I’ve had a front guard get something caught under it, which jammed the wheel (on a descent :-O) till the stays popped out, but then the bracket had snapped by this point and the whole guard rotated forward and jammed again. I shat bricks, but came to a safe halt cos of the extra stopping time the safety stays gave me. I think a proper safety release is essential, and I think it’s not just a freak occurrence, it can and will happen.

They’re both very good. The adjustable lever position on X0 is handy if you want/need an odd setup.

The SRAM vs. shimano arguments are now basically all gone, now that shimano have dual release and shadow mechs. The main reason to run sram was to be able to shift both way with your thumbs (keeping your finger on the brake if needs be) and a mech that doesn’t smack itself to death on your chainstay (on some bikes).

BETD will do you an etched top cap IIRC.

“Whenever I hear somene harping on about Uni, I usually switch off.”

Because of the word used, or because it’s no longer relevant to you?

The contraction doesn’t bother me at all, and it’s in common usage – far more common than saying “university” in informal conversation or writing.

Oh, and take the bike to uni. The club here is very active, and we get a lot of great riding done.

You’ll be far better asking that on the club forum here:
http://eucc.eusu.ed.ac.uk/

But also read all the info on the pages there first, should answer many of your questions.

EDIT: Start here:
http://eucc.eusu.ed.ac.uk/more_information.php

I’ve found if you don’t have the calluses built up already, then next best is to just look after your hands to stop the skin breaking up and blistering. So at the end of each day moisturise them. If you know you have real problems, then get some mepore tape (think that’s what i mean, the stretchy micropore stuff) and tape your hands up the start of each day.

I only read the OP but…

I did something similar, nasty crash flat-out at the bottom of the wall on the fort bill DH track (that’s fast there). Ended up strapped to a bed in intensive care in a neck brace…bad times. Anyhow, i mashed my shoulder (and face) into the ground pretty damn hard, but luckily turned out (14 xrays and a ct-scan later) that nothing was broken. My arm was in a sling 3 weeks, i was (tentatively) on a bike after that (was told to do what i want but let the pain stop me) and riding in the alps 8 weeks after (but not at my usual pace, and being cautious).

However, I was still getting pains in my shoulder/chest from the crash, daily, for about 7 months. And a year later when I thought I was better a velodrome session set the chest pain off again. So it took over a year for the soft tissue inside me to recover from hitting the ground that hard. So to answer your question, 6 weeks and I was back on the bike, but more like 6 months to somewhere back near normal.

EDIT: reading again i see this was still relatively recently for you. IME (from other crashes also) the first 3 weeks or so are the worst, then fairly rapid recovery, if there’s no specific problem and you’ve just twatted yourself off the ground proper hard.

AH now, i do remember the prophet’s 0.5lb more than a superlight. Sorry I forgot to check my spreadsheet.

“How can digital ones be inaccurate?”

Because when they might say 35.525lbs when the bike weighs 40.321lbs

All the “digital” part removes is the human error in reading off a scale. The scales could still be inaccurate. The error could be the same for all readings (like an offset) or it may vary as a function of the reading. So it might be off different percentages of the total at different masses.

35mm FSA are the shortest I know of, and that’ll be too tall still.

What’re the forks? New CSU? Or sell them and get new forks?

I had one and did know, but I forget, I might have it on the home machine if I remember to check later. Not too heavy, not too light, I have in mind 7lbs but I might be making that up :-) It’d need to wait till I got home to check my spreadsheet if I still have it.

Does it matter that much? I know the lightest complete bikes (pretty pimping) got down to 25.5lb, but that’s leftys and crossmaxes etc.

Good here too @ £7.50, and I get the full 8mb, but i am close to the exchange. The router they supply is actually decent too.

Bike bag? Why do you need that?

Raincoat.
Mad Skillz.

just cos i’m pedantic…

“constant that varies”

That’ll be a variable then.

It’s all about the M1 procar:

http://askmid.co.uk/

Check if it’s insured there. Though I don’t think it’ll tell you *who* insured it.

Regarding full faces, look at specialized deviants for a “proper” one that’s also very well vented.

As for worrying about other people thinking it’s overkill etc, no bother there. He’s riding a bike off road with one arm, that’s properly hardcore! Respect.

“Next time go for a non-mac PC! This will give you the chance to swap bits, upgrade, choose from a wider choice of software, fewer device compatibility issues and save the hefty premium you have to pay to own an Apple product.”

*sigh*

Get some lessons at a driving range, and practice there? Then you don’t loose your own balls (giggety).

As rudeboy says, plus be sure to get a socket that’s 6 sided, not a star, so it drives the flats properly. Halfords sell them.

BUT I’ve done it before with an adjustable when needs must, top caps aren’t done up tight, but they have a long soft (alu) thread. Just be very careful. And if you round it off, it’s your fault not mine ;)

What about offering to buy them new lids, if they promise to wear them? Might help if the issue’s the lids themselves? There are cool and less cool lids…(e.g. they may prefer pisspots, or something like a giro hex etc).

Yeah, you might end up spending £40-50 on a lid for them, but if it gets them wearing it, it’s your kid’s heads so maybe worth it?

You think XC bikes are bad, just try looking for big DH bikes.

Most folk assume that DH bikes should be small – not so – they should fit too. You need plenty standover, but you also need length if you’re tall, but there’s a balance between that and the extreme manoeuvrability you need in a DH bike.

I do enjoy a good bit of ratchet action.

You tried pressing the flat tyre button the local garages compressors?

4 + 4 in a mondeo hatch works fine, so I can easily believe 5+5 in an estate.

Ditto the insurance.

Also – inconvenience of taking some (quick release) wheels off vs. inconvenience of writing off a few k worth of bikes & roof rack?

Provisional race license you get when you join british cycling (even as a bronze member) was fine last year.

EDIT: unless you chose the cheaper entry “with license” in which case that means a UCI license, so you’ll need a full race license from BC, so that’s a silver member ship + a race license.

Seriously you have to ask? It’s your head! Get a new lid.

You wanna get a chain guide on that.

If it’s ISCG-old, then I’ve an e13 SRS going spare I could do cheap…

The problem with the techy sections is they’re a bottle neck – if one person stops, the person right behind has to…. and so on. Once a few folk are stopped/off it just becomes a queue. They are harder than they look, but I could still ride them fine, was frustrating to have to walk them.

My top tip would be not to do what I did and tried to force thru the middle at the start, but hang back a touch, let gaps open infront of you then power round the outside, plenty space, even though you think there won’t be.

New bearings after 10 months isn’t that bad if you’ve been riding it a lot in all weather, the bottom bearings on a VPP sit in crap all the time. Think my socom’s on the 3rd set in just under 2 years, but then I change them as soon as they start to go.

Sorry – wasn’t directed specifically at you.

Well I’d say just get something suitable for you most of the time, and put decent tyres (ideally tubeless) on it, you’ll be fine.

Oh, and CO2 canisters are great. Just try getting a 2.5″ DH tyre to a decent pressure at 3000m with a mini-pump, you’ll be ruined afterwards.

Normally the rules are 6 bikes per train IIRC, and more at the guards discretion. So smile, be polite and be early for the train to get on first.

As above, £150 should get you something decent. Though whatever you get for that price, spend the £15 on oil + a hour it’ll take you to strip and rebuild them with new oil etc.

Look for the 888s as steveh says, or some 66s of similar vintage. Or maybe some 05 onward boxxers (ideally 06 on).

Oh and top half of the mega track:

Going pretty slowly as it says.

For those wondering what it’s like, with a spare 40 min, I have a headcam of my entire qualifying run from last year up here:

Started beyond the back of the last row, due to getting a last minute entry. Which was more than a bit annoying, as I didn’t get past enough folk to get to actually have a clear ride through the techy sections up top.

For folk considering lighter bikes, yes lower down it’s flatter/not as tech etc. But then consider what your arms feel like after 30 min DHing, and if you’re gonna be making mistakes, want a bit extra bike to soak them up.

A bigger bike will only make you slower on the climbs (though you’ll be fresher into them), whereas a shorter travel bike might have you on your face if you mess up.

However, some folk do whinge about riding up hills, in which case take the light bike and quit moaning ;-) my view is it’s a race, i’ll either stand up and hammer my DH bike up the hill, coast the next section to recover, or just walk it briskly. But as folk above have said, you’ll still have fun on a HT, so take whatever you want, you’ll enjoy it! Building a bike just for it is daft IMO unless you want to do really well.

Take the bullit, you’ll have more fun/be safer. It *is* mostly DH.

Did it on a socom* last year, overtook plenty folk on the climb in the qualifier. They’re horrid climbs whatever cos of the altitude, heat and armour. It’s more your fitness than the bike that matters on the climbs, the bike only really matters if you’re after winning it…

* i did change the front ring to a 38t from a 40t though. Left the 12-25 block on the back though, it was fine. Any slower than that and I’d be better walking anyhow, and sit n spin was never an option on a DH bike.

A nicolai, 5 year warranty and they build them strong. And they’ll build most of them stronger if you ask (e.g. put the stays off the beefier FR models on the XC ones instead etc. or even full custom with different tubeset).

Another vote for a 4211 here, happy with mine, which is possibly running an OS not mentioned above…

I’d imagine “none”, given the same rider.

But then the anthem would be cheaper, so you could have lighter wheels say, then it’d be “some”.