PS they are single-sided so I assume they must be lighter and lower profile than an MTB SPD

I have no idea of the advantages or disadvantages, but if you don’t want to buy more shoes just get some SPD road pedals. I have some and they require the same cleat as my MTB SPDs

Stayed there 15 years ago. All I can say is hope it’s better now

…and Rennie

Sam Hill does

darkside sounds like the best option. Had a good one last night whilst the sun went down over the Roaches

I got as far as Gee Atherton just about to cross the line and then it all froze. Oddly my wireless connection dropped at around the same time, but following a restart I still got no further than Gee’s run. Glad it’s not just me

Maybe I’m not very good at troll-spotting, but just in case RudeBoy is hi-jacking this outted troll and getting serious (unlikely) then can I just say that Breakfast at Tiffany’s is on a par with Crazy Town, but not up there with the Wiggles

I’ve only really followed it in the last season so it makes sense I don’t know much about him. cheers

that’s a shame, I genuinely don’t rate them as much as it seems I should. Ho hum :(

at least it is better than Godfather part 2

I suspect not many of the drugs being taken are performance-enhancing… :-)

In the downhill scene that I follow it either doesn’t exist or is considerably better hidden than in road riding

I had Hope M4s in the Sierra Nevada last year and was the only one of the group who didn’t have issues with brakes. That said the guide had no probs on his Shimanos and his experience was that everything else was a bit poo

I love riding my road bike but it’s this kind of nonsense that makes me steer clear of the scene entirely. Personally I hope he’s innocent since I don’t want the same level of finger-pointing hitting the MTB scene that Lance is now part of. Perhaps he did that to escape the finger-pointers

PS my car now has 140k on it

I have had a car allowance for several years having done 20 – 25k per year. It is taxed as income and simply appears on my pay slip separately. Initially I put down a deposit on a 2nd hand Mondeo(!) and then paid back the 0% finance balance from my car allowance each month. I also was disciplined enough to transfer the post-tax car allowance into a separate bank account to cover running costs and eventually the balance on a new car.

My company did not give any guidance on a minimum spec and to this day I haven’t upgraded the car. In addition I do get a mileage expense paid at £0.16 per mile which is not taxed. The taxman allows up to £0.40 per mile for using your own car for work so I have always claimed the tax back on this difference each year – that amounted to £800/£900 tax rebate on the mileage I was doing.

So long as your company don’t insist you drive a fancy car and/or change it regularly I think it is a great idea. If you lose your job you’ve still got a car!

What do you mean “share income and taxes?” Do you mean just split the income in half for tax purposes?

yes, but as I understand you can only offset the interest on your mortgage payment as an expense, not the capital repayment

I think it is my wife but can’t find the agreement at this very moment

…and why should I take the peak of my helmet? It never gets in the way so I assume this is just another fashion thing :D

I swear at the bottom of a good downhill whilst punching the air…and wonder why I end up on the floor

I stopped off there on the way back from Lincoln – without my bike – and asked if there was any “proper” off-road in the park. The guy who hires the bikes said no, but maybe if you go a bit “cheeky” you might find something.

Just had a day away from this post and I’m a bit overwhelmed by the response to be honest.

BadlyWiredDog, I’m not sure what part of my post gave you this idea:

I do kind of wonder why someone who, by their own admission, just rides a road bike without any apparent interest or passion should suddenly want to splurge several thousand quid on a custom frame, but hey, each to their own…

I am a cyclist. I ride on the road on a £400 Trek and I ride off-road on a £2700 Whyte or a fuly rigid Bianchi with carbon forks. I have always argued with friends – who ride 4 figure road bikes – that the benefit on spending lots of money on road bikes is much less than off-road, where suspension, disc brakes etc etc can really make a big difference.

I love riding my “cheap” road bike as much as I love riding off-road on my expensive bikes. There is no lack or passion or interest in riding. I simply don’t follow or have a passion for the road “scene” in the same way I do with MTBing. I used to watch the TDF as a kid on Channel 4 with Phil Liggitt, but lost interest when (a) it lost the teatime slot (b) it seemed to be all news about drug-taking. I have never read road bike mags which is the reason I know nothing about the kit. I’m very relucant to get into that because I have spent way too much on MTB mags over the past 20 years.

Having now decided to see if an “expensive” bike will give me even more riding pleasure I just wondered where to start. Since Brian Rourke are 10 miles away that is probably the best bet.

Thanks for the advice

Mmm, not sure I like that idea. I always had downtube shifters as a kid but my current bike has STIs and I like a lot. I can’t imagine honking up some of the hills around here and then having to let go with one hand to change gear, whilst unweighting so not to crunch the gears. NOt sure how I managed before STIs to be frank

I tried whacking it hard but I find if I’m too agressive I come off my bike too early.

Oi, who crossed that bit out?? :lol:

Do I mean 105??? Don’t know. Genuinely I have NO IDEA of road bits. I am an avid follower of the MTB scene and all the accompanying bling, but I just “ride” a road bike. I have heard of Red and Durace or whatever it is called but where it all fits together in the grand scheme I am clueless. In a way I don’t want to get into it, ‘cos that’s when the “dream bike” becomes the “project that needs updating” – I’d rather stay oblivious and just have a great bike

Thanks leggyblonde. I don’t follow the bike industry so no idea of £ for parts. How much (ish) for a full build. The roadie equivalent of SLX/XT groupset is fine as an upgradeable starting point.

Thanks for all the advice, particularly MTT :-)
The fact no one has mentioned moolah worries me somewhat. Are we talking £3000 plus here?

Brian Rourke are only down the road so might take a first look there. The staff seem friendly too

What price do they start and who do you recommend? I definitely don’t want a hybrid. I always used to ride on the drops but I think the only reason I don’t now is that the current bike doesn’t really fit very well

Besides, I need to spend the savings before my wife thinks of another home improvement project :lol:

I get my bearings from a local bearing supplier who sell to the public. I gave them a call and they have these in stock £6 each + vat. Do a Google search to see if there are any near you. If they don’t stock them I’m sure they could get them. The 4 digit number is the model of the bearing, the 2 RS bit just means “2 rubber seals” which is recommended for MTBs.

Or, if you fancy, give my local place a call and I’m sure they’ll pop them in the post.

Leek Bearings 01538 381489

I’d sell anything for the right price, except my bike kids

I got mine OK, turned up this morning. Bedding them in whilst sat at my PC (sad, I know!). First impressions are that they are not as cool looking as the Kyle Straits and don’t seem to articulate as well. That said, I am sat in a chair and not actually riding yet!! Less bulky for packing in my bike bag for the SPain trip tho’

woke up at 5:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep, so got up and did some painting in the new garage conversion. Good job I started early, ‘cos I then had to drive the car to East Midlands airport, dump it for the missus returning from hols (+ 4 others) and then cycle back to Leek. It’s nice to cover miles quickly on the road bike sometimes, but I’m ready to flop in front of the telly with a big bowl of pasta now

I was in the Lakes a month ago and Keswick Mountain Bikes had some Wingnut sacs in stock, although maybe not the exact one you were after. Worth a call though.

Some insurance companies only ask if it was within 3 years, and even then I have heard that until you get more than 6 points it doesn’t affect the premium. Mine didn’t go up when Ideclared my 3 points

I got on OK with Rapid Rise until I bought another bike that was “normal”. Going from one to the other was a nightmare. I swapped the mechs with no probs and now the RR one is my emergency – hope I never need it – spare

oh and the helmet was a Met Parachute which is “sort of” full face

My tips and warnings:

1. Flying from East Midlands I was told I “wasn’t allowed” anything other than my bike in the bike bag. We all know that is nonsense but if you get someone on a bad day it could be an issue.

2. For the same flight I got helmet and a lot of clothing in a large rucsac as my hand luggage. The Ryan Air overhead lockers are enormous and it’s amazing how much you can carry with a 10kg handluggage allowance. So in answer to the original question, yes it is possible to just have a bike bag and hand luggage.