Trimble?

I rode the Sarn Helen Roman road route from Conway to the tip of Gower Peninsula, some pretty hardcore riding (and walking) on the way, took 8 days. I used a Vaude 20L rucksack for light stuff and seatpost mounted rack with 15L bag (can't remember the make, think it was Avenir bag, Topeak rack). Good for wheelies. Even in that period of time I wore through the retaining straps from the bag being jostled about on rocky muddy gritty tracks, soon fixed with some bungees obtained on route. This combination worked pretty well for me and I'd recommend it if you're going to do proper technical riding. Big panniers just don't cut it.

An Americano is espresso with hot water, 'black coffee' is usually normal filter coffee – they are different! 🙂

Clubber – pretty sure he won the world championships in 1994 on a Proflex – but thanks for trying 😉

http://www.cyclingwebsite.net/ploegfiche.php?id=9205

I had the 853 model (not to be confused with Reynolds tubing) in 1993. That had a steel swingarm. Then I had the 854 with an aluminium swingarm, both with elastomer rear shock and vector forks…. same as Djernis won the world champs on!

Isn't it an old Proflex? – they did have a carbon swingarm (some did anyway). Carbon your arse indeed! 😉

I’ve been offered a few jobs in London recently. I weighed up what really mattered to me – and living in the hills really does keep me sane. You can’t beat the solitude and the scenery that the Dales or the Peak offer mid week or in the evening. Plus, we do have jobs and shops and things up north! I’m staying! I personally would be happy to never visit london ever again, but I can see that some people like the faster pace of life, each to their own.

Obviously it has to be a Superfuzz.

Back in the day Sepultura used an ‘Evenbiggermuffer’!

Never really bothered with intervals, just lots of miles and some quick rides. As a junior I won loads of races and did well enough as a senior. Anyway, ten years passed and I just started doing intervals on top of normal riding and commuting. After 5 sessions or so (on the turbo), the difference in my riding is vast, being able to sustain high power outputs really helps on short technical climbs, and I don’t seem to suffer as much on longer rides. I can’t believe I dismissed intervals for so long. It’s also so unbearably hard that there’s no time to get bored even on a turbo! 😀

I was stood in the same place with a pram and a baby being fed. When I saw the riders going down we jumped back with the baby I can tell you! Sounded like a car crash when they hit the barriers! What got me was the smell of burning rubber.. surprised there were no more serious injuries to be honest.

I do 12 miles each way every day, a quarter or nearly all off-road depending on how I feel. XC mtb with 2.3s, with a 30l Karrimor rucksack. Been commuting this way for pretty much 15 years. You could do it on a butchers bike wearing a top hat and flip flops (don’t let CinammonGirl see you), it’s only 10 miles 😉 Suck it and see!

Similar here Joemarshall, but we can’t use the university name, and I don’t know about office space etc. My line manager etc all agree it’s ok. I’m trying to speak to people who do lots of consultancy – but oddly enough they’re all busy! I think we’re entiltled to do up to 30 days consultancy.

Yes all good points. I guess it’s a grey area. The company approached me directly, I won’t need to use lab facilities or anything – but I hadn’t considered the library and journal subscriptions etc, good point. It’s all good and will result in extra publications, perhaps some future studentships with the company, and establishing new contacts. I just think the fee seems excessive (£2500 for the University consultancy team, £7500 for the Departmental costs). I don’t want to seem greedy, but I’d like to own a house one day!

I was on Countryfile last year! Explaining the geology of Wharfedale and the Craven Fault, on top of the Cow and Calf rocks in Ilkley to the man himself, John Craven, or John, as I now call him. I was rubbish and I dread the day when it’s repeated! 😳

29-42 here, same problem. Every now and then when dropping from top to middle, the chain will snag and drag itself round, only way to remedy it is to backpedal and try again, but usually end up stopping and sorting it.

Pulp Fiction

Judgement Night – a genius soundtrack of collaborations between hip-hop & rock/metal acts. Check it out!:

1. “Just Another Victim” Helmet and House of Pain 4:23
2. “Fallin'” Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul 4:28
3. “Me, Myself, & My Microphone” Living Colour and Run DMC 3:10
4. “Judgment Night” Biohazard and Onyx 4:35
5. “Disorder” (Medley of 3 Exploited songs: “War”, “UK ’82”, and “Disorder”) Slayer and Ice-T 4:58
6. “Another Body Murdered” Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. 4:24
7. “I Love You Mary Jane” Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill 3:52
8. “Freak Momma” Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot 4:00
9. “Missing Link” Dinosaur Jr and Del tha Funkee Homosapien 3:59
10. “Come and Die” Therapy? and Fatal 4:27
11. “Real Thing” Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill 3:33

Repo Man (‘specially the Black Flag bit)

Withnail and I (‘specially King Curtis’ version of A Whiters Shade of Pale)

On the contrary, I have a 1 month old baby girl. I commute to work (10 miles each way) and have without fail taken an offroad diversion everyday in both directions! I can’t get enough of it me. Admittedly I’ve only managed 3-4 hours at the weekend, but that’s ok cos I’m knackered from the weeks ‘commuting’. 😀

When I said Didsbury was good for crime I meant it had a lot of it!

Didn’t it have one of the highest crime rates in the UK for a while (or just car crime and violent crime). I remember something like that. I used to work at Neil Walton Cycles for anyone that remembers that place.

And I’ll defend Glossop – a bit rough around the edges but a great riding location again! Quite quick to Buxton in a car too.

I grew up in Cheadle Hulme and Cheadle, both ok but to be honest they are about as boring a place to live as you can imagine. Suburbia. On the plus side it’s not far to decent riding and the BMX track.

I’d avoid Chorlton. I used to live there and had the pleasure of 2 muggings, 3 house break-ins and having to leave the car unlocked for its daily search by the local scumbags (no that’s not a joke).

I also lived in West Didsbury which is good for both pubs and crime.

I’d go with what most are saying – New Mills, Marple, Whaley, Chapel, Hayfield etc. My parents live in Birch Vale between New Mills and Hayfield – can’t beat it for local riding and rail links. I’ve got friends in Chinley and Chapel (which are ok and great for riding) and Buxton (let’s just say your wife will have enough custom).

Farmer John

Gringo

I’ve got a brown helmet

hehehehe

Right, the OH has just started riding

I’d leave her to it for six months at least – then she can make an informed decision. Is she allowed to make her own decisions?;-)

Just get in the shower fully clothed. Then sit by a warm radiator and you’ll be ready to go again in a few hours.

OK – I’ve been out-geeked 😉

Back in the day Pace made completely different and innovative products, including their RC100 frame – at a time when everyone else was riding things like Dave Yates Diabolo frames – with which this latest offering shares many similarities! Reverse evolution? What’s next, bullmoose bars and rollercam brakes?

Anyone else remember the old Mountainbike Action test of a Fat Chance vs an RC100? “from the town of Yorkshire, England…”

The only negative from my point of view is the under the top tube cable routing. A bit crap for the old carrying business (some of us still ride in the hills!)

Anyone wanna buy an Indy Fab?

To be honest you could glue a set of gas pipes together and paint it sky blue – that’d be enough for me to wet my pants, or worse.

Indy Fab is a modern classic. It’s a simple but elegant hardtail that harks back to the classic Yo Eddy, which at the time was out of my reach. Pure class.

Take Spooky Metalhead off the list – some of the worst built frames I ever saw – and I had two! Swapped for a Pitboss which might have been one of the earliest ‘burly’ cross country hardtails around – and potentially a classic (although still dogged by sloppy welding amd stickers that fell off in a week…)

I don’t know what the point is Will. Stops my toe sticking out I guess, whilst the retaining the attractive mesh look. What about Sidis? I used to use Dominators – not sure what the equivalent is now but they seemed to last for ages.

I thought it was just me and my freak feet. My last 3 pairs have done that. You need some duck tape on the inside, that’s my advice. That and do some bloody work.

I agree PP, I always thought ST was a god awful creation, and that HTII was the answer to all my bottom bracket related problems. But it’s not been good to me. I have no idea how you got that many miles out of yours bristolbiker. For the record my frame is faced and the bbs have been installed correctly! I think I just ride in crappy conditions too much.

I’ve got two:

1: Park allen keys from 1991, the mini-tool thingy. The keys themselves have been replaced but the alloy housing is the same. My mum and dad bought it me and somehow I haven’t lost them. They mean a lot to me…

2: Campagnolo corkscrew. Quality engineering for a quality job. Bought as a present for getting my phd -the sort of thing I always wanted but never would have bought myself.

3 (ok I know): Park mini chain brute. A beast of a tool!

Hope are not as long lasting as CK full stop. The newer Hopes are allegedly better than the original ones which were a bit hit or miss. That said I had exactly this decision to make last week, but there were no black CKs in stock, so I got a Hope and got on with my life!

I’m not sure frame prep is the big deal it’s meant to be – when you’re spacing the thing out with a load of plastic washers anyway!

how is everyone judging when they’ve worn out?

I would class that as when the cartridges have play in them allowing the cranks to rock back and forth, and creak/make grinding noises when riding.

I do admit that the ST system is pretty crude and even unelegnat – but at least it works and lasts.

ST isn’t perfect no. I broke an axle doing a drop off once, resulting in a nasty cut in my leg where the axle dug in. My original Middleburns also split along their length! Most of the problems people have with ST are caused by bad fitting though. But in nearly 20 years of riding and racing, I’ve never had the longevity issues of HTII with ST. You did well to get a year Topangarider, did you ride it? 😉 I’m sure it is stiffer but what difference does that make in the real world? Bugger all I’d say.

you’ll need an adaptor: either a new half-caliper, or a simple aluminium adaptor and a biger disc (e.g., 180 to 200 mm). I did the later as it was quicker than oredering a caliper half (but that should be relatively quick from Hope)

Could be good – the wide q-factor of HTII was also a problem with my heels-in gimpy riding style…. Problem laregly alleviated with the return to ST, but BB30 could solve all!

Is that an old frame that’s been modified? Just got that impression from the short p2s.. I’ve got an old frame I plan to do the same to…

Perhaps the most obvious point of the OP’s post is that it’s a bit like City of God. Which proves he hasn’t watched at least one of those films!