Edinburgh cycles do them i think. Must do as i have one from them sat it the garage in the same size.

Hey Nige,

I’ve got a Minoura one sat in the garage that i haven’t used for ages. Got it on special at Halfords for £10 a few years back. If you want to test one out feel free to borrow it as you are more likely to use it than me.

Let me know.
Steve

Cool. Going to have to change your name though as it appears to be geared….

Like the Thudbuster, was the paint job done specifically to match the elastomers!

The murder scene is less than a mile up the road from me in Bromsgrove, i cycled up on Saturday to chat to the police about it as it’s all still very hush hush and the main road was closed for two days (causing chaos). Still just a ‘suspicious’ death and details are hard to come across. I also commute to work past the post office in Fairfield where that poor chap got shot in the bungled robbery a few weeks back. 2 murders in less than 2 months in a pretty small town. Not good at all but i’m sure it’ll only increase with the amount of council funded pikeys that seem to be moving into the area. Policeman said more and more criminals are moving out of the centres of big towns into the satellite towns as its easier for them with less competition from other crooks.

I had a client recently who took out dog insurance with M&S and paid 2 months premiums before her new (very young) dog picked up a nasty infection in the local park and required £3000 worth of vet procedures. M&S paid up no problems and she thinks it’s the best money she ever spent!!

It’s like all insurance though, worthless to most but incredibly valuable to those that do have to make a claim. Insurance is just peace of mind at the end of the day.

I have a set of DMR Moto’s 2.2 off my old commute bike which are now on my hack bike. Was always happy with them and they held up well. Light off road use would be ok but you’d have to avoid mud or wet of any description (at least whilst cornering).
I recently put some Scwalbe Big Apples on my old hardrock after i terminally dented a rim hitting a pothole with my usual Spesh Nimbus 1.5″ tryes. They seem pretty good so far but would offer less offroad grip than the moto’s.
Best thing about fat slicks (apart from the obvious increase in tyre volume and ‘floatier’ ride) is that they look ‘right’ on mountain bikes whereas slicks always look a bit odd. The Big Apples also go up to a 2.35 i believe but i wouldn’t be able to squeeze those into my old frame.

Like any insurance, it’s of great benefit if you need to call on it.

Don’t go with simply the cheapest, ask about the claims history as it is worthless if they wriggle out of it when you try and claim.

Friends Provident have always had a pretty decent contract but not overly cheap. Check the market yourself or find a local IFA. DON’T buy it from a bank or building society.

Critical illness will only pay out after a specified illness so is not comprehensive cover. As a contractor your premium will be higher than normal, but to be fair, only because your job is riskier than most for injury.

Yep, just did about two minutes ago.

6’7″ here with a 38″/39″ inside leg so there aren’t many with a higher saddle than mine. I have a 21.5″ Trek, 22″ Kona, 22″ Giant all with 400mm seat posts at about the max limit. The longer frames seem better but i still feel perched on top of the bikes and have found myself going over the bars a few times (mostly on the full suss Giant).
I recently dipped my toe into the 29er market at Xmas with a 23″ Rockhopper and it feels so much better despite being the cheapest of all my bikes. I don’t feel like i’d go over the bars and the whole bike just fits me so much better. It’s very rare now that i ride my other bikes, almost feel i should sell them but then it’s not easy to sell really big bikes and i’m a bit of a hoarder anyway (current count is 9!).

On the 26″ bikes i always use uncut steerers and space them up as much as i can. Doesn’t look wonderful but it’s function over form i’m afraid. I also always use Easton Riser bars as i like the width and rise. Anything under 685mm feels narrow to me.

Test ride a 29er if you can but i know from experience that getting a tester in an XL is very hard. If you are anywhere near Brum i’d happily let you have a test on mine. Might be a bit big for a short bloke like you though. ;-)

I used to use Brixton cycles though, and can highly recommend them. It’s a co-op so they always give a good service. It’s also right next door to a skate park which is fun to watch and whizz around on early morning commutes like i used to. :-)

There are two Evan’s within 250 yards of each other in Waterloo (one opposite the station and one on The Cut) which are both pretty good shops to have a browse around. No experience of that Cycle surgery but they always seem to be good shops also.

Would it not be cheaper to buy what you want online? Evans are not cheap even with the LCC 10% discount.

Got pulled by Latvian Police driving through the night from Lithuania To Latvia to catch an early flight home from a lads trip to eastern europe. About 5am in the middle of nowhere. Very different experience than being pulled by the English police. Marched me to his car to be with his mate, both carrying handguns. His words ‘Big speed, big problem’ Gulp! Told me i’d have to pay an on the spot fine of around £60. Had to agree but when i asked for a receipt it dropped to £30, then when i said I only had £20 on me and i’d get the rest from the car suddenly £20 was enough and they turfed me out to carry on the journey! Ah, easy to bribe corrupt traffic coppers, why don’t we have more of them……….

My technical ability is legendarily bad so i wouldn’t know where to start with posting pictures.

Best i can do is this link to the Evans site to see the Rockhopper 29er.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/rockhopper-comp-disc-29er-2009-mountain-bike-ec016420

I’ve put an SLX chainset on mine, increased the front rotor to 185mm, swapped to an EA70 bar, and popped in a Next SL Carbon seatpost and Charge Spoon saddle and am very happy with the results. May try it with my Thudbuster at some stage to see how it helps, certainly did with my 26" hardtail.

Don’t know how to post pictures but i’m 6’7" and have just gotten a Rockhopper 29er at Xmas and love it. Haven’t ridden any of my other bikes since i got it.

Bike definately fits me better than any of the others (23" frame) and seems to climb better, rolls better and is generally more comfortable. At £750 it was a relatively cheap way to dip my toe into the 29er world. very glad i did. I’d go for it if i was you. :-)