Cycling UK Forum

If your Tricross survives baggage handlers it will probably survive Iceland! There are plenty of forestry "roads" in the UK for you to experience gravelly tracks and test the suitability of tyres. But good strong wheels will be essential for a loaded bike on rough surfaces.

I think the theory is that the thinner walled middle sections of a butted tube have a little more flex as you go over bumps. I am a bit wary of the idea of aluminium flexing, so I don't trust it to do that without eventually snapping. But others will disagree. I expect the comfort claim to be true, but the effect will be less than you might expect from a change of tyres or saddle.

For about 15 years I commuted to work in all weathers using Shimano UN55 square taper bottom brackets. I found that I got about 10,000 miles out of one before it needed replacing (about£22 and ten minutes work). That seems pretty good to me. I don't have a bike with an external bb as yet, but if I had I would be hoping for similar reliability and lack of fuss.

About ten years ago a colleague of mine told me that he had nearly ridden into the Kennet and Avon canal near Bath. He had been nearing one of those twisty bits under a road bridge when a crazed cyclist travelling the other way came round the corner at speed. The culprit was Ruby Wax!

I would recommend 160mm or 165mm from Spa. Don't waste money for the sake of 2.5mm. Nobody is that sensitive.

I too recommend a set of new wheels built for the purpose It may cost around £250 including wider tyres, but they will save you a lot of stress. I would ask Spa Cycles for something with 36 spokes each. The rest of the bike would be a good choice for rough roads / tracks.

The motorised vehicles have changed, but there are rural areas of the north of England where the roads are still mostly quiet and things seem largely as they were half a century ago.

The part that fails, for me, is the actual freehub body of Shimano rear hubs. The rest of the hub is easily treated to a cleaning and regreasing once in a while, but the freehub body (the bit the cassette slides onto) is sealed and cannot be serviced. You ride it until it fails, then you replace it.

I had a nice, comfortable Brooks Titanium Swift that went badly out of shape. Because of the comfort I looked for a replacement, but worried about that going out of shape too, I ended up buying a Gilles Berthoud Aravis (titanium rails) from Spa at huge expense (£168). In terms of dimensions and weight it is very close to a titanium railed Brooks Team Pro, but with much longer rails! And all the parts, including the leather, are easily replaced in the event of failure. The whole thing disassembles. The quality of the parts is excellent. The hide is about 6mm thick (much thicker than that of a Swift) so the breaking in period is long. After about 600 miles it is beginning to yield but is not yet as supple as the Swift. But the thinness of the leather on the Swift was its downfall, and I expect the GB to outlast it.

I have a carbon post with loads of layback. It is an FSA, and after 18 months it is still working fine. I too bought it simply because of saddle position issues with Brooks, not because I really wanted carbon . I you do use a carbon post I would strongly advise securing it with a torque wrench to avoid crushing it. I can't say I've noticed any smoothing out of the ride because of using carbon, but it looks nice. In the end I didn't use a Brooks. Instead I chose a more expensive but very well made Gilles Berthoud. This is like a Brooks, but with a modern twist. And the clamping section of the rails is much longer, meaning I could have used a more normal post! I would advise ditching Brooks until they can be bothered doing a bit of R&D.

I have been riding a Thorn Club Tour as a commuter (over dark and dirty country lanes) and a leisure bike for quite a few years. I don't remember when I bought it, but it was when they cost £699! It's gone through a few pairs of wheels and numerous chain rings, and I'm no longer sure how much of it is original, but I still use it as much as I did when it was new.

If it had been a lighter frame it would probably have met its end several years ago when I was floored by a van at low speed. I rolled, and the bike disappeared under the front of the van. I got up (bruised) and the driver and myself pulled the bike out. The frame was practically unmarked, and everything was working perfectly.

For a commute over hilly terrain and with some poor road surfaces this style of bike is unbeatable, especially when you consider the ability to carry panniers with changes of clothing etc. About the only thing I would change if I were buying today would be the brakes. I would prefer discs to avoid having to replace wheels due to worn rims.

As far as I am aware Shimano 9 speed and 10 speed hubs can both take 9 or 10 speed cassettes. 11 speed hubs can take 9 and 10 speed cassettes but need a spacer (sometimes supplied with the hub) that goes on before the cassette. A rare example of things made simple.

The other replies sound good, but an alternative and cheaper solution may be to alter the angle of the mech cage to stop the rubbing. The danger with that is that it may produce rubbing at the other end of the cassette. And I have found that sometimes a little bit of bending of the mech plates can remove rubbing.

I gave up on STIs because of failures, which I now think may have been down to lack of lube. What sort of lube do they need, and how do you get it in?

Spa steel audax looks a sound choice. Light enough, unless you are racing, and able to take a rack and guards. Probably the best audax style bike for the money. I'd spec it with Shimano 105 triple, but I like my low gears.