This is a blue Subzero:

This was a blue SubZero before I stripped it:

I'll ride this until I destroy it. Absolutely stupid amounts of fun; although it's a bit of a wrestle on climbs. I've actually found myself laughing out loud on descents.

wordpress.com is far and away the easiest to use and to get good results from. It has dozens of templates for different styles. I use it to store maintenance guides I've written up and also for hosting photographs. You can write in the 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get' or can develop your script writing skills. It's basically as versatile for dummies (like me) as it is for tech-heads. Highly recommended.

you just CAN NOT predict when you're going to fall. Too many variables. Just to give you an example I fell sunday in front of my house door, just because I forget to unclip. Tis is a stupid accident I concur, but an accident nevertheless.

By that 'logic' you might as well wear a helmet whenever you get out of your chair. You could fall in the house; in the garden; in the street; wherever… Why do you not wear a full-face helmet when you walk to the shops?

Actually, that's great advice – just went out there and waited, and a wasp came out, so now I know

As facetious as it sounded, it was intended as serious, if not entirely fool-proof, advice.

oh, how do I tell the difference between a bees nest and a wasps nest?

One will have bees in; one will have wasps in.

Could it be…The Hum?

A jar of home made chilli jelly expiry date january '09 and a large advertising banner for mobility scooters…

How large was the banner?

Chumba?

Taiwan.

EDIT beaten to the button by Qwerty.

All you need to know is here. How 'easy' it is depends entirely on the tools and competence you possess.

The most intolerant hyprocritical bunch of people i have EVER come across are the born again non smoker.

Are you capable of elucidating? How exactly are they hypocritical? Do they complain about people smoking in public places while smoking in public places themselves? Perhaps these people you speak of set small, toxic fires around you and assume that you're happy to breathe the fumes?

F*cking hateful bunch of tossers.

Hypocrite?

Is he actually going to use it for mountain biking?

Running and/or a rowing machine. Eat/drink wisely. Get enough good quality sleep.

I mentioned this in the other hayfever thread, but I'll say it again here (C&P)…

After over twenty years of snot-head I have finally found a cure (for symptoms): not drinking milk.

I know that my allergy is still there as I can feel a much, much smaller amount of thicker mucus in my sinuses, and my eyes still itch terribly and swell if I touch anywhere near them (so I don't); but the constant (24 hours a day) running of snot from my face has ceased. These symptoms have previously been a blight from May to August. It'll be interesting to see if how I get on when the peak season hits, but so far the signs are very positive.

By now, I would usually have been taking Cetrizine for about three weeks. It's the only thing that ever worked, but the lethergy it induces, combined with the head full of snot, virtually incapacitates me for at least two months per year (in terms of any mildly physical activities).

They're considerably smaller than adders and grass snakes, and you can tell them because the head is a completely different shape to a snake's head – it merges smoothly into the body. Colouration varies, but there are plenty of pictures on google.

This the the Slow Worm I encountered at (forgotten name of SW Stane) last year…

After over twenty years of snot-head I have finally found a cure (for symptoms): not drinking milk.

I know that my allergy is still there as I can feel a much, much smaller amount of thicker mucus in my sinuses, and my eyes still itch terribly and swell if I touch anywhere near them; but the constant (24 hours a day) running of snot from my face has ceased. These symptoms have previously been a blight from May to August. It'll be interesting to see if how I get on when the peak season hits, but so far the signs are very positive.

By now, I would usually have been taking Cetrizine for about three weeks. It's the only thing that ever worked, but the lethergy it induces, combined with the head full of snot, virtually incapacitates me for at least two months per year (in terms of any mildly physical activities).

Glentress Black Sunday AM, Glentress Red after lunch.

Where is the play? In the bearings? They're sealed cartridge, so either they don't fit the axle/mounts (incorrect ID) or the bearings have failed.

What fork is it? Axle type?

'08 SubZero with 180mm…

I rode that right through the last winter, snow and all. The vast majority of my trip to work is through parks, and I can even mix some singletrack, rocks/roots/steps into it. It's a trail bike primarily; I just didn't see the point of building a different bike getting to/from work.

It's a complete multitool, but I've been using the Topeak Rocket Ratchet (link) to replace a lost Topeak Hexus II. Nice concept and, I find, much more ergonomic than a folding tool.

I've fitted goodridge hoses to 3 bikes now and on each occasion the instructions supplied said "DO NOT CUT BACK THE OUTER SHEATH".

I wrote the instruction linked by bigdugsbaws. The Hope braided hose (made by Goodridge but using different fittings, I believe) needs to have the plastic coating removed in order to fit the 5mm Hope olives. Your advice may apply to the Goodridge branded braided hose, where the insert is threaded, but it is incorrect for the Hope kit which uses a barbed insert and relies solely on a compression fit from the olive and shroud.

How about Gunmetal? very rare!

That's just unkind…

My '07 SL ATA and '08 & '09 66 RC3s spent more time at Windwave than they did being ridden. The '09 36 RC2 I bought with my refunded money has been faultless since fitted six months.

If Marzocchi can return to the reiability of the Italian-made forks, then I will consider them again. My SubZero's '07 66 RC2X with thousands of miles on it, including DH, trail and almost daily commuting use, is the benchmark. It's going to take at least two years of quiet consumers for me to take a punt, though. Sorry Marzocchi, but you f*cked up in a very big way.

Yup, it all sounded pretty positive.
The sceptic in me isn't totally convinced, but I'll give them the benefit of doubt for the moment.

Took the words right out of my mouth. It's certainly a good start, though, and demonstrates a much more appealing approach to Government than has been evident over the last few decades.

excellent plan Do you mind if I put you forward for the Noble prize for economics?

I meant that the Government (ie. 'us') print it as opposed to borrowing from the Bank. I didn't mean that people start printing in their garage/cellar/shed/whatever.

How oftern do I need to reapply? After I've cleaned up from a ride?

Like any other lube: when the chain starts to become noisy. If you wash your bike down, it's a good habit to remove the chain while you do so.

Push it until it's up against the cup. It'll all pull into place when you tighten the preload cap on the LH crank.

Beyond Food and a roof over our head, neither of which are subject to VAT, what else do we really, really need?

The VAT on fuel (and the VAT on fuel duty) puts the price of fuel up, which puts up the price of pretty much everything; food included.

The Government need to ditch the Bank of England. Stop borrowing money and print it for ourselves.

Stupid human beings.

Is a brake that can never be serviced still good value for money?

I buy Hope primarily because of the performance. Although not the most powerful, the M4 is possibly the most versatile brake available; although the X2/Mini can be drafted in for a lighter rear option if one's braking style permits. Even the larger V2 can be toned down for general trail use because of lever adjustemnts which actually do what they say they do. I can mix and match calipers and levers to give me an ideal personal set-up.

Buying Hope supports British manufacturing and British design – it keeps as much money as possible within our own economy and keeps people in employment. I can service and overhaul Hopes ad infinitum because every single component is available to the consumer at sensible money. I have a solid warranty and access to probably the best customer service in the industry. I can call Hope and talk directly with people who understand the product and who are genuinely happy to help.

Until Hope stop being the company that they are, producing the standard of product that they do, I see no reason buy anyone else's brakes.

I've always used white spirit as solvent for chains (as lubes were always spirit based). They get cleaned afterwards with hot soapy water, then rinsed with hot clean water. As with degreaser, I wouldn't advise using it to clean chainrings and cassette on the bike as it could easily end up running down into BB or wheel bearings and degrading the grease in them.

If you use a dry lube you should find that the rest of the drivetrain can generally be kept clean by just wiping with a cloth.

According to them you should never have to buy degreaser again. You are meant to just brush off the dry waxy crud deposit that forms. I think that's a bit optimistic but I still like the stuff.

This is more or less how I've found it to work. I've got about ten rides on a Connex chain that I've been using Squirt on from new. It's had two applications since the initial one and I've used a toothbrush to clean the tiny amount of dry lube/dirt from where the chain link-plates meet. It's very quiet, helps maintain quick shifts and and actually seems to last rather well even in damp conditions. It's never been tested in proper downpours, so I'll reserve judgement on that aspect.

I'm used to (usually) being able to leave the chain on the bike with the Prolink Progold I've used for the last couple of years, so it's a very minor issue to have to take it off to 'massage' the Squirt into the links; but the trade is that I gather virtually no lube or trail dirt on my drivetrain. Absolutely first rate product.

get yourself around the black route then, there's the odd bit of hidden stuff too.

I've ridden the black but was making a comparison with Kielder's red graded route, so it wouldn't be fair to use the black for that. The Hamsterley red has a miniscule 15% singletack; the black is, granted, over three times better at 50%, but it's not exactly what I'd call a decent proportion. The hidden stuff may well be exceptional, but that's something of a moot point. I'm not going to argue that you and numerous other people find Hamsterly an enjoyable trip, it's different strokes for different folks; but that doesn't alter the fact that I am bored out of my mind by it.

Thanks for the offer but I have shimano shifter

It's only the rear derailleur that requires the correct brand shifter. A Shimano shifter will operate a SRAM front derailleur just fine.

surely thinners or if desperate a bit of petrol would do?
its just to break down any oily deposits on the rotors, no?

The benefit of isopropyl alcohol is the it dries without residue. It's a handy thing to have around, but washing up liquid rinsed away with boiling water will get disc just as clean. An advantage of IpA is that you don't need much of it, so no swilling water/solvents around in the vicinity of wheel bearings.

I don't understand why so many people dislike Hamsterley…

It's all relatively subjective, of course, but nothing really happens at Hamsterley. The DH trails are decent enough, but the "red" route is almost devoid of features. It's like you ride out, see a load of fire roads, a little bit of shoddy singletrack, some more fire road, then back along a dull little groomed trail to where you started. Quite how it got a Red grade is beyond me. The whole place just feels like tiny bits of singletrack joined up by tedious fire roads. There are one or two good sections, but nothing, in my opinion, worth the drive from Newcastle.

Kielder at least has some interesting singletrack. Even with its huge fire road climb, the singletrack on the new Lonesome Pine route is more interesting and more challenging than anything at Hamsterley. Quite what it'll be like come the end of the year is another matter; they've ran out of money and there's (virtually) nobody around to repair the trails any more. Deadwater is already starting to look rough around the edges and we're not even into the summer season.

Like I said, what people like about trails comes down to what people like about riding. I can see the appeal of Hamsterley for people who just like a nice, contained pootle around and enjoy being outdoors on a bike – the dirty roadie types; but in terms of a technical challenge I don't think it offers much at all.

I'd recommend buying a decent set of keys (Bondhus or Wera) then go to the bike shop (or online) and buy the specialist bike tools that you need for your specific needs. Cheap tool sets are full of useless tools of dubious quality. Even better kits will have several items you'll never, ever use.

Powercranks? (link) (link)

Three fish – not manual, just getting the front up in order to clear obsticles etc

That's a manual. Quickly over one/small obstacle, prolonged for several. As others have said, it's really more about weight transfer than just pulling up on the bar. Weight back and hips forward lifts the front, then slowly (in a relative sense) shift forward to bring the front back down.

Has she considered a skills course?

PS Do you mean wheelie (pedal with front wheel up) or manual (roll with front wheel up)?

A Shimano freehub couldn't drop off without shearing the huge bolt that holds it onto the hub body. The Hope freehub doesn't use a bolt.

What exactly is the QR skewer seized onto? Do you have any pictures of the mess?