I had a cowork scoff at my reading material because it was fiction, I asked him what he was reading and it was a book on Gengus khan. I took the book off him and flicked to the notes at the back and found that author had left characters out renamed others or merged several characters into a single one. Hmm not very factual! I pointed out that if we worked together all day then both wrote about it we’d both remember the day differently so whose report would be factual? They can’t both be about the same thing and be different and factual! Can they?
There is no such thing as factual literature, only peoples interpretations as per all human culture. Fact! 😉

Is that the outside and below the knee pain? If so I’m having the same problem, I find using a foam roller helps as well as resting, gentle massage and stretching (especially the IT band).

Hutchinson fusion 3 tubeless tyres 23mm on hope/Stans Alpha 400. Love them!
Very comfy, no punctures over a couple of thousand miles though the rear is looking a bit worn with a few little cuts and a nice flat edge all the way round.
Have tried at different pressures but find that running them quite soft is good for me. 85 psi at the rear and 80 psi at the front mostly because the roads are quite rough round here and the bike jumps all over place when at 100 psi.
Like the recommendations above only use tubeless tyres on tubeless rims, I shudder to think about a tyre blowing off the rim whilst descending in traffic.

Ridgeback make one that is actually relatively light and comes with in funky colours (matching colour mudguards too).

No problem, I’ll write a diary of the ride, we’re riding cross bikes and intend to ride a casual 12.5mph with a cafe/pub meal half way. We’re also packing Bivvy bags as we intend to sleep out on the Friday just short of Newcastle probably on the beach with a chippy tea and a bottle of kraken rum. The Saturday night we’ve booked a suite at the Crowne Plaza with an early check in and late checkout this also includes full access to the sauna, pool etc and a free bar including canopies (for a limited time). We’ll probably be asked to leave once they see the state we’ll be in and have eaten and drunk all on offer! That teach them to put tantalising cheap offers on! 🙂

I like the look of the zondas but the huge gaps freak me out a little.

If I only had the one bike I’d have 2 sets of wheels, one set of cheap shimano 500’s and a set of Rs81’s for Sunday best although I’m planning some longer audax rides and audax UK recommend standard wheels due to easier available spares if you have a mechanical hence my choice of Hopes.

I had the same dilemma and went for hope road hubs with stans alpha 400 rims, 32 dt Swiss spokes, brass nipples and set up tubeless. I’m very happy with them, not too heavy (light where they need to be at the rim), strong, well sealed, easily serviced, look good and the sound is loud!

I did and I like it. It makes a scuffy mess of my cranks but find I ride steeper more technical trails without the fear of not being able to unclip quick enough if I need to bail.

My pal and I are planning on riding the coast and castles route from Edinburgh to Newcastle in April (the 200 mile one via Innerleithen not the 175 mile one via Berwick). It’ll be our longest distance in one sitting, looking forward to it! I’d also like to add that I’d avoid the A68, I don’t even like driving on it, it’s so dangerous hence why it has so many speed cameras on it.

I looked at the 520 and reckoned they weren’t worth the extra however comparing the pad in the 500 to the £5 cheaper 300 is night and day. The £80 ones though look amazing but can’t justify that kind of money for tights to commute in.

Sizewise the fit is snug but not uncomfortably so, I’m 5’11” slim build and the medium was fine.

Done, 65 out of 65. Never realised that the Wall Street sign was 2 clues, doh!

Robot thing, think scary 1950’s radio hoax.

For the dinosaur think Japanese lizard.

Stuck on 64, can’t work out the 2 black boot type shapes in the roof, clue?

I was thinking about the whole battery recharging issue and think I’ve come up with a good solution. You buy the car but lease a battery from a company like for example Esso and when your battery is getting low you just nip into a garage and they replace it with a fully charged one.
That way the infrastructure stays pretty much the same except for how you pay for fuel as that could be more like a mobile phone with price plans according to usage. You could even have a pay as you go for those who use their cars infrequently.

I used to have a Planet X team sl (aluminium) and never got on well with it although that might be more to do with being between sizes and finding the wheels to be a but flexy. I now have a Ritchey logic and love it!
It’s comfy, not too heavy (it does have a full carbon fork though) fits well and really shifts when I put my meagre power down.
I bought it for £500 off the bay, as it comes with a headset and seatpost bolt I think it’s a good price at £600.

BigR,

The trail you mention looks very steep on the map, how difficult is it?

Ian

I’m running tubeless but will pack a couple of tubes also, looks like I’ll be doing it solo too. I’m looking forward to it, thanks for the comment.

No lock ring = no fixie skids!

Mine came with 42/18 freewheel when new which is far too spinny on the road but ok for bimbling about, best with either a 16 or 15.

Check out sheldon Browns website for useful stuff on ratios etc.

If the hub is the same one I had then it is a double screw on type, you’ll need a tool to take the free wheels off. You’re best to take it to a bike shop and let them do it as there are several types of tools and they can be a right bugger to get off.
If you’re going to use a fixed screw on type you’ll need a locknut, best to buy from on-one as theirs are strong and cheap. Always when buying drivetrain items for singlespeed buy strong! It’s sore when you either somersault over the bars or smash your nuts when something breaks or slips.

They’re great bikes so enjoy.

I’m running Fusion 3’s on Alpha 400/Hopes and have not punctured in approx. 2000 miles and love them, I run them at 85 front and 90 rear and weigh just under 80 kg. I was using Specialized S-Works with tubes before which rolled really fast but are not tubeless, they would be my pick if they were.
Next tyres I fancy getting are Bontrager which are available in a bigger size and are lighter than my 23mm Fusion 3’s.

When I used to cycle with folk who were a lot fitter than me I’d take a couple of Ibuprofen and a can of redbull before and during the ride, i definitely felt quicker!

Could one have hollow and the other solid rails?

For what its worth, I’ve just taken delivery my new Croix De Fer 10 on the halfords cycle to work scheme and I really like it (the red paint Is lush!)
I’ve fitted full guards and a disc specific rack and have covered about 100 miles of mixed riding and I find it rides a lot lighter than it’s actual weight (which I found quite alarming when I first picked it up), it holds it speed really well and I’ve averaged approx 16mph on it, I’m planning a mini highland touring adventure on it soon!
I say just do the same as me and if you’re concerned about the lack of a triple ring crank, don’t! The lowest gear on the CDF 10 is already quite low and the could always fit a smaller small ring.

I just love a telling off on a forum!

I was going to recommend lighter rims like stans crest and then running your tyres tubeless (that’s what I did) but I think your rims aren’t too bad already.

I’ve ridden the natural tweed a few times (missed last years through illness though), and really enjoy it.

I’ll probably just chance it then and turn up and follow a slowish group.

No takers then? Did I mention I’d be buying the pies from butchers on Peebles high street after?

I was in Sydney during Anzac day 7 years ago, it seemed to be a day where everyone got dressed up and drank until oblivion, seemed very little to do with remembrance. I think our Remembrance Sunday is more low key which I feel is more appropriate in remembering servicemen and women who have died for this country.

Went to Arran last year for a weeks holiday, I took the mountain bike but regretted it.
I found the trails to be alright but the roads looked a lot more fun, it’s like wacky races watching folks ride off the ferry and race each other up the hill.

If you mean 3/4 shorts then I do but if you mean scanty pants then I’m out.

Just found these

http://www.exxpozed.com/adidas-m-slack-cruiser.html?s=340651&currency=GBP&gclid=CLz1g-3z0MQCFWbKtAodOTcAww

Look nice, I think I’ll take a chance.

Found these, decent price.

http://www.bergfreunde.co.uk/adidas-terrex-solo-approach-shoes/?pid=10004&cpkey=lG1DSQck5KdCDnJmI8Xj00_i-czRQDIKam8RAGOqQsw&_$ja=cgid:15740387587|tsid:60797|cid:254044867|lid:24176970992|nw:g|crid:59041839907|rnd:12118566356013197021|dvc:m|adp:1o6|bku:1&gclid=CKWu9rPny8QCFSrMtAodvk0A5Q

Those cross terred with the stealth rubber look good, bit pricey though at £95, let us know how they perform as I’ve not heard of them before.

EDIT: I think I’d have gone for the black and red ones though.

I’ve a couple of pairs of sombrio and I rate them highly. You can still buy them from America as since they went broke no-one seems to have picked up the distribution rights in the uk.

I find it amazing that matter is made of virtual nothing but it only because it is moving/vibrating so fast that it appears solid, on a programme the poured liquid nitrogen which was cooled as close to absolute zero onto a metel spoon and it just ran straight it like it wasn’t there. Apparently is was because at extreme low temps the atoms stop moving and line up so can pass past the metal atoms.

This reminds me of the film Lucy where it says that time is the only way for matter/energy to express that they exist or something like that.

I’m saving up for a Shand (40th b’day treat) and my 4 year old has told me it has to be red as red bikes are faster!

Interesting thread as I’ve recently fitted new wheels/ tyres (hope 32f/32r on stans alpha 400 with Hutchinson fusion 3 tyres ran tubeless). My old wheels were stock shimano rs500 (with upgraded specialised 24mm s-works turbo tyres which I actually liked). I’ve noticed an enormous difference with general flattish riding but especially with climbing, I find the bike now soaks up the crappy road conditions so much better which seems to help maintain momentum and they match my mountain bike set (both have stans rims with blue hope hubs).
I was torn between the hopes and rs81’s but decided to go with a traditional build as I like the fact that I can source spares quite easily, I might still get the rs81’s as I’m contemplating trying out a few road races.