Would you work to half six everyday if you were supposed to clock off at six? With no oevertime, no flexi time, no bonus and no thanks? That’s the reality for people in your lbs. That’s why they aren’t happy to see you at 5.55

Oh the humanity, I didn’t know such exploitation still existed in our day and age. I’ve not known such hardship since I finished my last paper round. I’m sure there is a charity out there to fight such injustice.

Back in from the first night of 3, bloody slippy ride home. Just starting to feel the effects of my first glass of wine which went down a bit quick, bring on the left over lasagna and garlic bread.

Milk! Meh, I insist on cream 🙂

The cinelli is very lovely, unlike that excuse for a ‘tash.

Might make cannock a bit more fun 🙂 and keep the numbers down. Win win!

iainc – I’d love to deliver some great wisdom, or something highly motivational, but in truth I’m no great sleeper; I’ve never needed much sleep and once I’m awake I’m up! It helps that I’m meeting some other guys to ride with but can still do it if I’m solo. I do have to overide that voice in my head saying ‘go on, just stay in bed, it’s warm and lovely here!’ but I know that within a few minutes of being on the bike I’m going to be having fun. Oh yeah, limiting the booze intake the night before is also crucial! I think though once you have done it a few times you realise what a bonus it is to have pretty much the whole day ahead and the miles are done.

Rode out to meet for a 6:15am start, for 46 road miles out of north Manchester, which regular crew of early doors riders who like to get back early for family duties. **** spiders it was bracing, but fabulous morning when the sun got going. My 6 quid px gloves were left wanting, but was back home by 9:30, and sorting some lovely fried brekkie.

I just assumed he was a guy with ‘issues’ so guessed some of his behaviour was influenced by these, although these issues seem to be an elephant in the room on these threads. I just took him as part of the furniture around here.

Do you actually believe that suggesting one of the STW staff might be a paedophile is (a) acceptable or (b) likely to be forgotten?

but I guess if this is true, it seems fair enough he is banned, it’s pretty spiteful and vile.

I’m a roadie, but have always had an mtb for the odd weekend blast, usually my road rest day, and the odd ‘epic’ or trail centre weekend away. I spent last year without an mtb as I had it nicked. I picked up a crosser last autumn thinking this would fit the bill for me more than replacing the mtb. Whilst it did combine elements of both road biking and mtb’ing, the things I love, it just combined them into something that wasn’t quite as good as either for me. I’ve sold the crosser and picked up another mtb which in about 5 rides has given me more smiles the crosser. I’ve got nothing at all against cx bikes, and can see why folk love them, but I guess they are not for me.

I run the ultegra front mechs (6600 I think), with rival on my winter bike and red on both my race bikes, and it works fine for me.

As to why; I find the shift more positive on the shimano f mechs, and CRC were banging them out cheap a while ago so picked up 3. iirc sram road f mechs have had some critisim for being a bit sloppy (?) and it looks like this years sram red group has beefed up the front mech to sort.

Vids on the sram website for this also, piece of piss.

I’d echo oldgits first comment, we get a lot of club riders trying to fit very technical training regimes into narrow time slots and not going it that well. Ride your local loop with ball’s and enjoy it, you will soon learn your strengths and weaknesses, and start to tailor your loop accordingly. Good luck with your event, have a blast.

Most of the folk I race and ride with seem pretty indifferent to the idea of disks, some for, some against. It’s not really been a hot topic of conversation. I have 105 brakes on my winter bike/ commuter and come rain or shine, traffic or hills they perform fine, i’m never been worried or scared because of the brakes. I’ve got sram red on the race bikes and these are even better. But when disks come in as the norm, I won’t be sat grumbling into my beer, I’ll give them crack, hell, I’ve bought enough other shine :-)y stuff for the sake of progress. Have these things made me betterer, hmmm, it still seems to be about legs, lungs and commitment to me; but none of them have stopped me having fun, so why not 🙂

I’ve recently built up a second hand soul, it was a bit of a budget build with some parts bin 9 speed x9, with an 11-32 cassette. I bought an x7 10speed crank for it with 39-26. I’ve found it fine in the Peak and my localish stuff Rossendale way; I’ve never needed the granny much, I tend to think folk just use it as they have it, so didn’t miss it. I wondered if I would miss the big gears on road links, but as a roadie I tend to find these bits painfully slow anyway, so just tend to plod. I’m pretty happy with it, I guess if you were lacking in the guns department, you could pick up a cheap 12-36 deore 9speed cassette from crc.

Isn’t ‘a low cut top and inappropriate shorts’ proper gear, it sounds ideal to me.

I’ve been road racing since my teens, mountain biking has probably taken up about 5% of my overall riding but delivered about 95% of my crashes. Whilst some have been real pain’ers a lot have left me chuckling at the side of the trail. I can’t remember one road spill that has made me grin. My highlight being an end of day flyer descending mount etna. I can’t really remember anything until I woke up in hospital, on the brightside my new front teeth are far more Hollywood than the ones I left in the tarmac. 😀

The idea of heading into a shop with the same hangers on sat around seemingly more interested in takling about bikes and **** coffee, rather than riding bikes, makes me lose the will to live.
I just want a shop that is helpful and knowledgable, doesn’t pretend to want to be my best mate, and has a good open pricing structure that gives some indication on how loyalty may (or may not) be rewarded.
I guess this just goes to show you will never please everyone, but good luck!

I’m 67kg, and have a 130mm phenom on my newly built soul, and rate it. I used to run the toupes on the road bikes, I only swapped them when I realised san marco made the aspide especially for me. Never tried a gobi.

I thought this was going to be a thread about your morning dump.

Good luck though!

Any hot nurses?

Out of the ones I have been to;
1 – glentress
2 – coed-y-brenin
3 – innerliethen
4 – ae

I’ve also been to cannock, Afan and sherwood pines but wouldn’t pay them a return visit.

Should do the job, sort your bars out and enjoy 🙂

Was a thread on it last week I think, to summarise; some people thought it was lovely, some people thought it was another road bike for mtb’ers, some people wanted it to be another jack of all trades disk braked affair, some people wanted a fun proper racer. Ususal stw reponse really.
Much as I like the blue, it wouldn’t be on my shopping list, I’m in the ‘another road bike for mtb’ers’ camp. But I do rather like the way Cotic responds to the market, and when they turn their mind to something they seem to do it pretty well.

Fried egg butty is a food of the gods, I can only think that people who prefer their eggs cooked any other way have allergies and stuff.

My late 20’s and early 30’s has been a regular string of short term relationships which tend to break up after the ‘in lust’ phase passes, or sometimes during. Put simply committing properly to a relationship means compromising of the life I have and really love, and I haven’t wanted to do that. There are times now when I avoid trying start a relationship, as I can see where it will end up and I don’t won’t to be dishonest or make promises I can’t keep. Maybe I’ll find someone that I am happy to make these compromises for, but I’m in no rush. Good luck.

If that is an honest appraisal of where you think the relationship is now, and if you recall being happier single without/ before her, then you are best off out of it.

I had my last mtb nicked in Oct 2010, but if I’m honest would only really ride it once or twice a month, being a roadie and racing. But I did find I was missing the odd blast out, so picked up a second hand soul frame in Dec, and slowly picked up bits keeping it pretty budget. Finally finished and took it out for 5 odd hours in the peak last weekend and had a fantastic time! Some comedy crashes caused by enthusiasm mixed with my now rubbish off road skills gave me massive smiles (and some bruises). It’ll never be my first love but it reminded me I would want to be without it.

Try some new pads, even if it doesn’t sort it you will till have some spare pads for future use. If unresolved bleed the brake. I’ll let everyone else keep telling you to take it back or to an lbs.

Genesis Aether 20 looks a bargain;

here!

Specialized 2bliss tyres.

Is a salad leaf, lettuce?

Bubble and squeak rosti with fried egg, followed by apple crumble and custard; £3.35 with my staff discount in the hospital canteen, with a free unlimited supply of corporation pop. Covers all my scrawny bodies needs, nom nom nom…I rarely bother cooking much at home.

Not sure of the max, but i’ve run 35mm cx tyres on mine with no bother.

Crikey + another one!

There are some guys I have ridden with for years that i know little more about than their name and what bike they ride, and that’s how it should be!

Seems a fair point to me, and dialled are sticking to their core business rather than jumping on the latest things. There is nothing wrong with that, it must be working for them, other bike companies respond to the changes, nothing wrong with that either; why get titty lip about it.

Who needs a pitbull?
scouser’s eh

True nikk, but the op has proposed shooting both the dog and the owner. If we just take out the owner we would be left with a lot of pitbull’s, just think of the possible cost to public funds looking after them.

Much as I would happily have a world where dogs don’t exist; kids have been mauled by dogs of many breeds and it’s not just pitbull’s that have bad owners, so no. Plus there may be some practical issues to arranging such a cull.

Let the man with the gun see paddy.

Just got in from an early shift and 5 windy hours on the road bike.
I’m low on supplies, so it’s going to beans on a lot of toast, a massive portion of mum made jam rolypoly and custard. Assorted lagers; leffe, Stella, westmalle triple, and i’ve got some talisker in. Then i’ll probably need to loose some spoogle, before settling down for match of the day, and shopping tomorrow!

I spent the last 5 mins of that wishing that one of them, any one of them, would resort to violence. That was like a real life STW thread. Would have been sorted in a much quicker and entertaining manner with some furious fists.