Getting a bit impatient with the fact that I’ve got a chesty cough and what feels like a strained rib muscle, so exercise is out as a precaution. Hoping that it’s better enough to try a turbo session tomorrow night, as I’m itching to match my healthy diet with a healthy workout routine.

How did we all get on over the weekend?

Did OK; me and the good lady are doing dry January as we are both doing a weight loss thing and it’s a lot easier if you don’t drink as it’s a combination of alcohol calories and the associated snack / junk food that usually make is us pile the weight on. The hope is that by the end of January we will be into the swing of things and a bit more disciplined. Lost a couple of pounds already so it’s so far so good.

Spoon also comfortable for me after trying a few different saddles. Have mine level. When funds allow, will try the scoop on my carbon roof bike.

I had a 2008 tricross comp in medium, which was just too small for me, but was otherwise ace. When I see many gravel bikes I often think they are similar in concept. I quite liked mine. Actually, I miss it…

Looks on eBay while better half is in kitchen……. 🙂

I had a cheap Lidl one that my sweat killed in a couple of months. Replaced that with a not much more expensive Decathlon one that has lasted over 12 months so far.

Yep, my 26” wheels arrived today, ordered 1st, confirmed 3rd with a note saying they were extra busy but hoped to ship by the weekend. All good stuff!

I take it you’ve tried eBay? I just picked up a 780mm set of race face risers on there on a buy it now for £20; in as new condition, complete with box.

Yep, mine was in my spam folder as well, now flagged as ‘not spam’. Great job John V!

I’m in the Louth / Grimsby are of Lincs. First day calorie counting today; not as hard as I had feared. Laying off the beer will be a bit dull.

Oh my giddy aunt. Happy, fit, stable weight? Bang on 11 stone. Weight today? 12 stone 9.

Best get peddling!

As soon as the good lady is out of the bath, I’ll step on the scales and send an email. Gulp. Dreading it.

I can totally understand why people loose their temper; if a pedestrian was taken to walking down the street yelling abuse at every stranger he saw that he didn’t like fur some random reason, the police and public just didn’t put up with it and something would be done about it. But because the crap police just let abuse of cyclists ride, no pun intended, it isn’t surprising that people are tempted to react. But if you can, it’s always better to just let it go. If it does end up in fisty cuffs, and you win, you’ll only end up in court with the mincing driver crying like a baby and the crap police backing him all the way.

I got some Alexrims Supercomp 26″ for my Merida hardtail so I can keep road type tyres on the (heavy) factory rims for trail a bike duties with the kiddywinks, and bung my maxis knobbly tyres on the superstar wheels for terain that’s too much for my CX / adventure bikes. I’m not expecting much, but for £80 they only need to be as good as budget factory wheels. The site was painfully slow though; the sale must be popular!

Most miles (and smiles) – A 2009 Voodoo Limba that I built up this year; has replaced both my hardtail and my roadies as my go to bike.

Most frequently used ~ probably my Merida hardtail that has been relegated to trail-a-bike duties, so does lots of short journeys with the kiddywinks.

My road bikes hardly got a look in this year, although it was a funny year as I spend much of the summer laid up due to a RTA in my car that left me with a back injury.

Trying to index gears with the exposed cable clamped in the stand. Got to the point I was removing the mech to find out why it was moving so slowly.

This – and managing to mangle the new gear inners in the process of trying to work out why the indexing wasn’t going well, thus rendering the whole exercise pointless!

Cheers for the replies. It will be for a disc frame, 1×10 set up.

Whole family brought down with this bloody virus; gone to my chest, so have got sod all chance of completing it this year. Best use the time to catch up on my workshop tasks, bike builds, etc.

Don’t know for sure, but I expect it will be fine. I have fitted mine now and am impressed so far. I will want to shorten the hoses at some point so I will find out if shimano oil is OK then I suppose! Mine came with spare olives which I wasn’t expecting so that’s another plus.

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Start at £799, bit more fancy one is £1206 with hydro 105 group. That should be about bang on?

It’s just diluted traffic film remover, isn’t it? I’ve used a bottle of it before, but it didn’t seem to offer any improvement over citrus degreaser / a hose.

What’s that – a government designed system that is overly complicated? Well I never. 🙂

Yeah, I’m probably wrong, I just thought that they were trailing UC in a few areas, I.e. moving everyone onto it, but that all new claims everywhere would be under UC. Perhaps it’s not classed as a new claim cos she was on income support or something?

Surely it’s just to confirm that you are in fact separated? If you were divorced, I don’t think they’d ask (also ironically if you were never married). Otherwise, there would be nowt to stop every married couple making a JSA claim even if they were blissfully happy together, if you see what I mean.

As a new claimant, though, wouldn’t she be put on the new universal credit now?

Ben – FUEL 29″ Sentinel Black Rim Black Hub

What top pull front mech did you use?

Here ya go;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112054364190

The eBay seller I got my Clarkes M2 brakes from does a bleed kit that is also shimano compatible, so they must be out there. Can’t comment on the brakes yet as fitting them is a ‘to do’ job.

Arrgh… Them there wheels would have finished off my cheapie adventure bike build perfectly.. but the rear is showing in stock but ‘can’t be ordered at this time’. Must. Be. Quicker. On. The. Draw.

Siwhite – I’ve sent you an email.

You’ve have all convinced me to give them a go, so off I pop to Alpkit website to pick up a pair of their cheapo flared drops, and they have sold out. Pantaloons!! Can anyone suggest anywhere (not DFS) with similar priced alternatives?

Just signed up. Going to be struggle given my current fitness level, but I’m up for a shot at it.

Yep. Brought some CX tyres from them for one of my bikes; they arrived nice and promptly from what I remember

Nice one chaps, I’ll go for 44 ~ it will always leave room for comfy winter socks 😀

Thanks for the info, that clears it up for me.

Aha, that makes perfect sense. I’d never seen these before, I’d seen IS to post type of adapers, but not ones for different rotor sizes. Thanks!

Elite Custom Race here on all my road, CX and mtb bikes. Never ever lost a bottle or had a cage disintegrate, which can’t be said for other makes I’ve tried in the past.

I’ve got r450’s -good, but thought the standard pads were poor in the wet. Replaced with ultegra ones that I got on offer, much better.

Keep in mind the Halfords bike (Boardman CX Team, IIRC) has a BB30 bottom bracket, so if you wanted to use it as a donor, that might make it not quite such a good idea if your frame didn’t.

As you might have guessed ~ I’m also struggling to find a decent hydro 1x groupset deal! 🙂

Short wheelbase Quattro’s with engines nearly kicking out F1 power; mid engined space frame Metro’s with a lump that lived again to power the xj 220…. Happy, if a bit crazy, days.

Thanks folks. Just got to decide what gear / group mix I am going to use. Don’t know if I want to go 1x or not.. Think I will just order the frame and then decide. 🙂