Thanks for all the replies… looks like the conscensus is that a through axle will make a big difference but the tapered steerer improvement is less apparent

Had a Scapin Nope VD6 – steel and carbon fibre hardtail. Was a thing of beauty until i stacked it and smashed up the downtube on some pointy rocks

Still got it in the garage, its too pretty to scrap

I’m in the exact same position as you. I currently use a summer house as home office as having 3 children under 5 preclude me from working in the house. I’ve put up with freezing my nuts off in the winter and roasting in the summer for the last 3 years.

I have just ordered one of these…. http://www.ukgardenbuildings.co.uk/dalbury-p-634.html?osCsid=46cb98005893322cd6de315a96004121

Concrete goes down next week and being installed on the 11th June. Seems to tick all the boxes being insulated, double glazed tec… and a damn sight cheaper than anything else i’ve found so far. They have a site in Chester and one near Stafford so i was able to go along and see one already built before placing my order… seem to be very good quality.
I’ll let you know what its like when i have it up and running if its of interest ?

enfht – Member
Nothing says “we appreciate your efforts” more than a tabard.

.. Pure gold

thomthumb… if i could afford both i would. Dont have enough cash sadly :(

iridebikes… my thoughts exactly!

buzz-lightyear… thanks

Not really spent anything major on my bike for 4 years now.. so yes there is definitely an element of wanting to spend some money on it whether its wise or not.
My brakes do work, and have done so consistently well for that period.. . but the new XT ones i tried worked even better and 1 finger braking was easy even with 160 rotors front and rear.

Thanks for the replies all

I hadnt considered custom valves/tuning the fork, maybe a good idea… what is PUSH exactly ? not sure what that is

As for the brakes they have had all the upgardes i can think of over the years… goodridge hoses, 203 rotor up front and bled by me and cytec mechanic… they work pretty well every time but just dont seem to have the power of newer brakes. Ridden a mates bike with the new XT brakes on and they were amazing. No matter what i do i cant 1 finger brake with them as they dont scrub off enough speed.

I could shed some weight but thats not as much fun as buying shiney things for my bike.

Had a session with Ed-O last year and it was worth every penny… made me much faster

If quality secondry schools are a priority then i’d recommend Wilmslow as the secondry school there is outstanding as are practically all of the primary schools.
Yes is is expensive and can be a bit ‘cheshire set’ with a few too many orange faced people but they can be easily ignored…. i’ve managed it for the last 8 years anyway.
Its got great rail links, 15 mins into Manc and less than 2 hrs to London if thats important to you plus all the great riding spots of the peaks are about 25min drive away.

The post you want are available at on-one for £199 ?
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/SPRSREV/rockshox_reverb_adjustable_seatpost

Had the same diagnosis about 3 years ago and decided against surgery. The consultant i saw suggested i try wide-fit shoes/trainers for a while with a thick, soft sole rather than a hard thin sole that allow the toes to spread and avoid pinching the nerve that causes all the pain, i did just that and it makes all the difference. I still have some ‘normal’ width shoes and when i wear them i instantly get the pinch and the acute pain between the toes… my advice would be to try this before going under the knife

Ran one of these for a couple of years on a pair of fox talas rlc 140’s… i reckon they were spot on for this frame, really sweet handling on the downs. Very useful having the 100mm setting for the climbs though, i found it wandered at bit uphill at 140. I know people have run these frames with lyrics as well, no idea on how it would handle though… not great would be my guess. 140 is the sweet spot in my opinion

If you mean the one at the Trafford Centre then yes its worth a trip… took my 4 year old and 1 year old and they both loved it… got rides (albeit small), 3d cinema, lego models to play with…. worth the entrance fee in my view

“It’s got to be family suitable, comfy, refined and have toys”…. a second hand Maserati Quattroporte can be had for less than 25k these days. Thats what i’d have

I used to work with a young lad from India. One day whilst regaling him with stories of our drinking prowess and exaggerated claims of how many disgusting shots we’d managed to down he blurted out..

‘Thats nothing, in India we drink bulls milk !’

10 years on and it still cracks me up…

Vegasdave ‘Advantage on the rear(a great all round tyre)’ +1.
I run Advantage 2.25’s front and rear, year round in the peaks cos i cant be arsed to change them. They do clog up in the thickest of mud but otherwise pretty damn good in my opinion

Recently bought a new On One Ti and i cant recommend it highly enough… climbs really well and flies back down. Front end is really easy to lift and compared to the super stiff Nicolai Argon FR i had before it is extremely compliant. Relatively cheap too..

Four men in a car for me…. brought tears of mirth to my eyes. Cant wait for this new one to air