SKS shockboards fall off, the bung doesn't stay in, and the quick remove teeth wear out in a few weeks because the guard wibbles about.
BUT, they become brilliant as soon as you add two tie-wraps round the fork crown!
Who invented tie wraps anyway?

Testing.. Ovi again with the first and last bits stripped off their embed code:

For which I had to use their "embed" button, which generated a code, copy and paste it into a text, then strip out everything before and including the "src=" and everything after ".jpg"

Try from OVI again using their "embed" code:

" alt="" title="" class="bbcode-image" />

FAIL again.

Anyone – managed this with OVI account?

Slight hijack, Flickr no problems but I also have a Ovi account and I want to see if that one works so here's an opportunity for a test:

FAIL ..

Oh, kind of like that water retaining stuff for plants?

Wooden bikes are brilliant, and the great thing is you can modify them!

Ours got lowered initially – jigsaw wood glue 🙂 for when our daughter's legs were too short, later it has a rear brake bolted on, then a trailer mounting, then a flagpole, bell, now it's set extra tall. (A bit more cutting and gluing). She's seven, and still screams round indoors on it, whilst riding her 20" bike outside!

I'm sorry boneidle what "Mystery" was that? I don't know of any such mysteries.

The Crows do that on selected patches of road verge near me. They visit every day, and poke about for all the creatures. Very similar looking effect.

He-he, itll only pull if the stem/bars arnt attached to the fork :0) . Er.. OOps – Naturally I was referring of course to the asymmetrical air resistance! 😕

Left camber on the trail/road could cause turn to the right.
Stiff or too short brake hoses, or poploc cable on one side pulling the steering one way? – And remember if the bike falls to the right, you must have given the steering a kick to the left to start it off!

Not as windy as Monday! – Much of my ride to work is in trees, but the open parts were straight downwind – whoosh- I ran out of gears!

I wore plastic bags in that snowy week last winter.
The trick is to wear sock, plastic bag, another sock, then tights over the lot.
That way you can feel perfectly normal while your feet fester in a not quite so awful way as they would, pushing through 6" of slush with ice blocks underneath.

Well I applaud the Sustrans networks. They are not for everyone but brilliant for kids.

I was in Devon in October, and my daughter rode 20 miles on her first outing with new bike on her 7th birthday. Bideford..Barnsable. Sea views, wildlife, tea shops, beaches, no crowds. I really couldn't fault it.

Not exactly off-road XC, but they are built for a very different audience.

Asda mobile uses vodafone, and very cheap data charges if that interests you.. (it was 20p/Meg last time I looked when we got a SIM for Mrs Mc)

Hi Jon. re "cold and wet and 4/5 seconds of braking". Yep that's me. And I'm using Superstar sintered.

BTW the pair I put on the woodburner last night DID change colour! I'll test the edges against a new pair with a metal file to see if they feel any harder!

Hi TJ If you look at your brakes as you pull and release the lever does the piston not move away from the disc at all?
Yes, almost not at all. I can see some movement with springiness of the calipers relaxing, but I can't say there is any visible gap. This is with everything spotless and newly cleaned. There is however no rubbing contact (ie wheel spins with clearance), until the grit gets in.

OK, so this relies on the surface sticktion (for want of a better word) and young's modulus of the seal being just right. Am I correct in thinking that if the seal "hardens", it would be more likely to first slide on the piston at initial braking, and provide no deformation, and then provide no return?

TJ, re your diagram showing the sliding square cut seal,

Is this not the case? – if not then why?

OK, I'll slap in some new seals, and promise to use only silicon.

OK, good point. But I had taken the same view on the mineral oil being OK then..

Memo to self to try always use the silicon instead.

I'll look for Stendec. I've tried all sorts to lube them. Last week (before they went sticky again) they were spotless with WD40 and Finish Line.

OK Jeremy. Do your discs go "scrape scrape…" after you ride through a puddle. – And if not why not?

but the same pads (same batch even) last >4 months in the dry, (cool, we aren't talking bluing disks here), we are talking wearing pads out even when the brakes aren't being used.

.. but exactly my problem bikewhisper. At least I'm not alone..

I was using "cheap sinterd pads", and mine are 2 years old, and have been cleaned out countless times..

TJ- Yes, well that bit's obvious enough.

Thing is, if there were a return spring of some sort in the master cylinder, that should enable atmospheric prerssure to push the pads back in somewhat. I don't know the arrangement of the master cylinder valve and how that connects to the reservoir.

Thanks nonk,

The point being, what pulls in the pistons if the seals are (demonstrably) ineffective at doing so.

I'm baking some now on the woodburner! – If it works I'll go into production (I'm sure Fruit will do them at trade price) 😆

Yes, tthew, those are not springs, they are too feeble to push in the pots, and yes, same as mine.

Jeremy, no I run 160 discs (I'm 67 Kg). I still don't really
buy this curing. If it was so important why not sell the damn things pre-cured?

In fact to prove a point, I'll go and put a pair on top of my woodburner, – yes I think I will.

As far as prssure and wearing out, it takes very little pressure to cut down disk pads, they are very easy to take down with a metal file for instance. I believe it's no coincidence that the scrape-scrape which accompanies my gritty wet rides coincides with such appalling pad wear. It's pissed down nearly every day over the last week, and it's very sandy soil here, the stuff jambs up the calipers instantly.

"They are wearing out because theya re not cured".. That old chestnut, sounds like rot to me. . I don't bed my summer pads in either, and they can last about 70 times as long on the same route.

Hi Jeremy, Yes I know about your thousands of miles..using Deore LX by any chance?

You suggest it's only the elasticity of the piston seals pulling the pads back. – Really? But on LX nothing much (not even the piston seals) obviously "pulls" them back, they need to be pushed back in.

😳 Things happen when the mind's on the real job!

Simon: Since when has 2^(x-1) = (2^x)/2 ?

Would an easier approach be to assume both x and x must be negative, and ask when is log10(2^x) = integer ?
Saying that, I got no integers out by the time Excel packed up at log (2^-1022)

Even for your 40" poster, I'm sure you could get away with half that. Try reducing the jpg further and see what you loose. I recon you won't tell any difference, especially if at the other end it's going to be corrupted anyway by that ancient "printing" technology stuff.

Two of those and that's 18g! Carrying that weight in chocolate would probably take you up the last 500' hill. – So which is it to be? 😆

I just bought an Islabike Bein 20 large. (Secondhand – like hen's teeth, and very nearly as expensive as a new one!). I am very pleased with it though. It really does feel light compared to many of the heavyweight monsters about, and my daughter (7 but small-ish) is getting on with it really well.

"One for Commuting".

How much commuting gear do you carry then?

Here is my Burley BTW, rather heavily loaded AND off-road. With 50Kg on it, and off-road, I feel the flex in the link arm which leads to some unpleasant longitudinal oscillations over the bumps.

Hi Ransos
"The Fuel and Electricity (Heating)(Control)(Amendment) Order 1980 prohibits the use of energy to heat non-domestic buildings to more than 19 deg C."

That's well worth knowing, thanks. Perhaps that's another string to my bow.

I'm forever complaining about the heat in this place. It tops nearly 25C at times, and is worse in winter than summer. We have a lot of test kit running also, which doesn't help.

Of course every time I make inroads, it's generally the secretary who complains and gets it turned back up whilst I sweat!

It's torture. I can't live with a jar in the house.

PB is funny stuff. I used to buy it in 2.5Kg tubs.

I still love it, but if I eat just a spoonful (must be with a spoon), I guarantee that within six hours I'll have a zit.

PB no more for me 😥