I ordered some Endura shorts on xmas day and a custom build wheel set. The shorts arrived yesterday and are ace, got an email this morning saying my wheels had been dispatched.

I heart CRC :oops:

I ordered a custom build wheel set on xmas day (you gotta love CRC vouchers off long lost family members), not expecting to see them until towards the end of the first week in Jan, also ordered some waterproof shorts…..hoping to see them a damn sight sooner!

They ought to be distributing as of tuesday at the latest, but with a mail backlog and the ingress of holidays at some places on thursday (ie. early finishes to get out on the lash), I wouldn't be holding your breath to see stuff ordered over Crimbo until in to the new year

Cheers for the advice peeps, i've gone for a large from CRC so I can exchange them if needs be. Cheers for the offer anyway Shortbread, i'd rather have the option of changing them without too much hassle if you don't mind

Endura Flyte. Good fit, warm, breathable (ish) and under a hundred quid (with CRC). I like mine

X0 rear mech and spoke interface. Mech bent badly then eventually sheared at the breakaway bolt. Bent hanger badly too. Two snapped spokes. Pretty textbook I hear you say…..it got better.

It was at the top of a day guiding a group in Les Arcs, mostly downhill back to the valley floor save some 'rolling' climbs.

For some reason that still baffles me the only gear I could get it to SS with the correct chain tension was third-from-top (44-13). Luckily I was carrying some Kevlar emergency spokes to bodge the wheel with…very time consuming though, took about 3/4 hour before it was rideable. Again, fortunately it was a nice day.

Once we got rolling I was determined not to let my mechanical detract from the group's two hour/1500m descent. Unfortunately this meant not letting my ridiculous gear ratio hold things up on the remaining climbs…one of which was a steady 15 minute spin in middle ring up a fire road. I covered it in about half the time on the verge of stalling with my knee cartlidge protesting loudly. I'd already told the group I would meet them at the top…which I did, still gasping for air and sweating like a hairy pig. The next rolling section had some shorter, sharper climbs in which couldn't be ridden so I ended up grinding up them as far as possible then jumping off and running along side the guests in my carbon-soled race shoes and 8kg guiding pack on in 30 degree heat.

It was a character forming day, that's fo' sho'. Fortunately the lads I was guiding were a bunch of legends and it only added to the day's fun 8)

How do you free up a frozen freehub/wheel?

Take it indoors

Link to Manx MTB club Old Goats site, last post from earlier today…The Ballbag is one of my many pseudonyms:

http://www.old-goats.com

See you at the end to end in September, can't promise snow though :wink:

Yarp, as of Tuesday in the soggy IOM

Definitely L, they come up very short in TT length so you'll appreciate the extra stretch from a large, I would even consider getting a large and i'm only 5ft 8

How do you bed them in then?

Go out on to the road (or somewhere equally clean & dry) and ride up and down like an idiot for ten minutes, banging on your brakes hard until they start to have a bit of 'feel' rather than the dead sensation of a new pair. The idea is that you are generating a bit of heat through them to harden (but not glaze) the braking surface. Another tip i've heard is to take a water bottle out and give them a dowsing down to cool them quicker after you've got some heat in them.

If you go out anywhere mucky without bedding them in, they'll crumble like Stilton in minutes.

Ooh, Stilton, now there's a thought…… :D

Specialized Air Tool Sport….aluminium barrel, one head does all, gets a 23c road tyre to 120 psi in 15 pumps! Geek!!! :D

…and the best bit…only £27.99!

Hi Scruzer

Bring your MTB but forget your road bike, like those above have said, it's REALLY busy on the roads both during race days and for the whole fortnight…it's not worth it. There's tonnes of riding around, far too much to take in if you're only here for a few days. There are three club rides go out every week and numerous other groups of MTBers all over the place. In fact, getting to some places on the TT circuit by MTB is an awesome way to see the racing and get to fairly inaccessible spots, especially up the mountain.

I live in Port Erin (in the south-west corner) and there's riding from the back door, by all means drop me a line closer to the time and we'll arrange some rides out to show you the best bits: robinarnold69@hotmail.com or pop in to Eurocycles on Victoria Road, Douglas

See you in June!

Rob

The 17.5 will be fine, it is classed as their 'small medium' (18.5 is large medium). I rode our demo version from the shop a few weeks back (i'm 5ft 8in) and want one as a result….bloody punters keep taking it out though! Oh, and they do a lovely looking black version too, lovely and subtle *DROOL*

As above, they tend to get rather 'imaginative' with their descriptions on the proforma invoices.

For a King headset and Easton CNT bar, they quoted a retail value of about $30.

Top stuff

Our club has got Bioracer, it's excellent stuff…their long sleeve jersey is toastie warm :D

Something with a lumberjack print paint job……….and A HUGE FIST on the downtube

Ady: ensure you have reinstalled the washer in between the inner freehub body bearing and drive-side axle bearing. Otherwise it'll lock up. The freehub body is retained by the seal and subsequently the end cap.

Hope Pro IIs are by far the most durable, simple and easily maintained hubs i've ever come across after working on countless numbers over the past few years, I wouldn't be too hasty in dismissing them IMHO

I've had it with a de-tensioned chain swinging my X0 mech in to the spokes on a gnarly descent. Hanger bent but didn't break, SRAM breakaway bolt did break and silly me I didn't have my circlip pliers with me to change it. Shortening chain to single speed was an oily and irritating affair.

Always descend on big ring front, 3rd/4th gear on back when I remember/have time to do it

Another vote for the Endura Flyte here, wore mine in horrendous conditions last thursday night and I was toastie warm and dry…excellent fit, not too hot, breathable et al

Eurocycles, Douglas, Isle of Man. Fuel EX8 and Stumpy available for demo. Ferries are a bit sketchy at the mo though!

HAWG. Compresses down as small as a Mule when it's not full, but has loads of room, really comfy, integrated rain cover. I'm well impressed with mine

Joystick. Rechargeable, good output and stupidly lightweight. Easy choice 8)

SKI SEASON

Specialized RBX bib knickers are the cat's pyjamas, can't recommend them enough

Slightly self indulgent, but it still brings a smile to my face:

Gilo: is that coming out of Crosby? Is it Connor or Mark Millar?

I'll take my Maxx-D any day cheers

I work at a Specialized dealer, treated myself to a pair of Equinox III gloves a few weeks back. They're similar to the ridge fit-wise (tough palm, gel pads to protect ulna nerve)but have a windproof back and high cuff. They're ace, i've been using them recently commuting in temperatures down to about 4 degress in the early morning and also for night rides on the MTB. They don't compromise control and are uber comfy. I often suffer with numb hands on my droppy from road vibrations and these stop it completely, not had an incedence of it since I got them. The only version I would condsider above them for off-roading would be the Deflect, which is thicker and semi-waterproof back. I would cook in anything thicker in our, mild albeit wet climate.

Hope that helps 8)

Really well specced. Weighs less than 25lbs.

Do it!

It's a common problem unfortunately across the SRAM range….I am in the process of upgrading to XTR shifters and rear mech as a result.

Anyone want to buy an X9 groupset?? 8)

Cheers guys and gals…plenty to go on there, better start saving up!

RWA

takisawa2: tee hee, but she's already got one of them 8)

Midnighthour: it's a young lady i'm very close to and attempting to get closer to :wink:

She's 26, likes fashion, films, indie/rock music amongst others. Not an MTB fan unfortunately….not yet anyway :D

I run XTR cables with an X9 shifter/mech set up and it works like a (Cadburys) dream

I don't find them as good as the new Juicy 7s I had a few years back – they share the same features (although reach adjustment isn't tool free on the Juicys) they seem to lack a bit of bite and aren't as easy to modulate as the 7s. However, on the plus side, they are loads simpler to change pads, retract pistons etc

Swings and roundabouts…..

I've got vented Oakley Radar Path lenses. They're expensive but they make a difference, Steptoes are as good a place as any to get them online

Toni Bou…..a two-wheeled wizard:

Why does he need a front wheel?

Tomzo – good call, my current poison also