is santa coming to your house.

[jags]

So is Santa bringing you lads a bike stuff for Christmas.
hopefully he's bringing me a carbon bike whooooo.
mind you it will  be left in the box until i get bucks to build it up sure its the story of me life.
i wont need much just.
front n rear derailleurs
compact chainset n BB
new bars n stem
cables n bartape,
bottle cages.
brake's n sti leavers.
just about 500 euros worth ,

yeah so if i get a stem cap with Thorn printed on it that will qualify me to post photos of it here
OK maybe not.
so will i miss my Thorn yes i will what i'll miss is loading up the barley with stove kettle sambos snacks  going for a long solo ride yeah happy days.but im sure there another tourer out there with my name on it but for the next while at least im going back to where it all started for me  lightweight road stuff actually looking forward to it.
so thats the story so far boys wishing one and all a very happy  and safe christmas.

anto.

[energyman]

An OS map chip for my Garmin.  Suprise suprise it is also good for the long distance walks my wife has planned for next year.
Mind you it is heaps better than the food mixer I was given for my birthday a few years ago

[leftpoole]

An OS map chip for my Garmin.  Suprise suprise it is also good for the long distance walks my wife has planned for next year.
Mind you it is heaps better than the food mixer I was given for my birthday a few years ago

It's seems more useful to me, than a Carbon frame in a box with a pretend Thorn top cap on the steerer 
John

[jags]

yeah the gps stuff is excellent i have a older model but does the job.

john if you have a thorn stem 90mm 10deg stem i'll have it for me christmas pressie from you .that way you can drool over my new dream machine when i post photos of it here wishing you had one just like it.

oh man wait until you feast your eyes on it you'll be danceing round in circles wishing and praying you could have a dream bike like ANTO  ..

happy christmas

anto

[bikerta]

Not exactly bike related but I am hoping for a new down sleeping bag (rab ascent 700) and a fuel bottle for my trangia. Still enjoying the Sherpa a lot. Shame about your audax jags, but I know what it feels like to have a bike with too long a top tube. I could not bond with my Dawes galaxy at all for the same reason, mind you I am not sure I would go down the carbon road bike route as I like to be able to tour and go off road which is what the Sherpa does well. Each to their own though and you have to try them all out to find out what you really want from a bike.

[jags]

Jackie im well used to lightweight carbon bikes.
i was thinking strongly of giving up cycling altogether because of my back problem,
but if i did i reckon i would  end up worse than ever,so the lightweight bike will make for easier cycling.
i;m the kinda guy that likes company on a tour be it an overnighter or a week  and so far i havent been lucky, jeez i could write a feckin book with all the geeks i cycled with even the latest  cycling partner crackes me up  he is never never ready when i call even thought i give him plenty of warning that im on my way ,this morning i waited in the cold for 20 minutes, jasus i'm a soft touch to be sure .
yeah anyway the touring end of cycling is great no doubt but i seriously dont think im cut out for it.mind you i have all the gear still unpacked even a down quilt i paid 250dollors for   never used exped sleeping matt / couple stoves still in there boxes/  panniers and rack never used.Yip im a major geek never learn thats the truth.
Neil the new owner of the Audax will get to love it that im sure off i wish him well.
as i said before if i want to tour i have a friend who will lend me his cannondale touring bike no problem sure if ever i win the lottery i might even buy a new thorn  if i can get one that fits me.

jags.

[bikerta]

I also got a lot of shoulder and neck pain with my Dawes. 30 miles was the most I could do. I still get a bit of discomfort, but only after 5 or 6 hours on the bike so not a problem. I know you have a road bike background and I really hope that you find a bike that fits and that you can enjoy.

Touring alone can be very rewarding, but at times it can be lonely, especially in the evenings. Whilst riding, I think I prefer to be solo, but as you say at the end of the day it would be nice to have someone to sit and chat to. Mind you I found that on most of the campsites I used, there was always someone to chat with. I am gradually building up my camping gear, luckily I already had some decent kit from my motorcycling tours. This year I have been experimenting with stoves as I am trying to get away from using gas canisters. They are the most convenient to use, but I hate having bits left in the bottom of the canister and find they are becoming very expensive. I have invested in a trangia stove this year along with a honey stove which I love when dry wood is available.

[Andre Jute]

I ordered a new bike jacket for the first time in about 20 years. All the jackets I bought in between were also bike jackets, becasue I often wear street clothes on the bike, but I mean a bike-specific jacket to wear in foul weather and for visibility at night. I chose the Altura Night Vision Evo in yellow, and very nice it is too. The only improvement would be if the Evo came in the orange that my pedalpal Philip has on his basic Night Vision, which to me looks like a very visible color, just as Julian said, and more practical than the yellow. I told my family they're giving me the jacket and perhaps some art materials I haven't had time to order yet. It'll be an advance from years gone by when I couldn't think of anything I wanted and they just gave me money.

Couldn't think of anything else I wanted for my bike that would actually be useful. But then a custom bike now six years old, that started off described as "a Rolls-Royce of bikes" and in constant development be me since — should be pretty pleasing! That's one sort of satisfaction.

***

Thanks to Julian (Julk) who sent me a rare and wonderful sandwich adapter and special bolt for my twin-rail Brooks B-73 so I could fit a micro-adjust seatpost. That was probably last year or even the year before, but what with my health and actually finding a 26.2mm seatpost that I wanted and the weather interfering with planned test rides, it took until this year to finalize the installation, which is now so much more stable than the wretchedly crude Brooks fitting. So bless Julian too this Christmas in expectation of even more perfect rides next year.

[jags]

Ah i love cycling on my  own as well Jackie usually end up singing to meself  or along with what ever is playing on my ipod  and you can see much more cycling solo.but i don't like sitting in a tent campsite on my todd,when i toured with the fellclub in the cotswolds that was magic i enjoyed the company and the banter at the campsite.
nah think i'll stick to what i know best probably better for everyone at the end of the day.
well i hope santa brings me something for my new build going to be a struggle to get it on the road if he doesnt.


jags

[julk]

I just got some great news for Christmas.

The Dumfries and Galloway CTC are again organising the the KM rally, over May 22 - 25 in 2015, the Spring  bank holiday weekend.
Based at Barnsoul camp site http://www.barnsoulcaravanpark.co.uk/.

The booking form for the rally and evening meals is not available yet, I will post it when it appears.
Accommodation, tents, wigwams etc. should be booked direct with Barnsoul by letter or phone (01557 814351).
They should be giving a 5% discount to rally goers.

Anto,
The days are good with a variety of rides in the scenic hilly countryside.
The evenings are great with superb meals available in the local village hall plus entertainment and chat.
Book the meals in advance once the booking form comes out.
I hope to see you there…

Julian.

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

After struggling in earnest since September to find a replacement for my 30 year-old (!) lycra cycling tights, I seem to be closing in on a candidate at last.

Santa will be pleased.

I have a 32-33inch/81-84cm waist, and I'm astounded at the absurd sizing of some of the cycling tights on the market. I scanned the size charts and reviews carefully and sent for Mediums...then had to re-send for Large, X-Large and XX-Large in my attempts to get a fit, two-way postage eating up the savings provided by the sale price. The measured waist sizes were 22, 24, 26, and 28 inches respectively, waaay too tight for my 33-inch waist. Lycra stretches, but only so much and the waistbands all felt like tourniquets. Some wouldn't go past my knees. Fortunately, they can all be returned.

Another example purchased at the local outlet of a national chain seemed fine until I peeled them off and found my blood had raised to the surface in my legs' calf areas, thanks to the heavy seaming digging in when I closed the zippers. My legs aren't *that* massive. Who do these firms use as models and why don't these issues show up in user reviews?

The leading candidate (to be delivered by Family acting as Santa's helpers) is this one: http://www.rei.com/product/870189/novara-thermal-tech-bike-tights-mens

Fits nicely in the recommended Medium, the zippers work smoothly and lock when desired. The waist cord is flat, and I love the 360° highly reflective trim, secured by a nice overcast stitch and flat seaming throughout. Warm or not may be another matter, but these appear to fit, which gets me more than halfway to my goal. Yay for that, yay for Santa! Yay for -2°C temps in next week's forecast so I can try them out soonest.

Best,

Dan.

[in4]

Interesting Dan. I am not complaining about my £2.50 pair from Aldi UK ( Weather proof-ish fabric on the front and wicking fabric on the back, great zips too)  but.. I'm a 34 waist and the recommended size large is very generous indeed. They are lightly padded but I need to wear my padded shorts beneath them to get a better fit. Sizing is such a hit and miss thing I find but for future reference my next pair of tights will be probably be a medium size ands without any padding. The prospect of resembling that inflated Kardashian non-entity is not a good one!

[Andre Jute]

Interesting Dan. I am not complaining about my £2.50 pair from Aldi UK ( Weather proof-ish fabric on the front and wicking fabric on the back, great zips too)  but.. I'm a 34 waist and the recommended size large is very generous indeed. They are lightly padded but I need to wear my padded shorts beneath them to get a better fit. Sizing is such a hit and miss thing I find but for future reference my next pair of tights will be probably be a medium size ands without any padding. The prospect of resembling that inflated Kardashian non-entity is not a good one!

I bought some padded cycling pants from Lidl just to see what they were like and they fitted but I didn't like the padding.

I bought some Lidl running pants instead, no padding, and they fit well and work well with my Brooks saddle. I like them. Can't remember precisely what they cost but they were well under ten euro, so that I bought a couple more pairs when I discovered the first pair worked well. The problem is that is not often warm enough to wear them. In Irish weather they would go better as underwear than a single-layer garment; haven't tried that though as I have plenty of cotton and angora long johns with proven bike ability.

[Mike Ayling]

Hi All!

After struggling in earnest since September to find a replacement for my 30 year-old (!) lycra cycling tights, I seem to be closing in on a candidate at last.

have you looked at the Ground Effect site?

Mike

[leftpoole]

Hello,
Happy Christmas to all 
Regarding purchasing rather than receiving gifts, how strange is it that cyclists (other than myself) can spend thousands on bikes
but become Scrooge skinflints when wanting clothing/lighting etc!!!
Happy New Year also.
Regards to all and sundry,
John (who is wishing for health)