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I thought they called the inserts a chamois because that's what they used to be made of, back the ol' days. Now it's fancy wicking super-dooper magical fabrics.

Hippy is probably the best person to reply to that anyway, he seems quite up on his lycra!

RPM related? well they're not the same company...

and to be honest, that swobo looks like a complete wind up..

riser bars, bottle opener on the saddle...
most or all the parts are their own branded, rudimentary rubbish..it's £399..
I don't like it's attitude, it's a wannabe, never will be.

Yeah.

It looks quite horrible, 'specially with the stupid branded parts. The "swobo" logo on the end of the grips, yuck.

hippy's mentionings of lycra make me tempted to buy some :-| Riding today in normal shorts was really annoying because they kept riding up loads..

Yep.

I studied a lot of mechanics in maths A level at college and I can't think of a single reason how any of that can be true...

I don't get the narrow handlebars that seem to be so popular.

:-/

Minimum of 40 miles per week for me riding to and from work. I'd like to do more, though. I tend not to ride much on my days off, perhaps an extra 20 miles a week at most, usually because I'm knackered from work and just want to chill out.

1/8th is probably more popular because it's what is used on the track and therefore "proper" size chain. I think it's a bit peculiar to be honest.

Personally I'm a 3/32th guy... Wider selection of chains, parts. More people use it, therefore cheaper. Cheaper tools, as well.

What a moron...

I just went out for a ride. Going down a wide-ish road, no road markings though, and this woman in her car toots her horn at me behind me and as she goes past. :S

Probably because I wasn't riding far enough to the left hand side of the road. She'd probably only be happy if I was riding in the mud/bushes.

Stef honestly quills stem have been abandoned by pros for a reason.

+1

Oh I didn't see that link :) Either I missed it or my browser is caching too much..

I'm not. I'm probably 30m away from the car when I begin to look over my shoulder and stare the driver out with my evil glare every 5 seconds :) About 20m away I start shifting out, if I can...

simontwosheds Mr Conan,

There is a difference between changing a chainring and a sproket. I dont know the sums but the chainring controls the leverage (torque) which is not greatly affected by the sprocket until you get down to track sproket type sizes (14t). Using a small chainring (39t or less) is good for low cadence pedalling. Attempting to spin such a gear is difficult because you need a lot of muscle tension to keep it smooth and comfortable. Using a large chainring (above about 41t) promotes a spinning cadence, because the leverage is low and resitance is more even around the pedal circle. A 46x18 gear and a 36x14 are both about 69", but when used througout a range of pedal speeds they would feel quite different from one another. In summary: 44x16 is quite a usable gear for london(and will be better for skids and tricks than your current). If youre looking to develop your spinning (or youve got poorly knees) you might like 42t instead, but dont go smaller for road use.

I'm totally puzzled as to how the size of the chain ring effects the leverage. The moment of the cranks is equal to the crank length multiplied by the force applied to the cranks. This is going to remain constant regardless of the chain ring size. :-S

Political compass is awesome :)

Here's mine:

http://www.politicalcompass.org/printablegraph?ec=-6.00&soc=-3.49

I'm a bit puzzled really why people want to do couriering part time :S

It's bloody hard work, dangerous and there is little work available because of faxing, faster net connections etc...

If people are that desperate for money work part time in a shop or something, get paid £5.35+ per hour and ride to and from work every day instead. Then go out again in the evening!

Btw, I've never been a messenger and never will be. I ride to a) stay healthy b) tinker with my bike c) get about easily and d) vent aggression and stress!

MA3K No I stand by it, I had right-of-way, he was impatient, fuck him.

Hmmm, I have to say I agree with knucklehead that it is risky that you've posted it on here. Admittedly it is so unlikely anything will come of it but you never know really.

Car drivers do my head in when they think they have total right of way on the roads, even when they don't. Every day I ride home through a set of cross roads with traffic lights. Parked half in my lane and half on the pavement are some cars, like 3-4m from the junction. I slow down as I approach slightly, look over my shoulder and ALWAYS there is a car trying to overtake me, even though it is obvious that I'm moving out. Then I get sandwiched between them and the parked car :@

The other day one person had the cheek to toot their horn at me not only behind me but after the junction as well! "Fscking wanker!"

dicki yeah he'll never control a pair of phil wood hubs " as it is only his first fixie " far too much power he'll just spin out theres no way he'll manage to go round corners on phil woods they'll just make him look silly as he rides along
buy once and buy quality is the advice given in numerous threads on the forum
good on ya bicycle fibre get good bits and use them for years better than getting crap that needs replacing every 6mths
my first fixie had da's on open pro's on them and nobody told me off for using them !! a cannondale custom track frame nobody told me i was stupid cinelli alter stem i didn't get laughed at going down the street

There's quality hubs, e.g. goldtec, that are half the price of Phil Woods. That was my point..!

hahahaa :)

Phil Woods on your first fixie?! Blimey...!

If you're looking for a headset and you've spent that much already you could just get a Chris King fitted?

I hate doing that. It's so ugly to put everything in plastic bags, everything is horrible about them. The look, the feel, the sound...

Blimey, I'm amazed that they still even clipped in, there's hardly anything left!

I've got no problems spending £100 on a bag if it's going to fit everything in, be comfortable, be 100% waterproof AND look good :)

Turning up at work with a wet shirt, soggy paperback book, wet towel and soaking wet wallet drives me nuts.

Find a cheap sports shop e.g. Sports Soccer, and you can usually find a pair of plastic waterproof trousers that will be something around £8 or less! Don't forget to get overshoes too!

Those rainlegs, look, err, odd. Perhaps its my "lycra and other assorted strange cycling fancy dress fear" kicking in.

Bags - well you can use your existing bag and get those Ortleib dry bags and put one inside your current bag. They're relatively cheap depending on the size, and are capable to be submerged and keep the contents dry if you do them up properly. Wiggle have them.

Awww lovely cat :) I love cats; I have three. They love getting in bags/boxes etc too.

The design you've got on that is awesome! I like the black and yellow, I'm tempted to go for a high contrast scheme like that myself.

The only thing that is putting me off is the long waiting time. Perhaps if I slip Tamas a few notes he might speed it up a little...

aidan just dont get em:)

Yep :)

If you do go for the 700x20c tyres, which I don't recommend either, make sure your rims can take them. I know my mavic rims require a minimum of 700x23c tyres.