I wouldn’t expect the Ti shell on a 456 to need facing. Should be quite precisely made, and it hasn’t been painted. Is there a way to check alignment without actually facing it?

peasnotwar: Before i pop out during the school run to nose wheelie on the pavement through hoards of small children, puppies and frail old ladies thus breaking every cycling law possible, can i please clarify that i was thinking along the lines of exceptional (dangerous) circumstances only when the cyclist deems it unsafe on the road.
Not prone to dreaming things up, it’s in my head from somewhere and it’s bugging me.

I think you’re remembering guidance given by the Home Office related to fixed penalty notices, which is nicely summarised on Bike for All:

On 1st August 1999, new legislation came into force to allow a fixed penalty notice to be served on anyone who is guilty of cycling on a footway. However the Home Office issued guidance on how the new legislation should be applied, indicating that they should only be used where a cyclist is riding in a manner that may endanger others. At the time Home Office Minister Paul Boateng issued a letter stating that:

“The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required.”

I got a sachet of red stuff with an FSA carbon seat post, which seems to work very well. I think it has plastic bits in it which get squished when you tighten the seat clamp, and it isn’t scratchy. It doesn’t set, and prevents seizing. CRC appear to be selling sachets of the same stuff under the Ritchey brand.

Great tip I picked up from Sheldon Brown’s website is that if you avoid rotating the seatpost when inserting it, then you don’t get scratches.

grumm asked

What does it do?

about the Pedro’s garlic press thingy.

The Pedro’s cable puller applies the desired amount of tension on cables tight while tightening pinch bolts. Locking lever holds the cable tight while using both hands to perform other operations.

Is that for facing IS brake mounts?

My chainring bolt spanners never seem to work very well. Have both Park and Shimano.

Effetto Mariposa Giustaforza torque wrench is my favourite. (Also sold under other brand names, eg: Ritchey)

Don’t step on my dog!

I had the same problem when I tried to sign up. It was not a spam filter problem at my end. I’d say that they definitely have a bug which they haven’t found.

You need to tilt a Brooks saddle up a bit, relative to normal padded saddles, so that you slide towards the rear.

They take a variable amount of time to break in, being a natural material. I’ve heard that black ones take longer than tan ones. Yes, getting it wet helps. (Do not tighten the nose bolt when the saddle is wet.) Some extra Proofide helps too.

The one’s I’ve broken in are good after about 2500 miles of commuting!

Once managed to punch myself in the face as I pulled a tyre lever towards me along the rim and it slipped out.

Pedros tyre levers.

Also, I find the inner tube is most likely to get trapped next to the valve. Once the tyre is on, push the valve in to free any trapped tube. (And you do put a little air in the tube before fitting, don’t you?)

38×18, which is slightly spinnier than 32×16. Still faster than any of my mates.

Yes, you don’t need a torque wrench. Just read “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”.

Broke mine several years ago. Have a plate in and 4 screws which look like wood screws going all the way through the bone on the X-ray. Details of my recovery are getting a bit vague in my memory, but:

Only moving it hot water sounds a bit odd, but I’d say exercising it as per physiotherapist’s advice is the most important thing to do. If it doesn’t hurt (a bit) when exercising, you aren’t doing it any good.

I squeezed an indoor tennis ball when my hand was initially weak, then used a hard foam hand exerciser as it got stronger. Plus the physio’s rotating and flexing exercises.

I can’t flex my hand back as far as I used to be able to (my consultant expected that I would loose a bit of range), but it seems to flex further than my any of my friends’ wrists do!

I always start my commute (12 miles) saying to myself “I feel a bit sluggish today; I’ll just take it easy and spin along”. Going through town my mind is occupied duelling with the traffic. Then I find myself on the second half of my commute, out in the countryside, mashing on the pedals, and think “Oh, maybe I’m going OK today after all”.

Does anyone know if Titanium frames have the welds x-rayed? Seems a bit OTT for me.

I think it is unlikely that any frame manufacturers do this. It would get added to the marketing blurb.

I had to take a file to my Thorn chainring to get it to fit the outer position of Saint cranks where it interfered with the fat crank arm.

Titanium tubing will last forever. Not sure about the welds though…

Loving the bee pic! Can I have a link to a higher res version?

Definitely not a bee. Could be a horse fly – more interesting!

I used the info at on-one.co.uk address last week and got quick and helpful reply.

Also note that rule 66 quoted above says should, not must, so it is advice, not law. (This is the wording used throughout the Highway Code to distinguish laws from advice.)

So it is not illegal to ride three abreast, but if something bad happened when you were doing it, then it could be considered contributory negligence.

SRAM Red OG-1090 cassettes seem to be available from £120 – £145 online.

Cross-compatibility with SRAM road groups will be nice. Could use XX front derailleur plus chainset or rear derailleur plus cassette to put low gears on a road bike.

Cranks are available in either Pressfit 30 or GXP, with a Q factor of 165mm

So the Pressfit/BB30 and GXP options both have a Q-factor of 165 mm? One of the advantages of BB30 is supposed to be reduced Q-factor.

Went to a couple of Revolutions, but don’t remember seeing him. Think I would have noticed his name in the programme!

I love shiny new bike parts. They have aesthetic form but are also functional. It’s got to be more rational than other pastimes, eg: collecting porcelain figurines.

I’m thinking of buying an SRAM Red rear cassette (the one which is milled from a single cylinder of steel) purely as an ornament; I don’t have anything 10-speed it could go on.

That doesnt explain why all motorbikes are right hand front brake

I guess because you have indicators you don’t need to use your hands.

Were there on Saturday with 3 cars and 7 people. None of us made a contribution. I had been there for the first time last year, and the notices on the board didn’t seem to have changed (eg: there was one saying the second loop was now open), so I didn’t bother re-reading it. I don’t remember the funding and maintenance situation, as set out in this thread, being clearly explained. It does sound worrying.

It sounds to me like the trail really needs its own website. If you google for “penmachno trail” now, you’ll find a fair bit of out of date info in the top hits. eg: They say it is 22 km, but it is about 30 km with the second loop, isn’t it? Having a PayPal contribution mechanism would mean that they would get some of my money. It is such a good trail, and so much effort has gone into it, it deserves to be maintained and improved.