I’m 6ft 3 and a long sovereign is a great wee bike as long as you don’t want to ride for massive distances. Mech hangers and the seatpost shim seem to be hard to get now.

If you want to wear your full facer for the black, go for it. You get all the climbing done at the start on easy trails, then its downhill all the way so you won’t have to do any strenuous pedalling with armour on.

Some may think it is overkill. I wish I was that confident.

Slow your rebound a little to pass the drop test.

I doubt you will break a SKS rennkompressor

TCL then MBL. With jules at http://www.cyclewildscotland.co.uk

I think there are 2 chippys, the good one is opposite a wee park with a war memorial in it.

Strange, stendec still quote prices for romic servicing on their site.

http://www.stendec-works.com/service/romic_forks.asp

Formula make 220mm rotors, i have one due to a pricing error making them the cheapest way to buy a front brake. Utterly pointless other than looking ‘core.

I’ve slept in quite a few vans and never been cold, admittedly in summer and using a 4 season sleeping bag and thermarest. Main advantage is not having to fight with zips when you wake up in the middle of the night still drunk and bursting for a pee.

The restaurant at Nether Barr steading outside newton stewart is good. As is the newton stewart chip shop.

High rollers are better at most things, thin sidewalls and very sudden loss of grip at the front were issues with blue grooves.

I’ve had Pikes, Revelations, 150mm z1FR and now 36 talas on mine. Pikes or 36s are the best match, as long as you don’t run the 36s at 160mm. Its a bit choppery at full length, and the front wanders badly on steep climbs.

You could convert some 36 vans to shorten them a little, or pay mojo to do it.

What is the advantage of a titanium nitrate coated rotor over a normal steel one?

Yes, the standard lever works well for 1 finger braking.

Titanium rotors? You will be wanting puros then, carbon lever same shape as the standard lever, titanium bolts, kevlar hose, aluminium backing plates on the pads.

If the roof is made more secure they will go through the walls.

Nice bikes live in the house.

You can run the levers on either side.

I broke a lever trying to do indoor wheelies while drunk once. I can’t do them sober. Doh!

You’ll need an adaptor for 180mm IS.

I have k18s, puros and a friend has k24s. The fcs dial doesnt do much, i’d buy k18s again. If you really want the dial it is possible to have it retrofitted.

Biancos have shorter lever blades.

Solo airs are fixed at 160mm, you don’t need or want that for mugdock/carron valley etc.

Excellent brakes. Powerful, good modulation, fairly light.

Easily fixed, all you need is a spanish washing machine.

[/url]

Hard to say, whatever someone will pay. Check ebay for completed listings etc.

I don’t want it btw!

No wonder it didn’t sell at that price.

Eat as soon as possible after riding.

I guess there are idiots everywhere, and since GT has so many visitors you are bound to meet some idiots there. As for pushing slower riders off, that’s well out of order.

The commentary mentioned issues with cabling the upper part of the track. Minaar gained most of his time by pedalling and riding smoothly on the lower parts. One of few to jump the hip cleanly, and he seemed to keep the power on carving up the bank around the last double better than any other rider.

I’ve snapped 6 park plastic levers, usually in sub zero temperatures.

TJ, good effort, all those rocky bits near the start would be a blooming nightmare on a tandem. I was going to come along but lift issues meant i had to go to innerleithen instead.

If you live anywhere near Carron Valley you should have been buying wheels from Big Al at Wheelcraft, Clachan of Campsie. Great wheels, good prices too!

Good call learning to build your own instead.

Make sure the bead is in the centre of the rim, the groove in the middle gives you a bit of extra slack. Also use markd’s tip.

If that fails, use your steel levers. The rims are going to get marked by riding anyway. Try not to pinch the tube with the levers.

Small blocks are a decent rear tyre in dry conditions.

High rollers are great tyres.

Brake jack geekery here.

http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=35572

You’ve just started on flats?

Its probably worth working on your technique and getting used to them before throwing money at the problem.

Although you’ll probably be able to sell the 50:50s for a decent price and buy something that won’t fall apart instead.

Avoid V8s if you have big feet.

I like shimano dx. The above Funns are excellent. Some wellgos are good and cheap. Tioga surefoot mx are good too. Edinburgh bikes do their own cheaper version of Gusset slim jims which are good too. Easton Cullys and (even larger) flatboys are also good but pricey. Atomlab trailkings are nice as well.

Wear whatever helmet you feel most comfortable in, doesn’t matter what others think.

I use a Xen unless i’m dhing, then its a D2.

Much better than the cheese like plastic screw/bung on old x9.

USE seatposts are widely regarded as cack.

:roll:

My family are originally from the central belt, and i grew up in the north east. Old scots does not get rammed down everyones throats like Gaelic does.

And i quite fancy watching Deliverance.

GRRRR bleeding gaelic gibberish up here in Scotland.

Find the most deserted spot you can.
Keep it subtle.
Hide your tools very well.
Don’t have obvious entry points from main trails.
Don’t nail stuff to trees in commercial forests.
Be mentally prepared for someone ruining all your work.

When someone takes a rake to them!