the Ala Carte is now an ‘old version’ as they’ve stopped making it for 2012, hence it’s moved to the archives on their site. Importer still has a full range of sizes in though and yes, it’s designed around a 100mm fork. Super sweet bike, as is the El Mariachi if you fancy big wheels.

my take is that we’re all pretty much off and trotting at similar points on the uphills so I’m only losing significant chunks on the road bits – just need to get better at running up hills and descents too. Hopefully getting nearer 4 hrs on a dry run. It is compulsive stuff, eh?

DavidB – I was only 10 mins ahead of you at 4:14

Cracking day out, enjoyed it loads, training for next year already ;o)

Schwalbe Landcruisers for everything – tough but not light and cheap as chips

Up and down PyG as you said. Much better to be on your bikes – don’t get me started on the support cars carrying spares for mid field riders. grrr. You could ride the road route without the hills and see a whole heap of the action from several places.

me, Salsa Chilli con Crosso s/s, Keep Pedalling kit natch

oh, yeah, 395 I think but should probably check!

after a quick flic around catalogues it looks like extenders are the way forward, like aP said.

Not so much difference that’s worth paying that much difference in cash – mostly down to weight IME

Yeah, second the Racing Ralphs – not at all as fragile as I thought they’d be.

Probably, but it seems to be the time they last. Tiny little bearings aren’t they?

just get wet feet, they stay warm which is the main thing.

feel like I’ve not done enough – as usual… At least this year I won’t have flown back from Italy the night before and hopefully won’t have a cold. Currently staying away from children. Do have a significantly lighter bike tho’ :o)

Would have thought you’d be on the 51. Unless your not actually going to ride it off road, isn’t it relatively common to go down a smidge of a size for a cross bike?

Lots of experience of them – can’t recall any chainline problems, would you like to be more specific?

certainly focuses the mind – fixed CrossCheck here

avoiding children probably helps a lot ime

what he said

Had a Pug for a year or so now – Shona’s just getting her Mukluk off the ground after waiting for almost a year for her tiny frame. Coloured rim strip in the Darryls looks great!

cracking trip, well done!

don’t think so, not in my personal fork experience

16 x 2 of us, I think we should get a tandem, but that’s a different thread…

Halo?

If the shops are giving cycle scheme ten percent, why not just ask the shop if you can have ten percent and cut out the middle man?

that’d work for the shop – however aren’t the payments over 12 months attractive for the employee?

clockwise

Soma make the B-Side

we put Fox f100s on it – though White Bros make specific forks.

tyres mostly imported from the States I think. Rims? Velocity do some and are readily available.

hth

whoop! well done :o)

Gee, are you sure the Selma has a gear hanger? I heard all the pics were wrong and it has a ‘swinger’ w/o a hanger…

I think what i was originally missing was the ‘pressurising’ by pushing the lever out with the caliper syringe :oops:

I take it you’ve followed the instructions in the kit? Took me a while to work out the step I was missing! All good now though :o)

Schwalbe Landcruiser.

Dirt, gravel, threepeaks, commute – bit heavy though bombproof

it’s all been said! commute, tour, race, fixed, free, gears – do anything, go anywhere – if you could only have one bike, etc.

blimey, lucky indeed!

Mine new one is about to be a Salsa Chilli Con Crosso- though my Surly Cross Check is an equally fine bike that has toured the Atlas Mountains, raced the 3 peaks and commutes 5000 miles a year.

ain’t freeky, looks good from here

take all your biking clothes

spare brake pads

loads of food

and mud tyres of course!

3 speed? – http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/avenida-3-open-frame then get the shop to do a hub dynamo conversion on the front wheel?

yeah, Landcruisers.

Marathons probably won’t cope with muddy playing fields too well.

samsung B2100 – rubbury, waterproof, simple as a simple thing – bounces well too.

I have had a few problems with the ‘new’ XT hubs so anything that isn’t like them would be a bonus. Something to do with the new axle – who knows why they changed it as the old ones were great.

what?

like this ? lots of fun in the snow :o)