Excellent thread.

How do you do those ones that are B&W but just have one focal point in colour? (Like the brilliant chain link one on page 1)??

Have run them a fair bit, they are my favourite tyre generally, although in really heavy sticky mud they become pretty useless. Do wear quickly, but are fast and I haven't had particularly bad issues with fragility (I'm not exactly a lightweight either) BUT puncture puncture puncture every ride without fail. My record is 5 in one 2 hour ride. I got so hacked off with punctures that I took them off a few months back and am now wondering what to do as winter seems to be over.

If you have time, blat along the Phoenix Trail to Princes Risborough which takes you rapidly into the Chilterns and some decent hills.

Or a magic cat?

Can we have a combined thread involving Sheds and those Record Vices – now that would be exciting!

Couldn't be without my watch. I'd miss trains. Can happily be without my phone, though.

No it isn't. Only 87 to go.

86 now.

"Old school jug boasting celery details"??? Do expand a little, please…..

Learnt 3 things at the weekend at Dales MTB and still buzzing too:

1. How to descend properly
2. Removing spacers really does change the feel of the bike
3. How to get the front wheel off the ground.

Probably stuff everyone else knows but revelations in their own way to me!

Would agree with Euroclive above – did a skills course at the weekend which has really picked me up and also discovered the difference taking out a couple of spacers under the stem has made. Seems small and insignificant, but what a difference. Like having a new bike, just cheaper!

Really really try to get out once in the week but work often doesn't allow. If I do it's for a couple of hours max.

Weekends – usually 3-4 hours on Saturday and an hour or two on Sunday, but last couple of weeknds have been considerably more – yay!

Children – 0. I reckon it's just as – if not more – correlated to full-time job!

Excellent!

Lovely bike. Enjoy!

I'll nail it next time, Stu!! Can you send down some rocks for me to practise on please?

Cheers again.

Also a s/s one. Been running it in the winter s**t for about 3 months, so far it's been great. Does what it's supposed to.

Cranberry knows his onions this thyme, for sure.

I find celery makes a perfect steerer. Better than eating it, anyway.

Bumpity bump.

Don't continue to screw that BB cup* into the frame when it really doesn't want to go and even starts go in "wonky" – it probably means you've cross-threaded it. Brute force doesn't make it better.

*Especially if it's the one that should go in the other side.

Edit.

Threads. Couldn't watch it all the way through.

The Sea Monsters in Dr Who. My dad told me they lived in my room at night and came out if I moved. I still sleep without moving.

"Can anyone else smell summer coming at the moment? I tell you, she's on her way and this year she's got a bigger smile. "

– thanks Robdob. That just made my day reading that! I keep thinking I can…..

The clunk of my SPD clicking into the pedal

+1

Also my Pro II on a fast descent

Was it the magic cats fighting the celery or the mysterious appearance of Debbie McGee that made you think it was serious…?! :wink:

I never realised that celery had opposable thumbs.

But it's how the Universe was started – the cat / celery fight ended in the mother of all Big Bangs. And Debbie Mcgee's face appeared in the celery leaves. Apparently.

Worked as a production manager at a steelplant, most memorable moments were being chased by molten steel after a breakout, and being allowed to "drive" the humungous electric arc furnace. When I turned that up, the lights in Doncaster went dim.

now that really IS insulting. Implying a tory voter is akin to a BNP voter?

It's just branding isn't it?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2218998.stm

I think these were big time magic cats with major league spells and stuff, not your Debbie McGee of the magic world. I mean, they had pyramids and stuff, – how cool is that? Shazaam! Old woman turned into suacer of milk etc.

Celery IS muck – agreed.

Thnaks Matthewjb and skiboy. Never knew it was there, and not far from me too.

Reading about building the Wapping tunnel (the first tunnel under water) was quite something. How do you rescue a tunnel that's been breached by the river abopve using basic tools? Good old Brunels.

I think we did Google somewhere around page 6 or 8 or something. The magic cat / celery stand-off is an interesting development though.
Apparently, Tutankhamun had some in his tomb; the Egyptians revered cats as gods and there was allegedly a curse on Tutankhamun's tomb, so there we have the mysterious cat – Egyptian – mummy's curse – crown race link.

I raise your celery to a 3000 year-old pharoah.

Thanks Bunnyhop. Already have a pond thanks to previous owner (apparently there are newts and I've already seen a fair few frogs), but definitely have a major slug population too, hence attempts to control them. I don't want to use pellets if I can help it and read about the nematodes somewhere.

Silence from the dungeon since 4 days ago – so WHAT HAPPENED?!!

Usually run Speed Kings and Bontrager ACX's at 40psi. Did a race though a couple of weeks ago and had a tubeless blow-out owing to a cut – however managed to stuff just enough air in to keep going once it sealed. I didn't bother about the pressure, just straight back on as soon as it stopped hissing and had a tiny bit of pressure (was on last lap). I was astonished at the extra grip and it still rolled well, as well as not being flung in the air all over the roots – really made me think I should drop my pressures a fair bit. I checked it at home on the track pumnp and it read somewhere a bit below 20psi.

Never really thought to experiment with pressures, have only just gone to tubeless and still in the pinch flat mindset.

Anyone actually used nematode worms as a form of slug control? Or do they unwittingly uleash the forces of evil on some section of nature's harmony?

Experiments with marigold wrists…..!!!

OK it looks like Shimano again then. Thanks for the suggestions. I've just got to find somewhere stocking more than one size now. Cheers

Tories – Removed Thatcher. Surely the biggest contribution to the UK in the 20th Century?

Couple of days off riding over Easter and I find this languishing in the forgotten corner with assorted rants about nothing in particular. Come on chaps – Mackem needs to see it on the front page so he knows we're seeking his answer. And very close to finding it. Probably.

He looks like a man who could make it to page 22 easily on that.

Skiboy – what is that – can you expand a little please?

Just go and report back on here when you come back!!

Is Ms Sophie Dahl rich? I'd like to eat her, she looks well fed, with all manner of lovely goodness…

+1