Hi Oldagedpredator, yeah if I cant get a direct replacement Large Slant anymore, I’m liking the look of the Giro Phase, at 66 quid from CRC – looks like a decent helmet…

Hi Realman, good thought! I know some manufacturers have a crash replacemnet programme, but I don’t think Bell are one of them – at least I googled it and nothing came up!

I ordered some knee pads from CRC on 13th August, and they’re currently expected in stock 4th October. But thats beaten by a cassette removal tool I ordered from Wiggle in June, and they expect back in stock sometime in November!
How long does it take a factory to make this stuff for crying out loud!!
Sorry – I know the original post was about delivery times, not re-stocking, but it gave me an opportunity to vent my frustration….

I have Ergons on my hybrid, and really appreciate having another hand position. However, Mrs. Perth caught her bar ends on a tree once and took a very nasty tumble which split her helmet in two, so I won’t have them on my MTB as I do a lot of twisty turny forest tracks.

Sancho, gotta say that distributors in general are an endangered species – its just evolution – the supply chain is flattening out! Manufacturers have a role to play, and so do retailers, but distributors are an anachronism from the days when you couldn’t fly to Shanghai to talk to the factory personally, didn’t have supply chain logistics companies to drop ship the product, and couldn’t speak to an international customer base over the internet. They’ve all but disappeared in my industry, and IMHO its high time they did in the bicycle component industry as well, as they just make it more expensive for us consumers, and add little value.

Interesting to see the discussion above about the economics/business strategy/future of LBS in the UK. I’m in Australia, and we’ve seen the independent LBS all but wiped out over the last decade, to be replaced by large national chains who work on a different business model. They do have the purchasing power to get good discounts from wholesalers, centralise their maintenance to a few regional workshops, have moved into ‘own brand’ bikes, rationalise their stock to just the stuff they know sells well and has decent margins, and utilise all the latest consumer marketing/loyalty techniques like email newsletters, sales for regular customers etc. like CRC and Wiggle do.

Do you have this yet in the UK? Seems to me its probably the only way to go to compete with the online retailers, but it does mean the end of the friendly local ‘alladins cave’ of bicycle bits LBS that we all know and love…

Geoffj, I’m afraid Beinbhan is right – that’s Perth Western Australia, not Scotland. Still, it gives me a chuckle every time one of my posts on STW is greeted by fake Scottish accents! It also explains why I’m posting at what must be the middle of the night for most of you – no, its not insomnia.

Lots of good advice above, thanks guys. Now appreciate I’ll have to add some other form of training than cycling if I want to reach that body beautiful I aspire to :-)

Never been one for weights, so maybe I can do a bit more swimming to counteract the tree trunk legs but teeny weeny shoulders & chest that cycling seems to leave me with.

Will try upping the diet also, and particularly add more protein to feed the muscles – weird having to go against all that healthy eating doctrine thats been drummed into me for so many years! Good start this morning with a huge bowl of porridge made with full fat milk, honey, and a sliced banana – maybe I am turning Scottish afterall?!?

My only advice – don’t do it if you’ve got (or are planning to have) young children – get something more docile instead – like a guinea pig!

Hi Jeffus – 6’4″, was 105kg, but got down to 88kg.

Disappointed to hear cycling won’t help me develop that six pack – are all cyclists scawny stick insects then :(

Ok, predictable responses :D

wwaswas – I did get worried that I really was sick, so went to the doctor and got all the usual tests (don’t want to repeat that prostate one in a hurry 8O ) but have been pronounced fit!

Guess I’ve just been overweight since I discovered beer at the age of eighteen, and now I’m returning to my natural physique of a stick insect.

Don’t really want to waste all the exercise I’m doing tho’, so would like to lay on a bit of muscle to see me through the flabbly years – so, thanks, but I think marzipan and toffee crunch would just give me a short term sugar high – I’m looking for something that’ll give me longer term muscle development…

Worth measuring the chain yourself first, just to make sure the LBS isn’t ripping you off. Chains are one inch per full link, so measure out twelve full links and it should be one foot. If its more than one percent over this then yes, technically it’s stretched. But, you normally replace a stretched chain at 0.75% wear to prevent it damaging the cassette. If LBS says your cassette is already worn by the chain, and you’re not experiencing any ill effects, then you may as well run them both into the ground until you do, and then replace them IMHO.

I got these Wiggle[/url] and have been very happy with them. Mavic double eyeletted rims, Deore hubs, 36 spokes, take up to 47mm tyres – and cheap too!

My faves…

‘Tramping’ (as the Kiwis call it) the Routeburn & Milford tracks.

Sea kayak safari in the Abel Tasman national park

Paragliding in Queenstown

Flight up onto Mount Cook – ski plane landing on the glacier – snowball fight in mid-summer

So they couldn’t find a white or red chainset anywhere – shame!

I could see that backpeddaling would do it when the chain is flapping all over the place on a bumpy descent – but why would you do that?

If its just a gift certificate for b’day shouldn’t be a problem – thats your money you’re using! But if its discount vouchers you’re trying to use together, check the T&Cs – most say only one voucher per order, and can’t be used in combination with any other offer.

When does the chain fall off? When changing down to the granny, or just when going down a teeth rattling descent? I used to have the chain overshoot the granny as I changed down occasionally, but replaced my triple FD with a double specific one and haven’t had it happen since.

Great – crosses chain device off the CRC wishlist…

So if the chain on my 2×9 setup doesn’t come off – there’s no advantage in having one?

Sorry to ask what may be a dumb question, but what’s the purpose of a lower chain device on a twin chainring setup, like the picture above?

S’obvious innit? A high proportion of the original settlers were religious fanatics escaping persecution back in Europe. They’ve managed to grow and prosper in the relatively tolerant climate of the US, and pass their beliefs onto future generations. They’ve also learnt the lessons of their less fortunate compatriots back home well, and have made sure they keep close to the seat of power so they won’t get marginalised again.

Turin, to answer your original question, “just over 40 when I finish it” is not too old. I’m 48 and six months into my PhD. Like you, I tried to get work in my field after my Masters but I couldn’t find a job (and yes, I do think age had something to do with it!), so took the PhD as the backup option.

I don’t think the PhD will make me any more employable, and in fact agree with others above that it might make me less employable. However, it’s a guaranteed income for three years, and can take the pressure off whilst you continue to look for a job.

I have chosen my topic carefully so that it keeps me close to industry, rather than locking myself away in an ivory academic tower for three years, and I’ve joined every industry body and go to every industry event thats going, to keep up the networking. For someone our age, I think we’re much more likely to get a job through personal recommendation and networking than through a CV sent in response to a job ad. So, my advice would be to take the guaranteed income, but at the same time step up the job search and get stuck into some good old fashioned ‘networking’. Hopefully you’ll get offered a job along the way, and can then ditch the PhD or go part time. If you don’t, then I don’t think you’d be any worse off, and you’d have that nice piece of paper to be proud of!

Whinosp – anything you import into Oz that’s over AU$1,000 value, will be charged 10% GST and an admin fee (and that includes your personal belongings when you emigrate!)

Though bikes are indeed cheaper in the UK, once you add delivery charge (Wiggle & CRC free delivery thresholds don’t apply to bikes) and GST, you’re usually pretty close to being the same price. And it all depends on where the dollar/pound rate is by the time you’re over here and ready to buy. Finally, you have to factor in you’ve you’ve got a ‘grey’ import, so may have problems with warranty and second hand value – the model specs are different in Oz & some common brands in the UK just aren’t well known over here.

Components are different – they are about twice the price in Oz, can be shipping free, and don’t attract GST if you split your orders into less than AU$1000 bundles – and an XT crank is an XT crank no matter which country you bought it from. Thats why so many of us buy components from CRC & Wiggle these days, but very few buy whole bikes.

Code is 20OFF-CYCAUS and its 20% off list, and you have to spend over AU$150. It’s running until the end of this month.

Oooops! That’s Wiggle who are doing the 20% deal for Oz customers at the moment, sorry.

A lot of us in Oz use CRC & Wiggle rather than local online stores. There are local ones, but why use them when there’s less choice, they’re more expensive, and they still charge postage and it takes about a week to arrive! Wiggle do free postage to Oz for orders over AU$80, and CRC have so many customers over here they now bill direct in AU$ (don’t lose money on the exchange) and have Oz specific promotions – tell you’re mate they are doing 20% off with an Australia specific code at the moment…

Good advice bigyin, but alas, too late for me – pedal already back on the bike. But I did wipe off all old grease and liberally applied new stuff before re-assembling…

For those kind enough to give me advice a week ago, I thought I’d post a quick update…

Little Shimano plasticky axle removal tool (as pictured above by Julain Wilson) arrived at LBS today, right on time, and was mine for the princely sum of three quid.

Took the pedal apart, tightened up the cone on the bearings a little, added a bit of locktite blue to the locknut to stop it losening again, and re-assembled. Took about half an hour all up, and cost three quid!

So, I’d say M520 pedals are definitely serviceable, and the essential tools required are:-
15mm pedal spanner
Shimano TL-PD40 axle removal tool
10mm and 7mm spanners (for cone and locknut respectively)
A bit of grease, and a dab of loctite blue

Note, you don’t need the expensive bearing adjustment tool (as pictured above by Dibbs), at least not for the M520s.

I also have to say that having seen the engineering, number of components, and obvious thought that’s gone into the internals of a relatively cheap pedal, I have a new respect for the guys at Shimano, and the price they sell them for!

So, what are you waiting for guys – rainy weekend – get servicing those pedals….

Quick answer to quick poll – yes.

Long answer – I put something ultra grippy on the front when its wet & muddy, but the rest of the time I can’t be bothered to carry all that weight & drag around, so I put on a light & slim fast roller.

I live in a country where they do charge you for an ambulance ride – trauma department, certainly sir, will that be cash or credit card? Hasn’t stopped me crashing my brains out each weekend….yet.

I can go one better – I’m in my forties with a family to support and back at Uni!

Overall I’ve found it an invigorating experience to get away from the daily grind and pervading cynicism of work, and learn something new again, amongst a group of people who are enthusiastic (if a little naiive) about what they’re doing.

Admittedly, it was a bit of a jolt to the old grey cells to get back into the learning routine – had to take a couple of refresher courses on the basics, practice skills like writing essays, and start off slowly, but now I’m in the swing of it I’m consistently the class swot (as you point out – there’s a major difference second time around when you have made a conscious decision to study and are enthusiastic about the subject!)

Universities nowdays also are much more flexible about how you learn. There’s a lot more options within the courses, part time or fulltime, lectures or distance learning, and assessed coursework rather than exams (they’re just as bad as first time around!)

Best thing about it all is that as a ‘mature’ student you get to hit on the staff and the cute 20 year olds :wink:

Downsides? Well, you’re gonna have to live on a student budget again, and this can be tough, particularly if your circle of friends are all enjoying the lifestyle that a good middle aged salary can offer. Also, be careful to pick a course that moves your life forwards, not just opting out for a couple of years – you’ll be back where you started in three years, just older, poorer, and less employable! Unless you come out with a recognised new skill, future employers won’t share your enthusiasm for the learning journey, and will look at you with suspicion.

I could go on… but I’ll clear the airwaves for other’s opinions…so, short answer is – yes, it could possibly be the best thing you’ve ever done.

SRAM make twist shifters for both SRAM mechs and Shimano mechs. The XO is for SRAM, but the Attack is for Shimano.

I’ve used the 9 speed attack on my hybrid for about five years now, and they’re excellent. You can get ergon grips in shorter gripshift size to go with them, which make a good combination. Only issue I had was the ‘Amy’ grips on the attack were too small for my large sweaty hands, so I changed them for the XO grips – yes the grips are interchangeable even tho the XO shifters themselves SRAM only, and the attack Shimano only.

Considering changing the SLX trigger shifters on my hardtail for attack now, specially considering CRC are selling a pair at the silly price of 17.50 !!

Don’t they stretch more – mild steel versus stainless?

Great – have ordered the PD40 plasticky axle removal tool from LBS, they say about a week, and then I’ll be able to operate on my loose pedal…

Thanks bigyinn, that sounds promising! In fact I had a look at the exploded view of the M520 in the Shimano tech docs a few minutes ago, and it doesn’t look like they have the recessed locknut that requires the ridiculously expensive shimano tool – so hopefully once I’m in there, a quick tighten with a cone spanner will do it…

Yeah I know its pretty cheap to just replace them, and in fact I’ve got a new set waiting in the spares box, but…

They’ve only done 800kms, and I’m hoping its just a loose locknut rather than bearing wear – I do tend to bash them on rocks quite often! So I’d like to give it a go – even if its just on principle!

So, will invest in the ‘couple of quid’ axle removal tool, and will have a go with assorted spanners & pliers when I see what’s under there rather than get the 53 quid bearing adjustment tool – cripes!

Thanks for the help guys…

Deviant (or anyone else who knows) – what is an SLX 2 x 10 chainset? Is it the M665 with ten speed rings on, if so which rings do you use?Or have Shimano launched a 2 x 10 variant? I currently have the 2 x 9 SLX M665 and thinking of upgrading to 2 x 10, which is why I’m asking…

I have two sets of wheels for my hybrid – one with nobblies and a mountain cassette, ‘tother with narrow slicks and road cassette. Set chain length for the mountain cassette, and chain length won’t be an issue. So long as they are both 9 speed (or both ten speed)then chain width won’t be a problem either. Shimano’s ‘normal’ RDs are better at handling different ranges of cassettes, the shadow ones like to be adjusted very close to the sprockets. To njee20 – advantage of a road cassette is granularity in the gears – its nice to have the small steps of a road cassette to keep cadence at the optimum level.

Nicely said farm-boy! I just don’t recognise the Perth I live in from some of the descriptions above. And, as someone who spent a few hours on the trails this weekend – kudos to you for the trailbuilding. The Kalamunda circuit will be awesome when its finished!