AK350Z

Excellent Pics Andrew

At last!

Someone gets a proper grip on what constitutes a practical family wagon after selling their Zed!

I was saddened to hear this too, very glad I go out on a boat! We see the rig transfer fly overhead every day.

It's no use to the families of the four, but at least the pilot managed the impact and the safety gear allowed the majority to survive.

Not that kind of announcement!

Moved!

Looking quite good down the valleys Chris, have a good one this weekend mate! Think Frans up for a visit there at christmas when we're in Hereford, although she did bauk slightly at the £60 entry for the day. It'll be interesting to see how this model progresses in the rest of the UK, Certainly you need the uplift to justify it, presumably Innerleithan will be next if their planning permission for some form of mechanical uplift comes off.

Sounds like a good trade to me Chris! About the same as a the biscuits I used to pay my LBS with, but alas they dont accept that any more!

 

Are we still on for a club bike trip in Oct too

Hmm, well, depends on if we are coming to see you or not really. Could maybe do 12/13th? Will have to see what Fran can do.

Dont know what the weight is on the Saint, but they do look good

 

Must be plenty of second hand XT/XTR triples around now, maybe see what eBay/other forums have? Does seem a shame to get an XT triple and bin the rings.

 

What about 1x10 with a General Lee? http://www.bike-disc...or-shimano.html

I think the weights are comparable between the new saint and the old SLX double. Main advantage being they both have steel axles and the SLX also has a steel granny ring, not sure about the Saint.

I'm not going 1X because on a hefty all day bike the gear spread isn't flexible enough for doing big hills when your a bit tired, not enough bail-out scope.

Oh yeah, big september is the Manx End 2 End on the 8th, and then the big bad Tour de Ben Nevis on the 21st. Cant wait!

I can get a full drivetrain for less than cost of your cassette! Charging that much for the sake of a 42t ring is obscene IMO.

Anyway, can't decide between the current XT 2 ring crank, or the old SLX double-and-bash. I know my current bash gets "used", so I'll have to get the XT triple to fit my current bash, but the cogs are wrong and I'd just be binning the big ring.

Actually, there's the third way of the current Saint double+bash, but maybe too heavy/overbuilt?

Title updated

Again!

Sizing up my replacement drivetrain at the min - Shimano 2x10 upgrade with the clutch mech. Would like to get it sorted out before my big september!

Has anyone seen how hard it is to get the experiment tickets? They were available for all of 4 minutes today. I'd suggest getting your refresh button ready if you are trying. I'm going to see an LHCb Experiment (Point 8), super excited....

 

Anyone know what that is?

It'll be an education then!

(its one of the heavy particle experiments)

Hi all,

 

A quick question surrounding maintenance.

 

I'm based in Chester and would like to learn more about the fundamentals of looking after the bike etc. Anyone got any recommendations of courses etc local to me?

It's due a service, i need the gears setting up and also the fork lockout needs fixing which i think i should be doing myself if possible.

 

It's a Specialized Hardrock Sport 29er if that helps. Mainly used on moderate trails, cycle paths and roads.

Try your local big bike shops. My mate went to a one day Fox maintenance course at Biketreks in Ambleside and found it pretty useful. Either that or the usual Youtube/book based self learning. There's not a lot that isn't covered in a youtube video!

Book-wise the general maintenance bible is probably the encyclopedia of the Zinn-master : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinn-Art-Mountain-Bike-Maintenance/dp/1934030597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377000061&sr=8-1&keywords=zinn+and+the+art+of+mountain+bike+maintenance

Just start taxing the cyclists. Maybe bring our tax down a bit

 

Hmmm, we're all in the same basket though aren't we? As 84% of cyclists own cars anyway and all that. I've got 3 bikes and pay over £600 in VED every year, so I think i'm covered. Not to mention cyclists and every other person pay 20% tax every time they buy bike parts/cars/other goods. We all pay enough.

 

I jumped red lights and all that when I was at uni in Bristol, Mostly it was to save time, as in that special way that overtaking people in the car sometimes gets me there 30 seconds faster. Obviously it's pointless in the grand scheme of things, but people still do it, and as a cyclist, you know you can get away with it. Strangely, I didn't always do it, a lot of the time I stopped at the lights like everyone else. It was just down to mood and perceived need I guess.

 

Cycle lanes are too often a fudge, many take you too far out of your way, make it slower to get where you're going, or are blocked by cars or shitting dogs and their owners.

 

The problem with cycling tests etc is that bikes and cyclists are far too numerous to be effectively tracked or monitored, so how would you ever do it cost-effectively?

 

Make me glad to live up here though, cycling is a lot easier!

 

Some interesting points above

 

1. Most cyclists already pay VED, so I agree there shouldnt be a road tax as such, but they should be insured

2. The middle paragraph is typical of most thinking of cyclists (and no dig at you AK) but yes cars over take to grab their 30 seconds back but that doesnt justify cycles going through red lights. Going through a red light is illegal, overtaking is not. Also cycle lanes do sometimes take you out your way, but so do lots of one way systems but as a driver you dont see them going the wrong way around it just to save time. I actually have no problem with a decent standard of cyclist using the road instead of a cycle lane, if they are of a decent standard - unfortunately its the cyclist who cant cycle straight, uses no road sense, undertakes cars and generally is a hazard on the road that drivers have a problem with when there is a perfectly viable cycle lane available. But seriously, not obeying the rules because they 'delay your journey' is not an excuse

3. If there was a financial incentive for enforcement officers to target cyclists to check for test passes/bike IDs etc then it would happen - unfortunately the law is not set up for that so it wont happen. In fact things like dangerous cycling (and subsequently accidents) and bike theft would all be reduced if a concentrated effort was put in

Certainly i would agree to cyclist insurance, especially if it worked the same way as car insurance where you can get personal injury and theft protection (And breakdown???) all rolled into one policy. House insurance just isn't intended to cover multiple bikes worth several thousands of pounds, and it's nearly impossible to find one that covers you. I don't know why the idea isn't being pushed by the insurance industry more!

I can't pretend to have much city cycling experience these days. It's 10 years since I was commuting in Bristol, and that was known as quite a cycling friendly city. I imagine cyclist numbers have increased by an order of magnitude since then.

Don't worry Col, I'm a reformed character now I think a lot of it was down to impetuous youth and all that jazz.

If you want to see some cycling that would make even the most nobbish cam-equipped commuter blush, I can recommend Lucas Brunelles Line Of Sight, full film on youtube:

Looks good, reminds me of Shires with all that silver and orange going on.

It sounds like there are letting people underground again while the LHC is switched off for its upgrade. I dragged Chris I and our ladies there last year when we went to the Alps. It's dead good!

That looks like a full campus open day, so deffo worth a visit if you're into science.

First web server (do not switch off! )

Random CERN pics:

i have just had a look around on line and all the pictures of genuine ones i can find are fibreglass

Yep, my factory fit Nismo kit is fiberglass

Just start taxing the cyclists. Maybe bring our tax down a bit

Hmmm, we're all in the same basket though aren't we? As 84% of cyclists own cars anyway and all that. I've got 3 bikes and pay over £600 in VED every year, so I think i'm covered. Not to mention cyclists and every other person pay 20% tax every time they buy bike parts/cars/other goods. We all pay enough.

I jumped red lights and all that when I was at uni in Bristol, Mostly it was to save time, as in that special way that overtaking people in the car sometimes gets me there 30 seconds faster. Obviously it's pointless in the grand scheme of things, but people still do it, and as a cyclist, you know you can get away with it. Strangely, I didn't always do it, a lot of the time I stopped at the lights like everyone else. It was just down to mood and perceived need I guess.

Cycle lanes are too often a fudge, many take you too far out of your way, make it slower to get where you're going, or are blocked by cars or shitting dogs and their owners.

The problem with cycling tests etc is that bikes and cyclists are far too numerous to be effectively tracked or monitored, so how would you ever do it cost-effectively?

Make me glad to live up here though, cycling is a lot easier!

I think Strava changed how they do it. I'll have a look when I get home. How you finding the Lev?

Had about 5-6 rides on it now, it's great. It's a total luxury, but as it totally eliminates a bit of faff its well worth it. I trimmed the cable a bit short initially, so by the time I got the max height set right it was a bit tight in places. I'll re-jig it sometime later though.

Also, the minimum height is a got inch or two lower than what was possible with my Thomson post, so happy days.

No space in the back though if you want practicality.

Not really a mod, but put some new discs on today with DS2500 pads. Old pads were falling to bits!

Welcome back

Funny, but I would imagine they are both apocryphal. I know for a fact the USS Lincoln one is made up - it originally appeared in a joke book.

]Yeah, the Tour comes to Yorkshire, should be interesting! Speaking of road rides, I did the Lakeland Loop yesterday. I wouldn't normally do sportives, but it was a free entry as a workmate was going on holiday. It was a bit of a beast, but despite a few showers I quite enjoyed it! Also managed to climb Hardknott and Wrynose first time too, with no dabs or walking, so that was awesome too. I think my Spesh Tricross weighs as much as my full sus though!

Why is the Strava BBcode broken?

I are teh famous lol

 

So yeah, go pick up a copy of Total 911 in a few days when it hits the news stands, and read my letter on my trip to Spain. Letter of the month and all that, yeah.

Very good, Shall I award your new found fame by upgrading this thread to the Green Room?

Good luck Daz, leaving the chopper behind are you?