KMC for links.

Superstar have reasonably priced link pliers.

Stay loose in the corners; the SW limestone has continued to polish up nicely & is interesting when moisture is added.

It’s also the 80fest at Ashton Court this weekend, so you’ll be riding round to the sound of Heaven17 & Bananarama http://www.letsrockbristol.co.uk/line-up/

Is this the linkage that Barel & Barnes have been riding covered up?

Off road on my own, yes.
Off road with other people or on-road, nope.

When you installed the XT mech, have you made sure the “stopper” (for want of a better description) that holds the mech against the mech hanger is flush?

Best way to check is, with the drivetrain still assembled & the chain in place, undo the mech bolt slightly; the tension will pull the stopper round to meet the mech hanger. If not, B tension screw.

Will try to keep everything clean with a wash on the bike with Hope Sh*t-shifter (far superior to neat Fenwicks FS1 imo), but if it’s caked in black greasy crud then it’s off the bike & clean with toothbrush & WD40 before Sh*t-shifter. Usually only need to do this with new chains as the manufacturers’ lube seems to coagulate into a sticky mess in no time.

Use Prolink progold extreme lube, applied as a drop to each roller before wiping the chain as dry as possible afterwards. This seems to avoid the greasy black crud & reduce requirement for off-the-bike cleaning to once or twice a year.

Plumber’s silicone spray from screwfix. Doesn’t smell as nice as fork juice but is half the price.

There are 5 of them parked in our bike room at work, out of around 50 bikes.

Zealous division; chainstays are so short the seat tube is split.

Our cat (who coincidentally has very similar markings to yours) did the same with his leg. Turned out he’d been bitten & the bite was infected. We only discovered this after the abscess exploded over the duvet cover he was lying on at the time. The smell was horrendous!
Echo sentiment about a trip to the vets.

Protip: Forget the dehumidifier & put it in a cup of (uncooked) rice.

12th-19th for me, with another week camping in Bourg the week after.
Little relevance to this thread, but I cannot wait.

I did the same at Pila last year after clipping a tree.

I basically did what coatsy has recommended; bleed to get it to extend, then bleed again. Perhaps user error but I found the fluid that was left was quite badly cavitated & I ended up having to bleed it 6 times to get it back to normal once back home. The advice about supergluing the bleed kit syringes in that thread is worth following fwiw.

I did the same a few years back. Surprisingly easy once I got my head round how it all worked.

There are a load of guides on http://www.aerialsandtv.com/planningyourinstall.html to help you work it out. They were really helpful on the phone in answering a few questions too, so bought the bits i needed from them too. Reception improved overall, with 4 working points in the house.

I also have Rubino Pros on my commuter/winter trainer. Zero punctures so far, despite lots of use on rough country lanes & noticeable cuts in the tread. Will replace with the same as & when required. 25mm, for the record.

I run mine at 140mm on my HT. Great forks ime.

The easy with which you can install & remove shimano HT2 cranks over the extraction bolt of Raceface would win for me, hands down. Getting the chainline right with RF is a nightmare!

Thankfully olestra isn’t allowed in the UK, but this always comes to mind when discussions of Pringles come around

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/lax/182862349.html

It’s a bit sweary if you’re easily offended.

The new Pro2 Evos (40 tooth ratchet) are even quieter.

You sure they’re too small? Website seems to imply smallest are designed for single ring.

http://www.ison-distribution.com/english/product.php?part=CRIDBADK

What chainring? I know my Works Components one is quite thick & needed “XL” single (5.5mm backnut)

Stock shimano work pretty well as long as it isn’t wet. Then they’re terrifying.

Kool Stop salmons for me. Not used Swiss Stop greens, but these were also recommended to me.

I feel your pain. There are 2 yappy dogs newly moved in next door, another up the road that an old chap bought for company after his wife passed but is unable to walk so it barks all the time when its in the garden and another backing on to ours that howls all day when its left alone. They all bark because they’ve been left alone or aren’t getting enough attention. I’m not willing to offer to walk them.

We mentioned the noise to the neighbours at the back, then put a note through the door after they left it at home whilst on holiday for a week (5am howling, not nice) & it has got better. The old guy doesn’t understand what we’re talking about (he’s helpfully deaf). And the new next-door neighbours are ignorant ****s.

Along with the large family of constantly screaming kids at the back, I guess it’s one of the downsides to living in a city. So we’re going to move somewhere more rural.

It was a nightmare to do with my Strive because the surface surrounding some of the pivots wasn’t flat with which to get any purchase with a puller. I got there in the end but it’s not something I’d want to do again. If the Nerve is anything similar, I’d go with the £60-£80 offer, especially if you’re getting 3 years’ use out of them. Pack them out with marine grease beforehand though.

MRP AMG looks just what I was after. Thanks all.

Have a go at “double header” if you can (not for beginners tho).

Probably my favourite trail I’ve ridden there in the 2 years visiting. 1st year there I walked several sections, last year rode all of it. Really good mix of steep rocks, roots & switchbacks. Looking forward to giving it another go this year!

Pad spring installed correctly?

I’ve kind of gone the other way, having just bought Arch EXs (21mm) for the FS whereas I have Flow EXs (25.5mm) on the hardtail. There’s a noticeable difference in tyre profile (to the point to which I’m not sure I’ve made the right choice!), but as I haven’t had chance to ride the new wheels yet I’m not sure whether I’d notice on the trail.

A friend who has some sort of deal with WTB runs 2 wheelsets depending on conditions and what he’s riding, and uses the i23s (HRII & Minion) for racing Enduro. He’s quite impressed with them, but then he’s getting them at a discount…

Questions….what import duty costs are on something like this? And would they fit a xt double crank (m785).

Import duty is only due for items > £135 iirc. VAT might be due though, which would make it ~£30, but still cheaper than from UK vendors.

Should be fine on a XT double. It fits on my SLX double no problems. You might need narrower chainring bolts, but there’s a good chance I bought mine purely because I’m a bit of a tart (they’re gold). Can’t remember what the stock ones are like.

Full list:

1 Skipton, North Yorkshire
2 Newnham, Cambridge
3 Monmouth, Monmouthshire
4 Falmouth, Cornwall
5 Amersham, Buckinghamshire
6 Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire
7 Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
7 Guildford, Surrey
8 Haslemere, Surrey
9 Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
10 Lewes, East Sussex
11 Odiham, Hampshire
12 Reigate, Surrey
13 Rye, East Sussex
14 Stockbridge, Hampshire
15 Tring, Hertfordshire
16 Windsor, Berkshire
17 Wokingham, Berkshire
18 Wye, Kent
19 Branscombe, Devon
20 Bristol, Harbourside
21 Bruton, Somerset
22 Chagford, Devon
23 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
24 Combe, Oxfordshire
25 Fowey, Cornwall
26 Frome, Somerset
27 Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
28 Oxford, Summertown
29 Sherborne, Dorset
30 Totnes, Devon
31 Wadebridge, Cornwall
32 Witney, Oxfordshire
33 Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire
34 Blakeney, Norfolk
35 Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
36 East Bergholt, Suffolk
37 Framlingham, Suffolk
38 Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire
39 Norwich, Golden Triangle
40 Orford, Suffolk
41 Saffron Walden, Essex
42 Stock, Essex
43 Barnard Castle, Co Durham
44 Beverley, East Yorkshire
45 Easingwold, North Yorkshire
46 Harrogate, North Yorkshire
47 Helmsley, North Yorkshire
48 Leeds, Chapel Allerton
49 Malton, North Yorkshire
50 Masham, North Yorkshire
51 Morpeth, Northumberland
52 Newcastle, Quayside
53 Otley, West Yorkshire
54 Richmond, North Yorkshire
55 Ripponden, West Yorkshire
56 York, Bootham
57 Barford, Warwickshire
58 Buxton, Derbyshire
59 Byfield, Northamptonshire
60 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
61 Ledbury, Herefordshire
62 Malvern, Worcestershire
63 Oakham, Rutland
64 Shrewsbury, Shropshire
65 Stamford, Lincolnshire
66 Yardley Hastings, Northamptonshire
67 Garstang, Lancashire
68 Kendal, Cumbria
69 Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
70 Lymm, Cheshire
71 Northwich, Cheshire
71 Southport, Merseyside
73 Todmorden, West Yorkshire
74 Warrington, Cheshire
75 West Kirby, Merseyside
76 Whalley, Lancashire
78 Abersoch, Gwynedd
79 Brecon, Powys
80 Cardiff, Whitchurch
81 Cardigan, Ceredigion
82 Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan
83 Hawarden, Flintshire
84 Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
85 Rhossili, Gower Peninsula
86 Tenby, Pembrokeshire
87 Auchterarder, Perthshire
88 Bothwell, South Lanarkshire
89 Bridge of Allan, Stirling
90 Broadford, Skye
91 Edinburgh, The Grange
92 Giffnock, East Renfrewshire
93 Glasgow, Park District
94 Maryculter, Aberdeenshire
95 North Berwick, East Lothian
96 St Andrews, Fife
97 Alexandra Palace N22
98 Balham SW12
99 East Dulwich SE22
100 Hackney E8 
101 Marylebone W1

Test rode one yesterday & was very impressed. Climbed well & handled steeper, technical downs excellently. It really likes to get off the ground & is easy to pop over stuff. I only had 2 hours around Bristol though, so no idea how it would handle bigger drops & jumps, but it would definitely need a more progressive rear shock tune as I blew through a lot of the travel with nothing more than 2ft drops. Would be interested to see if anyone’s used the Float X on it, as I wouldn’t use the CCDBA to it’s full potential.
Oh and how good is the new Pike?!

6 times I’ve bled it. 6! But finally got it working. After the 4th attempt I discovered the fluid was cavitated. Not sure how much impact that has, but removed the bubbles, removed existing fluid from the system & started over. Two bleeds with air-free fluid & it’s working again.

My bleed kit does leak where the hose meets the red bit though; I’ll try the superglue trick for future.

Remote fluid is separate from the main fluid.

A good bleed should sort it unless the actual lever was damaged? Does the speed adjust work and rotate? It basically adjusts the stroke of the valve in the seatpost.

Apologies for delay in replying; I’ve just built a pub bike for my wife.

Lever is fine, speed adjust rotates, can’t tell if it works as the post won’t compress! I’ll go & give it another bleed now…

Assuming it should be 250 psi when extended, yes.

Followed the video to the letter. Damage was only to the remote & assumed the remote fluid would be separate to the post fluids. Will have another go.

Road riding is either commuting or winter training for me, so a Fratello made sense. Very happy with it. As above, don’t buy if you want light. Do buy if you want good looking & comfortable.

The outdoors app is pretty good. Cache the area you’re riding before going out & use the GPS to locate yourself if lost.
No substitute for a paper map though IMO.

Ta OP. Not very often you get something for nothing from that lot!

More often than I’d like with their broadband it’s nothing for something as the service is very up & down. O2 were leagues better.

FYI, if they’re broken it’ll get worse before it gets better. Second week was the most painful for me. Doc will prescribe stronger pain killers, which definitely help.

I’d avoid a jacket with padding & go for layers if you need the warmth. This means you’ll probably find a waterproof you can use when it rains in the summer too.

I can’t really fault my Gore Path jacket; lightweight, breathable, packs down small. Shop around, yuo should be able to find some on offer for around your budget.
http://www.probikekit.co.uk/sports-clothing/gore-bike-wear-path-cycling-jacket/10760369.html

For a non-cycle specific waterproof, I’ve just bought one of these
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/apparel/clothing/clothing-mens/cycling-outer-jackets/montane-atomic-stretch-jacket.html
Very impressed so far.

– don’t bother with newspaper
– build a rectangular jenga tower (4 high) out of (dry) kindling around a firelighter
– light & leave door open slightly to get it going, then close door & ensure top vent fully open
– Once it’s roaring, add (dry) logs.

You basically want a nice bed of embers from the kindling on which to put the logs ime. Seems to work for me.