I’d get this

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2566

£2000, Fox, XTR/XT/DT Swiss wheels, Reverb. Nothing else comes close.

More bike than I’d say you need for the UK but if you are chucking it around why not. Quite a few guys in this parish have them can tell you how they ride.

Stem will be slammed once I’m happy with the stack, dont worry purists…..

Frame cost £1050 which I think is tremendous value for bespoke geometry. Will take some closer snaps later. Was looking at Lynskey and a few other Ti frames but I either couldnt get excited by them or they were just stupid money.

Yes the Canyon has gone though pretty much everything on the Burls less the frame, fork and wheels came from the Lux MR. I was holding out for a Canyon carbon 29er hardtail which come later this year but I’d have been long a whole bunch of parts so it made more sense to buy the bits I needed. Great thing about Canyon is the quality of the groupset you get for the money. Going to get a road bike from them next year.

Haha if you stick your face to the screen I swear it’s a bicycle.

I used to be able to do this

[edit…there you go]

I think a lot of this comes down to the personal stuff. Appearances can be deceptive but Sky seems like a pretty happy ship. He’s 27, World Champion, wins stages every year, has won green. What is there left to do as a pure sprinter than just keep racking up stage wins. Maybe he can go somewhere else, to a team built around him but whats the point of that? He’s with a bunch of guys and a sponsor that love him and pay him handsomely. I mean, he just won 3 stages in the Tour including another victory in Paris. If that isnt success I dont know what is.

I dont know enough about the development of a sprinter as a generalist cyclist but if he was going to re-focus as a one day specialist where else is better than Sky?

I can’t tell you how much I bloody love these guys. Bunch of working class lads come good, no ego, no arrogance, no stupid flash cars. Just dedication and talent and bucket-loads of bleak, dark humour.

Yes saw that and thought Jura…..beautiful

I cant quite put into words how much I hated this film.

So had a go at it last night. Rons on AC Race Wheels.

Did as advised, tube first, then took it off, re-inflated without the tube. Couldnt get it to seal so poured loads of neat Fairy liquid round the bead. I see the point of that now, there wasnt any problem at all getting the tyre on to the rim, the soap provides just enough temporary seal to keep the air in and get the tyre back up.
Valve core out then poured in 2 cups of sealant through the valve via the little white bottle. Pumped back up, swirl the tyre around and that seemed to be that. Were a couple of obvious leaked in the sidewall but the sealant managed to fill them eventually.

Came down this morning, one tyre still fat, the other had gone down. Found another pin-prick size hole with sealant dripping through. Pressed my finger on it, that seemed to get it to seal, will see how it is this evening.

Is this the normal state of affairs with tubeless? Do TR tyres naturally have a few holes in them when you get them that you have to be patient with? Am I going to find the tyres flat a few days after a ride where I have to get the sealant working again?

Thanks

So….through the valve core rather than pour it stright into the tyre before seating yes?

Mud-X. I Stick them on in October, take them off in March/April but to be honest you can ride them all the time. Only cost about £20 each too…..get the 2.0 for all round use.

SO having a go at it tonight, wife rang to tell me the new frame and wheels are sitting in the hallway. Think I’ve convinced here my sale of 26″ bikes x 2 will cover it.

How much sealant should I put in each tyre?

ohnohesback did you get your tickets yet?

another Olympic moan thread

Breaking Bad next for me.

Mad Men and the Wire, take your pick for greatest TV ever made. Mad Men being shown again from Season 1 on Sky Atlantic every Tuesday night.

Anyone else ever see Bodies? Tucked away on BBC2/BBC4 was a fantastic, dark hilarious drama based around a bunch of NHS surgeons. Max Beasley, Keith Allen and that bloke from The Office……very very funny and VERY RUDE! It won loads of awards then got cancelled after two series because the BBC needed the money to make another series of that piece of cr4p “Rome”. Seek it out, you wont regret it.

+1 Secret History of Our Streets. I just love this.

……am watching The Hollow Crown bit by bit with my 9yr old, along with the documentaries on Shakespeare on BBC2. All of a sudden it doesnt feel so high-brow, TV of the year so far.

It’s because ‘ex mountain bikers’ have a distinct advantage on a road bike the minute the road points downhill, due to their bike handling skills.

That’s what ITV4 keeps telling me anyway.

Why do they keep saying that? I’ve been a mountain biker for years and I can assure everyone that my bike handling skills on trail or tarmac are frankly pitiful.

You’re only moaning beacuse you haven’t got a ticket.

trolltastic……I cant wait to go to the Olympics, havent given a moments thought to what I’m going to drink.

Sunnrider what do you do down there?

San Sebastian you can fly to Santander or Bilbao. Well served by buses. We went on the ferry to Santander from Portsmouth I think. Was pretty good, more like a cruise liner.

San seb has great beaches and a lovely old medieval town. One of my favourite places on the planet. Biarritz more chi chi, lovely…..and French. We did a big ride in the Spanish Pyrenees, loads of lovely towns to explore. Ainsa is gorgeous.

Barca and Madrid are brimming with class and culture. Can’t go wrong in Spain and the people are great.

However, my wife is black, my son is of course mixed race, and the inlaws and extended family I’ve spent the last 14 years with are black too.

Mine too. I still dont know what you’re on about.

ok who’s black on here?

mmmmm. Doesnt look like anyone is black. I’m Scottish though, will that do for a bit of brain-dead, sanctimonious tokenism?

San Sebastian…..combine with a few days in Bilbao, or cross the border to Biaritz and Bayonne. I love the Basque Country, was there Saturday night…..may be a recession but the Spanish are doing their best to numb the pain with alcohol and dancing.

Yes Elite – months of my teens lost to inter-planetary drug and weapons dealing.

Was a very special game.

This weekend, Lubstock in Leicesteshire….one of those posho micro-festivals on a farm. Kath Kidson meets Ibiza…..sounds awful, shouldnt work, does in spades.

Ist car? You’re insurance could be 2k no? Sure you shouldnt do what we all did and get a Golf?

The Conrad used to be incredible value for money….about USD100 I think, lovely modern cool hotel, right where you want to be for bars and restaraunts. Havent been in a while but I’d check there. Great bar, whole scene. Mrs will love it.

The exquisitly tailored Marco Cassina of http://www.peterci.it visits London a few times a year. Been making my shirts for years, they’re perfect, fully bespoke.

About £120-140 depending on the cloth and the Euro, you won’t regret it. old family firm, everything handmade in Como, Italy.

He’s a pretty handy roadie too……

Transpyr was just the most fantastic week. We trained fairly hard (as hard as you can in London with a job and 3 kids) but most of the riders were out of our league. Mostly Spanish, basically all the elite endurance guys from northern Spain.

Great organisation and everyone speaks to you, they’re super friendly and actually very glad you have made the effort to come to their event…..the elite guys know how hard it is for mere mortals even to make it to the end every day. Just a great atmosphere, so friendly. Route is brutal though…..on the website its all pictures of people happily smiling, riding along smooth trails. I asked the race director about that and he said “If we showed what it’s really like no-one would come.” He was only half joking.

Each day is different, changes as you cross the country, but first 3 days are long and hot and loads of climbing….Day 3 is 130km and 3200m of up, no picnic. Day 1 was shorter but 44c on the tarmac climbs at one point was suffocating….hardest day for me.

Constant theme is how hard the trails are…..they arent exactly technical, there arent many drop-offs, or switchbacks you cant get round. It’s just they have you climbing and descending on rubble half the time and it makes it so hard to keep any speed up. Loads and loads of pushing up stuff you just wont be able to ride…..I wrecked my new gucci Sidi Dragons, but them i’m a tart and deserved to.

In summary – Do it. Its a trip of a lifetime, riding over the most beautiful place in Europe between just gorgeous Medieval towns. You ride with a mix of fast enthusiasts, and proper elite Spanish athletes. I’m def going back, maybe not next year as I need to be a good dad, but year after for sure.

Best moment – we were in the evening meal on Day 3, two old grey haired fellas I think 60-65yr old finished after 12.5hrs in the saddle. They walked into the room, whole place burst into spontanious applause and gave them a standing ovation. I thought that was brilliant, thats the Spanish for you.

We just did Transpyr…..war stories available on request.

Another keyboard warrior….maybe pop over there and give them your thoughts face to face.

Where do I apply to have one of these stuck on top of my house?

Really? Why do you hate the army so much?

best of all are bike24.de……great website that filters very quickly and they seem to stock everything. Just ordered Rons from them, about half UK RRP.

Have gone for AC Race 29, come taped and with valves. Will let you know how I get on, or more likely, will come back with tears and trauma.

Great, thanks. I’ve been using Rons in everything but really bad gloop on my 26″, really rate them, hopefully wont be switching much.

What is the water/washing up liquid used for?

Does the sealant go in through the valve yes?

Cool….I’m expecting some trauma getting this going but hoping I can run my tyres at nice low pressures when I need to. Will I need a compressor?

If you want help choosing a fridge or a tent, this is the place.