Ferk, its not even come from and edge at all, looks to have started in the middle, rekon Thompson would be interested to get that one back, and I would imagine/hope give you a free replacement.

To me, it looks like a flaw in the metal itself…

Todays leading 9 riders, looking casual with over 13 mins on the peleton.

Nah you wont die, less than a degree of head angle change, especially taking into account the little extra sag for the longer fork…

100mm travel forks vary axle to crown height by 10-15mm, you might want to check out how long the forks are your contemplating just in case they are already long axle to crown.

Yeah, form over function is the way to go, eh?

Nah not form OVER function but form WITH function.

The Elite stem has the function, form and even safety built in, with the steerer clamp bolts not in the knee/nut zone… They should have used the same method on the X4.

edit… woodsman, where is the plate cracked? Any pictures?

Maybe you are not clamping it evenly a bit at a time on each bolt?

Nothing is indestructable and your right they sell the bits for a reason…

What they are very good at is keeping a very nice finish for a long time.

That 2nd one, I was looking at yesterday, what does the electronic box for the front sus do?

**** **** **** **** ****……

yep 31 with 4.5k to go… giving it everything..

seem to be saying the course goes uphill for the last 2k

this amets fella can go fast downhill cant he…

Maybe ADH, and they are probably too knackered to think straight!!

Well no one told Millar it cant work, he is giving it a go…

What the ferk, they are riding over the white lines in the wet and supprised they are sliding off… Surely everyone knows to stay off the lines?

I use a bash and n gear as suggested, but MRP just bought out a specific guide for the job that looks better in my opinion.

http://www.mrpbike.com/product.php?section=product&item=1x

ja, my thoughts, would be nice to get millar in yellow though… still nice having two brits in the top 10…

If this amets fella catches the front trio and they are 2 mins ahead, is there a chance the breakaway can work after the last climb?

soobalias you can try a few from here see if anything works for you..

I had a videofeed from grassknoll tv the other day but cant get any video from any of the usual suspects at all today..

Lots to try from… and I have!!!

http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/#live

audio

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/audioplayer.html

Will they need more than 3 to make the break stick? Or is this stage hilly enough to cancel that out?

They are both big hitting, long forked steel frame hardtails, I would have thought the overlap was huge, and weights similar.

The 456 certainly doesnt fit in with the more XC orentated ride the OP was talking about, only in as much as he could just XC up the Alpine and not bother changing at all.

My opinion would be to do just that XC what you have, escpecially if you like it, run some light tyres on it. Then you still have it for when you get the chance to ride it for what it was designed for.

If you fancy an XC bike and dont want to drag the wieght of a heavier duty bike about, there are loads of choices. Scandal, Rock Lobster team tig, for eg.

In answer to your question, god knows what its worth as bike or in bits, depends on the day from my experience of both the classified and Ebay.

edit, you just beat me with your post, keep it, XC it, and do what its made for when you get a chance, as it will cause no end of agro selling then buying again, and you would be lucky to break even on it all.

Pardon my ignorance, but isnt a 456 exactly the same kind of bike as the Alpine?

Contador could have always gone in yesterdays breakaway and been in yellow. He didnt, and I for one rekon Lance is going to fly up the mountains…

Pedals
On One Tinbred 1×9
05 Stumpjumper FSR
Schwinn beach cruiser SS
Raleigh Chopper MK1 sturmey 5 speed
Raleigh Pursuit (given to nephew so doesnt count now)
Some rockrider thing to build into winter hack.

Engines
1972 Gilera 50 Trail
1978 Bultaco 360 Pursang

And the wife and kids:-
Pedals

Specialized Hotrock… soon be a Felt 24"
Carrera Vulcan (but I made it from bits n bobs)
Claud Butler MTB

My local Lidl has a bike tool kit just like the Wiggle one for £25…

Or on another point of view, you will be doing more decending in your week there than I would imagine you get in in most of your year at home, so maybe the risk has increased.

That might not be the case, I guess it depends how much your using the lifts, and how much pedaling up your doing.

Cheap bike if you can collect it, unknown to me, but looks a decent shape.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CBR-Mountain-Bike-Downhill-Trial_W0QQitemZ250457510344QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Bikes_GL?hash=item3a506e51c8&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1688%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

clubber is kind of right in not changing gears will be like SS but you wont get the silence of one that way, and for me that was a lovely thing…

In my opinion, avoid sprung tensioners.

Its no good going on everyone elses experience of a broken collarbone, they vary… They always either end up in a lump or a dent though so its not uncommon for it to look funny, if its nothing too spectacular 4 weeks in a sling and you will be OK….

Broke mine twice.

I will see if the bike is there anyhow, but even if you get cheap wheels, cassette chain, its still going to add up, no idea on what cables are like etc, just play the waiting game something like the claud I picked up for £80 will come along and do some service for him…

skiprat has the best solution to be honest.

Might be a bit big, its at my local tip, needs wheels, I will try and rescue it tonight…

so cost will be £4 plus postage.

If its still there I had it put to one side for me at hte weekend but didnt go collect it. (I was on my bike at the time you see)

Would he see a steel rigid canti braked Ridgeback of unknown vintage but clean condition and with shimano LX kit on it as a complete nail, or as a start?

I did buy this for my daughter for £80, was a mates price I guess, but not worth much more.

Yup its a nightmare, if he isnt a brand whore, and he shouldnt be unless you send a link to STW, there are bikes out there trailworthy for sub £300 new, at least that way it wont want building and working on every 5 minutes…

edit.. some good priced bikes there TJ…

Its really hard building a budget bike, I got the wife a new frame from fleabay for about £35 quid and thought I was off to a good start.
£35 frame
£55 wheels
£50 forks
free bars
free seatpost
£25 saddle
£15 chain
free cassette
£25 chainset
£15 BB
£20 shifters
£16 skewers
£10 tubes
free tyres
£20 headset
£45 brakes
£10 cables
£28 RR mech
£30 FR mech
£400 Total

For a deore/SLX 9 speed bike, just marginally better spec than just going to Halford for a whole bike. Building something even half decent really adds up.

Your better off finding a bike in servicable condition, or even a new bike, I once got a trailworthy bike for my dad, a brand new Dawes Silkstone for £250.

yeeeha I think ive cracked it….

http://www.grassyknolltv.com/2009/tour-de-france/versus_live.html

you could try this it was promising for me, but still some sort of server trouble for me..

http://www.versus.com/tourdefrancelive

it wont allow me to see the test video, so I can subscribe… our system goes through somewhere else in europe…

In english would be nice…

What time does it start today?

And no 40secs is too much…

You can soon cheese them dragons up…. 🙂

Very jelous, I would me some of those it seems the real cheap ones have gone.