I need to get to a shop and actually play with these… and soon now the prices are changing!

Someone somewhere is reading this….

Just as I back off the Arkose 2, leaving the Arkose 3 vs the Cannondale, the price of the Arkose 4 drops to equal the ‘Dale!

So Arkose with hydro brakes or ‘Dale with mech brakes but a more tucked under front wheel (I presume that means more racy/twitchy)?

I wish I was less indecisive….. I think….

(It’ll cost me another £350 or more to put Shimano hydros on the ‘Dale)

Why don’t you cancel the order, then buy them cheap when they come up on EBay, as someone at Yodek has worked out they have value and nicked them, knowing the system is soooo shi te they’ll never get the blame…

PS unless anyone on here has both and is near Southampton?

oh poo….

This thread has had me leaning more and more to the Arkose 2 (first cross/gravel bike so I won’t know if it’s less racey/twitchy than the CAADX, cheaper, better colour)

But then I reread the specs, and realised it’s still 10 speed and square taper BB. So any upgrades are more complex than I’d hoped (eg I can’t just whack STIs on without replacing the rear mech, cassette +/- the real wheel).

So that leaves the Arkose 3 vs the ‘Dale…

Might have to try to arrange a trip to Evans to test ride them back to back (I can’t see a no quibble refund after 30 days, just an exchange, or I’d buy both on a credit card!)

PaulGillespie – I have been convincing myself that the Arkose 2 ticks most boxes (hydro, and avoids the daft looking hydro STIs). Sadly, nowhere near me to go see/test ride it… I think the easiest place to get to is in Larndarn, and that’s not going to lend itself to a very mixed test!

cynic-al, househusband, ChunkyMTB – thanks for the feedback!

When I was short-listing, when I realised a CAADX may be an option, it did take pole position.

But am I such a tart that I would rather a sick green/yellow frame over a ‘boring’ black and white paintjob?

Evans website quote

Jameso/Anyone got any more info/pics? Geo page is still from 2013-14…

Gear cables seem to go into down tube, but can’t see where they emerge. Any chance it could fit Di2 cables in the future?

Lighter tubes, more butting = lighter frame? more flexy?

PS post your goofy pics so we can all have a laugh diagnose it properly

If just ‘cosmetic’ (front teeth have crowded years after braces), consider an Inman Aligner – a couple of months to straighten just the front 6 teeth.

If not, full braces (Invisalign style clear trays, or fixed brackets with a wire). Will take longer, but can fix more problems.

Finally, get bonded retainers at the end, and/or wear removable retainers nightly, or you’ll be back at the same stage on a few years…

Cost – very approx. £1500 upwards….
Time – 15 weeks to 2 years.

Maybe its time for a kickstarter for a Mint Sauce book? I’d invest.

And add me to the list of people who’d like prints.

add me to the list!!

Still got my favourites torn out of old mags/calendars. And a personalised drawing from some bike show in the mid 90s.

Jo, you sir are a genius.

Now wondering how I can subliminally expose my kids to those top two…

foxy lady dentist or dental nurse?

Looking at TT bikes…

I know it’s been out for a few years, but I was eyeing up the Carbonzone TT01 (seems the same as the Honfu FM012, but with some paint!). Non intergrated seat post and front end, seemed pretty well thought of in 2012-3…

Is there a Hongfu pricelist anywhere? or do you have to email/Skype them?

Thanks

Did the Blau route you linked in November when we were over for the 6 day. Well signed, and the cobbles are sooo much smoother than everyone says. Should be easier with bags… Just take strong wheels!

Don’t be tempted to try to ride up the gutter up there ^^^ on the left of the Paterberg tho… It ends abruptly part way up, and if you can’t hop at slow speed onto cobbles, it’ll stop you dead. Walking up in cleats is hard, and don’t even think of riding down the cobbles.

Looking forward to making you all dentures in a few years time!

Gotta fund the rapha/sky kit and Pinarello somehow….

Another Fuji track here, cheap and cheerful and classic look to the frame… Til I put a Planet X carbon base bar on it.

Enough room for race guards too.

Seeing as they are such crooks you won’t be using them again, can I have your £5 voucher?

8)

Trimble?

Q

Website implies still available but is dated 2006/7

PS A friend has belatedly recommended Spideroak cloud storage… Not related to me or him, but he’s a true computer geek, so might be ok.

He advises it as a belt and braces thing with an external drive back up too.

I’m afraid I’m no help in recommending an external drive, but get a back up ASAP….

I bought the external hard drive, never got round to it, and now have potentially lost all my photos of my kids from birth to now (5 years) as the laptop hard drive died unexpectedly.

Working, unused hard drive sat on shelf giving me “I told you so” looks now, as I play on the iPad looking up data recovery services for the borked laptop drive.

I have a nasty feeling the wife is taking it too well, if they can’t be recovered I think I may be in for some well desrved $hit…

Anyone ridden both the Arkose and a kinesis Crosslight pro6? How do they compare? Is the Crosslight worth the extra cash? (I know it’s over the £1k CTW thingy, but self employed and can’t do that anyway :( )

Stuck between cable discs and STIs, vs hydraulics and dodgy 1×10 with bar end shifter… I don’t fancy the hydraulic STIs before that gets suggested…

More for shorter blasts than touring, some commuting with tame off road at times.

Thanks

On its way back to rightful owner!

Now just need to find mine :(

On its way back to rightful owner!

Well found/remembered YAK!

Didn’t show up on my searches.

Think I’ve found him elsewhere…

will let him know.

Police found it – email me alex_setchell at hotmail dot com

Samuri – Where are you based?

Worth finding a good, gentle dentist on recommendation (word of mouth, not based on adverts/price).

The biggest thing is having time spent examining properly, explanation of what is needed and why, and you having input too. Sadly, time is the most expensive part of dentistry. A good dentist should be able to relax you, or give you valium or similar to help. Full on sedation means you don’t know whats going on, but won’t help you conquer your phobias…

Don’t forget teeth should last for life, it’s pretty $hit if you can’t eat what you want…

And ignore all your friends, and never look on you tube!

Brilliant job. I love my Kombi, but a stealth van would be much more practical in almost every way!

Can I ask where you got the leisure battery voltage meter? Was it part of the kit from Split Charge people?

I am trying to fit a leisure battery to my old van, and would like the reassurance of knowing how flat it is….

Thanks

Proper grandpa ‘magic’….

Another pointless but satisfying thing to try to remember when I have grand kids! ‘Cos that’ll the be the first time I have enough spare time to try

scaredypants – Member
I’ll keep a lookout on the northern reaches, Fritham way

just out of interest (and selfish concern), how were they nicked ? No offence, but seems like they may not have been after “fancy” bikes

Thanks.

Bikes were stored upstairs at my work – break-in was not likely to be bike related ( as they left my other mtb lying on the drive, and 2 road bikes inside). I think they thought they were breaking into a house, and will be disappointed with their haul; just took cash, a charity collection thingy and the bikes, probably to get away on!

Sadly not much in the way of forensics, and no witnesses, so as well as wanting my bike back, if I can trace it it may help find the ^>%+*!#+<*€+* visitors.

And I am under no illusion they were fancy kit! Gives me an excuse to get a nicer 29er now (and a new door :( )

40mpg – Member
I’ll keep an eye out locally too. Want me to post it on the Newforce forum?

That would be great, thanks.

xiphon – Member

STOP PRESS!

A crime happened in Brokenhurst !

Not Brokenhurst, that’d be the golf club…

Thanks for your concern though.

The Inbred should stand out a little, it’s certainly not a standard spec.

Given what else was taken I doubt it was meant as a bike theft, more there wasn’t much else to take… Don’t think the bikes will be split into parts, more flogged on or dumped.

Ride ID app lets you set up ICE contacts, ID and medical details.

If left running, it gives ‘buttons’ to call ICE contacts, if you lock your phone you can use an image of the home screen as wallpaper/lock screen so rescuers can find your details if they want (and if no scrote has nicked your phone/the screen isn’t smashed.

ps I have no link to developing this, but it keeps the wife happy!

ps try to pace threshold test evenly to not blow up. Don’t watch your HR meter, it doesn’t help

edit – usual disclaimers re don’t kill yourself etc etc apply!

Jump on turbo, thorough warm up, then 30mins flat out/TT effort.

Take average pulse for last 20 mins of 30min effort, which will approximate to lactate threshold. Then use Joe Friel/british cycling percentages to get training zones if that it what you are after…

painful bit

zone calculator

finish by cursing the existance of turbos…

Similar idea, must be built for stravaaaaaaaah!

Another ebay monster

PS why do so many dodgy bikes show up as ‘women’s fragrances’?

in the split second before it happened I imagined this

but fortunately just squished him. (Not my bike in picture and accident clearly caused by logos/valves not aligning)

Riding fixed, so not quite so maneuverable/squirrel hop-able…

Readng the above, I wonder if I have been lucky to have missed doing this before now! Plenty of ponies/cows round here, don’t want to hit one of them…

My altura is a year old, but the light is easily removable (just ask my three year old where it is if you need it…).

No probs with rucksack or courier bag, but they do cover some of the reflectivy bits. So you need a nice reflectivy bag too.

Ps there will be different modes but these are gimmicks. All you really need is the two minute timer at normal power.

@officerfriendly – The head doesn’t move like an OralB (rotating and oscillating) so you will still need to use a good brushing technique

All sonicare toothbrushes use the same technology.

If you want USB charging or a funny glass charger to fill with toothpasty dribble get the expensive one, if not buy whichever fits your budget….