I’m kinda fortunate in that I’m right at the edge of town. I head out my house and turn left onto a relatively quiet road from Bearsden out towards Drymen with plenty of nice loop options. No fear of traffic lights and queueing traffic.

Sort of on topic. Just fitted some new wheels. Can’t wait to try them.

My home insurance from Hiscox gas me covered.

Like the OP a lot of it is convenience. I frequently work from home and find I can grab a we quick hour over lunch on he road bike. I’m about 20 mins cycle from the trails so they don’t make as much sense. A lot of my riding has been like that. But I enjoy road cycling too. Started it a couple of years ago after cycling around France. Still enjoy the MTB but I ride road more at the moment. If I cycle with a buddy then I’m more likely to be MTB but if I’m alone I prefer road.

Ashy I upgraded my rear to 180mm to get around that issue. For the alignment I did it by eye and tightened a little at a time, rather than holding the brake on and tightening it briskly.

Just enough space for my phone.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/spibelt-running-belt-with-large-89-inch-pocket

I was really close to ordering a pair but decided that the DT Swiss EX471 were similar (1mm narrower) but stiffer and stronger and so ordered a set from PT Cycles.

If it’s the 2spring thing it’s not really a recall more a free upgrade. I had mine done a few months ago.

I got a detachable Swan neck Westfalia supplied and fitted to a 3 series for £450. Cost me another £200 to get it transferred to my new 4. Some places wanted £800. Depends on whether they use the official kit or a universal kit with identical parts from same manufacturer.

Labour to fit was £150 plus vat. £50 to remove. Took about 3 hrs.

I have a new Pinnacle Kauri in a box in the garage for my son who turns 9 in April. He’s at the taller end for his age and a 24 just seems too small. Glad some others find that bike a good choice. He’s excited about it!

You generally don’t need it on carbon bars as most come with a coated and roughed up center section for the stem. Your grips, brakes, etc don’t need much pressure to get a solid grip on the bars so you don’t need it there.

You shouldn’t put it on a carbon steerer either as it can get into the headset bearings and ruin them, and potentially cut I to the steerer.

Only place you really need the carbon paste is a seat tube in a carbon frame as the lower clamping pressure might result in post slippage under your weight. I also use it on my roadbike infinite angle seat post to stop it slipping nose down (or up).

Worth having a tube of paste though as it’s handy, cheap, and needs to be replaced from time to time in your seat post.

Spectral. They had loads of 2016 models on their outlet store with big discounts.

Didnt the Trance come with Carbon wheels from Giant? Yup, the 1 came with Carbon wheels at 1610g a pair. I nearly bought that model when Pauls had them discounted.

Cannondale Habit?
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b65s183p6523/CANNONDALE-HABIT-4-2016

Trance?
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b4s183p6920/GIANT-TRANCE-27-5-2-2016

I’m on 11-42 with a 32t oval. Sometimes I wish I had another gear on a long steep climb. Conversely I’ve never spun out the pedals at top speed whilst off road, though of course it is easy to do on road, but I have a different bike for that purpose. This year I will change to 11 speed 11-46 or put a 30t up front for those brutal Climbs.

Where I cycle, we hit a max speed of 50km/hr and an average of 16km/hr so the gearing ranges of a typical 1x setup seem perfectly fine.

I was in Athens on business last year. First Impressions are pretty grim but take a walk up into the old part of town and it gets very picturesque. Obviously you want to get up to see the Parthenon which is impressive despite all the scaffolding. I took a walk along to the original Olympic stadium too.

My favourite part was ordering coffee and being supplied with cakes and biscuits for free. :)

Evans have the regular Hummvee with no liner on sale for £28. Mine arrived today in L which seems good for my 33″ waist. Good length too.

520 has been brilliant for me. Live segments are ace. Accuracy of gps has also been very good. Installing a custom map is a great feature.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin-705800810.html

Any time I sell parts, whether Lightly used or barely touched, I go with 50%. Mostly cause I’d not pay more than that myself.

Like the others, I sold my Spyres and went to RS785. So much better. Sold the Spyres and 105 levers for about £150 and bought the RS785 set for about £250 over a year ago. No brainer with cost to change being just £100.

I had wrist pain from the carbon bar that came on my Trigger Carbon 2. After some research on sweeps I decided that the Renthal ticked the right boxes. Looks nice too. Mine is the full on Fatbar, not the Lite. It’s certainly stiff, but I don’t see the need for flex when we already have front suspension. Much better on my wrists. I’m reluctantly getting ready to cut it down as it can sometimes feel wide in narrow trails, but it feels perfect otherwise. Only you can decide if it’s worth the £. For me, the difference between it and other bars was small enough that I didn’t agonise over it.

I’d go with the Carbon Strive. Or perhaps Spectral.

Mine seized after a couple months. We’ll one pedal did. When I tried to remove the spindle cap to try greasing it, it stripped all the threads. The other pedal started clicking. I binned them and bought a pair of Fire Eye PJ ACR pedals which have been great.

Why not get a Renthal Fatbar Carbon and cut it down? I really like the sweep and feel of mine. It’s still at 800mm but I think I’m gonna cut it down to 770.

Get the shop to install the BB and headset when they ship the frame. Everything else is easy. Oh and buy wheels rather than build I reckon.

There’s some crazy good deals on the Canyon outlet site right now. You can get a top end carbon Strive or Spectral for around £2700.

In the cold I wear a gore skull cap. In warmer weather I just wear the helmet.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear-universal-windstopper-softshell-skull-cap-2012/

Another vote for E4s. Excellent.

Looked at the riprock. In fact ordered it then cancelled it. Decided too heavy and also my soon to be 9yo is at the upper limits for 24″ bikes. I have a green Pinnacle Kauri 26 in the garage, boxed up till his birthday, with a short 40mm stem and superstar yellow lock ons with green rings. All set for mid April.

That XL Spectral in the Canyon outlet looks really good value if it fits and if the wear is only minor as suggested. Great spec and a great bike without the complications of shape shifter.

Edit: just noticed they have a boat load of pristine new bikes at great prices from 2016 model year. It’d be hard to pass up on a Spectral or Strive.

I got my Cannondale Trigger Carbon 2 from Pauls last year for £2000 and spent another £500 on better wheels, oh and a bit more on renthal fatbar carbon and a shorter stem. I love it. Great bike for the money. If they do another deal like that this year, that’s a great place to start.

That said, I really like the idea of the YT Jeffsy.

I started wearing knees and elbows 6 months ago. Initially I felt like a numpty, especially on the ride to the trails. But now it’s just the norm.

I wear POC VPD 2 elbows, which work great. And POC VPD Air knees, which also work great. I’ve not taken a fall since wearing them, but I had a really nasty graze on my elbow that took weeks to heal and hurt like a mofo before I got the elbows – that was the motivation to get some. I’ve ridden one day without the elbows since, and scratched it up on barbed wire, which was typical.

Agree with boxelder. No need for these crazy inflators. Simple track pump – I use a Topeak Joe Blow. Inflated tubeless on Mavic 19mm ID and DTSwiss 25mm ID rims in seconds.

My Cannondale (Trigger) has been rock solid since I got it. My KS Lev on the other hand has been warranty repaired twice, but its always super quick and fast. Go check the Trigger thread, it’s huge, you can’t miss it. There’s been one cracked carbon and one cracked alu frame in there, and they were replaced no questions. Best bike I’ve owned. If the Habit has a Lefty (which is also awesome), TFT are the warranty centre and are always good – Cannondale gave us all a free upgrade to new internals recently.

That Habit 4 bike on Pauls looks awesome. Amazing colour too!

I sprayed my bike last week with the pink muc off soap that’s supposed to be disc safe. My road bike sounds like a fog horn under braking now. I’ve sanded the pads down and will bed in again and see what’s wot. Maybe need to change my pads. :(

I got a nice little packable from Lidl. Fits over my Gabba or Jersey in a heavy downpour.

I wear a pair of bib shorts as a liner, then a pair of lightweight baggies that have adjustable velcro tabs on the side to tighten the waist. Because all the weight is really in the bibs, the shorts just stay put.

Proper tight cycling tights are so comfy and warm though? I’ve got a pair of Castelli Nanoflex tights that I’ve worn through two winters now, and they have been nothing short of excellent, warm, dry. On the roadbike I wear them as they are – nobody bats an eyelid. On the MTB I put a pair of baggies without a liner over the top – see loads of like minded riders every weekend. My cousin, on the other hand, wears a pair of tights that aren’t tight, which gives off the vibe he’s come out in his PJs or longjohns.

Morvelo, Wiggle. Prendas, Assos when on sale.

Lol. More like this.