Good – going down
Bad – riding back up again 🙁

The fitness will come I'm sure of it…

Saw this at cycleworld. They reckon it's waterproof but would give a me a figure – "might not be ok if you drop it in the river" was one comment!.

Battery life is 6-8 hours on a charge.

It does look v nice – quick to scroll/update. Next clear screen. Basically everything the (shockingly bad) road angle one should've been. Time will tell how durable it is though I suppose.

Pedros levers all the way. On the few tyres I've had that I can't get off with my hands, they're ace 🙂

You had a good weekend then? 🙂

Waiting for an expensive mattress to arrive as we speak – went for a "sleep to live" one in the end after testing various different ones out. I'm not sure how much if it is marketting bollocks but it comes with all sorts of guarantees, you can have each half made to a different firmness and it was very comfy for the 20 minutes we lay on it for in the shop 🙂 . And we got a pretty good discount!
We've both got dodgy backs and, considering you spend around a third of your life lying on the thing, I reckon it's worth spending a bit more on one. Could save you a lot in Physio/chyropracter's fees 😉

I got one a couple of weeks back (6700 offer) and I'm really happy with it. Not much to compare with as it's the first road bike I've had in 18 years but I'm impressed. It seems fast, surprisingly comfy, surprisingly stable at high speed on the descents and it sadly exposes my lack of fitness for all to see 😕 .

Call in the professionals?

We paid about £40 last time – small price to pay, not to get stung 30 times and break a few bones when you land! We had tried the various spray around but just succeeded in p'ing them off even more!

Lego series definately 🙂

Have a search of the forum – there have been a few posts on this recently. I'd do it myself but at work and shouldn't be looking 😉

I finish when I finish most days. Bit better now I'm self employed but generally there's no such thing as "over time" in my profession – it's just assumed you'll do it.

Personally, I'd rather keep work seperate from what I do for fun outside of work

Yep – I think there's a lot to be said for that!

It's something I reckon I'd do if I won the lottery..

but then I don't do the lottery so there's the first problem!

Bad day at work Rich?

Bits of Penmachno are pretty exposed – especially the top of Loop 2. Cracking loop but if the weather really is that bad you might not want to be up there. Marin trail is a bit more enclosed in the woods – I've done that in truly shocking weather and still had a blast 🙂

Never chopped my dog and he was fine.

Good for you – you were lucky then 🙂

I always thought hip dysplasia came on in later life for most dogs?

.

Hip dysplasia is something they're born with. It's just that a lot of dogs don't suffer any actual symptoms until later in life (secondary arthritis etc)

"Hip Dysplasia" as such simply refers to an inherited instabilty in the joint because of a ligament weakness. There are varying degrees and most are manageable with conservative treatment. The really important things being controlled excercise to build the muscles up and being Really careful about his weight. Even really bad cases can be effectively managed with surgery (especially if insured/money isn't a problem!). If that's what he's got, it not necessarily a big problem.

May not be that though – may just be a "sprain". Xrays don't always give you the answer but they're a logical next step. I'm sure your vet will go through it all with you at the time.

Oh god – you're back on the drugs aren't you 😯

I bet you are really 😉

We were there. Not quite sure where though(I just tend to follow the people who know round there).

Just mucking around on the DH runs most of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine 🙂

Love the dhf on the front. Haven't tried the rear though I'm afraid. I believe they're quite draggy but plenty of grip?

Sun and just the odd puddle at the FoD today 🙂

Not sure yet – might travel down and visit my Bro at the same time. Is it worth the travel down?

lol @ allthepies – nice 🙂

MussEd – I was thinking exactly the same. Doesn't really bother me but it's not rocket science is it 🙄

I love the brand loyalty guys but if the same model of bike kept breaking/snapping/delicately cracking on me I would still start asking myself if I'd bought the wrong bike for the sort of riding I do.

Its not broken its cracked and he keeps an eye on his bike so no issue.
If the head tube suddenly broke off when you knwo you hadn't done anything major then thats would be a good time to move on.

That's like saying it's ok I haven't broken my leg, I've only fractured it and I'm keeping and eye on it so it should be fine 😉

I love my bike to bits – never ridden a better one and was absolutely gutted when I found a crack. Warranty service was fantastic and I had a new bike within a couple of weeks. I was still without my full susser for 2 weeks though and it's still a concern that it's going to happen again.

Just my opinion though obviously 🙂

Starting to vanish? He disappeared from sight a long time ago. Amazing how he still sounds so clear on the Radio!!

Peterpoddy – Ironically enough, I was worried about the carbon bits of my E-5 but it was the aluminium main frame that cracked….replaced by Whyte with a brand new e-120 within a week I might add 🙂

Sorry but I do find it funny that you've broken the bike 4 times and still like it 😉 . I reckon after the 3rd break I'd be thinking it's not the bike for me and selling/replacing.

Commendable warranty though 🙂

Jonb – If you're in Newcastle, it would still be a trek but you can visit their warehouse for a fitting. Probably be worth it if you're in any doubt.

Not that it helps but I'm 6ft, 31" inside leg and I got a large with 110mm stem – seems to fit me about right. I do think it would be a bit jittery with a much shorter stem though.

Give them a ring or email them – they're normally pretty good with advice and now the chaos of the current offer has calmed down a bit they should be more accessible 🙂

Stuartie_c – love the eggs comment and I aggree about the Time option-all I've run for years. Unfortunately your criticism re the unclipping when you **** the under-side goes for times too-the two plates are linked and I've come unclipped a few times. You do have to really hit the bottom one hard though 🙂

Anything BUT egg beaters – seen too many riders at races with bare spindles and a pedal in one hand!

Spooky! I rode rhayader for the second ever time today-seemed rude not to with a day off and such dry conditions.

I got to the top of what looked like a fun descent, rounded the corner and that top photo jumped out at me 🙂 edit: without the rider obviously!

Tiz a cracking descent!

Davy – that's some quite generous cable routing you've got going on there. And I think you might crash if you're light sits at that angle 😉

Nice bike though – there's a reason they're so popular (I don't ride one but everyone else I ride with seems to)

Well, it's funny you should mention that but yes – it is mainly for the black stuff. It's amazing how much better you can see when your eyes aren't streaming or being bombarded with flies 🙂

Rich – I had a look after I dropped my bike on my new Xen (Oops!). With the replacement discount they give you, you're right – it bring the price in line with online retailers.

Might as well buy a new one and keep the "souvenir" 😉

Adidas sunnies come in normal and wide sizes

Really? Interesting – I'll have a look and see what's about. Cheers 🙂

Peterpoddy – Funny you should mention the Madisons – I found a pair at Penmachno a couple of weeks ago. When no-one clained them I tried them on and was suprised to find they did fit reasonably well – I think it's the very soft bridge pad 🙂 .

That was actually the trigger for this thread as I was wondering if there were any alternatives around (not wanting to be a fashion snob/victim at all – it would be nice to get some with better lenses 😉 )

edit – in fact, looking at that link you posted, I think I had a set of those about 15 years ago 😯 . They were the last glasses I bought – must've been around for AGES!

Oh no – can of worms re-opened 😯

How's he doing? Is he out of hospital yet? He needs to get on here whilst recovering 🙂

You'll be fine without a triple, just get some miles in and you'll forget about it

Yeah – I'm not really worried about it at this stage. It's not like it would've given a much lower gear – just a bit of a shock to the system not having the ultra-low granny gear to fall back on for the long climbs.

It'll make me work a bit harder on the climbs anyway 🙂