On my third set of Lidl Shoes – Very wide though fit well enough to stop heel lift (huge problem on the shimano's i had). Snapped two sets of soles and pulled the cleats off the backing plates (replaced with shimano backing plates) on every pair I have had. Though admittedly when I snapped them I had done a lot of miles on the shoes 1200+ a month for about 9 months.

for £16 I buy 'em every time I see 'em. However Shimano's look better and Specialized (taho was the model I had) were easily the best I had, comfiest, no heel lift and stiffest.

bought one of their toolkits for £20 and use it regularly 2 years later

worldbike is 315pound at singletrackbikes. Rather expensive no? Easy enough to get a budget rigid xc bike of classifieds and singlespeed it. Cheaper and you'll most probably end up with some nicer kit. and 3 speed hub gear? people still make them?

Just spent three and a half months riding China Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan and back into China.

Overstayed a visa in China and ended up staying on a moneychangers floor hiding from the police; attempted robbery and threatened murder in Kazakhstan; Stayed on a marijuana farm; Bribed my way onto the oldest medressa in Central asia at sundown; Got caught up in the recent Urumqi riots and arrested as a suspected journalist. Camped in the middle of sandstorms; stayed in yurts; lots of bivvying in the middle of nowhere; became incredibly ill a hundred miles from the nearest habitation and had to cycle; rode through snowy passes at altitude; Drinking from brown streams and puddles after running out of water; met lots of wonderful people, met lots of people who i never want to meet again. Was offered a wife in Kyrgyzstan; Invited into many people's homes; ate some incredible food and much more food which was awful. Was I believe in the last hundred people to EVER experience the ancient islamic city of Kashgar (due to be knocked down, and from what i gather still no access for foreigners). Rode the olympic cycling facilities in Beijing. Bivvied out on top of the great wall.

I feel bad that I came home, should have shrugged off all percieved responsibilities and kept going.

Go ride, you can always find ways to make money and keep going.

Did it in december on a loaded touring bike … muddy as ****, and hurt.

La Antena – Esteban Sapir.

Touted as arty bollocks; was brilliant.

£75 for a set of thumbshifters

Take my bike away on an extended bike tour – soon.
Build my own frame – soon.

Start racing bmx rather than just fannying about at the track.
Ride at the velodrome.
Buy a freecoaster wheel for the bmx to play on.
Learn to fall off less.

Win lottery
Buy Helicopter

over the course of a few months used midges, risers, butterfly bars and a set of profile airwings and a set of standard ITM drops on my ‘rat.

Personally I don’t get on well with drop bars, the midges (although comfy) had terrible braking form the hoods. Risers ride beautifully but unless you have a lot of weight on the front wheel (panniers) they’re too much leverage for normal road riding. The butterfly bars were brilliant but ugly an dmake you look like one of the ctc types.

Airwings are brilliant (the narrowness suits the fast handling of the bike) and the fact that they’re so long let you pull all your weight to the fron tof the bars for climbing.

We’re making prat’s of ourselves playing bike polo in platt fields park, you’re welcome to join us for some prattery if your loop comes past.

A lady boy.

Try GBH in the northern quarter.

Aye, bmx rocks, been riding for all of about 2 months on it after being no-skills mountainbiker for years. Improving my riding no end. Been riding manchester Platt Fields as it’s round the corner, brilliant place.

Yep, looky here. Depending on where in Manchester you are, I can get a flyer with the full program to you, if you want – got a bag full of ’em.

Judging by what’s planned, the Rollapaluza on the 27th March will be spectactular; and if your hangover will allow, the mini-festival on the 28th is set to be good aswell, the 28th has bike-welding bike-jousting bike-polo and all the other ‘drink too much beer and mess about’ style events.

… and not all of us are the fixed-gear riding, sisters jeans wearing stereotypes.

Colin.

…attention seeking.

…also, suggests to me that your CV is crap. sort it!

Move to another city for a few months and become a cycle courier? 17 is a great age to move away from home if you feel up to it.

second sufjan stevens, btu if you get into him you have to be listening to beirut, bon iver, a hawk and a hacksaw etc.

right now it’s lots of gramme, the fall, life without buildings

I blame teenage mothers and immigrants, through sheer laziness.

what’s with this new “colourway” word?

any flip flop hub with one of these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-DT-Swiss-DT-Swiss–Arai-to-Disc-Brake-Adapter-for-145-mm-OLN-98–TD-12727.htm

I think dmr do one too.

It’s ok, i found my answer. was on wikipedia all along.

Anything by Richard Brautigan.

Quite enjoying laughing at the little s**ts. Is it cool to laugh at 8 year olds?

loving all the williams brewery beers.

just wait for a hammerschmidt.

Needs a schamfered bottom bracket if i remember it correctly (some frame-butchery to fit)

Schlumpf have been around for an age and never seemed to catch on that people aren’t interested in shifting gears by clicking your heels.

oury’s which look like they’ve been used! don’t see that every day.

sexy video

Dislike the cheap impersonators just about asmuch as I dislike the ‘bike-messenger’ ownership of ‘fixies’. But having worked as a courier and having been to a few “fakenger” events I do think the scenes are growing apart. The urban-fixie group – at the moment – seem to be having their own momentum, good looking practical bikes getting more bums on saddles; unlike the courier group who get their identity by NOT being fakengers.

Fads grow into trends; trends grow into accepted lifestyles.

just wish after people had spent so much money putting velocities onto their hi-tensile ‘pile of’ they would take the time to learn about bike setup; YOUR SADDLE IS TOO F888ING low!

BTW Midge bars are great for touring. The splay makes them comfortable for honking on, but the wide tops and hoods comfortable for cruising. Also plenty of room to put a bar bag between the drops too.

That’s utter posh. Did 2000 miles on a touring bike with midges of which 600 were fully loaded and after trying hard to get on with them for so long, – playing about with setup – just HAD to take them off.
The splay DOES give you a very secure drop position on the bar but at the expense of putting your hands at awkward positions on the hoods. With the midges to get the correct position on the drops you need to push the levers forward on the bar which leaves you with the hoods feeling horrible – maybe alright on monstercross mountainbikes where the hoods aren’t going to be used. But the whole idea of drops on tourers is for multiple hand positions for comfort, of which the midges only seem to manage in one position. If you want a wide position for “honking” get some risers with bar ends or better yet, some butterfly bars.

Have a look second hand on the ctc website. Got a lovely thorn Raven off there for £350.

bastid! you’dave posted this a month ago i’dave ripped your arm off for it. Got a lease on a flat now until 10th march. bgger.

Cycled through at the start of december; stayed in the shakespeare b&b. lovely folk who run the place, about £25 a night.

Didn’t wake up till 4pm today, so no. no ride.

You’re making me want to go out and play at the skatepark now, though.

Didn’t wake up till 4pm today, so no. no ride.

You’re making me want to go out and play at the skatepark now, though.

Like the name ‘thump’. I’m sure it was someone on here who first mentioned it…

and pomegranite if it’s a girl

Geometry will be pretty similar to what it was before, just with a narrower tyre contact patch ont’ front wheel.

Cracked my beloved Cotic Soul. *Cries*
it was a nearly new second hand so no warranty aswell