TV is literature for the illiterate.

I'll quote Rudolf Arnheim from his "A Forecast of Television" essay (1935) because he said it so succinctly and with quite stunning foresight…

"Television is a new, hard test of our wisdom. If we succeed in mastering the new medium it will enrich us. But it can also put our mind to sleep. We must not forget that in the past the inability to transport immediate experience and to convey it to others made the use of language necessary and thus compelled the human mind to develop concepts. For in order to describe things one must draw the general from the specific; one must select, compare, think. When communication can be achieved by pointing with the finger, however, the mouth grows silent, the writing hand stops, and the mind shrinks."

I'm a bit partial to a bit of Gunsmoke…

Same bolts/washers, I believe.

Your [sic] also only an hour from Hamsterly Forest.

Only worth it for dirty roadies, in my opinion.

The length is the threaded section and it's 15mm (actually 17mm + fixed washer).

You may well need a bench vice and two or three more people. Or just somebody with a vice-like grip. Apparently it works best to refit the nose ends first, then try to get the tail ends in.

Hopefully you haven't figured out what the shrouds are and removed them. As well as compressing the olive/barbed insert assembly, the shroud also holds the hose onto the lever/caliper banjo; so if you remove it completely the hose will drop off and you might (read: will definitely) have to bleed again!! My apologies for the misinformation, I'm not sure where my mind was when I suggested removing the shrouds.

Anyway, if the hose fittings are leaking (here's[/url] how they go together) then you'll be able to see fluid on the outside of the system. If they're dry, I'd be fairly confident that you can eliminate them as the source of your air bubbles.

How does the lever feel?

You can easily check the integrity of the olives by removing the shrouds. If it's pulling air in, it's highly likely that it'll be leaking fluid out.

Wedge something in between the pistons, a little block of wood will do, then remove the MC cap and diaphragm. Pull the lever (and keep squeezing) and watch for bubble coming up from under the silver deflector plate.

Hope will rebuild for about £40 per brake, I believe. This includes pads, so it's fairly good value. A seal kit (caliper and lever) will set you back about £7. Here's a photo guide[/url] for what is a pretty simple task.

Old fluid has an almost jelly-like consistency. I've overhauled brakes which have left me amazed at how they were even working. Apart from the effects of heating/boiling, the fluid around the caliper seals and MC diaphragm will absorb moisture from the air which makes its way past the seal. This fluid will have a significantly lower boiling point – an obvious problem at the caliper – and will thicken long before the rest of the fluid. As tron has said, the heat of a binding brake might also affect the efficiency of the seals.

When was the fluid last flushed/replaced?

If she's dragging on the brakes and/or using them more because of the extra weight, it'll cause the fluid to expand and push the pistons out. You can fix the effects of the expansion by just pushing the pistons back into the caliper; no need to let fluid out, and it'll only create its own problems down the line.

I'd suggest that you bleed the brakes (flushing all the old fluid out) with a decent DOT 5.1. You might also check that that your wife is/isn't over-using the rear brake. If the problem persists, and you can show that it is a fluid related problem, then you could just up each rotor by 20mm.

They're not supporting a party manifesto; they're making observations of the Coalition's agreements on Civil Liberties and on Immigration. In addition, they're observing where the Coalition has failed to make comment or agreement on various other topics which they [Liberty] believe should have been included, and/or should be included in future considerations.

You'll need to ask at the pharmacy. If Boots can't/won't, try a smaller chemists. They can all get it, it's just a matter of whether they like the cut of your jib. Apparently it's used in the production of some narcotics, so they're a bit cautious to whom they'll hand it over to.

Maplins sell a spray version (IPA 170), but I haven't used it myself.

You might find this Liberty press release interesting. (Link to pdf)

Good job I work for the Environment Agency then.

Would you like to pop over to mine for a cuppa? We can shoot the breeze, talk bikes, take away all of my knotweed and a few feet of top soil…

The river Nene is already full of it on the banks. It can be cut left to dry then burnt or taken to a registered tip that can handle it.

It's illegal to transport it without license.

Year on year treatment of shoots around 2-3ft with Roundup seems to be working in my garden with this plant. I have a really small growth this year without full formed leaves, I think when I treat that it will be the last year it grows

Does this treatment keep the plant's height down?

Cutting it would surely have to be done VERY carefully near a stream – transmission through the watercourse would be a nightmare (though I presume thats how it arrived).

It was introduced by some Victorian mastermind who thought it would look nice in the English countryside. He was right, too, except that the plants he'd seen in Japan, with their lovely, delicate white flowers, were only a few inches tall. Their growth is stunted by an aphid which prevents the stem from developing. Because this aphid is not present in the UK, the Knotweed grows unrestrained – at a rate of around three or four feet per month.

One of my gardens is infected with this **** awful plant. I rip them out every week during the summer, then leave them in a pile to rot. I did try burning the ones a ripped out but the thick, rank black smoke they give off, even when dried right out, just makes it unfeasible, even though I don't have any neighbours to pollute. There's no way they could be burned in a typical smokeless residential area without havign the fire brigade descending on you. Now the stems and dug up roots get left to rot and the root balls (knots) get burned. I genuinely despise this plant.

I've XT Shadow on one bike and Saint Shadow on another. My partner also has XT and SLX Shadow on her bikes; I've installed four or five others; and I've retuned a couple on the trail for other riders. I can't say that they're any different to set up than the traditional design; so, aprt from making sure that the little nub on the mounting plate is correctly positioned – something which is clearly noted in the Shimano instruction – I've no idea why anyone would have difficulty which was specifically related to the Shadow design.

Cheers for the replys so far, i'm getting more and more tempted – It won't be a new frame though, so I doubt it'll be under the lifetime warrenty – are the replacements fairly easy to get hold of if it does go?

Specialized are still awaiting a shipment of stays. I tried to get one in March for my '06 SX Trail and was originally sent the last that Specialized UK had in stock. This turned out to be too short – nobody could actually work out what frame it was meant for – and so had to wait for the new order coming in from abroad (Taiwan, I would imagine).

After initially being told that the order was due in April 30th, I spoke with Specialized today and they've said that it's due in on the 19th of this month, although this date could easily change.

I know that doesn't exactly answer the question of how easily the chainstays are available, but you can be sure that, at least after a few months, it's not necessarily going to be something that you can get at a few days notice.

Does the 2008 not use a T10 Torx fitting?

It's wrong to laugh at people who fall over; right? The dad's sigh deep, deep disappointment may well haunt the kid for life…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPZAe207ToY

IMO anything over 140mm on a HT is a waste because your [sic] always limited by no travel on the back…

That would be because you've never used a hardtail which is designed to run on a long fork. On such a frame, it's entirely not a waste and is simply part of the experience.

This is a troll thread; surely?

what the hell's an acrostic poem?

It's a poem which is also an acronym – in that the first letter of each word/line are combined to spell another word/phrase.

If they're unsuitable for their intended purpose you are entitled to return them for a refund. I had a similar issue with a fork I purchased from a large online seller and took advice from Consumer Direct. Give them a call and find out exactly where you stand: 08454 04 05 06

They're what they say they are. If you take a 9, buy a 9.

If you visit Chain Reaction and search for "hope bearing" you'll find the information you're looking for.

Get the brakes into their optimal position, then do whatever you have to do with the shifter(s) to get them into a comfortable position. Most current equipment will be set up with the brake inboard from the shifter.

Snapping a chain is unlikely to be lube related, unless corrosion has weakened the metal. Most likely is shifting under load; next is as a result of an incorrectly fitted, or reused, link pin. A combination of the two will also do it.

A poorly lubed chain will be noisey. You'll really be able to hear it turning and there'll be some higher frequency (metal on metal) squeaking. What are the manufacturer's instructions? Should you have only left it an hour, or should it have been left over night? If the lube doesn't have time to go off it'll mostly be forced out from the rollers and onto the gears and inside the links, so you can be running an unlubed chain within just a mile or so.

I've no experience with the CJ you're using, but I use Prolink on one bike's chain and Squirt on another. Bothe are 'dry' lubes and both contribute to quiet and clean-shifting drivetrains (until they've been expended).

How knackered? It's sometimes possible to just run a tap through the threads…

So which tyres for a 4.7 earthquake?

I thought the mono-mini did 140, 160 and 180

You're correct. The IS mount calipers are as you say; the PM (9.74) are 160, 183 and 203mm with appropriate adaptor. The 165, 185 and 205mm discs are for the original (silver, two-piece) Mini and M4 calipers.

To confirm: you need a No.5 Mono Mini caliper to match a 160mm front disc (or 140mm rear).

Here hare here.

The anodising on shock sleeves/pistons is going to be visibly ruined long before there's enough wear to produce play between the sleeve/piston and the shock body.

There's probably more risk of failure from worn eyelet bushings. Again, the type of dirt (and amount of water) the bushing is exposed to is a considerable factor, but a grinding paste between the bushing and reducers/mounts can lead to play very quickly. Play at the bushings will also lead to increased wear on the sleeve/piston, although that takes me straight back to my first point in this post.

I use a trimmed down piece of drum head to protect my BB pivot bearings…

…and a section of inner tube to protect my shock (and mounts)…

I think that a great deal depends on the type of dirt one rides in. I always start a ride with immaculate fork seals and stanchions, and on some trails sometimes they gather lots of crap and on some they don't. I would imagine that fine dust (or mud made from fine dust) is going to be most likely to breach wipers/seals than coarse/heavy dust or sand, although sand trapped behind a wiper can cause rapid damage to stanchions or shock pistons/shafts.

Basically, there are so many variables that it's impossible to say with any degree of certainty that an unprotected shock will not last as long as one which is left exposed, or, perhaps more pertinently, that the internal oil will degrade quicker; however, it makes sense to me to keep as much dirt as possible away from moving parts.

I've a set of the oil seals on my '07 Marz' 66 RC2X but retained the factory wipers on the advice of a well-known suspension company who advised that the Enduro wipers are inferior to Marzocchi's.

I will, however, consider the Enduros for my Fox 36 when I give it it's due service after the summer. The vast majority of reports for the Fox replacements are that they perform much better than the factory set-up.

It's a six-year-old fork that's never been serviced. It's such a simple fork to work on (link to service guides), with a seal/foam-ring kit costing around £25. That kit will also contain the crush washers you'll need for the foot-nuts. Oil will set you back around £17, unless you get a non-Fox alternative for about half that.

As far as "special tools" go, you'll need a ground-down 26mm socket (~£5) for the top caps and, if you're ham-fisted, a torque wrench (£30+) for the foot-nuts.

TFTuned are taking bookings for the 12th, so, theoretically, you could have a properly serviced fork back in time for next weekend for less than £90.