that’s not retro, it’s just a tatty old bike

i replaced some Hope V-Twins with the Hy-Rds, much prefer the Hy-Rds, much lighter feel, tons more modulation ;-)

i’ve had some on the bike almost a year, reliable consistent braking, no disc rub, not had a single problem, well apart from the stock resin pads wearing down to nothing during a wet gritty CX race

improved with the installing of compression free brake housing

Merak – Member
Right needing your help. I’m after a 38tooth 130 BCD 5 arm chain ring, Thorn have no stock.

try Zepnat[/url]

Merak – Member
JoB

Do use a tensioner?

no, dedicated frame with track ends

mattsccm – Member
What sort of going do your local CX events use. That will govern the gearing surely.

why? if you’re going to change the gearing of your SS to suit a course you’re probably better off buying a geared bike eh? ;-)

i run a 38×18 on the SSCX round the South Downs, you can give anything reasonable a good go and it’s not too spinny anywhere else

(goes to look)

it’s a Thorn ring, the chainset you’re using will dictate choice somewhat

in a bizarrely related event i saw a guy riding a Spec. Demo 8 on the trails the other day, full Lance Armstrong US Postal kit, silver roadie slippers, no peak on his helmet but one of those little caps underneath instead, he’d even put some tools and an inner tube in his rear pockets without feeling the need to stuff everything he owned in a large rucksack

i wished him good day without comment as there aren’t any rules as to what you can and can’t wear on a mountainbike and he was riding in whatever he felt comfortable

scaredypants – Member
seems a shit method of attachment – why do they still use it instead of a short slotted freehub ?

most road pedals have adjustable spring tension, just like SPDs so you can tune the ease of entry and release, if that’s what you mean

and they all varying degrees of ‘float’ so you can move your foot around without it coming unclipped

but once you’re in, you’re in, just like an SPD

as said above, CX tyres tend to be crap on tarmac, with spaced out knobs affording less grip than a slick tyre, with added squirm, so you just have to go easy into tight road corners
this is tyre tread dependant obviously

off road, they will get sucked into ruts a lot easier than an MTB tyre as they’re a lot thinner so find gaps easier, it’s something you have to compensate for

grip is significantly less than an MTB, and handling is a lots quicker, it’s just something you have to adapt your riding style to, you can’t just blast through stuff, you need to ‘go light’ and ride with a certain amount of finesse, which is what makes it fun

i ride the same South Downs trails on MTB and a CX bike, even the steep ones, it’s the fear on the latter that makes them come alive

hold off on putting the SB8s until it’s completely dry, they’re comically sketchy in the damp :-)

i was just sharing my experience that 52/36 works and you might be able to extrapolate that into thinking that 53/36 might be worth a shot as it’s only a tooth difference

you might be letting yourself into a whole world of chainsuck or standing halfway up an Alp like a distressed Schleck staring blankly at a chain dangled drivetrain, who knows?

i’ve used a Praxis ‘Pro Compact’ 52/36 combo changing from a 53/39 and it was fine, didn’t change the mech (Campag) or rear cassette

i was glad of it in the Pyrenees

wwaswas – Member
i’ve been riding a wholly unsuitable, pretend (and real) racing bike with silly gearing and no provision for luggage for both racer in training rides and nice days out in the hills for over half my life

yeah but you stayed indoors at lunchtime today ‘cos you didn’t have ‘guards and heated handlebars

i was going to go out on the ‘cross bike actually, the one i sometimes use for racing, and the one i sometimes use for nice days out in the hills ;-)

Rusty Spanner – Member

I just want to know why you choose pain and speed over comfort and practicality.

some days i choose it to be painful and fast, some days i choose it to be comfortable and practical

i’ve been riding a wholly unsuitable, pretend (and real) racing bike with silly gearing and no provision for luggage for both racer in training rides and nice days out in the hills for over half my life

maybe i don’t comply to your self-imposed rules, i’m okay with that

on the frame, a proper Zefal HPX frame-fit pump, that i lend to people with mini-pumps when i get bored of them fwapping away

he put it better

no

that’s the whole point of the liner being padded

go to a shop that knows what they’re talking about and sit on a few bikes to see what fits YOU, getting road bike sizing from advice on the internet is about as useful as picking a number out of a hat

wodge something in the hole of what’s left (a bradle or small screwdriver) and try to unwind it out that way, i’ve saved a similar situation a few times like this

if the gear cable is just resting against the stop rather than solidly secured it might affect your shifting

GrahamS – Member

I know the PowerLock connectors are supposed to be single-use, but it was an absolute beast to remove.

there’s a clue as to why in there somewhere :)

KMC Powerlinks, never had a problem

it’s easier to take the wheels out of a bike with it the right way up, do that

(can/worms)

the majority of male bike kit is a combination of black/red/white, by christ it’s boring

there’s no such thing as a ‘standard’ 1 1/8 cartridge bearing

well, carbon is often used to ‘deaden’ the ride to make a bike more comfortable to ride, then again it can also be used to make a bike as stiff as you’d dare, it’s all about application of the material

but for a full suspension bike you generally want the chassis to be as stiff as possible so the suspension bits can do their job properly, how that suspension system is designed and how they’re adjusted will make more difference to the ride than what material the frame is made from

you can’t generalise, a manufacturer can make a carbon or alloy frame to be as stiff/compliant/light/flexy/durable as they want

how a frame is designed and manufactured is more important than material

he has to turn his bike upside down to put a wheel in, so i concur with the thread title

they already did

i like how you’ve managed to get it to match that can of GT85 perfectly

;-)

it’s a test bike for the road.cc

i’ll be swapping the tyres from what’s on now to CX tyres and ‘proper’ MTB 29er tyres to see how versatile a toy it might be

nedrapier – Member
It’s not a sandy Koga is it, Jo?

that it is ;-)

a bike with a Thunder Burt on the front has just arrived downstairs

it’s on a Mach 1 Neo Disc allegedly, which has an internal rim diameter of 19 and external of 24.1

the tyre measures 52mm across from external knob edge to edge

you do that on my watch and you’ll get tossed overboard

*cleans watch*

unexpectedly jettisoned onto the wharf

who hasn’t?

i’d check that the road is actually open first

i ride a moutainbike and a road bike and the constant demands of my dramatic personality change when i swap between the two are exhausting

you should be fine, a 100 mile ride is not the time to discover you don’t get on with gels, they’re not the be-all and end-all of on-bike nutrition anyway

take whatever you’re used to eating and eat little and often, trail mix, munchie bar, a stop for tea and cake

yeah, Beacon to Lewes is okay, apart from the flat white bit just before Blackcap

i was in Friston a few weeks ago, when i promptly left Friston, i doubt it’s improved since, the main tracks are ok though

the bits along the tops are mostly ok, puddly in the dips as you might expect, anywhere through the trees is an horrendous quagmire

i’ve used the Hopes and HY/RDs and i’d go for the HY/RDs

the Hopes are excellent but feel a bit wooden and are really quite hard to use if you’re on the hoods, but being hydraulic they’re pretty much fit and forget

the HY/RDs have a lovely light action with tons of modulation compared to the Hopes but as they’re cable actuated they need more care, the best thing you can do is get some compression-free brake housing, that makes a lot of difference
never had a problem with them failing catastrophically in the over 3 months i’ve been using them, oh, apart from not realising the stock pads weren’t designed for wet conditions and wearing through them in a race, whoops
swap them out if you get them