I must get a photo of my commuter… It’s the most repulsive sack of you know what you have ever seen, yet Sid Race Titaniums, XTR, EC70 bars, built with 700x23s and full length mudguards. Someone would need to be mental to try steal it as it looks like aids.
PS. It was all built with old odds and sods I had kicking about, so I only spent about £80 on it 🙂

To be honest, if sealed pivot bearings made by whoever and loose bearings from shimano have both died in the same time frame, then the only common factors are your maintenance and the conditions you are subjecting them to. I’d be worried about the whole rear hub to be honest (as i’m assuming the bearings are rusty and marbled) and the headset is likely the next thing to go…

Christ… About time someone tested that kind of nonsense!

The brakes normally have pretty decent clearance (up to 1mm each side), but many aftermarket pad manufacturers make the pad material thicker to increase pad life. It’s a pain in the ass, but it will sort itself out pretty quickly. Nothing rubs forever!

I changed from EC70s to Raceface SixC bars as I wanted something a little wider… I was told the Haven Carbons weren’t due till December, but that was a couple of months ago… I have since seen the aluminium Havens and they feel pretty nice. I am however super chuffed with my SixCs as the shape is perfect for me and they feel real solid… Not cheap though!

All the calipers and levers from Deore up to 2011 XTR are completely interchangable

2011 XTR use a smaller diameter hose for firmer feel…

My first ever mtb was a Specalized, so have a soft spot for the FSRs though the rest of the bikes are a little bland, but mainly due to paint schemes as opposed to technology… (Although, why they have stopped using shock bushes on some models is beyond me)
Treks I used to think were dull as dish water, though my Madone changed that as it’s the best road bike I have ever ridden (including some VERY expensive niche stuff). The ABP range of bikes are superb also.
Giants – not really a fan, though the reign and glory are both great riding bikes!
Big brands at the end of the day, have the budget to spend on fantastic technology and R&D. I can live with dull paint for that!

Says me with a carbon blur 😕

I’ve heard it explained two different ways which are both pretty easy to understand…
First – It’s like lifting a weight that is sat on a spring.
Second – It’s like lifting a weight that is under water.

Either way, it just makes stuff more supple and smooth. 🙂

Also, nobody has mentioned the “Cycle to work scheme” . Soul destroying, and with a 10% commission out of the bike shop’s margin despite the extra admin, holding onto a bike and accs often for months. Nightmare.
And I should mention that a lot of bike shop staff are on minimum wage, so a customer who earns £50k bitching about not being able to get a sale bike on c2w is sometimes just too much…
Before I get moaned at for “if you don’t like it then move” statements, I have worked in the bike trade for 11 years, and overall I have enjoyed it, but I am in the process of changing lifestyle and will never work in retail again… sweet

YES! Best off the peg bike I have ever had! I think they should be compulsory bikes for folk when they start mountain biking!
I bought one to run through the winter last year to give my “good bike” a slightly easier life and I was blown away with how much fun the io was… I fitted a bigger conti front tyre and put on SLX brakes and a pair of crudcatchers. It was immense fun, and even descended like a demon! I deeply regret selling it, but i needed the spenders 🙁

Beautiful 🙂

Selle Italia SLC is fantastic! Similar shape to the Specialized one, but without the join at the back so the wings can flex properly…

Superlight

That’s really terrible! Condolences!
I ride that road all the time, and cars buzz you at daft speeds…

Two years for the original owner

Boing!

Dremmel the race twice and it will just fall out… Careful though!

Konas, Lapierres, Spank rubbish… Magura. Norco.

I have had my Blur LTc now for exactly a year, and I still love it to bits! Haven’t had a single issue with the bike apart from having to replace the rubbish Cane Creek headset I got with it with a King after replacing the bearings twice in a month. The only thing I would consider changing it for is a 2011 green one! 🙂

I’ve never had a short I couldn’t breathe in! Are you sure you’re wearing them right?

OE Saint brake pads used to be RRP £50 when the brakes first came out! Now i think they’re still £35… Most shops go by rrp, so it’s not their fault things are steep… Trust me, brake pads are NOT 400% margin! If shops thought superstar pads were ANY use, don’t you think they would buy them and re-sell? Exactly…

Replacing a perfectly good Thomson Elite seatpost with a Masterpiece just because. Replacing silver Juicy carbons with white ones just to coordinate better. Replacing Pro2 hubs, king headset, hope skewers and seatclamp with the exact same models just to change colour scheme. Fancied a hardtail, so bought a Cannondale Taurine 1 without ever even seeing one before. Changing rear shock brand just to match the fork brand… It’s a sickness… What can I say?

Bontrager are working on a system too apparently…

Nope, but it’s interesting to see someone making tapered steerers to suit leftys… Hmm… I was just thinking how much i missed my lefty

Pwned? Huh, what’s that?

this is the best! I used to have just about every one of those sets… Sold them at a car boot sale for like £300 so I could buy my first stereo 🙁

word

I take it yo've told him you're getting sick of it?

80kg, 130+,120-. 150mm Revs

Didn't see it, but apparently it was horrific… The BBC said they would update as they hear anything

And more importantly… PIT GIRLS!

The Q-factor is a bit of a problem… A mate runs HT2 Dura-ace cranks singlespeed on his SC Chameleon. He had to chamfer (read file the hell out of) both crank arms to clear the stays, and has to run the EBB almost all the way forward, and he only has about 2mm clearance… His cranks are 170mm, but the 165mm ones would be much better. It looks amazing though! Don't know what he'll do when his chain needs tensioned.

Twice… Once a steerer tube without enough stem overlap (cough) and once a snapped bar… Both ended up in A and E. Both could have been avoided if a bit of common sense had been used… (the bars had been bent before, but he was too tight to replace them)

It's a tough one, because it's a nightmare working on some of the "Death Chariots" that are out there, but needs must… It's when you spend an hour on a bike trying to get the brakes even vaguely working when it was only in for pads that I get pissed… The kids bikes are the worst… I think it's criminal how substandard some kids bikes are!

It's not air inside, it's Nitrogen…

Have you ever seen someone's bars come away in their hands whilst riding?

My Tdci Focus is a bloody nightmare for that! I have just gotten used to "blipping" the throttle before the off, but it can't be good for the clutch, and I must look like a tit. I'm never getting a diesel again…

… Actually, I would get a Cummins diesel, but that's it…

The "official" Shimano oven is just a regular electric oven, as when you peel the shimano sticker off there are guides on how to do chicken etc… Not sure about temperatures and times though, so I'd be reluctant to try… The shoes can melt (hence us disassembling this particular knackered oven).

I was going to call and suggest an extended follow up where she carried on with a bit of 'DIY' to see her through to the weekend.

Excellent…

Epic…