First Utterance by Comus

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I have one of the old Swift forks* sitting the shed that you could have for £30 plus p and p. if it is any help.

* longer a to c distance.

They came round to see me while my gran was over having tea. She was a ‘lovely little old lady’ who really wouldn’t say boo to the proverbial goose.

I was trying to see them off, politely, when she came to the door behind me?

“Are they Jehovah’s love?”

“Yes Gran”

She motioned me to one side, took my place at the door and said:

“Jehovah’s Witness eh? Well, I have only got one thing to say to you lot”

“Bugger off!”

I was as shocked as they were. They left and it turned into a sort of Life of Brian moment as she walked back into the house muttering.

I was about to say they did those in the 1950s but ninfan effectively beat me to it.

I suppose I should have checked it but as it came fitted on a >£2k carbon bike, I sort of assumed that wouldn’t be an issue.

Mea Culpa re the popcorn! 🙂

Maybe I was being a bit cynical, it is entertainment after all. I think they do this sort of thing every summer….wasn’t Cloverfield in the same genre?

Now if you want a great film that includes cycling….. Jour du Fete (Jacques Tati) really clever, lots of laughs just a bit dated and it won’t be showing in any cinemas.

Damn…..turning into a grumpy old man. 😯

There must be a good film out there and fair cop re Skyfall.

Let’s see.

Probably another formulaic offering from Hollywood. A thinly disguised allegory of how the greatest nation in the world stands alone against an external threat terrorists/aliens/robots/disease. The initial success of the threatening force exposes all sorts of failures within the socio-political system. Notwithstanding these flaws the hero(oes) who are themselves a metaphor for everything the USA stands for, ultimately prevail and they all live happily ever after. Society has been saved and the status quo returns. Americans have just had their fears exposed and their brows soothed (vicariously) through the medium of film.

Along the way there Hollywood style pyrotechnics and maybe the odd flash of female flesh. The hero/heroine are gritty and tough just like the US.

I think I have just saved you your entry fee.

Second hand is the only way I’d buy a car. Have never seen the point of shelling out on a new car. As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, you can still pick up a nice car second hand for comparatively little.

A colleague of mine shelled out for a new Jaaaaaag recently. Within a week it was covered in supermarket style scratches and dents. He was distraught…as I would have been.

Meanwhile….in a shagged out Berlingo…..

Have to admit though, it is far nicer going places in his car than mine!

I had an early one, one of the very limited numbers of XL frames. It looked brilliant but I hated it. Reluctantly, in some ways, we parted company and it took me ages to find something that really worked for me.

I completely agree with your ‘Soul-less’ comment. It just didn’t suit my style of riding…whatever that might be!

Find something that does….stick with that.

My folks found themselves having dinner next to John and Yoko many moons ago. They signed their (linen) serviette/napkin – call it what you will.

Anyway, they brought it home and showed it to my sister and I saying they would keep it somewhere safe so one of us could have it when we grew up.

Well, they still haven’t found it!

Meanwhile, my sister has launched a claim to it on the premise that it was given to her….precious…..my precious. Maybe I ought to offer to help them sort their things so they can throw out all the old rubbish they must have in the roof etc.

76 is comparatively young nowadays.

You can’t buy health.

I s’pose it depends if you are happy. There’s no point living for ages if you are unhappy, however healthy you may be.

Back in the day…… D2D used to be on during the summer. As veterans of those early races will tell you, the dawn laps were, as they say, ‘to die for’. The lucky ones on the course got to see the sun rising over the forest, animals waking up etc etc. Brilliant.

If you get the same experience on this race you will be a lucky man!

Wow! There’s a fair bit more metal than that on mine!

Agreed, a lot of metal has worn away. The thing is, it isn’t something you expect….even after years of pedalling!

Ideally, some form of wear indicator would be a good idea but I have no idea how you would do it.

I’m not sure Shimano would be interested, as mentioned previously, they are hardly new. I’d just have preferred it if they had gone nearer the end of the lap! 🙂

eh?

schmiken – yes, that was me!

Trying to put a positive spin on it….. I managed to do left footed pedal drills for 4 miles! 🙂

willard

I might have one of those floating about. My son started one, well he started to paint the components then got into X Box and never looked at it again. I’ll have a scout round his room and find out what he wants to do with it if you like.

Can’t remember my first but can recall getting an Airfix F111A. We had gone to Cardiff over the Severn Bridge the day after it was opened. For some reason I was allowed a day off school on the premise that it was educational to go over the bridge and wasn’t I lucky to have the chance….and so on.

I had (dry) built it several times on the way back to Gloucester.

+1 for Roberts, had one many years back…..awesome bike. You could also look for Fuquay. His steel road bikes were really nice. He built a TT bike for me….gorgeous. Wonder where it is now! Harry Hall were pretty good too, in a workmanlike, no nonsense sort of way.

Just keep away from the Gay Trail around dark ok? woof woof!

Ask Chris Hoy, he’s got plenty of time to chat now! 🙂

Suffolk….flatland ticks here sandwicheater. They are however, everywhere particularly where you have sheep, deer, cattle….

Nasty little critters. The best way to avoid them is to ride on the road until it gets colder and wetter again but that might just go against the grain! 🙂

Thanks for that.

I discovered mine before they attached. Not sure about any of the others.

Looks like I had better go and dig out the repellant then!

I has a steel one (XL) and absolutely hated it. The head angle was so steep it was a pig to ride, even with a long stem, longer travel forks etc etc. Couldn’t wait to get rid of it.

OTOH a mate has one in a much smaller size and he loves it. He goes like a rocket on it so it can’t be all bad!

Maybe I need to persevere then. I like the sb8s but seem to get quite a few punctures., hence the wish for tubeless.

I did a 100 miler this weekend… a ‘hilly’ course. I really enjoyed it, probably because I had plenty of road miles in my legs. I was really looking forward to it and consequently, enjoyed every minute of it.

Ironically, I am down to do an enduro in a couple of weeks as a pair (8 hour) and I am not looking forward to it at all. The course is dull and repetitive (someone posted a brilliant description of riding at Thetford in the MM post). I will no doubt ‘endure’ it but ultimately, it is all down to enjoyment. If you aren’t looking forward to it you probably won’t have any fun.

OTOH you might just wake up on the day and think a six hour road ride is just what you want to do. Oh yes, while you are on the road, you are allowed to look at the scenery. 🙂

Had a listen. 🙂

There’s always these too:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/on-one-monocoque-straight-steerer-carbon-fork-29er

clubber you have just helped me no end. I have been going quietly insane trying to get small block 8s to work tubeless on my crosser. I can now give up and try some different tyres!

I run a 2.4 Ralph up front and it seems to be a pretty good all round compromise.

Apparently I have three ‘good sized’ gall stones. They were discovered while the medicos were looking for something else (which they didn’t find). Thus far, I haven’t had any trouble with them….didn’t even know they were there. The comments above explain the ‘you’re lucky’ sort of comments they were giving me!

James sent me that page too. Nothing there to compare with the Kite though!

There do seem to be timing inaccuracies depending on the device used too. On more than one occasion (in fact….lots of occasions) we have noticed discrepancies – such as when one of us trounces the other on a segment yet still comes out significantly slower.

The biggest errors seem to come with phones, they seem to be quite different to dedicated gps devices. I can only assume it is down to the sampling rate.

Distances though seem within a few % whatever you use.

fuzzhead seems to have got it right though.

Hook the bottle up so it sets off a rook scarer…that’ll make him jump!

I’d be carrying a stripped down Swift – my son’s bike – a Felt 29er, I haven’t finished putting this on a diet yet but probably about 28lbs and my wife’s 26 inch bike (15″ frame and not too heavy).

We may not have the Berlingo that much longer and tbh, my spannering skills are a wonder all in themselves and folk come from miles around to gaze at the results of my ineptitude! 😯

Can’t see me bolting serious bits onto a car any time soon…….

Ralphs should do you nicely I’d have thought.

I have pretty much given up on racing. I got bored riding round in small circles. I just ride round bigger circles now and rarely pay for the privilege. As for getting slower when you hit 40….well I didn’t really notice it though in reality, once I passed 38 my sub hour days for a 25 were fading fast.

I am not going to see 50 again sadly but my XC speed is still pretty reasonable and I have a respectable sprint too. The way I ride has changed though. Decades on and off road have taught me when to push hard and when to ease back with the result that my riding has become more efficient.

thomthumb has hit the nail on the head though, you have to put the work in and three rides a week, as you get older, is pretty much a minimum – well for me anyway. I find that I take longer to recover (fully) nowadays and it is getting later and later in the year before I can really feel the fitness kicking in. It arrived about 2 weeks ago! I have been averaging about 120 to 150 miles a week – two or three XC rides and a long road session (about 70 to 80 miles) a week.

I seem to have allowed myself to enter a race – for the first time in ages, so we’ll see how I get on. I think it will be less of a problem being fit, than being motivated!

Thanks

Hugi DT240s, Stans Crest (29er), DT spokes.

Can’t remember how long I have had the hubs, must be well over 10 years by now. I have replaced the bearings once otherwise they run as smoothly as the first tie I used them.

Mine arrived yesterday. As said elsewhere…one for the spares bin.