Assuming that you do not already own one, hire a car for a few days. You can all get in it. Go out and about if you want to visit stuff. You're not limited to timetables.

What is 'moderately fast' in your eyes might be 'too fast' in his eyes. Suck up the moan and move on. You'll never win that sort of argument. You'll simply reinforce the chaps low opinion of mtb'ers. Life is too short.

The upside being that we'll not be hit by the usual late season stock being dumped on the market cheap, forcing us to reduce prices on the bikes we paid for earlier in the year.

National average is more than I get so be thankful for your position within the national earnings bell curve. If you had to buy one every month I'd agree with your argument but C.bak bladders last forever if looked after.

Heck, it's only £30. That doesn't even buy a decent tyre these days and they last for rather less time. My 3l. bladder has just been replaced after some 6 or 7 years of use and I reckon that is pretty fair value for a product.

I have Bonty Race Lite carbon risers and use the Ergon GX1 grips with no ill effects that I am aware of.

Out of mild curiosity, what rack are you using?

Because change is bad and anything new is scary and rubbish.

I have the tubed, sticky version of the 2.3 Rampage and rate them very highly, even if they are a bit heavy for my taste. I have had no issues running mine at 35psi with tubes in go if you are afraid of burping you could go this route and avoid the faff of sealant and all that hocum.

I really rate the BB7s. Had one on my old fixie and now have a pair on the gf’s bike. Maintenance is nil and they have plenty of power. If you are spanner-phobic they are perfect. However you can get decent hydros for not a lot more cash if you do not mind a bit more fettling.

What is probably more annoying than horns is the TV schedule being taken over again by out of season football competitions that nobody gives a hoot (see what I did there?) about. Let’s just have 2 months where football drifts out of our lives, please.

Bad times. I hope you can both keep it on the right side of the line and avoid any more hurt than there needs to be.

My ex and I wrote a letter outlining how we were going to progress our lives and how we were going to divide up our possessions. We printed and signed 4 copies and each kept one and gave the other two to our respective parents by way of a ‘just in case’. We then went our separate ways, sold up and after the required time (2 years?) she went to the local courts to pick up the paperwork, citing irreconcilable differences and period of separation and a few months later the decree absolute was issued. It can be as easy as that.

If you are going to be riding the road bike in any serious fashion get the proper shoes and pedals. The engagement is so much more solid that it makes smooth pedalling easier with less of the slop you get in mtb pedal systems.

We just got rid of our 98 V40. Good car but the boot was a funny shape and not so great to load. 120k service was going to cost more than the car was worth. Had that not been the case we’d still have it. For my money, given your choices, I’d get the Ford. Newer, reliable, good drive, inexpensive servicing. I know they are everywhere but good things tend to be popular.

Nice products both but as AdamM points out they are independently adjusted I cannot imagine the bearing life being that great, especially considering the extra load of SS pedalling. I’ve though about getting one often but always end up going back to a Surly Singlator as a cheaper option that does not require fettling or replacing my cranks.

I put/keep bikes on the road. And I cycle to work. Sustainable Transport Expert to some, bike shop bloke to most.

We were actually held up by a couple of bikers heading away from MPS south of Oxford at a truly casual pace. So not all bone heads. However my parents are rangers in the Northumberland National Park and they have loads of issues with trail (motor)bikers riding over the Cheviots where they should not be. Cack handed weekend warriors giving it too much loud to try to spin their way out of the gloopy bits seemed to be the main objection.

Here you go – http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/your-meps/your-meps

Non-event, maybe, but voting gives you the right to moan ;)

Crickey, after two years of getting progressively more and more wound up by some of the folk on this site I binned my user ID and stopped looking at the forum. 18 months later and news reaches me that the STW forum has largely lost the eejits, however I appear to have been grievously misinformed. Sharki is right. Scruff, the economic climate is what is slowing the sale of your house, not some guano. Live and let live for crying out loud, life is too short.

Can I come play, please?

Tinker didn’t have an op. in the end, just lots of rest. It will be her first time back on the bike this weekend.