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............not very exciting in light of the other posts I know, but anyway.!! I have a Motorbike and as I havent been riding it much the battery went dead. Its one of these sealed types and says clearly "NEVER NEEDS WATER" Called the shop to buy a new battery and they directed me to a Battery company in Selby who imports these batteries, call them and they say bring it in, if its Kaput we have new stock, but if it just needs charging we can do that for you, no problem. So this morning I pop into the company with the battery, the guy behind the counter, pops open the top, looks inside and says theres NO WATER and proceeds to FILL it up with water. He then pops it on a machine, says its fine, it just needs a charge, collect it this afternoon. I asked why he filled it with water cos it says clearly it never needs water and he tells me that if its left for a period the cells dry out and need filling. So I leave it here and off I go, but whilst driving home I phone the shop who services the bike, tell them, and the guy says NO,NO, you must never put water in the battery.? Now, I know there are some technical people here and I wondered if anyone knew the right answer, do these batteries need to be filled after a period.? I suppose one hopes the importer knows what to do . but.............! widget2008-06-17 02:01:54

...........but above all that, I see Levi has also tipped Valverde as the man to beat for this years Tour as well. Levi and I think the same it seems.! His comment, "Valverde is super strong, Cadel is riding for second, he thinks he cant beat Valverde" speaks volumes.!

He died from brain injuries after he was involved in a car accident. A truck drove into his car, it was not in any way cycling related. Such a young man, very upsetting.

Well, the topic has changed somewhat, but I find it quite refreshing to read a sane debate. Personally, I dont think its acceptable for anyone in a management position to behave in a manner which appears to be Mr Ryders style. It sounds to me like he has some serious anger management issues he needs to resolve. I think everyone is allowed a temper tantrum on rare occassions, but once it becomes the norm it needs to be stemmed as it becomes quite unacceptable to most sane people. Some people make the point that management in soccer, shout from the sidelines or a team manager screams from the car, fair enough but there is a subtle differance here, - its one thing to shout encouragement / advice from the sidelines, its quite another to vent your anger on an employee (athlete) out of competition in a personal capacity or manner.

As usual there is confusing / conflicting information. I read the police first interviewed Tom Vannopen (his regular training partner) about his drugs case. Vannoppen then indicated Tom was his dealer. Vannopen has been implicated in drugs and cocaine previously. Vannopen now of course denies he said that. The police then went to Toms house and interviewed him, however the State prosecution of Hasselt has refused to release any information if they found something during the raid. So I dont know where this now comes from.? The interesting part is that Lefevere (Quickstep manager) first denied the raid had taken place, then backed down and said it was routine, then backed down even further and said "Its a private matter and the team distances itself from the event.!" widget2008-06-10 01:53:16

Who did Scott previously? They appeared to have started off with a bang a few years back and then just fizzeled away.! Personally, I dont see how Pro-bike can do justice to all the brands in their stable, some of them must suffer at the expense of the other. But at the end of the day a supplier also looks at the financial capabilities and stability of the distributor, and even if their sales slow, they obviously feel they have a financially stable and economically sound partner in PRO-BIKE.

I agree and with good reason. However I am not sure its a fair comparison, mountain bikes have always been a sort of entry level bike, dont most cyclists start there and graduate onto either road or a higher end mountain bike?? I havent bought a bike for a while, but it used to be the norm. Never the less, the roads are becoming more of an issue than ever, although I guess you can fall just as hard on the gravel as the tar, it dos eliminate the traffic issue.

If I am going to get up at 4am, in winter its going to be for something a lot more interesting tham a ride.! During the week, I trundle off to the local VA and either spin or ride the stationary bike or run on the treadmill or do some weights or ...............!! Weekends, I poke my nose out at 6am, enjoy a coffee and a bun, read the paper, feed the dog, and maybe hit the road at around 8am - maybe........!!!

Yah, thats true (car on the wrong side).! I am rather surprised there was only one cyclist killed. .........but it sort of brings the horror of a crash back into our thoughts dos it not!

I didnt see the post of yours last week, so cant say.? ..........I dont think it matters if it was in Mexico or Mayfair, thats just a specific, the jist is still "were the cyclists in a single file or not", looking at the pic it looks very much like they were not, and there seems to be some confusion as the Associated press report clearly says the driver was drunk and stoned. Maybe if they were in single file the accident could have been avoided??Not sure.! Staggering pics though, are they not HR?? I wonder who took them.?

I never saw this thread before, (sometimes I have to work) what was the fuss about, or was it just a "for your info" discussion.?

Ha,Ha, - - Gotta love it.!!!

Unfortunately, its not a few RaceChick, its quite a large majority. Okay, fair nough a lot of us here are considerate, but theres still a fair percentage who have voiceferiously defended their "Right" to jump lights, stop streets, etc and of course, who can forget the famous "only if its before 6am and someone in the front shouts clear" occassion!!. Anyway what to do, - well you could tell them, but its generally going to go in one ear and out the other, so apart from physically holding them at the light theres nothing much we can do and sooner or later they will get taken out,........... its a given.!! I have said it before, if you want to ride like an idiot, make sure your insurance policy is up to date so your wife and kids dont starve, and dont expect me to attend your memorial ride.! widget2008-06-03 06:09:33

Cool, thanks.

- Hee, Hee, - probably.! Para, where did you see that stand, is it moveable?

Its a hassle, the hooks are too high up and not in a great spot so its hard to get to them, a stand seemed easier as it is moveable.

I just want to store it, but I was thinking of storing it on a horizontal plane, the stand lifts quite high so its out of the way. ....................but surely, when you sit on the saddle there is a solid floor beneath you,............... I dont know, it just appears that the bike will pivot there which concerned me??

..............I was considering buying one of those Park workstands to keep my bike in the garage, I have one of those stupid hooks but its more of a hassle to get the bike up there so I dont bother, and so it just stands against the wall which makes getting in and out of the cars problematic, and gets my wife blown up 9 bar.! Anyway, I notice these stands clamp the bike on the top tube, but as my top tube is carbon I heard this is a bit dodgy, and heard its suggested the bike is held (clamped) on the seatpost!!!. This appears fine but then it seems to me the entire weight of the bike is pivoting on the seat post, on aluminium frames I would have thought its okay, but is it okay on a carbon frame.?? Whats the general feeling here is it okay to hang the bike clamped by the seatpost.?

There is risk everywhere congarong, its how you handle the risk that counts. I think its naive to just go ahead and not take precautions, riding in the dark, rain, busy roads, alone etc is just foolish and its not "if" you get taken out but "when". All you can do is Limit your risk.

"OH" come on Sean!!. I cant believe an educated intelligent man like yourself believes kids of 12 should be just "willy nilly" allowed to follow their dream.! When I was 12 I wanted to be a Circus Clown, thank goodness my parents didnt let me flunck out of school and follow my dream. My wife and I do work with a Christian missionary school that takes in youngsters with problems. Some of them have addictions, some have run away from abusive parents and families, some are habitual criminals, some are struggeling with teenage pregnancy, some are suicidal, but whatever the individual problem there is one common thread amonst ALL of them,.................. a poor education.! Ask any of the social workers there and they will tell you, a formalised school backround teaches kids more than reading and writing skills, it teaches them self worth that lasts their entire life. Why do so many professional athletes, (especially cyclists) suffer with addictions and low self esteem when they retire?? In most cases its because their self worth is based on riding a bicycle fast up a hill, but when the lights go out and nobody is asking for your autograph anymore, thats barely enough.!!!

I dont have a problem with youngsters following their dreams, in fact I would encourage it............................after they have a basic schooling and an education which will enable them to support themselves and their families later in life, if the cycling scenario fails to pan out. A kind of back up plan. Yah, a lot of schooling is gonna happen in Holland. Sorry, I am too old and too cynical and seen too many youngsters effected detrimentally by a lack of, none or a poor education to say thats even remotely acceptable.!