I'm with ski on the bosch rotack 40 if you decide on electric.

My Rebas came with a pushlock that I didnt ask for but I have found a way of using it that differs slightly from convention.

I have the lockout off for most if not all my riding, but I have set the blowoff valve to control my compression rate when locked out like mk1fan describes above. If I come across a perticually steep decent where my weight, regardless of how far back I get increases over the front wheel, I dont want the forks to dive under the load and pitch me forwards, so I will lockout the forks and let the blowoff control bumps instead.

The net effect of the lockout setup this way doesent actually lockout the fork but increases the compression dampening for when the compression over the front of the bike natuallay increases due to the pitch of the terain. I'm not sure it was designed for this, but it does work for me very nicely as the last thing I want when takeling very steep sections is for the fork to dive and my weight center to end up any further forwards.

Compression = dampens the rate at which the forks compress, more dampening helps prevent you blowing through all the travel easily, less dampening makes the fork feel plusher but you will dive more under braking and when you point downhill as you pointed out above.

Rebound = slows the rate which they extend, too fast and they feel like a pogo stick ready to spring you off, too slow and the forks will get shorter and compress down with quick sucsession bumps as they have no time to recover.

Positive air = basically just your spring strength, heavyer rider = more air. inflate to a pressure that gives the correct sag.

Negative air = this helps combat sticktion in the initial travel of the fork by effectivly changing the spring rate through the first inch or so of travel. The more negative air, the easyer the fork will compress at the begining of the stroke, less air and the force required to initiate travel will be slightly higher giving a stiffer fork. The trade off to having plusher forks with slightly more -ve pressure is that you will go through the first part of the forks travel easyer and dive more than if you have less negative air.

If you have a non poplock compression adjuster you can add a little compression dampening to slow the dive without locking the fork out. However, if your stuck with lockout on or off with a pushlock/poplock, you can lockout the fork and fettle the blowoff pressure to get a similar effect.

yup, sat in the first floor workshop with 70ish feet of panoramic windows overlooking the sunny green pastures wishing I finnished earlyer than 6. Still, I have a small job to do on the chiller units on the factory roof, so I may slap a little suncream on, take my ipod and have a nap in the sunshine while I'm there. Then I'll chuck my chain through the solvent bath as its looking a little gritty with all the dust on the loverly dry trails, before riding home via some slighlty unoficial jumps and berms I saw from the motorway the other day that have been built on some wasteland I pass close by. Life's not all that bad hey! 😀

661 knee pads for me too! Comfortable for all day riding and enough protection to ensure you dont skin your knees and smash your knee caps. Dont use them all the time, depends where I'm going, but I have no problem wearing them at trail centers or even give a shit what others think. Theres only one thing worse than the "downhill jump brigade" and thats the "I'm bullet proof and far to skilled for pads xc mince brigade".

I do tend to come off at least once on a good ride, I'm not overtly rubish at riding, but I do try stuff thats beyond my skill level in a bid to get a little better, and sometimes fail 😆

Today Ive bought: –

Xt shifters from Ribble cycles £50

Xt shadow rear mech £34

Xt front and rear brakes £65 each again from ribble

Some mayhem shorts for £30 from merlin

A saddle for my fiancée £16 from merlin

Some Welgo MG1’s from merlin £31.50

And a few other sundries like gear cables and shimano hose olives, headset spacers…you get the idea.

Building up a second bike with all my spares for My fiancée. Took her out for a bike ride pub crawl a few weeks ago on a borrowed bike and she’s hooked! This lots getting bolted onto a 2009 malt1 with some fox vans for her. Not bad for a starter bike I think

I had a pig butty! and very nice it was washed down with a stella too! Very good of them to lay a little food on 😀

They had few of the new mundarker bikes to demo (along with others), but I didnt dare try one out for fear of being succomb. Ive too many other expensive projects on at the min. Still spent £100 on bits and some cheap shorts for the missus. The 10% off was a nice penny saver and I'm very glad I went.

Choose any of the following: –

Because a MTB can go everywhere a road bike does, but a road bike cant go "off road".

Because road bikes arn't as practical for a paper round?

Because you cant jump a road bike

Because road bikes have very skinny slicks that arnt great in the winter, and used to have weak rims that would faint at the sight of a curb or pothole that our roads are infamous for.

Lets face it, MTB's are pretty versatile machines, unlike road bikes. BMX's however, I have no excuse for them 😕

jesus.. you lot are hilarious.

spokes have a LOT of strength in compression, provided they are pre-tensioned.

bikewhisperer, on the contrary, You are hilarious and slightly confused I fear.

Answer me this. Bike stationary, rider on the seat. The spoke that is vertical from the bottom of the wheel to the hub. Is this in tension or compression?

Have you no answer for this simple question? compression my arse

Sorry, late post, I see you have aswered this with nonsence! A relife in tension is not compresion, it is simply less tension.

I have the same trouble, and like you said the fashion at the minute is skiny weedy mincer boy jeans that sit so low they only just hide your hampton.

The last few pairs I've found to fit ok are some relaxed fit Jeff Banks from debenhams, and some worker jeans from Burtons that have loads of room in them and stil look quite smart when on, usefull side pockets too, but they arnt blue. http://www.burton.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=20553&storeId=12551&categoryId=178535&parent_category_rn=63408&productId=1352157&langId=-1

Gaps worker jeans are also good if you can find a colour you like, but they dont have much shape to them.

The best pair I have at the minute are some from Matalan of all places, G73 or something the branding. Again, loads of room in the thigh, with ankles that dont look like there shrunk on, a nice bit of shaping around the knee.

The best jeans only ever turn up when your not really looking. Even now Ive got 4 pairs on the go, and if I walk in a shop with the missus, ill head over to the jeans and just see what they've got and then stockpile them if I find anything. Ill gaurentee youll find nothing when you actually need a pair.

I have jumped the odd redlight myself in a car so I'd be a raving hypocrite if I banged on about bikes

😆 I thought it, but didnt dare admit it on here 😆

Ok, so I dont have a set of very expensive xtr calipers, but bearing in mind the xtr stuff is mechanically the same as the cheaper calipers just lighter the same principals should apply with what I did.

As I had little to loose, I popped the pistons out and gave them a very good clean but when that didnt work I used a brand new very fine sharpning stone to very gently and carefully stone down the piston circumfrance slightly to ensure there was no high spots or burs and to ever so very slightly reduce the diameter, were talking 0.0005" here. That was very succesfull and Ive had no further issues with my LX calipers since, no leaks, nothing for over 12 months.

shaggmiester +1. 95% of the time I stop at red lights as I dont want to look like a cock, upset others or endanger myself. But there are times when theres nout on the road at 4am on my way home, when I just think balls to it and go through, with no more danger than if I was crossing the junction by foot, It does nobody any harm and has no witnesses to upset.

That said, Ive seen loads of red light jumpers when I've been driving and I cant think of one time where they have done so dangerously. I sympathise with their hurry to get across a busy junction before the rest of the queing traffic set of and become a hazzard.

You should definatly chill out. I'd guess your more concerned about the damage being done to the image of cyclists than the fact the guy just sailed past you for being a jobsworth. However, think to yourself the good your doing by stoping at the light and drivers taking note that not ALL cyclists are red light jumpers in the same way not all drivers complain about it.

Stayhigh, I recently replaced the bearings in a mates 05 slayer and I have to warn you that the bearing set nearest the bottom bracket was a complete arse to replace. There is two bearings pushed in from either side against a central shoulder with little space between them to get a good purchase on to drift out, but before you get that far the first obstical is that there is two aluminium sholder'd bushings that are pressed from either side into the bearings that have to be removed first. I tryed a stud extractor, but they just wouldnt budge and it easily chewed up the soft bushing. I had to carefully file the sholder off so I could punch the bushing right through from one side, and then make some intresting shapped drifts to get the rest of the bearings out.

Fortunatly I'm a maintenance engineer and had the benefit of a machine and tool shop. I wouldnt recomend your typical DIYer try this one. We didnt get any new bushes in the kit either, so I manufactured a pair of phosphor bronze bushes to replace the original crapy aluminum ones that had worn and coroded anyway, so should last a lot longer.

Either way, if you fancy a go at them yourself, you need to ensure you get the bushes with the bearing kit or you could be without a paddle.

Thats a pretty rubbish work pattern woody. Is there no way you can consult with the other staff members and propose an alternative that suits all? Im very lucky where I work as the managment allow us to design our own shift pattern/rota, as long as the job is covered with the right number of staff and the hours balance there happy that were happy and everyones a winner.

I took my brothers O2 dongle to innerleithen a couple of months ago and it was sooo slow it was unbarable. A simple web page would take a couple of minutes to load. My mates vodafone one was no better. But back home in Manc, they work fine so check out the reception in the area first before you dedicate to any fixed donge contract. (obviously you can get pay and you go too). Might be worth waiting till your there and then see if theres any unsecure networks you can pikey. 😆

That or see if you end up with any sociable neighbours you get freindly with and see if they will share there conection for a contribution to the bill. ❓

I'm the type of person who deliberatly parks in the furthest spot away from the shop in a huge empty carpark so that there is no other cars likely to park next to me and ding the doors. Amazingly, some people must see my car all alone in the corner and think it needs a freind so will come and park right next to it, perticually if the rest of the car park is empty? I just dont get it? morons. If in such circumstances I managed to loose my door in the wind, or sudenly loose all ability to drive and scrape there car, ill definatly not be leaving the ideots a note. so there! lol

In fact people should adopt the same rules for choosing a parking space as blokes do when choosing a urinal in a public pisser! You know what i'm talking about! 😆

cold box with frezer packs? keeps my frozen stuff frozen for days when camping.

Is your ceiling made from plaster board or is it more old school laths and plater. If youve got laths then as long as you get a good few screws into the wood then you should be just fine. If its plaster bloard, then you realy need some kind of big expanding plug to spread the weight.

Its such a poncey laughable present that its got to be a wind up. Perhaps youll get there and she's really organised a weekends riding with your mates? If not, I'd consider divorce, she clearly dosent get you. 😈

I'm waiting for one of the silly barstuards to crack their head on solid ice. 😯

Blimey indeed! Glad to know the police actually did something about the problem, it should send a clear message to others. But I do feel a little sorry for the perps, absolutly no idea why, but still, its there.

What car is it?

Fail

I guess if your chain suck was so bad it was nearly unridable, and you had shimano brakes, you could forfit the rear brake and squeaze out the mineral oil onto the chain. Only a thought, never tried it.

I read it as 6ft up a 20ft tree, and yes I would be tempted to leave the little bugger up there too! lol, but thats for parents to decide not a teacher charged with their well being. I certainly wouldnt call the police on the person who helped them down either unless I was a perticually spitefull c**t.

I use one where I feel it is appropriate, such as the crank arm on a HT2 set. The torque setting is there for a reason, too tight and youll stretch and miss-shape the bore for the axle and no amount of tightening later will achive the same fit as if you had just done it right the first time.

Just to fan the fire a little, did you read the article in the paper today about the teachers who left a child stuck up a tree for over half an hour because of health and saftey rules and then called the police on the good samaritan who helped the little bugger down.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1260253/Teachers-leave-boy-5-tree-health-safety.html

Pull your pants up and wear em round your waist not your crotch like the rest of the youfs.! 😛

It is just wrong filling your face with stuff before youve even paid for it. Its just uncouth and chavy. But….I am afraid I'm guilty by association to my Girlfreind. She was feeling a bit fait and I'll in Asda one trip and so she cracked open a bottle of water we hadnt yet paid for. I figured it was semi-acceptable as she looked quite ill, but can it ever be so? I dont know….but there's no flipping excuse for filling you face with cake and crisps.

Nope, looks like that from new, dont bend it back!

Why do skydivers wear helmets ?
If you hit the ground at 200mph a helmet won't do much good ?

Bird strike? 😆 theres got to be a good reason though?

Why do canoeists wear helmets ?
They only go slow and they're only going to land in water anyway.

As a white water kayaker, because you'd be amazed how easy it is to sweep round a bend in the river to be confronted with a fallen tree or low branches, and more so because capsiding in shallow fast moving water can easily mean you bang your head on a few submerged rocks.

Because the art of an unplanned dismount from a bike typically ends in you going up and over with a raft of machinery following you, typically landing on if not close to your head. Landing on your head off a bike has a high probability because of the mechanics of the starting position, similar to that of toast always landing jam side down when droped from a worktop.

Id hazzard a guess that fell runers typically go straight down on there arse seeing as they dont have a large round pivot point infront of them called a wheel, trying to send them up and over.

So there a perfectly valid reason to wear a lid on a bike, regardless of speed or terain!

I'm having serious trouble with disaplin when it comes to riding to work at the minute. I know I should as its healthy and environmental and all, but getting out of a warm bed and straight onto the bike at 5am to travel to work in the cold and rain for another 12hour shift is just too much some mornings and the car wins. 😈

You cant have the best of both grip and speed, so choose a compromise, or buy a road bike.

Personaly, I've settled with a Cinder on the front and a Rampage on the rear, good grippy tyres but with a little more air in to aid rolling resistance. 35psi front and about 43rear.

I cant see any tyre rolling too well with 25psi 😯 mind you with my weight they wouldnt last to long either at that.

Mine have been great! 😛

I know a few people have an ethical dilema buying them, but the products good and there well priced. Service is good, and postage is quick. Might be time to forgive and move on…

Nice bike by the way! Really like the look of the frame 8)

Superstar 180mm rotor here, nice quality with asthetic black edges where its been cut out. No warping and clears mud and grit fine, and nice and cheap!

I surgested other – compulsory cycle awarness training for all drivers 😛

Thanks for the replys! very helpfull 8)

Skidartist thanks for your info – I asked a lot of questions when I was offered the rental as courtesy and they (the third partys insurer) told me the deal they had with enterprise ment that there was a £500 excess. I told them I wasnt happy with that when my usual insurance cover has an excess of half that. They said that in case of a claim, they would make up the difference. But that still leaves me with the potential of a £250 bill for the slightest thing I overlook when inspecting the car. The excess waver charges are £5.80+vat a day with enterprise, and that could very quickly add up to £60+ over two weeks which seems unreasonable.

Ive read the fine print on the excess insurance providers linked kindly by the people above and they dont cover car hire in your own county or within 150km of your home address.

I dont mind paying an excess for something I cause, but theres a lot of fine print about underbody and roof damage and things that arnt covered by the insurance enterprise provide too, which could result in huge bills. It seems very shady that they dont provide the terms and conditions on there booking sites either. You dont get to see them untill your with the rep breathing down your neck.

I know i'm probably starting to get myself a little wound up and over cautious, but you know when you have those weeks when EVERTHING goes wrong and your sh!t out off luck…I'm having one off those months… 🙄