Whoooop! +1 for use of 'darkside'.. :-)

Bonne chance..

Saw Jo Burt in a bike shop at the end of my road in Brighton in 1996 – does that count?

… I seem to remember overhearing him talking about his school daze. Random.

… and here it is:

with more info here:
http://www.carbonrace.it/

This is called being: h.e.l.p.f.u.l :-)
Rather than: g.r.u.m.p.y. :|

Incidentally, that eBay advert looks fairly dodgy. Zero feedback! And lots of inconsistencies in the advert, such as

"I've never been very into cycling"

Followed by..

"I recently decided to swap parts over from my old bike to be able to use it"

Something doesn't really add up there..

Nope – I'm an enviromental scientist. :-)

Acid rain was relatively easy to fix:

(1) Flue gas desulphurisation in coal-fired power stations (one of the biggest sources)
(2) Low-sulphur fuels (i.e. strip the sulpur from fuel before combusion)
(3) The change-over from coal (high in sulphur) to natural gas (v. low in sulphur) as a fuel for power stations, brought about by 1990s exploitation of North Sea gas reserves

All this was brought about by a mixture of international legislation, economics and the general public will to get something done about it. PLUS – it was 'solvable' issue on a practical level.

It was never going to Kill Us All as some might have sensationalised, it was just going to cause widespread ongoing damage to forests, rivers, lakes plants, wildlife – as it infact did. Bjørn Lomborg a.k.a 'The Sceptical Environmentalist', advocates de-sensationalising such environmental issues, becasue it evokes the sorts of jaded responses as seen above. I'm all for that approach.

Climate change is a more thorny problem, because unfortunately at present our economies are directly dependent on emitting CO2 to the atmosphere as a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion as a source of power – and you can't easily 'strip' the CO2 from power station chimneys in the same way you can with SO2. So without an alternative power source – other than fossil fuels – if we reduce CO2 emmisions, our economies (and standard of living) will directly suffer. This is not politically, economically or even generally publically favorable at present. Hence, we continue to increase our CO2 emmisions annualy on a global scale – and thereby increase the associated risks of Global Climate Change.

Part of the problem is this notion of 'economic growth', whereby an economy is only seen as healthy if it is 'growing'. On a gross scale, therefore, an economy will only grow if it uses ever more natural resources (and equally produces ever more waste – entropy – as a result). Unfortunately, the Earth is a finite bubble, with a limited capacity to both supply resources and also absorb all that entropic mess. The Climate Change that is starting to take place now is the fallout from the limited capacity of the atmosphere to absorb all that CO2 (and methane, and CFCs etc., etc.).

Seriously.. wee on your feet (in the shower). :? Sounds crazy, but it works!
… and now I know why! (urea is anti-fungal)

I'm sure there's other good antibiotic stuff in wee too – I saw something about it on TV once (must be true).

Cheers Pipester – just saw the saddle from 'above' via CRC and the white strip in the middle is not for me. Otherwise, it would've been a beaut!

Hope you have some luck with your bike somehow.. :-)

Will people just stop stealing stuff! It seems every other thread on STW at the mo' is 'Stolen This', 'Stolen That'.

Just WTF is going on?

It is actually depressing me. :(

Incidentally – and I know this doesn't help – but what is that saddle on Pipester's rather natty looking bike? – It looks like just the sort of thing I've been searching endlessly for..

Incidentally – that intense frame looks like it's been anodised that (pewter) colour.

You might want to try something like that instead.

Caustic soda, will do a lovely job of turning it a dirty patchy grey

Erm.. isn't that the same stuff as sodium hydroxide?

In which case you might want to look at this experiment with sodium hydroxide + aluminium + water:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gihAT6eXaoc 8O

might not be such a good idea methinks..

… I think the clue here is in the 'old egg beaters' part of your question.

Check for wing waggle on your 'beaters. Over time these pedals can develop a fair bit of play in the wings, leading to wobbly shoes and accidental pulling out at inoppertune moments. Generally if you've got a bit of wing waggle PLUS some up and down movement in the cleat mechanism the pedals are the problem. I think this can be avoided by cleaning the pedals after every ride and ensuring that dirt and grease do not build up in the cleat mechanism, thereby grinding everything to bits – it needs to run totally 'dry'.

Try getting in touch with Crank Bros' UK importer (can't remember what they are called), they're very, very helpful to put it lightly. When I explained the problem with my 'beaters – I posted 'em off to them and about a week later they were returned to me with an appology, free lolly, a full free service and free new parts fitted to stop the waggling wings. Basically they were like new again.

To be honest I can't fault these guys now – and I shall be using Crank Bros stuff for the rest of my days.

That bike's actually quite nice! Being too all much of a mincing xc jay-boy at heart, I normally can't quite see the point of all this hardcore hardtail bollox, but that is actually quite a fine bike! The new white forks compliment the dark purple-blue frame nicely.. To my inexpert eye it also looks perfect for doing droppy-offy things and the suchlike.. :-)

If you do get your bike sent over – Make sure you use plenty of bubble wrap!

My bike box looked – quite literally – as if someone had repeatedly thrown it off a tall cliff when it arrived here (Tasmania) by air freight …some 2 months later.

The bike was ok though, as I'd disassembled pretty much everything and wrapped it in layers of bubble-wrap, parcel tape and pipe insulation. I think it cost something like 200 pounds to send over + import/inspection fees

IIRC you can get fairly basic 'sound desk' type mixers (maybe even DJ ones also?) with USB outputs for less than 100 quid. – Gota be far better than those crappy USB turntables – if you've any basic technical knowhow.

H.O.N.D.A C.I.V.C.

..they're totally bitchin' (thou' you'll be pushed to find one that ain't been lowered, spoilered, canned and thrashed). But: ultra-reliable, sweet to drive, smooth as a purring kitten engine and very good on fuel economy.

Hmmmm… I think the point here maybe that:

(1) MTB mags weild a considerable amount of commercial power in terms of influencing what people buy (particularly those masses of less experienced riders whose only source of proportedly 'unbaised' info is likely to be said magazines – as opposed to their local Specialised / Trek / Giant etc. retailer, where bias comes as an expected part of the package)

(2) There are resonable grounds to be reasonably suspicious that certain bike mags are in cahoots with their advertisers / ex-journo-bike-manufacturer mates / cronies.
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(And… (3) A certain ex-journo-cum-bike-manufacturer seems unable to produce a frame, whether it be for £150 or over £1000, that ain't just a touch fugly :wink: I jest..)

I was in Wagamama noodle bar in Manchester yesterday afternoon, when in he walked with Mrs Wiggo

… never mind the fact that he drinks red wine… you're actually telling me that he eats..?

Oh.. what-a-surprise then..! :roll:

What a bunch of consistently self-serving gits.

That's awesome… cool voice, great accent. There's some pretty cool samples for something methinks.

I think it's sad some people missinterpret the – apparently pejorative -use of the word 'gay' with some sort of underliying homophobia. It's not. If anything – it's the complete opposite. I think it's reflective of society's overall comfortableness now and general acceptance of all things gay – that 'gay' can become part of the cultural adjective lexicon. Describing something as 'gay' in this instance is simply pointing to more of an affectation or quality within it. It's not homophobia. For example, because of my inherent XC jayboy-ness, my riding on really steep rocky scary steppy stuff is positively 'gay' and I'm happy to admit that. :wink:

Supercute – that Sanderson soloist is sick to the power of rad, man! Go for a Crank Bros minipump – it'll solve all your problems and they're a totally sick bit of kit too.. :wink:

I've seen these before… disgusting colour, obnoxious "Joy" and "Sean" on the toptubes… erm, what's to like about them then?

Hmmmmm… let me guess, was it an OnOne that won, perchance? :wink:

Being Brant's mates 'n' all..

(Clique-y, clique-y)

Fashion Pandas!! I love it!!! :lol:

I AM a Fashion Panda!

It's pretty sweet in an odd brown leather, odd kinda way… but haven't you simply created a cyclocross bike with fat tyres (albeit from a mountain bike)?

Strange.. my perception on watching the Schlecks etc on the TDF was how effortless they made sitting in the saddle climbing look. It's just not something I can do. Personally, if I want to nail a (road) climb – I have to go out of the saddle the whole way, never once stopping till my lungs explode and my back is on fire. You just kinda get into this zen-like zone of all body pain. (it feels kinda 'red'). If I just want to poottle up – then sitting it is.

…Off road however, sitting seems to work best – cos otherwise the rear wheel slides and the forks bounce up and down.

I got a set of Look Fournales – carbon fibre leading link forks. All I can say is that riding them is interesting… not bad, just different.

They're very torsionally stiff, very, very light and a piece of piss to maintain. The J-shaped axle path thing is kinda odd – there's a tendancy for it to pitch you over the front, just at the point when you are about to get pitched over the front – if you see what I mean. But that's ok, I just adjust my riding style and avoid stupid steep rocky, steppy stuff. (Never really liked that sort of stuff anyway). …Then there's the sensitivity of the fork. It's got a little bit of 'give' for small bumps and rises, but it's quite resistive – it feels almost as if there's too much air pressure in the shock. However, once you hit a certain big hit point – it just goes 'BANG' and slips right through most of the travel in an instant. Like I said.. not good.. not bad either. Just different. You kindof adapt your riding style to suit it. I quite like it really.

I think the appeal of telescopic forks over leading links is that – in terms of fork travel they are by definition linear and 'simpler' – therefore it's easier to develop a more progressive feeling fork. AKA – they just work as another poster said. That's my tuppence worth anyway… I'm still a bit-part leading link fan though. :-)

"I now have matching length cranks"

OMG! 8O

Like I said – consistently silly..

SFB – you're awesome! :D

Oh and stupid question: If I were to Paypal gift myself the money to my UK account, would that be cost-effective ? – given that Aussie banks happily charge for this service anyway…it's certainly less hassle for sure :wink:

Handbags ladies..

Simple Question: Am I best transfering some of my AU$ savings over to the UK NOW then? …or better waiting..?

Yeah.. fair enough I suppose. It's actually quite a nice looking bike! Hell, I dunno what it's even worth… and a Brompton is on my list of one-of-the-bikes-I-really-must-own-before-I-die. Not sure why though (I think it's just cos they're beautiful-practical looking things)

I realise now that you are only really admiting your honesty in your intent in the wording of the advert. But as a potential buyer of such a bike – saying in the advert that you are only trying to recoup costs – suggests to me that (1) it's possibly over-priced and (2) that you are most likely to be unwilling to negotiate. This may/may not be the case, but it's just how it 'reads'.

Good luck with your bike sale anyway.. :-)

Sheesh.. this is getting a bit like some sort of ana-mia* thinspiration thread. Go guys! :?
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* http://anamiachronicles.blogspot.com/

It is sad to find that STW has grown into a bit of a monster in some ways. I liked the community feel of the classifieds from a year or so back.. People helping each other out on a daily basis. I gave some stuff away for free as a result.

To the guy trying to sell the Brompton:

You say you are 'just trying to recoup your costs'.. Yet personally – I accept that – whenever I buy something and then try to sell it on again afterwards (even if I haven't used it), I will always lose some money on it. It's just the way things work…

You just have to take these things on the chin, surely?

That was just crazy…! those bikes looked like they were bouncing all over the place, huuuuge spring rates + under-damped with v-brakes and 2 inch tyres. V brave..!

It's a completely different sport now.

Sheeesh… he actually looks anorexic in that photo.

I'm pretty sure Wiggo has lost some power (and muscle). After fat, you have nothing left to lose, other than muscle (and maybe some water). If I recall correctly, the great Robert Millar used a strict vegetarian diet to ensure he was positvely skeletal and didn't build too much muscle.

spinning like an epileptic hamster

…Been there, done exactly that.

I rest my case. :wink:

I did say at the outset that you'd opened up a whole kettle o' worms with this one Todd!

… Unfortunately, it's often difficult to ask the question 'why?', beacuse certain biking 'cliques' can instantly regard this question as some sort of challenge to their zealously-guarded worldview… This said, I'm sort of 50:50 as to whether you are trolling or actually genuine in your seemingly naive questioning?

I am satisfied to see that pretty much everything I predicted at the outset of this thread has come to bear (pun intended). Singlespeeders really do have much bigger cojones, don't you know..? :wink:

On a more zen note, aside from the practical aspects of mud clearance / lightness / low mantainence etc. … I think some riders prefer a singlespeed hardtail – they're always hardtails – simply because it makes riding a more simple, zen-like experience… Which can't be a bad thing, surely?

I was forced to go 'singlespeed' during one ride last year when my rear mech fell to bits mid-ride. I must've found exactly the right ratio or something, because it was actually quite a good experience, flowing along nicely through the woods – I didn't miss gears at all – although I was only on gently undulating terrain (Swinley). Suffice to say though, by the time we got on the road to go home, I could barely keep up with my mate on a geared bike – who is waaay less fit than me – as I was spinning out like crazy.

As for several claims that 'it makes you less lazy (and therefore faster) going up hills'. FFS! That philosophy really seems to work for Lance, Contador et al. :roll:

… Otherwise – I'm really enjoing this pointless, amusing discussion so far on a topic that 99.7% of the population wouldn't comprehend!

(p.s. Welcome to Aus – I think most in the UK are asleep right now)

Quite clearly its owner doesn't STW.. :wink:

Oh dear… you've opened up a whole kettle o' worms here me laddy.

(…I'd duck run for cover if I were you)

Singlespeeds: good for riding through filthy stinking winter muck on gently undulating terrain – and pretty much nothing else, really*

And don't let anyone tell you anything otherwise.
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* Other than being able to belong to a niche-core niche of MTBers who for some reason believe they have bigger ca-ho-nes than anyone else. :wink:

*Ducks and runs for cover*

Yup. It's a classic that one. It's a private trail on a private piece of land somewhere in N.America, as I recall.. A great 'This Is Why' clip to show anyone who doesn't ride. Not that I could even less than 1% of that course. There is a way better verison of it knocking about somewhere on eweTube.

… depends on which 'look' you are going for I suppose? Royce + Middleburn is classily shiny retro-tastic, whereas XTR is mean and racy.

On a more practical note, Middleburns still look great after loads of muddy heal rubs, whereas XTRs get trashed pretty quick.