Went across a couple of years back – never had a problem yet. Maintain my Crank Bros pedals less than I ever did my SPDs and not had a single issue. Slightly more float on the pedals but not in a bad way. Clear much better than SPD too. Don’t know what the fuss re maintaining is all about.

Sacked off the WTB on my last build and put a Bel Air on there. Much more comfortable in my butt’s opinion.

So….SS types can’t count and if you’re not from round here, we’ll leave you for dead in the forest.

No wonder fishy wanted company yesterday! Poor beggar.

I rode solo today – didn’t speak to another cyclist. Didn’t see any mind.

I’m thinking seriously about goin back in the forces

Saywhat? Forget that – you think your world is bad for financial cutbacks?

Other than that, it’s the same stuff.

Apart from, perhaps, the beans themselves and the roast. So, not the same stuff.

Depends where you are – my dad had to wait for 2 years in Northumberland for his.

which has sweet FA to do with anything

It does actually – an example of Italians not using Lavazza. Also, that local roasted beans are usually a better option – provided the roaster is up to scratch. Why not add to the discourse rather than just throwing poo like an angry wee monkey?

Is it true that he’s so singlespeedy that if a geared rider looks at him they instanly become cooler by assosiation and sell all there mainstream geared tatt in the hope of being “a bit more like him”?

Yes and no. One does become cooler, but the hopeless emptiness I feel now I am no longer near him would never be filled with any reduction in gears / conversion to flat earth or renouncement of my colour television.
His manly stubble and down-filled gilet gave him a manly yet casual air that reminded me of a cross between Bear Grylls and Han Solo – but royal and noble.
I am more of a man yet less of a man for meeting him.

You obviously have little understanding of what an authentic Italian espresso is about.

Not pre-ground Lavazza that’s for sure!

That’ll put hairs on your chest – roasted in Pozzuoli on the edge of Naples – what the locals use.

I met thekingofsweden tonight. He was proper uber-niche royalty and no doubt. I wasn’t allowed to look him directly in the eye – I had to use a small mirror and avert my gaze whilst addressing him (reverently of course). I was most certainly humbled in his presence. I do feel a better person for having met him tho.

We’ve done a few CaniX events (cross country with dogs) and the Husky and Malamute are the most mental of all the dogs there. They need insane exercise and tend to make terrible pets on their own. The only people I’ve seen stay sane with them have acres of land, hours of time and a wheeled sled to run them in the summer. Pretty much an ‘all or nothing’ sort of dog. If you’ve never had a dog before, you’re mental for looking at a Husky. Sorry.

Gaggia Classic from Fleabay, repairable, tough, does a great coffee. Don’t use it exclusively if you want to explore coffee. Filter coffee gets something different out of different beans so use that too.

Find a local roaster and experiment – I never met an Italian who used Lavazza when I lived there.

It is on today folks – 1200hrs, midday, 12 bells, 12 o’clock

Postcode is BS1 4RB and the geet big car park is cheap.

Get down there and change the bike stuff in your garage for other bike stuff you WANT!

Ah – that’ll be those powerful legs you only get from SS-ing then? Or the sort of maintenance skills you get from riding something that doesn’t need maintaining?

Have a look at ‘asuitthatfits’ – not even close to bespoke, but similar to what you are looking at and possibly better than OTP. Saying that, OTP is fine for most people for a fighting suit.

IT IS TOMORROW! Get thee down there and buy things and sell things.

his chain snapping and taking the skin off his leg

Whilst I feel for any cyclist injured, I cannot let the irony of this pass without comment. A SS cyclist missing a SS ride because his unbreakable SS had a mechanical and failed, injuring the rider in the process.

Ouch.

That’s not a fair comment many manufacturers don’t cater for the really tall. I ride steel and apart from Konas over priced Explosif can’t think of another steel hardtail in a 22inch, most stop at 20 and they are barely big enough with a 400mm seat pin

It is a perfectly fair comment. Bikes are generally not made for the taller and shorter riders – they are made for something like the 80th percentile – ie 10th to 90th percentile of height. I am in the 99th percentile for height. I accept that bikes are generally not made for me, so I accept I can’t ride every brand or every bike, so I look harder to find the brand and model that fits me best, rather than just wanting a bike and forcing it to fit. My 23″ Sultan is as close to perfect as I’ve found and not one person has said anything other than it just looks right for me.

I tried a 50mm and it was too cramped. 90 fits well, 70mm is in between the two so if I could run one it would be better for me. Makes sense?

So get a bike with the top tube the right length so you can ride with a 50mm stem and get the fit you want? Seems to be fairly obvious to resolve. Other frames are available.

Bez – you are under 6′ aren’t you? I can tell.

Midday outside Mud Dock as usual. Bring things to sell and pennies for buying.

When I say Midday as usual, I do mean Saturday and not Friday.

WTF are people hung up on trends and numbers? ‘would like’ a 70mm? Nonsense. What fits, fits. Anything else is just daft.

By the way – taller people – if you got the frame the right size instead of that silly small ‘chuckable’ one, you could have a shorter stem and not need a long one and a layback to make it fit.

What Jim said – use the channel in the middle of the rim – it really works.

I admit I haven’t got a whole lot of evidence for this

Really?! You surprise me! Do you wear a tin foil hat just in case?

Ooh, is that nerve really raw to touch tootall?

Nah – just going to take the 180 degree opposition to those who want to be more niche than a niched thing.

We used the Milton tablets and cold water sterilisation for each of our three children.

Thats a bit harsh. We’re using a bath and baby soap!

Or just turn up with gears

Why bother? You’ll just have a bunch of luddites wearing sackcloth and ashes complaining about your geared bike ruining their ride. It would be like taking a combine harvester to an Amish farm and not expecting to be shunned for your ungodly ways.

Is there a steriliser that fits 750ml bike bottles

Scrub them out, fill with water, use Milton tablets. Same result.

They do – it just works in the microwave. It works really well and makes use of something you probably already have, rather than plugging something else in. 6 minutes and they are done.

I think it depends on the kind of poser you are…

If you wear Finisterre or Boden clothing and you work in a modern trendy media job, it is right up there.

Go to the USA and shop there. You can get the bigger sizes even if you have to order them. For long arms, get arm warmers. I only have one LS cycling top that is long enough – the rest just get arm-warmered for winter. Helly Hansen thermals can have very long arms – depends on the style. I am a big fan of 3/4 bibs, especially my roubaix ones. Also a fan of knee warmers as they go from mid-thigh to top of the calf. They keep the important bits warm enough. I’ve never found trousers of any form comfortable for cycling.

Defender has no manners, ugly, terrible handling on the road and levels of comfort last developed in the Austin Allegro. Heap of crap, but loved by blinkered devotees the world over. The SS of 4WD – does some things very well, but at one pace and with no quarter given for comfort.

Its true that aircraft haved to be trimmed during flight for weight changes

The aircraft is trimmed before flight. If you are out of trim, the aircraft will be nose or tail heavy. This could result in something as extreme as failing to take off if you got it so wrong, or lifting too early if you got it tail-heavy. Trimming before flight ensures the operating crew have the load (including fuel load) within their operating parameters for that sector.

So yes – distribution of passengers can be critical, but probably not that critical. However, the cabin crew don’t make those decisions and probably have broad ‘standards’ for seating ie nobody forward of a certain row. Safety margins are large in aviation, for very good reasons.

Could you make it look less like an Exposure light?

Just asking!

most of what has been linked look like grandad shoes…?!

You mean ‘timeless classics’ rather than ‘disposable fashionista poncewear’? I suppose you’d buy a suit based upon what Beckham was wearing this week!

DeFeet Woolie Boolies – or however they spell them. Best cycling socks going.

Make both and decide for yourself?

Do they all own black and white televisions as well?

Bonty tubeless ready here. Easy to inflate and dead happy with them.

I have a Bonty ACX unused in the garage – I’ll wait for the demand to peak!

It soulds like you have the endurance – the only other areas are your personal admin and your speed.

As mentioned above, someone helping would instantly improve admin. Rather than endurance riding, do interval training to improve the speed? You’ll get a lot out of that as you have the base endurance.

Yup! Only against geared riders as they get in the way and faff too much!

Depends on their mechanical ineptitude. I have yet to see a magic SS that never breaks.