smatkins1 – Member

I think we’re all missing something pretty amazing… aren’t recumbent bikes notoriously difficult to ride up hill? I wouldn’t consider riding up BKB to be particularly easy on a normal bike (not that I’ve ever even thought about doing it) this man must be an absolute powerhouse of leg muscle!

He really wasn’t. He was mid-60s and not particularly fit looking. The gearing on the trike was particularly helpful.

Thinking about it, whilst it was a proper off-road trike, it was very low and long so I suspect it would ground out easily on most trails, BKB included.

I’ve got the X-Tools truing stand from CRC. Very substantial and well made.

I’ve bought the other tools needed instead of making them, purely because of convenience and time constraints.

Need to head to the office now to pick up the dishing tool and new hub… :)

so no specific directional arrows or anything like that

based on the above .

and his point of view is that the trails are for all to use in any direction they choose.

his point of view above is correct – without signs there is no up there is no down – just trails….. how did you get to the top – what if he was coming down there – were you going to jump out of his way and immediately yield to him ?

give and take and live in peace – you werent on a championship winning run – neither was he , if you both slow down and pass each other safely and controlled we will all get along nicely. If you want fully directionalized scaletrix tracks get your self along to a real trail centre with signposts and all… [/quote]

As you’ve quoted me I’ll assume your reply is specifically directed at me and not the wider forum.

I’m happy to stand corrected that he had right of way as it’s something I didn’t know. However, my common sense kicked in and, for the avoidance of doubt, I yielded to the rider immediately and was able to come to a controlled stop and we had a very friendly 20 minute convo.

There was no discussion on who was right or wrong as it wasn’t an issue – nobody was confrontational, nothing argumentative was said, no kittens were in danger. In fact it was a wholly unremarkable event. It was only on the drive home that it briefly occurred to me that cycling up the trail might not be the most sensible idea.

:-)

jambalaya – Member

I personally think that in today’s world there is no such thing as a Union victory in a strike as longer term it always works against them.

The RMT and Aslef unions seem to do well whenever they strike. I seem to recall reading that the Night Tube had been postponed until next year when it was originally planned to start in December.

Finally managed to put together the tools needed for this wee project. I had hoped to get everything at the start of this week which would have left me a few days to try building but delivery times scuppered that idea.

At least I now have everything to play with. Quite excited. :D

somafunk – Member

Debate on R5live this afternoon at 3pm regarding doping/the future of sport

Ta, I’ll make a point of listening to that. :)

funkweasel – Member

But he’s a dick. With some redeeming qualities.

Armstrong is a long way from redemption IMO. Has he yet acknowledged his mistakes without tagging an asterisk on to them? :(

funkweasel – Member

IMO: Because he cheated, was a bully and a dick, and made lots of money

Yup. I wonder how many lives he’s had a negative impact on because of his cheating and bullying. Hard to quantify I guess.

funkweasel – Member

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06nrjjg

Ta for the linky. Hopefully I can get the podcast to listen to as I drive to Peaslake shortly. :)

patagonian – Member

I found the following……
Gorilla tape sealed the rims first time unlike the proper tape which was a disaster.
A track pump was hopeless, I splashed out on an Airshot and suddenly they were sealing first time. That doesn’t mean a ghetto inflator won’t work but I didn’t trust it to hold 140psi which is what I found I needed…

Horses for courses ‘n’ all that. I found Gorilla tape made it impossible to get my WTB Vigilante on to the rim. Eventually worked back to just a single strip of tape covering the spoke holes (nothing to the edge of the rim) and voila, tyre was just tight enough for the sealant to do it’s job. That was on a Commencal/Jalco rim.

OTOH, my Alexrims needed a couple of layers of tape to get the same Vigilante tyre to seal. Considering the thickness of the tape is only 0.15mm it’s amazing the difference and extra layer can make.

A bit late Patagonia on the ghetto inflator but mine (an Irn-Bru bottle with a few layers of Gorilla tape) holds 100psi without any trouble. Last night it was only inflated to 80psi and was able to seat the beads. :)

The trouble with the ghetto inflator is getting it airtight around the valves without damaging the threads of the bottle top.

As Chambord says, can’t comment on the specifics but I’ve gone ghetto on one of my bikes and for the other I’ve used a Stan’s kit with a rubber rim strip.

If your rims are not tubeless ready you’ll need to stop the air flowing through the spoke holes (the current rim strip might not be air tight and this is what the Stan’s rubber rim strip does). I’ve used good quality electrical/insulation tape to seal the rim bed and it’s worked fine. Don’t go crazy with layers of tape – you can always build it up afterwards if the tyre doesn’t seal well, otherwise you’ll skin knuckles and rip fingernails off trying to get the tyre on to the rim. AMHIKT. :roll:

You’ll also need tyre sealant (even if the tyres are tubless ready). Stan’s seems to be the best rated on here.

I found this vid very helpful and the only difference is using tape instead of a rim strip:

I also made my own ghetto inflator using the same method that Chambord posted. Worked a treat at seating the tyre beads and saved a lot of frantic pumping on my crappy track pump. :)

Don’t break up the other family.

This is the sentiment I don’t get. The OP isn’t breaking up the family, the husband is doing a first class job of that with a bit of help from his bit on the side. That family is already broken, they just haven’t accepted it yet and that’s why the husband is playing away.

OP – I really don’t know what I’d do. I hate cheaters (though my piety is borne out of my own hypocritical actions years ago) and would be tempted to tell the wife. I think the chicken in me would stop me from doing it though.

A very brief update, managed to get the bearings out and in one piece too. The solution:

dovebiker

…..get a bigger hammer!

A heavier hammer and not pussying around did the job. Had a blowtorch on standby but it wasn’t needed. :)

Getting the new BB in squarely was much more of a PITA but a little patience brought success. Feeling quite chuffed with myself now. :D

wwaswas

If you understand the basics then you might be better spending the £80 on a spoke tension gauge.

The rest is really just practice and patience.

Patience…. Something I’m still trying to master. :(

From speaking a work colleague who had a Saturday job in a LBS and whose step dad is a wheel builder, he reckons tension gauges are not necessary because to get a properly true wheel it might require the spokes to be at different tensions. His words were that “wheel building is more of an art than a science”. I’m guessing this could be true for the real expert pros but not for idiots like me. :)

thomthumb

£9 for the book

I self taught from this. more than adequate

Cheers, I’ll give that a look.

mrblobby

Probably been said a million times on here but all you really need is Mussons book and a bit of time. It’s a fairly simple process that just needs to be followed. I did get a spoke tension meter just to give me a bit more confidence in the finished product, but not really required.

Thanks for the suggestion, had never heard of the book before thomthumb and yourself mentioned it. :)

willyboy – Member

As well as the course you might consider buying Gerd Schraners book or this Roger Musson book (pdf)

edit: pah – beaten to it x 2

Lol – beaten at Internetz. :D

blairc70 – Member

http://www.unior-bike.com/?doc=10780&prod=303784
I’ve got one off these that works well on my commencals, but have used just a tapered length of wood and a hammer, in a bike stand, takes quite a firm smack, the bearing usually comes flying out in one piece. A bit of heat won’t do any harm but I’ve never needed any and swapped at least 5 out. If you near Leeds happy to lend a hand.

Thanks mate, am miles away in Bromley, south London otherwise I’d have taken you up on the offer. :( :)

I know that road. It’s used by a lot of HGVs and it’s single lane in both directions, the lanes being just wide enough for an HGV.

Having also witnessed several cyclists riding through Greenwich and south London this evening without lights, I’m all for fines like this.

I’ve been wondering about winter tyres too (this being my first winter trail riding).

Currently running with Vigilante front and an Onza Canis on the rear.

Most of my riding is Surrey Hills, so sandy and muddy with a few roots.

Rorschach – Member

The think the hot water thing works more by softening the plastic than expanding the ali.That said I’ve used it a lot (despite my initial scepticism) over the years (lbs spannerer) in lots of different situations and it seems to work more often than not.
Once the bearing race comes out (with the plastic lip) you can push the inner sleeve out of the way and the remaining cup usually comes out very easily.

Thanks will give it a try. I’m a big advocate of using heat instead of brute force, especially where threads can pick up road crap and you have to re-use those bolts again (brake disc bolts, exhaust header bolts).

helpful1

a plastic shimano bb92?

It’s a plastic GXP one.

helpful1

is the frame supported while you’re hitting the tool?

Not brilliantly. The frame is lying, on its side, on a couple of blocks of wood positioned as close as possible to the BB whilst allowing sufficient space for the bearing to fall out.

Rorschach

Soak a tea towel in boiling hot water (or heat wet one in microwave) and wrap around the bb area.
Then belt sh1t out of it (getting them out intact is a different matter).

Is that going to be warm enough to get the frame around the BB to expand slightly? I seem to recall being told that aluminium (or possibly alloy) starts to expand at around 80degC though I’ve no idea if that’s true.

dovebiker

Just accept you’re going to trash-it by removing it – get a bigger hammer!

Happy to trash the current BB but my concern is if I knock the inner race out (the same race which the BB tool engages with), how do I then get the outer race and plastic shells out?

Northwind – Member

There’s some chat here:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ses-glenlivit

Thanks. :-)

What was wrong with the Glenlivet round?

I use a Marmot Precip – £70 from Go Outdoors. Waterproof, not breathable in the manner of GoreTex/eVent but the pit zips are big enough to help massively with ventilation.

The fit is good for me and the jacket will go over soft armour without any trouble (I wear a One Industries top with elbow and shoulder pads built in).

No idea on how it would stand up to crash damage but I’d still happily recommend the Precip.

This link might prove helpful.

cp – Member

there a particular discount code

The one splashed across their homepage

Ah, sorry/thanks, poor obs on my part. :)

So many colours to choose from…. the bike they’ll be used on is a green Commencal Meta. Logic and sense says black rims but I am strangely drawn to the lime or red… Saying that, I’m not known for good taste.

fr0sty125 – Member

EX 23 unless this is for a downhill bike or you are heavy like 100kg.

*cough* have we met? :lol:

chakaping – Member

Ps. Buy the rim tape and valves at the same time.

Thanks. I was under the impression they came “tubeless ready”.

:)

Thanks for the quick responses folks. I must admit that I was expecting responses to be a bit “meh, they’re okay, they’re wheels, they go round”.

quote] chakaping – Member

Use the flash discount code and buy right now to save 20%.

It expires today I think.[/quote]

Thanks mate, is there a particular discount code?

:)

Oh, is there any difference between the Tech 4 DS25/EX23/TR21 range?

WTB Vigilantes set up tubeless. Due to being an idiot, one bike runs the AM version on the front and the other bike runs the AM version on the back (not that I can tell the difference).

Used mainly in Surrey Hills (soft loam natural trails) and I really like them. Good edge grip IMO, when they eventually let go they are progressive and usually pick up again. Unfortunately they are draggy when on the rear.

Went up tubeless quite easily too.

I’ve had two bikes from Evans now, both on Cyclescheme and without any penalties etc. Despite me buying my XC bike from the Canary Wharf branch the sales guy knew what he was talking about and helped out in any way he could.

I’d use them again but my first choice would be a LBS only because of ‘David v Goliath’ morals more than anything else.

Coincidentally, another well-known MTB magazine did an article this month on Antur Stiniog. Haven’t read it yet but one of the headlines says:

“Antur is more like a bike park than a trail centre and the gradings are adjusted accordingly.”

glasgowdan, amedias,

Thanks fellahs, an icon of it’s time. :)

Shame there isn’t a ‘like’ or ‘rep’ button on this forum.

glasgowdan – Member

jekkyl, can I ask what age you are? If you’re between 32-40 you should understand.

I’m 38 and don’t understand. Saying that, I only really got into cycling 6/7 years ago.

chakaping – Member

If you’ve got until December you might want to start hitting the gym as well, it’s a very physical track.

I’d rather do the black runs in the nuddy with no pads in the pissing rain than go to the gym. :(

Wow – thanks for the quick responses folks, they’re greatly appreciated. :)

From reading the above, it seems that AS is a bit of a bike and body breaker if it all goes Pete Tong.

I generally prefer rocks to roots (Cain at CyB is one of my favourite trails) as roots are always conspiring to have you off.

Can’t speak for my mates but I’m much more comfortable with wheels on the floor. Don’t mind kickers/singles or table tops but really not keen on gaps/doubles – the thought of nose-diving into the knuckle always enters my head at the wrong moment. Also, nearly all the drops I’ve encountered thus far are roll-able (which is fine and fun to me).

Thanks again for your collective help, it’s appreciated. :)

jaffejoffer

ive seen folk strapping their short travel bikes back on the car roof after one run! ive also seen people having tons of fun on hardtails. i think it’ll be a shock to the system at first, stinky blues are not trail centre blues! but they are immense fun. I always start at the top of a blue and then pick up the red or black lower down so you get a much longer run.

Thanks mate, the trail grading is an issue. We enjoy the reds and blacks at CyB and Glentress and cope well enough so I’m hoping that we should be able to get ourselves to the bottom of the “stinky blues” without needing a paramedic or taking an early bath.

Rorschach

Bike shop only receives 90% of the sale price of the bike from the scheme provider (85% if it’s a halfords based scheme) who in essence buys the bike on behalf of the customer.

Thank you, I did not appreciate that the shop took a hit on the selling price. That also explains why some other shops advertise that Cyclescheme bikes incur an additional 10% charge.

Also, extra gaps on trails like secret santa don’t necessarily help matters.

The gap on Secret Santa (and Area 51 to a lesser extent) scare the shite out of me.

Last time I was on Secret Santa, I was approaching the big gap (the first one?) and was preparing to take the chicken line…. only to find some idiots had left their bikes on the chicken line and were standing around yakking with each other.

Pitch hill. Winterfold. Thereabouts. I have no idea where I really was, given I only ride their once a year or so, but the regular dug out gaps to the western side of this Surrey Hills run were unexpected and a little disconcerting!

I think you might be talking about Proper Bo on Pitch and Northern Monkey on Winterfold, both of which have caught me out too.

no_eyed_deer – Out of interest, which trails are you referring to? A few months ago I got a shock on one of the Winterfold trails because of the unknown-to-me gap jumps. Now if I haven’t ridden a Surrey Hills trail for a few months I take it easy on the first run.

Yikes ! Stevie G to return! Or Dalglish ….

Dalglish? Again? I can’t imagine he’s in a rush to get back to the sidelines once more. ISTBC though.

My disappointment with the Scotland result is greatly softened by what’s happening at Chelsea. What goes around, comes around.

Would the Mach and Climachx trails around Machynlleth be considered natural?

http://www.dyfimountainbiking.org.uk/climachx/

I feel your pain. I stacked it on Summer Madness, exiting the bomb hole, front wheel nose-dived and I smacked the back of my head on a tree. A proper Tweety Pie moment. Possibly over-kill but I now ride padded up, can’t afford to have an off that I can’t walk back to the car from.

Must admit that I hadn’t ever really considered Box, seemed too roadie. I’m very guilty of always going to the same places, purely because those trails are a known quantity. I drive around from Bromley so time’s limited. :(

I was going to head down today but a graunchy bottom bracket kept me from playing. :(

Ta. Any suggestions on the maps I should be paying attention to? Apologies if that seems a daft question, I’m used to the London A to Z, not OS. :)

I suppose I should also get myself on a shop ride or two. :)

Teamhurtmore – sounds like I haven’t really given Leith a chance. Think a more thorough look is required.

I’m quite bad at going to the area when it’s late in the day and not many riders around which means quiet trails but you also don’t get to spot the good stuff, it’s more ‘stumbleupon’.

… and thanks to Tonyg2003. :)