2x tubes
1x puncture kit
1x pump
1x shock pump
chain quick link
multi tool with chain splitter
spoke key
chain lube
spare gloves
cheap plastic over coat (even if I set off wearing a coat)
spare neck tube buff thing
2l bladder for long rides, 500ml bottle for short.
a few gels and an energy bar.
Should add a first aid kit and foil blanket really.

All in the backpack all the time, so take on almost every ride unless I’m doing an hour in the local woods, then I only take my keys and phone (steel city run etc… in greno woods are only 15min walk from home).

I’d think the obvious benefit is that they’ll last forever like all hope products, you’d certainly get a better warranty than with Shimano…

My XT cranks have been on 4 bikes and are about 6 years old, and now need the bolts tightened right up so the plastic shim doesn’t move at all, and I’m sure they have a very slight “bend” in them (I can feel it when I ride other bikes – I say bend, but it’s more likely the splines wearing). The splines do look a little crushed, but I’d guess they’ll be ok for a few more years yet.

If hope have done it right, they have removed this issue at least. I’d still buy them over XTR to be honest, and we’ll have to see how much that RRP drops on CRC.

I had some RC39 forks a few years bike, they where stupid light, but very linear. When I serviced them and pulled the legs off the stanchions, I couldn’t believe how stiff the bridge was.

I always wanted that frame to go with the forks…

EDIT: the DT forks aren’t the same, the pace forks lower legs where one piece of carbon with magnesium drop outs bonded on. The crown was hollow magnesium too.

Is this still going on! ;P I’ve not got anything to do with it (never have, and probably never will enter one), but as it’s t’internet, I’ll throw an opinion in the hat!

I think the bottom line is, if you want to enter Steve’s events, you have to go by his rules unfortunately.

How they can make you take out PI insurance is a bit grey, but having it is not a bad idea, and would hope most riders would decide to do that on their own (but if not, that’s ok too, your body and all that), especially if they are racing the full series.

I don’t really understand how they can enforce you getting PI cover from any other insurer that the one recommended though…are they going to phone up the insurer of every competitor and ask “does this cover PI for riding our event?” Or do you have to get a cert specifically showing that your covered for gravity MTB races?

FFS…..

Not usually. You just have to throw yourself into it and crack on. it makes the day go faster, and you enjoy it more.

Not that I spend all day on STW…. 😳

I’ve got a Cannondale bad boy thing, it’s awful! One of these –

It’s the longest, stiffest, heaviest pile of black aluminium ever invented! After 4 winters is quite rusty now and needs some money spending on it… maybe time for an upgrade.

Mrs Greno is a Dentist. I can tell you being a dentist sounds worse than going to the dentist…. rather her than me. 😕

Hoffman! What a legend.

You may have a tough time getting a square taper BB out of the frame if it’s been in there for a few years…

The external type BB are much better. The XT BB you’ve got may only last a year though, replace it with hope when the time comes (mine has been on four bikes, and is 7 years old now, still going strong!!).

We did some work on the roof of Guys Hospital Tower across the road, not quite as high as the viewing platform, but you can see a LONG way.

The cat seems just as confused about him holding a big fish as I am! (“what the **** is the human up to now… FFS.”)

Either that, or the cat is plotting to get the fish…

Sounds good to me tbh… If It works! Cheap trackers have been around for ages for motorbikes, and they’re usually crap.

I can see commuters using them.

Maybe he’s already smarter than us lot, who have been miserable working 40hours a week for the last 15/20/30 whatever years…

As someone else has mentioned, its easy to turn down better paid jobs if you have Friday afternoons at your current job (as I do). Think I’d rather be poor than stay away 5 days a week. Our installers have to drive from Sheffield to London, ready to be on site at 8AM Monday, work the week away then drive him in the Friday rush. Oh, and occasionally they need to drive from London to Glasgow mid week and do half a days work, then back to London for the end of the week. Not much of a family life really…

I’m guessing the tea reason is that he’s got it cushy at home.

Thanks for the advice. I think the superlight will do, I may take the dropper off and put a longer stem on for the day, but probably not.

Looking forward to doing some specific training.

The surly is surprisingly fast and comfy with big, soft tyres though.

I’ve got the same issue with Surly tugnuts on both sides of my Surly KM.

I’m just going to take the one off the disc side.

Ha ha, yea, those suits look a tad warm!

I think I’ll see how I go, guess I’ll know after doing a few long days in the spring which bike would be best.

I can always pop a suspension fork on the surly if needs be.

I can answer this!

Commercial bearings are type tested. This means they are made in very high numbers, and only a percentage are taken out and tested. in short, this keeps bearing costs down. They fail sometimes, and not all bad bearings can be caught at the manufacturing stage.

So basically, it happens, get over it.

And before you suggest they should use better bearings, no bearing company tests every single commercial bearing they manufacture, maybe the one offs they make for special projects, otherwise your hope hubs would cost a few hundred pounds more.

The load will be going in the opposite direction to the side you have filed. I doubt it would just fail. You may develop a crack from the threads to the filed bit over time, but a longer bolt should help.

One thing I don’t buy is that he shouldn’t be able to work because being a football player is a “high profile” job. I’m not into football, and I can count the names I know on one hand (probably all for bad stuff they’ve done).

Among football fans, yes he will be high profile (and more hated than liked), but I’m not sure why this has anything to do with his conviction… he’s not a teacher of doctor, he kicks a ball around a field for a living. Being back at a club won’t suddenly give him access to loads of vulnerable women.

I think there’s a bit of “he’s a convict, so it’s not fair for him to earn tonnes of money a year while I earn peanuts” going on.

Either way, I don’t care much because he does sound like a ****t. I just don’t like the media controlling anything.

I think the question is, are convicted criminals rehabilitated by doing the time the courts set out for them to do, or not.

If not, our whole legal system is pointless and any convicted criminal may as well be put to death.

If yes, why can’t he go back to his profession?

I don’t like the guy, but what the sponsors and media have done to him is wrong.

Surly frames ride nice and are tough. 27.2 seat posts though…. (good for comfort, bad for droppers).

I had a maxlight xc pro 2, with a carbon rear triangle, it was super smooth, but wouldn’t take a pounding like a BFE or similar.

I’m looking to do away with my commuter frame – a cannondale badboy 26″ – a super heavy, super stiff, horrible lump of alu. Still searching for a nice cheap 26″ steel frame I can just swap the bits over to (v mounts, rack mounts, guard mounts and a steel rigid fork).

^^^^ FFS, this forum can be funny. 😆

That sucks, hope you get better soon.

If they’ve already said steady cycling is ok, I’d go with that for now, play it safe and don’t push it too hard, too soon. Take your MTB out, but go steady.

Some easy downhill trails (taken nice and slow) and a very slow granny ring climbs up fire paths should be ok. at 13.5 stone, I’m sure 22×34 gearing at a low cadence would get you up most fire paths without much more effort than walking it.

Currently, sitting at work waiting for the gaffer to give up and let us go home! (We’re all doing our best to look as un-busy as possible too).

Generally, pigging out, presents, being happy, no work. Christmas is great. 🙂

I though we where on about this new on one –

(WTF is that??? 😯 )

Linko

well, being an unsophisticated northerner, I love mince pies, and I’m not to concerned if they’re made by Heston or Mr supermarket, they’re all good.

I haven’t got a contract now…. only worked here 5 years.

There’s Nothing gnarly about cutgatr

Although drinking filtered sheep’s piss is a bit weird.

+1 for me again (and this goes for all sheep piss, everywhere) 😉 😉

I can’t imagine one bloke (or a hundred for that matter) riding in the rain is going to ruin it forever.

+1 for me (and this goes for all trails, everywhere).

Thanks guys, all makes sense. I’ll give it a go when I’m next out (on Wednesday hopefully).

Ta jekkyl. Saddle is low (Thomson dropper).

Sounds silly, but I was a decent BMX rider through my teens, and I’ve always hated suspension, but love my rigid steel MTB because I can place wheels where I want. I can clear really tech stuff easier on the rigid than the full sus, but it’s pretty slow going…

I do tend to try and lift/lighten the front on the Superlight, and ease my bike over stuff. As you say, maybe I should trust the bike to deal with stuff more…

There’s no better feeling on a bike than manualing. 🙂

Bunny hops over/onto stuff in to manuals are even better!

(that said, I can’t do it on a MTB now, but as a teenager everything was fair game on the BMX)

^ has he got ping pong balls in his cheeks?

Edit, one above, the green-un with the nappy.

Go see your dentist if it continues.

No redundancies this year, but we did last year. I’m the only guy in my department, and I was quite pissed (off) it had come up before xmas, so I volunteered and told the MD it wasn’t on. They didn’t accept though (probably had something to do with the few million £ worth of projects I was doing the design work on at the time).

this year said MD is being pushed out by the parent company. 🙂

I’d go with the burning buildings thing personally. 😛

Catching thieving scrotes does sound like fun.

Been a few weeks now.. I’m bored and spending more and more time on STW. 🙂 Only Monday and Tuesday to go though. 🙂 🙂