My Intense M1 rebuild project!!

Trapped in ParcelForce limbo : (

I like it – apart from the colour.

If the collars n cuffs were black that'd be a nudge in the right direction!

Job well done me tinks…. I think "firestarter" off here had/has a similar setup

Monty – was thinking the same thing!

When I first moved to London I got £900 a month (after tax etc) and survived on that for a couple of years.

Ah yes, the good old NHS!

Mind you, I have been cycling to work for 7yrs – give or take the odd lazy blip.

I agree with TandemJeremy.

I'd service them myself – very useful step-by-step instructions can be found online – and the seal kits are cheap. Chances are you don't even need them!

If time/fettling ability is limited then sell the Hopes for a fair price and put the £65 cash towards Juicys – they are a regular seller on here/Ebay.

If you do go for the Hope option, then tell them not to include/charge for pads, and take a look at superstar components for a less expensive option – might save a few quid there.

"ring grease"

fnar fnar fnar

I spoke to Hope for rotor sizing advice and also mentioned it has been impossible to order a black XC hub dropout spacer from ANY bike shop.

Couldn't remember if I needed Lt or Rt side, so he dropped both in the post for free!!

And I got a wodge of stickers too : )

I always remove the wheel and pads, and gently pump the lever to expose the pistons.

I give em a clean with ear-buds/Dot fluid to make sure no crap will cause them to stick, and to lubricate the seals.

Best method is to use a wide flat object (cone spanner etc) to hold one side's pistons in, to increase the distance the other side will become exposed. Be careful not too pop them out though!

Not the end of the world if pistons pop out as they can pop back in – but DOT will p!$$ everywhere

I always wedge the freshly cleaned/DOT-lubed pistons in place with a lump of wood – but anything will do, as long as they as set right back into the caliper body, and cannot budge!

I always use the soft grip on a tool to repeatedly knock/tap the caliper, hose length and lever to make sure any air is mobile, and likely to be bled out.

As mentioned above, the Hope vid clips are extremely useful – especially the piston centering trick. That one always has the most impact in lever feel : )

Based in W5 (ealing)

Tinkering and wheel truing skills ready to be shared!

Not got wheel truing stand but tooled up to the max, and always willing to teach.

Have built nice wheels before with stands, so truing a couple of wobbles should be ok!

Lemme know if that suits.

Ta – Rick

Sleepless In The Saddle

aaagh my eyes…

I agree with TandemJeremy on this…

Just fitted and bled some Mono M4s (gold caps) and took the chance to pump the pistons almost out, and give them a clean up with ear-buds and DOT fluid.

Gets rid of any crap, re-“lubes” the seals and stop them sticking…

Mmmm slidey slidey pistons : )

Homebase/B&Q/Wickes etc all sell lengths of hose/rope/chain etc by the metre.

I get mine from Homebase, for £1 a metre.

Bargain.

At the sight of a real bear, in the wild, Ray Mears would be in awe, dumbstruck with respect and reverence….

“Bear” Grylls would probably kick its head clean-off, and skull f*&% it…

Hmmm

Mmmm. Time to musk up.

Any chance of a bottle of London Gentleman?

Or Blackbeard’s Delight?

Allure Homme Sport by Chanel.

Does kick off with a clean cool fresh citrus, but then warms down to a nice pepper musk.

As confirmed online:

Top Notes (fragrance lasts about 20 minutes) Mandarin, Orange, Aquatic Note

Middle Notes (fragrance lasts 3 – 4 hours) Black Pepper, Neroli, Cedar

Bottom Notes (make fragrance last longer) Tonka, Vetiver, Amber, White Musk

Yum

Roper: Is that a “What do you get if you cross Moyles and Brown…?” scenario!!

Bill Hicks

Werner Herzog

The Merovingian

I was about to buy the pink one – but decided to rejig my old Tinbred instead….

Mmm pink is gooooood

Cheers for the pointers folks.

Got a good price on 700 x 28 Schwalbe Marathons, so went for those in the end…

Halfway house, weight wise, and reflective sidewall – so that’ll do nicely : )

Hmmmm

Weigh-up (literally) between:

Conti Ultra Gatorskin Pros 280g
Schwalbe Marathon 520g
Marathon Plus 740g

Cheers for replies so far.

I’ve had the contis on there for a couple of years, and have swapped the front and rear – now the front is showing signs of sidewall splitting etc…

May just get the same tyres, but jump up from my 23s to the 28s, for that lil extra pothole protection.

They’re on a geared Tinbred that’ll be running panniers so figure every extra mm of width will count : )

Switched from 26″ Nimbus, to 700c Conti Gator Pro and knocked 10min of my old commute…

I like the speed, and silence

List the parts on the classifieds, and let the STW strip it bare for you!!

A bit of work photographing/uploading but well worth it, for an eventual wad of cash, and more space reclaimed 🙂

tick

Yo.

Final fettles fettled…

Off to bed.

See y’all in a few hours : )

No doubt I’ll be cursing the (as yet untested) rotor I just stuck on the front end 😕

A Bientot!

I’m in!!

: )

I remember an old MBUK (c.1998-2002) that had a “grimetime” clinic on making your own snow tyres!!

Think they ran an article on the M.A.D. trials disply team playing ice-hockey on bikes at a local ice-rink!!

Nutters

I’m with Skidartist on this one…

I can quickly build a picture of what’s worth what, and then go after the good deals, as and when.

It’s a bit like fishing, maybe?

I’ve been umming and aaahing between the Endura Stealth, and the Gore Cosmo Plus (Camo-colour) for sometime.

I’ve only tried on in-store, but they are quite different.

The Cosmo Plus didn’t seem to have a “dropped-back” when I tried the Medium, so when you adopt a riding position, the back rides up and exposes your lower back. Now Evans having size Large in stock, after no stock for a couple of weeks, I’ll be back to throw the Large on and see how its cut. It has neat “cuffs” built into the sleeves, which look like fingerless mittens when you slide your hand through. A great idea for keeping warm/preventing wind intake – but, a pain in the arse if you wear a chunky watch/bracelets/etc etc etc The overall design is very nice, with lots of opportunity for “off the bike”/down the pub use.

The Stealth is a far more technically built bit of kit, with an almost “minimalist” approach to the design. This is a very very good thing. It sets out to do a job, and does it very very well!! The cut is long at the back, and has “grippy” tape to prevent it riding up. The pit zips are split into two – One on arm, one on side – to allow easy access when backpack straps may be in the way. The cuffs zip snugly closed, and the overall fit is far closer than the Cosmo Plus, with the Stealth having a stretchy, taut feel to the fabric.

I’ll be back to Evans on Monday, for my the final Head-to-Head fit, before I buy one.

Oh, the Cosmo Plus is now £20 cheaper at Evans : )

Skate shoes here too!!

Vans, with Waffle sole…

Also Duffs/DCSHOECOUSA etc etc

Top – Aldi longsleeve bike top under a Singletrack shortsleeve, and old/2nd hand RaceFace Aquanot jacket.

Bottom – Polaris 3-Quartz leggings (warm!) under Endura Humvee shorts.

Gloves – Endura Strike (toasty).

Shoes Skate shoes, with toasty Asda socks.

Wore a Buff type thing last week during the colder spells.
===
Been trying on Endura Stealth and Gore Cosmo Plus softshells too…

Prob buy one of those by next week…

pictures of the amassed collection?!?!?

*waves hands in jedi-fashion…*

Go on, you know you want to….

Lawn needs cutting