This is mine, had it for two years and it’s ace. I’m slap bang between sizes (176cm, 5’9 and a bit) and went for the Medium with the idea that making a smaller frame fit bigger is slightly easier. I fitted a 100 stem up from the standard 90. Bit of toe overlap with full mudguards but nothing to write home about.

I’ve used Saucony Omni with some degree of success. Overpronator with wide feet.

Ah, no. Mini Vs are designed for standard road levers. I’d go and buy some cheap Vs 🙂

Cheers Bez – swapped the levers for some normal road ones and they’re fine, a bit more modulation rather than on/off.

If you’ve got V-compatible levers why haven’t you just used normal V-brakes?

Rather stupidly I thought I’d need V brake specific levers even with mini Vs.

Thanks chaps, much appreciated. Lots to think about there!

I only went for V brakes because to me they look a lot less complicated than cantis. I’ve got them set up now so I have just enough clearance to unhook the noodle.

With me running mini Vs and V brake specific levers, there’s not a lot of modulation. Is there a problem with running them even further out from the rim? Is that what you’ve done @13thfloormonk ?

Thanks Simon, that makes sense.

I have road levers that have a pretty short pull on them to run V brakes (tektro 926) – am I right in thinking I can afford to run the pads slightly further away from the rim as a result? At the recommended 1mm gap there’s not much lever throw at all.

Awesome, thanks chap! Much appreciated.

Anyone have any suggestions for a decent wheelset? It’d need to stand up to a bit of off road.

Bravo! Sterling effort Ted :-)

Thanks chaps. I was wondering if erring on the side of large would be wise. It’d be used for riding to the forest (20km) then hooning around the trails, then riding home again.

I’m always between sizes and every time I buy I bike I have this issue :-)

We live in Chester which is right on the border.

Me too. I fear the ‘Spoons end of Foregate Street will become the badlands. Even more so than usual.

Good work chap. Just put a little in, in honour of our first rescue Bilbo who himself had to have an eye removed. It didn’t stop him or hinder him at all.

I’ve had four Charge bikes, three Plugs and a Cooker, the last Plug of which was destroyed when I was t-boned by a van. I loved them all so was excited when I saw a bit of social media output from the brand over the last few weeks. I’m a bit disappointed to be honest.

My wife is a primary school teacher, and has spent lockdown working with her class remotely (and the planning that entails), going in on a rota basis to work with children of essential workers, Zoom meetings with class, colleagues and management, and lately planning an effective strategy for if the schools reopen to wider year groups. All, I might add, with worse than useless governmental guidance. I’ve forked out for a supply of visors because they’ll be marginally less disturbing for her class than facemasks.

Her colleague has been delivering work packs to children so they could see her and give them a bit of a boost, and I think my wife will be doing a bit of that next week possibly. All this in addition to homeschooling our primary school age daughter (with the little bit of help that I am).

So the subtle anti-teacher rhetoric can ******* poke it.

Altura do the job for me. Decent price if you look around and seem to last very well – their shorts have gotten me around the Dirty Reiver, a bit of cyclocross and numerous centuries on/off road over the last year.

Just in case there was any doubt …

Dominic Cummings did breach coronavirus lockdown guidelines, Durham Police say

@exsee I rather think you’re trying to defend the indefensible. Cummings was reportedly seen exercising around Barnards Castle whilst supposedly in isolation. If that’s true, then no amount of applying common sense or interpretation of the guidance can justify it.

How many people might he have infected?

(Edit due to terrible spelling)

If the local kids are all mixing together at the pond, what’s the difference to mixing at the school?

That’s the problem, isn’t it – they’re mixing now, and will be rife to give everyone a dose come schooltime if children can indeed transmit it.

I’m married to a primary school teacher, and have a daughter in year 4 who won’t be going back before September. The guidance for commencing educational provision states that PPE isn’t required, but then if a child starts exhibiting symptoms of the virus PPE should be worn. Isn’t that a little bit too late?

I cycled past the village pond on Saturday and it was full of families mixing, with kids playing together – these same kids will be in my daughter’s school, and some will be in my wife’s classroom. While there seems to be some evidence that children aren’t hit symptomatically as hard as adults, there’s far less – if any – evidence that they can’t pass the virus on.

Additionally there is talk about the sociopsychological effects of children being kept away from their friends, but in a socially distant school environment will that not be worse? Seeing your friends but not able to interact with them fully?

Thanks @drnosh – the bolt is M5 so the threaded hole doesn’t offer a lot of space to get much in.

Thanks so much for the advice all, it’s very much appreciated. @drnosh – if you break off the tang, won’t it fall down into the fork leg?

Thanks @Northwind – that’s what I thought might occur. I’m guessing a dab of Loctite might reduce the chances of this happening?

Hahaha indeed! I think I trust myself to helicoil it correctly – it looks a pretty straightforward job. I was just concerned about the strength, and usability, of the repair.

I had the same symptom on a Mavic Aksium on the rear of my Kaffenback. It was two spokes touching where they crossed over – I lubed every crossover point and it went away.

I’ve just bought a pair of Humvee chino shorts, and they’re awesome. The liner is a bit snug possibly due to my homeworking proximity to the kitchen more than anything else.

Thanks chaps, glad it’s not just me. If the cable is *just* enough to let the arm rest, the levers can be pulled back to the bar, even with new pads. There’s a definite flaw in SRAMs instructions.

I ordered a couple of weeks ago, and although they typically tend to take a little bit longer than most to despatch, my chain and bits arrived within a few days.

Pretty sure that KMC do different kinds for 11 speed. Some you can re-use, some you cant (but probably can really).

They do, as do SRAM. I’ve one myself.

I have Speedrockers on my Camino, and they work ok with 47mm Byways. Quick to fit and remove, too …

Fundamentally, though, what’s to stop her bunging a few quid into the proverbial pot to help? Urging us to follow guidance is all well and good if people listen, but actually giving up a bit herself to aid materially would be a stronger show, in my opinion.

Or am I being naive?

Absolutely @molgrips . I’ve only ever had one bike with a 1x drivetrain in the past, and I had to sell that way before there was any wear to the rings.

If you’ve got no negative symptoms and no signs of wear, why are you even worrying about it?

That’s the thing @molgrips – I’ve had no negative symptoms, but I was going over the bike the other day and was surprised that the chainring had suffered no visible wear in the 1600ish miles it’s done. I was wondering if 1x NW rings displayed wear in the same way that 2x rings do.

Thanks all, I appreciate the advice. Like I mentioned there’s been no dropping chains or skipping, but after the mileage I’ve put on it I would have expected to see a little more wear.

@mashr – yep, I’ve looked already. 30-odd pound is the cheapest I can find.

Looks good to me. Your lawn however…

That took me a while :-D

Any ideas anyone? I could do without splashing out on a new chainring if I can avoid it :-)

Me! Me!

Although I’ll probably continue to prevaricate until way after lockdown.

Thanks chaps, much appreciated.

The weak link here is always going to be the Apex part sadly (I have it too)

I’ve always found it alright to be honest, never needed much adjustment, shifts OK.

A related question – I have a Parktool chain wear gauge. The 0.5 wear side slots between the rollers if I push it in – if the chain is worn, should it fit into the chain with minimal resistance?

It was about hub depth on a CX bike, so bang on for cleaning / ruining your drive train 😂😂

I don’t know how you CX chaps handle the filth every week – my OCD kicked in as soon as I got home and everything was washed, dried and regreased before I could settle :-)

Depending on the exact problem I rectified this on most laps by riding through the stream rather than the bog!

I couldn’t work out how deep that was so took the safe but bogfest option over to the far left.

@Garry_Lager – I binned it after a couple of hours, due to a combination of rear shifter failing and not having the legs to be brutally truthful. I found it a lot harder than the Dirty Reiver, loads more technical. Credit to some of the guys racing – they were next level.

Despite being on my backside I’ll be back next year for sure now I know what’s what. It was a great event and really well done and organised.

Because real ‘cross is about an hour there’s no pacing yourself, it’s balls to the wall all the way!

Ah, ok – I hadn’t even realised that. I think the three hour format might suit me better. Is it very competitive? Monstercross I mean, not the league stuff.