I use Thorn chainrings on both my Rohloff bikes.
No shift ramps and the bolt holes are recessed on both sides so they are reversible.

I rode Cheddar last weekend on a bike with an £80 ceramic BB, £30 ceramic jockey wheels, £80 Nokon cables etc. then spent the night after the race sleeping alongside it in the back of a 20 year old Rough As Funk Land Rover while everyone else slept in their posh tents with their shiny new cars parked outside.

Am I allowed to feel smug because I don't go in for motoring and camping fluff ?

I'm not interested in bikes and bling.
I only ride because it gives me a legitimate reason to wear lycra in public.

when does a tree strike become a crash??

I count making contact with my body or pedals with the terrain while continuing to move forwards a Tree Strike or Rock Strike.
Crashing implies a complete loss of forward motion and detachment from the bike. Like what Muddypuddle did. :-)

I'm doing about 22 – 26km a day commuting with a good bit of that off road.
I vary the route a bit depending on what shift I'm on.
I reckon it's helping with both fitness and riding skill.
Some days I go for a sustained steady plod, some days I attack the hills, some days I go for a flat out sprint along the tow path and sometimes I go for an overall PB.
Mix it up,that's the way.

I've had two fall apart because the outer bearing collapsed and the pedal slipped over the nyloc nut which remained in place.
I've learned now that if the bearings make any unusual noises, replace them immediately, they will fail soon.
Anyone got any experience with using ceramic or better quality bearings ?

I've also snapped a spindle on one. Yes, snapped it in half. 2" of spindle screwed in to the crank, 2" with the nut still attached to the platform.
I keep meaning to take a picture and see about a warranty claim.

2pure, if you're there, what's the idea of supplying sealed bearings in the rebuild kit ?
Don't they stop the grease getting through to the inner bush ?
I always prise the seals out before I fit the bearings.
I also grease them far more often than the recommended 100 hours, probably 10 – 20 hours.

Well, if everyone else is just using this thread to boast about their finishing position, I'm not going to be left out. :P
3rd/5 old git male solo
11th/34 overall solo male
No crashes, lots of near misses.
1 tree strike, several rock strikes.
That was me in the Vegan Runners vest on Saturday.

Glad you're OK. You should be more careful at your age. :P

I saw an ambulance and read on another forum about a woman with a neck injury. Was that you then ?

Yes and No, because I only just read this and it's too late now.

10 hour solo on Saturday in my usual pink lycra shirt.

Santa Cruz Blur XC with Rohloff

About 10 – 14km each way depnding on which route I take, mostly off road, along the riverbank, through the nature reserve and back along the canal.
I’m on a shift rota, so two weeks out of three I ride either to or from work in the middle of the night.

Rear wheel with Rohloff hub £750
Pair of second hand wheels from LBS with Rohloff hub. £550. I said “I’ll have them !” before he had chance to tell me what rims and front hub it was.
FSA ceramic jockey wheels for Rohloff tensioner. £30
Nokon cables for Rohloff. £85
SRAM PC1 chain. £7. Destroyed it in one 70km muddy ride. That’s 10p per km, or about the same running costs as my Land Rover on LPG.

The Lenz is still favourite due to the constant chain length and rohloff dropout.

Spud, stranger things have happened. I’m currently commuting on a Blur XC/Talas/Rohloff. About £3k at current retail prices.

The Rohloff hub would take up most of the 1K.
I work for the worlds largest public transport company. I’m hoping we have got a Consumer Credit Licence.
I spoke to the Santa Cruz guys at Mountain Mayhem as I was racing on a Blur. One of them told me SC will have a FS VPP 29er out around August.

Bus mechanic.
Shower and locker. I’ve also blagged the space between the lockers and the adjoining wall and some of the space on top of the lockers for gym kit etc.
Secure bike parking in a secret undercover location.
Use of the compressor and jet wash as required. Even use of the work van to visit the LBS during the day.

I’ve got a Rohloff on a Chameleon and a Blur.
I don’t notice any difference caused by the rearward centre of gravity or unsprung rotating mass.
The extra ground clearance of the 34×13 comes in handy at times though.

Any recommendations for a FS ?
If I can get on CycleScheme at my new job, I’ll be looking at buying a brand new FS 29er with Rohloff hub.

I wondered if I should have written Rough & Fast and Smooth & Slow, but that wouldn’t really be much better would it.

I was camped in the Land Rover under the trees near the spectators car park because I wanted the shade for my dog.
I ducked under the fence at the end of each lap for a break and to let the dog out.
It would have been so easy to leave the course on the first right hander after the start, sit down for an hour and rejoin on the last right hander before the start, gaining a lap for nothing, but that’s not what it’s all about is it.

Good work JimB
You did what you could with what you had.
Maybe next year it could be planned in advance a bit more and marked Hard & Short and Easy & Long.

I took the mince route every lap except my first.
It was more or less straight across an empty field.
A few posts and bunting could have turned it in to a time wasting zig zag, making the hard route a faster option.

I was the guy in the pink shorts.
If the girl in the white shirt with red dots doesn’t reply, will I do ?

Plain enough to me. Which bit do you not understand ?

Get some foam tape from maplins, http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=33766.
Run it round the rim, but stop about 10mm short of the valve hole either end to allow for the valve bulge in the rim strip.
One or two layers should take up any gap between the tyre and rim, making it easier to inflate.

I provide ongoing real time hands on lifecycle management strategy support system solutions for mobile technical assets in the retail supply chain sector. (Truck mechanic, does that count ?)

People who stop at the top of a slippery grass slope on a different Merida Marathon, blocking the trail, because there is someone else walking down, then moan at me as I tramp round through the brambles to get past them and then say “I was waiting for the section to clear so I could ride it” as I ride down it, past the guy walking.

I’m just digging myself in deeper here, aren’t I ?

People who ride slowly along a narrow sheep track with dense heather on both sides on a Merida Marathon, ignoring all my light hearted, polite requests to either go a bit faster or move over, then shouting “This is singletrack, you know !” when I force my way past relying on greater mass and velocity to give me right of way.

And litter.

I’d been wondering about this as well.
My cheque’s been cashed, but I’ve not heard anything.
It’s not just me then.

Go for it, they are brilliant.

My Chameleon. The Rohloff works perfectly in these conditions.

My Blur. Full suspension so it needs a tensioner.

I’m thinking of building a downhill bike now. If I do, that will have a Rohloff too.
I’ve done a few marathons and I think I’ve only seen 4 Rohloffs amongst the thousands of derailleurs and singlespeeders.
They are ridiculously expensive, but I keep watching them on ebay and I reckon I could sell the one I bought new a couple of years ago for almost what I paid for it and the one I bought second hand for more if I wanted to.
Buy one second hand. If you don’t like it (you will), sell it again for the same price.

Hi everyone. I’m the guy who met you at the bottom of Camber near Coopers Mill.
Thanks for making me welcome and letting me tag along.
I’ll try and get out with you regularly now if you’ll have me.