Good luck! My first one took me forever, but it’s a great feeling when you finish. Put up some pics when you’ve done.

Mine have names. I’m not a woman but my wife is.

A vote here for gunsmoke.

Have a couple of sets of Juicys, the older ones (not sure how old they are, they were second hand) get jammed up pretty regularly and now the new ones (on their second winter) are getting stuck. The backs seem the main culprit. I assumed that this was pretty normal for any disc brake ridden in the UK, but it sounds like Hayes (at least) don’t suffer. Any others which don’t?

Crystal Palace?

Sorry – idiotic question perhaps, but what exactly is “ghetto”?

Having had two punctures on my rear tyre of my singlespeed on Sunday, I can see the advantage of puncture-proofing in some cases.

Of my 4 bikes plus a tandem, only one (the P7) was off-the-peg. The other three have been frames that have had things put on them. And taken off. And put back on again. The tandem was bought as just a frame too. So I think that’s 80% home-built from me.

Hi iamtheresurrection. Probably interested in the frame – just need to check sizing, where are you based etc. Please can you email me directly rather than me blathering on on here?

Thanks guys. Very helpful. I did a search for the “show me your singlespeed ” thread but couldn’t find it, but I am a pc idiot!

Riding a Soul on a demo day this weekend, should be interesting.

Likewise – second dibs after brack if you do decide!
jamesandrews23ATyahoo.co.uk
Thanks

Ta andrewmoke. I’m trying very hard to resist a Simple!

Andrewmoke – did you ride a Cotic Simple? If so, what did you think?

I have 4 and yes, all of them. I love having the ability to ride quite (well, sort of) different bikes, it shows up the plusses and minuses across them and makes the same ride, well, different.

Orange 5 (tends to come out for trips north/rocky places)
Orange P7 (Gets used the most at present)
OnOne Ti 456 (still got a list of things to sort out owing to my mechanical ineptitude, mostly hubs, brakes and gears)
OnOne Inbred singlespeed made up of all sorts of spare bits

Used the s/s yesterday and had forgotten just how good it can be.

Sorry was out on the bike! Nickc – it’s because I rode a mate’s and was driven absolutely round the bend by the %***!%% thing changing gear when I was trying to brake. I swore never to touch them again. Rant over – basically I don’t get on with the combined gear change thing and don’t think I ever will.

Hmmm. I’m being driven nuts by my Juicys with endless pad and bleeding “issues”, but have always refused to contemplate Shimanos – perhaps I should re-think. Are they REALLY that much better?

Should be due soon then……

30 posts before someone said my most loathed phrase – “Back in the day” – somehow it always brings up an image of Gary Fisher looking smug.

Faffed and faffed about and have ended up with 4 different bikes, all how I thought I want them (built the last two up with carefully chosen kit etc). The problem now is that the recent ones make me realise that the first one really doesn’t handle well at all…….

Thanks everyone, that’s all really helpful.

I’ll have a crack this weekend and see where it goes.

Never removed calipers to change pads (and I run three sets of Avids on various bikes), but admittedly it’s a big faff and one of my most hated jobs. Bleeding them is also a pain, but they rarely need it.

Performance has been generally fine, although the oldest set of Juicy 7’s are now not what they were (perhaps I do need to bleed them then!). Not sure what I’d replace them with if I did. Sorry, can’t compare (which was the original question) with XT’s, I’ve never ridden any.

The best Cycle Surgery in London in my opinion is the Strype Street one – more mtb-orientated. But it’s off your route, it’s near Liverpool St station. depends how much time you’ve got, I suppose.

Thanks Dibbs. (Time to think up a new forum name again….!!).

Ah – d’oh! That’s inside the angle of the brake lever isn’t it? (Hangs head in shame….)

I’m with Tommytowtruck. Avid pads and front mechs. Just the site of an Avid pad-springy thing sends me onto a frenzy.

Wouldn’t dream of it. Loath car drivers.

I’m with you. Although for me it’s maximising staying-in-bed time. Saturday morning 7am ride with mates, out of bed and onto bike – never more than 10 minutes. I’ve found i actually weirdly quite like being woken up by a blast of freezing air (I live up a hill).

“I am not a number I am 32:16” for me

I changed the brakes on my 5, and tied the new cable to the old, pulled it through, and hey presto! – it fell off inside the swing arm. An hour of swearing and increasing desperation, until someone on here suggested using welding wire (the extremely decent fella even sent me some). Got that poked through in a flash, then used it to get the hose through. Phew!

My Juicy 5’s seem to have the same problem – one piston clamping the pad to the disc. Presumably exactly the same process?

Mine have suddenly apparently jammed at the back and like twosheds constantly rub the disc. No obvious need to bleed -they’re nice and firm. I tried pushing the pistons back in but they seem jammed. Can I get away with slopping fluid round them to free them up and then shoving them back in? Is this normal for Juicy’s by the way? If so, I can see it becoming a pain….

Takisawa2 – “It’s always there no matter how low life gets” – Spot on mate, captures it perfectly.

Got into it late, about 2001. Horrendous marriage break-up, sympathetic friend “bullied” (well a bit) me into trying it to get me doing stuff. I have been eternally grateful and never looked back. I just wish I’d started younger of course, especially when I was college in Sheffield.

Thought I was going to get stuck out in the cold and dark today. Had a superb South Downs Way ride in the ice, but got a little carried away and turned round with minimal time to get back to the car before dark – no lights, no map, made all the usual schoolboy errors. Didn’t fancy being stuck up there in the dark and for a while didn’t see any habitation. And does the sun go down quickly! Just made it, but I think that’s smartened me up a bit.