a great many rims are a little out of round at the join. It’s up to you whether how much that is is acceptable. Trying to make the rim rounder or straighter than it is will result in uneven tensions, and a less-good wheel overall than one with a slight wobble that’s only perceptible in the truing stand.

I’ve got one a racing ralph evo (the lightweight version) in a 2.25 that’s had about a dozen uses i’d do for £15 posted

I’ve had this. I took a significant downgrade in my mountain bike (from XTR/Ti etc to an inbred with SLX) and now view mountain biking as a way to hang out with mates who also like mountain biking

pointy bit goes through the hole in the nipple and causes the driver to be ejected from the slot when the spoke is threaded in a certain amount – it’s a quick way of getting the same engagement on every spoke/nipple

disc brakes and large-name manufacturers is the usual way

there are £2500 bikes from the likes of cannondale with mavic aksiums on them

Try to round lengths by the smallest amount you can, whether up or down

The urge is always strongest when i’m enjoying my riding the least. Conveniently, that’s also the easiest time to resist it.

<span style=”display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: ‘Open Sans’; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;”>To be fair an angle grinder isn’t the most stealthy thing to use nick bike!</span>

but if the tealeaf shows up in a hi-vis tabard, safety goggles and work boots, no one will question him.

nothing will stop a determined professional thief who wants *your* bike. Locks are there to stop chancers, and to show the broken remains to your insurance company.

also, i’m after a pointer on good value hubs with easy changes of axle standards (boost isn’t a major concern for me, but 9mm/15mm is)

superstar switch seems like the obvious candidate, what else? used hope pro2?

I’ve tucked a pair of pacenti DL31 in my shed for “future use”

at £10 for 26 and £20 for “current” sizes (planet x), I reckon they’re a barg

Columbus minimal. Has a nice slender look that suits a steel road frame well.

Ashton court and leigh woods on the edge of Bristol are good for a quick no-planning blast

my granddad loved his Nissan Note. He’d always had Vauxhall astras before, but got the Note when he needed something he could get into easier and was often heard to say that he wished he’d changed years ago

Any decent trail FS would take the world cup DH scene by storm.

unconditional offer is nice to have on the table, but does she really want to go to Lincoln? Other cities may well be more vibrant and enjoyable for a young lass. Way back in the day I chose Bristol over Exeter for that exact reason

Any decent dell OptiPlex with a nice monitor or two, 8GB of RAM and an SSD

e thirteen did a 110 5 bolt bash, probably covers up to about 40t or so, but with enough “meat” that it covers my 34t. I’m using it for the same trouser-protecting reasons

I bought one used at the weekend, cant seem to find many new ones though

Another mention for veloflex masters at the other end of the spectrum, with a latex tube they’re lovely.

Wiggle lifeline prime armour are astonishing value for money. I’ve also heard good things about the prime race too

As far as I can remember specialized were one of the very few to use 73mm at that time.

Saracen and GT were the two other large names using them

if they’re ETRTO 520, spa have some kinlin rims here: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s116p2336/KINLIN-Nb-R-24%5C-inch-Rim that look like good value

Mavic XM317 are still fairly available (some places turn up silver ones now and then too), and the XM117 is still in production

Get yourself over to retrobike.co.uk and put up a wanted post. someone will sell you a wheelset in no time

mate of mine bought one these recently

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-dolomite-2-2017-road-bike-EV275634

not a cross bike, but a disc roadie, it’ll take a 32mm tyre without mudguards. I reckon it’s a lot of bike for the cash

if you like one of them, get one of the other blokes to run up to her, pull her hair and say “my mate fancies you”

I use a variety of different balls (sizes and hardnesses) for different areas and different levels of tightness. Tennis ball is a good starter – something too hard into a very tight area is going to hurt like all holy hell.

I tend to operate on the basis that if everything else is equal, lighter is better, but having had some weight weenie times, and broken parts to show for it, weight is no longer a primary selection factor for me.

i now tend to go for the lightest parts that are reasonably priced and up to the task. a lot of the time i don’t even look at the weights except on “big” stuff like frames, forks, wheels etc.

Strong. Light. Cheap. Choose two – as valid today as it’s ever been

probably best buying a used fork and servicing it. Sling a want ad up and doubtless something will be along soon

Bet we don’t!

technically I qualify as “we”, having got rid of a 96 Merlin XLM not that long ago 😉

that’s the one I’ve got, seller told me he bought it in 08. Pretty sure it’s pre-CEN, the CEN regs kicked in around 2010/2011

Novatech hubs have always been decent in my experience. Superstar fronts come in at around £45 for all your tarty colourful needs too.

Planet X have some well-priced Pacenti rims at the mo too.

I got a mint used inbred frame for £50 including postage a while back. That’s £100 to spend on other shiny things you don’t need important consumables

There’s minimal difference between building 32 and 36 imo. I started on 32, I’ve only built 36 when cheap hubs or rims have arrived by “accident”

Either is a good place to start. I’d not recommend starting with a 20-spoke DT revolution build….

It’s a nailed on classic the inbred. The retro botherers will be turning them out in droves in a few years

I have been impressed with the Wiggle lifeline tyres

Prime armour user here. I’d been using GP 4 seasons and Duranos before. I won’t be going back to them. Mega value.

Sapim race from the cycle clinic is my go-to spoke choice. £16 for 32 in silver, a bit more for black. Postage included.

once you’ve built a few you start to notice how many of the “brand” wheels are kinlin rims on novatech/bitex hubs, and realise just how much margin they’re putting into them

As of fairly recently you can sign up with a phone number.

I’m glad I’m not alone in meeting the odd spesh

If you’re passionate about cars, is it so different from keeping a high end bike in your house-share bedroom (as i’m sure many of us will have done in our younger days).

I often have a hot cross bun with jam wrapped in clingfilm in my back jersey pocket for long* rides. Jet fuel.

<ignore this, I hadn’t read the whole thread>