If thats how you feel then so be it, I wouldn't be too harsh on yourself. You may howevr suffer guilt and remorse when he does die but then it will be too late so try to get as reconciled to him as you can while you can. He may have had issue of his own that made him a less than great father. Trouble at work, unhappy about something who knows.

Noone with comparable 2" tyres has gone past me for 3-4 years. And not many with slicks or road bikes has either but I think alot of people don't really care which is fair enough -mm maybe they have longer journeys, tougher jobs or hangovers. Most people just aren't very fit or motivated. I can't accept though that another cyclist doesn't care! I've been sucked into commuter races the day after really tough enduros, sportives, late nights – I just hate someone going past.

I would.

Tubeless def worth it. Punctures is one advantage but lower pressure = more grip and less rolling resistance and that is really useful.

My guess is we're close to the tipping point when tubeless becomes the majority. At Trans Wales this year it was noticeable how many were tubeless – over half I'd say.

Mudguards – yes
Woollen base layers – yes
All the lights you can get – yes. A constant and a flasher each end is the going rate even in London I reckon. Country roads and you need proper off road lights I expect.
I'm also a big fan of the scotch lite reflective strips you velcro around your ankles – the movement makes them v eye catching.
And I'm sorry to say it but you will also be alot safer with a bell. I feel v vulnerable if I'm on the other bike that doesn't have one.

I'm on the 07:10 from Gatwick to Lyons for 4 days in the Alpes (dark siding). Bike was packed last night and washing done – just got to stuff kit in a rucksack, finish some work emails and try to get some kip for a 3AM alarm call. Will be worth it when in Venosc by early afternoon and riding soon after.

Beer.

Most Howies stuff is worth it when you use it. Without doing a full market survey and checking out all the discounts available is £95 really that much compared to Sugoi and Fox gear @ c £60-70 that isn't (I'm guessing here) waterproof and was probably made in a sweatshop where staff getted paid $hite. If you believe Howies their stuff is at least honestly sourced, people get paid properly and they try not to trash the environment too much. Howies design stuff quite well IME.

My 819s have burped once in 4 years but I don't do much heavy stuff – I just wanted a reliable and for my type of (jey) riding, bullet proof wheel set and that they have been. Just gone over to Stans ZTR Olympics with non UST tyres and very nice and light and so far wholly reliable in terms of not burping, holding pressure, not puncturing and working well. Using Racing Ralphs.

If you jump / are lardy / clumsy then 819s sound a safer bet. If you want lightweight with tubeless benefits then the ZTR Olympics must be hard to beat.

Re the structural staff I would see proof of all building regs approvals and guarantees from builders and their insurers (scarcly worth the paper but nice to see exactly what class of cowboy you will be making good over the period of your ownership) and in my opinion if it was DIY structural alterations I would walk away.

Re the damp I would trust your own nose – does it smell musty? If not have they got all the windows open and the coffee and bread makers going full tilt to cover it up? If nothing suspicious and it doesn't smell damp then I would not worry.

Electrics sounds like either its a standard caveat in which case ignore or the wiring has been done recently (please not DIY????) and it looks a bit suspect in which case get a pro electrician in as suggested.

Without seeing the report or the property its hard to comment further. Surveyors can be notorious old wusses that think only about caveats but on the other hand there are alot of terrible builders and even worse DIYers that can quickly make a house simply not worth buying at any price.

Just remember this is the worst recession in decades and the housing market is toast and will prob remain so for many years so its a once in a lifetime opp to drive a hard bargain. Be bold!

some brie

Even on a road bike it may be relevant. Living in Kent you are perhaps more used to narrow, slippery, shaded, very steep escarpment lanes than someone from east Anglia who will have no idea about such joys. Someone from somewhere with big hills should be a better climber and descender, do a sportive in Italy and they climb and descend fantastically whilst the Brits tend to be noticeable by their inability at such things. IME.

Saddle height is a common cause in my experience. Too high ruins your knees and too low ruins your knees.

I used to get knee pain and I went to Cyclefit in Covent garden that specialise in the cleats' position and adding wedges to your shoes to get your foot hence leg hence knee at the right angle and they found my saddle 2-3 cm too low. Once set up correctly I felt I was on a rack it was so stretched but 3 months later my knees were better than for years and four years later I get no knee pain at all, even on holidays and doing 9 hour sportives etc. I know for alot of people it is not as simple as rectifying a schoolboy error. Cleats have never given me gip.

Cyclefit have a good website but are not cheap – expect £150 for a session plus cleats and probably more.

In my experience 'Yes'. I've ridden 7 days around Wales this last week plus 3-4 events in the previous month, all without a spreader on the rear. It must have a purpose but I don't know what it is.

That looks fab and it must go like a train, up hill and down. (I know its rude to ask but what cost – was any of it second hand?).

I'm buyiong a hardtail next spring, just as soon as I can decide which one. Whole new thread….

on a well used and scuffed Flux.

What tyres BTW? Will I get away with racing ralphs or that a LOL comment?

I think a key point is plenty of rest; i.e. non riding in the days before and this is more impt than having a big sleep the night before.

As Mr Wolf says feeling dead doesn't always translate directly into poor performance during the day. I think all that carb loading can leave one feeling a bit leaden but after a few hours riding the largeness wears off and the stored energy kicks in and off you go.

On a slightly different theme why can't I sleep well after a hard days ride – I tend to lie there with twitchy legs and then wake up early and struggle to get back to sleep despite not feeling very awake – strange things bodies.

Useful thread. I had 2002 Minis and total cack, lever to bar in Alps, constant bleeds needed but when working were good for feel and power and weight. Since 2006 running Juicy 7s and much better – never been bled (I can't think of anything worse – no way is that an acceptable level of maintenance IMO – I want everything to be fit and forget for life), have never given way on the longest descent but they are a nightmare to change pads and for that reason alone I was considering a change but this thread has just muddied the waters really. Great service from Hope sopunds good but I don't want failure to start with and what do I ride when the brakes have gone back to Hope for a fix?

Surely someone can design and build a brake that is kight, has easy to change pads, doesn't leak and doesn't fade on Alpine descents. My gut instinct is to go magura as them Germans tend to have functionality and reliability sussed out the best.

I agree with FOG – hassle to change tyres but once inflated they are fab. I've UST for 3 years and totally reliable and quite easy to set up. Had stans on Olympic rims for 2 months and harder to set up (I would have given up if I hadn't spent so much on the wheels) but now they are up they stay up and are fab. They never burp or misbehave and generally are just as relaible as UST even though the Racing Ralphs are pretty lightweight tyres. I am a light (but clumsy) rider and only XC use and we haven't got to hedgetrimming season but so far so good.

Always worth it for the low tyre pressures.

6.30!!!!!!!!!! This is my summer holiday FFS.

A club / event for 'high powered CEOs' – sounds truly awful. Please tell me such self consciously elitest stuff doesn't exist in Britain. Although maybe it will soon – I read recently in Cycling Weekly that cycling was the 'new golf' when it came to networking and 'doing deals'.

Rent is the killer. Most of our young ones at work complain bitterly about only getting 22 – 23k but they tend to have expensive taste and expect to live in Clapham and have a couple of foreign trips a year, gym membership, do eff all cooking for themselves and so on. If you can live somewhere modest, forsake a car, designer clothes, michelin restaurants etc £25k should be enough.

Cocker and Springer Spaniels are often v clever and can run all day and not bothered by heavy undergwoth etc. You could do the decent thing (IMO) and get a rescued mongrel. Loads of these in mid size and normally v healthy, intelligent, fit and trainable. They just don't fit the designer mould that people seem to crave. My parents have had four in my lifetime and all have been great, good with kids, cats, farm animals and v good around the house. Only one (out of five) had to go back cos after two weeks it would not stop harrassing the cats. Save some money and save a dog's life – you won't regret it.

Ding Dong, I know I would. Even though she is a size 12.

100 miles off road, 135 miles on road. Most people here will have done similiar I'm sure and probably quicker!

Key question is do you earn more than your age in £'000s.

Lots of latex?? This seals all the teeny weeny holes around valves and spokes as well as pores in the tyres. Can take a few hours to take affect IME so poor it in, try to inflate and if it inflates but goes down relatively quickly, say within 30 minutes give it a good spin to spread the latex around and then leave it for several hours (or three weeks as i did in depair quite recently with my new olympic rims/ racing ralphs) and next time I tried they went up and a week later are still up. Ridden on them three times and they are great.

If you want to get fit and do less cleaning then buy one but if its just retail therapy I would try something else. I've had a road bike 4 years now (mountain bike 9 yrs) and frankly am pretty bored of it. If it was never muddy (a big if I know) I would always stick to the mountain bike. Mtbing is just so much more involved and FUN and te bikes and kit are better off road (suspension, disc brakes, tyres etc – these issues barely arise on road bikes – let face road bikes have hardly changed in 50 yrs).

And whatever anyone says roadies are typically older, less interesting and fun loving and as we all know from threads since dawn of time ruder. and

where?, photos?.

sounds hilarious, tell all.

On saturdays marmotte I ate, if i recall correctly and I was a bit bongoed by the end;
2 bananas
6 dry figs
1/2 orange
2x slices salami
2x bits of french bread
4x torq bars
3x torq gels
2x small pieces of fruit cake
alot of energy drink
peppermint drink (crazy French but nice)
a NUUN tab
more water
bucket loads of pasta and other carb rich stuff in the two proceeding days.

£120 on some Ti skewers. Part of a £950 wheelset and I can’t even get the feckers to stay inflated (see threads on Stans NoTubes!)

£90 on a carbon stem for roadbike was a bit rich I thought.

136 miles on road, north London to Brighton and back. 100 miles off road – SDW to Eastbourne plus riding to the start and from Victoria back to N16.

I bought a new frying pan in John Lewis! This is a weekend off after 3 hard (for me) weeks and yes it is boring! Tomorrow I may have to resort to cutting the hedge and trying (again) to get my stans tubeless tyres to inflate. W@nkers.

I get the distinct impression, reading between the lines etc, that she is innocent and the police have cocked up and the media have gone to town on the wrong person just cos she took a few drugs, liked a bunk up and gave herself the rather silly sounding name of ‘Foxy’.

I eat shed loads of fruit and veg and wholewheat stuff and I fart huge amounts most of which doesn’t smell much but if I do want to clear a room or just win the next round of Johnny Fartparts then its a handful of dried apricots. I think they are treated with sulphur in some way and the affect is instantaneous. All brassicas work well too. Meat I find just causes blockages and stale smelling farts – nothing to boast about.

Energy drinks work really well without a doubt – I’m looking forward to the Trans Wales this August. My tent may well fly away.

My sis and her family lived there for five years until 2006 and had a great time. Mountains an hour north of Tehran rise to 5,000 metres (Tehran is 1,500 metres I think) and went skiing, camping, mtbing, hiking etc in the mountains every weekend pretty much.

Alot speak English, very well educated, very pro west and food is OK (basically Lebanese / Turkish).

Pollution is grim in T and women have to wear a head scarf (like the Queen, not a full face cover!!) in public.

Don’t be put off by US neo con / Israeli propoganda!! Iranians are not the bad guys in the middle east.

whether they are bees or wasps please do not kill them! Neither will do you any harm if you leave them alone and they won’t damage your house. Neither carry germs or live off $hit like say rats, flies, cockroaches etc so please, be a good old git and leave them alone. If they are bees then as Ambrose says a bee keeper will be only too gratefiul to take them away.

Respecting animals isn’t just about golden eagles, whales and other trophy species.

I have an email from TFL confirming that all bus lanes are for cycles as well so if you are in London then a bus lane is really a bus and cycle lane. Taxis certainly are restricted much to their umbrage.

A cyclist’s rights are as good as anyone’s so stick to the middle to make your self visible and to discourage optimistic overtaking by cars. IME this is what all cyclists do and normally when I get stuck behind a bus it turns out the bus was stuck behind a slower cyclist but thats the rules and quite right too IMO.

I agree that bus drivers have improved in recent years that I put down to critical mass and people like me complaining about being abused by them for being in bus lanes that it turns out we have every right to be in – hence the exchange of emails a few years back after some bus driver said I should be ring the bus lane in Piccadilly.

I asked the Emmbers girl at Bristol BF if they were ‘Kiwi sizes’ ;i.e. designed for well built south island sheep farmers and er ‘islanders’ and she said yes, so as with Ground Effect you need to size down esp if you want it to fit closely.

Bizarrely, Italians who I do think of as being generally fat have miniscule sizes and I have to size up when buying their gear.

If you only creep a cm or two you will always be better than me at trackstands. And apparently its easy onm my mtb that i commute on.

Good to find a thread advocating stopping at lights as well. I do sometimes feel I am in a minority of one on this isse and as mingsta says its not not about being legal but doing some PR for cycling and not giving motorists and pedestrians an excuse to hate us and behave badly themselves.