It’s ok to not get something. Doesn’t mean others are wrong. Doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

+1 Raceblade Long. Solid.

Cranks! Why pay more than SLX? Sure, a spiderless design would be neater but you’ll be paying 2x as much for the cranks and 3x as much for each chainring you wear out…

aye, given how these ones have fared I shall be keeping spares in the workshop now!

I’m just surprised as the set that came on the bike must have lasted two years before feeling grumbly. most of that was on better conditions but they still got winter riding and the hose treatment.

I’m also now a bit doubtful I had exactly the right bearings in 😕

Carry your helmet, wear it if challenged.

What weight allowance do you have for the hand-luggage (carry-on)? Max that out with small, heavy items. If you like gambling, then you’ll note that lots of airlines do not always weight the carry-on. If you have a small but heavy bag you might slip it through.

extra wraps of tape over the offending corner?

when I used flared drops, the hood position was compromised, but riding in the drops was so nice to compensate!

It’s not in the other thread so I’m going to post my current favourite bad joke.

I blew my parents’ minds when I got them a universal remote control. They said, this changes everything.

I’m going to play the man here and not the ball, by pointing out Flashy’s public and highly embarrassing U-turn, regarding multiple posts in threads.

As if changing ones mind is a show of weakness and not an ability to reconsider ones opinion after further learning…

661 Rage elbow pads, mine have never slipped. Comfy and can wear them all day. Never have to do the straps up tight – they’re a little snug but stretch on and are not restrictive.

Got the Mrs some similar Fox ones, also good.

Key things that work for us: elbow only, good shape, hard outer, elastic and grippy above and below. If you want for arm coverage you’re going to sacrifice some of the retention coming from the shaping at the bottom.

All IMHO/IME.

Medium and yes.

I’ve fitted a One-Up RAD cage on the bikes that I use a wide range cassette on though. Still works without, I just get better shifting with one.

dodgy dealings in the NHS:

you mean the drug companies hiking prices?

Agreed it’s a scandal, but someone has to look out for the shareholders!

+1 polystyrene block under the drum!

Pro 2 service is dead easy with the correct tools, they make it dead easy to knock the old bearings out and press the new ones in without damaging them.

If you don’t have a fleet* of bikes adorned with Pro 2’s then I’m sure you’d be abel tof ind someone to borrow the tools off.

*
“quiver” or “stable” would also be accepted

Stage 1 definitely had the most stuff and features to remember, it was the only one we decided we definitely wanted a second practice on!

Oh and the official video, yours truly setting off in to Stage 1 filmed by the ‘copter (15s in)

some amazing crashes.

yeah, which’ll be why I rode the small jump!

Tracey, were you the car park marshal? I wans’t sure or would have said hi. We were one of the red T5’s.

Anyway, well done to Abigale, less than a second in front of Ella for 3rd spot on the podium. Neither us of were feeling well so we didn’t hang around for the final results.

I had a good day, rode ok. The only stage I was really keen to practice a second time was Stage 1. We got up there and sat around for 20 minutes while someone was carried off, then told go leave and ride stage 3 instead!

Ella has a good one, except for us getting red flagged for another crash on satge 3. Pushed back up and chose this as the right time to wash out on the steep corner. oops.

And a repost to the sexist comments…. yeah sure, whatever.

The male dominated field represents a massive barrier to less confident and slower riders, which does mean it affects women more heavily.

A more level field and friendlier atmosphere is definitely a way to encourage racing amongst the ladies, at least if what my my own Mrs tells me is anything to go by.

So yeah, get back under your bridge.

p.s. one or two of the stages are optional for the newbies IIRC

All those tyres are made in a rear tyre specific tread and compound. If you attempt the use any of those tyres on the front, the tyre will realise this at the first attempt to brake heavily and will use all it’s power to put itself at the back, where it belongs, resulting in a 180 degree spin.

I’d hope they actually mean 2000 metres climbing.

like mushroom, mushroom.

30 miles with only 2000 ft (er, 610 metres) of climbing? Are they actively trying to avoid climbs and descents in that terrain?

Tracey – we’ll also be in our van (big red poptop) but staying with relatives in Kendal instead. I might recognise you from Grizedale so will say hi.

bigpins – absolutely don’t be pushing up sections if it’s busy. If there’s no one coming the sure, push up a few metres to have another go at something but the fast lads will come down at a right pace, it’s incredibly hard to get your bike out of way way quickly enough with someone bearing down on you rapidly. You’d be better off just riding round the whole loop and not pushing back up the trail for a whole stage!

Me and EB are racing but as for the amount of practice, we’ll see what it’s like and how long it takes to get round. Apparently stages 3 and 4 are tougher. Might do a loop on Saturday and a half-loop on Sunday. Maybe more if we feel like it.

from http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mobile-pressure-washers-which-are-good-or-are-they-rubbish-or-other-options

I have an Aqua2Go Pro. It has a 25 litre tank which is nearly enough for 2 very muddy bikes and the pray is a decent balance of concentrated power vs. flow.

The battery will do well over a tank, haven’t tested it to see exactly how far.

It comes with stuff to plug it in to the car’s 12V supply, you can charge USB devices from the battery and you can use the pump without the tank to draw water from (for example) a river.

It’s over a £100 but fairly impressed… once I got my hands on a working on (1st one was DOA but Winstanleys sorted me out well).

We had one of those cheap tat ones. the lid folded out in to a windshield and it worked flawlessly for years.

WE also have an alpkit Koro (although branded as a fire Maple – they were being sold before Alpkit started rebranding them) and due to the poor o-ring seal inside it’s caused more than one cannister leak and scary moments with fire.

Cut the branches overhanging your desk. Make sure you throw them back over to his/her side of the desk though.

Sounds like flogging your ticket on and covering the cost of a fake ID would be your best bet 😉

I have some EBC ones that are about your budget for a pair but yep, the bottoms clips are a bit flimsy and I’ve come unclipped when heavily laden or rough ground (or kerbs) before.

Mine are 7 years old hough so the design may have improved since then.

The Ortleib ones are much sturdier.

I wear arm warmers when running, hiking, touring, road-riding….

but almost never on the MTB. I normally choose a SS, 3/4 or LS jersey etc and roll sleeves up if I have to!

Whilst I have no idea how valid the objections were, the day we see a fracking plant in the Prime Minister’s back yard is the day we’re sure it’s safe.

#northernpowerhouse

pretty crap in the corners on any loose gravel.

Yeah… not sure why you’d expect anything to grip in loose gravel on top of hardpack.

I had one in 2011 (853 steel, carbon fork, discs and 105 for £1000 RRP) and found it heavy, sluggish and uninspiring on road. I sold it after I’d paid off the C2W.

HTH.

No kids here, no problem with the photo.

Some people are just twits.

When I played with ergon style grips, I found that the larger pad for the heel of your palm prevented my from effectively wrapping my ring and pinky fingers around the bar, meaning there was more reliance on my middle finger and thumb for retaining the bar. I’d guess that the ergon style grips might actually be counter productive. However I might still have a set in my spares box I could post you to try out. Seen you’ve already got a pair on the way 😀

Without knowing the particulars of the Thompson dropper post, yhy would the cables need to be particularly flexible? So long as you can bend the cable to suit your frame routing, then use any stuff you have.

Do you have any other cable causing issues in the internal bit? Like a dropper?

Have you got the routing past the shock sorted? That is another potential issue. And what size frame?

In typical fashion I’m not going to answer your question directly.

When in a similar situation I bought a replacement charger (which takes a 5V micro USB input) and a handful of batteries.

Clearing fallen logs isn’t a crime. You’re doing the landowner a favour in keeping the right of way clear. Whether you choose to ride your bike along there at a later time is unrelated. If you were cutting down healthy trees in a commercial first it might be a bit different.

Besides, how’s it riding?

what is the evidence that Americans see the NHS as a disaster?

Well at the moment, the NHS doesn’t make anyone filthy, stinking rich. For a multi billion pound effort that is absolutely criminal and thankfully our mate JH is going to fix that.

Bookmarked this thread! I want to do the same when I wire in my towel rail – hit the button for an hour’s warmth/towel drying.

Fact or supposition ?

Let’s just call it foresight.

Jamablaya:
As I posted on the other thread the Tories won the election with a higher nhs spending pledge than Labour (+£8bn pa vs £2bn)

and

Tory Health Minister Jeremy Hunt
“Our ambition should be to break down the barriers between private and public provision, in effect denationalising the provision of health care in Britain”

Doesn’t take a genius to understand where the Tory ideology will take them.

Good moment for Mr Hunt to pick a fight and demoralise JDs even more, isn’t it?!

almost as if he’s doing as much damage as he can, so that the good ol’ private sector can step in and save the day.

That £8 bn that the Tories promised is going to be spent on private hospitals built with public money and some very, very expensive elective surgery.