Cycling UK Forum

Hi

I spied some rust but my mate said it was dirty grease.

Also he did notice some play but assumed the headset was loose. It broke before he checked

Ok, so I'm not so sure about the rust, but I am sure that a timely inspection would have helped in this case and in many others, which was my point, regardless of the materials and statistics used. End of...

Regards
tim-b

Hi

If the idea is to suggest that no method of construction is immune from potential failure, I'd agree.

Yep! Let's not ignore the elephant in the room. ALL components of whatever flavour need regular inspection.
Oh, and act upon what you find.
Regards
tim-b

Hi
Have a look at this failure...http://www.pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-001/FAIL-156.html
and this one...http://www.bitrealm.com/misc/fork/p1000785.jpg
Regards
tim-b

Hi
Have a look for something from last season. There are plenty of new bikes available that are 2012 and 2013 model year.
As a (very) general rule, cyclo cross bikes are more likely to be on offer than road bikes just now.
Popular sizes, such as 56cm, tend to sell whereas the smaller sizes tend to be more heavily discounted.
Regarding parts, a Shimano 105 groupset is currently for sale at 50% off, and Dura Ace at 45% off.
Regards
tim-b

Hi
I have my rear lights (not Lezyne) and my pump attached to the horizontal-ish stays of my Carradice Bagman support.

I'm not sure how you could mount the light effectively to the bag alone.

There is a huge variety of pipe clips available that may help, Google "pipe clip" and choose the images tab.
Regards
tim-b

Hi

You could go to either 12-30T Centaur UD 10s cassette or 13-29 Veloce UD 10s cassette.

http://www.campagnolo.com/repository/do ... _07_13.pdf shows the make up

EDIT: just spotted the cross-post, faster on the keyboard than me

Regards
tim-b

Hi
The perennial problem, or for some people the perineal problem (someone had to say it )

The breakthrough for me was having my sitting bones measured at my LBS (free of charge, two minutes, just sit down).
Your weight distribution between saddle and bars can influence the saddle shape, some people with a more upright position prefer a flatter-shaped saddle. Try to sort out your body position first because it affects how you sit to have your sitting bones measured.

Bontrager and Specialized (and others no doubt) do a 30-day guarantee period to allow you to trial their saddles (t and c on their websites). That's it.

I won't enter the leather v synthetic debate and I won't include my personal choice because it's just that, personal.

Regards
tim-b

Hi

Have a look at p6 of the Schwalbe tech info @ http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/_webedit/uplo ... 20Info.pdf it'll give you an idea of tyre sizes for your frame clearances. That in turn may give you more choice. Tyre pressure is important off-road, too low and you'll get pinch flats, too high and you'll have less grip.

As to the actual tyre, we don't have much chalk around here, but you could potentially get a pair of Conti or Schwalbe for £25, just shop around.

Regards
tim-b

Hi

I changed mine a few weeks ago because I couldn't get a "clean" gear change whereas I hadn't had a problem adjusting the mechs before.
I worked through the no-cost options, e.g. clean the inner wires and pivots, the low-cost options, e.g. new outer casing and adjusted the mech hanger alignment, etc.

The jockey wheels had about 8000 all-seasons on-road miles.

I went for Shimano Ultegra jockey wheels that were on offer to replace the original 105 wheels. They have the same number of teeth although I don't know what effect a different number would have, if any.

There has been another thread on this @ viewtopic.php?f=5&t=79295&hilit=jockey

Regards
tim-b

Hi

I'd never heard the term "collet" before in relation to headsets, and on reflection I understand the use of the term rather than "crown race". Every day's a school day.

Now tell the manufacturers

They use every term from baseplate to crown race and one American manufacturer talks about reaming and facing the crown race seat, which has also been mentioned in this thread.

Heeeelp. No wonder us non-techies get confused.
Regards
tim-b

Hi
Split crown races are made for easy removal/installation on a correctly-sized fork crown.
I can't help thinking that a newly split race forced on is likely to end up too big and not round.
The "machining" is actually a hand tool. It shouldn't be too expensive at your LBS and will square the crown race seat in relation to the steerer as well as giving a correct press fit.
Regards
tim-b

Hi
My road use is confined to Shimano, however, does this list help (EDIT: scroll part way down)?
http://www.sram.com/sram/road/technolog ... -actuation
If not, apologies, I'll get my coat
Regards
tim-b

Hi
I think that too much emphasis is being put on "necessary" here.
Is what you are doing safe?
Have you acted reasonably in all of the circumstances?
Is an "objective, impartial and reasonable jury or bench of magistrates" likely to convict (Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Evidential Stage http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs ... nglish.pdf)
"Prosecutors must go on to consider whether a prosecution is required in the public interest" CPS Public Interest Stage
Seriousness of the offence, harm caused to the victim, etc is also considered.

I think that what I am trying to say is; consider the criminal justice system as a whole, rather than words in isolation.

Mick's example with the tractor makes a point to motorists...we're not the problem that they like to think, we're just more vulnerable and likely to hear the insults than a burly farmer on a 400hp tractor with 2.3m tall tyres.

Regards
tim-b

Hi

that could be converted via some DIY to be a saddlebag

12 litre waterproof dry bag?
Regards
tim-b

Hi

It depends on how bright you want it, but a light stick can dangle from a zip or even a safety pin.

Dive shops sell both LED and chemical versions. And they're waterproof (just don't push the pin through it ).

My preference is a helmet-mounted LED blinky.

Regards
tim-b