Got my foot up with my angle bandaged. Sprained it yesterday after catching my sleeve on a branch as I went under a fallen tree and stepped into a hole. Stupid stupid stupid. Sun is streaming through the windows ….

1995 I think.

I take the front ones too if its a big shop.

Thanks all. Will check out those and add some carbon paste.

As above. My Meta AM arrived three days after ordering, though the online tracking thing said it was still somewhere in Paris when the delivery van pulled up. Maybe give them a ring?

Think my next cycling “investment” may be a set of 650B+ wheels/tyres for my Fatty, and maybe a Bluto. Or maybe not.

I’d hide in my shed. I can never find anything in there.

What about copper bracelets then? Any better?

Dad has been wearing copper bracelets for over 10 years. Swears blind that if he removes it his arthritis starts to act up. It’s crippling him, so even if its all in his head, if it helps keep him active and manage his pain then we’re complaining.

Valnord Andorra? A mate of mine went this year and wont shut up about it. The DH run might be a bit battered mind.

Michelin Wild Mud Advanced? Better than the Spesh Storm Controls in my opinion. CRC have them for £42.

My daughter takes the Bucks 11+ next week. We’ve spent the past 9 months home tutoring and over the break she had a private maths tutor twice a week. If she passes it will be a great but, frankly, if she doesn’t then she doesn’t belong in a grammar school. Way too many parents round here hot house their kids for two years, get them in a grammar and they spend the next six years in abject misery as they struggle to deal with the pressure these schools bring on kids who fall behind because they are no longer getting the extra tutoring that got them there in the first place.

after driving 1500 miles over the last 2 weeks in France I’d disagree with a lot of that.
We rode from Les Gets to Morzine a few times down the road with my Mrs and kids and we had a few cars get extremely close to us.

We did exactly the same. We rode Les Get to Morzine a few times and the only cars that came close to us had big GB stickers.

Speaking of CRC, how do you use your gift voucher balance. My son was given a few for his birthday and we cant work out how to apply them at the checkout.

If you find the front wheel I left in the car park near the cafe about two years ago, Id like that back too please.

Ive not read all the posts on this thread so sorry if this has been answered. Ive just replaced the bushings on my son’s 14X. The originals lasted about two months before they developed play and I dont expect these ones to last much longer. Does anyone know when Saracen will release the supposedly properly tested ones?

Dude that is nice work. How many cans of spray adhesive did you get through on that puppy?

Thanks Alex. I’ve managed a shocking bodge by cutting down an old cable stop adjuster wrapped in plumbers tape. Mineral oil everywhere but enough up the spout to get some action from the brakes, and Ive advanced the pistons so they’re working pretty well.

If you haven’t managed to clip in, you can’t really decide it is sluggish yet

Yep. As above and also check that the pedal tension isn’t wound right up to the tightest point. Makes getting into them harder if you’re not experienced, and getting out of them a challenge too.

Im heading there this weekend with my son. We had trouble with the out of date signs last time.

Anyone got a map?

Folks thanks for all the ideas and advice – deeply appreciated. Ive been checking out a few of the recommendations (wireless headphones a big yes) so no have a way better idea of what might do the job properly.

Pretty much anything but seems to be leaning to proper rock. He’s just practicing a couple of Black Hearts and ACDC numbers.

Squirrels. Pfft. Our cat went for a young fox last year. Poor innocent doe-eyed thing was naively wandering across our back garden when Sparkles exploded out from under her favourite bush and chased it off down the drive. She’s basically a ball of fur and razor blades.

I was well into my late teens when I realised that a cappuccino was not actually a “cup of chino”, the chino being the foam on the top ……….. yep.

I’ve got some of Stu’s alu poles and think they’re great. As above he’s got some carbon ones going cheap at the mo. I have used the bike in the past but prefer the poles – it’s neater, easier and faster to pitch up and I can still ride the bike afterwards should I want.

You can get some nice setups with a 3x3m tarp – well worth the extra bit of weight if its raining/really windy

Not cheap, but you could get a custom made frame bag to fit a Cube Stereo – look at a Wildcat Gear Clouded Leopard[/url] framebag. It will have cut outs for the shock and even a bottle cage. Wildcat also do a thing called the Lioness [/url] that hangs over your the dry bag on your bars. I am a huge fan of their gear.

Alpkit stuff is good too and they do these Stem Cell things that mount behind your bars. An option is to use climbing chalkbags, which is what I have. You can also mount another top tube bag at the seat tube but backwards. The Topeak Fuel Cage bag comes in a few sizes – just dont overload it as it can flop about a bit.

You can also attach things to your fork legs and the down tube using a Gorilla cage or the smaller Monkii cage, though measure the diameter of the tubes first to make sure they are going to go around them.

Ive ridden London-Birmingham in two days. Easy enough but it can be seriously bumpy on some sections so get some decent bar tape. The Rising Sun is a nice boozer but if you want to press on try the Three Horseshoes near Hemel Hempstead for lunch on day one. Just dont bring the bike into the beer garden along the canal.

Ye Gods this is brilliant. We’ve got a booked called Cyclepedia and half the bikes in it are at auction here.

MUST. BE. STRONG.

Osprey Raptor 14 backpack
Troy Lee Panic knee guards
A proper tool kit – the Park Tools Traveller Event one has most of what you need if you’ve got few tools
+1 for a skills day but what about a bike maintenance/repair course
Park Tools pizza cutter
Or what about some seriously nice wheels?

Is that the pads rubbing the rotors? Assuming so and not the calliper clipping the spokes. If it is the pads, try this: loosen the calliper bolts so that it is a bit jiggly. Give the wheel a slow spin and while it is still spinning pull the lever. This should centre the calliper. Tighten the bolts back up and see how she goes.

Cumulus (or rebranded Criterion) bags are nice and good value. I really like their quilts too, which are great if you’re a restless sleeper.

http://sleepingbags-cumulus.eu/uk/categories/sleeping-bags

Is there any way you can put up some prickle strips? These have kept our cat out of the trees and away from our neighbour’s bird feeder for the past couple of years.

The Adventure Foods are pretty good but I prefer Expedition Foods. They do 800cal versions of most of their meals and you can trust the instructions regarding how much boiling water to stick in them. Plus the bags are robust so they stand up on their own while you’re waiting for them to cook, and wont burn your hand as you eat.

Osprey Raptor 14 here too. Top pack and great after sales services from Osprey. Mine’s two years old and I broke one of the sternum strap buckles last week. Osprey replaced it in two days FOC.

On a kids bike, yes, Id say something. But some folks do just prefer them that way …

Thanks folks. On a Mac rather than PC but downloading google earth pro and will see how we get on.

Cheers

Cut your toenails

Crete definitely but go to the western end. The east is a lot more touristy – lots of cafes selling full English breakfast etc. Have a look around Chania. Fantastic place.

Cut your toenails. Nothing quite like having long toenails jammed into the ends of your shoes as you bang over cobble after cobble after cobble.

Was out today and its certainly drier than last weekend but still boggy anywhere the sun hasn’t got to it. Stick with the muddies for another few weeks.

Aussie rock band Cold Chisel had a great song with the line “Cheap wine and a three day growth” that was repeated a few times. My dad used to sing “Chief Firewater’s teenage dog”. He took the secret of how this could have made sense to his grave.