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The apparently elite women's field at the Hyde Park Triathlon this weekend

EDIT: The original link was broken, click here
for original video

Leaving at 08:30 from Carfax sounds good. What time is the regular ride setting off from WD? I guess we could always meet them on the road if we don't make it all the way to WD in time (the bit through Slough won't be all that scenic anyway)?

I just realised both my fixed and my road bike are in pieces, will try to get the road bike up and running in time if not I may end up riding my "racing only" TT bike... but aero-bars aren't so sociable on group rides. Whatever happens I'll almost certainly have gears.

No Idea Ali0sha, presumably we would have to book a specific time?

I quite like Arducius's idea of riding Oxford - West Drayton - Oxford. What time do you reckon we'd need to leave Oxford for this?

(Ox-WD-Ox would definitely require gears though - sorry to be a pansy but I haven't ridden more than my commute in over 6 weeks now!)

arrrrrrrgggh!!

...YouTube - Worst Stump Speech Ever...

Ha! Awesome.

Lovely set. That Townsend is just the sort of thing I've been looking for, if only it was a little smaller and I wasn't launching myself back into poverty by starting a PhD... very very nice. The Bertin isn't bad either!

I live in Oxford so will get the train out to the start and then peel off and ride home from Watlington/Didcot. Probably going to do it fixed (though I haven't trained in almost 2 months so if I'm feeling fat I may resort to gears)

@ewanamacdonald, can't you contact the person you got the frame off?

Hmmm tried this, bought it off another forumger and they don't know. I've also tried working out who actually makes the frame. Since their success in the 80's/90's I think that the Concorde brand has disappeared and that some generic frame manufacturer has taken over the name. Wiggle sell a replica PDM Concorde frame that apparently takes an "headset that run a 41mm outside diameter and a 45degree chamfer", but I cant be sure it is the same frame. I also subsequently notice that the "Kiron Mistral" that wiggle claim as their own proprietary frame looks identical to mine but wiggle haven't got back to me on that.

@MDCC
I don't have a set of Callipers so can't measure (plus the guy in the lbs said this is rarely sufficiently accurate anyway). So... we experimented with all the headsets they had in stock and the best bet was an FSA "Cane Creek standard" set but it was far from hand pressure (more strong mallet pressure), so maybe reaming is the right option - but as you say I don't want to cut too much away from the frame especially as it is slightly "cooling tower shaped". I guess I need another trip to town... what an arse.

The Trek on the previous page is amazing but surely a joke?

The flouro tri bike however... I definitely know someone who would ride that!

... ... ...
Justin shouted back "No, I'm not. That was the old me. I've changed."

"I'm a prawn again Christian."

Well I liked it, I actually laughed.

i need many things i havent got.

But it is harder to think of things that you need, but don't want.

Proper used

Very nice indeed.

Right, digging up more old threads in an attempt to get a headset into my damned frame... and until I get it sorted I can't get back out and training!

After originally asking for advice here about what size headset I needed, I also emailed wiggle (who sell what looks like an identical frame under another name) and took my frame into my LBS. Anyway, all of this means I am 90% sure that I need a "Cane Creek Standard" integrated headset. However when my LBS tried to instal one, they found it a very close but unusually tight fit and said that they didn't want to risk damaging the headtube by trying to force the headset into place.

Do you think that reaming/facing and possibly "re-champhering" is the correct option here? From the look of the paint on the frame it doesn't seem to have been reamed/faced before so having read the rest of the thread I'd guess so but just want to confirm.

Is reaming a relatively straightforward process that most bike shops should be able to do? I don't want my frame destroyed in the process!

here's a start to help you get ready for that race...

http://www.lfgss.com/post62402-1.html

Saw a policeman cycling the other way this evening, looking down at and fiddling with his radio with one hand - okay he wasn't texting but he definitely wasn't looking where he was going. Dunno why but instead of cross it made me laugh!

Saw 2 policemen cyling along a pavement yesterday... If I'd have been on my bike I'd have slowed and taken a picture but sadly this once I was in my car.

what kind of bike is that lightweight thing anyways

Walser as ridden by Nicole Cook in Bejing?

Also available from wiggle .

You'll also be going past cycloanalyst ( http://www.cycloanalysts.com/shop/ ) probably a better bet than cycle king.

For those who aren't going to read those links, the gist is as follows.

The Author finds that inorganic soils are better than organic soils because they do not break down and become compacted with time, and they also allow excess water to drain through them rather than becoming waterlogged. Inorganic soils contain no nutrients but the author claims that organic soils in a small pot become depleted so quickly that this is of no real consequence. I will still need to fertilise the tree whatever the soil type.

The best sorts of inorganic soil are baked clays that retain a lot of moisture. There are about a million different types and they are often imported from Japan and so expensive. Cat litter is basically the same stuff as the fancy Japanese clay but a fraction of the price. Apparently the Tesco's stuff in the pink bag is the best, but can possibly be mixed with some other stuff depending on the requirements of your tree.

Cat litter??? Why cat litter? Again it contains no nutrients the tree can utilise and it's far too loose a medium anyway to be able to anchor a tree in unless I'm mistaken (I don't own a cat or have any sort of relationship with cat litter these days so I'm not certain but last time I checked it was course gritty stuff).

I got the cat litter idea from the bonsai4me site, first in their intro to bonsai soils here, and then in the more in-depth bit about cat litter here. Out of interest what sort of soil do you use, any recommendations?

@ moog, No idea in London, but I know mine originally came from "Bonsai-Ko" in Brighton.

You might also think about asking for some advice from one of the bonsai growers forums - Google is your friend.

I tried that, I posted on a Bonsai forum a couple of hours after my OP here, loads of views but still no responses. LFGSS wins again... "helpfulgardener" my arse!

Anyway, thanks for all of the advice. The bonsai4me basics page has loads of info so I'm learning alot. I think I'm going to try and repot in cat litter this weekend, I'm not sure I entirely buy the 100% inorganic approach so I think I'll add in a little bit of tree bark. I live on a small farm and there are lots of rotting logs around so do you see any reason why I shouldn't use some home found bark - is there any risk of disease or parasites etc? I may also add a tiny bit of the original soil (which looks fairly peaty to me) in case there are any useful mycorrhiza that I don't want to lose.

Also capturing wild trees looks fun, if I manage to get this one revived I might go and try my luck with a blackthorn or a Hawthorn.

Wax on, wax off.

It is kept indoors but always in a sunny spot, It currently either lives next to a set of french doors or a bay window - both South East facing. The whole house is fairly shaded by large trees but it gets direct light in the mornings and ambient light in the afternoons.

I signed up to a gardening forum and have asked there but as yet LFGSS is coming up trumps!

I have never repotted the tree or done anything with the roots so this would possibly help. Is it reasonably strait forward? I'm worried that the tree is so weak that this might be the proverbial straw to the camel's back. Is it better to try and dry out the existing soil and then repot when it is a bit stronger, or is the tree so far gone that repotting is the only option left?

I'm guessing Bonsai soil would be readily available from a garden store?

OK cheers Benjam,

Right so after your post and more internet research I'm 99% sure I'm overwatering it.

The leaflet I got with it (from a dedicated bonsai shop down in Brighton) definitely says its a chinese elm.

I have been fully submerging the pot in water every 7 to 10 days rather than your approach of spraying daily and watering only when the soil is dry. This means that the soil never stops being damp, so I strongly suspect I've been drowning it. I last watered it 10 days ago and the soil is still pretty sodden, and for the last couple of months the soil has smelt quite mouldy which suggests I've also begun to rot the roots.

Here are a few pictures but as I say it really is in an atrocious condition! :(

This is the whole tree:

This is the rather sodden pot:

And these are the last remnants of the leaves up top:

Is it saveable and what do I have to do?

Presumably I need to repot it at some point (and tend to the rotting roots), and I also need to dry it out a bit. Do you think it would be better to dry it out and hope it reestablishes itself a bit before I try to repot it, or is it so far gone that only a repotting might be able to save it?

Bit of a long shot on a bike forum, but with nigh on 20,000 people registered its got to be worth a shot.

Does anyone know anything about Bonsai Trees?

I was given one three years ago, I love it and it has strong sentimental value but I fear that it is on its last legs, and I'm desperate that it shouldn't die. For the first six months that I had it it thrived gloriously as I followed the wee booklet that came with it meticulously. However after about 6 months things took a turn for the worse and the tree began to look pretty ropey despite me not changing anything. I checked the internet to see if I was doing something wrong and suddenly discovered that there are a million contradictory suggestions with bugger all consensus. So I pressed on and the tree has gone through phases of seeming to be on the verge of recovery and then plummeting back towards oblivion.

This time the oblivion seems deep. For the last few weeks it has had only a handful of leaves and suddenly all of those seem to be on their way out and are turning brown.

I stand the tree in water for 10 minutes every 10 days, this doesn't seem like much but the pot seems to remain permanently damp. When I water it I add some "bonsai food" to the water, and if it would only grow I'd prune it back but that hasn't been necessary for a year or so now. Also, the permanently damp pot is starting to smell a bit mouldy?

Can anyone help diagnose whats wrong with my tree and tell me how to revive it?

I have these (from a local shop so not sure where you'd find them). They cost me £100 and although certainly not Leica/Swarovski quality they are made in the same factory as (I think) the Nikon ones and are a really great set of optics for the money. Also fairly durable, mine have taken a fair beating in the 5 years that I've had them and bar one scratch still as good as new. Highly recommended.

going... going... gone.

Hopefully another time

here for another 20 minutes... any takers?