Seriously, where is everyone? The suns out and the trails are running realllllly quick and loose!

I was out there this morning from around 9-11 and it was stupidly busy on the blue. Red was OK though.

Saying that I was there on Wednesday evening and it was probably as busy then which was a surprise.

I will be a maybe as well, depends if my wife’s flight get delay as I have to pick her up early in the morning.

Orange fanboy expressing my thoughts :D :

My first orange bike was a EV06 which felt “special”, I thought I was just lucky, there will be better frames out there and sold it. I then had a GT I-drive, a Cotic Soul, a Carbon 456 and eventually an Orange 5. It couldn’t be just luck that both the Orange 5 and the EV06 gave me that special feeling. I mean all the other bikes have their good points but none of them gave me that special feeling.

It’s not something that make the bike easier to ride, they just for some reason push me to go faster and jump more. I found both the Soul and the I-Drive easier to ride but both boring compared to the Orange.

Saying that, I don’t think I can ever justify the price of the frames new. The frames are good but not £1500/£350 good. Both mine are second hand. I would want to Demo and see why orange went for the 650B though.

I bought my Thule proride 591 from a Ford dealer. I think Thule has a deal with Ford and they are much cheaper than elsewhere. I remember I got mine for about £50 from Jennings Ford but just checked they went up to £60 now, still cheaper than elsewhere.

Found another example:

http://www.fordonlineparts.co.uk/product/2x_Thule_591_Proride_Cycle_Carrier_-_1698518_591X2

£119 for 2 + £6.95 delivery.

Or just walk in your local Jennings Ford and save the delivery cost.

Thanks! Been looking for a jacket like that. Reserved a large in the Reading Oxford Road branch and got it just before they shut. Had a browse around and they have a medium there on display in case anyone wants one tomorrow.

5th Elefant, DSLR have much bigger sensors and therefore have better image quality.

However, the digital 4/3 have similar sensors and are a lot more compact. The adjustment are a bit more difficult to use but the image quality are comparable.

In my case, I use a semi-pro (Canon 40D) DSLR all the time because I just like to set everything manually quickly which a semi-pro allow you to do quite well with all the well placed buttons. The wider selection of lenses also allow more flexibility.

My wife uses a digital 4/3 (Panasonic GF3) as she likes a more compact camera and like the camera to do most of the work for her while not sacrificing the image quality too much.

Having thought about this, I understand the rings with eventually start dropping chains when they wear. The question is how I would know when that point is. I don’t mind having to replace it every so often, the worry is not knowing when and finding it out on the trail with a dropped chain. I had a big crash because of a dropped chain so probably going to stick with a top guide and normal ring unless I get a clear answer for this.

Gumtree is the place to go for cheap cars. I just picked up a J Reg MR2 with 7 months MOT for £330.

It needs a few things done to it but it would probably drive OK till the MOT run out if I leave it as is.

That nanoflate looks good to me. Does a 16g tube fill a MTB tyre or do I need a 25g? Do you still carry a mini pump?

Well, I certainly notice the difference between 170 and 175mm.

When I built my first mountain bike, I calculated my optimal crank length would be 170mm base on my height a leg length. I bought 170mm cranks for it. For some reason, I kept getting cramps in my calf, thought nothing of it, take loads of electrolyte before riding and not thought about it after that.

Years later, I came across some cheap 175mm crank on the classifield and fitted that instead, notice it was a bit easier to go up hill but that was about it. Some time after that, I stopped taking electrolyte before riding because I ran out. Didn’t get cramp so stop taking them. I thought it must be fitness related back then.

I recently bought a new bike (new to me) that came with 170mm crank. Went out for a ride, cramp in the calf straight away.

Long story short, 170mm cranks give me cramp in the calf, 175 don’t. It’s probably just me though.

I bought it from a shop Hong Kong when I was out there in January so there is no chance claiming warranty with them. I am expecting to pay the French distributor to have it repaired, but they said they couldn’t fix 27.2mm ones currently. Let hope we get a UK distributor soon and I can get them to fix it.

The problem with my cable is that it snapped on the “top” end. It has disappeared into the post and there is no way of getting it back out from the top without stripping it.

To strip the post, the bottom cable thingy is meant to unscrew from the air rod. Problem is I did not realise the air rod was slipping when I was trying to do it and it ended up unthreading from the piston end and flying across the room.

Problem is I still could not take the bottom cable thingy off even with the air rod unthreaded from the piston. So maybe it’s never meant to have been taken apart. I could be wrong though.

Saying that, while it worked, the HiLo still operated better (i.e. faster return speed). The only advantage I could see with the KS is with the cable routing and the weight.

This is what happened to mine, look towards the end of the thread.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ks-lev-in-272mm-diameter-are-they-actually-available-anywhere

I also tried getting it repaired, contacted ks USA who directed me to a French distributor and they said they can’t fix 27.2mm posts currently. I now have a very expensive paper weight sitting around.

Hope you have better luck with yours.

Try p4d as well with City Link, they are pretty good with prices I found.

In my experience, it is good practice for the nutrunners to undo the bolts by 1/4 of a turn after the run down before doing the final torque. The “scatter” hugely decrease after the first tightening as the variation in the surface finish is usually smoothed to a fairly consistent level after the first tightening.

A bit off topic but using yield bolts usually achieve very consistent clamping force in my experience. As long as you get to yield point, the clamping load becomes consistent and is what we use for the most critical situations.

It is a pain to stop people reusing those bolts though.

Also, testing can be done fairly cheaply if you get hold of a ultrasonic bolt meter (~£10K for the meter and couple of quid for each bolt). Still need to confirm the results with strain gauges though as it’s not as consistent. It gives a pretty good idea of where you are though.

Now I might not have ever had a job where I had to get the right tension in threaded fasteners, however I am aware of the normal procedures used in industry (by those who actually know what they’re doing). You appear to suggest that a dry thread is better than a lubricated one, when it is common knowledge that lubrication reduces the torque-tension scatter you get with dry threads because of the large variation in the friction. The correct quoted torque value should always be for a lubricated thread as that gives far better repeatability of tension – if necessary that torque value should be lower than for a theoretical dry thread to account for the decreased friction.

What’s more you then compound that by suggesting ensuring there is no oil on the thread without detailing how you do that. The typical wipe of an oily thread with a cloth/rag leaves a thin film of oil which provides much the same lubricating effect under high torque/tension as a well oiled thread.

Most critical bolts are of course tightened wet. Thread oiled, dried between washer and seating face and wet again between washer on bolt head. Standard procedure.

Don’t forget we are talking about bolts going onto bicycles here which will be designed to be tightened dry. The torque specified by the manufacturer will be dry torque as well. I will be surprised if you haven’t cause damage on your bike if you lube the threads/seating face and do them up to the specific torque!

The torque value for wet/dry thread is very different. Doing a wet joint up to dry torque will most likely cause damage.

For me, clean = oil free, perhaps I should have made that a bit clearer? I suggest copper slip anyway.

No one seem to take my comments seriously, I use to be an engineer specialised in threaded fasteners. (now middle management with a Orange 5 of course) I have a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering and spent 4 years working out torques on critical bolts on engines. :lol:

Back on topic:

For general bike maintenance, you should take notice of the following:

Thread lock is only useful if you haven’t torque your bolts up properly.

Remember, it’s clamping force that keeps your parts together, torque does not equal to clamping force

If you are experienced, a calibrated elbow is usually better than a torque wrench as torques are very low on bikes and you can very easily miss the click and end up damaging your components.

Always clean the thread before doing it back up. Ensure there is no thin oil on the thread and tighten to the specified torque. If the thread is dirty, even if it reach the specified torque, the clamping force will be low and it might come loose. If the thread is oily, it will be over tightened and damage your components.

A trick is to use copper slip. It’s been experimentally proven that copper slip will return the thread friction coefficient very close to fresh threads. This is where the joint is designed to achieve the correct clamping force after tightening to the correct torque.

Thanks for reading.

Superglue will be fine temporarily but it deteriorates when it comes in contact with water.

However, as said above, no threadlock is fine. If the correct torque is applied and thread condition is ok so that it achieve designed bolt tension, it will never come loose.

I have a X2 and think it is great as well. Battery still on 80% after an hours ride on “boost” which was surprising to me.

However, I have that mounted on the helmet and not bother with an X1.

What lenses do you have with the X2, I have 1 flood and 1 spot on mine and found the spot to be more than bright enough for my needs.

You’ve now tempted me to get an X1 as well and have the X2 bar mounted with 2 flood lenses. Even when I think the X2 on its own is good enough.

Yup, it’s the cable internal to the seatpost that’s snapped. It’s a unique Kevlar cable that needs to be ordered from KS if broken.

I think the main design problem there is because it is clamped by a grub screw. I don’t think clamping a Kevlar cable is a great idea as it’s probably sheared quite a bit just by clamping. I think it will be much stronger if it’s threaded through a hole and simply tie a knot at the end.

I regretted selling mine and getting the LEV, my LEV broke in 2 months but my Hilo has been reliable for over a year.

Just ordered one from Wiggle as well though. Hopefully arrive on Monday.

Well, I have been using my 27.2 KS Lev and the inner cable has snapped (This is a common problem with Lev I believe)

I tried replacing the inner cable but it does not seem to come apart the same way as the bigger diameter version. I ended up unthreading the “air rod” from the piston by mistake. It has now lost all pressure and still doesn’t come apart for cable replacement.

I have contacted KS to get it repaired (probably at my own cost) and ordered a new Hilo (shouldn’t have sold it in the first place!)

The KS will be up for sale when it comes back from repair. (probably for quite a low price) That inner cable is a design weak point for the post. It’s not so much of a problem for the bigger diameter ones as it’s easily replaceable. However, seeing that you probably have to send it back every time the inner cable snap on the 27.2, I think the simpler Hilo is a better option.

It is indeed great. I first went there about 4 years ago and thought it was average. I went for a quick visit after work on Friday and the improvement from when I first went there is immense.

Great work and I will be visiting more often in the future.

Double post

The saddle clamp is quite loose, that’s why I had to use carbon paste.

Just got a strap wrench today so going to try removing the bottom cap later and see if there is an air valve there.

Thinking about it, wouldn’t it be rather dangerous to service the post if you cannot relive the pressure somehow. There must be a way.

Some pictures for you to see. I got bored and took a few pictures before installing it but never got round to post them. This is a good opportunity!

From the box:

Delivered compressed:

27.2mm, need a strap wrench to undo the bottom cap which I will buy tomorrow:

Clamping mechanism:

No Air Valve there!

Even the box says there should be an air valve there!

Installed with Fibre Grip as instructed:

Remote:

Activation mechanism:

Cable Routing, the length of the inner needs to be exact, took me a few go to get it right. So start long!

Activation mechanism installed into cable:

Remote installed on bar clamp:

Cable routing:

Adjustment mechanism installed onto post:

That seatpost just look way too thin:

Feedback so far is that return speed is ridiculously slow. Even slower than on my HiLo. I’m going to go mad if I can’t find where to adjust the air pressure and probably go back to a HiLo.

Luckily, it was “only” £250 which is less than what I paid for my Reverb when it first came out.

Hope this helps anyone who wants a 27.2 Lev to make a decision.

I got one when I was out in Hong Kong over the new year. There is a difference between it and the bigger sizes models. I could not find the air adjustment valve. On the bigger diameter ones it is directly under the saddle clamp. Could not find it on mine. Pressure adjustment is one of the main reason for me to buy a lev in the first place as my Hilo was fine. Let’s hope it is just hidden somewhere.

I’ve seen a raw finished Flux in the LBS while waiting for them to fit a headset. I must say it looks absolutely beautiful. It’s got the “no other flux will look like it” feel to it.

I think they noticed me drooling over it and deliberately took a very long time to fit the headset. I very nearly walked out with it as they were also talking about interest free deal.

Saying that, considering the component that were fitted to the bike. It will probably work out more expensive if I buy the frame from CRC and build it up.

Must resist visiting the LBS tomorrow…..

I test rode the Arkose and CDF and went for the CDF in the end. It was a difficult choice as there was nothing much between them. Better groupset/weight vs comfort.

My commute is mostly offroad on bridleways though so comfort is more important for me.

It’s more comfortable than I thought it would be offroad and it deal with mud really well probably because of the narrower tires. Took 15 minutes off my journey time (10 miles) compared to doing it on my hardtail.

Saying that, I wound’t have gone for a disc crossbike if I am using it on road. The only advantage I could see with disc brakes is that I don’t have to change the pads every 5 mins. You wouldn’t need to if you are only using it on road.

One of my rear Hope hubs cracked at the flange after 4 years as well. Noticed when I was changing rims. Sent just the shell and they sent back a new one FOC.

When I get my pay rise, my CX bike will get hope hubs as well.

Reported as blatant ebay fee avoidance

When I say offroad, I mean bridleway with muddy bits in between, the bloke in the LBS also said rims will probably last about 1 year on the route that I plan to take. That is not what I want on a commuter bike. In fact, if budget allowed, I would have gone for hub gears as well.

“I’m a steel fan as you know, but a good aluminium frame can be very close and the Arkose has slim stays, thin walls and an all-carbon fork so comfort levels are good. It’s not a race bike, but it’s closer to being raceable with an aluminium frame. We can also spec a better value for money part list on aluminium frames now.”

That’s what the frame designer said.

Was what you did in Uni computer based or physical or both? I did something similar but on car chassis which I thought was quite fun.

Off topic but I am a great unbeliever of FEA without physical backup as you probably know how wrong they can go. Some of the analysis the equipment “engineers” at work did with FEA is scary. I asked how he learnt FEA and cannot believe his answer was Google. I still worry every time I walk past that piece of equipment he designed and built.

I might be missing something but what is special about the CAAD?

Saying that, I am not keen on a bike with rim brakes for off road commuting.

That’s the kind of comment I would like to hear.

I completely understand what you said, when I had my On-one 456, it didn’t feel that much more comfortable than an aluminium frame.

However, when I bought the Soul, it’s more like riding a FS with very short travel and I am happy to be out all day on it.

When I had my Roadbike, it was an aluminium frame with 23C tyres at 110PSI. My worry is a cyclocross is going to feel similar and a steel frame is going to make it bore bearable.

From the comments above seems like tyres are going to make the difference and I might well be wrong with the steel vs aluminium idea seeing the frame designer of the Pinnacle said they have taken comfort into account by having a skinny chainstay.

I think I will have to try both before I can make my mind up. Luckily, I just went into Evans and they agreed to get both of the bikes in when I give them the vouchers. I think that’s the only way for me to make a proper decision.

I must have got the wrong message across.

I had plenty of aluminium MTB frames in my time that are great to ride.

Just that I happened to have a Soul as well and in my opinion, it would be better for commuting than aluminium.

I am only assuming this is the same with cyclocross and I am unsure if I am correct or which is why I am asking this question on here.

If I am to race cyclocross, I would probably have gone for an aluminium frame with rim brakes.

Unfortunately, Halfords is not on the cylcescheme’s list. Otherwise, I would have considered the Boardman Team CX.

Yes, it’s the CDF that I am considering. Let’s say if the Croix de Fer is £1000, I would have gone for it straight away and wouldn’t be asking questions here.

I think I am swinging towards the CDF but it’s difficult to get a test ride as these are not usually in stock.

The designer of the Pinacle Arkose used to work in Genesis as well so apparently the ride is comparable to steel.

I think the CDF has decent-ish steel (Reynolds 525) so should be a fairly good comparison with a soul. I wish the Cotic X is under £1000 as well.

Don’t know if it’s a good thing or not but Halfords is not on the list. I would have got a Boardman otherwise.

The list only include independent bike shops within 20 miles radius.

That Cotic X does look good. Question is if the local bike shop can get one in for me.

The cyclescheme at my work seem to be a little bit different. I originally thought I could choose from the list on the cyclescheme website and have a £1000 limit, but that doesn’t seem to be true.

I have spoken to my payroll today and apparently, it has to be on the approved list which is a 20 miles radius within my workplace. However, the upside of that is there is no limit on price. I think a Cotic X would definitely be on my list if one of the bike shops on the list can get one in.

Why would I need to have proper tubeless rims? Normal rims seem to work fine tubeless on MTB even just with yellow tape in my experience. Is there something obvious that is different with road rims?

Ever since they started charging for the car park, my usual parking spot for my dawn ride gets pretty busy by the time I get back.

If they open the car park early enough for my dawn rides, I will probably have bought an annual ticket. It just feel wrong to park where I usually do. Although £100 for an annual ticket is way too much but not having to queue = more riding time. It’s not that much if you use the car park weekly.

And yes, Labyrinth is fun in the dark, so it Strickler and Tank Traps. Night/dawn riding has never been the same since I bought some proper lights. There’s not much difference compared to riding in day light especially if you are close to the trees.

Saved close to £110 just buying a helmet and a pair of Shimano SPD shoes that I don’t need either.

I am sure I will wait till my old ones wear out before wearing them throw my old ones in the shed and forget about them

Yup, the hilo is new. At the moment, it’s not very good compared to the Reverb on the other bike. It’s too slow to come up and has too much resistance going down. Still much better than not having one though.

I heard they get better once they are bedded in.