hey jellybaby, long term effects? oh my yes! my dad has carpal tunnel syndrome and his middle tightened to the point where it was permanently clenched even with the other fingers straight. he got it operated on last year…

i cracked my old alloy GT avalanche just behind the head tube on the top tibe and got it welded – it became my trusted commuter till it was pinched – no stress for short term i'd say, especially as steel is even easier to weld.

thanks everybody. seems definitely like a nerve thing then! i've had it a while but not stressed but my girlfriend would like to have her mind put at rest! off to the docs for me 🙂

ok thanks fontmoss 🙂

funny thing is – i always thought it was from lying awkwardly but i'm now fairly sure it also happens when i lie on my back, with my arms either at my side or loosely crossed over, or if i lie on my side, it's just as likely to be the arm that's on top as the one the one i'm lying on

as a side note – i used to get ulnar nerve pain (outside edge of palms) during cycling when i had narrow bars but wide bars stopped this pain occuring (been back on wide for 2.5yrs)

my rigid kona, pre wild-camping trip

my stumpy

i liked the comment from earlier – email them.

i used to dream of riding cap d'ail! so much so i almost drove there from the UK in the summer of 99, though chose les gets instead due to its relative proximity…

you may find the groupset comes with brakes…

if it is a burr then take off the tyre and rim strip and see if you can't shake it out. doing this should also allow you to see where the sound comes from, should it not be something loose in the rim…

gonna go with lightspeed?

i got that with my 721 (or 521) rim! i think there's some loose burrs in there. it's not the hub as i regreased that and put in new bearings. i've just left it…

not today. been a bit ropey lately but i actually think that's my computer, as it wasn't finding any other wireless networks either…

i've got a new HAWG and i can safely say that thing weighs a ton! something like a kilo? it's all belts and buckles and plastic back plates… it's not awful, but i'd not recommend it unless it was a super bargain.

i've never exacted this kind of revenge. i have a bell, i ring that instead until my rage subsides 😆

it's been an age since i rode exmoor but that sounds just like my old favourite route! have fun

excellent, i've got a good idea for this now. i couldn't sleep with excitement! thanks again 8)

excellent! thanks guys. i'll head over to borestane and see what i can find! i'm quite excited, haven't camped on my own before!

thanks! i'll keep that in mind. don't think i've ridden that part of the hills, though was hoping for something a bit further out!

nice one, thanks. unfortunately i won't be able to fit my bike in my tent. so i guess woods would be far more sensible…?

hitting mid thirties, 456 soon! oh my, when'd this happen?!

i did read his post. crossing the stop-line by that distance through a red light seems like light-jumping to me…

jumping a red light – how very impressive. you must be very proud. i couldn't be bothered with more after that.

my route is about 24 miles, i do that roughly once a week, depending on work and studies. i want to cycle greater distances but i just don't have enough time to get my fitness up!

ay-ch

munqe-chick – sorry 😳

thanks everybody for your help

@ munque-chick

how very constructive. why don't you use your own fingers to look at other threads?

well, i've just had a look at both the kona and the specialized websites, and the 16" is 1mm shorter in the toptube than my spesh. the kona is way shorter though (which is weird – i always thought they were long bikes). anyway, the spesh is maybe a touch too short so an 18" 456 with a top tube of only 11mm more than the spesh would be spot on. or would that 11mm feeling like a lot??

normally i never spend this much time thinking about this but money says i need to be sure!

what are the 16" ones like over a long day/multiday rides? also, has anyone successfully fit a rack to a 16"?

see, i thought i was set on an 18", but now i'm not so sure! i wonder if i can find someone around here whose i could have a go on 🙂

thanks everyone! i think it might be an 18" then! i always used to go for smaller bikes but i'm coming to realise that they're a pain on longer rides…

i suppose to elaborate on my post – yes, i've become culturally biased towards a certain kind of bike. and that's probably from marketing. heh, so what! i haven't actually got a LT-HT 😛

from my own experience, i've ridden long travel full susses, short travel, hardtail, rigid. i always see having suspension out back as not that much of a bonus. it's just when i ride really fast places like southern spain or the alps that i wish i had a different bike – i'm on a hardtail now and all i'd change is the forks to be longer – it's not the rear of the bike that makes it difficult – it's the 100mm forks i currently run!

i'll stuff a gilet in my bag but that'll be it. looking forward to turning left in the pentlands and exploring where normally i would turn right and come back home 🙂

aren't there only two countries in the world where coca cola isn't the most popular soft drink – peru being one, and scotland (with irn bru being number 1) the other?

hey RepacK, i undertstand some people can 'buy' happiness. i just wanted to point out that this is not a universal fact, which i mistakenly believed was your point.

Define success how you will but you cant get away from the fact that a lot of people find pleasure with making lots of money, it can after all (regardless of the cliches) buy a lot of happiness. A nice bike perhaps or a holiday etc..

i love anecdotes passed on as universal truths

my '04 float RLs are shite. which is odd, cos all the reviews at the time said they were the donkey's nuts. so now i have a deep-seated suspicion of them being anything but naff. still, at least i don't need to service mine every other day!

is there any use emailing 'friends of the pentlands' too? i'd be up for throwing a shovel or moving some rocks.