Olly, I can't see any easy way to hook up the cranks and frame without re-designing the afline hub shell….. mmmm has got me thinking though.

Kind of a retort to stuartie_c's excellent chain picture (really like it). Not the same quality of image by a long shot but brought a tear to my eye.

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That video is scarey, I know it's unlikely but imagine if you looked down and saw your rotor glowing like that!

Comparison Table here reckons wet (with water contamination) dot 4 will boil at 311 degrees.

Mmmm, interesting.

Anyone ever got dot 5 to boil?

Nothing but good stuff to say about 5 quid hosts[/url]. You can do a basic site with them for free, just to try it out essentially. The minute you have any serious traffic or need a bit more space you will have to upgrade but their charges are very reasonable.

You can do an awful lot on their £5 a year plan and their support is great. (admitedly I have a reseller plan with them that is £150 a year).

I am a Product Designer / Engineer and have been using Solidworks for the past 9 (god is it that long) years. If you don't want to do detailed engineering and are more interested in creating beatifully shaped surfaces then don't bother looking at Solidworks / Pro-E / Inventor. They are great packages but restrict your creativity a little when it comes to organic shapes.

I have been toying with the idea of buying a seat of "Autodesk Alias Design" it looks really powerful. Especially like the idea of using it with a wacom tablet to colour in my 3d models. It appears to be a bit like a cross between 3ds max and illustrator/photoshop.

I also use hypershot to render up my designs. Can make a model look sexy very quickly and really impresses my clients. Has helped me win a few jobs just because I can turn them round so quick.

The image below was modelled in Solidworks and rendered in hypershot. Modelling work 1-2hours, hypershot materials work 30mins plus 30mins to do a 3megapixel render.
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If it is just prospecting for jobs and you want to do engineering related stuff then learn solidworks.
If you want to pick up more furniture work off your own back then get skilled up in something that will help you attract new clients.
If you want to do film work then maya is a must.

Good luck Ti29er, I'll see you near the back as well… at least for the first few laps.

I have entered them all in the 4hour format.
70th in the 1st event, only managed to ride for 3 hours!
50th in the 2nd event which I almost got tempted into doing an extra lap on.

If I can manage to squeeze into the top 35 on Sunday I will be very pleased with my progress. They have been great winter training especially as I have been able to ride to the start of the 1st two…. I only live a few miles away.

If I were you I would enter the 4hour and then try and ride at a slow enough pace that you can manage to do all 4 hours. Just by keeping going for the full duration you will end up in the top 2/3rds of your category.

Is there anything to indicate that they gradually improve over time?

I spotted someone else on the web had decided to drill through to remove the rivets and replaced them with bolts. Interesting idea but an X0 might prove the better long term option.

Duplicate post – removed

rootes1 – yes top gear (smallest sprocket). Spring appears reasonably strong. Also swing arm has T25JUN09 printed on it. So looks like an 09 rear mech with stiff / tight pivots.
Who's to say I won't end up with a worse example after warranty.

Shop have offered to send it back to fishers for me under warranty. Problem is I have a race on Sunday – Think I will work it this evening as per Dancakes tip and then get the warranty replacement next week.

Just not sure how much I trust Evans I had to bully the sales guy to get him to agree to warranty it! His initial line was to charge me for a gear mech service.
The bike is less than 3 months old BTW

Unfortunately not mk1fan, the mech moves freely for all but the last few mm a gentle nudge can encourage the top gear position, but it definitely needs help.

Don't think so… It was a candid shot, just took some pictures of people riding round the forest trails and if they turned out nice asked them if they minded me entering the pics in the competition.

Mr Tall, that is a complete bargain on the GripShifts. Wish that halfords was near me.

Toons/Tang
My bike is a Cannondale Taurine 4 with upgraded wheels(717 rims XT rear hub hope front) and cranks (XT). Everyting else as stock.

Competition was run by Hampshre County Council and the brief was "cycling is fun"
Not one of my best cycling pictures but is fulfils the brief.

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Mmm, this must be the adult equivalent of a kid in a candy store.

Flickr[/url]

alpin, removing his wetsuit and towelling him dry in the back of your van…. :-0

I have been out the last 2 days in the Tunnel Hill area. You have to stick to the well used paths and underused raods. Anything which hasn't seen a few vehicles is simply too deep to cycle on. Even following beind the loggers 4×4's in the forest was very difficult as the wheels kept digging in to the deep snow.

Also the depth of snow was putting so much in the rear cassette that it kept freezing and freewheeling in both directions.

Could spay a white paint line on the ground and trye to see if they actually move.

How do you eat cheese in Wales?

Caerphilly

Used the same system in Montreal, works really well. Just hop on an available bike and ride to your destination. Dock the bike. Perfect.

Warton, fastenings swivel so you can put them on easily.

Onzadog, discout for STW members?
Only doing specials for mates… You will just have to content yourself with knowing you have one of only 30 pairs in exsitence (until I make some more).

Thanks for all the positive responses.
The website is up, so you can now all complain about the price.

I am just about to post a pair off to Mark@STW (apparently he has gone home sick). So fingers crossed they will review them this week… Will send suitable sweetener as per Brother Will's suggestion.

Also sending off another batch to the plater so I have more than 15 pairs to sell.

Thanks for the suggestions of sites to sell on. May consider them if my own site is a complete flop.

solamanda, not sure how. I have to buy shimano chains to make them as long as I market them generically all should be fine. It probably won't event figure on the big S's radar.

Very positive thanks guys. If STW review them for me then that would be cool. If push comes to shove I will take out one of their trade classified ad things.

I am not expecting to make millions, I have just started up my own design consultancy and this was a way of generating a little cash to help fund some of the kit I need.

If you like wearing fancy shirts, they hold your cuffs together.

Cheers flash. If I get my act together they might make this weeks "fresh goods".

Don't want to fall foul of the singletrack trading rules so you will have to hang on till then.

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Unlikely to be available in the shops, limited production run only. I don't have time to make very many. Will probably sell direct to people through a website I am building. Once the site is up the plan was to send a few pairs out of singletrackworld road.cc and other sites to generate a little intrest.

XT has better mud clearing ability IMO, but they are expensive.

… oh and it's not like it's muddy at the moment.

Cut bottom off it, put a couple of holes in it to hand it by. you can then use it as a handy plastic bag dispenser.

I am guessing the red bit is just to stop the bolt losing itself. Just throw it away once fitted.

ooh, nice advice alwyn.
The situation I don't want to be in is them saying, that sounds great… leave it with us to discuss. As I know nothing will happen. I think fundamentally I may have to hand in my resignation.
I do like the idea of spelling out to them just how convenient it is for them, there isn't currently any exciting design work in the office, but when there is I am the only one who does the full package (concept through to production) so am certainly useful to have around. Couple that with the fact I know their systems (I wrote most of them), It is a win win for both parties.

Fingers crossed, will discuss with my wife (again).

Very tempted to just completely cut ties as I the first significant job they ask me to do will be worth more to my business then 3 months of part time.

Thanks for the goodwill geetee. To be honest it is probably the scariest thing I have done, but also very exciting.
Confident they will use me at some point in the future but tempted by the safety net of going part time. Just worried that the part time will mean I am unable to really get on with things business wise.

1 month notice preiod. So worst case they could get really pissed with me a give me gardening leave.

OK news from other half is;

he likes Old Poultney, and Talisker… or something unusual but
not too peaty…

Under £25 to spend. Will try an email to his misses to see what he likes.