Fancy coming over to Delamere tomorrow Sambob? I’m full time carer to my wife from Monday next week for the foreseable unless I’m allowed back in work so tomorrow is my only chance for a full day out?
I’m planning on setting off around 9:00am and being back about 5’ish.
I’m going to take the quieter lanes through Hazel Grove, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Winsford etc. and coming back the same way.

Thank you very much. Does anybody know how to get the wheels out without letting the tyres down?
I have Planet X Frogleg canti’s that don’t{/b] seem to have the diconecting side to the cable.

Fancy coming out with me?

Sorry Derek, I’ve only just seen your question regarding times. I’ve done it 5 times and have yet to go much over 6 hours at worse. They insist that you stop for the lunch break going as far as waving and sheperding you in off the road as you approach it but it’s easy enough to wing it and go straight back out if you’re in a rush. Because it’s flat and well marshalled, the junctions are usually blocked to cars as there are so many riders coming through at the same time (not because marshalls have any authority to hold the traffic up), total average speeds of late teens are well achievable. Even more by some way if you can blag a chain gang and lots of those are formed on this event for some reason.

It’s a very flat road route. It goes out to Delamere from Wythenshawe Park via little villages that I can’t remember the name of. Heads over to Nantwich way and then back to Wythernshawe Park. You can do the 100 mile route or the 100k route. Costs about £15. The halfway (well just over half way on the 100 miler) is at a school where the food is lovely and very cheap.
It’s a nice ride. Have a search on Bikely for the route.
It should really be called the Cheshire 100 because it’s only actually in the boundary of Manchester for about 6 miles in total.
edit: that’s the one amplebrew.
They’re also doing a Manchester to Blackpool night ride this year. St Anns Hospice are doing a 100 mile or 100k night ride as well. I’m involved in organising the hospice event.

“I am from Australia guv..”

Get out of here 🙂

Not being funny or anything but you’re riding the South Downs Way, not attemtpting a small nation coup.
Give all the uber analyising a rest and just go and ride it, for **** sake.
You wouldn’t do to well in Oz mate, they just get on with stuff.

What Rocketman said.
Training (and increase in fitness, adaptation blah, blah) is specific.
Both road cycling and mountain biking is cycling. Turning pedals with your legs so in that respect, turning pedals with your legs will become easier, in theory as your further and continous adaptation takes place.
However, spinning a steady cadence of 90rpm in a steady gear isn’t going to be that much help when it comes to transfering that adaptation to getting up a very technical and steep climb off road. You’ve adapted to riding steady and long, not short aerobic bursts of absolute power.
Use your road bike riding for aerobic adaptation in the main with some sprint intervals to assist toward your mountain bike technical climbing (and the like) to make riding all day easier but to get better at the aspects of each type of cycling, you need to be specific in your training.
It’s all well and good to say the professional mountain bike riders ride 80% on road but then how many times on this and other cycling forums are people mocking the lack of technical aspect in elite race courses? That’s not to say the elite can’t ride very technical trails but when they do train off road, they’re not doing The Hope Figure of 8 route. More like one or two hours at most going up and down technical sections on very compact routes. They’re not racing the length of the Pennine Bridleway so why should they train to race it? Specificicity* you see.

* I’m not even sure that I haven’t just made that word up

I sold this (very nice and completely fair in all my extensive dealings with him) gent a complete, very definitley not stolen Cube Ltd Race last week.

ignore me. just seen that this thread was started two weeks ago.

“Is there a word for someone who speaks through the side of their mouths?”

Stroke victim?

Solo road ride to Southport and back tomorrow. If the ‘crosser is ready by Sunday, I’ll probably take it to Llandegla.

A similar situation to mine up to the point where he rammed me into the side of a bus in September last year.
He’s just got a 12 months driving ban, 40 hours community service and £75 costs. I’m waiting for his response to my £1200 bill for a new frame, front wheel and bars that he wrecked.
The policeman that dealt with it had advised me that he could have in all probability have been sent to prison. The same bobby (who lives in the next close to me and we now road ride together – how sweet) says he has got off very lightly.
He did also say that without evidence (CCTV from the bus) and/or witnesses it would of at worst have been a straight forward collision – insurance claim

I’ve got two brand new shock pumps for sale. £11 each. One marked as Bike Hut, the other unbranded. Both perfect condition.
Actually, I’m supposed to be doing some pictures for some people about them.
Shout over if you’d like a picture as well
steve.monks@gmail.com
They look just like this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_700506_langId_-1_categoryId_242558

Dropping my new part built bike off at The Bicycle Smithy to have it completed professionaly.

I assumed it wasn’t braze on due to the lack of brazed on metal bit. Then I checked the website and they sell braze on clamps (if that’s not an oxymoron), hence that element of confusion added.
Round tube. No top swing mech required, then? Thank you Scaredypants.
Jules. Tried it and preferred road amd mountain bike. CX was too between the two for me. Now my state of mind is between the two, it suits perfectly :-).
No, my mountain bike rides (as you probably know having sadly ridden with me on numerous occasions) means I pedal out to the ride start point and as you and every bugger else (frequently) choose rides that are 20 odd or more miles from home, I need something that I can get there on while retaining the ability to use my legs when I get arrive.
Going to Cannock and riding there the weekend before last was the final straw.

Navigation? You set off from Winchester on that grassy chalky up’y and down’y track and keep going until you get to Eastbourne.* If you get lost, you’ll be on the news (for all the wrong reasons).
barn. you’ve done two hours at a time at most? You might do it, you probably won’t….you might even die trying.
It’s a lovely day out if it’s not raining. It’s proper crap if it is. I bet it’s a bleeder on a very hot day.
I’ve done it three times. I like it. The logistics are a nightmare getting down there and back again from Manchester though.

*There’s slightly more to it than that but not much.

Thanks James. I’m going to build it up 9 speed. Hopefully, it will be done by next weekend.

Thanks again qwerty.
I’ve not built a road bike up before. Could anybody let me know what front and rear mech. I’ll need to get? Tiagra or 105 unless I can get better at bargain prices. Despite the ribbing I’ll get, it’s going to have to keep the triple chainset for the summer at least.
I don’t know where to start with canti’s. I reckon I’ll need a link to those! Will these do? http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Brakes-Road-Tektro-CR720-Cyclo-Cross-Cantilevers-Pair/TEKTBRAR500
Thanks

Hangs head in triple chain set shame. 🙂

Bugger Alini. I would have have been very interested in some more details but I’ve just ‘won’ this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/300563211122?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp4712.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D300563211122%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1#ht_768wt_1139
apologies for the extra big link

That looks very nice qwerty

The Boardman looks nice. I might go and have a look.

Hi James
I’m 5’9″. Anything considered really although after driving to Durham this morning, something local and on a quickly shrinking budget would be nice.
Thanks

Arse! My purchase fell through. I was on the way to collect it and it was sold to somebody else for £20 more than I was paying.
If anybody has anything for sale?…….

From here, with a car and needs to be within two hours?
Lee & Crag quarries but I’m not that keen on them.
Marin and Penmachno are great. Do them both in one ride. It’s a top day out.
Coed-y-Brenin is just over two hours but worth it.
Grizadale was nice but….no, I wouldn’t bother again.
Whinlatter is a good bit more than two hours.
LLandegla is fun if you hammer it and do some of the old bridleways in the forest along with the mast and Planks of Doom.
I wouldn’t go back to Cannock Chase to do either of the marked trails again. Maybe the secret stuff would make it worthwhile if you know it?

Can I just say thank you to everybody who has contributed to this thread.
We don’t have and never had had anything from BT and as I’m not allowed anywhere near any kind of financial dealings either in physical cash or contracts beyond the couple of hundred quid I get each month, I feel very happy.
It doesn’t help CG or anybody else though, sorry.
I’m not even sure why I wrote all that.

Not guilty Ian. That one is (or was if it’s gone) too big for me. There’s a nice Specialized Tricross on there as well.

Thanks again everybody. I’ve just bought a Ridley Crossbow. Have I done a good thing?

In fact Rob, I’ve been threatened with being shown how to ride a road bike properly by Crazy Legs for a long while. We could all three of us do a ride. A singletrackroad ride.
edit: Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

Mine is from here (Hazel Grove’ish), Marple, Marple Bridge, Charlesworth, Glossop, Snake Pass, Bamford, Hathersage, Surprise View, Fox Inn, Calver, Bakewell, Buxton, Long Hill, Whaley Bridge, Disley, Hazel Grove(ish). You could cut through Chapel after coming down Long Hill and back over to Glossop via Hayfield/Little Hayfield and then chunnel to get shorten the mileage.

Only one snake on the A57 Spoonie, hence ‘Snake Pass’ 🙂

I’ve sold my mountain bike earlier today so now I only have a road bike and a hack bike.
My mountain bike rides involved riding up to 25 miles on the road to get to Ladybower or some such in the Peak District, do a 10 mile off road ride and then ride on road home again on my hardtail.
Mad!
I seem to do more road miles on a mountain bike ride than I do off road. A ‘crosser will be ideal for me. In fact, that Empella up there ^ will be ideal for me. It’s even my size! (are you listening Ian :-)).

Thanks for all the comments.
Ian. Your Empella has been gnawing away at me for the last two years or so. One day, one day.

Thanks for the reply alfabus.
I’m not interested in racks, panniers, mudguards etc. but one if not two bottle cages would be ideal.
Discs preferably but not essential.
I want to do some all day off road rides but I’m going off mountain bikes

Sorry Dair (genuinely). Not one of my best comments. I’m not doing great things today. I’ll buck up.
I hope he sees the error of his wayward ways and gets himself rescued, sharp’ish.

Sorry, I don’t have a picture to contribute. Elfinsafety. Could you please ping an email over to me if you get chance? I need to drop you a quick line or two.
Ta.

This is the season that just keeps on giving. Giggs next, surely.

If your real name is Emma, I’m guessing you’re going to spend a long time wishing you had the balls

Forgive me my simple mind but if this dog has done a runner and keeps doing a runner every time somebody gets near and assuming he associates people with food, warmth, safety etc. dose it not logically infer that he is thinking ‘Bollocks to that! This living rough and by my wits is the business!” ?
Looks to me like he’s enjoying his freedom. Leave him be. If this was the wife, I’d have given up after the first refusal.