Reminds me of the time our CTC group was passing through a small town and one of a group of young lads on the pavement took off after us. Came screaming by and the man on point accelerated to keep up with him.

Speeds increased until the 15 year old realised that in fact he was not going to outrun the 75 year old and made a sharp exit at the next T junction.

Saving mesen for Tweedlove on Sat.

Belgom Alu or, if not available, Peek.

Fix a new frame internally with a "good door" in it but leave the old one so that it does not look like security has been increased.

There's nothing suggested here that we haven't all read about before in magazines and the like so I don't think thievery will be encouraged.

It used to be possible to get a hacksaw "blade" that was actually a bit wire coated in some abrasive substance )possibly carborundum) and a friend, eventually, cut through a u-lock with one. Can't see a safety problem with a sensibly used and protected angle grinder unless there is a particular fire hazard but why would they let you keep a bike in such an atmosphere.

Jolly good.

As, to my surprise, you seem to be using my route I suppose I had better turn up. What is start time at C and B? I am unlikely to be there much before 7.

Lookin’ oot the windae I am tempted to suggest an alternative route. Leave shop, cycle uphill, turn left in to Cask and Barrel.

No grot as the engine had not longsince been stripped for new big ends. Wouldn't explain the disappearance either but basically I agree with what you say generally.

I would definitely advise against full synthetic in an older type motor – they just aren't designed for it.

A pal put synthetic in his CBX and it showed signs of discomfort one night so he stopped to check and found a dry dipstick – the oil had simply disappeared. Tolerances too great I suspect. That cost another crank rebuild – not cheap with a six.

More to the point, why does it seem to be impossible to get the 2.35 Presta tubes fitted as original to my Orange? They are obviously made, but not available as aftermarket, even the Kenda importers don't do them.

I was visiting one of our offices and saw someone with his lunch roll and asked if that really was a scotch pie in there. No he said, lifting the top to reveal a complete pie supper.

Magic, I'm sure the Earl would have approved.

£7 per day but cost will be split so not quite so bad.

The GT development is not to serve mountainbike users only (personally I agree with enduro-aid and feel it will completely ruin the atmosphere) but is intended to serve "tourist" activity in the Borders. "Please remove your dirty boots before entering"?

Let's hope we don't get a chain moving in to the cafe, no doubt rental will go sky high.

It depends what Angela is, a four stroke single presumably ("Thumper"), but air or water cooled and Japanese or British/Indian? What grade is recommended? What use is she put to?

The oil manufacturers would have us believe that modern car oils contain an additive that causes clutch slip when used in a motorcycle with shared engine/transmission.

I once made the mistake of putting car oil in a Montesa clutch and it not only slipped but wouldn't free off either. But then Duckhams Q in those days was strange stuff with a colour and smell all of its own so who knows what it was made of.

I've no personal experience but a pal runs old British four strokes in competition and buys the cheapest oil he can get but changes it frequently. I haven't heard from him of any problems over about twenty years or so.

More info required really.

Ref Hinckley, I recall a magazine article yonks ago on one of the original triples that had been run by a dispatcher for about 80,000 miles with no oil changes. They stripped it and measured it and there was no intolerable wear. Can't remember which mag it was but I'd like to get a hold of it now.

I was told, through a professional source, that the problem arises due to repeated squeezing causing the surface to "break" thus releasing chemicals. We've all heard the cracking sound from these bottles if you squeeze them in and out.

I have, in the past, seen glove sellers suggest sending a drawing of the hand (run a pencil round it)so they can get the size right. I suppose a scan could be used nowadays?

I managed to rescue mine using Loctite – worth a try first?

I sought advice from Loctite when my stoker failed to recognise a pedal unscrewing and the crank thread ended up cream crackered. To my surprise this has worked successfully for hundreds of miles over several years.

I expected something more exotic but they suggested 243 which you can get anywhere.

Cheapest, and it seems to be fairly harmless, but very effective is Elbow Grease for £1 at Semi Chem. Also works on clothes. Diesel does a good job on chains but leaves a residue which may not suit squirt.

You also need to be able to keep Wednesday evenings free!

And I can recommend "Silence of the Trams" on you tube.

I find Radio 7 is good for reliving my youth spent listening to radio comedy.

Rarebit?

Because it doesn't lubricate?

No point in having a lube that leaves things very clean if it does not have adequate lubricating properties.

Without seeing it on a head it is not possible to tell the detail but the pink one [/i]seems to offer as much forehead protection as anything else – more to the side of the head and a lot more to the rear of the head than many?

I think the Tandem Club includes insurance as well now (no obligation to have a tandem as far as I know).

Yes, a good run. Unfortunately work computer won't allow me to see the photos. Is the one of the errant derailleur there as I'm having difficulty explaining it to fellow cyclists in here?

In the same way that a boffin once worked out mathematically how to remove a shirt from under a jacket I still think it could be proven to be mathematically impossible for the chain to do what it did.

The map on the thread referred to looks like it could be useful but my knowledge of the technology is not up to getting it to display in a meaningful way.

All I get is symbols and a reference to each down the side of the map. Is there a way to get the names to appear on the map so that I don't have to laboriously go through them clicking one by one to cross refer to my OS map?

Is the company problem really with towing rather than the bar itself? A bar fitted with no ball can't tow but can take a rack. Speak to the boss?

Manufacturer approved method for a motorcycle helmet is to use baby shampoo but it takes a week to dry out. Not a problem with the much lower material bulk of the cycle helmet.

I was heading for Innerleithen anyway but the gang have cried off so I can take two if need be. I don't really want to fight the traffic in to and out of town so if anyone wants a lift from the west of Edinburgh I can oblige.

Off to the pub shortly so best to call me on zero double seven eight nine 874900.

I know a genius who got something like 40 in to a much longer van (Fiat I think) but they were all old knackers whose condition did not matter. Can't see how it could reasonably be done but if Glenp has then I won't argue about it.

But I was jolly sure no bike of mine would have gone in those vans after Pedal for Scotland.

The last quote I got for supply and fix a towbar, a couple of years ago, was £165 so it can't cost too much to get a pro to just wire in a plug for you.

Blockers are pointless as a group of young thieves with a stolen bike that they intend to torch when they have had their fun will lift it over anything as they don't have to worry about damaging it.

And beware of the midgies in the evening.

I just got my pal with the lathe to drill the right size screw then used plastic tube (B&Q) and a syringe (scrounged).

There are several imperial thread sizes with different spanners to suit.

I would guess that most on a bike are Cycle thread but dim and distant memory of when I was young is that there can be differing types on one bike, but I'm happy to be corrected on that.

Martinxyz – you may find that the foreign guys are waving. "Sur le continent" the throttle hand is the inside hand so they tend to just dip the left hand down a bit whereas we, because we have to use the inside hand, tend to raise it prominently.

They also tend to take the right foot off as acknowledgement when they overtake.

There was a guy making a small fortune with one at a pound a go on Douglas prom a few years ago. And the distance was only about 3 or 4 bike lengths. Funnily enough the no-hands seems to be difficult to initiate.

If you are getting a "newer" frame then fine but why the bullshit. Are we really expected to believe that, rather than take one off the line, they go to the effort of building a different frame for warranty replacements?