Been out on the Isle of Man coastal path today.

Managed to get safely through a section that’s had me ‘gorse surfing’ on the previous two attempts :-)

Beautiful sunshine, good company and amazing views across a flat, shimmering sea to the north-west coast of the UK, North Wales and Ireland.

Very nice – even the cat looks impressed!

Respectable first ride stats, good work fella.

The tallest gear on my Allez is 52:13, nothing much to pedal over 40mph though, need to drop to a 12 or 11 on the back for some more speed…

Tracey needs you, she’s alone and feeling neglected.

All she wants is for you to enjoy yourself, put a smile on your face and see you making the most of the fun and freedom she can give you.

Remember the good times you’ve had together, there are many more to be had and it just keeps on getting better.

She can take you to places you’ve never been and give you experiences that will stay with you for life.

The hardest part is putting your gear on and walking out the door but when you’re out there the rewards are endless and the more you do the more you’ll want to do.

Forget the car, it’s just a tin box that wants your money.

You two get out there and ride!

Superb!

Best not share it with Mrs Velomanic though, she’s worries about me “going out on that bike all the time” enough already!

I went for a Gusset ‘Double Six’ SS kit, nice double width sprocket base to stop it digging into the hub :D

Click on the ‘IMG’ tab and paste the url of the pic into it works for me.

Hmmm, just tried it with one of your Flickr pic url’s and I can’t get it to work either :(

Anyone else?

That’s a fine looking bike! Enjoy :D

Like the Garmin mount!

You’re a gentleman sir!

E mail sent.

I’ve taken the indicators off and there’s nothing there.

Shimano state ‘sold separately’ – bless ’em…

Team Sky’s Peter Kennaugh passed me while I was riding in a sportive last summmer!

Quality – really enjoyed that!

Casey went out hard and paid the price by cooking his tyres.

Chatter and arm pump… did he mention that one of the decals wasn’t on straight and they had to use a blue nut on the rear axle instead of the usual red one…

Class ride by Cal, can’t wait to see him on the European circuits that he knows well :D

Any of you guys fitted a chainstay protector?

If so, what make?

I’ve been enjoying the live streaming of Cage Warriors through the MMA Junkie website.

Commentary by Josh Palmer and John Gooden is always first class.

Ouch, that’s not good :(

What are they doing about it?

Good news compkiler!

I did 52 miles on mine today, it’s a truly great bike!

Enjoy :D

(Isle of Man coastal path)

Classic (from the above link):

“If you dont have enough room on the back seat for your pride and joy because the wife’s coming along as well, leave her behind”

I bought an old Ford Mondeo estate to carry mine :D

Like gsp1984 said, carbon fibre is layered to be very strong under specific loads and stresses but can fail if subjected to forces / load directions outside of its intended design.

If you have to clamp it, make sure it’s well wrapped up and don’t over do it!

“It never gets easier, you just get faster” :D

You’re not mad – loving my 29’er HT (Cube Reaction GTC) :D

Today I’ve scaled climbs and completed descents that I’ve not managed before.

It’s been a good day – I love riding bikes :D

They’ve certainly done a good job of that!

According to my LBS, the Cube rep said that they’d actually manufactured 10% over what their market research suggested and it still wasn’t enough to cope with demand.

Any recommendations for torque wrench sets?

@plodtv – I’ve found the remote lockout to be very useful, there’s a bit of movement left in the forks when locked out so it soaks up the small stuff when you’re climbing / on the road etc.

I ordered a Cube chainstay protector (£7.99 from CRC) last night, the sound of the chain slapping the carbon keeps making me cringe!

What psi are people running in the SID’s?

@jwmlee – Good man & thanks for the crud-catcher tip :-)

@stevewhyte – That’s right, no bosses on the underside of the downtube (see below)…

@plodtv: More pics :-)

Collecting from my LBS.

Just before the first ride.

Making the most of the local amenities!

@jwmlee:

I’ve hardly noticed any fork flex and I was out on some rocky stuff today, all good up front :-)

I know it’s controversial but I prefer flats, I’ve had more moments when I’ve been glad to be on flats than I have wishing I was clipped in. I’m not saying that SPD’s are bad, just not for me.

I’ve got a pair of Tenn ‘8 Panel’ road shorts, they’re comfortable and seem well made.

Collected from my LBS today :-)

Just back from a 10 mile hack along part of the Isle of Man End2End course – absolutely love it!

First impressions are of how light and agile it feels.

Firm ride from the carbon frame but not harsh, the seat’s quite hard but I wasn’t in it much!

I’m just over 5’11” and the 19″ frame is a perfect fit.

@stevewhyte – you won’t be disappointed!

“Anyone who can get their hands on either Reaction 29er should go for it.”

“if you can find one. Buy it.”

Good advice – I’m picking up my Reaction GTC SL from my LBS tomorrow :D

My American Bulldog also does it…

Thank for all the comments.

The Charge Cooker Hi looks great – thanks for that yossarian :-)

I’m on the Isle of Man so I’ll see if anyone will deliver one here!

Just spotted this too On One Inbred 29 X9 big spec for the money but there’s nothing at all about it on On One’s website :(

Lots of mud here in the IOM so the Carve might not be ideal!

I’m a big fan, did the IOM End2End on pair last year and have stuck with them since.

Got my latest pair from here (£11.95 each) – High On Bikes

I ordered them on a Friday lunchtime and they were on my doorstep the following morning :D

I like riding my mountain bike but I like riding my road bike too, which is better?

There’s only one way to find out…

I’ve used Parcel Flight before and they were really good.

I ordered a Mountain King II (2.2) from High On Bikes at lunchtime on Friday and it was on my doorstep (in the Isle of Man) by 9.00am the next morning!

I wouldn’t say the 2.2 comes out small (in my opinion!), it’s the second pair I’ve had and they’re great tyres!