FC – we'd be lost without you looking after us all. :-)

Thanks for that – knew there was *something* I was supposed to be doing between curry and waking up tomorrow morning…! Have you sussed out which way it is yet though…?

Blackburn Mars 4 shines red at the back and amber at the side.

+1 for the ankle bands, too. I have a broad and varied range (sadly), but the Aldi ones that are reflective yellow with stretchy & velcro to hold them on – and 3 or 4 red LEDs that flash – and the £4 for four includes batteries too.

You could try fitting a Forward Components EBB[/url] or an Excentriker with your XT cranks – much neater than a tensioner (am I right in thinking the Hummer's got vertical dropouts?) Then just stick a set of spacers and a nice fat cog on the back and you're off.

Not tried it mind, but it would be the way I'd go if I had a vertical dropout frame and wanted it SS. Don't forget to take the mechs, levers and cables off too! :wink:

The ride style and geoemtry more than make up for the fact that they're not mega light. Anyway – it's not supposed to be a featherweight race iron; they're absolutely unbeatable for the money and you're not putting much kit on it as it's a SS anyway.

I'm waiting for my new slot dropout frame to turn up so I can build the kit off the sliding dropout one onto it. For £135, it's about 3 times what a powder coat job on the old one would have cost, but then I'd have got the canti bosses taken off, and a few other things and it would have cost the same – so I'm more than quids in. Like dangerousbeans says – what have you got to lose if you hate it (and you won't) – £50? Worth a punt.

I've always mounted my battery at the rear of the top tube – just in front of the seat tube. On the Inbred it sits against one of the cable stops quite nicely, but on the Anthem X, because of the triangular shaped tube, it's not such a great fit. Still works fine though. I think I did it because I couldn't be arsed winding all the (long) cable around stuff, and my old Hope lights that I use on the winter bike have never sat too comfortably velcroed somewhere around the stem (it changes every time I take the Hope battery pack off and put it back on).

The battery on the DX is relatively light, there's loads of velcro on the flap and like I say, I do think those two black plastic rectangular loops are the failsafe. I just spiral the cable once around the top tube to take up the slack. So saying, I've not put it on the carbon road bike yet for fear of scratching it…

clicky

it's excellent – well worth a punt.

I'm not sure there's a strap missing – IIRC, you loop one of the rectangular plastic bits through the other bit as a failsafe – it's the velcro that actually holds it on (or at least that was how it was explained to me by someone wiser than I on here when I got mine a few months back.)

Does anyone know if the green light changes colour as the charge drops? I've not gone far / long enough yet to see…

A gift avoids fees but there's no buyer / seller protection. It therefore relies on a large element of trust between both parties.

Thanks Stoner! Thought never crossed my mind… lol. :-)

That's a bit more comforting Barry – I think she's been paying about that, at that kind of frequency. I guess you're paying for someone's skill…

aha – so that's what it's for! I'll go ferret in the garage.

I'm still not tempted to do it myself – it's just that I was at a framebuilder's a couple of months back who was extolling (sp?) the virtues of 'handbuilt wheels with normal spokes' – as opposed to those fancy dan factory ones – and that you stood a fighting chance of truing them instead of binning the factory ones. I thought it a little extreme at the time… :?

Mini hijack re: DHB tights – how well / accurately do they size up please (out of interest). They also have two types, I think – the Earnley and the slightly dearer Merston – any preference? Cheers.

SRAM do do specific ones that match the actuation of the Shimano mechs – I think they're the Attack and Rocket shifters – one of which is also available as a twist grip. I ran some Attack shifters that worked very nicely with an XT rear mech recently.

I don't know what would happen if you ran, say, an X9 or similar with a Shimano mech though.

I like it a lot – there's a really good feeling about coming home and seeing the sun just starting to rise above the hills.

Oh my eyes. Why have I wasted a chunk of last night and tonight reading this?

Most of my conversations (when I'm riding on my own) tend to be with the sheep, cows, birds, rabbits – anyone who'll listen really.

They never say much back, but I did have a sheep smile at me once. I think.

+1 for the baa baa. I've had Howies (and like it) and Icebreake (nothing special but not bad either) but I do like the Endura one a lot.

They are most certainly made at the same factory in the far east as other, more overtly marketed / branded ones…

Just have a quick look on eBay as they have their own shop, but when I got my alu ones (for my winter on-road, rigid mtb) they were cheaper in their own web shop – they seem to have different deals on from time to time. They seem fine, though I've not really used them much in anger yet.

Was at the Manchester Fort Blacks this morning – it was like a jumble sale. However, if you can bear it, they have everything discounted by at least 50% – incl. Icebreaker merino, maps, hydration packs etc. Pretty grim atmosphere in there as you might expect, but goes with the territory I suppose. Poor sods who work there.

I might just drop her a line… thanks for the info. Have you a pic of your frame with it on?

That's very nice, Kuko. Do you think it would cover up the Yorkshire rose on the new Inbreds? Were they mega bucks…?

I got an email from OnOne – as well as the paypal one – for my new green slot drop Inbred. How many days before it gets here then…? Not like I've not got another bike I could be riding, but it's still exciting (to me, anyway).

My Northwave road and MTB shoes are the same 'size' (as in the number on them) as my old Pearl Izumi and Shimano ones, but the difference is, they're comfy and fit my slightly wide feet. They've made as much difference to my enjoyment of cycling over the last year than almost anything since I found them.

Get to Evans, try them on, then buy them with their price promise against the online research you'll have done before you left the house.

Um; I just seem to have ordered it. Got Mrs gtth to have a look at the Hope hubs currently on the white frame, and we reckon the new green's a shiny version of the green on the Finish Line wet lube bottles, and it didn't look so bad when we put the two together.

All very high tech stuff.

I'll post up a pic for you all to rip to pieces next month when it lands. Can't wait – it might even look really nice.

Seeing as planet On One have no QR chain tugs in stock, can anyone else recommend one I can use on it?

It's only hubs, seat clamp, skewers & the self extracting bolts on the Middleburns that's blue – everything else is silvery, blacky, plain. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…?

Just can't tell if the 'advice' is you lot taking the mick so I end up with a gopper… :-)

True, dropoff – I never clean the thing anyway, so it'll be dust / crap coated pretty quick.

ourmaninthenorth – Member

Hope so, Mike – but you'd better not be pulling my leg…

No, but I think it's part of his contract with Shedfire….

Bah – I thought I smelt a rat! :-)

I guess herein lies the problem* / height of fashion* (delete as applicable):

+

But then what do I know?

Hope so, Mike – but you'd better not be pulling my leg…

that's what I'm worried about..! 8O

+1 for the Phat bar tape. What I've done is put the pads on the tops and around the hoods area, but not on the drops. It does add a bit of weight but is worth it in my opinion. The tape itself is good quality too.

Poxwell (in Dorset) – pronounced 'Pokes' not 'Pox. That's not far from a small village called Warmwell.

There's Wincle near Macclesfield and a hill called Andrew's Knob just above Bollington.

How old are we…?! :oops:

Peover – as mentioned by marsdenman – has two variants – including Over Peover, which is now called something like Peover Superior…

I think you need this book:

Hours of endless fun! They have many others to their name as well – all available from Amazon…

I think they're just the burnt ones from the expensive shops, but they're proper nice and only 34p / pack. Oh; +1 on the Bourbons as well, and the Dark choc hobnobs, and the fig rolls, and the…

:P

I'm just under 5' 11" and have a medium Anthem X, running a 90mm stem and a Deus XC post. The bike came with a layback post, which probably gave a slightly better position. I do find it comfy on long rides – I have fairly wide bars too, and run a 100 – 130 fork (though never at 130 – typically 115 max). It feels good and planted, but with a decent amount of standover.

matthewjb – would you mind emailing me please (if you see this) as I'm now considering a 2nd hand Gaggia and would appreciate picking your brains a bit please… cheers.

I was sorely tempted to start a thread like this today, having witnessed it on a hike in the hills this morning, and a ride around where I live later on – I just don't get it. I'm sick to death of it; it seems to be becoming more and more 'popular' (for want of a better word) – yet these are people who clearly have some sort of connection with being in / enjoying the outdoors, yet their polution of it is quite gross.

I just can't understand the behaviour of the few that ruin it for the many and it's such an unpleasant thing to see. I don't know what can be done about it though.

I'll let you know where to send my 10% commission, Colnago-kid! :wink:

Best of luck – let us know how you get on with them. Crazy world!

They should both work fine TBH – OnOne, Cotic are the same as well. I have a 29.8mm Spank seatpost collar for sale at the mo, if you're interested. Worked great on my Inbred – replaced it for the same but in a different (more pimpy!) colour…

Yup, world's definitely gone mad – they're at £186 now with a couple of hours to go.

I'll say it again: check your lofts and sheds!!!! Who needs to play the lottery with that kind of market for old tyres?! 8O

Here you go.

clicky

Works well for me :-)

Try using some of that Pace grease that has the stuff in it to allow you to reduce the clamp pressure that's required – you'll find your post stays in place with most half decent seat clamps that way. I'll try and find out what it's called and put a link up to it.