Jawbones arrived today and are 101% genuine. No idea what makes them seconds as they are literally brand new and unmarked.

Bargain much cheapness!

I looked at a few Cayennes as I wanted something big and practical, but that was nice to drive too. In the end I bought a diesel RR Vogue as it just 'felt' nicer to drive, and I am getting about 28mpg compared with about 18mpg from a Cayenne S and maybe 15mpg from a Turbo. Pistonheads.com has a prety decent Porka forum but is mainly 911 focused to be fair.

There is so many of them round my way that they aren't hated in the way they seem to be in some places, but it was the running costs and residuals that put me off in the end and I don't care what people think anyway!

I have always previously had fast cars, but with 2 kids, a dog and a family who now all cycles, I needed something bigger than your average estate and am liking the way I drive everywhere in a far more relaxed manner now!

I looked at 535D estates (fast but boring), C55 AMG states (same) and very nearly bought a 550i (which was lovely – what an engine) but couldn't find an estate or a saloon with folding rear seats. Never been a fan of Audis (apart from the V8 RS4) and the RS6 can have Cayenne shaming running costs so didn't fancy one of those.

Touch wood, the Range has been 100% reliable so far and still makes me smile every time I drive it.

I ordered some Jawbones from there yesterday – will let you know how they are when they arrive!

MT500s here too with normal MTB shoes. Fine apart from on the very coldest winter night rides when my toes would go numb still.

You can pull them up if they are down but it should drop down to the lower position when you let go – my speedball does that as does my mates new Joplin 3.

I'm about to give 1 x 9 a whirl but am confused as to why the chain drops off a lot. How does it differ from my 3 x 9 setup if I just stay on the middle ring, particularly when it comes to pedalling backwards?

Am sure it is something quite obvious but my brain isn't in gear today!

Just bought him a 2011 Hotwalk so I'll be very popular when he gets back from his gran's tomorrow!

Think we might hit the BMX track at the weekend!

I use one of these (well the wife does) and it is far far better than the old rear mounted seat we used to have. The bike is much more stable, our son can see where he is going and he is protected far more.

http://www.weerideuk.co.uk/Weeride_Kangaroo.asp

Best thing I have bought for a long time

I have Rhythm Pro rims on my bike and bough the proper strips and valves from Evans for about £15 along with the Bonty super juice sealant and it works fantastically. Oddly enough, my Conti Mountain King Tubeless tyres seal really easily with almost no effort, but the Bonty Mud X take a bit of faffing to seal initially.

Well worth doing – I have run mine as low as 20 psi and had no puncture issues at all.

I'm in a similar predicament – am selling mt carbon road bike and want to get either a lightweight HT or a short travel FS to complement my 6" Maverick ML8 (which to be fair, is only 28lbs and climbs well anyway).

Currently erring towards a carbon HT

anyone?

It's a large.

Will dust it off and get some pics online if anyone is interested. A mate bought an identical bike at the same time and has used it even less than me so there could well be 2 for sale!

Cheers

Now, has anyone got a nice DH bike for about £800….

I run DUC32s on my ML75 (Baldrick!!) and it is fine.

Am looking to change it for an ML8 if anyone is interested. Has done less than 500miles so is like new!

Another vote for Simpsons Cycle Service.

Just gone from TRs to MudX and have to say that in thick, deep mud, the TR is better, but overall, the Mud X suits mixed conditions and general winter use.

Looking at the CS website the £1k limit is only for companies who don't have a consumer credit licence and knowing who he works for, I don't think that would be an issue,so I'll rephrase my question as what would be the best 5" bike at circa £1500rrp?

I am a big fan too and have used them exclusively for about 4 years. Very easy to tune and service and have never had issues with stiffness or flex.

My mates Fax talas 36s do feel stiff, but weight twice as much so should do I guess!

I quite like the fact that you don't see many of them about and they always attract attention and interest at trail centres.

I went out there Saturday morning and had a great time. Very slow going but a wonderful way to start the weekend!

Found it easier riding through the power on the fireroads as the 4×4 tracks were very hard packed and my Trailrakers just wouldn't bite in.

Couple of pics:

Seagull Trail

My son was born via c-section and although he slept (like a baby!) well, he screamed lots when he was awake and was always clutching his head.

A client of mine is a cranial osteopath and he suggested we tried cranial massage, as the c-section meant his skull was never squeezed through the birth canal and it may be out of alignment (same end result as forceps, but the opposite end of the scale I guess).

My wife took him when he was about 4 months old and said it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen – Tim appeared to hardly touch his skull, but he instantly seemed to relax and was like a different child after that, far more relaxed and generally happier.

She took him back for a second session and was told after that that he would be fine. He also spotted that she was holding herself funny (due to carrying a 2 year old on one hip whilst pushing the pram!) and did something to her back which worked a treat too!

I am the most cynical person in the world when it comes to stuff like this, but when it comes to your kid you'll try anything and this really does appear to work (or it did in our case at least).

Not sure where you are based, but this guy works in Mill Hill and Harley Street and my wife talks about him like he is the chosen one! From memory it was about £60 a session at Mill Hill and is the best £120 I have ever spent.

Email me if you want his details.

I've got an oldish Maverick Speedball and aside from a 5 minute regrease every now and then it has been flawless. Personally wouldn't have one without the handlebar remote as I adjust it a lot 'on the fly' when removing a hand could be tricky.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/tools/cycling-tools/floor-track-pump/product/alloy-tripod-track-pump-10-35540

I just won a subscription to STW for a year! Happy days!

I bled my X2s in about 5 minutes each with no bleed kit – just a torx bit and a spanner. Didn't even have any hose to hand so took the pads out and put piece of wood between the pistons.

I have some and love em. They make some combined clamps for later XT/SLX/Saint shifters so you could always keep your eyes open for some second hand shifters if it becomes a major issue.

Didn't find them a faff to bleed at all and there is lots of very easy to follow videos on the Hope site.

The backup and support really is second to none, so I don't know why I'd ever want to try anything else.

Stoner – Member

Im planning on getting a pot of marine grease for just such a use. Low fling, high waterproofness. Got be appropriate stuff no?

I'd have thought it would be relatively high friction, but am unsure that would be too noticeable in hubs and BBs.

I got my daughter a pink Giro Flume helmet and some pink Polaris mitts which she absolutely loves because they are 'the same as daddy's'!!!?

She has come off a couple of times and takes great pleasure in telling me that she is OK because she has some cycling gloves on!

She has a Melody 16 (girls version of the MX16) but at 4 and reasonably tall, I had to chop the seat post and invert the seatclamp to get the saddle low enough for her to touch the floor.

They are sealed with rubber seals, not metal, and it is perfectly common to pop the seals off to clean or lubricate them!

It was the hub manufacturer that recommended I do this.

Only word of caution I will offer is after getting my daughter a Ridgeback Melody for her 4th birthday is not to push them too far too quickly!

A mate is into BMXing so I took her to Hayes track and she loved it – managed to ride a complete lap from the top of the start ramp after riding for only 2 days.

However, when we went to the local woods where I assumed she'd find it easy, she went really fast down a steepish hill (I was running next to her but she felt out of control) and her confidence has taken a real knock. Still happy at the BMX track, but now is too scared to ride without me holding her saddle in the woods.

Wifey has given me an ear bashing but I'm pretty sure that once she has a few more miles under her belt she'll be fine!

Mistake me thinks

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=8067

I went for SKF in my hubs on the recommendation of the manufacturer (Maverick) as he said they are pretty much as good as it gets. He did recommend popping a seal out and packing them full of grease as they are usually only lightly lubricated.

Just looked and mine is a Fenix P3D with the 750mah li-ion batteries. V bright at 215 lumens but battery life probably only 80 mins in turbo mode. How long do the L2D versions last?

I use one with that mount and it is fine. Battery life isn't great at full tilt but fine if you switch it off when you stop.

Are Joplin parts interchangeable?

Have you tried SidewaysCycles?

Upside down shocks/forks can sometimes self lubricate better as the oil inside is always on the seals. Unsure if Fox shocks benefit from this though.

I emailed Maverick and they recommend Enduro in their literature but SKF via email – also advised packing some extra grease in before fitting.

SKF ordered!

Cheers

Chris

The Maverick doesn't have any linkages in the rear end at all so I am not convinced it is particularly flexy, plus I am not exactly a powerhouse!! Will stick a post on the Maverick MTBR forum and see if anyone has tried it!

Cheers

Hope Tech X2s for me. Tried allsorts over the years and think these offer the best combo of power, weight and bling!

Yep, check they are centred and then give the pads a quick rub with some sandpaper, clean the disks and that should be fine (mine used to squeak a lot until I did this)

My 4 year old daughter has the Ridgeback Melody. Very well made and got a bargain off another forum member. Islabikes are the best though, and you are likely to get 85% of your money back come resale time as they are so rare so total cost of ownership probably quite low.