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More pedal power chat.
PLEASE NOTE:-
To try and maintain some kind of logical order of discussion, if you start a new subject then reply to this post and remember to change the default subject header.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 3 Jun 16 at 02:09
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Since buying my Brompton about 18 months ago I've done about 3,300 miles on it. The drive was getting rougher and the chain had developed a habit of jumping off the front ring if I really put the pedal down, so to speak. I suspected the chain was worn, and a measurement confirmed this. New chain fitted and the bike feels like new.
I've never ridden a bike far enough in the past to wear out the chain, so bit of a milestone for me. Pleasant milestone, though :-)
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Worth changing them regularly, especially if you ride off-road ( which I suspect you don't on a Brompton ) Grit knackers them. I get about a thousand miles out of a chain tops.
Top man riding that far on that though !
;-)
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I change road bike chains at about 1500 miles. On the recumbent trike I need 2.1/2 standard length chains for the extra long run. I've been told though they last about three times as long as much of the chain is enclosed.
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You guys need one of these:
www.telegraph.co.uk/men/recreational-cycling/12-of-the-most-ridiculous-cycling-accessories-youll-ever-see/chain-condom/
:)
Worth checking out some of the other products in that article too.
Last edited by: Focusless on Tue 19 Apr 16 at 14:21
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I missread that as "brain condom" , must be a link to cyclists in there somewhere. :-)
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>>On the recumbent trike
>>
I've never riden a recumbent, but they always look like they would kill your back. They don't, clearly, because you see people riding them. But not having your weight over the wheels looks so counter-intuitive, whatever the gains in aerodynamic efficiency are.
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>> >>
>> I've never riden a recumbent, but they always look like they would kill your back.
>> They don't, clearly, because you see people riding them. But not having your weight over
>> the wheels looks so counter-intuitive, whatever the gains in aerodynamic efficiency are.
>>
They are very easy on the back, and also the neck and shoulders. Although not as lively as a diamond frame you can get a lot of power through the pedals as your torso is braced against the seat and although they are slower on the climbs that means you can grind up the steepest of hills without stalling - not that stalling matters on a trike because it won't fall over.
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How about stability when airborne and grip on the loose? Oh sorry, forgot, you don't do real men's cycling...
;-)
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>> How about stability when airborne and grip on the loose? Oh sorry, forgot, you don't
>> do real men's cycling...
>>
>> ;-)
>>
A grown man, playing about in the mud.
Honestly....
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>> A grown man, playing about in the mud. Honestly....
On a pink bike too...
tinyurl.com/zlxydnh
;-)
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>> They don't, clearly, because you see people riding them.
Only at the last minute, unless they've got those little flags on them.
To be honest it would take a braver man than me to take one on anything like a busy public road.
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>> To be honest it would take a braver man than me to take one on
>> anything like a busy public road.
Eh?
How can you not see them, you see the white lines on the road, don't you?
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 1 May 16 at 01:05
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Actually one gets more space given by drivers of car and lorries etc when riding a recumbent. There is a huge, "what the (insert swear word of choice) is that?" factor and as a result, one gets more respect - not less.
Having said that, I'd not go anywhere on mine without a flag.
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>> Actually one gets more space given by drivers of car and lorries etc when riding
>> a recumbent. There is a huge, "what the (insert swear word of choice) is that?"
>> factor and as a result, one gets more respect - not less.
>>
>> Having said that, I'd not go anywhere on mine without a flag.
>>
You're quite right about the room passing drivers give you, most of them are almost clipping the right hand verge. I don't bother with a flag, I don't think a thin bit of material viewed edge on is particularly visible. I do use a rear light on flashing mode, a Smart 1 watt which is a real eye burner.
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Edge of the World store in KL.
My fav drinking place, once every two or three weeks with friends, and only 35 mins up the road on the bus. Several cracking pubs & whine bars.
More than welcome to join us Dog. Decent accommodation at the Orange Tree, our favourite port of call. Twenty quid in the kitty gets you seven pints there and a pie at the butchers. Just.
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>> Edge of the World store in KL.
Scratched my head for a minute over that!! Settle to Kuala Lumpur?
Then I twigged Kirkby Lonsdale.
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Funny true story...went on a 7 day cruise with the ex many years ago ( our one & only). Unfortunately seated the first few nights with a bunch of loud mouthed braggart North Americans. We joined in the game of 'been there, done that' by saying that we went to KL once a month for a bit of shopping. And that we were 'market traders'.
Shopping was beer for me, wine for the lady. And the markets were in Morley & Keighley.
Still makes me smile.
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I've bought 'stuff' from E-o-t-W, good Co. stocking my sort of gear.
>>More than welcome to join us Dog. Decent accommodation at the Orange Tree, our favourite port of call. Twenty quid in the kitty gets you seven pints there and a pie at the butchers. Just.
Sounds great mate, I'll have to get 'that woman' to check it out when she passes by en route to Scootland.
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>> I've bought 'stuff' from E-o-t-W, good Co. stocking my sort of gear.
Are the dresses and tunics your sort of gear :-P
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I was hoping you wouldn't tell them about us Brompt.
;-)
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Howls about this place LL: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46180738.html
Wouldn't suit most peops, I know, which is why I would be interested in it, innit.
That's what I've done over the past few decades, bought places (usually unusual) flicked some Magnolia on the walls and, then moved them on after a few years of enjoying them.
I can see the potential in that property, shame it's smack bang on that lane though and, I wouldn't pay £300k for it.
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KL is a very expensive place to live...think it comes under Lakeland County Council. Expensive rates. A few smart wine bars, trendy shops etc give the game away. Close to the Lakes & M6 but poor transport links so you have to drive most places.
Settle OTOH is on the Leeds-Carlisle line, and Giggleswick station on the Leeds-Lancaster-Morecambe line. Property is much cheaper, although still pretty expensive, lots more going on, one hour to Leeds on the train and beautiful limestone scenery all around.
Masongill and the small hamlets around are fine if you like remote. I don't.
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Cheers LL. I don't do expensive rates, so we can knock that one on the head then.
The good thing (one of) about living up here is we've only got one 'elderly' neighbour who we get on very well with, and I'd miss that if we moved to somewhere with neighbs left & right, back and front.
The two dogs often kick off verbally, which wouldn't go down too well in Persimmon Place, or Wimpey Way :)
Where we live now is quite isolated, but just 10 mins by car to St Awful. No busses up here either, so my wife doesn't get to use her bus pass, in fact she hasn't used it once since she got it back in November 2014.
If we still lived in Truro she would be using it quite often of course.
Been here 5 years now, which is a long time for us. I can feel a move coming on, but I'll have to get busy with the magnolia emulsion - two pups (now one year old) have wrecked the joint!!
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This is a nice place, just down the road from the other one. Been on the market since May 2014??
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-44235703.html
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My next door neighbour moved very close to that location. Ingleton, in my opinion, is a dump. Some lovely quiet hamlets on the outskirts of Kendal. They seem remote, but are within close striking distance of Kendal with its many attractions. A bit of a beer desert, but a very lively Brewery Arts Centre, the annual Mtn Film Festival and a whole range of supermarkets. Plus great access to the gloriously quiet eastern Lakeland fells, Shap fells & Howgills. West coast main line services are within a couple of miles at Oxenholme.
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And please don't use magnolia Dog when there are so many shades of white available! I mixed paint for a few years in a previous job... White Tie is a F & Ball colour. A nice contrast with a flat matt ceiling. Only they cannot copyright a colour, only a name, and I've mixed hundreds of gallons of F&B colours into a Leyland Trade base with excellent results. Nothing wrong with F& B, excellent coverage in both Estate & Modern emulsions, but very expensive as we all know.
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>>A bit of a beer desert
>LOL<
I'll have you know this is a magnolia-free zone LL. I am a neutral merchant though - terrified of using colour, in all honesty. My bedroom which faces East, so gets 'lit up' at 4:30am in the Summer months, is a nice shade of Crown golden cream.
The dining room, which we use as a day room actually, is Dulux light-and-space 'morning light' (mourning light more like it)
Lounge is Fired Earth, a biscuit/straw colour; sounds yucky but goes well in here.
I'll check out that White Tie, as I need to give the dining/day room (dogs room!) a lick of paint, after I've repaired all the damage done by the mini monsters!!
BTW, I wouldn't fancy living in a touristy area again - too many caravans and top boxes clogging up the roads.
:}
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.
Last edited by: Dog on Sun 1 May 16 at 07:28
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We like KL and have stayed at the Sun Inn on several occasions. Also had a weekend at the Snooty Fox when the Sun was fully booked.
Wouldn't mind trying the Royal next time, for a change.
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The Royal changed hands and was closed for a total refurb. Now owned, at least part, by Bowland Brewery who did the same with the Falcon Manor in Settle. Very nice posh ambience but pricey...suppose they have to recoup their investment but not from me! We called in for our first pint last week after getting off the bus. Cheapest beer was £3.60, some £3.80 and the young bar staff still managed to overcharge us. Not impressed. Orange Tree beer is much better, more hand pumps & cheaper ( £2.70 pint with 20p CAMRA discount). Good cheap lunches and friendly bar staff, both young & old, who can hold a conversation with their customers.
The Sun is a nice place, I regularly prop up their bar after a few beers in the OT en route to other watering holes in KL.
The Game Cock at Austwick, twixt KL & Settle, has very reasonable room rates, a lovely cosy bar with the best food for miles around, which is served all day. Pretty small village just off the A65, in glorious countryside. The carpets of bluebells in the nearby woods should be on display soon, the wild primrose already out. Walk till you drop... My backyard almost, so any info required get in touch.
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>> best food for miles around
>>The Sun is a nice place,
It was the good food that took us to the Sun Inn way back in the 70's, as it featured in an excellent Egon Ronay guide that we bought at that time.
I remember on our first visit, we were in the bar at around 10.30pm with just one other couple who were staying there, when the landlord announced that he had had a hard day and was off to bed. He said there's a sheet of paper and a pen behind the bar; help yourself and don't forget to switch the lights off when you go up. Goodnight!
Some good trusting folk in your neck of the woods, LL.
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For Clk Sec
I've just received an email promotion re The Royal at KL, plus other establishments within the group. Register at 'James Places' to receive these
Hope it helps
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>> Hope it helps
It does. Thanks again, LL.
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>> And he has a nice car...
>>
>> m.youtube.com/watch?v=xOUEIJf698I
>>
Sounds like a bag of nails.
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There was a ( young ) guy up t'hill today with an electric or at least electrically assisted mountain bike. Either he was ill or he was a wuss. If it was the former God bless him, but if it was the latter, well, words fail...
I have been wetter I suppose than we got today, but not much, without actually swimming. The back tyre was chucking up enough water at times to nigh on perform a ( very cold ) colonic irrigation.
Guid day oot though, despite that.
;-)
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sun 1 May 16 at 18:13
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>>There was a ( young ) guy up t'hill today with an electric or at least electrically assisted mountain bike. Either he was ill or he was a wuss
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you aren't riding a 45lb steel-framed bike, and have probably spent a stack getting lighter and stronger components for your bicycle.
Wuss ;-)
The other possibility is the guy likes doing tougher trails, or more downhills in a day (as he can get back up to the top faster), of travelling more miles, or going faster, or uses it for a long daily commute, etc etc
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Wuss then isn't he...
;-)
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...no, he's one of us e-Wusses........
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They were in Star Wars weren't they?
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No, that had the Bygums...
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sun 1 May 16 at 20:46
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I used to buy their frozen food.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sun 1 May 16 at 20:48
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Might be, I never got around to it. Just heard a rumour.
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>> The Yorkshire cut?
>>
Aye Lad. Riding an e-bike up the Côte de Conisbrough Castle with R2D2.
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Very exciting commute to work yesterday. On the shiny new Cycle Superhighway that goes from Westminster Bridge and over Parliament Square. No quicker, but I no longer duel with the traffic round Parliament Square which is a bonus. Pedestrians will need to learn how to (not) use it as much as cyclists though.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 7 May 16 at 17:14
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Map of the new route round Parliament Sq is here:
consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/4054464a/user_uploads/section-12.pdf
Question for Boxsterboy. Does the ban on right turn from Birdcage Walk/Gt George St to Storey's Gate include cycles (or is there a crossing to facilitate such a move)?
Horse Guards Road then a left right dogleg into Storey's Gate was part of my route for last few months in London when based in Tothill St and later Petty France. OTOH if the Superhighway has made Victoria Embankment less risky then it was in 2013 then Embankment>Bridge St>Gt George St>Storey's Gate would be an alternative to Strand>Trafalgar Sq>Mall>Horse Guards Road.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 7 May 16 at 15:08
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>> Map of the new route round Parliament Sq is here:
>>
>> consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/4054464a/user_uploads/section-12.pdf
Pendant Corner.
How does the government spell "separately"?
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>> Question for Boxsterboy. Does the ban on right turn from Birdcage Walk/Gt George St to
>> Storey's Gate include cycles (or is there a crossing to facilitate such a move)?
>>
Not sure, I'll check.
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>> >> Question for Boxsterboy. Does the ban on right turn from Birdcage Walk/Gt George St
>> to
>> >> Storey's Gate include cycles (or is there a crossing to facilitate such a move)?
>>
>> >>
>>
>> Not sure, I'll check.
>>
At the moment everything can turn right there, but the road works there are not quite finished, so things may yet change.
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I've always managed to get bikes with Schrader-valved tyres, and the footpump from the car has been the easiest way to inflate them. Now, though, both Beestlings have slimmer tyres for which Presta was the only option. My footpump has a brass adapter that's supposed to fit but it's a messy, hissy connection that is beginning to feel like more trouble than it's worth.
So I'm thinking it's time to buy a trackpump (or track pump) instead. Does anyone have a favourite brand? And is £20 enough, or a false economy?
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Topeak Joe Blow, highly regarded in the cycling world. Thirty quid -
www.ribblecycles.co.uk/topeak-track-floor-pump-joe-blow-race/
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Looks just the job, RR - thank you. Reviews for multiple models are uniformly enthusiastic. Ordered one with a double-sided head; no more adaptors.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Sun 8 May 16 at 19:00
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Good.
Word of warning - don't leave your thumb under the locking lever when you flick it down to disconnect. As I have done on multiple occasions with a track pump and still do when I forget. Those things close with a vicious snap.
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Oh come now Robin, as biking injuries go...
;-)
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Used the new pump for the first time on Sunday. Very quick and easy - once I'd worked out which way was Lock on the thumb lever. Good for Schräders, very good for Prestas; good piece of kit all round. Thanks for the advice.
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Advice from an ex-thief: tinyurl.com/zoyybyb
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>> tinyurl.com/zoyybyb
Presumably all you need to do is park your bike far enough away from a socket so they can't plug the hoover in.
:)
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I keep an old tatty bike for city use. Well, it looks tatty, but mechanically it's absolutely up together. Draws no attention from anyone really. I chuck it in the boot when I'm going to London and use it to hack around the city. A couple of my other ones would no doubt disappear in minutes if left unattended.
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A bit like the bike I took to university. Looked a bit of a wreak, but everything worked with oil where there should be oil, and grease where there should be grease. Bought for £12 as a fixed upper, spent about £5 in addition to the bits in my junk box. The nearly new tyre fitted after a few months came from the tip - so was free!
Sold after 3 years and I guess about 12000 miles for £15. It was over 30 years ago though, bit of price inflation since.
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This is going to make me sound like a saddo BMW driver, but I take all the badges and stickers off my bikes. To the uninformed eye they then look like nothing much but those who know what they're looking at would figure it out quickly enough. Theory being that the average scrote doesn't know what he's looking at unless it has recognisable branding on.
;-)
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I bet you haven't debadged the LEC. At least no more than the 220 badge. :-)
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Haven't got it yet, but no, I won't be doing that. The only model of that car I might be tempted to de-badge would be an E63. There would be a quiet pleasure in only you knowing that even if you had no intention of ever doing so, you could blow the doors off pretty much anything else on the road.
De-badging a small engined model in the pathetic hope that it might make your manhood appear bigger is well, you know...
;-)
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>>> in the pathetic hope that it might make your manhood appear bigger is well, you know...
>>
...a bit like wearing cycling lycra for the same reason, eh, Runfer?
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Be careful, haven't you heard what he did to his ex-wife when she said that?
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Oh for the love of...!!!
I do not wear Lycra. Now, in the past, or will do at any time in the future !!!
;-)
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>There would be a quiet pleasure in only you knowing..
You have to be joking. Anything over 2000rpm in an E63 and the whole neighborhood knows it isn't an E200.
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They might just think you had a dodgy exhaust.
;-)
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...or had been eating Danish fish......
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Fell off and broke my bike about 6 weeks ago. Not that bad really, but enough to justify something new.
Bought this;
[link replaced - see below]
Wrong time to ask for advice - after I bought it. However, I'd be interested in whether or not people think I did alright or not.
I paid about £600 for it, but I'd expect it to be 10/15% cheaper in the UK. So, probably a £500 bike or thereabouts in the UK.
I know that some of you pay tons for bikes, but that felt like tons to me!
EDIT: Found the bike on a UK site. £520. So, comfortable with the price, but is the bike ok?
www.evanscycles.com/trek-x-caliber-7-2016-mountain-bike-EV242017
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 31 May 16 at 03:27
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Depends where you're going on it, I suppose. I'm not a fan of suspension forks because they're heavy and superfluous for the moderate off-road riding I do - unmade roads and farm tracks. But if you're taking it up the Andes, they might be essential. 14kg still seems heavy for that purpose; my 19-year-old Cannondale weighs under 13kg, and the Beestlings' modern Saracens are little more than 11kg.
My next bike will have 29-inch wheels, though, and will probably be in that same price bracket. Not just better proportioned on a bike in my size, but smoother on rocky tracks and faster on smooth ones. Seems the obvious way to go.
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Not much wrong with that choice, good solid bike with modern equipment. Not sure if I was reading it right but is it a 29er or a 650b ?
29" will roll through the bumps better whereas a 650b will turn more readily. Both have advantages over the others but it's really down to personal preferences.
You should have a lot of fun with it in any event.
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Seems a lot for a bit of welded tube, a few gears and a couple of wheels.
Summat a bit cheaper here!
www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/apollo-phaze-mens-mountain-bike
Last edited by: Roger. on Tue 31 May 16 at 10:35
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That link you have posted does indeed show a picture of "a bicycle" Roger. But in truth the components will be unsuited to any kind of regular or serious off road riding. Mountain bikes, if they are being used as mountain bikes that is, take a hell of a lot of punishment.
Dirt, grit, vibration, impact etc etc.
The one NoFM has bought is in a completely different league of quality and will / should provide many miles of reliable and fun service.
I've seen the scenario time without number where people have been put off mountain biking by the simple mistake of their first experience of it being on inadequate kit. You don't need to go spending fortunes to get a good bike but it is worth getting something that is of decent spec and quality if you want to enjoy it.
Bikes though are a bit like cars, motorbikes, skiing equipment, golf bats etc...once you've allowed the bug to bite, there's always a little horned fellow sitting on your shoulder whispering to you that you should really be buying a better one now and that doing so really would change your life...
;-)
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>> Seems a lot for a bit of welded tube, a few gears and a couple
>> of wheels.
>> Summat a bit cheaper here!
>>
>> www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/apollo-phaze-mens-mountain-bike
>>
That's not a bicycle Roger, but what's known as a BSO - or a Bicycle Shaped Object. It probably has a working life of about 150 miles maximum before the bearing are shot and the wheels are falling apart.
In car terms it is like recommending a twenty year old MoT failure as a viable alternative to a new vehicle.
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Looks a decent spec for the money, hydraulic discs are a bonus. I have Shimano Acera gears on the recumbent and they shift just as well as any of the much more expensive stuff I've used on road bikes.
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Thank you, people.
Its a 29er Humph.
It will get used on tarmac when I am in Santiago, on dirt tracks and in forests when I'm at the farm, and in quite ridiculous conditions when I'm in the Andes. Though I am not a particularly aggressive cyclist, it will end up banging through rocks, forests and stuff. My last bike was just flat out worn out. I broke one of the gear changers going head over heels in a forest, but pretty much everything was just worn and battered.
This one seems quite light to me, its certainly lighter than my last bike, so hopefully that will be ok.
I've never had front suspension before. These forks lock out and seem pretty rigid when locked, but I'm quite looking forward to using them when off road. I hope I'm not disappointed with them.
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Good choice I'd say. By and large, you'll want to lock the forks out when on the road or when climbing off road. I tend only to open mine for rough descents.
Just to state the obvious, make sure you've now got a spare 29" tube in your repair kit.
We had a stupidly fast run round Llandegla on Sunday, conditions were just about perfect. Might have done something a bit unfortunate to my left leg though...Age has its drawbacks...
Hey ho !
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 31 May 16 at 11:30
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>>Just to state the obvious, make sure you've now got a spare 29" tube in your repair kit.
Seemingly not that obvious. Hadn't occurred to me! Never mind, I shall have a spare before the day's out. Thank you.
>>.Age has its drawbacks.
Annoying, isn't it. I don't think it has particularly affected my fitness, or at least I remain fitter than most of those around me, but it takes so much longer to get back up off the ground and everything hurts for so much longer.
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I seem to have that same disease. Wonder if you can get pills for it?
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>> I seem to have that same disease. Wonder if you can get pills for it?
Yes, you can. They come disguised as vodka. I know you don't particularly drink, but vodka is useful. Its not so much that it stops the pain, it just stops you caring so much.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 31 May 16 at 11:52
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Being a bit of a lightweight, I treated my sore leg with several Gin and Tonics last night while barbecuing. Purely medicinal of course. If it gets worse I'll maybe try vodka tonight if that's the recommended cure?
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I have been known to take both gin and tonic up into the mountains with me, ice being a broken up icicle, and sat at great heights with not another soul around and very much enjoying a G&T and a week old Saturday Telegraph.
Sometimes life just works.
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Somewhere here, there are a very old pair of ski poles, well I assume they are still here but I haven't seen them in more than a decade, which are hollow and have little corks in the tops of them. Used to fill them with equal proportions of whisky and Crabbies green ginger wine to make portable Whisky Macs.
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One day, when you've tired of selling hooky shoes out the back of your car down the market, you'll need to drag youraelf out this way.
Skiing in the Andes if you know where to go and your mate has a helicopter is very good. And if its the summer then biking down the ski trails is also fun. Heli skiing or heli biking, I regret that both include alcohol.
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You'll find a heck of difference with the hydraulic disc brakes if you've not had them before. So much more control for much less effort. Just be really careful not to let the pads get contaminated with any form of lubricant. Renders them more of less useless and pretty much impossible to clean up if they get any form of oil on them. In fact if they do, you really need to replace them. Keep the rotors ( discs ) clean too but without letting them get any oil on them either. Dry kitchen paper towel is ideal. Keep the forks lubed though, they can suffer from "stiction" when they get dry.
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Going out to play on gentle dirt tracks tomorrow, I will let you know.
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Us too, off this week, half term. Going to try to swim my leg back to life tonight in preparation. Son wants to try one of the more, erm, "challenging" routes tomorrow. Gulp...
Be fine, probably...
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Yes, hydraulic discs are much stronger than rim brakes, and unaffected by wet conditions. But it's a pain how easily/quickly the pads get contaminated and squeel away at every use!
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Could one or more of you experts talk to me about saddle and handle bar height please.
How do I decide on one or the other, how should they relate to each other, any useful rules of thumb etc.
My last bike was done for me when I bought it and I never changed it. Of course I could compare but I didn't think it through and gave it away to an employee who had their own bike stolen. I obviously should have set this bike up first.
Doh.
Thank you in advance.
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Set the saddle height so that when you are sat on it with a heel on the pedal at the lowest point your leg is more or less straight. Distance front of saddle to handle bars used to be the length of your forearm, but I don't know if that holds for ATBs. Handlebar height a bit more subjective I would guess - I would set it at saddle height for normal riding; higher if you are into more relaxed riding; lower if you are into more 'aggressive' riding.
Last edited by: RichardW on Wed 1 Jun 16 at 09:11
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Hmm, depends on what you're using it for. For " normal" riding the above advice is spot on. For what it's worth I set the top of the saddle to the same height as the point of my hip bone when standing next to the bike. But for aggressive off road situations ( especially fast rough downhill ) you'd want it a couple of inches lower. A lot of "serious" mountain bikes have remote dropper seat posts fitted so you can drop or raise the saddle instantly on the move from a handlebar control.
Two reasons for this, one being that when the back of the bike starts banging around you don't really want it slamming into the crown jewels and if you're on a very steep descent you want to get your weight right back to keep traction on the back wheel and indeed not throw yourself over the bars.
I set the bars an inch or two lower than the saddle height. Women though, are generally more comfortable with the bars slightly higher than their saddle.
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>> Going out to play on gentle dirt tracks tomorrow, I will let you know.
How was it then? Bet you found the big wheels a lot faster? ( in a straight line anyway ) I was a committed 26" man until my latest acquisition which is a 650b. Took me a while to get used to the slower turn in but the confidence it gives when bashing down a rough singletrack to go that bit faster is remarkable. Yet to try a 29er, I like to throw the bike into tight turns and there are quite a few tree like objects to hit in these parts if you don't turn in quick enough ! I suppose you just have to avoid cacti and men in ponchos etc?
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>> I have been known to take both gin and tonic up into the mountains with
>> me, ice being a broken up icicle, and sat at great heights with not another
>> soul around and very much enjoying a G&T and a week old Saturday Telegraph.
>>
>> Sometimes life just works.
>>
>>
>>
I approve of this and shall be trying it myself (although with The Times; the gene that lets one fold a broadsheet skipped a generation in my family).
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Worn chain - Boxsterboy
