Replaced cracked forks and 2 spokes.

Don’t go!! It’s getting harder for the regulars to book up :)

Sorry – no photo but I hope you all enjoyed the cheers you got!

4 days in Swaledale for me. I’m more than happy I spent 6 hours on Cote de Grinton Moor for “30 seconds of action”. The whole atmosphere from cheering on kids riding their bikes up the hill to a gorilla chasing a girl waving a banana was fantastic. The 3 mountain bike rides with a great bunch of friends on the surrounding days made the trip even better. Then there was the beer … the food … the large outdoor TV .. the band :)

I have brackets fixed to the wall, 3 of them have rings fixed to the wall to chain them to. Still room for the car which does stay in the garage when it’s not used.

I’ll even drop the roof on a sub-zero day. Put the heater on full and wear a hat. It’s way warmer and more comfortable than riding a bike.

Had mine done at Optimax about 15 years ago. Don’t remember which procedure it was but recovery was painful and in those days they would only do one eye at a time. I don’t regret it at all. Apparently it’s much easier now.

I took an instant dislike to Windows 8 the first time I used it. Since then I’ve bought a touchscreen laptop and it works really well. I wouldn’t have it without a tocuhscreen.

Just booked for later in the year. Coincidentally (or maybe not) the same week as SimonR.

I’ve been twice and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great hotel and great riding.

“it only gets 44mpg, which I don’t think is that good really. And only driving at 70-80.”

Maybe drive within the speed limit?

I put my reading glasses on (which I rarely use) and still struggled with some of it.

Daughter were really good last weekend. Really disappointed that London Grammar have cancelled Monday’s show in Newcastle but still got Deap Vally to look forward to.

I’ve used Clarkes recently and they have been quiet with good stopping power. Not really had them long enough to test longevity.

I saw it last night. Similar views to Shibboleth, not sure if I enjoyed it or not. It was certainly one of the more original films I’ve seen.

Good to see The Joy Formidable getting a couple of mentions but I’ll go for “If you wait” by London Grammar.

Excellent album out this week, going to see them in Newcastle.

My interpretation is a total of 32kg for bike in a bag and a piece of hold luggage. If I stick to that then I know I won’t have problems.

Try one of these: http://www.7dayshop.com/7dayshop-vehicle-bike-action-digital-video-camera-with-8gb-microsd-record-your-journeys?backUrl=L3Bob3RvLXZpZGVvLXN1cHBsaWVzL3N0aWxsLXZpZGVvLWNhbWVyYXM=
It does the job once you point it high enough.

Once I was into my 30’s I seemed to get too many injuries playing football and wanted something involving exercise to replace it. 20 years later I’m still riding bikes.
Funnily enough I started playing football again in my 40’s and have just retired from it again.

Mine dates back to 08. Not really super light, it weighs about 28lbs but is great to ride. Like many others I have 120mm forks. It’s a great cross country bike, lovely through singletrack.

I think dropper posts are more relevant to XC bikes as the gradient changes more frequently. If you’re riding in, say the Alps, where there are long climbs and long descents it’s easy enough to adjust a normal seatpost at the top or bottom.
Go with whatever you fancy.

I’ll go with BoardInBob. The convertibles I’ve had have all had good insulated roofs that fit well and are very weatherproof. I also drive with the roof down in winter, the heater works well. Just means I have to ignore various hand signals and comments!
The Saabs, Mercedes and Audis should be equally good in winter as summer.

I’ve used Bettablast too. Quick service and good results at a very reasonable price.

I’ve been to both Riviera Bike (twice) & Switchbacks. I loved Riviera and will happily go back when I can. The trails and hotel are great. The last time I was there there was a guiding issue but Jo bent over backwards to help us.
With Switchbacks – riding was great, but accommodation was poor. Big guiding issues, sometimes 1 guide to close on 20 riders. No intention to go back especially when Ciclo Montana is way, way better and uses similar trails.

Jack White took a professional photographer on tour with him who published the photos on a website and we could download for free. Still didn’t stop everyone but it was an improvement.

At a Bjork concert the audience were asked not to take photos and enjoy the show. As far as I could tell everyone respected it. Mind you, it was quite a small, intimate venue so they would have stood out quite a bit.

Karmann Ghia for me. Had a ’67 coupe and a ’70 cab in the past.

I was with them for the 4th time last week. Still great! The hosts are excellent as is the riding.
The little pool is really nice but wouldn’t be useable as early as March.

I have the 64gb Playbook. You don’t need a Blackberry in order to use it. It’s great for web browsing. I can store loads of music and photos on it. The image and speakers are really good. It came with Maps installed, a basic word processor and a spreadsheet. It has cameras front and rear for still pics and video.
A big advantage over an iPad is that it has USB connectivity so connecting it to a PC is a doddle.
There are loads of apps available for it.
I’d happily recommend one!

Hope tools for me too. The one for pushing the rear seal back in makes that part easy too.

I’ve got what most people think is a flash car but I’m in my 50’s now :) does that mean I don’t appear to be a “****”?

In the past I’ve bought Heckler and Superlight frames. Both of them came with a shock pump and a chain stay protector.

As for the question about removing the bearings with the Santa Cruz tool. It’s simple but clever. The funny end bit fits in through outside of the bearing, the drift pushes through from the other side and expands the funny end bit which grips the bearing from both sides. The same process works for both bearings.

I have a saris rack which fits on the boot lid great. The bike sits at about 45 degrees, the number plate and lights aren’t covered and I can still open/close the roof.

Can’t we just support Froome?

I decided to be cautious and bought the tools, figured it would still be cost effective compared to paying a shop and safer. The frames aren’t cheap after all.

Been with both Switchbacks and CicloMontana. I’ll stick with Ciclo.

I make sure my bike in its bag and my hold luggage come to under 32kg. Keeps it simple at the airport and means I can still carry it all! Handy when the Malaga trolley staff have been on strike.

Chester-le-Street here. Waldridge Fell is good although the council don’t like people on bikes there. Cong Burn, Beamish Woods and Ousbrough Woods all good fun. Then for easy stuff the old railway paths are good.

I’m very happy with the Samsung LED tv I have. Blacks are much blacker than my old LCD. Get one with built-in HD freeview. There are only a few channels but the picture is better again.
They also use less power than LCD or Plasma screens.