TRB make aluminium and other honeycomb sheets, which are used for this type of application already (trains, planes etc). They make bits for our formula student car.

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I love the Live Air Traffic Map, I can see the flights leaving heathrow from my window (4th Floor a couple of miles away) and I can see where they’re going!

Doesn’t show up the Eurofighter which I assume is coming from RAF Northolt doing practises for the ‘lympix.

I tend to try and get a large pole, seat tube, rear wheel and a crank into the D lock so it is completely filled and they can’t even turn the cranks. Then a cable lock around the front wheel, pole and frame, and no QR parts.

*Apologies for hijack*
Are there any cheaper alternatives for a cartridge bearing headset? I’d like to buy a couple so I have the same crown race and can swap forks without the faff, and see it as an opportunity to go to cartridge rather than caged bearings. They appear to be similar in rrp to hope and others.

Comfort is significantly dictated by handle size. If you can’t get both hands in comfortably then you won’t be able to do double handed swings etc. I’ve got a plain Iron/Steel 16kg kettlebell with black hammerite style painting. The handle is plenty comfortable due to the size (diameter as well as width), even without a coating. Mine’s chipped the coating a bit but that doesn’t bother me.

Will qualify my ‘cheap’ pair. There are loads of cheaper fakes available and you have to be careful about where you buy vibrams from, so many fakes and some really good copies available. I bought from a known retailer so I knew I was getting the real deal, I suggest anyone else does the same.

If I was buying more pairs I’d probably go for some cheaper barefoot style ones, but I do love the cushyness around my toes!

I picked up a pair cheap, as a treat to myself, as they were still far more than I’d normally spend on a pair of shoes. I loved the look of them, and found they’ve modified my running style, although I don’t know if for the better or not. Certainly feel lighter on my feet, but this is subjective. I will say though, mine are the most comfortable footwear I’ve ever owned, and I’d live in them permanently if I could.

Is there anything wrong with using a stem and screwing a bolt into the the stem cap/star fangled nut to press the crown race down?

Some hydraulics are just gash even if you bleed them properly and have ‘bitey’ pads fitted. Shimano M485’s are an example of a bad brake. They always feel soft after multiple bleed attempts and techniques, with 1 finger almost able to pull the lever to the bars.

My Juicy 5’s feel strong in comparison, with a definite bite point and strong enough to one finger brake. After moving them inboard to force one finger braking it’s now the norm. I do have a 200mm rotor though, because I’m fairly heavy.

Example Letters

I’m currently twice on stage 3 (final) of one company’s letters (for 2 ‘incidents’). Ignore. Tickets are unenforceable and powerless. They are shady companies who use dodgy immoral tactics to get their cash.

I’ve had an IO for 2 years and love it. The brown is a great practical colour, but aesthetically hideous, so I may get it repainted after I’ve scratched it up a bit more. They were extremely helpful on the phone too even though I’m not the original owner.

Did the Leamington 10k and have a tshirt with the sponsor on, a local solicitor’s by the name “Wright Hassal”.

I’m in Uxbridge, busy until exams finish mid may, but could meet up after, email in profile if you fancy it.

I sometimes ride out to black park and langley park, fairly flat, couple of interesting trails but not great.

Sometimes go up the canal to denham, then across to bayhurst wood, mad bess wood, copse wood, and park wood nearer you, not exactly DH runs but relatively interesting wood trails with some small gradients, only been a couple of times so don’t know my way round yet.

Alternatively towards watford is whippendale woods, there’s quite a few good bits in there, although it’s 10 miles to cycle for mediocre trails so I don’t often bother.

In uxbridge near the athletics stadium (just north of it on google maps), there’s an old ski slalom track which is now muddy and suitable for a couple of runs, quite good fun. There were also some jumps in a woods nearby, don’t know if they’re still there.

In all honesty, it’s a rubbish area for mtb really, a couple of small isolated woods with nothing to interlink them but roads with awful drivers. I try to get away to Swinley or elsewhere if I’m going for a proper ride. Going to the Chilterns tomorrow for the first time.

I’m interested in this too. Tried a whetstone but struggled to create an edge. Any tips or guides available for technique? I appreciate it’s going to take practise, but a few tips and pointers can only help!

Rear wheel landed first?

I’ve an IO, I think most modern freewheel units on SS use a Park FR-6, or the ‘BMX 4 prong’ on sheldon’s link.

The prong is about 8.8mm wide, and the inside diameter is 30mm if you want to measure and compare. * Sorry just seen you don’t have the bike on you

Isn’t that what you do when not coasting?

Yes but adapting driving accordingly bearing in mind that I may be coasting, rather than just driving along. And checking even more frequently, looking further in advance et cetera.

Do we all have to explain everything explicitly to not be pulled up on the minutiae?

As has been said already, injection engines with slightly clever fuel maps for 0% throttle demand use no or very little fuel when off the throttle, less than if you knocked into neutral. Post 2000 for anything other than base model as an estimate. Older injection (basic fuel mapping) or carb engines will use less fuel at idle than at higher engine speeds coasting in gear.

I reckon coasting can be done in a safe way on the roads, but it is illegal/against the highway code. I occasionally do it to save fuel, but keeping an eye on traffic behind, in front, road conditions etc. Don’t see why it would contribute to an accident, my car is so gutless the accelerator pedal is useless in an emergency, steering or brakes are the only reasonable way out.

I had to do coast properly when my engine cut out after an alternator belt failure. Managed to get 2.5 miles on a dual carriageway with no engine that day to the next safe stop, was luckily pointing downhill. :D

Pugsley:

Looks far more symmetrical on the Pugsley until just above the cassette to me. Whereas the botch job looks significantly lopsided with different clearances either side of the tyre.

Just opinions and speculation without the bikes in front of us I guess.

The configuration is acceptable, but do surly frames come with assymmetric stays? Look wonky as hell from here in DrP’s piccy.

I’ve got a porlex hand grinder, quite nice and cheap (compared to electric burr grinders), the main advantage for me being that it doesn’t take up much space in our cramped kitchen, and isn’t noisy as hell. It feels well made with a stainless body and solid metal parts. Still, needs a couple of minutes of hand pumping action to get going. :P

WaterRower are a nice alternative. Not as ‘proper’ as the concept 2 but just as good for the actions and durability.

It’s far more aesthetically pleasing to have in your home, and whilst rowing is far more pleasant to be on. Concepts give a horrible whooshing noise, which if you’re on for any length of time is tedious. A WaterRower sounds far nicer, you can watch the water swash around, and it’s loads quieter.

A friend wrote some rowing training software to compliment the system that comes with it, both RowYo[/url] as a cadence trainer for all rowing ergo’s (concepts included), and RowH2O[/url] specifically for the WaterRower.

Are they ashima rotors? They look like they might be. I’ve had pulsing from an Ashima rotor, reduced after bedding in though. you shouldn’t be able to detect any movement in them relative to the hub/wheel though!

Edit: too late on the brand guess!

here

Search forum history for lots of recipe ideas… there’s loads.

Saddle was one for me! Couldn’t locate it for ages until my mate riding next to me point it out. Always thought it was the BB.

As a counter to the above, I’ve got a steel rigid and I don’t find it confidence knocking. It slows me down and makes me move on the bike more, look further ahead for obstacles etc, and I prefer it on smoother rides as it ‘feels’ quicker, more connected, more dependable.

Having said that, then getting onto my HT with rebas I feel like I can fly! If you do long bridleway stuff, a rigid would probably be better for the majority of your riding, and manageable for the bumpy bits. If you’ve got the cash and want something that allows you to go faster and have more confidence then go for some boingers!

Why would anybody buy a car that is totally unsuitable for long journeys or carrying anything?

Because those are not journeys they ever undertaken because their lifestyle is somewhat different to yours?

People have different needs, hence the variety of cars on the market.

Was (celebration night!):
Chinese takeaway
Trelawny Cornish Beer
My mate weeing into another mate’s kitchen sink

Autoaid – my car is older than 10 years old so it makes sense for me. £38 a year, breakdown insurance – if you break down ring autoaid, they send someone out, you pay the breakdown firm up front, claim it back from autoaid. Used them 3 or 4 times, refunded swiftly and easily. Look them up on moneysavingexpert for lots of reviews.

I’ve ridden from Uxbridge to Kew Gardens along the towpath. Just a towpath really, no more, no less. Pretty much continuous.

Soo many things it could be! All of the above are good checks. Another one is fuel leak – start the car (or just prime the fuel by going to position one on the key) and have a good sniff around the back seats, boot and rear wheel arches.

Can’t help but respond to this one. It really annoys me when articles are written by journalists with too little understanding, and so hint at something which isn’t true.

“Friction-powered sidewall units slow the bike down”. As will this ‘non-friction powered’ dynamo. It’s getting energy from somewhere if it is harvesting it. That’s how eddy current dynometers work and generate load.

Having said the above, great idea, and I hope that it works in business mode as it’s a nice little application of known tech in a novel form. I like stuff like that.

Whilst I understand the nature of the square boxes improving efficiency in the logistics of delivery, I can’t help but believe it is a massive inconvenience and still wasteful. Surely there’s a cardboard only (coarse cardboard instead of bubble wrap) jiffy bag somewhere that could be used, or a dvd case sized box for those tiny items so that they can fit in a letter box.

Perhaps the volume of orders for tiny bits is incomparable to the orders which do fill boxes, and so are packaged most efficiently. And the small nuisance that is for tiny orders is a sacrifice happily made for streamlining the entirety of the rest of the post.

I thought my gf and I had an understanding. I thought we didn’t do anything for valentines day because it’s a crock of sh… and our anniversary is a couple of days before, which we celebrate properly.

I was wrong. We had an understanding, I just didn’t understand it. :-)

had a similar experience just after xmas. Intermittent connection to the light of my vision 2, sent it back and had it back with me within 2 days fixed. It was 2.5 years old too.

Thought I had a problem with it on sat night in the snow, kept getting this flickering light but in a really wide beam pattern. Turned out it was snow melting on the lens, made me kick myself after I worked it out.

dp420 is the stuff we use for bonding carbon tubes to aluminium inserts. As said by compositepro (he knows his stuff!), you need far more than a good glue. Prep is massively important, clean work area, tight fit to minimise gaps, a good key on both surfaces, and more. Would recommend looking into it thoroughly if it’s something you undertake yourself, you’re going to be riding on it so you want it to be solid. If you don’t have the time or inclination to be really thorough, it’d be worth your while sending it to a specialist, or getting a quote to compare with a new swingarm.

Got a letter from them today…

Tax year Refund Due
2006-07 0.16
2007-08 12.88

WOOOO!!!!!

Looks like my guess isn’t going to be too far off. 2.1 seconds of 2.5 complete.

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1bQkHKMGLv6tSupWy68a4qMCiWJ-MDftwAy02TFwpbxc&hl=en&authkey=CM_098wG&pli=1

Should be able to read even without a google account.

Did one with Phil Price’s mate down the road, can’t remember the place or the chaps name, but it was great!

Got to drive an impreza, welded rear diff (RWD only) and road tyres on the back – very easy to step out. Was a great day with them cramming in as much driving as they could. They didn’t mind when my friend beached the car either! The track was great and really got a feel for it by the end, and the passenger ride was immense!