Worth every penny of ten grand…..!!

Another Simple Soul owner here (see what I did there?). Love them both. The forks on my Soul are getting really rattly and nasty but I just don’t want to be without it for a weekend (they really need sending off).

Can’t do pics but one’s black (all scraped and battered from use) and one’s orange.

I am 29er curious enough to say that I’d like to try a Solaris once just to see how different they are, but that’s all.

PS 115 on my (U-turn) forks is about right. 130 for when it gets bigger downhill.

I used to get them regularly, but then started washing my hands as soon as I got off the tube into the office / at home. Felt a bit of weirdy-obsessive at first, but the difference was remarkable – I reckon it is maximum two now (one usually at the start and one at the end of winter, oddly).

Can’t rate regular hand-cleaning highly enough. Watching what people do in confined public spaces, it doesn’t surprise me – ugh.

Which reminds me, we’re coming into the season of open coughing – no covering of mouths which really disgusts me. Joy.

As above, whatever is cheap / lying around. I don’t like any smelly stuff though.

What Stoner says is true – there is always a myriad of confusing and ever-changing collection of various cleaning “regimes” in the bathroom.

+1

Cheese tends to make a mess of the chain, somehow. All greasy gunky bits. I guess that means I prefer my bikes.

To me it depends where / how you ride. I wouldn’t be without my big ring – ride mostly in it (it’s the one I have to replace first) and any flat blatting (of which there is a lot round here) will see me in the littlest sprocket a fair bit, also on sections of road (a necessary evil). Probably not true somewhere where there’s lots of vertical bits though.

ditch_jockey – just emailed you

Holidays usually involve riding bikes or doing/seeing things. Neither of us can be done with just sitting down frying in the sun.

We have a vague idea of going to South America (Chile?) for a couple of weeks shortly. Anyone know of any half decent bike guides / guiding companies?

Excellent and very absorbing – thanks for posting.

Flustula Clemeruns by the sound of it, I would say.

And a bad case. Probably the worst I’ve ever seen etc etc.

Rocketman – I like that word, “dieseling”. Yes that’s what it is – I love it.

Hard to say relatively as generally a lone rider, but technically at best very poor to rubbish especially downwards – particularly terrified of drops. I like climbing though and I suspect that I may be reasonably strong for an old bloke; can merrily climb away for hours.

I tend to avoid technical rides for the above reasons and prefer long A to B rides in the saddle all day (apart from when there’s any of those terrifying steps greater than 1″ high of course).

Oh yes – I do seem to have found a strange ability recently to “stand” the bike in one place for ages downhill while I pontificate on the best route over the next couple of yards. didn’t know I did it until someone pointed it out.

I bought my Soul second hand (on Baker Street station!) to try one out, no-one will ever prise it off me now. Lovely. Never tried a BFe mind, so doesn’t answer your question!

Clown wheels
That stupid bloody pointless Shimano shifter that went the wrong way
Slime tubes

Do you think Joe Stalin used to get crumbs caught in his enormous moustache?

Those Pox’s Farty Rings above must be re-educated for the good of the party. The Iced Gem political commissars will see to it.

Even the collective mind of STW couldn’t get to an answer on the crown race question. But it did confirm that it involved magic cats and celery (and an over-sized pigeon, from memory).

Do you know whether a headset comes with a crown race?

Not me, as for most of the reasons above – busy roads populated with murderous drivers round us. I do admit to enjoying the occasional blast on quiet roads on the mtb though – but they have to be quiet.

I am currrently resisting a pal trying to persuade me to give road a try on one of his bikes.

Thanks

I have always carried a lot (admittedly not a spare tyre though!) but in the light evenings this year tore up my personal rule book and started doing 10+ mile blasts on my singlespeed with no camelbak / water, just trying to maintain a good speed (admittedly straying up to 6 or so miles from home). I did that half a dozen times and was astonished at the fun of it and the effect on fitness (admittedly pisspoor to start with) – on the same route with 2 good climbs/descents average speed went up from 10 to 12.5 mph and I feel so much stronger on the bike. Thoroughly recommended, but does need the middle of summer for decent light / dry evenings.

Daft question I know, but where was this ride?

I got up early on Saturday morning to set off for the Trailbreak ride at Woodcote (Chilterns), went to say good-bye to Mrs O who on the spur of the moment decided to come with me. We decided to ride the the 65k route (I think me saying “It’s what Jessica would do” at the sign-on tipped it!) and I was the happiest rider of the day to have her along with me.

The evening speed work we’ve been doing really paid off – we were so much quicker and had a great ride. The bit along by the Thames was fantastic. Really hot and suffering from the heat towards the end but she stormed on and we finished happy and knackered. Brilliant day.

Never got on with them (7’s). Took them off and replaced with Hope.

Variable in my narrow experience.

Monday am was lovely and quiet, train actually ran on time for the first time this year. Monday pm was pretty busy, as was this morning. Tonight will be hell in a handcart as something’s on at Wembley (my train goes through there).

Does the bald man come with a crown race?

Edit

No fixed times (didn’t realsie anybody worked those now) but usually 55+ hours a week plus 3 hours commuting each day.

Crikey indeed. It looks like corrosion, but I can’t imagine what’s caused that. How old is it?

(Be prepared for comments along the lines of you shouldn’t be using your rear brake…..)

spchantler: “just remember its going to get better, if you want it to.”

x100000000

But triangular “cheese”? It’s not normal. Ban it!

Can I just cheesy peas? Do they enter the general gun-banning equation?

And Dairylea.

One of those huge massive yachts with girls on deck and motor boats for getting into harbour with? With the change you could buy a cat to stroke whilst revealing your plans for world domination to any passing secret agents.

Thread closed.

Ah. I see. Thanks!

molgrips – what does the second “C” stand for?

You could certainly start a trial ban of goats cheese and that revolting Halloumi rubbish. But Cheddar or those lovely smelly sloppy French cheeses……no way!

Why would anyone want / need one of those automatic firearms other than to kill someone?

Black has the highest coefficient of absorbtion; also I suspect a smooth surface probably increases it too (but not sure about the latter). Also, the tarmac will be closely and densely packed whereas the bridleway is unlikely to be (but haven’t done a check on your bridleway!!.

I bought a Stihl from ebay and it’s tremendous. No other experience to offer, I’m afraid.

Carry on exactly as I am until I could work something out (whatever that is).

If I went totally crazy though, I might consider a Rocket frame.

One of mine was all my own fault – ignored the basic rules. I had just flown home from Asia on the first Saturday of January and was desperate to get out. It was that really violently cold patch we had a couple of years back, but jet-lagged to bits and frankly all over the place I drove out to Queen Elizabeth Park to ride part of the SDW. With minus 9 showing on the temperature gauge at 10am I set out. It was pretty but brutally cold and icy, I only had a jacket and shirt and shorts on (why?! why?!). Oh yes, and no food as there was nothing in the house.

I turned at about 1.30, forgetting that it got dark by 4. And the car park had a sign saying it was locked at dusk. Oh yes and my Camelbak had frozen so I had no water. And no-one knew where I was. And my phone was happily in the warm at home. And I was rapidly getting slower and slower.

Fighting exhaustion, I pressed on desperate to beat the car park closure but getting more and more light-headed. I really, really wanted to stop, get off and just lie down towards the end, but something told me that would probably be it for me. I finally got back frozen and shivering just before dusk – a bit of an education really in being prepared. Phew!