we are off at 8am from digswell

where is herts shore?

hi,

we ride early so that our families get a fair deal; would be nice to ride later!

mind you an esprit de corps is present as we battle hangovers etc. some riders get better offers from their wives so bail out at the last minute!

whos riding the day after boxing day? we are working on a ride that day, perhpas with a pub/coffee crawl. any takers?

yes, basically

pace are making some ones out of bits and pieces:)
check the website

i run a 36 tooth race face front, with bashguard.

keep the chain as short as possible, really stretch the rear mech out, as long as it changes; keep it tight.

may be worth looking at a short cage mech; road style. in the old days downhillers used road cassettes and mechs. this made for a smoother transition, there was always a sharp drop between some of the lower gears

this may be feasible if your ran a 32 front and maybe bodged if possible a 10 tooth rear?

from nz mother in law….. merino and possum fur, socks, jersey, hat, scarf…. just waiting for the y fronts! you think merino is good,, this is on steroids

btw possum is a pest in NZ

maxxis advantage folding 2;1’s; good today in hertfordshire mud, slid alarmingly but the edges saved the day.

i have had a hope hub built up with mavic rims for 8 years by Monty at Condor; never gone out of true after some 6k miles and hard riding on rigid forks….. never serviced them either.

can recommend addiktion in snorbens

Depends how you see naming good ones and shaming bad ones.

the good ones need the trade and support. even a couple of bits a month.

The bad ones need shaming as it takes me a long time to earn £500 and moments for someone to ruin it and then charge me for it.

I took a wheel into a shop to be trued, then somehow it got cracked…. same bike shop used an airline on my mums tyres and somehow split the tyre; then charged her for it.

lets get this right; too mny times we are treated like idiots and rarely get treated normally.

good bike shops need recognition and supporting; the crap ones can go to hell. they give cycling a bad name.

Not owning one, if that makes sense

merino wool and possum fur jumpers, socks.
aldi soft top
endura jacket
patagonia climbing gloves
sidi shoes
and shorts……

why no mud encounters?

in the old days 1.90 was regarded as being good, but i was lighter then.

what tpi would you go for? current tyres are 120 tpi……

looks great, however has anyone tried mounting them with One One Mary’s .

my old cateyes go boss eyed as the curve of the bars and the lack of swivel in the mount……

any thoughts

whats the lumens on them?

well, i found the solution via a bike shop…. many thanks to addiktion in snorbens

i brought a cheap star fangled bolt set…

preload the hed doctor with a standard headset bolt; i think M5 or M6 X 25-35 mm then put the hope bolt in…..

screwfix do packs of 50

northface nalgene/ flight series.

very very good no problems in 4-5 years.

steradent and freezer keeps it all clean, hung from a hook and flushed lots.

have had the same problem. chain jumped off etc.,

i have fitted a race face light bash ring, shortened the chain loads, its really tight on the lowest gear. the cage is really extended. sounds odd when it gets bumpy i keep pedalling to keep it all flowing.

chain does not come off now……..

good luck. 1×9 really does work.

sidi……..

i want to buy a bolt from screwfix, who are open on sunday so i can replace my mums bolt.

any ideas of diameter……

hope hoops look good, i would buy without question

i am using a mixture of handbuilt wheels from different places using hope and mavic's.

pro 2's sound good too

dickhead, bonehead, idiot and your point is all spring to mind.

use skype and talk talk in future

the bomb hole did look pretty rubbish strewn, also gouged out by tyres from bikes.

do you ride harmer green south; did that once and it was good; signs were chalked on the trees to follow,,

i've been riding for 15 years now; getting together a like minded group of dads on sunday mornings; 8-9 am hungover or not. also out riding in the evenings.

any good recomendations for tracks?

s

yep thats about it( bit better than the dell in hatfield!)will do the singletrack next. i did like the fire road though!

came out on winding shott? tope end of bramfield , short ride to the grandison pub, quick pitstop then off to tewin, via the old garage

what are the landowners like, seems plastered with signs.

s

it seems private land(whatever that means) have you gone off the main fireroad, i saw a small track.

it gets better towards the end…….. shame it runs out.

found quite a good run from the edge of datchworth to bramfield, good fast run for a mile. also a bombhole/pit type thing on the left.

enter off watton road, first left.

60 g of glucose powder
1 litre of water
salt to taste
lime cordial.

Apologies to brant and everyone else.

having been riding nearly all my life (and never learnt to drive or owed a car) and owned 4 bikes in this time; some observations.

we had a big hit of american and canadian bikes; but what has happened is british designed frames and bits; specific to our conditions. orange etc kicked it off.

also cheapness; allowing for people to bodge,find invent, adjust to what is needed.

like condor and various road racing builders of the 30's to 70's we have a strong home grown set of builders and designers innovating and showing everyone how to do it( grahame obree washing machine builds).

meanwhile; who designed the classic kona/rocky mountain steel frame? you know the shape.
s

cheers everyone, my point about on one is that they have risen in price, quite a few times; with no discernable new features/improvements; i think the inbred has gone up by at least £40.

i want a uk designed one and possibly steel.

will post when i finally get one!

all i can say is, addiktion in snorbens. tried all the others; this is a real bike shop. not sure if they have the tool, but ist not run by ones.

So your question is:

I have a 3 year old fork that works well and has no faults, but because someone had a dodgy frame from the same manufacturer, I'm now paranoid and think it'll snap and I'll die?

err no, just wanted to know the life span of carbon forks, and what to look out for, very happy with them. prefer them to suspension.

(more worried about my Manitou CNC stem snapping, having cracked one in the 1990's)

the rim is 719 and has about 2.5 k miles on it. built by merlin, straightned twice before

have run the front 618 for eight years with no worries or nipping in. built by the legendary monty of condor cycles.

maybe its all about the build!

HI, PLUMPED FOR ADDIKTION, ALL GOOD SO FAR, NICE, CLEAN, FOCUSSED SHOP

cheers,
am torn between snorbens and hertford, am half way between them.

any recomendations on rims? the cracked one was a mavic x719

This is years old experience from the 1990's, Air NZ, JAL were all good.Singapore is the best all round for flights in recent years, having been 10 times now.

Bio security is crucial for a smooth entry; wash ALL your gear, scrub the bike and tyres, check your shoes and dig out all crap. TELL THEM THIS WHEN YOU GO THROUGH

Also, be honest, but they will ask you if you have been near farms etc in the last two weeks.

Enjoy, beware of the sun and let me know if the Red Dog Cafe is still in Rotorua!

everyday……..

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/files/springside_166.jpg

smear vaseline or grease round all the seals, then wipe off residue.

where do you get thos bars?
s

try merino and possum, even better!
got mine in nz at xmas, then came back to riding in january.
its lighter and warmer, though not as robust

for merino by itself, have had two jerseys from

http://www.hallensteins.co.nz/Mens/Scott_Base.htm

which are indestrucatble