. Forecast says white cloud/light rain round these parts.

S’Tuesday night to we’ll be out riding in the mud and slip-sliding all over the place, marvelling at the amount of water damage from last weekends rain, eating Jelly Babies, drinking whisky and then stopping for a beer or 2 on the way home. Life’s grand.

No-one ridden in the Dordogne then?

Its not compulsary to have a full carbon bike with Dura Ace/Record/Red groupset to ride an audax.

Calm down fasthaggis, we’d already passed round the hipflask several times as we generally do. And yes, it was a nice single malt – Quarter cask Laphroaig if you must pry.

Brown, brown, browner and down.

Pedal faster instead?

I’ve got a Fargo and I love it. The most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden, handles well off road, on road, with a trailer, loaded up with panniers and with the child seat on. Every time I ride it I don’t want to get off and just keep pedalling. Brilliant hardly comes close.

I knew a man called spamf Finnegan…

Dieting is for girls. If you are a girl, loose more weight tubby.

Would similar work for a hangover? If I lick some sandpaper and get Mrs FBJ to tw4t me round the head with a frying pan 15 minutes before I go to the pub, would I avoid the gravel mouth and headache in the morning?

160mm fork + 40mm extra flex under the bike wieght = 200mm.

Off to the Lakes for some probably very wet biking with Mrs FBJ but don’t tell her because she doesn’t know yet. Mini FBJ is off to grandma and grandads to play and wear out the old folks.

Can’t wait.

I tried Tech V2s on Shimano rotors and because the pads were deeper than the braking surface on the rotor I got loads of fork twang each time one of the spider arms passed through the caliper and it felt terrible so I’d check that first.

Yes W-D, sounds like we're in the same place; down the fire road, turn left round a singletrack loop, left out onto the fireroad again, right up the hill around the loop and back to the same fire road again.

Was you cheetin or wot innit?

Sounds like an un-necessary load of bodging that could let you down badly. Using a 28 hole hub meant for 16" wheels in a 26" rim so the lack of dish would be more pronounced, then squeezing in the drop-outs by 20/25mm, then narrowing the rear rack by the same amount and going off-road touring. Hope you'll be carrying hiking boots.

No, well before that – just before the first checkpoint we had to use the dibber things.

Who's Daddy – As I was coming off the singletrack section to start the loop where the track was split into 2, just before checkpoint one, the young cadet marshall was shouting '160 cut the course' into his walkie talkie as a rider came whizzing down the fire road having missed out the little singletrack loop. What gives?

Can I add to the list a pair of silver framed Oakley M-Frames with a clear lens, lost on a very pine tree overgrown section before the first drink stop (the one you passed then visited on the second pass).

Aren't Brompton back ends only about 110mm OLN?

Try fitting a longer string between your mittens then.

The headset bearings need to sit directly into the frame, hence integrated, rather than sitting in internal cups which would be an internal headset. There are different shaped bearings depending on the angle of the surfaces in your frame. Any decent LBS should have a tool to measure the angles and then be able to sell you the right headset.

You need an integrated 1 1/8" headset.

Has anyone riding had any info other than the Endura offers? I don't think I've even seen anything with the start time on, is it 2pm?

People get too hung up on what bike is suitable for bigger chaps. I'm 19 1/2 stone and ride all sorts of bikes – a light Ti 29er hardtail, a cross bike, a 7" full susser and a steel singlespeed without any problems. I always ride air forks and shocks as springs don't really go up to suitable weights and I don't spec my bikes with anything silly light, just good reliable kit from manufacturers I trust. They're all in the sensibly light range for the type of bike though.

As with all bikes/components, sometimes things fail but riders **** them up themselves is far more common regardless of how much the rider weighs.

All the above is useless though if your chubster mate can't handle a bike and will go crashing into every obstacle on the trail with the finesse of a pi55ed hippo on rollerskates.

…mon. Theres a moose loose aboot this hoose.

I weigh more than all of you lot. Never ridden carbon MTB forks but I just wanted to brag.
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Though very little of the total is gonads.