do they not trap annoying,fallen leaves more?

Nah. I’ve got an older RS Reba with very little clearance between the fork brace/tyre but the fender bender fits better than the neoguard and doesn’t get clogged up at all. Very good product.

MTFU :wink:

Ditto, it’s paid for itself many times over in saved trips to the nearest parcelfarce depot approx 10 light years from our house.

These were the biggest I could find at the time…

http://www.screwfix.com/p/victorian-letter-plate-polished-chrome-306-x-97mm/92286#

http://www.screwfix.com/p/vp3l51nltgdeccsthzocfga/43303?ts=96722

The best gloves I’ve ever had were my motorbike gloves (Hein Gericke Touring Classic sheltex). Faultless, warm, comfy and dry in all weathers and the lining never pulled out the fingers plus I used them for snowboarding and my hand were still warm even when the fingers of the gloves were encased in ice…shame I haven’t got them anymore :|

I’ve just ordered so £15 Tenn Outdoors gloves, they’ll probably be rubbish but at least I won’t have paid double of more for them.

Apparently the correct crank length can be calculated as per below

“One writer in a major magazine article quite a few years ago claimed that after considerable testing with many different riders, 18.5% of the distance from the top of the femur to the floor in bare feet should be the crank length. You can find the top of the femur pretty easily. It’s 5″ to 6″ below your hip bone, and moves rearward when you raise your knee.”

Another one for the Met Office app, their forecasts are the only I look at unless I’m trying to find one that isn’t biblical to convince other people to come out to play.

Picasa. All eveyone else has said plus it’s got unlimited bandwidth and can embed 1600 pixel width images on websites.

http://www.oneplanetadventure.com/webcam.html?iframe=true&width=400&height=275

Looks good to me! There will be ice in places but nothing to worry about if you’re aware of it.

I ordered my first tyre from them recently and it arrived the next day :ronseal:

Also they’ve got 10% off orders over £50 this month using code NEXTDAY29

I did the Marin Trail yesterday and there are indeed a few sections closed although I think it only reduces the route by approx 2km. It was icy in patches but nothing too bad, it was raining quite a bit too rather than snowing so should be good conditions again today as shown below. Really great ride so will definitely be going back again in the not too distant.

cheers guys – the ones from b&q listed above how on earth will i get a 5mm hex to go on that? or is it not possible? guessing some form of adaptor maybe/

I’ve got the below socket set and use the bit to 1/4″ adaptor that’s on the left hand side of the box under the spark plug socket.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_176237_langId_-1_categoryId_255215

I’m not really adding anything to this discussion but I knackered the cup and cone bearings in my rear Formula hub through lack of maintenance and probably though over enthusiastic cleaning even though a pressure washer wasn’t used. I know this was my fault, even though the hubs were low quality, but when I replaced it I decided to get a cartridge bearing hub so that it wouldn’t be difficult to replace them in case I was stupid enough not to look after C&C bearings again.

I know C&C are better if they are good quality and welmaintaineded but I personally prefer cartridge bearings so they can be easily replaced if/when I don’t look after them.

I’ve got this one

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=32396

I’m an Aero engineer so I’m pretty fussy about my tools – this is absolutly spot on and an absolute steal. Just for fun I checked the accuracy on the cal bench at work and it’s pretty accurate. Within 0.2nm

Doesn’t come with any bits, but I guess you have them already.

Looks very similar to the one I got from B&Q for £25 although mine is 1/4 inch. If it is the same then good to know it’s accurate

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/motoring-workshop-tools/workshop-tools/handtools/-specificproducttype-ratchet___wrenches/Torq-1-4Inch-Torque-Wrench-11377946

They do also do the 3/8 inch

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/motoring-workshop-tools/workshop-tools/handtools/-specificproducttype-ratchet___wrenches/Torq-3-8Inch-Torque-Wrench-11377945

I’ve recently changed to Strava from Endomondo (iPhone) and agree it is awesome although I still export the GPX file back to the Endomondo website as I like parts of it. Personally I wouldn’t attach a fragile expensive phone to my bars regardless of the mount for fear of it being damaged so I turn the wifi off and lock the screen to save power and it goes in my pack to track rides. Obviously this isn’t much use for navigation but if I got lost I could still pull it out the pack to see where I am on its map.

Nice one, that’s what I wanted to hear. It really has been a very long time since I was there so I can barely remember it. Fire road climbs are boring but TBH they don’t bother me too much as I’d rather just get to the top as quick as possible than take the scenic route, as long as the down bits are fun it’s all good :D

Enjoy Coed y Brenin, tis good.

I’m doing The Marin Trail at Betws y Coed tomorrow, I know there are some who say it’s boring but it’s been a long time since I’ve been there so I’m looking forward to it even if it will be cold/snowing/raining/windy. There’s also Penmachno at Betws y Coed.

Unless you get a very early start I’d avoid Coed Llandegla at the weekend as it’ll be busy but it is good fun especially with the new trails.

I’m slightly late to the party but I’d recommend Enduro Seals for £22 (http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id48.html) and a new set of O-rings for £8.75 from evilhomersimpson on ebay.

Here’s a thread discussing Enduro Seals for some “light” reading (http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/enduro-fork-seals-582186.html)

Also what suspension fluid are you using? I’ve just done my Reba’s and used Red Line LightWeight Suspension Fluid (http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-60183-red-line-lightweight-suspension-fluid.aspx) in the damper and fully synthetic 10W40 engine oil in the lowers which has made a massive improvement to how smooth they are. Some threads discussing different oils if you think about trying it (http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/mobil-1-5w-30-correct-715257.html & http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/better-clinging-oil-than-foxs-red-green-oil-701950.html & http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/fox-green-10wt-looking-substitute-675922.html)

RSP Astrum. 2 X 1/2 watt LEDS so bright as fudge and no water ingress after many wet rides.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Are+Tektro+Auriga+pads+the+same+as+shimano+deore%3F

lol ;)

Yes, you want the S2 type from SSC. :-)

The oil in the lowers and the air spring is just for lubrication not damping so you don’t have to use suspension fluid. There is a very good argument that using synthetic engine oil is better because it is slippier and adheres to the metal parts better. It’s not going to harm anything in the fork and won’t swell the seals.

If you want further proof that engine oil is fine have a look on the Enduro Seals website, they recommend it on many of their sea installation guides (eg http://www.enduroforkseals.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/36_talas_rc2_1.pdf)

Always always stand up, what the below video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoNOvtwxpxo

The piss poor effort I made of bleeding the brakes before I read the instructions properly and watch the video was laughable. Following the instruction does seem to have worked but I’ll keep my powder dry on the celebrations until it’s been a few weeks and any air in the system finds its way into the lines. I must admit bleeding my old motorbike brakes used to be a pain but nowhere near as messy and hard work as the Avid’s.

I’ve bled the back brake tonight with no problems at all with the same non-avid kit so I must have been doing something wrong with the front one yesterday. End result is both levers are now firm so I’m happy with that. I might still get the proper Avid kit when I get round to shortening the lines. There’s no denying it’s a fiddly process but I can see the sense in it to get as much air out as possible but perhaps a different master cylinder and calliper design would make a normal bleed possible.

Ah, I see…in that case you’re a bit knackered! I’d try contacting Hope to see if they’ve got any ideas as they must have come across this problem before.

Ignore what the current adaptor is fitted to your brakes, pretty much all brakes are post mount with an adpator to fit various disc sizes and frame mounts. If your brake is post mount, your forks are post mount and you have a 203mm disc then you need “Type 8 – PM-PM F203” from Superstar Components for a fiver.

Linky here > http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=57&products_id=359

I’ve got Elixir R’s and have found them to be great but have had bleed issues recently after attempting to shorten the hoses. As it turns out I need to order threaded hose barbs to shorten them as the current ones don’t appear to be removable but that’s a separate issue. I’ve been using a borrowed non-Avid bleed kit[/url] and following this guide and video on how to bleed them but I really struggled to do it properly due to air and fluid leaking at the syringe tube fittings. I think I’ve got the front brake bled properly and will be having another go with the back brake tonight, I’ve warned the missus in advance about the cursing!

To get to the point my question is does anyone have experience of both the cheap copy bleed kits and the proper Avid bleed kits and is it worth spending the extra on the proper one? As I need to buy barbs anyway it would effectively only cost an extra £10 to get the proper kit.

Also anyone got any tips for bleeding that isn’t covered in the guide I linked? I’m fairly competent at spannering and have rebuilt a few motorbikes but they have different brake systems.

I’ve got a Camelbak Mule NV, it fits enough in and is plenty comfy. TBH just get whichever is cheapest of the usual recommendations as they all do more or less the same job.

You’d be better getting a 2S2P 4×18650 cell holder and swapping the plug to it

Eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180771584723?redirect=mobile

Fox Altitude baggies with the separate Evo liner that comes with them. Very light and very comfy, no signs of wear after a year of riding but will need a smaller size soon and will definitely get them again.

It looks like the Novatec freehub ratchet ring tools are 24 tooth and the DT Swiss ones are 26 tooth so you’ll need to make your own, take it to a LBS or sent it back to Superstar!

I think they are Novatec B881SB / D882SB hubs. I haven’t got them myself but may be soon so can’t confirm the links below are the right ones but have a look.

http://www.novatec.com.tw/novatec/english/p_show.php?sid=280

http://issuu.com/novatecwheels/docs

Also it looks like one of the bearing is behind the freehub engagement ring so you’ll also need a freehub ring nut removal tool, if it’s the same as the DT ones then it’ll be £50!!

http://www.fawkes-cycles.co.uk/3496/products/DT-Swiss-Ring-Nut-Inst-240s-FR.aspx?utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=PriceComp&utm_term=Froogle&utm_content=None&utm_campaign=PriceComp1

The FAG ones I linked are the same quality but are £7.95 inc VAT instead of £12.26 ex VAT

Linked again in case you missed it http://www.akbearings.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=0&P_ID=1002&strPageHistory=search&numSearchStartRecord=1

Ouch! That’s a rip of for one lump of metal!

If they are 6902 size bearings then FAG or SKF are meant to be the best

http://www.akbearings.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=0&P_ID=1002&strPageHistory=search&numSearchStartRecord=1

You might need to get a LBS to fit them who has a bearing puller

When I get my next bike I’ll be getting an Almax chain. Not cheap but the videos on their website are quite convincing!

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/

This is what I have most of the time, tasty and easy to eat.

The gear cables won’t rust, keep the parts that run in the outer cables lubed and they’ll be fine. No need to replace anything until it wears out. It’s a decent bike and will do you well, have fun with it.

Don’t you just unscrew the spigot with a torx tool?

http://www.sram.com/sites/default/files/techdocs/95-5015-029-000_hydraulic_disc_brake_bleed_and_hose_length_adjustment_rev_a.pdf

Teach me about 18560 batteries please

If I happened to have a spare DX front light kicking about how would I go about converting this to a rear light? Could I ask a helpful maker of great lights to change the white led to a red one for example? Or would red acetate over the lens work?

What diameter is the lens on it? DX sell replacement colour lenses.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/30mm-replacement-color-glass-lens-for-flashlights-2-pack-25228

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/26-8mm-replacement-glass-lens-for-flashlights-10-pack-25229

lights are good, but a bright red light in the dark is basically camouflage. So don’t forget the retro-reflectives, and the dorky ankle-straps…

I wear a hi-vis waistcoat thing from work, it’s not cool or trendy but it’s dark anyway so no one can see my face ;)