I had a Lezyne micro caddy which looked knackered after a couple of rides and only lasted about 4 months after which the zip broke. I only opened it about 5 times too.

That was replaced with an Ortlieb mud racer which seems bomb-proof but has only had a little bit of use so far. First impressions are that it is much better build and design-wise.

For which one???!!!!

The suspense is killing me.

I'm probably about to buy one of these[/url]. Having spent the past few weeks looking at the same bikes mentioned above and that Planet X one in particular I think I've settled on the Focus.

Cool, I'm in too. It's going to go one of two ways – either I lose interest after a couple of weeks or it becomes all consuming and I find myself trawling match reports, rumours and last minute team news for hours on end at the expense of any hope of a full and normal life. Again.

Good stuff, I've just ordered a set of the UE MetroFi 220 for £17 – thanks for the tip.

Paul

Thanks chaps, I wouldn't have looked at some of those. The Titans seem about right – I'll have a proper look tonight.

Cheers
Paul

Yes, but only if you rotate it so the bottom edge is on the right hand side.

I've found that they work pretty much as well as each other, which is very well, but the Torq strawberry flavour tastes much nicer than any other recovery drink that I've tried.

The plates that the cleat bolts go into are usually in a little plastic bag rather than fitted but should come with the shoes.

It's the other way around for me – after years of hankering after all manner of guitars, effects and amps, bikes are replacing guitars in my life. Once I sell my Big Apple Strat I'll only have a slightly older Strat and a cheap acoustic left.

I just find myself riding more than strumming and it seems a waste to have things not being used.

Guesstimate.

Give one of the crystal type ones like Pitrok a go. It works for me.

I've got a 16" on pre-order too, I think they look great.

Do the frames come with SS and geared dropouts?

They come with geared dropouts and you have to buy the ss ones separately.

I've got a lockring remover and chainwhip, HTII tool and one of these which may be able to do octalink cups too.

I'm in Port Talbot (only just off the M4) so not quite the Barry area but you're welcome to use them if they're of any help. Send me an email.

Paul

Outside foot down when cornering. And emphasise looking well ahead too.

The World Cup was over for me the moment I was born in Neath to Welsh parents.

I reckon Mexico will win this one. But then I said that England would get to the semis this morning.

Good stuff, thanks chaps. It seems to be all good news for these frames at the moment.

Any more thoughts on these frames from owners? Anyone done some longer rides on them?

I've got an urge to build up a new bike and am flitting between different frames – earlier in the week it was a Ti hardtail and today it's the carbon 456!

Very nice indeed, I really like the subtle look of it. Hope it rides well too, I'm sure it will!

Interesting to see more Ti builds – I'm looking at building up a Ti hardtail too, Enigma Ego is favourite at the moment. Where did you get the seatpost/clamp and stem from?

That's just the sort of info I'm after, thanks bloodynora. After riding my rigid steel ss for a while I just can't get back on with my full sus. Did you buy direct from Enigma?

I've only tried some Maximuscle stuff and Torq strawberries and cream and have stuck with the Torq. Tastes lovely and I am amazed at how much it helps reduce muscle soreness. On the downside it is a bit pricey.

Loft insulation is easy enough to do yourself, plenty of guides online. If you call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 then they can tell you if there are any subsidised insulation schemes in your area, they're usually targeted at the elderly etc but you never know.

Latest savings from memory are around £350 per year (based on a 3 bed semi with family use I think) for loft and CWI. You should really notice a difference with it done.

I've got a 06 (I think), the one with the ally rear triangle, not sure how the geometry of the later frames differs. I'm 5'8" with a 30" inside leg and have a small size frame.

If you're around South Wales then you're welcome to try it for size.

Paul

All packed now, can't wait to get going. I was pleased with how light it all was until I put in the food and water.

I can only see a blank post form vinnyeh so

Nothing to say – Soundgarden

Wow, good thread. I used to do a similar thing with a friend via email when bored at work.

I'm going to try to only use songs in my itunes, not sure how this is in there but…….

Hayes Carll – She left me for Jesus

It was that or My Iron Lung (iron is magnetinc, innit)

I used Bikehike[/url] to plot the route and have bodged a free download of Mapsource to upload it to the GPS. I'm going to give Quo a try later on, it looks a cracker – thanks for the link.

Yes! Success after repeated attempts to install the correct driver and to figure out which COM port it was using. Now just to figure out how to upload a track to the thing.

It's got a USB cable rather than a serial one

I've tried the updates, set it to demo etc but the updater returns an error saying it's unable to find anything connected so I can't finish installing the drivers. I think that it is a driver problem though, a bit more work to do tonight then.

Thanks for the replies.

I was getting pinch flats, presumably as more of the force that would normally go through the suspension was going throught the tyre. Not sure if the logic is correct and it probably speaks more for my lack of finesse than anything. Plus tubless is just better, innit.

I did with mine, and singlespeedededed it for good measure. I enjoyed it for some of the reasons stated above and because it was something different from my normal full sus. Get as big a (preferably tubeless) tyre on the front as you can too.

Really neat looking system and it works a treat, seems better than the Avid Flak Jackets I've used before.

Installation isn't that fiddly although I found that a couple of cable stops were a bit tight for the plastic ferules so had to scrape away some excess paint.

They are a bit tight with the outer – I had just enough for my small Yeti ASR-sl and the over the top packaging annoyed me more than it should have too.

The new mats are in at Alpkit. Do I go for an Airo 120 or 180? Decisions, decisions.

Yep, just under the sofa!

Definitely easier to plan the route with a mug of tea, pencil and map. You need a bigger floor than in my front room to see it all though, I'm off to the garden!

I've got 2.2 Conti Race Kings on my 2005 with the alu rear. Not much room left though.

I'm looking at the same thing – it's a toss up between the Etrex h and Geko for me. Or an old etrex from ebay. I don't think I'll go too far wrong with any of them.

I'm really looking forward to this now but my first stab is coming in at way more than 130 miles. Hmmm, more work to do.

How are you plotting your routes and navigating during the event? Paper maps or computer and GPS?

Yep, all part of the energy hierarchy. Reduce demand –> improve efficiency –> generate from renewables, in that order.

ASHP's aren't the most efficient things despite manufacturers claims, CoP's closer to 2 seem more the norm. Didn't they used to be called air assisted electric heaters? There should be some independent heat pump data coming out in a few months or so. Insulation and air tightness, as unsexy as they are, are the really important things to get right.

Going back to the OP, I reckon (evacuated tube) solar thermal to heat water is a good idea particularly for green rather than financial motives. Although the renewable heat incentive due next year covers it, at least in the consultation I think, so there could be an additional income from that depending how the scheme is implemented. Vented or unvented? – if the Navitron and builders forum don't help then find some local installers and have a chat.