I used the same hanger as Mattbike, and it works fine. Never liked mini-Vs as the pads had to be run so close to the rim, I have a pair of Travel Agents for £15 posted, if you want to run V brakes using the standard road levers.

The code was something like Whiterose or Englishrose, someone posted it here on STW.

Has anyone taken any unpaid leave i.e. the 13 weeks unpaid leave that you are entitled to take before the child is 5?
My son is 5 next year and both myself and the wife have taken 2 weeks unpaid leave each this year, the reduced pay has just filtered through to our paypackets this month, so keep an eye on the classifieds for all the stuff I will be selling.

The Skully LEDs that On-One sell are ridiculously bright even in the daylight and there are was a special offer code kicking around to get them for £6 a piece.

Thanks for the voucher FoxyRider!

I just bought a 99p wireless computer from Hongkong on Ebay, it looks OK in the pictures and the functions are good, its only got to last the 100 miles of Kielder.

I use the Wurth car disc brake cleaner on my bike and had no problems.

We had a scoot, which was good as it had a brake, but the bolts that held the rear wheel in were a bit exposed and my son kept catching his heels when going full tilt, also there isn't a steering limiter.
The Likeabike was far better, I think the seat went lower, it was lighter, it had a steering limiter, but no brake, so they have to learn to stop themselves by dragging their toes. My son was still dragging his toes to stop a year after he started a pedal bike. The likeabike was left out in the rain a few times and has suffered for it, whereas the scoot looked like new.
I would steer clear of the really cheap copies, as we had one and it was forever falling to bits.

No but my friend had one for several years and we went on several road trips with it, TBH its a bit of a cheak to call it a GTI, its not fast or sporty, and most family hatches have more power these days. He also had a load of problems with it i.e. electrics, head gasket, and was glad to get rid of it.
I am sure other people have had a better experience.

If the clearances are tight, something like a Schwalbe Marathon should fit, and has enough puncture protection/forgivness offroad, I regularly use my road bikes offroad as I can get to the quite roads quicker by going along a few trails.

I have one and don't particularly like it, I find the user interface a bit clumsy especially for the phone book, it also keeps unlocking in my pocket, and there is some combination of button presses that makes it ring you (so you can get out of meetings etc.) but it sets itself in my pocket and keeps ringing me.

The Crank Brothers Speed Lever worked for me with some crazy tight campag rims.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Crank_Brothers_Speed_Lever/5360019204/

I had a front last for 60 miles last month, and it ended up with a 50mm gash along the bead wall. No idea what happened to it, looks like the brake blocks were rubbing, but I checked them and they were fine and have been with the new tyre, also the gash was right beside the bead so was tucked in at the edge of the rim, there is no damage or sharp bits on the rim. I have replaced it with another one, so hopefully it will last a bit longer.

Having spent the last 6 months riding with a rigid fork, I have given in and bought a suspension fork. On some trails (that I knew well i.e. Red at GT) the rigid fork was just amazing and was great for climbing, but on tricky decents where rocks and roots are coming at you fast you can get caught out, and it was only a matter of time before I was going to have a big crash.

I thought I had the 15mm Id tube sorted, I had an old Pocket Rocket pump which looked about right, after dismantling it turned out to be 16mm Id, I might have to take my calipers down WHSmith as I am sure there must be a pen or something thats the right size.

rootes1 – The RLD are the Remote Lockout version and the LOD have the lockout on the top of the fork leg, I went for the RLD, not sure why they are cheaper.

I will probably come across something suitable eventually, I have found a couple of 15mm id tubes but they are not exactly light enough. I have access to a lathe so might turn something on it.

Well I have joined the STW 29er massive and bought a set of Epicons from CRC, went through Quidco and got 4% cashback as well. I went for the Superstar hub in the end as it had the same dimensions as my current front hub, so will save me buying new spokes. Will have the same woes with the front qr, but will have a lookout for a suitable 15mm id tube to live inside the hub.
Thanks for everyones advice and clubber for the initial review.
Coastkid – always like to read your blog when I get bored at work, I am in Midlothian so you are not too far from me.

Chris, speak to Jonny, he is still in touch will all the guys down the east coast.

ahwiles – I don't think they make boards big enough for him LOL.

It depends on the item and the seller, I spent £130 on Ebay the other day and got £0.03 cashback, that was a BIN from a big seller.

Thanks Clubbers.
My Carbon Rigid fork has a 42mm offset.
Most of the hubs seem to be convertible between 9mm/15mm/20mm, so with the problems you had with the QR you would recommend a 15mm only hub?

Sam – Good question, most modern forks have a greater offset to quicken the steering up, I just wasn't sure if the 44mm quoted in the spec related to offset as it calls it something else. Will check the offset on my current carbon rigid forks.
I will be running them on an 18" Scandal.

How do the Epicons compare in weight to a Reba 29?
Also do the Epicons have the correct offset for a 29er, in the specification it mentions 44mm?
And finally after a bit of use how are the Epicons bearing up?
And last but not least, which 15mm hub is recommended, I notice Superstar have some on special offer.

Thanks

thesurfbus

I can't find any information on the 15mm axle fitted to the forks, but am I right in assuming that there is no way of fitting a 9mm qr wheel to this fork? or are there adapters available?

Doug

I am very passionate about scones (s-gones) and have two per day mid week, and up to 6 per day at weekends.
Sultana Scones are my favourite, but we get some weird combinations at my work:- Cheese (9/10), Treacle (9/10), Marsbar (5/10), Apple and Cinnamon (6/10), Cherry (1/10).

Doug

I am 6ft tall and have been riding an 18" but was thinking about moving up to the 19.5" as I prefer a longer toptube with a shorter stem, it seems to quicken up the steering which some 29er owners complain about. It certainly feels better on my Large Peace9r which has a super long toptube.

boxelder – Have you weighed your FSA 290's, mine came in at 2000g for the pair (without QRs) which was a bit dissapointing since they claim 1800g.

There is very heavy rain this morning, and I presume there has been for a good part of the night. Glentress had been really dry and you tend to wash out when on the limit, so the rain should help.

I have to say that on a big ride I like a sandwich or a Pork Pie as I get sick of eating sweet stuff.

I bought my son a Supersoaker and have had no problem with cats since.

Been down there on business quite a bit, there are some good restaurants/bars in Gunwarf Quays, and had some good nights out there (including a visit to Club EQ!), don't think I would want to live there though.

There are strict guidlines that the RN have to follow when using the Active Sonar when there are large mammals nearby. From memory its the really low frequency sound waves that the oil exploration companies use to map the ocean floor that causes the most distress to mammals.

bristolbiker – OK I asked a colleague and yes, its part of the Command Team Trainer which I don't work on, I just do the smaller systems SONAR, COMMS, ACMS, Optronics etc.

SONAR is also Active, but like you say once you have pinged them, they have found you. Although for a positive contact sometimes listening isn't enough, and you have to Ping to confirm a contact, but by then it would be too late for the pingee (is that a word?).

bristolbiker – SCC give me a clue, its not in any documentation that I can find, although we probably know it as something else.

How long does it take you to do the full black, thats the full black with no shortcuts, I do it once a year in October on my own to gauge my fitness, 2h15m has been my best (no stops). looking forward to trying it again this year, after having tackled the Keilder 100.

I design/code the Simulators for the Astute Class submarine.

I am using an Ambrosio Campag evolution cassette on a shimano wheel, and it works OK, I get slight chain rub on the spokes in 1st gear, and the small sprocket doesn't engage on the cassette body it just kind of dangles on the end, but I have done the lockring up tight and it seems to work OK.

25.5 miles each way, averaged 18.5mph this morning, quite a few traffic lights, some dodgy cycle paths, on a road bike with no panniers or rucksack.
Uphill on the way home, will take about the same time, but I always feel better after work.

Thats not every day, just on a friday.

Doug

Fogle was pretty slow on the Etape and that was only 81miles.