Velouria

No - I am not leaving - just going to go and watch and ride the alpine stages of the Tour de France smileys/smiley17.gif Oh - and get married smileys/smiley1.gif

Was the cardboard box ok? The GF actually suggested a cardboard box, and I had a thousand reasons why we shouldn't use it... but I am realising that moeny could be the biggest issue here.

I need a bike box to transport my bike overseas with (and back again). The box must also be quite portable, as I will need to haul onto trains etc Any suggestions? Evans have this, but I don't think I can fork out so much on a bike box, and 14kg empty - that leaves 6kgs for bike and clothes etc for 2 weeks!! http://www.evanscycles.com/product_images/N9909.jpg http://www.evanscycles.com/img/buying_advice.gif buying advice & tips http://www.evanscycles.com/img/PrintY.gif print this page Elite Bike Travel Case?299.99 Or buy now and pay nothing for 6 months. More info... Our ref: N9909 A hard case ideal for transporting your bike Dimensions (in inches): 12 x 46 x 29 A hard case ideal for transporting your bike on flights Keep your bike in the safest possible box for transport Tough solid and squash-proof construction ensures trouble free travelling Perfect for airline use with underside wheels to aid mobility Strong polythene construction with additional protection at corners and vulnerable areas Padding keeps everything in place to prevent scratching and movement of parts Roomy enough to hold spares and other items Weight approx 14KG Please note that due to size and weight of this item it is shipped by courier as if a bike

Go with what feels comfortable - the 1 cm drop will feel like your knees are around your ears. Why must you be lower? More power? If Jan can justify the 1cm in terms of performance, then go for it, otherwise, stick with what is comfortable. I think you look good on the bike (I am not flirting smileys/smiley4.gif - there is no other way to say that) as it is, and if anything, from riding with you would have thought you looked too big for your bike - but then again, there is a lot of fatty to dwarf any bike...

Ask Marius about Stans - his first ride with Stans resulted in a puncture, with sealant everywhere. Not sure if I want to go through that for the price of Stans.

Yeah - pity I can't find the Ritcheyy Excavader tyres anywhere - they have worked wonderfully (along with the tyre liners).

Larsen TTs seem to be the tire of choice - good value for money, good wearing, and good grip. Specialized also have some good tyres, in a good price range. It kills me to have to pay more for my bike tyres than my car tyres. Related to tyres, but completely unrelated to this thread - I have now had 4 punctures in 2 years on my Ritchey MTB tires - 3 of which were caused by the tyre liners chafing though the tube (the 4th was a massive nail that would have punctured a car tyre). Is there any easy way to avoid these tyre liner induced punctures, apart from rotating the the tube/tyre liner every now and then to spread the chafe? Do I have dodgy tyre liners? I have rounded the ends of the liners, so that there are no sharp corners. Am I the only one complaining of this?

Sheesh - two Scales broken in one week - hectic

In and around the winelands - maybe Rooiels - haven't decided if I am sociable or not.

I now a guy who broke a Scale about two weeks ago at WP XC provincials, in a rather unspectacular crash. Other bikes would have maybe suffered a bit of paint damage - he ended up cracking seat and chain stays. My opinion concerning carbon for MTBing - if you are given the frame - great, but if you have to pay for it, rather have a look at something else - it is going to break.

Maverick ML7/3 or ML7/5

But how much do they weigh Marius, and will they work (unlike that costly little tubeless experiment of yours)?

Tom Boonen has switched to a sturdier frame after problems with his drivetrain in several race-ending sprints. It seems the powerful Belgian world champion was flexing the frame so much that the chain wasn't behaving. The problem didn't, however, stop him from winning a dozen times already this season. Tornado Tom rides frames supplied by Time, sponsor of his Quick Step team. It's also known that another powerful road sprinter, Alessandro Petacchi of Team Milram, rides a beefed-up, custom-designed Colnago Extreme C2 carbon frame that isn't available to the public. The frame has special reinforcements at the bottom bracket, head lugs and fork and weighs 1,340 grams (without fork) in the Italian star's unusual size (54.5-cm seat tube and 58.5-cm top tube).

The thing that grabbed my attention was the short cranks. I would go for 172.5 since you are quite tall. The rest just sounds like people trying to make money out of you. There is a very small improvement by changing cassettes. I think changing the crankset will require you to change your style of riding quite considerably - no more granny. If you find you are unable to keep up with the bunch because you run out of gears, then changing the crankset is a good idea, but if you like spinning up hills and pedalling the light gears at high cadence, then keep your current set up. Don't take any of this too seriously - I just ride bikes, so this is all just my rather limited opinion...

No hands on the rollers? Standing? Sounds like a death wish to me. Imagine explaining that one at work - I crashed into the coffee table while cycling in the lounge, watching TV smileys/smiley18.gifsmileys/smiley11.gif

Yeah - that is what I do in the winter months - weekdays (usually in the evenings) for about an hour and a half on rollers. Different interval sets, and different intensities. Weekends on the road or MTB to restore sanity. I don't think boring is the term - excrutiating is more like it. You sweat like a pig, your bum gets sore, your hands go numb, your grip tape starts to stink. Depends how motivated you are.

I have the older Time Impact pedals, and I love them. I do get a little cleat squeek every now and then, but I love the pedals/cleats. I also used to ride Look pedals, and Time is leaps ahead!

Finally - Roxy And no - I am not taking one with the couch in the background.

Marius - I apologise - but after spending 14 hours on my Raleigh on Saturday, I had to stick up for the brand. And i am not sure if it is touchy feely - my bum just hurts smileys/smiley2.gif

Marius - careful with the Raleigh remarks. smileys/smiley4.gif I ride a Raleigh mtb, and as I have said before on this board, I have been impressed by both the bike, and the after sales service. Cracked a frame, and within a week had a new one - no questions asked. Cannot ask for more from a manufacturer.