They’re very good. I’ve used Barro Mountains, Saguaros, AKAs and I’ve just fitted a pair of Gomas, but not ridden them yet. They’re ridiculous value from On One too.

Cafédirect is my current favourite.

Just worked out one pair of Z-Controls I’ve got are 11 years old and have been on 5 bikes. Never had to touch them. They look battered but are still smooth and have no play.

I too have run Time Atacs and Z-Controls for many years and wouldn’t be without them. Z-Controls, now called DH4, have a big platform, bit more “all mountain”. There are a few with smaller platforms too, the MX series.

ERF (extended rear facing) seats need a lot of leg room in the back. We’ve got a Besafe iZi Kid for our daughter and when I put it in our Focus estate the front passenger seat had to be one click back from fully forward, meaning next to no leg room. I’ve since changed to a Mondeo, which is much more suitable!

I’ve just started building a set of DT 350 hubs. They seem very well made and finished. They were only £155 for the pair, from bike-discount.de.

In the UK, as long as you have not made an new arrangement of a song (changed any of the original song) and the venue has a PRS licence then you don’t need permission. The venue will report to the PRS that the song has been played and they will pay whomever owns the performance rights a royalty.

Gerd Schraner’s The Art of Wheelbuilding is very good too.

Yep, one of my favourite series of the last couple of years. I heard Richard Armitage is going to be in series 3. Could be interesting.

2 years in current job, 16 years in previous job.

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Homemade pizza with salami, caper, mozzarella and pecorino[/url] by will jenkins[/url], on Flickr

Not started building mine yet but it’s mighty fine:
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Genesis Grapil frame[/url] by will jenkins[/url], on Flickr

Started building these with some WTB KOM i23 rims though:
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DT Swiss 350 hubs[/url] by will jenkins[/url], on Flickr

@chaos: That’s Diprobase ointment. It’s pretty much Vaseline (white soft paraffin), just a bit thinner. I found it very effective when my skin was very bad. I find the cream is better, much less greasy, once everything has calmed down and is under control.

We’ve found our daughter also reacts to cows milk (and soy) the way I do and our doctor said the paraffin based creams and ointments are falling out of favour with GPs. Apparently they now favour oat based creams like Aveeno. We’ve found my Diprobase works better, for her.

As a life long all-over eczema sufferer I can sympathise.

You should also consider food allergy. I found I was allergic to cows milk protein at 21, after all those years of horrible eczema, strong steroid creams, a skin infection so bad I couldn’t bear wearing clothes and that nearly put me in hospital.

I’ve been so much better since (now 36). I use Diprobase daily and a moderate steroid cream to control the odd flare up.

I still have a constant but background itch. I take antihistamine every day to help mute it. Stress, sweat, cats are all triggers for me but the milk allergy is the main one.

See if your doctor can get you some blood tests for allergens. Good luck and stay strong. Oh and don’t scratch!

Just get an appointment. Sounds like you could have done some damage. You pay your NI (in part) to have access to a GP.

I’ve bought the Nukeproof 44IESS for mine. It arrived today and seems good, especially for £27. Only had CK headsets for the last 15 years so time will tell.

I cracked a rib coughing, on Saturday night.

Yes, rims from CRC.

Ordered my spokes from JRA. Went for Sapim Race, for £0.42 each. Always used DT Competitions previously but heard good things about Sapim spokes. They don’t seem to be as well finished as DTs but they’re nearly half the price. Taken a bit of a risk, hope I’m not disappointed.

Changed my mind and just bought a pair of DT 350s, as I now need to change my rear hub to 142×12. Got them for the very reasonable sum of £155, from bike-discount.de.

Yes, mostly love my job. Great workmates, pay and benefits are good and get to work on really interesting stuff. Hours can be long and things can get stressful but I don’t dread going to work like I did my last job.

If you dread going to work you need to change jobs.

Yes. Accept no substitutes. A Chef is for life and can do so many things. We’ve got an ice cream maker for ours, which is ace. I want the mincer next.

Yep, good call on the 44IISS. Cheaper than the 44IESS too, if that matters? Think I’ll still go for external bottom cup.

Nukeproof Warhead 44IESS or Hope Mix and Match 2B. The head tube isn’t tapered, it’s 44mm top and bottom but can take tapered steerer forks. Been looking into this myself :o)

Couldn’t resist. There goes some of my December overtime money!

Very dependent on the weather, I should think?

Yes, I definitly would have. I was earning £26k at 34, after 16 years working at the same company. I started on £9k a year, as an unskilled 18 year old, in 1996.

+1 for RX Sport. I’ve had pair of clear prescription Whisker 6Bs and a pair of polarised bronze Straight Jackets from them. Very good they are too.

• 300g strong flour
• 1 tsp dried yeast
• 1/2 tsp good salt
• 30g extra virgin olive oil, with a handful of fresh rosemary whizzed-up in it
• 180g (ish) of water

Kneaded until lovely then allowed to prove at room temp for 3 or 4 hours. Rolled out, slung onto preheated stones and toppings applied. Into 250°C oven for 12 mins or so. Job is a good one.

We used to use the barely any kneading and proved in the fridge technique when we used to make sourdough, works a treat.

Get a M6 screw long enough to screw into the boss plus two new nuts. Screw both nuts down the screw. Screw the screw with nuts into the canti boss then tighten one nut down hard onto the boss, whilst holding the screw stationary. Tighten the other nut down hard onto the first nut, whilst holding the first nut stationary. Use a good ring spanner on the first nut to unscrew the boss.

I went to the out of hours doctor today and he confirmed I’ve torn one of my intercostal muscles from coughing so much and so hard. Feels like I’m being stabbed every time I cough. Got a course of erythromycin too. I’m going to work tomorrow.

Think I’m going to rebuild on my hubs, with new spokes. The current spokes are probably 8 or 9 years old and I fancy going back to silver spokes. Anyone seen any good deals on spokes?

Which ones? Their website is a bit rubbish…

That’s been my thinking for a long time too, just been curious about other hubs recently.

That’s why I got the BULB, it’s so easy to swap between 20mm and QR forks.

Yes, my wife, daughter and I have all had it (bad cold with mega cough, sore throat and related aches) for just over a week. I’ve had it worst so far but I think I’m improving and my wife’s getting worse. At one point I’m pretty sure I coughed up a lump of snot not far off the size of a chicken nugget.

I’m certain my body knows when I don’t have to go to work, lets down the defences and gets ill.

Nap time now, take care all.

I’d have no hesitation. I’ve been using their cranks for almost 20 years and have been to see them a few times, as they’re local to me. Go for it.

When I think of Mavic I think of 217 Sunset rims and how they should revive that finish on some light but wide rims.

What’s does it do ?
Why would you want it to do what it does ?

It measures the amount of current being drawn by a device being charged via a USB cable.

Why? No idea. You can get an app for your phone that tells you the state of the battery (current, voltage, temperature etc). For other devices?

What have you got plugged into it OP?

An ammeter for USB devices? Why?