Good video! Keeping my eye on this…

Some amazing way of holding wheels in the frame and removing them quickly. It would be light, universal fitting and would last years, and all bike shops would stock them.

I would call it the ‘Velox Sejungo’

I’m waiting for someone else to get some first… ;)

Why are you considering it? I would only do this to get a fork in 1 1/8th straight steerer as there aren’t many around any more at an affordable price (even Exotic seem to have stopped selling straight steerer cx forks) but if I needed a tapered steerer I’d get a reputable brand (e.g. Kinesis, PX [cough]) with UK presence as these can be had below £150.

Steerer tube one of the more annoying obsolescences – as far as I understand it, tapered steerers entered CX to help eliminate juddering with canti brakes and stiff carbon forks. Now we’re mostly on discs, this is maybe less of a problem. Or maybe not, if the juddering is cause by the lower portion of the wheel suddely ‘catching up’ with the rest of the bike as the forks ‘spring’ forwards.

If it wasn’t a race bike I’d just get a steel Surly fork anyway…

The Yorkshire cx league might have a couple more events left. I’m in sheff and did the Wakefield, Leeds and Halifax rounds in Oct/Nov this year but was restricted to ones I could get to by train.

The Sheffield round was cancelled this year.

Novice entry (‘Go Cross’) was only £7 which compares well to running events I’ve done and allows MTBs. Not sure if the points league allows MTBs. I rode my pompino singlespeed and had fun.

I’ll def be doing the summer rounds. Also considering this Adventure Cross series I’ve noticed.

There’s also a Derbyshire/Notts league I think.

A related issue is just how arbitrary the Olympic medal system is – Michael Phelps (23 Golds!) is not 5.75 x the athlete that Mo Farah (4 Golds) or 11.5 x the athlete Alistair Brownlee (2) is. He just happens to compete in an sport that allows lots of events within the same physiological capacity and skill set. BMX is a really good example of this – I’m not a close follower of BMX racing so tell me if I’m way off whack, but if Phelps can have a go at 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m medley, 400m medley, etc, then why can’t Liam Philips race over 100m, 200m, a bermy course, a roller-y course, etc…?

Long sleeve base layer with neck zip is a winner for £5! Enough of a thing to look like a general top as well as a functioning base layer. Did well on a Peak road ride.

Kenda Small Block 8…

It has been shown that the great success in 2012 and 2016 has done little/nothing to increase participation in sport.

I’d suggest that the main problems are:

1. Many of the medals were achieved in ‘non-democratic’ sports – where people are either disinterested because the sport is alien to them, or get behind the athletes but in real life, most people can’t access the sports for financial/geographical/social reasons.
Instead, sports like basketball, easily accessed and played by countless urban youth, lost funding, while archery, clay pigeon shooting, horse dancery, continued.

2. Engaging in sports/ an active lifestyle requires influence at a much earlier stage and on a deeper level than seeing it on telly. It depends on the culture in the individual’s family, school and community, pretty much from birth. Many young people I’ve worked with loved the Olympics as an X-Factor style TV event, but the idea of me cycling 3 miles to work blew their minds. But the only reason that’s normal to me is because my family did it when I was growing up. Some people will want to blame the parents – but the parents were developing humans once too and if noone modelled it to them either, they won’t have the capital to pass it on to their own kids.

UK sport had a decision to make – either engage in a concerted effort with the health service and education to change the sporting/activity culture of the country at a deeper level, which would have required addressing inequality as a serious policy, or send contestants Strictly-style to get the most shiny medals and make everyone happy for a bit, which is much cheaper!

Some people point to the fact that many athletes (especially in track and field, boxing and other sports) are from less privileged backgrounds and argue that they have succeeded therefore there is no social/class/equality problem with regards to sporting participation. This is reductive and akin to saying ‘when I did an online Asda shop, some of the food was tasty therefore it’s all fine’. Some will suggest that having a difficult background helps because it makes people more hungry/desperate for success because they have known hardship/want to help their family/had few other options than sport. Bollox!!! This is to (a) to ignore the vast majority of under privileged young people who never even look at a tennis racquet or running track, (b) to ignore those who do engage with sport but don’t have a dedicated Judy Murray figure bussing them to tournaments.

I’m forgetting this is just a bike forum. I suppose the point of my rant is that we ought to consider (a), what the point of our participation in the Olympics is and (b), what we then do about this.

If the purpose is only to win medals and finish in the top 3 in the medal table, we should stop bullshitting about inspiring people to do sport, give the funding to sports which already draw revenue from elsewhere and have well-developed existing structures and practices (either rich people sports or ones which have a commercial/professional side) and whoop and cheer every 4 years like it’s one massive X-Strictly come Jungle.

If the purpose is to engage people in sports, then the Olympics should only be the tip of the iceberg of a deeper policy shift. But as far as the Olympic Sports go, we should be focusing on funding and promoting the sports that the most people can access, most affordably, and fit into everyday lives. Basketball would fall into this category.

Where would cycling fall?

Good on you getting it done! My understanding is that they’re much more cautious nowadays compared to when they used to just remove most of the cartilage and leave people arthritic – surgeons sometimes open up knees and decide to leave torn menisci rather than remove bits. There seems to be a greater recognition that decent outcomes can be achieved through keeping active and specific exercises. On other hand, this (and budget cuts) does mean it’s incredibly hard to get to the stage where surgery is considered an option, even when physio etc hasn’t worked…

The whole MucOff/equivalent then spray down process is a really good way of selling MucOff/equivalent. But it often just results on your bike getting wetter than it needed to be and I doubt many people give it the time it needs to soak in properly. Maybe worth doing whrn the bike is already soaked in winter. Otherwise wiping bike down with rags does job with less rust/corrosion inducement. Takes a few mins, but so does a MucOff/equivalent job if done properly.

That said, I did like that Muc Off ‘Bike Spray’ as a general frame protector/water disperser for steel bikes which leaves less residue and seemed to have less grease-removing solvent in it than your standard GT85 etc. But there’s a chance that’s because there isn’t anything substantial in it! Wouldn’t buy it at RRP though.

Addicted to it for waking up in morning. Almost certainly psychological as much as anything else. Much prefer ground over instant but beyond that can’t tell difference. Same with beer. I like an ale for under 3 quid a pint, but it’s increasingly hard to find a bog standard one.

Asda’s own £2 a bag. Re-use the grounds too…

If I only had one bike, it would be a cx bike with a rear mech hanger that I’d run single speed for races with a tensioner for avoidance of rear mech mash ups and occasionally ‘1x something’ for long rides. But would probably keep as SS most of the time. And I’m saying that despite doing most rides in Sheffield/Peak District. Took a few tries to find right compromise for both off road climbs and on road flats, but do-able.

Too much tech ain’t worth the bother…

Yes! 36:16 for me. Finishing about 2/3 down he field. SS has not been a disadvantage, compared to my fitness and the fact that I’m on a steel pompino with reclaimed from scrap wheels, crappy brakes and not great tyre clearance. If I was more serious about racing, I’d still go SS but on a lighter, more specialist bike with discs. At the last race, there were broken rear mechs galore, so unless you want to buy 2 bikes and make a mate stand in a field washing your pit bike’s jockey wheels, SS makes sense

Zee rear mech. Whichever 36t low gear cassette is cheapest. (Never found a need for lower than 36t). Zee/slx/old xt shiftr. I went for a 35 bikes chainring for about £30 to support local company but superstar ones about £20. About £100 all in.

Pro evo. Pro evo. The one with Henry on the front.

Ssx tricky, time splitters, pro evo

Kenda Small Block 8s…

People have done this to use longer cage mtb mechs on road/cx/gravel bikes so they can use cassettes with lower low gears (bigger cogs). It will work with the older tier of 10 speed shifters (Ultegra 6700, 105 5600 and 5700, Tiagra 4600) but not new Tiagra 4700 as that uses the same pull ratio as newer 11 speed shifters. You can’t get a Shimano clutch mech below 10 speed and they’re not compatible with road shifters. But you can mod a non-clutch Shimano mech (MTB – Deore or above; road – Tiagra or above) by opening up the knuckle and putting the spring in a different hole to add tension to the derailleur. There’s a small hole on the knuckle which houses a bln hex bolt (2mm or 2.5mm I think).

Bird on the Wire will be going on in the shop today in place of the usual Kisstory / dubstep tunes…

Recently from some local youth sitting on a bench:

“Oi, cyclist!”

Observant…

Just built a touring wheelset for approx £150 using Novatec 771 / 772sb MTB hubs. Bought from Spokesman wheels as the hubs are widely available online but since they are based in the far east it’s nice to speak to a dealer in the UK who has a regular supply line. They’re available with a choice of QR or thru axle end caps, are lighter than equivalent priced Shimano and bearings seem good. Also road 11sp compatible. Spares freehubs easily available too.

Novatec 771 / 772sb hubs: £95 from Spokesman wheels
Mavic A119 touring rims: £15 from eBay
64 Alpina double butted spokes: about £20 from LBS

You could get a set of new Mavic 29er rims for around £40, or try the Exal rims sold by Spa cycles.

In fact, Spa will hand build a set of Deore wheels for £150 – I’ve got some and they’ve never needed truing, but I’ve become more a fan of cartridge bearings and Spa seem to mostly build on Shimano hubs…

Not sure it would be slower. 26 feels more ‘tight’ though, as have 27.5s I’ve ridden The 29ers, albeit briefly, less so. Not in a bad way though.

Wobbliscott, I fancy a 29er, have ridden a few, and might get one because it might well be quicker on the routes I do, which are 75% flat trails, 25% windy wooded bits. Point is just that my current MTB feels a bit slow on flat but comes into its own on the the windy bits. There’s every chance that’s simply because it’s an MTB doing MTB stuff.

As a mostly road cyclist, I often fancy the idea of a 29er when riding my 26 rigid inbred on long, relatively straight trails, but when the trails cut through windy bits in the woods, the 26 is the best handling bike I own. If I bought a 29er, it would be to do my 21 mile commute on the canal paths rather than the road in a still respectable time that didnt cut 2.5 hours out of my evening. I only ride a third of the way on the 26er. It would be comfy enough to ride the whole way, but painfully slow. It probably wouldn’t be a replacement for the smaller wheeled bike, but for a different type of riding. Ibsuspect the rolling over stuff more easily issue is overrated, but I dont think the speed on flat sections issue is. Am considering a Bizango with replacement carbon fork for a winter rider…

Marmot Precip seems a popular and relatively affordable choice.

Walking past doorhandles without smashing hip on them

Facebook group added:

https://www.facebook.com/events/599353126898389/

Cheers for all the replies. Seems like should be fine then! May try some other surly forks I have which are 425mm a-c. Then if they feel too short I’ll know I’m after something in between. Unless anyone’s flogging anything around the 440mm mark?

Cheers for all the replies. Seems like should be fine then! May try some other surly forks I have which are 425mm a-c. Then if they feel too short I’ll know I’m after something in between. Unless anyone’s flogging anything around the 440mm mark?

Huh, seems like lots of people have used a 460mm+ fork. How did any of you go up hills with that?! Mine is def as high as I’d go. Possibly if I had a smaller frame size I would need a higher front end so the saddle – bar drop wasn’t drastic.

Takisawa2 – did your forks flex? I know it’s normal but a bit disconcerting – never seen my forks visibly flex, even skinny steel road forks.

Thanks for your replies. Now they’re fitted I might as well run them for a while, though suspect I may find the front end a bit high. Could always slam stem and cut steerer, but bit reluctant to cut it if I have doubts over them. Better than impaling one’s sternum I suppose…

[/quote]Thanks sb, was set on a Kaffenback but have been following this thread so v tempted by the Charge. Then again those London Roads look quite nice…

Would totally use a London Road if I was cross racing for a lighter weight bike that I isn’t too worried about breaking. Plus, I live right by the London Road it’s named after! But for day to day use, steel wins.

Hi Sb,

I have the same frame, 54 medium and it fits my Father who is 5ft 9.

He does have little more clearance than his road bike but CX bikes should have s little more clearance due to the terrain.

Yeah, ideally I’d have a bit more standover, but I’m resigned to relying on effective top tube to decide fit. Only time I’ve fallen onto the top tube was as a kid when I had tonnes of standover anyway!

You lot bought all the cheap Kaffenback forks!!! I’ve picked up some Cotic Roadrat forks (with he funky right hand side front facing disc mount) – was looking at the Dawes Galaxy ones on ebay for £30, but they’re 420mm A-C which is pushing it a bit. Best option would be Surly Straggler (400m A-c and classy look) but they’re out of stock most places in UK til May and £75…

Considered Surly Disc Truckers too (390mm A-C) but got the Cotics a bit cheaper.

Could just use my Kaffenbacks but reckon they’ll sell better as a frame set…

It’s a small unfortunately. Was considering getting a medium and selling on the small when I saw the charge offer! V similar bikes really. Only going w the charge for option of more tyre clearance and am a sucker for nice Tange tubes. But would recommend kaffs for a do it all road bike that you wouldn’t worry about too much.

Yeah the medium. I would happily ride this for CX stand over wise. It grazes the inseam of my trousers but I can lift it a couple inches before it hits bone. Thats with a 28mm tyre btw. A 35mm tyre would raise it about 0.5cm afaik. Could have gone with the small for a more road oriented build with a 10-12cm stem but as I’m considering some off road use wanted to minimise toe overlap risk and as am also considering flat bars (mainly to avoid getting into expensive brifter set ups but still be able to use hydro brakes) I went with the medium for a longer tt.

Best to check his cycling inseam/stand over with book in crotch method.

It’s basically the same geometry as a traditional 54cm road frame (54cm seat tube x 54cm effective top tube) which I have and which I know fits me with drops with an 80cm stem and flats with a longer stem. Except that because it’s a semi- sloping top tube the front end of the top tube is a bit higher and the back end (under the nose of the saddle) a bit lower than on a traditional horizontal top tube frame. But the stand over at the mid point is basically the same.

Next step is to get forks (the ones I tried for sizing are rim brakes only) gave seen the dawes galaxy ones on eBay going cheap but not sure about their tyre clearance. Have kaffenback ones but as this frame set is replacing the kaff probably want to keep those with the frame and sell together.

I was going to build an xs one for my tiny dad as he wanted something lighter than his 70s bikes but still steel, but he’s only gone and bought a full carbon rig to help prop up his lbs!

Just received frame(s). FWIW, stand over is exaggerated on the sizing chart on the listing. Unless they mean that’s the stand over the rider should have. Put a rear wheel and fork with front wheel gently into frame to check. I have a cycling inseam of 80cm (ish and graze the tt lightly, but can lift the bike a couple of inches off the floor. Just OK for canal path/ light CX type riding.

I might want to buy your 456 for £75… What size?

Ha no worries, would probably have ordered both anyway – return postage will cost I just see it as equivalent to having to drive somewhere to get something. It’s my fault for trying to do something with a frame intended for drop bars that it’s probably not meant for…