There was plenty of choice at Decathlon when i went there last week.

Good spec for the money as well and at least you get to poke and prod the bikes unlike internet purchases.

I’m tempted by their £199.99 HT 29er to replace my ss hack bike.

They had a decent rigid commuter hybrid for £250 i think which seemed reasonable. Take a look at their website for what’s on offer.

http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/m1b0s200p9863/CANNONDALE_Trail_SL_29er_3R_2012

Bargain at £399 (plus a bit more for better brakes), There’s a thread about them on STW from a few days back.

Bregante – any links to the KM? Can’t see any on their site?

Zippy,

I have a Honzo if you wanted to have a look at one. Nice bike but it’s a heavy beast. Mine is obviously too big for you but it’ll give you an idea of how they build up.

I built it up from scratch from a frame only and it’s running 120mm Reba’s.

My father in law is type one and has crashed at least two cars in the last few years after hypo’s and yet his insurance went down??

The last time the police threw him in a cell as they thought he was drunk because he was slurring and incoherent! His wife was not best pleased with them.

He also passed out in the garden last month and broke his jaw in the fall. My wife has been in the car with him when he’s gone hypo and was terrified as there’s no reasoning with him and she won’t get in a car alone with him anymore.

I’m amazed that he still has a license to be honest. When i informed my insurers it made no difference to my premiums at all. I can totally understand that professional drivers may not be allowed to continue with their line of work, just as Epileptics aren’t allowed to drive buses etc. Bit gutting though if you have to lose your job through no fault of your own.

I’m on a 3 year license after being diagnosed type 1 nearly 3 years ago – funnily enough after seeing a thread on here which described all the symptoms i’d been suffering from.

Unfortunately (or not depending on your perspective) i’m what all the diabetic ‘experts’ to date call an ‘interesting case’.

I was on insulin 4 times a day for about 3 months but got constant hypos so was weaned off bit by bit down to zero to enjoy the ‘honeymoon period’ which i was told could be up to 6-18 months (if i was lucky). I’ve now been totally medication free for over 30 months and my blood sugar levels are largely normal (the odd blip sometimes but then back to normal?).

Any ideas anybody??? I’m tired of having diabetic specialists, consultants, nurses and GP’s scratch their heads and shrug at me. I’m seeing them again on Friday and it’s getting annoying. I know i should be grateful it’s stayed away but i live in a limbo of ‘maybe tomorrow is the day’ and it’s getting dull……. Genetic tests came back negative but my results showed antibodies consistent with type 1 ‘albeit developing very slowly’? To date though i’ve found no evidence of anybody else having a honeymoon period of 3 years and neither have any of the medical professions i’ve encountered.

Dr P – have you seen anything along these lines before in any of your patients??

If you just renew then yes, the cover remains the same as before.

I had a good chat with them last week as mine is up for renewal as well. He was a cyclist too so was pretty informed on the matter.

just as well, my renewal was £260 but when i tried doing a new quote online with the new system it was over £650.

Not sure for how long the renewal thing will last though, even he didn’t know. At least i know i’ll have decent cover for another year at least.

I had a minor crash a few years back and found, like you, that i had no MOT at the time.

The insurers never asked about it and it was never mentioned?

The day i picked up my fixed car i had it immediately MOT’d and there was never any comeback to the whole situation.

Hopefully you’ll be fine.

I’ve been contemplating one of these from Triton for the last week and this thread isn’t helping!

The reviews i read all slated the brakes (to be expected) but also the EBB which on MTBR was pretty much universally panned? Any problems from those who own one here?

At £400 i’m still tempted despite already having sold my SS 29er Inbred earlier this year as i rarely rode it and having 4 other 29ers in the garage (two easily SS’able). Probably overkill as i only really want it as a posh hack/pub/gym bike. Still tempted though……

Any of the Monster Munch flavours are ace but Pickled Onion still has to be the daddy.

Such is my love for them I got my Mom to send me some out to Oz when i was backpacking there in the mid 90’s. Thought she’d send a 6 pack but she sent a proper box of 48 packs! £6 for the crisps, £20 to send it to Oz….

My hostel was a much happier (albeit slightly smellier) place for the next few days :-)

No worries.

If you use Quidco (or similar) you’ll get another 3% off.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=85084

£379

Not everyone is IT savvy. I’m certainly not.

I have no idea how to post pictures and what’s classed as ‘easy’ for you is not for me.

Most people who work in IT are incapable of comprehending that some people do not share their love/interest of computers and have little or no interest in computers beyond surfing the net and getting email. As a result they lose me in technical talk within 30 seconds and i switch off.

The ‘basic’ instructions people put up about posting pics on here may as well be in Greek to me. I have no Facebook, Twitter, Flickr etc accounts and my only online presence in on STW. Many IT folk simply can’t imagine/understand that?

Yes i’m sure i could learn if i had the inclination but i don’t. I have however sold pretty much everything i’ve ever put on the classifieds without ever usings pics so it’s obviously not essential.

BUT, i do agree that if you know how to do it, it makes for a better ad and if i knew how to do it, i would.

Are those the jumps near Fairfield?

They’ve gotten a bit overgrown if they are.

Saw some BMX’ers there a year or two back and they owned it, i just watched in disbelief.

I watched series 1-4 of the Wire back to back on Sky last year but they then didn’t show series 5?

I’m too tight to buy it on DVD so does anybody know when (if) series 5 will be shown?

I’m also a fan of Breaking Bad and watched it from the start on FX. I have no idea why it isn’t shown in the UK as it’s excellent. Series 4 is about to come out on DVD (region 2) so i’ll be getting hold of that soon.

Also a big fan of Dexter although i was disappointed with the last series. Hopefully the next one will be a return to form.

Love my Fargo (the 1st generation rigid only version). Did a 47 mile ride today and it’s just sooo comfy. Big Apple 2.35 tyres make for an awesome ride. Salsa Bell Lap bars are great as well. No having to look out for potholes as it ploughs through anything in its way.

Headtubes a bit fugly to some on my XXL but i love it.

I found it next to useless when i tried it in a few tubes.

When i punctured it just pissed sealant everywhere which then made patching it impossible. Total waste of time (for me- other experiences may vary). FYI these were not big gashes, just your normal everyday thorn punctures.

In fact, it did seal the puncture one of the times, but only after i’d left it overnight and pumped it up again – so not exactly the speedy fix you’d be lokking for!

I still have around 4 of those little Stans Fluid bottles knocking around which i keep meaning to shift as i certainly won’t be using them again.

Really?

Thought it might just be a case of a dodgy bit of wiring or something. It might be a simple 5 minute fix for somebody with a bit of basic electrical knowledge?

Was it the one in RaceCo in Stourbridge?

Looks ok but i didn’t have a play with it.

I reckon it’s just playing dead waiting for you to remove the glass.

Your days are numbered………..

Superstar do a cheap wide bodied one i think. Or at least they used to as i have one somewhere.

Also had a DX one (except mine was a standard fitment, not the funny hole shape in your pic) which was fine but as stated is not wide based.

If you’re riding with Mick, remember to take lube.

And it’s not for your chain……….

We often ride on a Weds night at 7pm. There’s some great riding in there but you’ll need a guide to get the most out of it.

If it’s a daytime ride you’re after then MicArms off here is often available for guiding if his shift pattern allows…..

What size is that please? (I’m guessing 19″?) How tall are you?

I really like the look of these frames but they don’t seem to ever appear on ebay in XL (at least not when i look) and they’re not available frame only. I don’t want to buy the full bike version.

Have no need for one, i’d just like to build one up for a slightly posh pub/shop bike.

The nice new pimpy BB7’s from Eurobike? Ti and shiny.

I got one just last week (slightly cheaper in a bulk buy). I went for the folding version as it’s handier to throw in the car.

I have to say i prefer my normal stand as these only work with MTB cranks with the hole, no good on Shimano Road cranks as the non drive side hole is not big enough for the stand to fit into.

I only really bought mine as a portable stand that i can throw in the car without taking up too much room. For the £35 i paid i can’t grumble too much.

I self built my Fargo and much prefered that to buying off the peg (when you end up changing lots of bits anyway).

I had several bits lying around in the spares bin (wheels being the biggest item) but spent £780 including frame/forks/new BB7’s to complete the build. Everything was bought new except the seatpost (classifieds) so i could have done it cheaper if i’d wanted. My only downgrade as i see it was the cranks but there was no SLX touring version and i couldn’t see the benefit in the XT over the deore for the money. Plus the deore cranks are black which matched better than the silver XT.

Wasn’t there a Fargo for sale in the classifieds in the last week or so?

I think my 66cm Canyon road bike actually looks ok but i’d still be interested in having a go on that TooTall (obviously on a deserted road at night where nobody could see me…) seeing as we seem to have pretty much the same silly arms and legs.

The other 72cm bike in the link above is the only one i’ve seen that makes the ‘Purple Nasty’ look quite nice :-)

Ormondroyd – one day i’ll learn to use computers properly and i’ll be able to post up pics. Until then it remains a dark art to me no matter how easy people tell me it is to do.

I love my Fargo, it does everything you’d want it to and does it well.

Very comfy bike (especially with the Big Apple 2.35’s i run on it). Mines set up with 105 shifters running a 3×9 Deore touring chainset (48/36/26), Tiagra Front mech and XT rear mech and it works flawlessly.

BB7 for brakes which have been totally trouble free as well. Don’t use it much off road, it’s mostly a winter commuter although i did my first 100 miler on it last month and 65 miles of that was canals with some fairly nasty muddy sections and it didn’t miss a beat.

Missed the start but loving it. Takes me back to the 5 times i’ve seen them live (all in the 80’s and 90’s).

Thankfully the rest of the concert is on later after Eastenders picking up where it’s just finished. I just hope they finish with A Forest and i’ll go to bed a very happy boy.

But at ‘only’ 53, Mr Smith is looking a tad rough! Still think he’s cool though. Best band ever and soundtrack to my teens.

Not much help to you here seeing as mine is an XXl version but they’re great bikes. There is a sizing guide for the Fargo on the Salsa site as it’s a bit quirky sizing wise. It may be under the archive models bit as it was done at the time of the older model that i have (not the newer suspension corrected model).

If you search the forum you’ll probably find Chipps one which should give you a guide as he’s probably on a medium or large.

Another 6’7″ here – but with much longer legs than ‘giant’ above.

I have several 29ers, a 23″ Spesh Rockhopper, a 22″ Salsa Big Mama, a 20″L Kona Honzo (which is fine in the top tube but borderline in the seat tube for me) and a Salsa Fargo XXl (24″) which all fit me relatively well.

I seem to recall that i had an email from Spesh a while back saying they have a demo bike in every size which they can get to the local Concept Store for a try before you buy. Failing that, he’ll struggle to get a test in most shops as they don’t carry such big bikes in stock (Evans may be an exception here given their size). Depending on where he’s located, he’ll have more luck asking for people on here to let him throw a leg over their bikes.

Also, although there are some who say that 26ers are ok for people of our height, i found the 29er route a far better fit for my frame than any old 26″ bike i’d owned.

I use the Decathlon kit which has all the brushes you’ll need. Think it was about £8 although that was a while back.

Only useful if you have a store near you though i guess?

Aren’t the Easton ones (2011) half price on CRC at the moment?

I’ve just had one built for me (the cost to erect it was only around £20 so was daft not to really).

I had mine tailored to my specifications for an extra 10% of the base model cost which was well worth it. Being a ‘tad’ taller than average i’ve now got a Pent roofed shed that i can stand up in properly and i’d recommend the long shelf i had put in along 2 sides for only £15.

I erected my last shed (from a kit) which slowly went lopsided over the course of a few years. The new one seems a far better quality for not a lot more (around £450 all in for 8ftx6ft).

I know my dad uses one and has been very happy with it. I believe it all hooks up into the helmet using Blutooth and he’s used it in both the US and Europe. It wasn’t cheap as far as i recall (lots more than a car one) but i guess you get what you pay for?

I know he’s planned routes and uploaded them to it but he uses a PC – as a technophobe i have no ideas it that would differ for a Mac.

Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever, ace album. Found it in my car after i got bored of adverts on the radio

Ridgeback do a nice 20″ bike, was looking at one in my LBS the other day.

My mate bought a Carrera Blast off ebay last week and brought it round for a once over before giving it to his son. I did put it on the scales and it was a shade under 25lbs which i thought was ok.

Seems strong as i had a little ride around the drive on it (i’m 6’7″) and it was fine. I could even lock up the rear brake with my weight.

I’ve got one of the Topeak drycases and the few times i’ve used it it’s been fine.

For some stupid reason though they fit the back with a hinged belt clamp (does anybody still wear their phone on their belt!!??) which rattles constantly on anything but the smoothest of surfaces. I popped a bit of foam in the clamp though and that kept it quiet.

I have mine on the stem which i think would keep it fairly safe in anything but a massive off.

In my experience the Police won’t do a damn thing about pellets falling outside your property.

When i called the police out when the nice local Pikeys were shooting an air rifle out of their garden (straight through a bush so that the pellets were hitting my house as i was in the garage with the door up) they turned up, wandered around a bit to give the scrotes time to put all the evidence away, went and had a word with them and then came and told me that ‘if they do it again we’ve told them we might conviscate their gun’. I was less than impressed.

Luckily their gun was rubbish as i had a perfect pellet imprint on one of my windows but it obviously wasn’t powerful enough to break it.
Next time i won’t call the Police but will return fire with my two old Weirauchs (Made in West Germany!) which are both at the legal limit acording to my neighbour who had them both tested recently. Not bad after being in a wardrobe unused for the last 7+ years.

I’m guessing the police wouldn’t afford me the same privilege as the pikeys though.

Oh, and just tempt the pigeons down to the ground and get rid of them. If you’re anywhere near Brum you’re welcome to borrow my air rifles.

Any ideas on sizes?

I have a feeling the biggest will be 20″ (16/18/20?) but it doesn’t mention it on the 18 bikes news page.

20″ would be too small for me :-(