Exactly – what did GM actually add to Saab, apart from a ridiculous idea of platform sharing with Subaru and Vauxhall?!

RFF for me, which has resulted in some issues with non-drive cranks backing off the BB, unfortunately. I tried LFF to resolve that, but it just felt weird…

Have you tried Goodridge? There seems to be a huge shortage of Oro sintered pads in the country at the moment, but I’m probably going down the G route. Or Clarks (£9 from crc) – but they look a little too cheap to be true…

Sounds like the wedgey part of the headset (that loads the bearings as you tighten the top cap) may not slide up and down the steerer very easily. Which isn’t a problem – it ensures that play shouldn’t come in too easily.

I’ve wondered a couple of times about those Marins with triangular frames. It looks like it could be kinda harsh – maybe not GT harsh, but getting on for. Let us know how you get on!

Pugwash – yep. And they were in stock when I ordered them and apparently not now. UKBikestore has form in that area (saying things are in stock then not actually having them in stock, 2 weeks later…) with me. Booo.

How did you know I live in London, duntmatter?
Actually, I’m right by Westminster, so it all sounds great. Only unfortunate thing is that I have to go to a christening on Sunday (22nd). Boo. :?

Looking at the Test scorecard, shortly to be followed by TMS, I reckon!!:)

Homer: ‘Put me on hold? I’ll put YOU on hold!! “I am a lineman for the county… your call is important to us….” ‘

Shortly to be followed by TMS

meh, ****’em. If you can find steps to bomb down (how ’bout Traf square and roundsabouts?) then why not? And most of the City is deserted over the weekend.
I haven’t ridden round London in years – I don’t commute any more so I never get round to it.

It really is second-rate, and I’ve been wondering for a while why that is. I think for starters they don’t have anyone who really seems to know their stuff or is an authority on everyday cars. Then they trial REALLY everyday cars – boringly so. And there’s no rapport between the multitude of presenters – the skinny one with the sideys never talks to Plato; Tiff never speaks to the clowns in the studio and VBH doesn’t do a huge amount. And it’s completely full of ‘wtf’ moments, such as VBH learning how to ride a bike with Dougie whatsit. He’s a trials god (used to watch him on Sky Sports in my student days), but the segment just came out of nowhere, apropos of nothing at all.

Ye-es – I mean, he does bring to the public’s attention a lot of utter tripe pseudo-science spouted by the media; on the other hand, there was an interesting article about how sets about finding his Bad Science topics. For one particular case (I think it may have been an omega-3 story) he basically said ‘I write bad science and I need a topic – please can you send me a short summary of your findings on x’. I kind of went off him after that…

Ah, also – it’s strictly ‘Slumdog Miliner’, as the host keeps saying. Something about a guy working his way up the social ranks to buy himself a hat, as I recall?

Thanks for these, very helpful!

Not easy to eat – especially when cold. It was like trying to chew chipboard. Still, I’m sure it was v healthy; personally I tend to stick to mars bars – they’re cheap, widely available and pure sugar! :)

Yes! UKBikestore has an order for disc brake pads, placed on Monday, I think, but still no sign. They’re usually very reliable.

Cotic Soda built up with a variety of new and secondhand stuff – I built mine up with 2 month old Revs, and secondhand wheels, with everything else new, for £1500, and I love it.

tom, if you’re looking at this thread, can you tell us whether the search function will be changed at all? It might just be me, but it doesn’t seem to be quite as good at finding what I’m looking for (eg ‘Hope Pro II’) as on the old forum.
And I know, looking a gift horse in the mouth and all that, so feel free to say it’s fine and won’t be changed :)

I read SISL when I was about 15 and I was reading everything we had in the house. Frankly I found it to be a bunch of hippy free love and didn’t really rate it, even though I like Heinlein’s other stuff. So yeah, didn’t really get it.

Zen and… I read in India, and really got on with it. I guess my tolerance is a bit better when I’m travelling – I’ll read anything – but even so, I thought it was a good read and worth the effort to get into it.

mmm…. good excuse to build your own wheel, no? Shouldn’t be too difficult, although I guess there might be some dish. £10 for Roger Musson’s book, DT Swiss spoke calculator jobby, bish bash bosh!

Soda!!

XT – two way release on shifters, and the option of shadow or regular mech. The shifting is a bit ‘click click’, rather than the more touchy-feely shifting of old, but hey ho. Plus a medium cage would do if you get the chain the right length.
Oh, and I swear by full length outers – personally I’m loving Gore ones at the moment.

Ah, this seems like as good a place as any to ask. Why is it that they ALWAYS SHOUT AT EACH OTHER ABOUT THE FOOD, even though they’re just sat opposite each other?

‘THAT STARTER WAS GREAT – IT HAD FLAVOUR, TEXTURE AND COLOUR AND oh, my earwax has just fallen out and I can hear again’

…don’t know much trigonometry…

Depends where you go – the hardpack (built) trails are, well, still hardpack. The more adhoc trails that aren’t built are muddy as you like; best bet is to avoid them or wait until they freeze. :)

Go on…. I’ll be your friend!!

Job done?

Personally I swear by Formula Oro. I had Hope HFX9s, didn’t get on with them, then moved to Juicy 7 and didn’t really enjoy that either. They were sticky, they dragged etc etc.

Then I switched to Formula Oro K18s and haven’t looked back – no draggy pads, no stick pistons, and v simple to replace the pads. Everything you could want, and ridiculous powerful (and well-modulated) to boot.

I watched it on Wednesday and really wasn’t keen. I thought the outside ultimately didn’t look that historical, and the inside was just not very homely at all. There were a couple of points in the middle where the wife seemed rather miffed with the whole undertaking… And I thought it funny that at no stage did they mention the neighbours’ house, less than 100m away. They must have been raight miffed with the building for 2 years…

Do Rockshox even MAKE a 140mm-travel Pike fork for 12″ brompton wheels? 8O

If I can drag myself out of bed I’ll be at Swinley tomorrow, then sleeping for the rest of the weekend…

It’s far from perfect, but couldn’t you just make do with a slotted hose guide? Hose goes in, gaffer tape (or less pikey option) goes on top, all done. Plus you don’t have to file for britain!!
(I have a Soda, so trying to file the guides down would result in a lot of broken files, I think…)

Great minds and all that. I’m suffering my 30th this year, so thought I might get myself a decent watch. I’m probably after a self-winder or similar. Will keep an eye on this topic…. :)

I had a similar problem last year – I thought reinforcing the valve area with old tube would solve it, but sadly it didn’t. In the end, I had to replace my tyres, as nothing seemed to be working (talc, tape, reinforcing tubes). Bought some Bonty tyres and voila – haven’t had the problem since. It’s a right pain in the jacksy though. :(

Surely keeping moving and exercising is better for the osteoporosis than sitting still and not moving?
Glad to hear that it won’t be holding you back, or at least not too much, anyway :)

I used to think Panaracer Fire XCs were the way forward, but they started ripping valves off my inner tubes under braking. So I switched to Bonty Jones ACX and found that actually the Fire XCs were just mediocre in every terrain (hence all-round!).
The Jones’s are great on the whole, quite fast, quite hard wearing and quite grippy. But I did find last weekend that in mud they do get bogged down pretty quickly – not clagging up, just not getting me anywhere at any speed. I’m wondering now about a move to Bonty Mud X’s.

Very good point about the mouthwash! May well try that. And yes, it’s only really an issue because the hose is never completely dry on my camelback – even after hanging up it is a bit humid in there, I think, and so gunk grows.

I’ve read that Middleburn hardcoat rings last very well indeed; personally I’ve used the ones that came on my RF Turbine crankset for…. quite some time and not had to change yet! :)

mmm… not sure. Humvees are cut quite baggy compared to Endura Singletrack shorts; when they’re wet they get really quite large… I’d suggest that thigh/ backside size and leg length could be more the determining factor. Me, I’ve got big hams for thighs and a 32″ waist and went with the large Humvees. Very comfy off the bike; a little too baggy on it.

I ride a Cotic Soda, and love it. It does need more work to pick a line, and it’s probably more tiring than a FS when you’re knackered and just want to sit down over the bumpy stuff, but at the same time I think it’s more involving because you can’t just bulldoze through without feeling the bumps underneath.
Personally I’m a lazy get, and live in a 3rd floor flat, so maintenance isn’t really my thing, and it ticks that box too. Formula Oro brakes, RS Revs and Gore Rideon cables are all great – all I do is put a bit of chainlube on and I’m ready to go! :)

Don’t forget that they don’t stretch that far; they also don’t shrink much… In fact, it’s a bit like wearing a large furry corduroy sock…