i got a giant tcr alliance beginning of this year – and loving it more than i ever expected. So much so i plan on getting the full carbon tcr offering sometime soon.

Im sure as long as nobody takes it too serious in your group – then the guy on the little bike will be just fine.

Just make sure you remind the others its a fun ride for charity. No doubt you will get one guy wanting to be a hero though..

seagull are another you should try.
I have a simon & patrick folk size acoustic. Great easy to handle and superb sounding guitar – the seagull alternative is a bit pricier, but some say better sounding.

Thanks fellas. Looking to get a new giant road bike. Wasnt sure to get one now – or wait a month or two and get the 2011 model.

davidtaylforth your an obvious keyboard warrior. Bullied at school by the bigger girls by any chance?

Anyways. Just to clear up any confusion.

The 2011 Oranges are in the shops about now. Can anybody tell me when the 2011 Giants will be in the shops also?

i have used the sram 10speed powerlink connector.
Its the same the split the chain as a 9speed. Though found the powerlinks very very tight to connect.

i have used the sram 10speed powerlink connector.
Its the same the split the chain as a 9speed. Though found the powerlinks very very tight to connect.

One of the guys in the club had a similar problem recently. It turned out to be the sleeve over the spring had slipped down … moved it back up to the middle .. sorted..simples.

Last time I lost it was couple years ago now.

Been night shift all week. And had got up early on the Saturday morning to go to cashpoint at the local asdas to draw some money out.
Half asleep and groggy I managed to get my pin number wrong ..3times…and had the card taken.
Fuming with myself, I got into the car and pulled out without looking, almost going into a passing car. The car driver jestured at me for being an idiot.
Accepting his opinion, I said sorry. But he wouldnt let it go. And carried on calling me all the names. Once again I said sorry.
And on and on he went…I could feel my patience about to evaporate, so once again, said sorry and gestured to him to go away.
Nope, he still had some new names to call me…to which I cut him off mid-sentence to tell him to f*ck-@ff quickly!
He then appeared to be getting out of his car. So pretty much losing it by the second, I didnt want to be sat in the car by the time he got to me…by time I jumped out of my car I had seriously lost it.
The guy must have seen this and began to pull-off.
I had totally lost it by now, and must have had an incredible hulk moment because I tried to get at the bloke by pulling his car back…I managed to grab hold of the rear wind-screen wiper, which came off in my hand to my now uncontrolled anger.
I vaguely remember throwing the wiper at the car whilst shouting and swearing to the driver to come back.
Fuming still, I turned back around to get into my car….there was a crowd of 60-70 people staring at me in total disbelief…oops!

Its a great frame to blast the trails. Not sure it would be ideal for an all day bike … prob a bit too short in the top tube for most. But for 2-3hr riding of steep techy stuff … its just great.

I m 5ft8" and ride the 16". Sometimes it can feel a little cramped if the seat isnt dropped on fast dh sections(im too lazy to keep dropping it)

Great bikes .. unbeatable for the money also.
Heres a pic of mine .. hope you dont mind me taking the oppurtunity to show mine off also..

As said. It depends totally on what type of riding you do..

Just about any bike will get you around any given trail. So its all about how you want to get around.

a mx bike out does a fs .. a fs out does a ht .. a geared ht out does a ss .. a ht ss out does a fully rigid ss ….. but some people get their kicks from different things??

Yep. Me too suffering.
Had many many falls off bike and been lucky enough to have never had a niggle in the back … lifting my bike out of the back of wifes car Sunday before last, and I had a sudden lower back pain … carried on riding, but it just got worse and worse. So much so I had to end the ride.

The next morning it took me 15-20mins to get out of bed. Really severe pain if I tensed the lower back muscles. Standing up too long and I get pains in back of leg and mild pins and needles in my foot – and when I sit down or go to bed its a complete nightmare. Just cant sleep on my front or back .. only helps to lay on side.

Been taking naproxen last couple days .. not helping yet..

Oh, I forgot .. the point is to look different :roll: .. like one of those people who says "Im mad I am" and your just looking at then thinking "no, your just sad" :lol:

Only time a singlespeed passes me is if its strapped to the back of a car.

I did it for awhile. Then realized it was purely a fashion thing for the geeky types.

Singlespeeds are so 1990s now though.

Unless you live in North Scotland – you are not going to see any sort of volcanic changes to the sun yet …

Just ran the electric raker over the garden last weekend. Still a bit too cold to cut just yet – but by giving it a rake it tidies the lawn and gets rid of the moss etc for when the grass starts to grow in a month or so.

Why not be an even bigger nerd/geek and put down heart rate numbers, cadence, elevation, max speed, average speed … etc. :roll:

Another joy of immigration .. legit stayers or not wontt make much of a difference.

Ray Mears everytime for me also. Gryls will feast on disgusting things you wouldnt feed your dog (not that your dog would eat it) whilst Mears cooks up some things in the same scenario that gets your mouth watering..

On the SAS thing. Sad thing is, alot of guys coming out of the army claim to have done jobs they did not in there. I know of a guy who was a army waiter or something in the catering side of things .. before he left did a diving course as part of the army re-settlement program thing .. when he comes out he suddenly turns into an ex-army diver .. :lol:

I did karate(kyokushin) when I was in school.

Synchronised fighting that looks good with set pieces is the best way to describe it. I prefered boxing. More practical and fitness gained is 2nd to no other sport I can think of.

I have a dozen or so brazil nuts with a couple medjool dates when I fancy a little snack. Surprisingly filling.

The guy is a star isnt he. The excitedness of an 11 year old girl mixed with that comical accent.

Out on the razz with the mates .. back home to the wife – if need be..

I agree with trail_rat.

University fees should be free. But university places should be harder to obtain.

Before long it will be back to the bad old days when only the rich could afford to send their kids to uni.

Tragic news.

Though, Im guessing it will be a SMIDSY … strangely the cyclist seems to have come out the better this time..

Thanks fellas. Another example why STW is the top site in this genre.

The pawls are in mint condition. So I dont really see the logic of paying £15 for 4 tiny slithers of metal/springs and just keeping more stuff in the bike box that`ll prob never get used … it is the springs that snap not the pawls after all.

Anyways. I will try AndyPaice zip-tie method before ordering .. worth a try atleast.

And thanks again all.

Yep. me nights this week.

Nights arent so bad as the days are drawing out.

3 of us .. and 1 big punchy guy = He would be wearing our foot prints for a couple weeks atleast.

I can understand you being taken off guard, an unexpected punch can put anybody on the back foot. Shame on your friends for not giving him a couple back for you though.

No doubt, on the way back they had a good reason why they never .. or how they were about to … :roll:

I`m thinking its only the singlespeeder who are shocked and surprised by the whole shaving/trimming … oh yes, and single people who still live at home with their parents :lol:

They are seriously boring. I only use mine for half hour at a go. On a hardish setting and try to keep speed up and heart rate within the anaerobic bpm.

Great STW thread :lol:

Its only polite to have a bit of a trim down there. No womans going to appreciate looking at something that looks like Leo Sayer poking his tongue out.

Thanks all. Can anybody recommend a good on-line wheelbuilder? maybe a good idea to look at their prices.

I was looking at the ultegra sl recently – there does seem to be good deals out there on those wheels. But, I dont want sealed bearings for ease of maintenance.

The Hope hoops look pretty good choice. If they are as good as pro2 on my mtb I`d be well happy.
Other choices so far look to be the EA70 wheelset or the more expensive fulcrum racing3 clincher wheelset .. the last choice meaning a bit more saving up.

Oven cleaner? you got to be kidding.
You would be better advised to rub it down than soak it in oven cleaner.

Most bike frames and parts are poorly anodized with less than 10microns. Rubbing then down won`t take any time at all. And you will get the finish back – something stripping it with caustic wont do.

Mines 52-54bpm and Im 39yrs old .. Athlete!!

Whats concerns me more is that during a tough ride my bpm can go as high as 205bpm … but my highest bpm is supposed to be 180something according to the web experts..

you can get a single ply 60a compound .. I think they are all wire bead though?? Mine don`t feel too bad weight wise … apart from the s-tacky on the front! From CRC

I ve got the alu version of the bluepig – the mmmbop.
its no xc whippet for sure. Its a total grin inducing razz bike.

I dont understand somebody here saying they don`t feel robust enough?? Mine feels solid as a tank, and is as fast and confidence inspiring on steep, tight twisting trails as my old ells-epiphany ever was.

Only ever came across one bluepig. And it felt a bit too heavy for my liking – where as the mmmbop frame is a couple pounds lighter. Solid build on mine with pike forks, 2.4tyres and still weighing in at 29lb.

Pretty sure there will be better frames out there – but for the price, I dont see anything better out there.

Not had anything to do with my family for about 18yrs now. I guess both sides were too stubborn to make a move at appologizing at first.

As the years have gone by I care very little about the situation. Their loss as far as I concerned. I have my wife and two kids who are doing very good..thats good enough for me.