[Percy B]

Malc is still racing, but he races for Pinarello RT I think - just domestic stuff. He's still winning fairly regularly though! And yes, it looked like a very nice bike - I didn't get a good look cos it was moving too quickly...

[chappers]

i rode with him a few weeks back on the rutland ride. he was on a pinnarello prince with a full carbon record group. very nice. yeah, he still races for the pinarello team in domestic stuff. made quite a come back i understand, winning left right and centre.

[SA Chris]

Have any of you guys registered to do the Bealach na Ba challenge by any chance

http://bealach-na-ba.co.uk/bealach-na-ba/event_BNB.htm

Was chatting to a mate who is doing it, and we are going to head over to Applecross / Torridon for that weekend and get come climbing in.

[fatdoc]

It was awesome riding in the Peak last night - everybody seemed to be out on their bikes and it was a beautiful evening. Made being cruised past by Malc Elliot and his training buddy all the easier to take!
How was Winnats, Fatkid - did you finally have to put your bike in the small ring?!?! 

I'm quite surprised Malc still gets out on his bike - loads of pros never ride after they quit. Was he on some awesome dream bike ? I got out after work yesterday evening for a couple of hours, peaks was awesome.

So it looks like the Mount Vision - I'm working the next two weekend - bollocks.  I'll book a test ride at Stans after that. Maybe I can sneak onto those wedding essentials that the missus keeps harping on about!!

let me know when you have the vision, persuade them to have it for both days at the weekend - i'll take you out (in the right way, not the wrong way)
Oh... no lycra, it's the law.

[tlr]

Maybe I can sneak onto those wedding essentials that the missus keeps harping on about!!

If you spend any of her wedding budget on new bikes you'll not be sneaking onto her 'wedding essentials' for quite some time!

Beautiful ride last night round Tideswell and Monsal. Glad I'm not on the bike today though.

[fatdoc]

http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article/mps/uan/6162

read this fatboy, you need to ride both the MV and the WR IMO

[Percy B]

Just got a pair of these to test for the next week. They are very light indeed!


The knee man was very helpful - I now am battered! However, I think they will be OK - nothing desperate wrong I don't think...

[tlr]

It'll be interesting to see how you get on with those. A friend of mine borrowed them for the Lakeland Loop, he said they were a bit uncomfortable because they were so stiff, especially the front with all carbon spokes.

Were they from Butterworths?

[Percy B]

Demo pair from James'. I heard they were stiff, but not as stiff as the Ksyrium SL's that I currently have, so I'll be interested to see how they go.

[fatkid2000]

When do your tune wheels arrive Tim?
I thought Mavic wheels were - a bit shit, or have I been mis-informed???

[Paul B]

Demo pair from James'. I heard they were stiff, but not as stiff as the Ksyrium SL's that I currently have, so I'll be interested to see how they go.

You'd think you part owned a Velodrome reading this thread 

[Baron]

Cycling gear in ALDI from 1st May. Bib shorts £8.

[tlr]

When do your tune wheels arrive Tim?
I thought Mavic wheels were - a bit shit, or have I been mis-informed???

Should be about 3 weeks apparently. Wheelbuilders seem to dislike Mavic (or any factory built wheels), but I haven't noticed any problems with my SLs in the time I've been riding them. They are supposed to be expensive, hard to true and harsh. mine came on my second hand bike.

Saturday looks like the day for riding this weekend. I'll be out with my mate if anybody is interested in joining us - you need to try those R-Sys Percy!

[Percy B]

I haven't had any problems with Mavic wheels. My SL's have been brilliant, if a little unforgiving on long rides. I'm away this weekend so no riding for me. However, I did grab a couple of hours this morning on the R-Sys wheels just to see what they where like, and the verdict is.....

Good wheels, but I can't see me shelling out the best part of £800 for a pair. Not quite as stiff as the SL's and a more comfortable ride. Noticably lighter and more responsive when climbing which was nice. I did get them to flex a bit when sprinting though - enough to make the spoke magnet start to clip the speed sensor on the forks. I can't do this on the SL's - too stiff. Maybe I'm a fatty, or maybe I'm just awesomely powerful... (I don't think so, in either case!) A funny wheelset - a bit too stiff for long sportives or club runs, but (for me) not stiff enough for racing. I'll stick with what I've got, I reckon.

[fatdoc]

Go Italian...

fulcrum 1s to be precise...

i love mine!

[DubDom]

on the subject of wheels... I broke a spoke today (road bike - very old school) where's the best place in sheffield for getting stuff like that sorted:- bicicleta??

[fatkid2000]

Maybe I was wrong about the Mavics, but I do like the look of fatdocs fulcrum 1s. My 7s are abit battered from a winter of commuting although not in bad condition considering how shit the roads are in Sheffield. My Reynold's solitude need trueing already - so in my mind are shit. May have to look at sneaking a pair onto the wedding list - do you think she'll notice????

Anybody bought any bibs recently - mine have gone to that - still smell despite being washed phase. Assos prices seem to have gone up quicker than a drum brent crude oil. Any suggestions???

[Percy B]

DubDom - Butterworths in Hillsborough should be able to sort you out. Bicicleta maybe able to help aswell, although they only seem to build super expensive wheels, so if its an old wheel they may not have the right bits for it...

As for the bibs issue, I have several pairs from Decathlon which work great, but I never wear cos the assos ones I have are so good. Its one of those, the assos ones are by far the best and will last way longer (unless you buy a new pair and crash in them like me ) but they currently cost so much its hard to justify spending the extortionate ammount of cash. Either go cheap, or bite down hard on the pillow and do the assos thing....is it true your wedding list is being kept at poshbikes.com Fatkid?

[saltbeef]

james have assos bibs in the sale (last years model.)

[fatkid2000]

Either go cheap, or bite down hard on the pillow and do the assos thing....is it true your wedding list is being kept at poshbikes.com Fatkid?

Now there is a good idea. I could put a clothing account on at that rapha place aswell. Well we don't need any plates etc.

[Cookie]

Swanky bike - £4000
Swanky add-ons - £1000
Swanky clothes - £500
Zipping past on my 12 year old Dawes racer, wearing a pair of cutoff jeans and a cheap t-shirt - priceless

(especially when the person I'm zipping past is a bloke with an inappropriately large ego) 

[fatkid2000]

Don't forget £2K for a pair lightweights as well.

[chappers]

question (i know nothing about mountain bike parts and their compatibility with road bike parts...):
i want to put a pair of these funky riser mountain bike bars onto my fixed bike.

will they fit into the current (non oversize) road bike stem that i have on there? are they all a standard diameter? ones like this i was looking at:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360011217&N=FSA%20XC%20280%20Handlebar

(anyone know where i can get some for about that price, but with less logos on em?)

nice one!
(by the way, i have a few spare official "one less car" top tube stickers from bikedump in Ottawa (legendary place, involved in co ordination of critical mass rides) if anyone would like one (pm me) - my girlfriend got them for me on a recent trip home to visit her folks).

[chappers]

ooo one last question...
currently on my fixie i have a gusset half link BMX chain. im not sure if it is this, but the bike feels sluggish, if i was to ride my ribble (a heavier bike) in a similar gear ratio i would be much faster and smoother. if i switch for a quality track chain would i be quicker??

[Duma]

Never tried a half link chain, but have run a few from cheap to middling on my two, and not noticed any significant difference, so would guess it ain't that. Chain's not to tight is it? BB in decent shape?