I didn’t use the voucher. Still got done. 😥

Another one!

Ordered stuff from CRC on Thursday. Today a couple of phone top up payments…and then wham, whoever it is tried to spend £1600.

Luckily the bank spotted it and decelined it.

🙁

Didn’t click through any voucher or anything like that – though I did go through quidco 😕

I know it’s only an inconvienience in my case, waiting for a replacement card, but still…grrr.

Been racing on a pair since last April – all good so far!

Had to replace the bearings a couple of months ago (not suprisingly, they have been raced & ridden through some horrid conditions for loooong periods of time), managed to muller the end of the axle (entirely my fault – no-one else would bugger up like I did!) but JRA were great at getting spares out to me and they’re back to being faultless again now 🙂

I buzz off that race 🙂

It’s daft…I mean, it’s ‘only’ two hours, yet it’s always epic. It’s in the middle of Manchester (well, kind of), yet the course is technical, swoopy, fast and has unrideable climbs. It comes after the ‘cross season and well before the summer race season, yet is always fully subscribed and it’s soundtrack is a brass band, yet has a rock and roll kind of feel to it!

Well done to everyone involved, everyone who raced and everyone who helped out – it created a masterpiece. 🙂

why is that scary man in the last pic hugging that tree?

There’s a 5 hour section on one of my favourite road rides where I rarely have to put a foot down 🙂

It’s got lots of hills, barely any traffic and most of the turns are left – so you’re not trying to get ‘across’ any traffic on the busier bits.

You won’t have a sustained cadence, but you will develop awesomeness due to all the ups…and skills due to all the downs 😀

Deal.

I’ll go searching for the tins in country pubs 🙂

It’s just ‘damping down the dust’ 😉

Fast rolling, quick clearing, narrow but comfy, lightweight but puncture resistant, soft compound mud tyres. I reckon. 🙂

Toe the company line, fella!

I’m pretty sure the company line is ‘pain, mud and glory’ y’know – this is a Terrahawk production, he measures success in grimaces and tears 😉

Nah, it’ll be awesome. Fast at the front, elbows out in the middle and full on bimbling at the back…and that’s just the queue for the buttie van 😀

No.

Surely that doesn’t matter though? I mean, if you were prepared, it’d be two hours of pain, mud and glory*. If you’re not ready, it’s going to be two hours of pain, mud and glory**.

Simple!

*mostly self imposed glory, which is just fine thankyouverymuch
**again, mostly self imposed…

I’ve seen wound up people do some scary things. REALLY scary.

Don’t hide in the gutter just in case someone gets angry!

Everyone’s trying to get somewhere; your journey’s no less important than anyone elses. (Sorry, that sounds a little sanctamonious!)

Plus, everyone will still get to wait at some red lights at some point – even if you don’t rush to them as fast as you posibly can 🙂

I’d like to be on the bike for the vast majority of the time (limit total time off it to say 30mins) and turn out reasonably good lap times.

Are you doing it supported,with a spare bike? If so then no problem – just get your pit crew/bitch/helper to have drinks etc ready for you each lap, swop bikes as necessary and ensure they don’t let you stop/sit down (because the chances are you will want to!)

Obviously going flat out at the start is going to make everything later on tougher, but if that’s how you’ve decided you’re going to do it, it’s up to you to fight through any suffering that comes as a result of it (saying “I’m not so worried about being able to finish” doesn’t bode well though!) 😉

Long races are as much mental as they are physical.

Nowt wrong with filtering.

Probably not a great idea to do it if the traffic’s moving at a decent pace (‘a decent pace’ being dependant on your speed, skill, reactions and a million other things too, of course), but it is perfectly legal and taught on some cycle training courses.

I wouldn’t worry too much about people getting wound up by it – people get wound up about anything and everything they can nowadays!

People will park like idiots, then, when you have to park like an idiot because of it (thus making it ever-so-slightly difficult for them to get past at anything other than the speed limit), they will get all grumpy.

I also learned (well, re-learned) that I can get wound up by idiots… 🙂

I think ton’s hit the nail on the head there.

I ran a pair right over the (really) cold snap/Xmas etc with no issues…saying that I also used both Hope and Avid brakes with no problems as well.

[/url]
tundra-esque[/url] by twinklydave[/url], on Flickr

I run 3×9 on mine (soon to be ‘both of mine*’ 😀 ), but just run a 11-27 rear cassette

I thought I’d use the granny ring with the taller smallest gear from the cassette…but I still don’t, you just push harder (but have the option to chuck it in the big ring and really hammer when you want to.). Ace.

*not actually mine

Loads of dust (seriously, loads of it)

Some sort of strange little kangeroo thing (covered in dust) given to me by a nice Aussie girl that worked here for a few months

One of those googly eyed bug things that people use to advertise things no-one’s really interested in (covered in dust)

A funky monkey out of a Kinder Egg (also covered in dust)

I should really clean my desk 😕

As it’s a solo event, am I still allowed to bring someone to fix my bike if it starts going wrong?

Yep, in fact at the Exposure race there’s neutralised support too!

Am I allowed to have a spare bike, just in case my main one goes wrong?

Yep, it’s a good idea

How does the timing work? Do you get timed for being in the “pits” fixing things?

Not usually. Some races let you ‘dib out’ if you’re taking a rest, but usually you just go through the timing tent thingy once a lap – if you have a 3hr stop on a lap, you do a 3hr lap.

Is there anything you wished you’d known before you did your first 24 hour event?

I wish I’d known how grotty you can feel at 3am – if I had I probably wouldn’t have started* 😉

*Kidding…though you will feel tired and rubbish at points, so does everyone 🙂

Nope. I’m going into work as everyone else will be off, so it’ll be nice and quiet 8)

Would you prefer a UCI approved bike or are you happy on your nichesteed?

Couldn’t give a monkey’s.
I want a nice bike that’s nice to ride. Not one that fits with some archaic rules created by a committee of people that should sit around talking less and actually ride bikes a lot more.

Same goes for a bike to race on (not that I race any UCI type events).

If the Beeb are to be believed, it’s going to be ruddy boiling hot and wet!

Shorts and t-shirt weather, almost 🙂

I’ve got stans 355 rims, with their own ZTR hubs, (super comp spokes & alu nipples) which weigh a bit less than the Hopes

nice, light, survived a year of racing/big rides, can’t complain at all 🙂

I can’t believe any of you really thought he’d break his leg in a collision with a car – in a straight, head on clash the car was always going to lose! 😆

“There were bits of cars everywhere” apparently…

There’s the whole “theoretical vs actual output” lumens argument too: I’ve got a 200l Dinotte that kicks out a nicer patch of light than my 760lm Exposure doo-dah.

However, neither of them, or even both of them run together, are powerful enough to scare away all the monsters. So I’d be fine with brighter lights 🙂

If the conditions are like they are in that pic, come race day(s), it’ll be awesome 🙂

(Not that I didn’t enjoy last year’s snow-fest, it’d just be nice to go ‘fast’, rather than ‘sideways’…)

Noooooooooo! 🙁

Bloomin’ hate sheet ice.
Got the tyres, done as much riding on it as anyone would want to
still hate it.

Bring back last year’s snow! 🙂

I’m wondering ifthe list was from the Great Hacking of 2009 (or whenever it was) – as I’ve had the email sent to two email adresses, one of which I’ve not used on STW since said Incident…

P.S. you lot can fight over her if you want, I’ve had her 😛

It’s definitely had an effect on what I’ve bought in the past – I remember choosing a Cannondale over a Specialized many years back becuase I knew the same frame (well, not literally the same one…the same model) had won the World Champs a couple of years before. I’d seen it being raced at the very highest level and wanted a piece of that action, even if it was only at little local races rather than at the World Cup 🙂

I’ve never been in any doubt that companies sponsor people/events as it’s great advertising, but I’ve always seen it as probably the ‘nicest’ way of advertising your stuff…not altruistic or anything quite that noble of course, but it does make them easier to identify with (IYSWIM)

You’ll love it & will be up on the boards in no time.

There’s nothing like the feeling of overtaking someone on the banking for the first time and realising you really are OVER taking them 🙂

Take some milkshake or similar, as the dry air in there can knacker your throat…

You’re fine down to -20 apparently, according to the FAQs[/url]

They even claim the LEDs burn brighter! 🙂

Well by that reckoning I’m a failure.

(I’d prefer it if it was referred to as a “Glorious Failure” though, to save what little self respect I have)

🙂

Yep, rode into work on them this morning and had them fitted for a bit at last year’s strathpuffer on my 29er.

They work well on ice – you still can’t hoon around like it’s the middle of summer, but you do stand much more chance of emerging from corners upright if you take it steady

They do drag terribly on tarmac (and make a racket), but then that’s only to be expected.

In fresh snow they’re probably no better than any other knobbly tyre, but they’re not awful until it gets deep enough to warrant a biiig wiiide tyre

Summer 😥

Short answer: yes.

Fitted back in 2008, raced right through the season, plus loads of biiig, long rides in all weathers too.
Eventually killed the bearings in 2009, had them replaced in under 2 days (including postage time) for under £30 by Hope.
Raced through 2009 (a lot) plus loads more biiiig long rides in all weathers and it’s still nice and smooth.

Eventually the bearings will die again and it will be sent off again to be serviced

I was killing more than 3 shimano ones a year, so the Hope one works out cheaper…and is all shiny and red too 🙂

Got one of these a couple of weeks ago, seems to work OK (esp for the money!)

PAy no attention to the calorie counter thing though, it’s over estimation is hilarious 🙂

5min 18secs in there’s someone riding a flouro green and black marin…my first ‘proper’ mountain bike, being abused in much the same way mine was (fashion and riding wise)

…with much the same outcome 😀

Fab vid!

What b r said.

I chucked a pair of deore ones in my rear mech, forgot abut it, raced all year and didn’t suffer any sort of mishifts.

I’ll be doing the same again once they’ve worn out.

Stunned it wasn’t something more like “f/king-chain-tensioner-piece-of-sh/t” or “you’re-not-coming-in-here-with-those-muddy-shoes” 😉