Never bought anything from him…but that dog is awesome!

Given the regular Jedi love in on this board, I’d be interested in hearing if anyone has ever not been improved by his courses. Of all the sports I have done (and I have done many, some well, many not so well) I can’t think of any where a days worth of coaching has instantly improved my performance.

Obviously, it appears that this isn’t the case after spending a day with the big man. So whats the secret? Is it simply paointing out basic mistakes, does he concentrate on technique, or does he use some powerful Jedi mind trick to make you forget how sore its going to be when you crash into a tree.

Genuinely interested, as whilst i cant justify a trip down from scotland myself, I am looking for some coaching up in here and interested in whats involved.

I’d think twice about buying a santa cruz full build as they’re hideously overpriced IMO. Wouldn’t you be better buying a frame and building it up? I managed to build up a far better speced Heckler than the top of the range version for significantly less cash, simply by shopping around.

Butcher Frame reduced at stif just now as well!

I flattened the pricks nose across his face

Yes I’m sure you did….given how hard/stupid you sound….

As for the old bloke on the bike, the second video shows the situation in a completely different light. I think someone needed to have a word …

If its something you really want to do and can afford it (there or there abouts) then I’d go for it.

You’re only here once, if you genuinely think it will cheer you up then I’d buy it in a flash.

and on a slightly less serious note, maybe you could fund it by offering uplift services..fit a tow rope….it’ll pay for itself in no time :-)

get yourself a budget flight over there, carrying a big box full of your bike bits. Then build up the frame, go riding with your mate and bring it back into the country covered in mud for no additional cost.

Granted the flight will cost a bit, but I’ll bet less than the cost of the tax, plus you’ll get a holiday out of it. Better than it going in the tax mans pocket IMO.

so thats 9 speed all sorted…

What about 10 speed chains? I’ve just taken mine apart, then realised all the connecting bits have dropped down the cracks in my floorboards…doh…

they look much more expensive than the 9 speed variety..or at least I cant see any good deals..

can’t you get an original non remote KS 900 for that price?

Or am I missing something?

I can’t even get the bead to pop onto the rim, even at 80 psi in the bottle. Have left a tube in ovenight so will see what happens after that. Am a bit concerned with Onzadogs tale of popping the tyre right off the rim however

Are we talking a bit of air burbing…or catestrophic failure when the bead falls right off the tyre. I managed to do that once when I’d damaged the rear rim and ridden it anyways…wasn’t a pleasant exp at 20 mile an hr, but I dread to think what would have happened if it had been on the front!

Yeah Onza, those are the ones.

They are a bit flimsy, did you ditch them tubeless as you couldn’t get em up, or you thought they’d fall off the rim…or for other reasons?

Thanks folks…

Confirmed my thinking, advantage just bought!

I bought some Specialized Rime…awesome shoes….

Not cheap, and made by Spesh…but lovely all the same

Bump….

anyone??

I’ve found where the pump is meant to go, but for the life of me I can’t see a valve on mine…anyone ever had any joy repressurising one of these?

http://forums.mtbr.com/all-mountain/ks-adjustable-seatpost-maintenance-684926-2.html

ta

Multi release cleats are your answer, with the spring tension on your pedals loose as can be. No chance of getting stuck in…

If the OP has been doing it for years and has been asked to leave once, then in reality its unlikely hes going to bump into the chap anytime soon….so all this talk of restraining orders is pretty irrelevant…id bash on and reconsider if he asks you again

And regardless of the law, anyone who compares the OPs situation to camping out in someones front garden is just being silly and pedantic..

is the a stw table? Would be interesting to know whos the fastest..and the slowest on here!

I’ve got rid of most of it, there was a bit of play in the bearing and still a little give when you lift the bike by the seat but no lateral play. Think maybe an overhall of bushes and bearings prior to my alps trip in a month may be order of day.

Kaesae…got your mail, will reply

ta

well I’ve managed to remove the swing arm. The way the chap was talking in the bike shop i was expecting the bearings to fall all over the floor. If I’m honest they looked and felt reasonably ok.

My next question now is how do I know if the bearings are goosed, or its something else. If I tighten up the pivot bolt then all the play goes away, however then the arm feels a bit on the stiff side???

You have no case, as others have said for unfair dismissal, but you are still entitled to your notice period..I assume they are prepared to pay you that?

on a plus point it sounded like a shite place to work anyhow…so probably the best thing that could have happened.. in the long term.

oh…and as a resourcing manager I know that companies are always looking out for Lean skills/ops excellence etc..go contracting for a bit and make yourself a fortune…

TJ…

probably yes, but thats because there are far more cars than cyclists on the rd. If we looked at it from a percentage of those that ride/bike point of view, its six and half a dozen in my opinion…the amount of cyclists I see every day jumping traffic lights for example is high…they aren’t causing any harm, infact it could be argued that in some circumstances they are speeding up the flow of traffic…but the same could be argued for folk jumping into a bus lane to turn left…

obviously an idiot in a car will do far more damage than an idiot on a bike, but thats a different arguement!

Nothing that annoys me more than folks who use the entire length of a bus lane to dodge a que, then try to shove their way back in at the front…make my blood boil! Couldn’t really care about folks that pull out 100 yards before they turn left if that lane is empty however, as long as its done safely and isn’t taking the piss..

As for not adhering to the rules of the road however, as both a driver and a cyclist I generally see far more cyclists flaunting the highway code in Edinburgh than motorists….if cyclists want to be treated as equals I’d be keen to see similar fines dished out when they break the rules…

nice one thanks!

:-)

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tempest-cresta-black/166319/

Heres a Beer named after the brewer’s favourite run at inners…apparently its made by brewing up energy bars! (no seriously)

Surely there is no more fitting post ride pint?

Interesting read and whilst I’m didn’t agree with his initial sentiments, hes subesquently clarified things and its great news he appears to be on the mend.

I’ve got to say that this type of post doesn’t exactly do my riding confidence much good…that sounds like a nasty nasty crash…

anyhow, I’m off to check my brakes..

hope you’re back on the bike soon…

Agree with above…once you have the tools its fairly easy, I’ve managed it (just built my first bike from scratch) and I’m the worlds worst home mechanic. All the guides are online and all the bits I got stuck with the helpful folks from STW forum helped me out.

I managed it with a set of allen keys, cable cutters, BB and crank tool and a cassette tool. Certainly a learning cure but useful skills to have.

Only thing I didn’t attempt was setting the headset cups. Tool was a fortune, and rather than attempt to get it in with a block of wood and a hammer I opted to pay my LBS 4 quid for 5 min labour…

Not ridden it yet mind…will probably all fall apart first time I hit a bump…

raleigh blazer (handmedown from brother)
Raleigh Boxer (handmedown from neighbour)
Raleigh Burner (my first new bike!)
Raleigh Yukon (fully pimped out with flexstem, full dx groupset etc etc)

20 year gap until April 2011 then….

Specialized Rockhopper
Santa Cruz Heckler
Giant Anthem
On One 456

still got the last 3….:-)

I have to say I’d not be keen to spend my cash on any bike part that only came with a 30 day warranty, and particularly not a part that is notorious for going wrong. If the big boys struggle to get it right then I’m unconvinced that this budget version is going to be any better.

I think I’m guilty of looking at stuff like this and thinking it looks like a good deal, but in reality its still the best part of 100 quid for a seatpost…so not cheap and I’d expect it to last.

shame, as I was considering one for my 456….

the big question for me is do I go tubeless for the week…

all of the above plus a rear mech hanger

once spent 20 minutes trying to help my mate fit pedals before a ride. Couldn’t work out how thy wouldn’t go in and after much brute force managed to cross thread the pair of them on the cranks. It was only on close examination that I figured out they were on the wrong way…ooops

I was checking out his courses, which one did you go for? I reckon that a beginners course might be a bit basic, but not sure I want to go for the full on downhill coaching. Basically I’m keen to learn how to carry more speed through the corners, weighting the bike correctly etc etc as this is the one aspect of my riding that I feel really lets me down

I really like mine…don’t steam up and super comfy. Yes I’d rather have the genuine article, but not at 180 quid.

The protective qualities (from flying objects) of them don’t really bother me, given I don’t usually wear glasses its better than nothing. I do have a few concerns about the UV aspect however, so for now I’m just using them with the yellow lenses when its overcast..might treat myself to some genuine lenses at some point so my eyes don’t burn out…

Nope…it wasn’t the last space in the carpark, there was one other one free as it happens. But at the time I didn’t know that, and more importantly neither did he.

At the end of the day clearly some people think its ok to do that, and some don’t. Not going to lose any sleep over it, just think its a pretty lousy attitude to have towards your fellow bikers, which is why I posted.

downshep…its a car parking space??? That the most stupid arguement I’ve ever heard. And no I wouldn’t have done similar, because as others have pointed out its the act of a selfish prick.

I suppose life is full of tossers, it didn’t ruin my day, just pissed me off at the time that some folks have that kind of attitude.

What ruined my day was realising how unfit I am halfway up redemption climb on the Black run…a truely horrible experience :-(

I can sympathise, I was on citalopram a while back (for my crazy OCD tendancies!) but thankfully its kind of worked.

If I was to give anyone in my position similar advice it would be tell your mates about your issues, rather than keeping it to yourself. Made me feel alot better about things and my mates were all totally understanding.

Therapy I’ve heard is really good (Cognative Behavioural therapy) but also don’t hestitate to ask to see another doc if you feel you are not getting taken seriosuly.

Good luck..

Orange 5…

probably….

;-)

ha ha…i assume some people arent as gratious as me however!

yep..better safe than sorry. I noticed an abnormality a while back that I got checked out, turns out it was potentially something rather nasty that could have turned cancerous if I’d ignored it. Nipped it in the bud there and then.

its probably nothing, but do it for piece of mind if nothing else, docs visit will take half our out your day max…

any shock pump will do both front and back shocks, regardless of brand.

I use a fox one which came with my forks and is perfectly adequate. Stick a post on the wanted section, loads of folks will have multiple pumps kicking around they’d probably be keen to let go fairly cheap.