I was 15 stone when I got one, I love it, took to it straight away. Thumbs could do with more exercise, though. Have even come down a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket. I’m now under 14 stone, by the way…..!

BA – I flew out of T5 last year with an Orange 5 in a big bike bag and they were fine.

What are BA’s new weight policy, by the way?

Winter rides quite often see no-one, especially as I go for the quieter places. Even in summer I usually only see walkers, very rarely see other bikes.

If however I did see a large Soul I would beg the owner for a test ride.

Fair point Mr Overshoot. I plead guilty to the charge of being ham-fisted and inept.
In my defence, I’ve never touched SQ taper cranks before. I have always had Hollowtech and assumed that her old bike were the same. I then assumed you just tapped them off, which didn’t work….hence the post, following a lot of head-scratching in the garage. There must be a first time everyone has tried to remove them once. Do I get a reduced sentence?

The crank extractor works well, doesn’t it? Easy!

Thanks again.

4ags4 – you’ve got mail.

Thanks everyone (apologies, my pc keeps dying).

I’m in South Chilterns (Jct 18 of M25) – that’s a really kind offer Tracker1972. It’s a pain that I don’t have a tool as I’m secrtetly building a bike (transferring parts) for Mrs ononeorange and was hoping to really get a lot done this weekend.

Where did you manage to get the Simple from!!! If Cy ever gets any more in, I’d be tempted on the Middleburns.

Tragic. Maybe your new replacement one will help you….

Was it a Soul you got? New?

Enjoy!

Thanks both – Junkyard, really appreciate the offer, I’ve sent you an email.

Cheers!

Best instructor I’ve had was a real roadie, he used to have great music and never said much – he just got the class to really imagine the hills, climbs and sprints as if they were actually riding a real bike. He used to dim the lights and get you to really follow the music along the “road”. Excellent classes, used to go so quickly, you didn’t realise how hard you’d worked.

It’s really important to keep the rhythm, so you need music that doesn’t stop / change beat all the time. As others have said, don’t push it up so people can’t possibly do it all, and tell them how long the next climb / sprint etc is going to last, so they can judge how much to put into it.

Good luck – you’ll love it!

Cheers

WCA – did you replace just the bearings or the crank arms as well (I’m guessing just bearings at that price)?

I wasn’t suspecting bearings as it’s only since I removed cranks that the noise has started. No sign of play either.

Thanks all. Pretty sure I got the tension on the platsic thing right, it was ham-fistedness with a torque wrench not being in straight that got the bolts.

Looks like I need to replace them – any ideas where to get replacements / what size to ask for etc please?

Thanks for your help – appreciated!

No it doesn’t – I’m at work so can’t check but pretty sure it’s one of the previous alloy bodied jobbies

Great! it was bought new so it should fit.

Thanks Walleater

Agree with baldysquirt. We’re 2 stops in from Amersham, a great area. Right near the M25 too, but don’t know how long it would take in rush hour to Bagshot (never done it) and road works on that section of M25 due to start in earnest at end of this month. Great riding though (for the SE)!

I used to be like you; for me, I found that I could do nothing properly and used to detest trying and then feeling defeated, then tried half-heartedly, etc. However, a basic mechanics course in the lovely Yorkshire Dales and a bit of determination and I can now about 50% of things and feel great when I do something successfully. I admit that some basic things utterly defeat me still though – Hope rear hubs, setting up derailleurs, Avid pad changes come to mind there – but I suspect they’re mostly in the head. But generally a positive attuitude has helped enormously (as has a garage!). Just don’t get enough time, now.

I had something similar after bleeding my Hopes – although it was coming out when I pulled the lever too. It took a couple of weeks for the brake to stop working when all the fluid was out…..! A change of the diaphragm cured it.

Another vote for Hope hubs here (both Pro II and XC). All the things said above!

Cheers! Off to look at bike websites now….

Thanks everyone! A Ti Whyte would be nice, but yes there’s a budget….perhaps I’ll look at a 19.

IF – Independent Fabrications? I assume you have one Foxychick? What size are you running?

Same here. Have been after a Simple for the same reasons for a while, but it looks like going to Cotic at full whack when they get some more in. Common sense says no, but it’s hard to resist….! Help needed here too.

Cy – “We’ve had a complete nightmare getting hold of the new tubeset we’re needing to meet these dumb new CEN regs which means frames need to be about 5 times stronger than they have to be. I’m expecting lab test frames very soon, and once I have a crisp compliance certificate I can order some.”

Is it the same for the next batch of Souls and Simples too?

Agree with RudeBoy, above. All the media hype is being done to try to wind it up to give the authorities the “right” to act heavy-handedly.

Agree with fu_manchu. Love my Inbred s/s for blatting around the Chilterns. Perfect. Orange 5 reserved for places with big rocks and other scary things.

Had my CK hubs serviced by Mr Eichler (above) when I bought them off the classifieds, did a proper job very quickly and very reasonable.

Update: Great advice chaps! I’m now a convert to screw extractors and am preaching their worth to everyone I meet.

Put it this way, it took me longer to get the extractors out of their packaging than remove three totally rounded chainring bolts. Pop pop pop. Fantastic!

Cheers

New chain on at the weekend, carefully checked my SRAM 990 cassette (by eye), all looked fine, off I went, but the middle sprockets all jump like a crazy thing (despite looking like new-ish).

The moral of the story is put it on and try.

Thanks everyone that’s really helpful

Dibbs – what is it? Certainly bling!

Cheers fellas

Anyone else had the square taper cranks rounding off like chorlton above?

Stoner, what’s the chain tug in your pic please?

Cheers. Ordered.

I tried screwfix but couldn’t find ’em. Do they go under a different name, please?

Thanks guys. On to screwfix, and I think it’s drill buying time.

Tried the bigger Allen key and an impact driver – it’s just left a huge hole in the middle. Not sure what a spark eroder is, but quite sure I haven’t got one.

Looking like the whole flipping crank’s going to have to come off and away to the (not so) local bs with it…. A$*e!

Sorry to take this over, but I’ve just come in from rounding 3(!) – and they’re jsut below the surface of the chainring, so I can’t cut a slot in ’em. And I don’t havce a drill. Help! Any ideas?

OK. Usual caveats apply that this just is my personal view and shouldn’t necessarily be applied to anyone else etc etc.

1. My local terrain is not really “technical”;
2. My hardtail(s) are lighter than my FS;
3. My FS tends to wander a lot on climbs and is pretty vague on steering generally (even with forks wound right down).

Conclusion: I ride my HT’s about 95% of the time and generally enjoy riding them much more over the FS.

Took my Ti456 up to the Peak District at the weekend, whilst I was slightly slower over the technical stuff, it generally out-climbed my pals who were all on FS. Excellent fun, great bike. Swings, and, er, roundabouts, as stated elsewhere.

Just put one in the rear wheel of my singlespeed after 11 flipping punctures in 4 rides (yes, it’s hedge trimming time around here). So sick of punctures was prepared to experiment and out up with the extra weight. Used it once on an xc race and delighted to have no punctures – a first for some time! Time will tell though.

Good luck!