Did the The South Downs Way overnight once, was mental. Especially when the dear leapt out in front of me.

I use the same light I use for night riding off road (on a low setting with the lamp aimed downwards) + wheel reflectors and also some 3M Scotchlite Black reflective tape on the frame (my road hack is black). Less faff than having an extra light just for road riding, also dirt cheap.

Large Cotic Solaris ticks all of those boxes geometry wise- their bikes tend to be long and low. It’s nearly 1lbs heavier though.

Mosaic XS-1 crossbike. True Temper OX. This colour scheme is iffy but it’s custom so…

Every plastic bikey doodad known to man hanging from one frameset.

Steel Konas from 81-95 were fairly unremarkable bikes in almost every way.

Dunno though. Those ’82 Explosifs with the lugged 531 frames were pretty rad for their time.

Seems pitched at affluent non-cyclists.

Love it. Needs a Ti stem tho.

Some people go a size smaller for the added crotch clearance as CX bikes have a higher BB + fatter tyres so less standover. Worth noting that some CX frames have a longer top tube per given size to increase the wheelbase for added stability.

Shift quality isn’t the issue: you have to change two or three cogs at the back at the same time to maintain cadence.

Which is really easy. I have it stored in muscle memory now.

Even XTR (or DA) isn’t light, but it will last 10+ years, unlike cranks marketed as being light.

What he said.

Problem with this is that 11t is blooming useless, it’s almost just a spacer. Even pros with decent mechanics seem to have problems with jumping chains on the 11t. I certainly wouldn’t be using it on a regular basis.

Running a small ring / small sprocket combo on Shimano 11 speed groupsets is a crossed chain, big ring + smallest sprocket is fine. Have a look at the chainline next time you have a 6800 or 5800 equipped bike in front of you.

True, but the 16T gap between the rings is really annoying.

6800 is so slick I enjoy changing gear more often.

Remember the weight savings come from using an external BB + two piece crank design. Those old square and octolink BBs were very heavy. Weigh both assemblies and you’ll see the difference.

Most performance LED lights are overkill for the road. If you need really need a bright light for off-road or poorly lit sections of your journey then I’d suggest putting it on a low power setting and angling it downwards so it doesn’t shine directly at oncoming traffic.

Personally I’d avoid the faff and go with a 28 tooth cassette which will work with a short cage rear mech. My Utergra 34/50 + 11-28 combo gets me up anything. Probably the lowest you’d want to go on a lightweight road bike.

Fine hacksaw and and old stem as a guide. Once you’ve finished cutting, leave the stem on and use a flat metal file to remove the excess.

Maxxis Beaver XC. I run a 2.0 but other widths are available. Works quite well in the Summer also.

Seems odd considering the number of used Heckers available in the US. It’d be easier/cheaper for the buyer to source one from there. Either the buyer is an idiot (stay clear) or a crook (stay clear).

Probably just paint but get it checked for peace of mind.

Still find a drop of Finnish Line Wet on every link the best. A lube will never be replacement for a proper cleaning routine. Avoid hosing your drive chain down if you can.

Used to run Conti Mountain Kings but found the compound too soft and they wore out after half a season. IRD are making a 32mm cross version of the XC Fire, that would suggest they are still good tyres.
http://www.interlocracing.com/tires/crossfire-700c-x-32mm-tire

Missed out on the GT thing as I was a Kona obsessive/skint student. Always enjoyed letching at the GTs in Edwards Cycles on Camberwell Road.

Open Office for Mac (free) and Apple Pages/Numbers/Keynote (also free with El Capitan) which I use.

For my off-road bikes then probably not, for my bling road bike – probably. Not sure what advantages they have over my Hope/Stans/Sapim Lasers for off road use.

Nah it was the Mountain Morph. They haven’t changed the design since 2007 when I bought it, so obviously a good design in the first place.

Thats the one. Perfect! Thanks chrishc777 🙂

The best section of the SDW is north of where you’re staying. Definitely take a mountain bike with you.

Trouble is it’s not on the owners, it’s on the person or animal they attack.

I’m not a dog or a dog owner hater BTW, just Collies. Every time I see one off the lead I’m either bitten or chased. There should be legislation in place regarding selling and breeding.

I really don’t think Border Collies should be kept as pets as they’re working dogs. People can’t control them and every time I see one there’s grief.

"Brighton Big Dog, the bike race with wasps' How many times did you get stung? I got stung on every lap. Still itching as we speak…

Good fun though.

I'm still using them.

Thanks for that! Totally pointless contraption and was out of date by the time it was commissioned but still totally awesome. The Vulcan was always my favourite when taken to airshows as a kid.

Waster. If you can genuinely by an Aston, you can afford an estate car as well.

Freedom Bikes in Brighton. They have frames dotted around the shop. Also do Intense and Cotic. No website though, definitely an old school bike shop. Have demo bikes.

Cut down on the beer; the best XC guys are the skinny ones. Also, 18 months isn't that long to get good at riding. Ditching the car and cycling everywhere is really good training.

I just bought a Cotic Soul after 6 years of riding a Mk1 Intense Tracer. I was fed up of really good bikers with technical skills on hardtails beating me both up and down the hills. The Cotic fits me really well and has a much lower BB height which has made me more confident on the technical stuff and the shorter wheelbase has made me king of the singletrack. It's really nice not to have the suspension wallow on every tight corner. Full sus will make you lazy and slack off learning the technical skills that your mates sound as if they have. If you want to improve your downhill performance, fit wider bars. The Inbred is a top bike, I'd hang on to it.

No, please tell us as I want to avoid shopping there at all costs. That's what these forums are for.

well…. carbon has a modulus of about 6.73 whereas plastic has one of around 7.02. My mate Colin runs plastic caps on the behind wheel and carbon on the fronty. You should see the grin on his face when he beats me up the hill by 0.0000372 seconds.