I suspect all this “it’s just for the taste” etc is kidding yourself that you do have a bit of a problem.

I got into a habit of having a couple of bottles of Stella with my dinner and while watching TV. I found the easiest way to break the habit was to stock up on nice mineral water.

Opening a bottle of San Pelegrino with a meal satisfies the need for the ‘ritual’ and you feel like you’re having a drink to complement the food rather than just a glass of tap.

I’ve started using Crests after years with 717s. I’m around 82kg but a fairly smooth rider, so never really dinked 717s, but I like the slightly wider profile of the Crests.

I’ve got some on Pro2s (Hope Hoops) and they’re excellent so far – they’ve had 6 months of fairly tough abuse on my Soul and haven’t caused any problems at all.

Thoroughly recommend them.

I asked a similar question last week, albeit with a lower budget of £200. I got the Shimano Ultegras from Merlin at 1652g with skewers. Fantastic wheelset for sensible money.

Spoke to the mechanic at Merlin who said they get loads of Fulcrum wheels back for warranty repairs and replacement – cartridge bearings lasting little over a month etc.

165 miles on a coast to coast. Set off at 4am and arrived around 5pm. There were a couple of feed stops along the way, probably 10.5-11hrs riding time…

I’m not a journo, or an aerospace engineer. I’m just telling you how different they feel. To be honest, it was a bit disconcerting at first as I found it much harder to ‘steer’ whilst texting 😉

My first thought was the rim profile, but like you say, a few mm is probably negligible. The only other difference is that the nipples are at the rim rather than the hub. But they’re a MUCH lighter rim, so I can’t see that making any difference.

So that leaves either the rigidity of the build, or the spokes which are far more aero than on the R550s…

WTF? Is this what magazines are spouting these days?

I’ve no idea if that’s what magazines are spouting, but they feel noticeably more stable – most noticeable when I took the hands off the bars, the bike felt less wobbly. I was surprised as they’re only 5mm or so deeper.
Maybe it’s the fact that they’re a much stiffer wheel or much more aero spokes – I’m not sure – but there is definitely a marked difference.

Well, this afternoon I nipped over to Merlin and picked up a set of the Ultegras. Spoke to the mechanic who said they had loads of Fulcrums back for warranty repairs, but the Shimanos were far more reliable. He rated the RS301s but pointed out that they were no lighter than my existing wheels, so I wouldn’t feel any improvement.

First impressions, they’re very subtly styled – rim graphics are quite understated but the hubs are nicely polished/anodised and look very classy.

They come with valves/seals ready to run tubeless and don’t require a rim strip, though I’ve set them up with Conti Ultra Gatorskins and tubes.

Just taken them for a 10 mile ride with a very tough climb up the back of Jeffrey Hill (just north of Preston) and a 2 mile rolling descent. They feel far more sprightly than the R550s that they replaced, they accelerate noticeably quicker and, being a bit deeper in profile, they feel very stable on the straights.

They felt rock solid on the climb too, with no discernible flex or creaking (I’m 13.5 stone). And they make a very satisfying hum at speed.

Overall, bloody happy with them, so thanks for the advice! Are they worth the money? Certainly. I don’t think there’s anything else comes close without spending a fair bit more, and I’m happy to spend the money knowing I’ve got a reliable wheelset that’s not going to fail 50 miles from home.

I spent an hour trying to fix a loose headset until I discovered that the piece of laminate flooring on which the front wheel was resting slid 3mm fore and aft.

😳

Without getting into deep sectioned Zipps etc, maybe. But I’m not going to spend £2grand on a pair of wheels!

My bike has Ultegra stuff on it, and I’m happy with the bling-factor! 🙂

You’ve also got to ask, how much pimp-factor do a wheel add to the bike. I think the Ultegras will add at least twice as much as the Planet Xs, so they still represent good VFM.

Re weight, I do a lot of climbing, so weight is quite an important factor in making the bike feel lively on climbs. Ultegra sound like a good balance of weight/strength/rim profile…

I think I’m going to have to go for the Shimanos… I’m 13.5 stone, so the Planet X might be a bit soft, and I’ve just been reading the reviews of the Ultegras and they do sound awesome, certainly a big step up from the “budget” wheelsets.

And at £206, they’re excellent value… Unless there’s anything else worth a look?

(the American Classics are another jump in price too far!!!!)

Hmmm… That’s thrown a spanner in the works! They’re only 1652g compared to 1943g for RS30s and 1809g for Racing 5s…

Ribble are doing Racing 5s for £151 – aren’t they a step up from 7s?

What goes “Mark!… Mark!… Mark!… Mark!… Mark!…”?

A dog with a hair lip.

Smell My Endeavor.

SUCK MY COG!

How many graphic designers does it take to change a lightbulb?

F*** off, I’m not changing anything.

I mentioned to my girlfriend that I enjoyed a bit of anal stimulation during love-making.

She thought it was a bit weird at first, but in the end, she gave me the thumbs up.

SaxonRider – Member

That may be so, but there still exists a Semitic ethnic group that is not Arab, and that we call ‘Jewish’. Perhaps a different name might be appropriate, but it is generally accepted that the word ‘Jewish’ refers both to a religion and to a race/ethnic group of people. So no, Elfinsafety is not reflecting ignorance. Know-it-alls who think they’re being clever by challenging an entirely appropriate use of a word are.

Had the post been about the persecution of that group, then perhaps the use of the term “racism” would have been appropriate. Seeing as it was a reference to the persecution of followers of Judaism, then it is an inappropriate use.

Or to simplify the point further for the benefit of padded-brain, Hitler would have had no problem with me, but had my brother decided to convert to Judaism, he’d have been sent off for a shower.

The point junkyard was trying to make, is that Jewish persecution was a matter of racism. That Jews have been persecuted while their countrymen of other religions have not, proves MY point exactly – that this is an example of religious hatred, not racial.

And obviously, you’re going to get differing opinions from certain sectors of the Jewish community based on their politico-religious leanings.

Elfinsafety – Member
Jesus wept. And you have the temerity to suggest someone else is ignorant???

Excuse me? “Jews” in the modern sense of the word are followers of a religion, not a race. So yes, Junkyard is rather ignorant on the matter, as, it would seem, are you.

Feel free to ‘cite’ the Jewish quest for their own holy land as reason for them being a race, but you’d be wrong. There are followers of Judaism from many races.

Junkyard – Member
tell that to jewish people or perhaps to those who suffered ethnic cleansing inthe former Yugoslavia or in Africa. Could you sight how many millions have died and been persecuted as a result of this “pathological fear of racism” or any actual real harm to anyone?

I wouldn’t normally reply to such a clumsy post, but the level of ill-informed ignorance that you display in so few words astounds me! For starters, the persecution of Jews is not racism; it’s religious persecution, not racial.

And no, I couldn’t “sight” the figures you request. At the moment, all I can “sight” is a messy desk and a computer. 🙄

No. It would be racist to discriminate against someone on the basis of their skin colour, but compiling data on who’s fittest doesn’t discriminate at all.

This pathological fear of racism that seems to be being instilled in society does more harm than racism itself, IMHO.

I ordered a chainset and cassette on Monday and was surprised not to get a dispatch email until this morning.

But in defense of CRC, I doubt I was the only person to break something last weekend and place an order first thing Monday morning.

And judging by the number of people getting out and riding, I’d wager that this Monday morning was probably one of the busiest days of the year for people ordering replacement bike bits.

Still far better than Wiggle who list items as in stock and then email you a week later to tell you they’ll have them in a month!

I’d use the double-sided foam tape that sign-writers use. It’ll take up any discrepancy in the curve between the 2 surfaces and a tape would give a stronger adhesion than a glue that could go brittle and drop off.

It comes in different thicknesses too – I’m sure a signwriter would sort you out for the price of a pint if you can’t source it…

Thanks for the link Simon, I’ll probably go for that once it’s up and running. Shame this MacPro is maxed out at 16 gig!

I think I’ll just use one of the extended keyboards off one of the redundant Mac Pros and buy a corded mouse. Nice and reliable and the keyboards are bloody lovely…

I’d look at BMs, lots of choice so you should be able to find a good 3-series coupe within budget.

Celicas are a hoot too, again, lots of choice. I’d be avoiding any Alfa older than 2 weeks old 😉

They’re just the same as any other 406, but less practical.
If you’re after fun, I’d be looking elsewhere…

Always thought they were a very pretty car though.

Cheers Steve, the i5 turned out to be only about a hundred quid more than the discounted i3s.

Left it with stock 4mb ram and 500 gig hard drive. I’ll update the RAM if need be, but I’m interested to see how it handles. It’s only used for setting catalogues etc in InDesign, not much photoshop or illustrator, but they can get quite weighty.

Just ordered an i5 from Dixons, for £ 951.92 which is £793!!!

Cheaper than the refurb!

Bargain? What are the wireless keyboard and mouse like? Always had the wired versions on Mac Pros…

This is the cheapest I can find at £808 (£969 inc VAT)…

Linky

I’ve found i5 21.5″ versions for £830, so I think I’ll just get one of those…

Cheers Jamie

🙂

No need to apologise Jamie, I thought that was the case, but I’m a bit dim like that. Just wanted to check there are no architectural differences that might cause future probs.

Are the performance differences worth the extra £200-£300?

Plantpot shafted me, can’t remember his real name…

don simon – Member
Whatever turns you on!

She didn’t. I had to think about Charliemungus’s mum… 😉

Perhaps Whoppit has gone to blow up Liverpool Street Station so he can have the last laugh…

Whataringpiece.

julianwilson – Member
Or required a bath/shower to get their hoop ‘into the mood’ so to speak.

I’ve been known to go for a preemptive strike with some sort of ass-cream if I suspect it might have big corners…

Cougar – Member

Might I suggest that sir considers the side upon which sir, ah, dresses, and then approach from the opposing side? This may require changing hands, but then, little bathroom pleasures often do.

No, you might not suggest such lunacy – it’s bad enough that you’ve turned my toilet habits back-to-front (literally) without turning them arse-about-face… What do you think I am, some kind of circus freak? I’m not ambidextrous, though I’d give my right arm to be.

Cougar – Member

The trick is to stop peeing before you wipe…

Maybe it’s just me, but no matter how long I sit reading, the moment of paper/sphincter contact induces a feeling of relaxation that allows an extra few mils of fluid to be emitted.