I’m a big fan of the Howies term: stealth-tech. I love my merino t shirt from Finisterre: looks like a normal cotton t shirt, but works like only merino can. Yum.

I use the male c-word all the time, and once had a great conversation with a feminist and realised there was no decent reason that the female c-word is any more offensive, so I use that when I want to too.

I just bought a 2nd hand Prophet on eBay, nice and cheap, and it’s immense. That is all.

Maybe access rights for cyclists should be opened up to reduce the concentration of riders on the trails, spreading the erosion out, thus reducing it?

Sod the “rules”. It’s about treating people as you’d expect to be treated. Get out there and ride where you like, when you like, with who you like. Treat everyone you meet along the way well and help fellow outdoor users get used to the fact that its really not a problem.
Most of ’em under retirement age never seem to think there is any issue with us being there anyway. They expect and accept it.

Don’t hide away under cover of darkness, start working on their expectations and normalising our presence.

Best words ever written on the internet about footpath riding? I think so, a huge +1

I’ve got a Kryptonite New York. The shackle is long through to fit through a post/bike rack/fence, rear triangle and back wheel, without leaving much room to spare. It is heavy, but I leave my bike unattended for long periods in Glasgow every day, and, touch wood, I’ve never had a bike nicked. For me that’s worth a heavier bag.

There is no way threatening someone with a gun is anything like acceptable in these instances. Laughing at them holding their shotgun is the best way to teach them this. 😀

What do all these shotgun weilding idiots really think they are going to do with their shotgun when they point it at some rider or walker?

Just do it: nothing will happen, no one will stop you, and you won’t damage or destroy anything a walker wouldn’t.

Horrendous, especially for that Taiwanese employee…

I have to admit that this is one reason I really like all the micro brands, the really tiny one man in shed/couple of passionate people setups. As long as they don’t try to grow too much and stay small, local and core, they aren’t likely to explode and exploit their employees or customers like this.

I think you need to put some pics up quick sharp, son.

I’m pretty sure it’s not bigger. I put a standard external cup 1.5″-1 1/8th” headset in my Prophet. The forks clear the down tube and all is right with the world.

I found Chelmer Cycles really helpful in finding the pathetic and irritating and expensive Cannondale cable guide plastic tat bits for my Prophet, give them a ring.

I also have 2006 Prophet that I bought recently second hand. It rides really well, I’m really enjoying it. But the cable routing guides are crap. The frame required these stupid little plastic sleeves that hoses and cables are pushed through and which then slot into guides on the frame. It’s a crap system, they pop out sometimes, they’re a faff to fit and spare plastic things are hard to find and stupidly expensive for what they are. I hear cannondale has been using this system for years, but it’s rubbish. Apart from that though…ace.

I have a bike that can take front and rear panniers, which can carry an amazing amount of shopping. I also have a Carry Freedom Y Frame in the large size, which can accommodate bags of compost and cement, huge amounts of shopping, garden rubbish, surfboard, a bike, or most anything. It is amazing, and you need one in your life. Carrying stuff by bike is one of my favourite bike things to do: the more implausible or odd or large the load, the better.

And who thought we needed another bb standard or three?

Any MTBers left here?

Me! My ‘road’ bike that I commute to work on every day has 2.0″ slick tyres (comfy, pothole munchers) and will accept up to 2.7″ tyres. It’s my camping bike: take off the mudguards and put on knobblies, and bikepacking, STW’s other niche, is ready for me!

I would think that a large part of the problem is the reduction in labour intensive jobs. Farming used to require far more workers than today. We used to have small corner shops and village shops: now supermarkets are pushing self service checkouts onto us. Workers used to fill up your car for you at petrol stations. Street cleaners didn’t use those brushing vehicles they do now, so they could clean less and there needed to be more of them.

These were admittedly all rather low wage physical jobs, and I probably sound like a Luddite…but maybe that was ok?

Which is the best motorway? Isn’t that a bit like asking “Which STI is the best?”

project +1

But unlike cycling, skateboarding will never capitulate, the core will always stick up their middle finger to crap like this. Hopefully. 🙁

Amazing. If we all fight the good fight…

Isn’t the whole ‘us and them’ attitude a bit wearing? Can’t we all be friends?

*opens arms for cross border forum iHug*

I’ve been waiting for two and a half years to leave Glasgow with my girlfriend. Now she’s left me so I’m leaving.

I’ve got a Revelation RLT, tapered steerer, 15mm axle, brilliant fork so far. I don’t have numbers, but it was definitely loads lighter than my old Pike 454 airs.

Is it worth keeping heads down a little on the one hand on order to pursuing greater access on the other?

I don’t think so…
😳

I know where you’re coming from, and truthfully I normally ride by myself or with one or two other people, but really I’m not going to be deferent to anyone that thinks I shouldn’t be out on the hills. It seems like many people’s idea of ‘responsible access’ is keeping their heads down and trying not to offend anyone (not getting at you specifically CG.)

public perception of us is very poor and it’s our duty to try and change this

Er, why?

Surely it’s the duty of the prejudiced to change their opinions, not that of those discriminated against to persuade others why they shouldn’t be?

I’m a mountain biker, I’m a young person in a hoody, and I’m not worse than someone else because of that; you shouldn’t be able to ban me from places because I don’t fit into your hillside/shopping centre.

So that’s why roadies don’t use camelbaks; so they can get “given” nice new clothes from strangers…

*stands to applause*

I’m taking the train 4 stops down the line to the Long Mynd hora. Though as someone said before, “do you have to live in a cave before you can criticise resource usage?

Was there ever a consensus on how many bicycles there are in Beijing?

Who cares what the Chinese think of Britain? Do you have such little respect for your children, your grandchildren, that you’ll keep using as many resources as you want to satisfy your ‘lifestyle’? Call me naive if you want but at least I’m not a nihilist.

Not much, but is that a good reason for you to do whatever you want?

No matter what you do or say now doesn’t make a cat in hells chance of a difference. Indians and Chinese aint going to listen to you. We had our Industrial revolution and if we don’t like they’ll fight us on the battlefield for the worlds dwindling oil reserves.

This attitude is called “the tragedy of the commons”. Using this justification that your actions are so small in such a vast world that you may as well do what you want, doesn’t really stand up to scutiny. Would you murder someone because in the grand scheme of things one extra dead person is utterly significant?

How high do you think fuel prices will have to reach before people stop driving so much and realise that oil is finite?

I tried an iPad the other day. Now, I’m quite proficient with computers and never really have any problems with them…but…

The iPad was ace, dead simple to use and really fun. I have no doubt many of us who don’t need computers for very technical stuff will all be using things like the iPad before too long, just because of it’s simplicity. I can’t understand why I still have to think about permissions, viruses, file structures and all that.

Macs and PCs are all rubbish in comparison.

Or do what I do, and take the train to croy and ride over the Tak me Doon road. Lovely.

Who won a world cup on flows? and at what track?

Sabrina Jonnier ran them all last season, she won a fair bit too… 😀

Pro 2s on flow rims, and then run whatever tyres you fancy. Tyres are quite important and you don’t want some paper thin sidewalled tyres just to save a bit of weight. Obviously aim to choose some that are lighter than Minions, but don’t go mad.

This sounds amazing, I need to watch gazelles being breastfed, what programme/channel is this?