I wore a sleeveless jersey (OK, tri top) over bib shorts on the roadie on the way home tonight. Gotta get that tan on! 8)

Yes, but only when the weather is as good as it has been over the last few days, and not under a shirt.

If you want something a bit shorter, Skeleton Crew is a fantastic compilation. Some of the stuff in there is genuinely scary / disturbing.

I’ve not read a lot of his newer stuff but Duma Key is good. Takes a while to get going though. I also really liked the Dark Tower series, but it peaks in the first three or four books.

I went with the Fizik demo program, which worked out nicely. Got to try two saddles for a fortnight each, then picked the one that felt nicest. However, I did have to pay retail for the saddle. IMO it’s worth it for a comfy bottom on long rides.

Scienceofficer

Electricity has no place on any of my bikes ever.

How’s that science working out for you? 😉

1) lighter shift action (do we need this? isn’t MTB a physical sport? If i wanted to “save effort” i’d just sit in front of the telly instead

In the same vein: why bother with discs, front suspension, etc? Isn’t that all just making things “easier”?

2) The ability to make sequential shifts? Er, just go 1by and you get exactly the same effect on a conventional mech

3) the ability to trim the front mech? I’ve trimmed the front mech completely off my bike all together and not missed it yet (1by again)

I’ll give you that – 1x is great. If I had to choose an upgrade, it’d be 1×11, not Di2!

4) The ability to look flashy? OK, maybe some mileage here

WOOT!

5) The ability to not suffer from “dirty” bowden cable. Change you cable occasionally (which takes 30min, and costs about £10 tops)! Also, if your mech systems gets bashed and goes petetong in the back of beyond, a fix is possible, if your ‘lecy system does the same, start walking!

Non-stretchy / gritty cables don’t seem like much, but honestly it is really, really nice not to have to worry about them. Whether it’s good value is another thing, but it’s a definite advantage.
I’d argue that a bust mech is a bust mech, regardless of electronic or mechanical – but a Di2 mech IS going to cost more to replace if you kill it. Probably less availability of spares as well (at least for a couple of years).

6) Less weight? Not sure how it can be, requiring about 3x more parts (displays, batteries and cabling etc)

This one’s counter-intuitive, but Di2 *does* weigh less than the mechanical equivalent.

7) More robust? Jurys out on this one. I can’t see it being either any worse or any better tbh. Big hits that break a conventional mech will rip this one off too i think

Agreed. I’d prefer to rip off a cheap mech than an expensive one.

So, where’s the actual gains? You still can’t shift under any significant pedal loading (which would potentially be an advantage to the Pro XCers)

Gains are less maintenance, lighter weight, lots of shifting options if you’re not running a 1x drivetrain, lighter action. There’s probably going to be a decent draw for future alternative shift lever setups too – if your shifter is just a button, you could integrate it into a lock-on collar (for instance).

EDIT: Actually, thinking about it, collar-integrated shifting is a brilliant idea. KS Lev lever on your left hand collar, 1x shifter on the right. Two grips, two brake levers, nothing else. If you’re reading, Shimano, I’m only after a 10% cut of sales 😀

What does success look like?

Nothing stands out on any of the consoles at the moment. Maybe wait till winter time.

This. There are no worthwhile exclusives out on either platform IMO, and the release schedule is still very dry for the rest of the year. I’d wait until E3 announcements at the very earliest. The longer you wait, the more likely things are to come down in price (see XBone Titanfall bundle and now Kinectless SKU).

If you really want to buy one RIGHT NOW, I’d get a PS4. I love my 360, but the PS4 is shaping up to be the much better option this time round.

Looks good! If it’s anything like the Dura Ace mech vs Di2 comparison, then XTR Di2 will end up being lighter and shifting better.

My only worry would be taking out a rear mech – not hugely likely on the road, but I’d be very worried about knackering a £400 mech on a rock!

*awaits naysayers* 😈

I stuck them on my bike in a “every little helps” kind of way – no, they’re not huge, but they might help draw the eye a bit more.

The ones I ripped off were MintImperials – they’re fairly low profile, but do remove a good 1cm or so from the pedal ground clearance. Still, they’re mostly plastic so if you do catch them you’ll probably get away without coming off!

I had the ones D0NK and mintimperial linked to. They stayed on for about four weeks, then I ripped one off pedalling out of a corner 😛

Jesus christ and I thought the comments on the BBC article were bad!

This can only be a good thing. Particularly for old / infirm / blind(!) folk, who can’t drive – it could well end up cheaper than taxi-ing everywhere. In urban areas it’ll speed up commuting times as the cars will be able to communicate with one another, and potentially reduce congestion / ownership hassles (why have one car each when you can just share one?)

Anyone saying “what are google getting out of this” – well there’s the obvious PR exposure NOW, but they’ll also be getting paid. THAT ISN’T NECESSARILY BY BOMBARDING YOU WITH ADS – it could just as well be a built-in cost with the car (much like, generally, you buy an OS with your new computer).

Abduction and adduction, plus foam rolling worked well for me – enough to strengthen things up and finish a full distance IM.

In terms of strengthening things up, this routine is damn good at hitting the right supporting muscles and relatively straightforward: http://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/the-itb-rehab-routine-video-demonstration/

Buy (and use!) a decent foam roller, something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trigger-Point-Performance-Revolutionary-Roller/dp/B0040EKZDY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401226541&sr=8-1&keywords=trigger+point+foam+roller

ITB rehab and foam roller every day and try to take it easy on the biking and running until things feel better (difficult I know, you should be right in peak mileage!)

EDIT: this might sound obvious, but… if things get better, don’t stop the rehab routine. If you do, the ITB tightness will just come back. You need to keep all those supporting muscles strong, so keep up those exercises!

The eyebrows are her entire acting medium – look at them go!

I’ve basically posted 4 series’ worth of Game of Thrones Kelly C in one gif, what more do you want??

I think that’s what drives me most up the wall, sometimes his bloodlust genuinely does make things interesting, other times he just uses it to kill a thread that’s really gone nowhere and done nothing.

As above, first three books are great. Then GRRM becomes successful and any editorial input goes out the window, and things just start to draaaaag and go way OT.

GRRM, whilst a talented worldbuilder, can write some truly dreadful prose as well. The books are better IMO, but it’s been so long since we actually got any new content that I’ll be pleased when the show overtakes it and actually finishes a **** plotline.

EDIT: here you go, proof which you can play with: http://creative-co.de/labs/songicefire/ 🙂

^^ “while” vs “whilst” plotted across the five books 👿

Definitely a good bike. Have you ridden a VPP / 27.5 before? If not I’d definitely suggest a demo ride. Especially ‘cos I think the SC sizing is a bit odd compared to other brands!

I’ll go ahead and post a link to my demo experience 🙂 http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/leisure-lakes-demo-day-26-vs-275-vs-29-non-flaming-content

Like DanW says, are you sure your shoes aren’t just a bit tight? Feet swell up over time – I could easily see after 4-5 hours on the bike that you’d need to loosen them up a little.

Cadbury’s Spira. Used to love them – I know it’s just another form of Cadbury’s chocolate, but somehow they tasted different – maybe it’s the increased percentage of “surface chocolate” or something 😕

Thanks folks! I don’t *think* it’s broken – it’s ok to bear weight, if painful. Will try to get it RICE’d overnight and see what tomorrow brings…

I quite like the idea, but I was expecting more along the lines of driver gets too close –> massive sign lights up saying “GIVE ME SPACE PLEASE YOU COCK”, rather than vibrating the bars so the rider has to work harder to keep a straight line…

Jumping on the bandwagon, I’ve got a 50mm 25.4 clamp Easton Havoc that’s going spare. Drop me a mail if you’re interested 🙂

I wouldn’t be messing about with neck injuries. Straight down to A&E, tell them about crunchy neck noises, get a scan done ASAP!

Depends how it’s done. The new Intense and Santa Cruz carbon frames have guides run internally, so the cable outers just thread straight through.

Other bikes just have entry and exit points and you have to fish around in the frame. Bit of a pain but not the end of the world – after a couple of times it gets easier!

I’ve got a bulky GPS one, the 910XT. It does swimming, biking and running (and transitions 😉 ) so perfect for what I use it for.

If you want something a bit less bulky, how about the new Forerunner 220? DC-Rainmaker does excellent reviews (including side-by-side size comparisons) – here’s his on the 220: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/11/garmin-forerunner-depth-review.html

You should be able to use any watch that is Ant+ compatible. Polar are specifically NOT – they use a proprietary communications protocol – but lots of others are.

I can’t recommend any though as I’m quite happy with my Garmin watch 😀

I’m contemplating the same thing (using Enve 60/40 rims), but not convinced by the orange enve decals:

IMO it looks better with the white enve decals. But then again I’m probably going to wait for the Fox Float 36 29er, which I reckon will look brilliant on the carbine 😀

If you buy my stuff I promise I’ll reply 😀

The bit in Wall-E where the robots are dancing, and the bit later when Wall-E gets sorted out by Eve. No, I don’t know why – I think there must be something wrong upstairs 😯

IMO neither next-gen console is worth it at the moment. As others have highlighted, there isn’t the same step change as with the previous generation, so the graphics argument is moot. There also aren’t any next-gen must-have games yet, so no point buying one right away.

I’ve got a 360, but I’ll probably jump ship to the PS4 if/when I buy a new console. The Bone just isn’t that good – it’s underpowered, the amazing TV features it offers are all US-centric, and voice recognition just isn’t something I need – so that doesn’t appeal. It’s also more expensive than the PS4 and doesn’t have any worthwhile exclusives, and nothing particularly exciting due to be released in the next *calendar year* 😕

HOWEVER. Xbone’s voice recognition does have some redeeming features 😀

^^ This. When you’re scuba diving, one of the things you learn is to control your depth by controlling your breathing (more air in the lungs –> more bouyant).

Also – fat is less dense than muscle. So leaner folk tend more towards sinking and fatter folk tend to float better. That’s just a generalisation, but could be a factor if you’re racing-snake lean!

Edit: if your legs are sinking, your balance in the water is off. Have a link 🙂 http://www.swimsmooth.com/swimming-balance.html

I haven’t had a payrise, but somehow the increased allowance has turned into £9 less take home pay per month 😕

My friends once asked me this at uni. It’s a horrible question, especially when it comes to the fun DH bike. I just try not to think about it 🙁

😯 You people! This is MADNESS I tells ya 😮

If you’re really not ‘engaging’ with the trail, why not just pick one gear and stick with it. That way you’ve got singlespeed when you want it, and gear options to fall back on. Then you can make an informed decision after a couple more rides 🙂

You might consider an Intense Tazer VP (coincidentally I’m selling mine 😀 ) – low, 1.5HT, 3.5-4″ travel. 68 degree HA but since it’s a full 1.5″ headtube you can fit an anglest – I ran mine at -1 degree with 125mm forks. Lovely!

I’m using these: 🙂

My first guess would be that the rebound on your rear is still too fast. Wind it on a bit more and see how it feels.

Hmmmm…. in that case I do wonder what performance gains you’d get from switching to a Chinese disc.

I mean obviously the WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH will make you faster 😀 But Zipp state a 23s difference over 40k for an 808 pair vs 808 and Super 9. Swapping the aerojacket for a Chinese disc will probably drop a bit of weight and gain a bit of aero (maybe!), but I’m not sure how much that’ll be worth. Say 15s over 40k for £900?

Not knocking it if you’ve got the cash and nothing more to upgrade, but I think I’d have nicer aerobars / Di2 further up the list 🙂

If that goes through here, does that mean that UK ISPs will be required to remove the blocks to various ‘naughty content’ websites like thepiratebay?