why would you want sealskinz when MW80 are goretex – are they not?

True, but then I’ve never found clothing that claims to be waterproof to really be 100% waterproof. Waterproof socks under waterproof shoes can’t do any harm.

£2,863.99 spent on research and design. £0.01 spent on designing a suitable font.

Isn’t that what happens when you break your saddle?

:-)

Contin would be ace. The Puffer course is good fun in the summer.

Sure that it’s not just that it hasn’t yet come into stock for the first time? A lot of bits seem to just be coming out in the past couple of months.

Round for a biking bunch dinner at a friend’s flat tonight. I’ve dispatched Mrs PixelMix to the local supermarket to pick up some BrewDog (hopefully 5am Saint) and a bottle of wine to take with us.

Hmm, this is interesting. Pleased to hear that 9 speed rings work with 10 speed chains.

Once my cassette is worn out, I can see me going to 3×10 using the existing chainrings/crankarms, by swapping the rear shifter, mech, cassette and chain. Then when the front chainrings are gone, I can just go to 2×10 by replacing the front shifter and rings.

At least I now know there is an easy migration path rather than having to replace the whole drivetrain in one day at huge expense.

Darn it, I knew I was forgetting something – big calves.

ScottishCX at Auchentoshan (classic Scottish place name if ever there was one) on Sunday for me. I’m told that the course is quite hilly, so should make for interesting riding on my singlespeed inbred.

I ran both recently. The Inbred feels a little bit comfier/softer off jumps etc, but the Scandal does feel a bit zippier since it is about 30% lighter. Not a massive difference between them, but there is a slight difference than even my untrained legs can feel.

yep I would say go up a size IF you have anything other than narrow feet
For me it wasnt the length so much as the width (ffnnarr)
– I mean of the shoe obviously

You know what they say… big feet, big socks.

Thanks for the advice folks. Will maybe have a word with the birthday present fairy.

Anyone any thoughts on Shimano MW80 sizing?

I have a pair of Shimano summery SPD shoes (M122 I think) which fit nicely with one pair of socks on, but are a wee bit tight with sealskinz on too. Do I need to go one size higher with MW80s?

Sounds like a good night. Was it out through Queensferry, then pickup the canal through Broxburn to the Bridge Inn?

Will definitely tag along for this sometime if I can get some lights and leave work on time. Having ridden through Dalmeny on my own in the dark before though, it can be an interesting experience (hence I now turn around on my midweek ride at Cramond Brig).

AndrewBF – don’t worry, I’m not riding vertical offroad trails on 36:12. That was strictly for commuting.

I run a more sensible 32:13 at the moment as I’m using my Inbred for CX, and it will revert to trail centre friendly 32:15 or 34:16 in a few weeks.

CD – on the off chance that it is a black 34t chainring, drop me a line and I’ll take it off your hands for a bit less than the original price.

Been lurking on these threads for a bit, and I’m tempted to finally get around to joining you gents now that I’m working in the Burgh again. I would probably struggle to get there on time tonight, and doubt I’d be able to keep up on the flat on the SS bike anyway.

Assuming I can get to the shop on time some other Wednesday, do you still have a few sets of lights TBC?

As above, bigger is better as long as the chainrings fit on. Presumably if it is an MTB frame, you would just need to use the outer ring position rather than the middle.

I used to run 36:12 on my old hardtail with slick tyres on it for getting to work. The Edinburgh New Town hills were tough work, but manageable. If I was buying bits to set it up, I’d go bigger than 36/12 to ensure a decent amount of chain wrap.

Might have a gander one day next week. Cheers Kit.

It would be handy if you could get some n-gear jump stops rather than having to email the maker in the US. I emailed weeks ago to get one and never got a reply. Grumble grumble grumble.

I (and the rider I was chasing) encountered an old chap with his dog on the cyclocross course I was racing yesterday. The guy didn’t even look round when I shouted “riders”. He was about 20ft away from the big start/finish gantry with loudhailers, crowds of people as well, so it was pretty obvious he was walking on the course. Muppet.

Sure it’s not stuck to one of the other seals/bits? Since they all fit together so perfectly, they do have a habit of sticking together.

Drumlanrig TOTALLY open, and free to ride at the moment as no one mans the kiosk at this time of the year.

Snack bar and Rik’s Bike Shed open 10:00 – 4:00 Fri, Sat, Sun

Trails riding superbly and all very, very pictursque in all it’s autumnal glory..

Rik, do you mean that no-one gets grumpy if we come down and don’t pay over the winter? I enjoyed the trails at SXC earlier this year, but my tight-arse friends are complaining about paying the per-person price for riding.

PS – Yeah, GT is totally shut folks – don’t bother. (I’m going tomorrow to avoid riding on soggy walkers paths in the Pentlands, so it would be nice if it wasn’t as rammed as it usually is on a Saturday). :wink:

can straighten any wheel too…

Pfft, I took a wheel in once after having an altercation with an un-marked police car, and I was told that it couldn’t be salvaged. It didn’t even look as bad as yours coastkid. Sure it would have buffed out nicely, but they weren’t interested.

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2010-03-01[/url] by pixelmix[/url], on Flickr
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2010-02-12[/url] by pixelmix[/url], on Flickr

I need to get a better photo as I’ve made a few tweaks since this shot. All green is an awesome look, but I’m not sure how green/yellow would work. If you want an idea, look on the Santa Cruz site – you can customize a build with a green frame/yellow rear triangle etc.

Thanks for the info.

I agree that hopefully there will be more frames with discs AND rack eyelets next year once the manufacturers catch up with UCI rule changes. Maybe I’ll hold off for 6 months and see what is available.

The Tripster does seem reasonable though, and I think I could build one up a bit lighter than a Croix de Fer for similar money (which seems ideal for touring / commuting, but a bit sluggish for the odd CX race).

Antigee – I remember that thread (the only one on STW which mentions the Tripster). The integrated headset does put me off a bit, but as you say, I recall that Kinesis got the guy sorted eventually.

Thanks. Hadn’t spotted that area before – the one above is the sort of spec I’d be looking at I guess (although CB Mallets?!)

Don’t seem to be many photos / articles around on the net. Is it not a well thought of frame?

I’ve got a TL-LD610 (in black/red rather than white/clear). Plenty bright enough, although I had some problems with the clamp over rough surfaces. Seems a bit better now that I have put some tape round the seatpost.

I wonder if that big Cateye would get caught on baggies more often?

I’m no downhiller (I ride a 100mm XC bike), but I rode Make or Brake from top to bottom as an add on to the XC route on Saturday. I think it is one of the easier DH routes at Innerleithen (I’m told that the Matador has the biggest drops, and presumably the others are in between).

There is nothing bad at all on Make or Brake. The jumps are fun and easy, and you can always roll the bigger doubles if you don’t fancy flying over them (I rolled a few since I’m a bit of a mincer over doubles).

Thanks will maybe try that at some point. I had another look at it just now. The bracket isn’t damaged, but the screw under the light seems to have worked loose a bit. I’ve tightened it up, so hopefully it’ll be a bit better for a while. Cheers.

Does “designed and developed” count? Sanderson?

Liking this one much more than some of the efforts in this series.

Ah nuts, this should be in the classifieds of course.

Mods?!

I’m having the odd issue in the past few days, where my phone seems to think it has signal, but I’m not getting any data transferred. Turning it off and on again seems to work. I suspect it is a network issue.

No Moray this year by the looks of it, hence the omission.

Did like the Kirroughtree course last year, good mix of fast red singletrack and off piste rooty sections just wanted to make sure the Ben wouldn’t be a disappointment in comparison. Seems either should be ace. Ta!

Hmm, it sounds like a toughie. Think I’ll go with whatever fits best in the calendar. Thanks for the answers.

Thanks Bolt. DIdn’t head over to the Tockholes side of the road today due to lack of time and dodgy knee, but will give that side of the route a bash next time I am here.

With good cleats you’ll be able to pull the back end up easily. Doesn’t encourage good technique, but it is useful!

Don’t worry too much about the worn cleat comments. They do last a reasonable length of time before getting too worn.

Do a few easy rides to get used to having to think about unclipping- it soon becomes second nature. The only accidents caused by not being able to unclip will be slow speed embarrassing rather than sore incidents.

Link here[/url].

As you say, they are just a type of pedal. The “Eggbeater” is also available in other designs which have a platform around what is the basic Eggbeater.

In my experience of Crank Bros pedals, your feet generally come unclipped themselves in proper crashes – you unclip from this style of pedal by twisting your feet to the side slightly.

Advantages are ease of use, “float” (so your foot can move around a bit whilst still clipped to the pedal, so your knees can get comfy, which is not possible on some other pedal designs), good mud shedding ability, and light weight.

Main disadvantage is reliability, although you will hear conflicting views on that. My Crank Bros pedals have been no more reliable or unreliable than any other bit on my bike. The new 2011 range is supposed to be more reliable.

Pixel, in what way are they better? I’ve had just about every part fail (the wings, the bearings, and now an axle breakage), so unless there’s been a general quality increase, I can’t see that spending another chunk with the same company is the right idea.

I’ve not looked in detail yet, but they now come with a new style spindle to produce pressure points, new bushings instead of bearings and a 5 year warranty.

Disclaimer – I’ve no experience of new or old Eggbeaters (I ride Candys and was planning on trying the new ‘beaters), so I’m not trying to recommend or otherwise. Just food for thought!

The new eggbeaters are theoretically better. Worth a shot?