Well a few servers, used to be more but I virtulised them all last year, still make an annoying ‘hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm’ noise all day.

Kitchen worktop that is my desk that goes around the room. A load of printer cartridges, some IT spares / junk and currently my project for the Easter break is to convert the stack of VHS videos into digital format and setup a media server so they can be streamed to the classrooms on request.

I am now an expert in keeping clean, stop smoking, first aid, disabled children and body bugs!

However the highlight of my office is the ‘cool’ wall of pictures of my lovely daughter, my wife and my cheeky nephews.

I can glance across the ICT suite and see the blue skys outside but thats it for windows but to be fair monitors and light don’t mix well so comes with the job.

I can also see my road bike sat there waiting to be riden hard on the way home in the sun!

One tea break and an hour and half to go!!

FishBone brought this to my attention last night on our weekly ride, im up for it if I can get to you.

Hopefully travel with FishBone but if he’s not available anyone able to swing by Yeovil and pickup me for some good petrol / beer / cider contributions??

But if you have three sprockets WTF is the point in not having a few more anyway?

Totally pointless I know but it could start a whole new niche!!

The Brick, yes I have seen that and also some DH’ers select custom cogs and making shorter cassettes to suit tracks etc.

Even Specialized have teamed up with DT Swiss and SRAM I believe in creating a super small lowest cog so they can still get the power out of a 32t up front thus giving better ground clearance and being able to lower the BB for lower centre of gravity.

It was just an idea of what to do with these spare (cheap) 3 speed shifters.

I am hooked on Mass Effect 2, something like 50 hours in now and still a fair bit to go + I downloaded the ‘Arrival’ addon last week so will give that a go.

Also playing Shift 2 with a Logitech GT wheel and pedals, seems good and enjoying it although not got really into it just yet, that will come.

On one of our local trails there was a tree that had fallen down and some had put a little north shore ladder on it so you could get over the tree and pop off the end.

Recently someone has cut the fallen tree in half and pulled one half down so there is now 2 trees across the trail.

The north shore ladder is still there but you have to jump and clear the second tree.

I hadn’t done this before so I just followed my mate, matched his speed and cleared it!!

Helps to ride with someone who has either done these things before or give you tips / confidence to give it ago yourself. Once you have broken the barrier of doing it you’ll be ‘sending it’ before you know it!!

I guess it’s personal preference but I always worry that if cars are bumper to bumper and it’s stationary, if you go on the outside you end up stuck in the middle on the road as soon as the traffic starts moving as no **** will let you back in. I did this once and the car behind tried to undercut me and I ended up on his bonnet!

Depending on the traffic and queue size I will either slowly work my way through the traffic or wait my turn, however in this instance, as the road was wide and the cars were positioned more to the centre of the road it was (for the most part) easier to go up on the inside.

I agree in this case it was minor enough not to report but I wonder what stance should be taken against drivers who deliberatly take actions against you.

If you can’t afford it , dinnae buy it
Mortgage was the only thing I ever financed

Pot kettle black that!!

I could afford the £35 a month plus a small deposit down but didn’t have 2k to buy it out right.
Same as I can afford my morgage repayments but didn’t have 150k to layout in one lump sum. Only difference is one was 0% and the other (currently) is about 4%!!

I have done 2, one the Black Horse 0% finance and one on a Barclays 0%. Did it through the shops, one was a 1k bike, put a couple hundred down and paid about £35 per month (same as the gym I just quit).

I then did one on a 2k bike but after selling my old bike I put about 1k down so it worked out the same each month.

Very good if you can get 0%, if it doesn’t cost and you can afford it there’s no reason not to.

Going to be honest, why run a road mech when you could run a short cage X.7/9?

Yes X7 and X9 short cage mechs are more available now and certainly an option. Road mechs in short cage were much more available when I last did this and used to be the better way to go. That saying, my old 105 mech on my DH bike lasted well and held up to some abuse. However I never went out in mud like I’ve seen some CX’ers go out in 😉

I will likely, going on the advice here, stick to 9 spd, buy better spec stuff and run a close ratio cassette out back. I really won’t need a higher gear than a 32×28 for the hills we ride and I think the lowest gear (11) is more important for my configuration.

I will also likely run the SS Plasma guide with the lower roller. I like the idea of the top only one but again, for my style of riding and the abuse it will get I will prefer the security of a top and bottom roller.

102 BCD on my ‘Jones’ XTR cranks.

I agree though, if you don’t need the big range cassette then the argument to go 10spd is weaker.

Hence my question!

I can’t make my mind up, there isn’t a real need but as I am spending out money and doing this from scratch am I better off doing it 10 Spd and keeping it up to date, so if circumstances change in the future I don’t have to buy all the kit again to make it 10 spd and possibly be restricted in availability of 9 spd components in 18 months time say?

Coming from SS, I only need to run gears due to moving to a full sus and as I have coped pretty well with a 32 – 16/18T even a road cassette at 11/26 or 11/28 seems quite manageable.

All this mech stuff is new to me!
Not sure I really need a 32t out back and a long flappy mech 😆

Oh and I really need to run a 32 up front as I have XTR cranks and don’t want the expense of buying another special ring!

I am leaning towards say an X9 10spd shifter, Apex or Rival rear mech (short cage) and a 11-28 cassette.

However, maybe a XT 10 spd shifter, SLX mech (mid cage) and a 11-32 cassette is another option.

if there is no other evidence apart from the coppers, then is it not your word against his?

I thought that, surely ‘Sorry officer but I saw the light as being green not red, do you have any evidence to say otherwise’ would have got him out of that one?

I got pulled for jumping a red light (country lane, temp lights which had just not been taken down, could see nothing was coming) the car behind was un-marked. Got called a few names, told I give cyclists a bad name and thats why all drivers hate us and told to go on my way. I did however give the sorry officer, yes officer, won’t happen again officer line and passed the attitude test!!

Do you ride better with your saddle down and want to go fast?

If you answer yes to that question then buy one!

Wouldn’t be without one now, I would recommend one that can be positioned in it’s whole travel rather than an up or down.

Looks like someone has thought their frame will sell better as a complete bike, that’s all.

+ 1

Its the fact its just listed as Mountain bike and doesn’t even say what it is in the title.

Borrowed Mummy or Daddy’s account maybe and doesn’t really know / understand / bothered how ebay works?

Can you get it in gear, and if you can, does the speedo move when you rev the engine?

No, we tried that – thats drive shaft related isn’t it?

Well, going purely on the professional advice given to me, the garage said deffo a clutch but certain things were pointing to the box as well.

Car had a few issues, fairly minor but issues non the less. The main being a leak in the boot and a rusty hole coming through the boot.

Taking this into fact, the value of the car and the fact I am 100 miles from home and logistics of getting the car fixed could be a lot of running around I decided that it wasn’t worth the hassle. Garage gave me a reasonable amount for the car so I don’t have to do anything other than get home and the father in law has offered to pick us up.

Just feels rather random that I have come away on holiday with a car and going home without one.

Have decided to commit to a 25 mile commute for the next month or so. At least it’s end of term next week and the school I work for has a month off so it’s reduced working hours as well 😀

Getting home isn’t an issue as such as the friends we are visiting owns his own company and has offered to use his hire car account and get me a cheap car or the wifes Dad has offered to come and pick us up if needed.

I don’t tend to have much luck with bangers, always seem a good idea and this one certainly hasn’t worked out!

I bought one SH on ebay that was brand new but the guy who bought it didn’t think to measure his daughter and she was too tall (and to old TBH) for it.

Paid £45 quid and it’s one of the german blue ones that has suspension. Fairly OK build quality. I took all the brakes off for when it can be used as a stroller and it’s pretty good.

I recon you could fasten a car seat into it and get good results. Go for it, my Daughter hates the first 5 mins, settles into it, loves it and then fall’s asleep. Mines all packed up in the car ready for the weekend in the new forest. Hope the weather stays dry!!

This morning you say?

Well according to the date and time on the video, surely you could have just hit 88 mph and gone back in time even futher?

I had a guy pull out on me on the other side on the road but going in my direction, unknow to me however he knew I was there and didn’t pull out fully and was driving down the middle of the road so I could undertake him as he got up to speed.

I was taking in some juice from my bottle at the time so as well as some naughty words he got a good spray of energy drink over his windscreen!!

Looking at it, the rear swing arm is inline if not behind the edge of the BB so anything attached should clear. That saying, until I try I won’t know for sure!!

Shame about the P20, running XTR cranks with the ‘Jones’ mod so don’t think a bash guard will fit.

DeeW, does the P20 ‘Need’ a bash to work or can you just adjust the top guide and bottom roller so they are close enough that the chain doesn’t come off the ring?

If you got a pic as well that would be good, interested, email in profile.

What I hate are all the ads that don’t show pictures, even though everyone will want to see them…

+1

I like to see a picture for 2 reasons:
1, Condition, size, colour, actual part etc.
2, Seller has some way of showing he HAS / OWNS the item for sale; very easy to say I have these brand new XTR cranks for sale for £100 (even with a catalog shot) and be fleecing money!

Bike City Wells is now part of the Tri-UK shop in Yeovil – Hopefully with Jim still there it might be half decent.

Im Yeovil based, we ride the Mendips, Quantocks, Puddletown, Ham Hill and trips to cwmcarn every now and then oh and a Ashton court one coming up too.
(My riding group are Yeovil, Glastonbry, Bristol and Chepstow so got your area covered!)

I have riden with Buzz on a STW ride and he is a great guy and I am sure would show you some great spots on the Mendips.

If you want to give me a PM (email in profile) I am sure we could organise a ride, my group are fairly fit and like to hammer the downs / tech stuff (come from a DH background) but I’d like to think we are welcoming and encouraging to any skill / fitness level.

I think people are getting hooked up on why ‘should’ you stop and let a motorist pass but that isn’t the issue here. The issue is that the cyclist won’t use the passing places to allow the OP to pass in his car.

we ride a road section to get to the off road section on our bikes that is narrow and doesn’t have any passing places, we either sprint a bit to get to the open section quicker if a car comes up behind or find a place that isn’t a passing place but with a careful lean of the bike against the bank allows the car to squeeze pass. Sometimes we get a thank you, other times we don’t.

I also do this in town, if a lorry or van is struggling to get past I will pull up onto the pavement and let him pass. We all have places to get to, I choose to do it slower on a bike so that shouldn’t mean that all other traffic should drive at the speed of me. If I am holding other people up then I feel I have a duty to let them pass.

But then, I am the type of person that if I have a full weeks food shopping and the person behind is buying a paper / choc bar / packet of sandwiches I’ll let them go in front on me.

I was thinking about telling her last night after she got home from seeing friends but she was cranky and I could do no right.

I decided it wasn’t the best idea to tell her!!

I think I will wait until it arrives and just let her discover it in the garage and bluff my way out!

Not told her yet!, luckily I had mentioned I wanted some money for a bike related part first thing this morning and tonight I got questioned as to what I wanted. She rolled her eyes and I laid it on thick how one of my riding buddies is moving to Turkey so I will be doing more XC type rides with my other mates and I need gears otherwise my friends leave me behind (they don’t but I like to paint a bleek picture).

Slowly slowly breaking down the barriers!

Deffo the sell this to pay for it works and ‘I can’t sell it until I got the new part otherwise I won’t have a bike to ride and you know I’ll be hell to live with don’t you?’ works a treat.

I just haven’t got anything BIG to sell.

My wife will notice only to the fact a ‘blue’ bike has appeared that isn’t green, bright green, red and white, howies blue and of course her white and purple bike.

Fishbone – Hope you don’t mind but for now, this will be your ‘old’ frame that I am ‘borrowing’ to see if I like it. You want ‘£200’ for it and once built up, and I have raved on about it she might cave in – however the CC / bike account will get the money NOT you 😛

Worth asking Windwave of a rough cost to repair, if they end up with 2011 internals and not cost loads then you should be alright.
If it’s gonna cost you the price of some decent second hand forks or new forks (RS Sektor maybe) then you would be best to go down that route…

I had an issue with my steerer on some RS Lyrik and I ended up cutting my loses and got some new forks.

NO CURRENT bikes, frames etc. will be sold, only spares sold and extras purchased.

My real issue now though is will the brown grips and pedals on my dialled go with the blue of the Giant, I feel a custom paint job coming on…..

ahhh I’ve caught the bug again…. 2 Yrs since the Daughter has been born isn’t too bad, is it??

What about the tyre logo and rim alignment (or lack off), hmm hmm no bodys mentioned that yet either!!

I quite like it in a showing off way, wouldn’t want to own or ride it.

Right background info:
Wife wants to move from 2 bed cottage (with nice size garage) to a 3 bed place to which I say we can’t afford it atm (quite like where we live and I can put up with the size)
1 x 2Yr old daughter, trying for 2nd child – hence the can’t afford to move (want wife to have baby and back to work before we move).
Standard over draft / cc bills that come with modern living (and owning bikes 🙄 )

Bikes:
1 x Dialled Love / Hate SS (pretty bling)
1 x Solid Flair SS Full Sus(pretty bling play/fr/dh bike)
1 x Trek Road bike (standard fitness machine)
1 x Old steel road bike – used to gentle rides with the wife

She has an old Dawes ladies bike SS which I did up for her and made it girly

Other stuff that costs money:

1 x Kayak
1 x PS3
1 x Wii

So not loads of bikes but a garage full of stuff/bits that should have been sold to pay for all the other stuff I have bought.

Will use the parts on the Dialled plus some gears to build it up and swap frames over when I want to ride hardtail or full sus / wet weather dry weather etc.

Will keep it at work until built.

Their rotors are great for the money, have them on both my xc and dh bike, fit fine, same quality as any other I have had (Hayes, Shimano, Hope) just not the crazy price.

I’ve used the Sintered pads before with no issues, fancy trying the kevlar next as they sound good.

Should be fine with Strokers, had Strokers on my Marin (with Hayes rotors) but the SS rotors aren’t any different and I used to run SS rotors on my Hayes nines with no issues.

I rock the narl to sweet double whips to the high 5’s dude man dude*

* it’s my dh bike, nothing but descents on it, rides great for the stuff down south, even run it on 130mm most of the time, it’s got marz 55s and a ti spring now and looks awesome, never been on a slopestyle course in my life

Oh and it’s weird at first listening to the suspension working and not hearing the chain rattle you get with gears

dave, im in Yeovil too, ping me an email (email in profile) and you are more than welcome to join us.

I’m a regular at Puddletown so if you want to drop me an email (in profile) I am happy to give you a tour!

Puddletown has some great little DH runs through the forset and some new stuff is being built that looks great.

I think I was a bit eager on Sat then when I tried my local Tesco’s and it wasn’t there.

Will get the missus to pop in lunch time 😀

Thanks Tony_M thats the useful comment that can make this forum great!

I will measure tonight and check the actual height of my rim and brake and see if 28mm is enough.

My Solid Flair pivots around the BB and I run mine SS.
130mm / 160mm adjustable travel on the back.
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DSCF3001[/url] by Jackass123456789[/url], on Flickr

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DSCF3011[/url] by Jackass123456789[/url], on Flickr

(Sorry not got any close ups of the BB pivot)

They are 700 x 23c at the moment, the brakes are the biggest issue but there is plenty left and right clearance but not a huge amount above the tyre before the brake.