Looks like its gonna be a visit to KMB and Whinlatter Bikes then 🙂

Awesome stuff, I’ve always wanted to see the aurora.
Hopefully there’ll still be plenty if activity this weekend as I’m off up to the Lake District 😀

Fantastic 😀

Get a kids bike box from Halfords and put it in that.
Arrange a courier through Parcel Monkey and they’ll collect from your home address.

Really interested in the Solaris.

What size are the bikes above? Any of these a ‘medium’?

Anyone 5’9″ running one?

Thanks

Mine’s a large and I’m 6′. Seems to fit perfectly.

Ok, any excuse to show off some photo’s of my pimped up Solaris 😀

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The Solaris is running Hope Hoops with Flow rims, full XT 2×10, Hope X2 Tech Evo special edition brakes with floating rotors, RS Reba RL’s and a Reverb.
Awesome bike.
The only reason I went for the blue Solaris is that it was my first choice for the BFe but they’d ran out of them so it’s a green BFe and blue Solaris 🙂

Parcel Monkey and CityLink for me every time.
I’ve sold two bikes in the last two months and they’ve been sent with them and had absolutely no problems at all!

I definitely need something puncture resistant.
Did my first commute on the Roadrat yesterday, riding home just after midnight in the pouring rain and got a puncture! Not the best of commutes.

Take it to a reputable garage to get it sorted by someone who knows what they’re doing rather than someone who’s going to swap expensive components until they stumble across the fault.
The other option of course is to leave it with the nice man that’s fitted £750 worth of ECU but is still nofurtherforward with it!
I know which option I’d go with.

Another crap question from me, in typical STW style, what tyres are good on the Roadrat?

It’s currently running 23c Continental GP Four Seasons as I’m commuting on it but I fancy something a bit wider for a more comfortable ride, possibly a 28c or thereabouts.

Any suggestions for something that’ll roll we’ll on the road and ride well through the winter with a bit of comfort?

Yes

Excellent. Good answer 😀

I’ve got another stupid Roadrat question, am I right in thking that if I decide to run it geared I can set it up as 1×9 or 1×10 with MTB mechs and shifters?

Yes, mine’s secondhand and only came with the 16t. It’s got the Cotic chain tug fitted, I was just curious about the actual movement I should have on the chain, at the moment it’s got about 1/2″ up and down on the lower chain run.

I’ve just picked up a Roadrat yesterday and need some advice about it.

First off, what cogs do I need for a SS Roadrat? Mines running the standard 16t on the back and I’d prefer something like an 18t but don’t know what type of sprocket to get.

Secondly, when refitting the rear wheel, what’s the best way to ensure it’s fitted squarely and how much chain tension should I have?

Another mechanic turned paramedic here too 😀

correct me if im wrong but isnt the mot requirement for a vans emissions not just a smoke opacity test ? IE when you boot it and let off you dont smoke out the cars behind ?

You’re right, it’s a smoke test rather than an emissions test.

dunno about DPf but i can confirm my diesel van recently went through an mot without a CAT – the old one rotted through and i replaced it with a straight through pipe….. not even an advisory saying it was missing ……

The cat isn’t a requirement on the MOT for a diesel, at least it never used to be because my Peugeot 306 cat rotted through so it was replaced with a bypass pipe and still passed MOT’s no problem.

Looking after a turbo diesel is not hard. You just have to make sure it gets warm every trip, once the engine is fully warm (AND THE OIL) rag the shit out of it pulling onto a motorway every now and then and also make sure you don’t park it then switch the car off straight away. Needs 20-30 seconds to let the turbo spool down and cool down.

People always say this about diesels but I tend to disagree. We’ve got a fleet of diesel ambulances and response cars at work that are driven with absolutely no mechanical sympathy whatsoever. They’re fired up and thrashed mercilessly from cold regularly, they will be thrashed to a call where they’ll be switched off without letting the turbo spool down or anything else like that and the majority of them have covered 150,000+ miles with no more problems than any other diesel car or van I’ve worked with.

Personally, I don’t like the idea if a car with a DPF as its gonna be expensive when it goes wrong. No other reason.
I’m also not a fan of dual mass flywheels fitted to modem diesels as again, they are big money when they fail!

No problems with it here. Put in four orders for just over £50 each, used the code and Quidco on all of them and had emails earlier to say they’ve been dispatched 😀

The 3G coverage on Three has never let me down yet, I’ve been using it for most of the past year as a hotspot linked to my iPad to watch all the Downhill World Cup rounds!

Nice one. I was just about to start hunting for some CRC vouchers.
I wonder if I could put in multiple orders and use it with each one?

I spend my days at work riding about on a bike. I spend my days off work riding about on a bike. Suits me down to the ground 😀

Sweet!

Just used it and got a battery charger I was after for free 😀

I think it was bike radar and I’ve been For that as well so drop a link once you have found it!

Cheers.

Found it pretty easily once I was on the right site!

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12860517&hilit=bfpo

Just got back on mine after it’s first run out, the verdict is……………….Love it 😀

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Just fitted a Storm Control to my Flow rim about half an hour ago!
Same as with any Specialized 2Bliss tyre, went straight on with no problems and inflated easily with a track pump.
No idea what they perform like as I’ve not tried it yet.

thats because he said waterproof….

defroster is insulated but not waterproof

According to the Specialized website:

When the weather is a problem, we have the solution. Our new waterproof and fully insulated Defroster with BodyGeometry technology will keep your feet warm and dry no matter how bad the conditions may be.

Hence me asking.

Has anyone used the Specialized Defroster winter boots?
If so, are they any good?

Plenty of room in the panniers here!

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Not ideal for a quick run to the shops though.

I wonder if John Terry will try the ‘Mitchell Defence’ at his hearing today 😯

what is the point?

People assumed ‘Accident’ covered anything regardless of whether it needed looking at quickly or only a trip to the GP in a day or two.

Emergency implies much more of an urgent need for treatment/a more serious injury.

Hopefully it works better than it does on ambulances.
For some reason most people seem to ignore the fact that is says ‘Emergency’ on the side when they are dialling 999 because they’ve stubbed their toe or sneezed.

He seems to go by the principle of ‘throw enough shit and some will stick’

As cycling journo’s go, I personally think he’s the most irritating about!

In all the time I spend at work at Heathrow, I’ve very rarely seen any queues worth mentioning at security.

There’s been problems in immigration in T5 in the past and T4 has some huge queues now and again which move quickly but never anything with outbound passengers.

We’ve had nothing but trouble with Yodel.
Had parcels left out on the doorstep in the middle of winter and more parcels thrown over the fence! Needless to say, the dogs live it when a parcel is launched over the fence as its just another toy for them! As a result they’ve destroyed those parcels!!

As a result now we won’t shop online with anywhere that uses Yodel for delivery, it’s simpl not worth the hassle.

It’s going to be streamed for the first 24 hours on Pinkbike so no need for a late night!

http://pinkbike.com/news/Where-the-Trail-Ends-Las-Vegas-Premiere-September-19-2012.html

Yep.
Got them front and rear on my BFe and running one on the rear of my Solaris.
Both bikes running tubeless on Flow rims. No problems setting them up tubeless, went on the rims and sealed first time.

They’re pretty good tyres in the dry or when it’s a bit damp and muddy. Not tried them in the heavier mud yet but I think they might struggle a bit. Overall I’m pretty happy with them. I’m a big fan of Specialized tyres and the Ground Control seem to be a pretty good jack of all trades.

Try calling Mojo, they’ll probably have them.

I’ve gone for the new Saints and they’ve been spot on so far.
Never had a set of Nano’s before so can’t really compare them though.

Just finished the build on my Solaris today. I’m heading to work now but it;s the last shift before a week and a half off so plenty of time to get a good feel for it 🙂

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And a gratuitous shot of all the bikes together 😀

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I can’t see why Richard Branson doesn’t step up and offer some sponsorship.

After Wiggo’s win at the tour, Branson posted a blog on his website saying how proud of British cycling he was and made the comment

“And – through gritted teeth – congratulations to Sky for sponsoring the team. When the contract finishes, come see us at Virgin Media!”

Surely it’s good PR for him to step up and support the poor relative that is women’s cycling?