Thank you for the pointers so far. I’ll be sure to call in if I’m free on Monday evening Tony. Any other options or routes I can trace on a map. Road, cross or mountain bike?

Spyre mechanical’s have both pistons moving. Mine are 100 miles old and have done it since new.

TRP Spyres? I have these on my Giant TCX. Same thing on the rear brake. The brake levers pulls to a point, jams as if the brake is full on (it isn’t, it’s dragging on the disc, not gripping it) and then suddenly pulls back all the way to the bar. I’m guessing it’s a cable snagging in the outer. New cables and pads, front and rear tomorrow to fix it once and for all or the calipers are going in the bin and I’ll be getting BB7.

I’ll send you some (we STILL have your hospice gift as well). What is Sir’s favoured rubber fetish colour?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/vioo-rear-led-bike-light-pink-id_8322804.html

Front and rear in different (body) colours are available. The rubber is strangely pleasing to the touch, very….rubbery…. very…. I better shut up now.

“Darling Fascist Bullyboy, Give me some more money, you bastard. May the seed of your loin be fruitful in the belly of your woman”

Errr…

“I’ve bought her a bottle of rum.”
“She’s a good laugh and not particularly PC.”

Otherwise, like the others, it’s great.

I think it would have to have been something very important such as “You should stop immediately as you appear to have a person tangled up in your rear axle” or something.
There isn’t much if anything that that would have had me on the off side of a motorised vehicle at that junction if I had any intention of carrying along Reddish Road.

Reddish Road heading from Holdsworth Square toward Stockport town centre. The traffic lights are at the junction with Greg Street (right) and Reddish Vale Road (left).
The right hand lane at the junction is for right turning only. That bend in the road at the junction is deceptive. You can’t see from there what is coming toward you on the other side of the road which is also a very straight road with drivers often accelerating hard after they’ve slowed down for the speed camera they’ve just passed.
Cyclist was at complete fault there. I know that road very well and I have no idea what the hell he was thinking by overtaking any motorised vehicle at that junction or on that section of road outside of the school run (Reddish Vale School on Reddish Vale Road) or rush hour times. Wrong side of the road for a straight on direction. Lots of heavy good vehicles coming along that road (Greg St and Whitehall industrial estates are on the right}, right hand lane is right turn only, long fast’ish road toward Stockport…..
He also can’t throw a decent punch. If you know you can’t throw a decent punch, don’t try. Other bloke might be better at it than you.

.

We’re just about to do the same thing Ian although in Derbyshire, not France and our permanent home, not a holiday home so not quite the same thing…..
The stream is just across a very narrow quiet road from the house. We spoke with our (to be) neighbours before we committed to it and they said it’s lovely. Nice sound of running water when you’re sat outside, can’t hear it when your inside, no issues with rats or anything like that but it does attract other wildlife and birds although you have to sit still for a while before they’ll make an appearance.
It gets a bit more noisy when there is a few days of heavy rain and snow as the house is in a steep valley but the neighbours on each side had only good things to say about it.

The frame is a little small. A touch more height and layback on the seatpost would have it comfy as opposed to ‘not quite’ right.

Bike Smithy (Hazel Grove). Best Bike Shop In The Whole Wide World ™.
I’m thinking that link isn’t the mobile person in Marple http://www.mobilebikerepairs.co.uk/contact.html 🙂

Works perfectly (and now quietly) for me. I did 65 miles on it today. No problems.

As it’s currently pissing it down in the city centre….I’m going home.

I’ll be there. Just on my way over from Marple to do a few laps of Clayton Vale and then into the city centre for a Rapha brew and cake. I need to get a rear light as welll. Say hello if you see me Portlyone. I’m on a red and black Giant ‘cross bike and I’m wearing a black and pink Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op jersey.

Just seen the photo’s of you on it. Drop the saddle height. Rotate the bar back, put the levers vertical, ride it a bit and within a few months, you’ll be after a stem 10mm longer, shortening the steerer height and cutting through the wind like Cav in a sprint!
You’re welcome.

Wouldn’t saddle to bar drop all depend on the rider’s flexibility rather than what it looks like from a photo?
From the photo’s with the coloured circles, I’d rotate the bar up so that if a marble was placed inside the bar. it would ‘just’ roll out and then move the levers down so they are vertical or as near as damn it and then make very small changes from there to suit. Maybe experiment with spacers under and above the stem to lift or lower the bar. Remember that any adjustment you make to your bike set up is not in isolation. It will have some effect on other parts of your position as well.
i’d say the bike frame size is correct for your height in as much as generic sizing can be. My ‘Dale feels long for what it is.

Eyup Steve! how’s it going?
I didn’t think of the B screw until you said it. Then I did. It worked. Top jockey wheel clears the 32 tooth cog now. Thanks.
It’s working fine for me with the 36 front chainring, 32 tooth cassette and the 105 mech (pretty sure it will be the same length cage as yours). Especially now the B screw is screwed.

I’ve just put a 32 on the back on my TCX SLR. Kept the front as it was with the stock cross chainset although I’m thinking about a smaller inner ring. The top jockey wheel is almost touching the teeth of the cassette when in the big ring and 32. Not an ideal gear combo and i only find myself in it if I’m not concentrating but otherwise, it’s all good.

On my double century rides, I keep my heart rate and breathing as relaxed as possible. I’m constantly working on staying out of the red. I eat a mouthful of something every 30 mins and take a mouthful of fluid with it. I also apply a good dab of vaseline to anywhere that I’ve previously had soreness.
140 sounds harder than it is. You’ll be on the Cheshire Plain for much of it I assume? Go steady and you’ll (probably) be fine.

Looks lovely that, Martin. Maybe a black stem?

“…maybe we just haven’t found the right one for him”

Therein lies the problem and the answer (if there is one). Why are you trying to ‘find’ him a sport? Let him go and hang out with his mates. I bet they’ll sometimes take bikes, sometimes a ball, other times just hooning around causing some minor disturbances to the localised general population.
Maybe, he just doesn’t like regimented sports and games. I suspect, as many have attested to, that the harder you push him, the harder he’ll resist.

Thank you for the suggestions. I bought a Giant TCX SLR 2 for £800 from Pedal On. Top shop, super friendly and helpful. The bike is brilliant.

I have advertised my bike for sale this evening which has lots of upgraded parts. I’ve priced it on what I think it’s worth and what I’d probably pay if I was in the market for something like it. I haven’t really considered what its rrp would be with stock parts etc. and I wouldn’t give it any further thought to be honest as it’s quite a long way from being a stock bike now.
Is my advertisement one of those that you’re referring to? Feel free to confirm if it is. It wouldn’t make any difference to me as it will either sell at that price or somebody (or more) will make an offer and I’d consider it and make a decision.

Woo and indeed hoo! I got a letter yesterday and a Bacs transfer arrived today! Just under but not by much £20,000.
My daughter is very happy. She’s about to get £15k, my wife is very happy she’s about to get almost £5k and I’ve got a strange warm glow of niceness about me.
It took a while though.

5 hours 20’ish. A mate and I made the decision to ride it yesterday morning. We’ve donated £50 to Christie’s and we didn’t make use of a feed station or anything so we we were unofficial. We stopped at a couple of shops for top ups of water as per normal for a century ride. We saw a few junctions where there weren’t any directions arrows or marshalls but it was early and we both know the area so it wasn’t an issue.

Thanks for the advice. No car, some skills, quite a bit of fitness. I don’t know the trails at all. Free from 6:00pm until 8.30am the next morning. I’ll have a think. It looks like I might be spending a lot of time in a big building at Callaghan Square so I’ll need something more than a turbo trainer in the hotel room. Thanks again.

Strines Station (on the Manchester to Sheffield line) is ON a great trail. Come out of the very small car park and you have to be careful not to get clattered by people screaming down the Fox Inn descent! Go up the climb (and the great rocky one after it) and you are staring straight at Kinder Scout and the rest of the Dark Peak. Superb mountain bike trails all the way to Ladybower and beyond from Strines or Marple stations.

Ha, She’s lovely really. The route is pretty obvious although if you go wrong, you won’t be sorry. It’s bridleways up and down all around there. I’m guessing your still based in and around Platform Zero?
Actually, you could be just the person I need. I’m on the 8.39am to Cardiff Central on Tuesday. Arriva I believe? Can I get my bike on that train (without a booking) as well as me? I’m booked on. Coach C.

Out of the cafe car park turn right. Turn right at the t junction, past the big house on the right and take the right hand bridleway up to Linnet Clough Scout camp. Straight up and then right through the golf course. Very shortly go Left up the sheep track and along the edge of the golf course. Left at the wall and up past Mellor Cross. You can’t miss it. It’s a huge cross overlooking Mellor. Drop down the other side. Turn right. Follow this to the crossroads. Turn left. Straight across the A road on to Shiloh Rd. keep looking left and then turn left onto bridleway and keep following obvious bridleways to Mellor Church. Follow road out of church and left and immediate right. Follow this until you get back to the top of linnet clough. Go straight on again but don’t go left as you would have earlier up to Mellor cross. Go straight on. Keep following bridleway and very narrow roads all the way to Fox Inn pub. Turn right down the long descent to Strines Station. Turn right at the bottom of the cobbles and follow this right round and through the farm. Left at the gate on your left and follow the bridleways back to Roman Lakes past Shouty Dogs Mk 11 and through the railway tunnel.
Should do for an hour and a half. It sounds more complicated than it is. Lovely views if you like that kind of thing. Not many gates to slow you down and some decent climbs and descents.
If you see a blonde 5 foot lady on a green Pinnacle Ramin 1, answers to Nicky and will stab you with her sharpened hand pump if you get too close (she’s mental), can you remind her that as it’s Friday, her husband (me) is looking forward to a chippy tea. Ta.

Awww thanks Mr S. My pleasure. I did the same thing with my tandem a few years ago although the guy just wanted to borrow it. He still hasn’t brought it back….never mind.
Hope your hand is healing.

Cookson’s Cyles in Prestwich (Manchester). Highly recommended.

I can do 200 (and a bit). I can’t do 300. No chance. I’d fall off the bike before I got to 250.

Seems to be different for different people. Having done a few 200 plus one day rides and regular centuries, my state of mind is never the issue but lack of energy is. You can’t replace the energy you’re using while you’re riding so eventually you’ll hit the wall. I’ve both slammed straight into it – feeling fine and suddenly nothing and gradually faded but been unable to do anything about it. I do know that by mile 180, the only thing keeping my pedals turning is my refusal to stop.

All of the above technical geekery is all well and good but the salient point is : Will Mr Real Hoops let my daughter bring Wheatus to his studio and and will he do is knob turning and button sliding black magic to make their attempted comeback single sound even half decent for not much (if any) money?

Buy the ‘dale……get riding friend.

A big plan, a little movement. Taking the dog to the vets. I’m getting hammered by text for not turning up. Sorry chaps. Enjoy the wet Peak District.

Marple to Ladybower via Robin Hood’s Picking Rods, Jacobs Ladder and Hagg Farm and return via Rushup Edge and South Head tomorrow.
Road ride out around Jodrell Bank on Sunday.

Be careful what you agree to Hoopsie. She’s currently trying to find cheap studio time for Wheatus of Teenage Dirt Bag nearly fame

All that expensive equipment for David (I’ve been tango’ed cheap as chips) Dickinson and you….what a waste!
I bet they let you play with the shit little double cassette player on the right, don’t they?
Ps. Em says “Give us a job Fam!”