Thanks for the kind offers.
Me and bracing something against the seatstay? That would be a new frame needed tomorrow then. I’m a mechanical numpty.
Doesn’t seem fair on you Junkyard. Hope spacer for a gert big wrench? Thanks anyway.
Both very kind offers.
I’m going to knock off early and wave some cash at Jon at the solver of all my biking mechanical woes http://www.bicyclesmithy.co.uk/.

Thanks. I need the huge’ist I can borrow wrench to remove both the cassette lockring and the centrelock disc lockrings on the disc roters.
I have one of those things (Decathlon special though) and it slips off the casette lockring even with the qr holding it on, the wheel laid flat and me trying to hold it on with my foot and it doesnt even reach past the axles to get a purchase on the centrelock disc centrelocks….
far to many lockrings in this post.

One of these sorts of things but for Shimano would be ideal (I hope).
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=60748

I had a sliced banana butty with sugar on for my dinner today. Full fat maragarine as well. A pork pie was considered but it would have meant walking the mean streets of Salford to get one. I decided against it.

“Does she have nice breasts?”

It’s a theoretical person so you can theoretically decide for yourself.

The resident office non meat eater (not yet decided if she is or isn’t vegan – that’s a whole new hot debate just taking shape) has flexi credited herself the rest of the day off. She was quite annoyed by it all.
A bailiff company based in Lancashire will be on reduced referrals as a result.

I would tell them BigJohn but…..I don’t really want to, to be honest.

“You seem very confused on what a vegan is but i will add your question to BS vegan bingo under clutching at straws.”

Not me Squire. I don’t actually give one and I’m not participating in the office based arguement discussion.

Just chucking it up for observation from the great unwashed STW forum members should they be interested.

Excellent stuff, thank you all again.
I only had time to have a look in Evans last night while Tiny was shaking his booty thing at M.E.N.
No Sidi’s in sight sadly.
I get to sit outside Apollo tonight so I’ll have a look in Cycle Surgery. I’ll celebrate with a McFlurry if I buy some.

Thank you Gentlemen. Very helpful.

I’m out after work twice a week but I work at various locations in Stockport & Manchester and I don’t really know which on any given day until the Monday of each week.
If I’m in Stockport I usually ride over to Macclesfield Forest, Goyt Valley or Hayfield and if it’s Salford or Manchester I ride over to Mellor (if any of those areas are any good?) but night riding on my own is becoming less attractive.
I don’t go on big group rides though so if it’s just a few people and it’s doable, I’d be up for it. I can get the train from Manchester or Salford into the Dark Peak after work and ride back.

Where are the XT hubs/Stans Flow rims coming from Martin?

The vast majority grow out of it Cougar

“I thought children were shit”

I hated children. 14 years ago we got a child.
I still hate children.

I hated domesticated animals. 5 years ago we got a West Highland Terrier.
I still hate domesticated animals.

I’m riding in the Peak District at the weekend. I’m going to dive in to the middle of any group who even resembles a club and I’m going to jig about like the lead singer of James and generally cause myself to be a huge unasessed risk just to bollocks up the beurocratic (*I’m dyslexic – OK?) shit that this is all about.
Good grief!

* Not really, just can’t spell it

Watch yourself coming and going. To them and their parents, step parents, latest knuckle dragger “wot’s shacked up wiv mi mam”, your lights were fair game but you’ve taken the piss nicking the bmx.

No, I can’t see how it’s logical either but there you go. My belief sadly is that this grief you have found yourself in is not yet over.

I road ride with one of the traffic bobbies out of Wythi’ nick. good lads them lot.

I lent my tandem out to a person from this forum about two years ago. I’ve not seen it or them since.
Never mind, lesson learnt.

Hi Rich, how’s things? I hope the shop is going well.
I’ve done Sheffield to Manchester off road a couple of times and I struggled to find anything out of Sheffield until I got nearer to Redmires(ish).
I suppose heading over to Cut Gate would be a better option for you than coming over to Stockport which is the route we took.
Not helping much am I?

Thank you

Thanks Project. I’m near Chester at the weekend (Llandegla). Any idea how much I’m looking at for the 6mm stuff?

I’ve not had a chance to read all of the replies but thank you all anyway.
I might just behave and leave it well alone. My thieving days are long since gone.
My wife has been on long term sick following surgery but is being bombarded with questions and problems from her work and as she is about to go back, she’s been trying to get a headstart on the mountain of work that is waiting for her. Other than this, she doesn’t ever do any work at home via the Internet (in reference to somebody implying she should know about Internet security. She’s an ace Ward Manager but a rubbish IT bod.).
Thanks again everybody.
That’s the last of my work internet access used for today.

My wife. Hospice Clinical Ward Manager. She has that place running through her veins (not literally-obviously).
Not me. Glorified Debt Collector.

He was 5mph over in a 50mph, not playing Death Race 2000 at 104mph. Honestly, guilty by post or you’ll get whammied for costs. The points will be the same regardless of whether you attend or not.

I send court summons out once a week as part of my job. No need for any evidence of the letter(s) being sent and received other than a statement of batch posting which is an electronic list of all the names and addresses of the letters going via batch post.
The magistrates will check the list to see if you’re on it if you ask them to check as part of your defence although technically speaking, it’s not in defence of the offence, more that you would have preferred speed awareness.
The best thing you can do at this point is plead guilty by post.

You’re not going to be anywhere near Stockport this weekend and in need of £40 for an hour of your expertise are you, totalshell? 🙂
Reassured but still strangely cacking it…….

Good luck and enjoy the ride Ian.
I’d get incredibly frustrated doing 100 miles per day on a singlespeed but then again, I get fed up on a singlespeed doing my 10 mile commute.
It wouldn’t surprise me if you decide to do it fixed wheel and I reckon you’ll be home quicker than you estimate. 15mph average? You’ll do higher than that.

I’ve only ever done it in one day (twice) but I’d like to be able to take it easy and do it over two days, wild camp just off the trail and enjoy the ambience of the South Downs on a mid week summer evening.
I can’t define it but the area has a completely different feel to the Peak District where I normally ride. Not the terrain which is obviously as different as chalk and cheese (or chalk and rock and peat), just something… the atmosphere?…I don’t know.
I love the South Downs. Well done on enjoying your ride.

Awww mate, it was a right laugh. Comedy genius.

You’re not going to get into a big slanging match with Crikey much like you did with Kaesea and the hilarious aheasdet saga are you?
Actually, go on, do it. It was top.

I have tried umpteem types of backpacks for carrying loads of stuff on full day and two day rides and I’ve finally found one I’m going to love long time.
I despised with a passion the Ospreys I tried. The models with the stiff back and hydraulic bladders were heavy and I couldn’t get them to be comfortable, the lighter weight soft back versions were better but not big enough (all sod via the cklassifieds on here) North Face Hammerhead was too heavy, Lezyne thing….lord no, that thing was just hideous all over, Camelbak Mule was not big enough, the HAWG came close but was too heavy, Transalp was like carrying a water filled carrier bag, Dakine Nomad was awful. So awful I can’t even remember the 2nd time I used it. I might have only used it once. I asked for recommendations on here and one that was mentioned caught my eye and it’s superb! £25 for a 17 litre pack. very light. Very comfortable. Uncomplicated. Love the waist pockets to keep fruit pastilles in while I’m riding. I hate stopping if I don’t have to. It’s Decathlon’s Diosaz Raid 17. They do a 20 litre for £30. Bladders are included but they’re not the best bladders.

Stalker? Mint!

I was going to say, I’m confused because I’ve seen you and your husband in Sainsbury’s Hazel Grove on three occasions and your husband in the Co-op in Marple twice with food produce in the basket.
I have to be honest, I was previously aware of this public stance that you both have and I wondered how it fits in with buying food produce from two major supermarkets.
I’m really confused now though.
Marple is about as much a village as Reddish 🙂

Can I just check Jane, is your household’s admiral stance against the giant corporates and support of the small locals a recent occurence or has it long been your joint position?

I followed (by coincidence) a middle aged couple through Marple this morning. They’d just signed the “Say No to Hibbert Lane Supermarket” petition at the little gazebo stand outside the two already closed down shops. I’d parked my bike up in the Co-op supermarket car park. I was also two places behind the same couple in the check out queue in the afore mentioned supermarket ten minutes later.
I really love irony and hypocrisy.
I wonder how may other of the sign erecting, petition branding objectors secretly dive into the Co-op or even Sainsbury’s in Hazel Grove to save a couple of quid on their shopping when nobody’s looking?
I know a couple straight off.

Go back to the GP’s. Any GP’s you can get an appointment with and when you get in there, stare at him/her, slowly cry, tell him/her that you have an absolute overwhelming desire to run head first, as fast as you can at a wall so that then you can get some relief from the endless despairing tension and buzzing that you have going on in your head despite you having days where you are as giddy as 3 year old on a roundabout or are so despondent you can barely get out of bed.
Cry some more. A lot more.
You’ll get taken to a quite room with the practice nurse and then some people will come in and talk to you in about an hour or so from the Crisis Team and they’ll let you stay in there nice clean hospital while they start the long process of sorting you out.
Worked for me, anyway 🙂
Sorry, I shouldn’t be flippant. It’s one of them days today.

I road Stockport to Bristol, mostly on road on an Orange 5 towing a trailer with Panaracer Fire XC Pro tyres, rear shock locked out and Fox something or other fork not locked out and I could hardly feel my fingertips when I arrived.
Orange Supercross risers fitted to the bike for that one.
A couple of months later I rode Stockport to Bath, mostly on road, same bike, set up, trailer etc. except that I had by then fitted some Easton EC90 risers, my fingers felt fine.
Not very scientific but I had happier fingers after the second journey.

To prempt your next but obvious enquiry, a sock down the front of your shorts will fill it out but I’d use micropore to keep it in place. A banana guard would be mighty impressive at first glance but ridiculous after that.
Did you really ask on the world wide web “What electric shaver to make me look tough and stubbly and manly” or something similar and have full grown men offer you sincere recommendations?
This is a mint thread 🙂

Don’t ride up it quite as hard as you are doing so you’re not so out of breath when you get to the top? Can’t be right. Seems a bit too simple to me……..

Thanks for the replies.
Looks very doable but possibly not the great scheme I thought it might be.
Thanks again

“Think you might be missing the point a bit.”

Care to elaborate?

I could get the bike for a very good price, sell the cheap parts (admittedly for not much money), fit the parts I have and buy the parts I don’t have and hopefully, have a reasonably non hefty bike with nice spec. for not much cash.

This particular frame is double butted, next one up and beyond is triple butted.

There was a tramp guy round here (Stockport) who was referred to as “Blue Coat John” and he would spend his days shuffling around and mumbling to himself. If anybody approached him he would turn away and cower, if anybody got very close to him he would curl up on the ground and shake and cry. It was quite heartbreaking to see. Even the kids who would see him would give him some space, leave a bag of crisps on a wall near him, maybe a can of coke. I often saw him near the canal. I think he used to doss under one of the bridges.
I believe he died last winter from hypothermia. I often think about him and wish I’d have done something more for him than leave him something to eat from my ride snack stash.
I remember seeing him while I was riding with another bloke and when I pointed him out, the person I was with said he had “No sympathy for people like that. There are services available for them to use to get help”. I thought then “You’re a bit of a cock, you are” and sadly, that impression has been emphasised more and more ever since to the point that I really quite dislike the guy now. Maybe I’m just as big a cock for not doing more.
Not sure why I’m spouting this other than I wish I’d have done more for “John”. Maybe it’s my guilt.

There’s a not overly long route that heads out of Winchester toward the coast. Not madly technical but good for a 10 – 12 hours ride.