MM – I'm without internet at home for a couple of weeks and off work the rest of this week, so i'll call you Friday or Saturday..p.s Happy birthday tomorrow.

Darkest Dorset for me, YOU FORGOT CAKE!! MUST BRING CAKE!!

You should be able to follow your nose, with that many of us there, the smell of BS will be drifting for miles.

OF – follow the plumes of blue smoke from my old van.

@Mike – I don't, but if i did it would be Southern. Local tracks are Bournemouth and Andover, but haven't ridden it this year at all.

Race bikes can be reasonably specific, if you go for an aluminium or carbon monocoque type thing, but they'll stil hold up to smooth trail/jumping use. Probably better to go for a cromoly race frame, as although it may be a little bit heavier, it should hold up better if you're a bit heavy handed.

Top tube length is pretty crucial, as something too short feels awful. I'm 5'10ish and run a pro xl length frame with a 21.3ish top tube.

Prices? whatever you want really. My Brew frame was £300+ so total build around twice that i guess, Dialleds frames are nice if you want to keep with a 'familiar' stw friendly brand. Second hand or complete builds are where the value are, and now may be a good time, as new models are out and people are swapping bikes.

If you're a bit too tall, or 20" is a bit too much of a shock you could get a 24" cruiser. And unless you're really smooth/skilled, keep the clip pedals on the mountain bike!

Yep, thats mine. Isn't she pretty? Only non standard parts are saddle, onza porcipaws grips and bar ends, although stem will be replaced shortly after Sundays near miss. How much, God knows? Enough to make it worth selling.

Cant work out photo thing, but there is a good photo of it on the retrobike.co.uk forum (purbecks ride aftermath report). Surprisingly good downhill, did everything i normally do on my 456, but with bigger balls!

No money spent on booze here. Just tea and chocolate.

Les Claypool – genius.

Mulletus from on here.

My 17.5" cromega is for sale if someone wants to make me an offer. Rode it for the first time in 16 years last weekend at the Purbecks retro ride. Fantastic, so much so, that i'm contemplating getting a modern rigid bike. Just needs a new stem, after a cracking incident on Sunday. Otherwise, completely as i bought it from new in 1991 (apart from the obvious scratches/chips where your feet occasionally hit the chainstays), tyres and all.

I may be riding this at the Swinley stw ride if i can get a stem before then.

How skittish is something that light downhill? Probably not too bad with my 13 odd stone bouncing about on it.

24 lbs! No excuses on the climbs any more if i get one of them then.

Someones nicked your pedals. Is that a reba on it? What travel works? Stem length? Weight? Cheers

Nothing against the scandal, in fact i'll probably get one, just exploring the alternatives as i've had an on one for a few years and fancied a change.
Really fancy the pink scandals, but not sure if 3 years down the line i'll be fed up looking at it.

nonk – photos of alpinestars on retrobike forum Purbecks ride thread. Anyone got an inch and a quarter 120mm Quill stem to replace the one that nearly killed me yesterday?

Thinking of ditching the 456 and just running a rigid bike, if my knackered wrist can put up with it.

If i can find a replacement stem for the one i've just killed, i'll be coming retro on the alpinestars. Thoroughly enjoyed riding it today for the first time in 16 years. i'm a rigid convert, new bike time!

This went great today, well upto the point that my alpinestars stem cracked itself to extinction. I don't even want to think how long it had been like that before it was spotted, considering what we'd just come down.

Bikes out today included, S-bike, 2 kleins, dekerf, raleigh usa, stumpjumper, 87 marin, orange's, e-stay saracen, my cromega dx and god knows what else. Similar route to STW ride the other week.

Photos on retrobike forum.

The Morris dancers around our way have got this down to a tee. It's like a fancy dress pub crawl on 2 wheels (with bells on).

Because my wrist is too injured to ride bmx anymore. To talk to people about bikes and anything other than work. To try to fight off the middle aged spread.

people saying 'back in the day' aarrgghh!

Drunken people.

Male grooming – give me a break, can't be bothered to waste time and money on that rubbish.

Overly made up women – scrape it off and get on with it, you can't be that bad underneath.

All the Cardiff players are wearing pink tonight in the rugby, and they look rather manly. I still give it the swerve though.

Just de-rusted and polished the alpinestars, anyone off here coming along?

Where can i find an 80s cycling jersey in Poole/Bournemouth tomorrow?

I already have! Beard that is, not ss, that would look silly.

Definetely only got a single speed – slow for the last 5 years!

Well it looks like me Hairy!

Who said i didn't! What goes under the baggies, stays under the baggies.

Neon lycra this weekend for the Purbecks retro ride.

5'10" with 16" 456 with short stem, spot on for me. At 6", probably an 18" i'd have thought.

If you're from Farnham, what better way to get you out on the bike and meet people to ride with than Cinnamon_girls forum ride at Swinley in a couple of weeks.

Mind you, meeting some of us lot might put you off.

p.s. my 2 penneth, hardtail with 120mm ish forks, plenty out there to choose from.

Is this still on? Got my old bike in the back of the van. Oh hang on, that sounds a bit dodgy.

Wonderwall… click
Angels…… click, then throw out the window

'on their jacket'? What jacket, it's gonna be 30 degrees. Vests and speedos only!

not exactly, X Factor! May have to cleanse my ears with some slayer in a minute.

SOD – Live at Budokan (the dive from the speakers at the start is hilarious)

Marillion – Real to reel

Fu Manchu – go for it .. live

Slayer – Decade of aggression

Springsteen – Live 75-85

something miserable i'd imagine. Homeless dog in Battersea possibly.

MM – End of the month. Can probably make Swinley ride, but Coombe looks unlikely. Might be up this weekend to pick up old alpinestars from mums.

MM – you'll be lucky!

FE Lecturer – enjoy wouldn't be the first word that springs to mind.

Builders bum is an industry neccessity. If you have a brick in one hand and a trowel in the other, where else are you supposed to hold your mars bar?

They've had a couple of those pronghorns in Bikelab down the road from me. Actually look quite cool in the flesh, not as odd looking as in photos. Wouldn't wanna catch my nads on the shock though.

sorry, double post