Singlespeeded for years, I’ll always be faster with gears. If your faster with single speed its because your not using your gears properly,

I’d have shaved around 10 mins off my mayhem lap times with gears. Nothing to do with the steep climbs but the slight downhill’s which I could have pedalled more and the slight drags uphill which took so much out of my legs.

But I ride single speed because:

I love the simplicity of a single speed and the silence

I passed a school last month with the flag upside down. 🙁

You would though wouldn’t you?

yup

No really bothered, that’s just free speech, she’s entitled to her opinion – it’s not a stupid criminal confession like the other lass.

+1

Do it, its what the pro’s do.

You’ll be able to brake and change gear at the same time, that’ll earn you a few more sec’s on strava.

(also done it because I bought brakes from abroad and i’m lazy)

Out of curiosity what ratio were singlespeeders running?

I ran 32-20 but i should have ran 18-19 which i normally do on the rear.

I was never getting up two grassy climbs and the one after the red bull section during the race so might have well made up a bit of time on the flatter sections where i was spinning out.

Did a lap of the course Friday & cleaned every climb quite easily

To be fair on friday a lot of people did, fresh legs and dry course but its a different story in the middle of an wet endurance race.

I just had great time, thought it was a great set up.

It was bloody hard work but I loved it. I’ll be back next year.

Also I hope her Ladyship saw Pat’s et all’s efforts and puts them up for medals this new year for their work over the years.

Is a crossmark on the front that bad??

it’ll be fine on canal tow paths and commuting.

Nice bike, I had alsorts of problems fitting brakes to the two inbreds I had.

The cranks remind me of the old redline ones.

It doesn’t bother me really, dogs at trail centres are generally a lot better behaved than the ones I encounter on bridleways.

Its the outdoors. If I have to stop for two mins so they are out of the way or the opposite then no big deal.

When I was a lad I could by a can of coke and a mars bar for less than 50p

or what the point is

It keeps middle aged it managers off mumsnet

Won’t be long till they are bigger than google. The BBC are using their spokenwomen now for children related crap.

Right, so am I taking the HT or the FS then?

Judging by the video which ever has a “Cabbage Setting”

I’ve already put our tents up on the back of a tractor and trailer.

Hopefully i won’t have any issues pulling into a prime spot and then leaving. whoever gets there first may have an issue mind.

I’ll be following him too,

I went to one of his talks in dalby last year, excellent.

I’ve used both Salsa cromoto and singular swift forks in 29er flavour.

both excellent, but which ever is the cheapest at the time. Unless you want rack mounts, then go for surly ogre forks or salsa fargo ones.

The cyclocross fork is unlikely to work as it will be too short and will limit you to narrow tyres.

I suppose asking those who can afford such things to have a care for those less fortunate is pointless.

The point I’m making is that anyone who isn’t really into bikes will look at all bikes over £200 and think who buys into all this crap.

bigger wheels, extra gears, uppy downy posts, suspension its all just bells and whistles to make you part with money.

Because I don’t like being bent over and taught a lesson by bunch of **** in polo neck jumpers who have decided that the hard earned few grand that me and my Mrs have spent on our hobby over the last 20 years was a complete and utter waste of time because some aresehole has decided that we no longer matter.

Yet you are likely to have already bought a few grands worth of kit over the last few years, or do you still ride a muddy fox courier?

No but its mildly irritating that we are told that visually-pretty products from last few years are now old hat. Its almost like Journos etc have short memories.

This has been going on since mtb began, every year they tell us the new bikes are better. Its life.

If I see a top end 29’er I think I’ll feel pity for the bloke riding it

Don’t, I really like my bike. 😀

I do enjoy a good PussyWillow rant but that was poor by your normal standards,

+1

even I can’t be arsed to argue with you this time. I need something to bite on, get my teeth stuck into.

Come on extra can of monster and your there.

what we need is an industry spokesman to blow the whistle on how the bike industry (bikes, parts, magazines, websites, retailers, e-tailers, servicing) collaborates to mug the consumer of his hard-earned cash.
that will dispel all this myth, spin and conjecture.
but that’s never going to happen – and we all know that’s what’s happening anyway…

Do you really need a whistle blower to tell you businesses are trying to make money? Seriously?

Remember, as CharlieTheBikemonger posted ^^ if there’s no demand then there’s no business… so if we don’t want 650B, just don’t buy it and the industry cannot kill off 26″ if there’s no demand for their dictated replacement…

+1

Stu at Riders Cycle centre has a sonic cleaner thing. Only seen pics on facebook but the results look amazing.

I wonder how much this is backfiring on the industry

It hasn’t at all.

people who want new bikes are buying them. people who want spares are still buying them.

The people that are new to cycling far out way the people giving up because their local spec concept store doesn’t do enough 26″ tyres.

Haven’t bike companies been trying to sell bikes for years?

I didn’t realise they had just woken up and thought “shit we better make some money”

I’ll buy whatever bike I look of and feels right at the time. i enjoy riding marketing BS round the woods. Makes me smile.

Evans probally at Monks Cross,

Cycleworks also does some nice clothes.

650c?? Its a few bigger than 26″ but less than 650b i think

Taking a selection of Nobby Nics, rapid robs, various bonty’s

Then if it gets mucky some grippy Salomon trail running shoes and flat pedals.

We get complaints like this all the time at work,

Having only 3 sizes of boxes keeps the costs down, both in buying the boxes but also in pricing from our courier. Its also simpler.

I don’t see what the problem is, especially when the customer gets the product on time and with free delivery.

Sounds fishy, but they could have got confused, “pending” does crop up alot,

eg: seller not verified (which makes sense if its a new account) or echeque,

contact paypal.

but wouldn’t they still be a lot slower than slicks? Not that I’m aiming to be competitive. Just a bit of fun. But it will be a lot more fun if I don’t have to suffer so much on the road section

Changing tyres sounds like a bit of a faff, but I guess if I went with tubes rather than tubeless it wouldn’t take that long and I may well appreciate the excuse for a bit of a sit down at the changeover

It’ll be more fun riding bike, pump em right up, I can fair bomb along on Racing ralphs especially on my 29er, time yourself

How about some fast rolling mtb tyres? how mucky will it be off-road?

Gill at the cycleshed had some singlespeed ones made up, not sure if they had disc mounts.

It should be pretty easy to get a new dropout machined with disc tabs, It would be worth speaking to a frame builder. The dropouts on those frames are dead simple.

A bit like this but with the other tab:

Its a surly one, Charlie the bike monger will probally have some, or on the ebay

This has always been a problem with strava, Anyone with any knowledge of strava can write themselves a KOM, The rest can just use a car.

If it pisses you off. Stop and think about what your doing.

Should have gone premier

I didn’t know you could do it, 😯

Loads better now.

Would be worth contacting stolen bikes york facebook and twitter.

And local shops.

Cheeky little ride out sat after having a big paddy and hitting stuff with hammers fixing my bike.

Borrowdale Bash sunday, was fantastic, cracking day for it.

Reba Forks
Elixir brakes
Big Wheels
Track pump
work stand
lots of tools.

It’ll be hard to find a good article because most are biased one way or another. MTBR.com has had some good ones in the past.

I’m a big 29er fan and The best 29er’s I’ve owned/rode have been frames built to be a 29er not ones built to ride like a 26″.