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will be better when the rest of the primer is painted over.

things were also made to last longer in the olden days

(still got my own teeth, was all fields etc, etc,)

tyre pressure

Try using Elnett. The hairspray of choice since the 70's.

Good point, may need some very clever cable routing to allow the folding to still happen.

Maybe that is why they are not there...

A cycle cross bike/frame is ideal for what you need. Just get one that has some mudguard/rack mounts which most seem to have. (Generally it is just the out and out race bikes that don't)

No weight issues as most are pretty light (especially the alu or carbon frames) and they are in my view better for light trails (faster, more responsive) than an MTB although not quite as comfortable.

I am 5 ft 10 but have longish legs so may differ from your 5ft 10. However, a 52 is very likely going to be too small.

I had a Langster new in 2006 and agree the alu fork is awful. Managed to get hold of a used Specialized carbon fork and the change in comfort through the bars was very noticeable. Overall a nice stiff and fast feeling frame that can be made into a pretty light bike.

I didn't know Blair had an interest in cycle helmets and their use. Although I wouldn't be surprised if he was an 'advisor' for one of the helmet companies and getting £2,000,000 per year for it.

Cane Creek SCX 5 are the best canti's I have used. Easy to setup with a link wire in place of yoke so just one cable run from lever down to nut on the caliper with no messing around with cable through yoke (although lose adjustments possible via straddle cable length changes)

Have also used mini Vs but the pad to rim clearance has to be lower which is not good in off road use. They are also have less finesse so not quite as easy to control off road when tyre grip is low as easier to lock up.

But the biggest draw back to mini Vs is that the cable between the two arms is too low if you have big tyres. The rear tyre rubbed on the cable and had to move my wheel further back to avoid.

Skoda fetishists. Bound to be a site somewhere for that if you look hard enough.

I don't know the answer but are you statistically more likely to knock your head when cycling?

If you are not then should you also wear a helmet when running, walking, driving a car etc,.?

If a helmet is worn on a risk assessment basis then surely all other activities need to be equally risk assessed. Why just cycling that people see a helmet as an option.

MDCC for Prime Minister please. Man speaks truths.

Nah, it would soon go to his head and he would quickly turn into the egotistical and hypocritical authoritarian that he demises. (All men become the thing they hate and so on)
Never worked out whether the politicians are all that way before they enter politics or something changes once they are there.

Agree with Eightball. Most people working in shops are there because they can't get a more interesting job not because they have a real interest in either the shops products or in customer service. The fact that this is blatantly obvious is more to do with todays generation and their issues with entitlement, false expectations etc,. Okay I will do it to save anyone else =======> Dailymail.co.uk

I would expect more if the owner of the shop was working behind till and assisting customers etc,. as he has a much more vested interest. He should also be interested in his product. But likewise he should also ensure his staff are doing their job properly so if you felt the service was poor then you should have raised with manager as Ed says. (It had to happen one day, somebody has agreed with Ed)

Did you try the road bike in your work suit as well?

Of course, the more convinced someone is that they aren't susceptible to outside influences, the less likely they are to recognise them.

Yes I did, but had to change shoes and it looks very strange to be wearing a suit on a road bike! And yes, it was far easier and I didn't get as hot. It was more a case that the Raleigh was more suitable for riding whilst wearing a suits and work shoes.

As for the outside influences, you are just making that bit up as you cannot know a person susceptibility to outside influences without knowing a bot more info.
As another example I have just the same situation when I walk to work. It is just under 3 miles and I like to walk very fast so easy to build up a sweat towards the end. This is fine in winter but in the summer I just have to walk a bit more slowly to avoid getting hot and sweating. And yes that is when wearing shoes that are just begging for it!

It is called control, will power whatever you want to call it. Some people find things easy when they put their mind to it and overcome influences. Some can give up smoking easily while others struggle, some people can limit food/diet easily while others struggle.

Thanks to the driver who didn't actually try overtaking on a short blind S bend section that I use on most rides. This is the first time a car has not overtaken just before either of the blind bends in a long time.

The fact I felt the need to wave and thank him says it all.

I have tried both. I used a 1950's Raleigh as my commuter and it was hard work (especially in the summer) as there were a few hills on the way. Going slow/relaxed didn't make much difference, it was still harder work than my road bike so therefore a more sweat inducing experience.
The only reason I used it was because it had full guards (including chain case) so was good for riding with work suit and shoes on.

The thing here is that some have more will power/control than others I guess. A bike will never encourage me to ride faster than I want to. Difficult for people in one position to appreciate those in the other...

Imagine how fast she would have gone if she hadn't been risk-compensating for her almost total lack of protective clothing.

Maybe she just doesn't really get risk compensation. Oh, if only she could see this thread - how foolhardy would she feel.

pissed and done for furious cycling? Must be one of those 'fighty' drunks who ruins it for everyone.

Almost as awesome as a "furious cycling" fine. Not really sure what you have to do to get one of those, but I imagine it's beyond my ability.

Riding along waving your fist and shouting at everyone in an angry tone should do it unless that is too literal.

Of course the bike can 'lead you on'! At least, it can if by 'lead you on' you mean that the kind of bike you're riding influences your riding style.

Okay, so sounds like those who are not in control of what they are doing will not be able to stop themselves putting more effort into riding a race bike than a dutch bike. Remember the same effort will have you going faster on the race bike so it is down to effort not resultant speed. The race bike will get you there faster with same effort. Same effort as faster speed means less sweat as more wind to help with wicking (probably)

As for me, I would just ride the lightest and most efficient bike at 12mph and only have to pedal every now and again, while you would be mashing away on the dutch bike in a ball of sweat keeping up with me...

some drivers would take it as a challenge. See I they can hit the reflector without knocking you off.

The rider is the one in control of the effort they put in, not the bike. Are some of you seriously saying the bike leads you on somehow?

Jokes aside, this is why we ignore anecdote and study populations; if you measure the passing distance enough times, you get a statistically significant view of whether some factors relating to the cyclist influence the behaviour of a population of drivers. Of course, some drivers pass wide and slow regardless of who is riding, and some seem determined to clip your elbow with their wing mirror whatever you're wearing, but the distribution curve does seem to shift slightly according to cues which inform the driver about the perceived expertise of the cyclist. If you've ever been circumspect when passing a Boris Bike, you've experienced the effect.

Makes sense. Also explain why drivers pass me with such little room (a narrow 'birth' if you will) even though I am not wearing a helmet. It must be clear even to the non-cyclist car driver how darn good a cyclist I am.

My spelling is definitely getting worse. That may be due to knocks to my helmetless head, trouble is I can't remember...

Yeah, should be 'subconscious'. :)

I'm not actually sure what you mean by 'hanging on' here, kerley--could you explain?

Yes, I knew sub conscience looked wrong when I typed it but I was being lazy!

What I mean by hanging on, is relying on. Hoping that a driver is more careful around you because they have spotted you are wearing a helmet (consciously or subconsciously) is probably not a good thing to bring into any objective safety discussion.

I would also think that any sort of data to suggest helmets wearers were on average given a wider birth is questionable as the drivers giving the wider birth are different drivers, i.e the same driver may give the same birth to the same rider regardless of helmet status.