the whole chain drive thing (particularly with derailleurs) is hopelessly Heath Robinson and it’s a wonder it works at all – however it does seem to work better than all the alternatives…

I refer Mr. Barnes to exhibit A: the snubber, as seen above. :wink:

On the same shelf as the glass hammer, long weight and left-handed screwdriver I believe.

:lol:

You seem to be assuming that bicycles get dirty in some special way that requires NASA to be involved in cleaning them; they get a bit muddy and a bit greasy/oily in certain places, and the above household cleaners are perfectly adequate to deal with this.

Yes, but like anything you can make a tailored product to work better for a specific area. Fairy cleans dishes, but I wouldn’t clean my car with it due to the salt. Similarly, a hairdresser once advised me that washing-up liquid and shampoo are incredibly similar, but I can’t imagine L’oreal doing wonders while cleaning my drivetrain. Apart from maybe coating it in wash n’go teflon.

You can clean your bike using WD40 as it’s a solvent and water-dispersant which shifts grime wonderfully, but there’s no way that’s going near my brake rotors. Or my hair, come to that.

Horses for courses – there are items in this world that are fuelled by marketing hype, but legally there has to be some benefit to any ‘advance’ that a company shouts about, and the laws on this are very strict. Consequently I would use a bike specific cleaner because the chances are that it has been tailored to work with the delicate plastics and carbon fibre on my bike, that Fairy may not like. You may see that as stupid, but I’ve invested significant funds in my bike and wish to look after it – to me that’s worth a few quid for some pink squirty stuff to use with the Dirtworker.

We used Finish Line citrus degreaser for everything when I worked in a shop.

Went down a treat with some gin and a cocktail stick as well as doing a fine job on the dishes.

No lather though in the bath, which was a shame. :(

Bought the rubber duck up a treat though. :D

Just had a chat with the shop that I got mine from – seems they may be Stans Olympics, for their own range of rims.

Bikewhisperer – I didn’t know that. If this doesn’t work then it would seem to make sense to invest in Mavics.

Angeldust – one of these bad boys?

Finish Line pink stuff or Kaaboom!

Both watered down, both seem pretty OK so far.

Nearest I’ve found so far are the Mavics on my 819s which have a nice block profile, but again mine don’t have removable cores, which isn’t so useful.

And they’re on my other bike… ;-)

I store my bikes in the spare room.

(sometimes)

:oops:

What does the wife teach?

Wife? Ha! ;-) She teaches primary.

Cardiff, great mix of awesome riding, city life angst sea good for surf. Perfect. Oh and house prices still good too or they are compared to where I live!!!

Looking at Cardiff as an option – would have to be the city too. Pimpette lived in one of the villages on the south coast of Wales near Cardiff for a few years as a nipper. While she enjoyed it, her Mum was discriminated against because she’s English. Really can’t be bothered with that.

Thurso and a thick wetsuit. :-)

World class surf…

Not the easiest place to get to tho – but then I suppose that’s half the charm. ;-)

I need to sort the SS out.

Only bike I’ll ride during the winter unless heading out somewhere on a ‘big’ ride.

If I didn’t have that winter riding would be a lot more of a chore. Instead it’s strangely fun…

Serious case of man-flu is now imminent. ;-)

If Slovenia is an option, what are you waiting for? Such a fantastic country.

Grown up stuff like working out how to afford to live once there, selling the flat and not speaking Slovenian. :-(

I’ve lived in Croatia though and loved it – the language is a difficult one but it’s a stunning area with fantastic riding. Surf is very limited though and the Balkans are still dodgy – while I was in Croatia (2004) the army were still on standby to go back out there.

It’s an option to chuck at the missus.

Another vote for Bristol or other places in the West Country. Easy access to the coast and to lots of singletrack. Large number of creative companies and lots of investment in the schools – lots of academies and public schools in Bristol, so salaries may be better than state sector.

I’ve stayed down in Brizzel too – loved it. Probably wouldn’t live in the city now, but love the area.

On which note, anyone know anything about Nether Stowey?

Slovenia is an option…

Where are you both originally from?

Essex and Sussex. No wish to go back to either.

Get a Wingnut. ;-)

Still met some lovely blokes at the start of the ride who rode me :-)

Thankful for small mercies, eh?

Lubed up Hooker? 8O

Awful news.

Thoughts with friends and family. :-(

Found the problem – gaping hole between the Stans valve and the rim.

Now I need to find a compatible valve…

+1 for Archilles Last Stand.

And +1 for Waiting Room.

And +1 for Debaser.

Bit too far down the beaten path, and a real shame about the Little Thief’s actions – I think that’s a good reason to boycott their other restaurants.

Anybody got anything a little further up the A303?

I have to admit to being intrigued by Heston’s Little Thief.

That could be a goer…

Git! He told me he loved me.

Or would we just perhaps rely on the aircraft permanently stationed there? Seems easier…

We have an airbase in Argentina? What a stroke of genius. ;-)

Wingnut.

Or if you want a ‘proper’ rucsack, you’d be hard-pressed to go wrong with a Deuter. I’ve had three and would happily have three more.

Bought my Dialled PA frame second-hand for £150 as a bit of an experiement a few months back.

I like it and want to get the newer, lighter version so will be selling the current one soon (probably) – if it sounds interesting, make me an offer. :-)

I disagree. It limits us massively as an expeditionary force and means we’d have to rely on NATO/septic tanks for air support.

What would happen if the Argentine sabre-rattling that happens every time the Junta fear uprising actually came to something? Would the French or Americans let us borrow a carrier to take some Sea Harriers down to the South Atlantic?

Well maybe not any man. She’d get laid though 100%.

Pictures!

Rant, dammit!

Needless to say, this was not an easy decision to make and I have thought long and hard about its implications but, as selfish as it actually sounds, I feel I need to end this chapter of my life and begin a new one on my own with my own ambitions and this unfortunately means I cannot continue in the pretense of a happy relationship.

Dude, if you need to do it then you need to do it. It is horrible, but sometimes these things need to be done. Well done for actually finishing the relationship rather than let it stagnate over a longer period of time – it’s not an easy thing to do.

no it is a ‘which is the best cheap vfm bike brand’ thread
that’s Genesis.

+2

I’m not really fat.

uplink – I’m assuming that’s OK on bike tyres? I know some manufacturers are a little funny about sealants and similar chemicals because they can damage the tyre (and obviously a bike tyre and a car tyre are not totally the same).

One of my exes was a particularly successful 69er set-up.

Oh – you mean bikes? Well, that still sort of works…

glenh – I’ve been running UST totally dry for about five years. While I’ve only had a few punctures, I do lose air slowly in one wheelset.

The second UST wheelset I’ve just bought has a very leaky rear rim, so it seemed like a good idea to start running sealant, which should also solve all slow leaky problems.

However, re-inflating the tyres containing Stans on these new rims last night is where I’ve started getting problems. Previously I’ve only once had to resort to using a compressed air cart with a new Conti on a Mavic 819 (dry).

So not technically ‘converting’, more switching to running sealant.

ChrisE – nice tip!

Yeap, older tyres.

Not sure what the leak is – I *think* it’s a less than perfect seal on the rim (there’s minor rim damage to the rear rim). One reason for going Stans is to see whether it fixes it.

The front rim is fine though.

I like the idea of the tube – that’s tonight’s mission.

(and I think I’ll get a compressor anyway – the idea of new tools is always exciting)

Shimano 776 UST + Maxxis LUST HR 2.35s

Exactly what I’m running.

TIme to go back to the drawing board then.

:lol: