and check the eurostar policy re bikes…last time I looked they make you check the bike in cargo and it may or may not take the same train as you

they’ll fit but you can transfer most of the juice to the new tyres if you are careful, obviously its easier if you are just swapping rims and keeping the same tyres. You will probably need a top up though

be careful! ordered a groupset through them, although promised me a 73mm bottom bracket sent a 68mm one, took over a week and two more phone calls to sort. Then…stupidly I had also ordered a brake set from them…it showed up with the shortest hose in the world on it, had to have come off another (very small) bike. Have decided that the groupset had too, none had packaging with it but I didnt mind at the time, I hate it when you get a big box from an internet shop for something small.

in conclusion, very annoying

form a girls perspective – Natures kiss on the inside and sudocream on the outside 🙂

Sudocream do a small enough tub for your camelbak for mid ride top up 🙂

Speaking of picking brains…I’ll be out in NZ in a few weeks time, I’m working on blagging a day off (ie on bike) in Rotovegas – any recommendations for bike hire? and are the trails way marked like say Afan or would it be worth finding a guide? only having one day wouldnt want to waste it!

I find that some gloves that are great on flat bars are terrible on my road bike, you might have to experiment.

Otherwise maybe tweak your set up? Maybe your bars are too low / too close and you are ending up supporting your weight more on your hands than your butt?

The other thing to do while you get used to it is move your hands around as much as possible, drops give you loads of possibilities

sometimes once you have used a tube in a tyre it seems to stretch and becomes less easy to get to seal – could be your problem with the Nobby Nic? Harder they are to get on the rim the better / easier they seem to seal. I’ve had a tyre pop off which was loose to go on the rim and hard to get up, I’m pretty weary of them now if they seem too loose!

better still, keep your old wheel and tyre for the turbo, much less faf to change the wheel when you need to do a turbo session, turbo is a hard enough mental challenge without thinking about having to change tyres too!

I’ve also heard good things about the Terry saddles

Good point on chamois creams – I swear by sudacream for the sit bone area and it comes in a mini sized one for top ups on the way!

I have a specialized Alias 143 on my road bike, I run a Selle Italia SLK ladies on my MTB if that helps to compare. I’ve tried quite a few and its surpirsing how uncomfortable padded saddles are for long rides, although the combination of shorts and saddle is important. It may also pay to check her bike set up, she may not have any weight on her arms in which case its all on her bum, dropping her bars slightly or shortening her stem might also help?

Before I got my riding position sorted I hated the Alias after 1.5 hours or so but since I did a cycle fit I have really liked it. Having said that my first 100 mile ride really broke my a**. Once over that I havent had any problems at all. It seems there is a certain amount of breaking in of both saddle and rider required.

Have you tried getting measured by the LBS? some have that Specialized BG measuring system which makes sure that the saddle is only as wide as your sit bones, any wider and you just end up rubbing on it

You could build yourself a very nice Cotic Soul for £1500 – thats an all day HT you could take anywhere and do anything on.

I ride both, it depends where I’m riding and why. FS is great all day in Wales, you get less tired and it has a talent compensator element to it. Hardtail forces you to ride it more actively (ie no talent compensation), its fun but more tiring in some ways I think. Then again are you comparing a heavy FS with bad pedal dynamics? go the hardtail

Hardtail is way easier to clean. You will generally get a better component spec for similar money.

I dont think I could choose one or the other. If you had too I’d say hardtail since you probably arent riding as much? then again when I only had one bike it was a FS.

Would it be like saying you dont need a sports car if you mainly drive to work in traffic and only use the “sport” element once a month? You dont need it, but its fun when you have it!

In my experience non UST tyres on converted rims are near on impossible to get to seal, but I have never tried a compressor. It seems that you can have one but not the other ie UST rims with non UST tyres but if you are converting rims its just way easier to use UST tyres. A compressor might make it a whole different story though!

I’d also be interested in opinions – it was on TV yesterday but they didnt show anything remotely interesting looking, all nicely manicured gravel paths. I was hoping it was just because the camera guy couldnt be bothered to trek for better footage?

I agree with Jennyh. MTBing is one of the few sports (like snowboarding) where all your mates can go out together and thats part of the appeal. I dont expect the guys I ride with to change my flats or get my bike out of the car for me, I’d like to think I was there on equal terms with any one of our mates, I hope I’m not dreaming!

no ladies forum needed 🙂

some also have their saddles impossibly high, like 6″+ above their cut down bars or maybe its they have their bars low? either way, dont see how they can ride around all day like that, see cars pulling out on them or pedestrians stepping from between cars….got to have sore a**/hands?

I’ve got some Race Lites – assuming they are the same they should be asymetric.

Funny thing with physios – just going along doesnt fix the problem, its doing the excercises and stretches afterwards that does!

More helpfully – I found getting my bike fitted properly has helped a lot with my knees – not sure if there is a cycle fit type place up your way? they put you on an adjustable bike, video you and make sure your pedal alignment etc is correct, put shims in your shoes and pedals etc like correcting pronation with the right running shoes.

http://www.cyclefit.co.uk/

I can vouch for AQR

oops that “null” is a link to a site with route guides / ideas

what about one of the classic multiday routes like the Wessex way / south downs way / coast to coast

null

I’ve only done the Transrockies so cant compare the two but it was an awesome experience. Truly in the wilderness – no mobile reception for 3 days, other days patchy. Wasn’t the best for singletrack but on such long days you can do with a break! Loads of ordinary people but enough pros to be inspriring.

Given you stay in towns for transalp I imagine it would have quite a different feel?

It really depends what you want from it! We decided to do the Rockies because if we were going to do all that training and take two weeks off work we may as well go somewhere we hadnt been and make it epic.

The others to look at which I have heard good things about are BC bike race and the Cape epic

Cable tie?

called them – apparently the rest of mine will be posted today.

I havent quite figured out why online shops send orders piecemeal? surely its more packaging, more postage, more handling?

I ordered on Friday, half turned up today…who knows!???!!!

Mavics are £150 second hand
Bonty £169 new

I have a pair of crossmax on my other bike at the moment so figure they are good but being drawn by the newness of the bontys! 🙂 Its just having taken a while to get the hang of the Mavics when I first got them wasnt looking forward to the same thing with the Bontys if the system worked slightly differently. No-one seems to run bontrager?

so I have a choice of a brand new set of Bontys on sale or for similar money a pair of well used year old Mavics….