I changed the bearings on my 2005 Trance. Is pretty easy if you know your way round a tool kit.

From experience, change them earlier rather than later. The reason being if, like me, you leave them long enough so one collapses and the inner race comes out it can be a nightmare to get out. However as long as they come out in one bit everything is easy enough, same as changing any other bearing.

I agree. I commute 7 miles a day total and that’s bad enough.

I’d like to think that was a troll, but I doubt it.

My commute this morning nicely disproved the “No such thing as bad weather, only bad kit” thing. The only waterproof thing that proved to be actually waterproof was my bag cover. Everything else didn’t last long. I don’t mind so much in January, but in mid May it’s rather annoying.

I’m going camping/riding the first week and a half of June, so not expecting it to get better….. sorry.

I have lived on my own for over 2 years now, completely out of choice. I’ve always liked being able to be on my own if I wanted to be. It suits my work shifts (75hrs a week night shift, week on/week off). Also had a bit of a cr*p experience sharing a flat which hasn’t helped my attitude to sharing again.

I’ve never had a problem occupying myself through the summer, it’s the winter months where I find my self at a loose end, which inevitably ends with alcohol and/or feeling miserable.

Norco XXXX from 2007. Looked good, looked like it should be brilliant, it wasn’t! Horrible thing!

Close second goes to my SX Trail. Built up with all sorts of tarty/expensive stuff, looked fantastic, and didn’t really do anything that wrong. However it never felt like it was anything special, it was a bit boring to be honest. Annoyed me that I had just swapped my 2006 bighit for it, which was one of the best bikes I’ve owned.

I tried the Windows8 release client for a while before it was released. I didn’t find it too bad to be honest. I can see how it would work very well on tablets/touch screen PCs/phones etc. but for anyone who does more than basic tasks (web browsing etc) it just seems to get in the way on a ‘normal’ PC. I’ll be sticking with windows7 for the foreseeable future.

Mind if you want something really horrible to use, try Ubuntu’s head-up-display system.

Saw that last night. Quite interesting. I cant remember Farmer Johns Cousin tyres, but did have a Farmer Johns Nephew on the front of my Giant around 1998. I do remember it being pretty useless in most conditions.

Wish my commute was that nice!

It is too nice to be at work, so I’m off to Innerleithen for the day. I’m even taking sun cream with the intent of actually needing it….. No I don’t believe it either!

IMO 321s are superb value. They are always on offer from somewhere on the net, are really easy to build, and are strong enough for pretty much everything. Me and my mate both used them in the alps a few years back and they didn’t budge at all, even after some talent/skill failure moments.

I’m not as bad at hoarding bits now, I’ve started on hoarding bikes instead.

That said I still have several hubs of varying quality, sh*t loads of spokes, tyres, and a load of small parts for stuff I don’t own any more.

My pikes were run open all the time. I turned the lock out and u-turn adjusters a few times a year to make sure they still worked, thats about it. Swapped them for N.O.S 2006 ‘zocchi Z1 RC2s, which are still the best forks I’ve ever ridden.

If only Marzocchi would start making open bath coil forks again….

That’s an early one. Around 2007. The reason being 2008 onwards (IIRC) at least 1 part of the cage, if not both, were carbon.

Like this one:

That said I doubt the bolts have changed much, if at all apart from colour. The jockey wheels did though.

Made a few things. Wheel jig was probably the best. Also made a chainwhip out of chain off-cuts and a bit of flat bar. Seem to remember one of the pivot bolts on the Trance was bodged with a QR and 2 10p coins with holes drilled in them. Lasted months of ‘I really should make something better for that’ 🙂

edit: Yes I did make a better gauge than the ‘block of wood on an ice-cream box’ solution.

Pretty much agree with everyone else. He bought them second hand. Sometimes second hand stuff goes wrong very quickly, it’s the risk you take for cheaper kit.

I also agree that he’s probably either trying to take the p*ss, or a numpty.

I’m 28, gave up the full suss last year. Mainly as I realised that all the trails I was riding were more fun on the 456 than the Trance. I do like riding bouncy bikes, but don’t think I’d get another unless I lived somewhere close to trails that warranted one.

I’m another ‘sort of’

The rigid Charge Duster (with a bent/twisted frame) that I commute on is kind of my winter bike too. It falls into the ‘bodge it when it breaks’ camp instead of the ‘keep it running nicely’ camp which the 456/Gimp/Macinato fall into.

For anyone who is bothered. This was fixed with a full bleed. Bit strange to need it after only a few months, but least its fixed.

Also a bit of useful info: Avid bleed kit syringes fit the lever thread. Although obviously you need to clean them with alcohol or similar to remove any trace of DOT oil first. It means you don’t need to buy another bleed kit.

Linux Mint on my ‘office’ (built out of bits) PC at home. Quite like it. Have used Ubuntu before but hated the new desktop it uses. To be honest the main reason I use it is because I haven’t got a legal copy of windows to use on it.

Also WINE seems quite happy running Photoshop CS3 and LightRoom 2, which is nice.

Newcastle
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Geordie…..like…..pet… (insert stereotype here)

Yeh that’s pretty much the conclusion I had come to. I’m going to bleed it, as I have oil and kit to do it. A bit annoying, but as you said they are cheap so I shouldn’t moan.

My last one (Cannon compact) only died because it was dropped 15 foot off a wall. It was 5 years old at the time, with a picture count over 5000. Current one is another Cannon compact and is around 3 years old, but with nowhere near the picture count.

If it is financially viable to get fixed very much depends on how old it is and how good it is. For example, if its going to cost £100 to fix a £700 DSLR then it is worth it, but if it is a £150 compact it probably isn’t.

Some good stuff, some bad stuff, could have been better, could have been worse (especially hearing what some people have been through).

Meh covers it very nicely I think.

Never had a hope brake go wrong, other than when it was my stupid fault. Still using an original 2002 Mini, a 2007 Mono Mini, and a pair of 2010 Tech M4s. All on original seals etc. Older ones have been bled and obviously pads changed. I really like them…

BUT, and its quite a big but, apart from looks I don’t think Hopes are worth the money any more. They used to have a performance advantage that justified the price, they now don’t. For example, I wouldn’t buy the M4s again, I would buy SLX or XT. I run Deore M596s on my commuter and they impress me every time I use them and remember how much I didn’t pay for them.

I dont tend to buy stuff unless I need them (shiny bike bits excluded). The only things I never thought I would buy, but now will not get rid of are:

1, My netbook. Through my teens I was really into computers. Both hardware and software (programming) and couldn’t see the point of having a laptop/netbook/other variant on that theme. Then I borrowed my mates tiny first-gen netbook for a week. It was a revelation!

2. My fixie. As a out-and-out MTBer I never thought I would go near skinny tyres/big wheels, and fixed wheel just seemed daft, but I love the thing. It’s simple fun.

Things I wont be paying for: iPhones (or anything else made by Apple), stupid priced cycling gear, SKY/Virgin TV, 29er, Streamed movies, bike repairs….. I’m going to stop now

My Juicy 3s ran for 3 years with only pads replaced. They eventually got eaten by road salt/muck (they were on my commuter). That said, I didn’t really get on with them (stupid pad clips/rubbish pad design/crap finish/stupid tri-align etc).

Now running Deore M596 both ends and they are fantastic! Shimano have definitely got their act together with the new line of brakes. The lever feel is not quite as good as my M4s on my 456, but the power is comparable. Considering the cost difference the M4s are starting to look daft.

Avids are also a pain to bleed, which isn’t as good when they go wrong as often as they do (I think I was lucky).

Yes, can’t stand all the crap before Christmas. Then being told that I am a miserable person ‘cos I don’t join in with the stupid songs/spend hundreds on things that people don’t really want etc etc etc. I’m working all over Christmas this year. I can’t say I’m disappointed!

I see the point when you have kids, the appeal is pretty obvious then, but just between adults I find the whole thing stupid.

Humbug etc

Pip

2 Things I’ve found about these.

1. The mounts are rubbish! I replaced it with this (clicky) which works far better.

2. The batteries are rubbish. Even the proper MagicShine ones are pretty pants. However the lights do have a voltage regulator in them. Mine is running off an old 4000MAh 9.6V pack I had from a RC plane. Runs fine and gets around 3 1/2 hours on full tilt. Heavier but then I used to ride with Halogen lights and a lead-acid battery…..

Will keep an eye out. Really annoys me when I see his happening. Also reminds me why I keep the two expensive ones chained to a ground anchor.

I’ve been riding 7 years. I pretty much echo the points everyone has made. Buy the best helmet you can afford, textile gear is better than leather (and cheaper), and bigger bikes are far easier to ride than little ones.

Biggest bit of advice I was given (by my dad) was that “Everybody knows the best thing about a motorbike is going fast, but only do it when the only person you can hurt/kill is you.” Simplified ‘don’t be a tit’

Pip

A skill, yes. An art, no (art being a beautiful form that has no function). Getting taught off someone who already knows is a big help however. I was taught off a very good local wheel builder. I have built my own jig out of MDF and alu plate which works very well. It was built out of slightly modified plans from the wheelpro book. Personally I have never used a tension meter, but then I’m not building for racers. The first wheel I built is still round and true after 5 years of abuse on the front of my full sus.

edit: God the grammar in this is awful. I appologise!

After a bit more searching I think I get the idea. Its supposed to have a small amount of liquid nitrogen in it when its made. This gives it a ‘dry ice’ effect when its served. Apparently its supposed to have vaporised by the time you drink it, obviously she’s just got it and downed it, with devastating effects.

This still seems more than a little dodgy, and still a completely stupid idea.

If you’re only 2 miles from exchange, ring Sky. They will try to ramp the speeds up manually. The Sky routers are designed to find the fastest speed that is reliable and keep it there. If there is a fault on the line during the test it will stop where ever it has got to. Mine did similar and I was stuck at about 2.5Mb/s, after call running at 17.8Mb/s at about 2.5 miles from exchange. Very happy with them, my parents are on same service but closer to exchange. They get 18.9Mb/s.

As for the reputation for Sky’s customer services being crap, I have always found them very quick and friendly. Unlike Virgin, who it once took me 45 mins to convince I was a customer!

I’ve never had much of an issue with Acer stuff. Though when, after 4 years, my netbook did die it did it in quite a fashion.

From the specs listed there the HP wins hands down IMO

Will keep an eye out. Any info on what bikes were taken? Are we talking high-end stuff that will be easy-ish to spot? Or mid range stuff that the little scrotes will be able to make disappear easily?