That’s a proper bargain. Fatties are ace, regardless of what you might think of On One’s customer service. The spec looks good too, and I expect the avid brakes will work fine

You sure it’s gear cable outer, and not brake cable outer?

Careful now, I think there’s an aluminium insert bonded to the inside of the head tube, and the headset cup is pressed into this insert. Don’t go bashing the wrong bit out

You sure you’ve attached the cable to the mech in the right place, with it going to right side of the nut?

A vice and prayer it is then. It’ll probably be fine

File the cup flat on either side to give the vice something to grip I guess. Then hope the twisting force isn’t enough to pull the head tube off the top / down tubes.

I’d just leave it on there and invest in a big stash of spare bearings

Scandal – http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/carbon-456-headset-removal

Looks like a laugh 😯

Yes you can. IIRC there’s a small o-ring seal that might need replacing – sometimes they’re OK, sometimes they get mashed up. Most DIY places do little bags of random o-rings that should contain something suitable. I don’t think you’ll need to fart about with olives and barbs

DMR V8s. Hopeless pieces of grumbly crap

No, there’s no ‘nice’ way to get the pistons out without a compressor. If you need to change the piston seals then my advice is to change the pistons too. In this case you won’t need a compressor. Before you take anything apart pump the pistons out all the way. If one is lazy, hold back the other one so they both come right out. One will eventually pop all the way out (making a mess). This is fine as long as the other one is sticking right out of the calliper.

Then you can disassemble the calliper and just grab hold of the remaining piston with molegrips / pliers / whatever and drag it out the rest of the way. I think I ended up levering one out with a screwdriver, mangling it in the process.

The point is that if you don’t need to re-use the pistons you can remove them any way you like (as long as the calliper body isn’t damaged) and £7 for a pair of pistons is cheaper than buying a compressor.

You’ll end up with dot fluid all over the place – I worked in a big plastic tray. Have a spray bottle of water handy to soak the bits and bobs that get DOT fluid on them, or it’ll strip all the paint.

“Recommend” isn’t really the right word, but I can tell you what I used. I just tapped it out with a socket bar extension and a hammer, little taps. Someone else suggested using the inner bit of an axle stand. The principle’s the same – stick something long into the head tube so it rests on the lip of the cup, tap it, move to the opposite side of of the cup, tap again. Repeat a little at a time till it’s out

All the Avid hoses and fittings I’ve ever worked with are standard and interchangeable.

Where’s it leaking? Out of the pistons or somewhere else? The calliper is easy to service – http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/383/a15031a/avid-caliper-service-kit-elixir.html

I think your bike may look a little ‘special’, but I respect your right to ride what the hell you like without being ridiculed for it by a load of keyboard warriors on the interwebz.

If the seal wasn’t there, surely a decent LBS would have spotted this and told you about it?

2 pieces of wood and a hammer. If only you’d listened to me in the first place

Cheap (like, really cheap) Geax tyres from On One have surprised me in a few ways – they hold air, grip well, last OK, and most significantly they really were in stock and did actually get delivered

I learned 4 useful things on this thread.

1: Too many spacers under the stem puts too much load on the steerer tube (which makes sense).

2: Angling the levers down can put them in an easier position to reach when you’ve got your elbows out (which also makes sense – at least, when I move my elbows out the tops of my hands tend to rotate down).

3: Doing stuff yourself is always best (but I knew this anyway).

4: Some people on STW are complete bell ends. Taking the piss out of people’s grass / fence / shed / valve stem – tyre logo alignment is expected, and I’m not shy when it comes to dishing it out. But all the “arrggh my eyes, this bike is a crime against humanity” shit is disappointing and in clear violation of the “try not to be a dick” rule. We’re all free to ride what we like without the **** STW trail-centre-only weekend-warrior hipster crowd bellyaching that they don’t like how someone’s bike look. Nobs.

I think I’ve just emailed you Mike. I may have emailed someone entirely random and they’ll now think I’m a stalker or something

You coming tonight Mike?

I just bunged a standard XT HT2 one in my fatty, nothing 100mm specific about the threads in the frame

I did spot that mistake and I think I should be a little ashamed of myself for knowing impossibly nerdy stuff

Me three

As long as he has some air in his tyres and a working pump, we’ll all get along fine

Wouldn’t recommend the space centre. It’s great for kids but once they’re into their teens it’s a bit meh

Did the money show up? I have instructed my agent to sent it forthwith by Western Union for your receiving pleasure good sir and god willing you will kindly receive it thankyouplease and we can continue our great friendship

Rev Belowski

I think I’ll be there. I’ve got a cold / chest infection and am hocking up some gnarley docker’s omelettes at the moment (tastes like Gruyère cheese) so it depends on how sketchy I’m feeling.

Bob – if I don’t survive the day you can keep the bike. If I do survive the day but am too ill to ride I’ll give you a buzz and pop over in the car to the pub, so still bring it along please

Ahhh, the bike version of the good old Harlow Pub Quiz (only one question – “what you looking at?”, every possible answer is wrong). I’ve just had a very similar conversation with my missus, with a very similar outcome 🙁

Perhaps I’m weird, but I’ve always had good life and no breakages from SRAM chains. Clearly I have the legs of a weak and feeble woman

I suggest http://www.seakayakfiordland.co.nz/kayaking/doubtful-sound/

An utterly staggering and wonderful experience

They put random numbers up in some “internet phonebook”, having no idea who the numbers belong to. Someone googles their own number for whatever reason and finds Dodgy Ken’s Internet Phonebook has their number listed against a Gary McShit living in Dorking.

At this point, you’re supposed to say “ooo, I’m not Gary McShit”, and email Dodgy Ken with your correct details. From this point on your mobile number is sold to every scammer in the world and is buried under a pile of spam. Your identity is stolen, and you live out the rest of your days in a Colombian prison helping other gentlemen pick up the soap.

Correct tyre for a wet cavedale is the arse end of your shorts, or your helmet

Cover the barrel adjusters in your own excrement, then have a sniff around

Great, thanks Bob. I put the bike in the garage last night and haven’t been back to it – dread to think what state it’s in now

Yip, a fantastic day’s riding and a great laugh too, really really enjoyed that gents. Thanks for all the organising Danny.

Now to work out if i can unstick that sodding piston, and order some drivetrain bits 😯

You coming Jez?

Pretend to be a farmer. Say “hello” loudly and cheerily and continue on your way, assuming they’ll get out of the way. Don’t get yourself between a cow and its calf. And the ones with tits & horns tend to be the mellowest. Tits and no horns, or horns and no tits, requires a little more care

Mine’s been on my fatty for 3 or 4 months so far. Don’t use it more than once a ride (fairly briefly) but it’s not showing any signs of wear yet

Can’t stop daydreaming about going riding tomorrow and today is dragging so badly

Shocking, isn’t it. Anyone would think you have ‘previous’ as a tardy malingering excuse-filled perennial late-comer

Yeah, to Chesterfield then A617 through Chesterfield.

Actually, I don’t know why I’m answering this question as you’ve only asked as an elaborate early excuse for being late

How’s the leg Danny? Will it need to come off?

Smashin ride chaps, like Danny said it seemed to flow really nicely (except for all those sodding gates). Roll on Saturday 🙂

What sport is he doing here? It’s entirely unrecognisable and bears no relation at all to the mincing I regularly enjoy