re triples are for Alps. Most alpine roads aren't that steep – they just go up for a long time. Triple is more useful for UK

Ahhh of course I need an "ISIS 8 prong BB remover"
thanks for the v fast response

I was looking at these and was wondering about how bad the own brand wheels were? I'm not a roadbiker but believe wheels are more important than some nice mechs etc.

I've been asked not to ride as my wife is paranoid that Moat after four days is going to break cover and shoot me. She must have secret intelligence that he's been biding his time to take out slow old men on short travel race bikes.
"…it were an insult to carbon fibre, so I slotted him…" reported Moat in a 200 page letter to the media.
I may chance the wife wrath and sneak out to Alwinton on Sunday

What about describing bikes as "weapons" e.g. Race weapons. MBR uses that term a fair bit but I think Singletrack is occasionally guilty also.

(Friendly fire when pedals end up hitting you in the shin?)

Just dug mine out as I've not opened it for years.
It's got antihistamines, water purification tablets, sewing kit, a very flat milky way bar(yuck)steristrips, triangular bandage, finger stalls, insulating tape, a plaster savlon antiseptic cream, suncream.

I think it had painkillers, salt tablets and some decent dressings but those must have been borrowed at some point or other.

Clue mmmmm there's a city in the shop name and it's not Newcastle.

Thanks for that. It seems to move without fouling anything.
It's slightly annoying to have it say Fox upside down but maybe I can live with it.
Perhaps I'll make some cobblers up to tell folk who notice it. "yeah, yeah, I know but Marin advise elite riders to reverse the shock to sharpen compression damping in competitions…" etc

"Ahhhh i love singletrackworld, its become a bit like last of the summer wine, confortably predictable, endlessly repeating over and over and over again……..

we love/hate/kick dogs
we love/hate/kick our caravan dwelling cousins
we love/hate/kick onone
we love/hate/kick STW magazine
we love/hate/kick fred "

that made me smile

I'm really reluctant to try flats so will try the crank bros / other pedals.
Yup bike fits allthough I've had badly fitting bikes in the past because they were " bargains"

thanks for the posts

I find SRAM much better in muddy conditions and easier to set up. I like its clunky solid shifting.
Grip shift means I no longer clobber my knees <see other thread> on shifters when I fall off.
The down side of grip shift is some brakes aren't compatatble with them. I couldn't fit Hope X2 levers on the bar in a way I was happy with and returned them.

<wince> at the thought of putting power tools anywhere near my bikes. I can totally balls up home mechanics even with out electrical tools.

mmm I'm a bit scared of surgery but presumably an arthroscopy could just be them having a check and not a scrape around. I wonder what the risks are of surgery?

Pedals – yup I use topend SPDs on my carbon hardtail and alu full sus and can't ride fast on flats. I tried Time atac pedals a decade ago; I found the float nice but getting out of them hard. I thought then that I'm more likely to sprain something bailing out on a crash. I haven't tried crank bros pedals, how do they help you Justa?

DH racing! I'm too chicken. Its XC stuff I want to do. mmm uplifts and lazy Alpine alpine descents sound nice though.

ygm jerome

Cookeaa, they're yours for £7.43 However in the manner of ebay post and packaging for where ever you happen live is forty quid 🙂

Jerome I've a pair of shimano spd sandals which I've tried once but basically were too small for me. They're 45/46 sized so could be the right size.
You're welcome to put an offer in for them and I'll post them out

They're fine for most stuff but don't offer toe protection so v technical stuff runs the risk of bruised toes etc

mm its the side which doesn't have a cap.
Clamping the other side sounds good but I can't think how to clamp it.

I'd chuck it but I suspect the caliper isn't available anymore – everythings gone postmount now…hummmmmm

thanks for the replies folks

mmm I like that.
Never mind the weight I dare not guess at how much it cost.

wasn't it when the generation appeared who hadn't served an apprenticeship on road bikes with dropped handle bars a.k.a. "drops"?

all good tips. thanks folks

that sounds like good advice, thanks. Now where did I put my reading glasses………….

Good to know, I need a new front brake also

I successfully completed it in 54 hours including two sleeps, one curry and lots of beers. beat that Rob Lee, I bet he doesn't even fit in a Korma.

Sunlight isn't great for tyres if you're planning on keeping them for a while so any old space which is out of sunlight should be fine.

Isn't there a risk if you swap in a 11-34 to a bike bought with a small cassette that the rear mech may not manage the new range?

Mechs used to come in different sizes – I've not bought one for a few years since I swapped shimano for relatively tough SRAM.

Their frames are well made. I have a carbon fibre hard tail which is excellent. They do (or did) sell bottom end of the market bikes that wouldn't we worth blinging. So depends on the frame rather than the label.

What was he cleaning his disc rotas with?
an angle grinder?

20 year old Brooks saddle …mmmm comfy

one vote for the Giant, I've had mine as my fast bike for a few years now.

I love the one where Lucy pulls the football away just as he is convinced that this time he is going to kick it.
that's great.

Oh and one more vote for a book. I'd pay money for it and everything.

this way up

very funny myheadsashed

Is it possible to use small screws from out side into large nobbles without anything protruding far enough to pop the inner tube?

thanks for the above. I'll do some searching about

yes I have these and like them a lot. I don't remember getting a particular deal on them but they were cheaper than Easton at the time.

thanks

"fairly confident" mmmm that'll be a bike job then for me 🙂

Northumbria – old kingdom (?AngloSaxon) which included those areas now know as Northumberland and the Scottish borders.

Borders – it’s Scotland’s Surrey, a commuter region for the capital city

Northumberland – it’s Royston Vasey with bridlepaths – a wonderous place to be entered at your peril 🙂

Thanks. I’ll give the spanner thing a go when I have had a beer and am feeling brave