OllyMTB

Larry Vs Harry

2009-04-02T15:06:00.002Z

Add this to list of wants? If only i had some cargo to move no more than a few miles....

http://www.larryvsharry.com/english/

Noo Shoos!

2009-03-27T11:42:00.002Z

Pedal came off again, in the same way, in the same situation
apparently, (from a bit of careful inspection, observation and deduction), the inner race of the pedal, is a bushing, which is knackered. which is great, until you cant get spares (ghey).
on short sharp climbs, ones you dont change down for, just stand up and crank, the force is sufficient to make the pedal body touch the axel, lock together and unwind the pedal in about 5 revolutions.
whoops!

therefore, its time for some new pedals, while the xpedos are great, and super light, if they cant be serviced, they may as well be made of very heavy cheese.
that, and every time this happens, it risks ruining the crank arm good and proper!

Enter stage left Shimano: 520 weapons grade pedals;

a bit porky, in comparison, but one of the reasons is due to the whole axel assembly being one cartridge, and for the sake of a tenner, cant be undone and replaced as and when. that, and they last (in my experience of the older ones) for YEARS before it needs doing.

Coool, everyone loves new parts. time to change the cleats over on the shoesies...

nope, they arent coming out. not without a drill and a tenner on a new set of inner plates.
for a pair of shoes that cost 30 quid 4 years ago and have been ridden into the ground?
while they still work, i think its not unacceptable to think

"new cleats + new pedals = new shoes"

Ooo, Speccy BG expert shoes are reduced on evans, from 100BT to a mear 69BT (beer tokens)

nice stiff carbon sole?

seems rude not to really!

Nooo Shoooes!

Black Magic, or Alchemy, not quite sure.

2009-01-18T18:19:00.001Z

Winding my way up a gnarly steep badass(ish) climb this weekend, i had the pedal on my left foot, snap off and drop away,

"Cock", thinks I, as i sit on the needle strewn floor and snap the cleat free from my foot. "thats gonna put a damper on the weekends excitement"

however, the thread on the pedal, and the thread on the crank arm, were both in pristine condition.
the pedal screwed right in, no fuss, no complaining, no cross threading, like new.
the bearings on the pedal itself are smooth as you like, nearly buttery.
pedals are designed to tighten themselves as you pedal, i would certainly have noticed if my pedal was a cm over to the left when i went to clip in (and got the bike out the car, and had the cranks off the night before etc etc).
the climb itself was quuiiite long and steep, and this was at the top, so no backpedalling has been done in a long while

the queery i put to you.....

WTF?? (what the "frick")

The Devils in the Detail

2008-10-21T17:46:00.004Z

Crafty so an so's, adept at bodging stuff, on and off trail, will probably be able to tell you that, in the event of a missing rotor bolt (or 5 in jacks case on one occasion) being discovered, a bottle cage bolt will fit the thread, and get you home. however, Ive gone one better

The threads are indeedthe same size, but the whole point of using T25s are rotor bolts, is the low profile head allowing good clearance of the rotor. Due to this, a bottle cage bolt will not always fit the bill, it can sometimes foul the caliper (suprisingly messy if you fit it and dont check the wheel spins first)

but substituting (lets face it defunct ;-p ) bottle cage bolts, for a couple of T25s in advance, you can achieve more than one advantage:

The holes in the frame are still covered/sealed from dirt
The T25s give a much cleaner line (in my opinion) and thats always a good thing (thats what I was going for initially, giant OE braze-on bolts are rather lumpy)
The bolts will now fit any rotor, foul free, be it on your bike or some other unfortunate souls. Wahoo!
rotor bolts are generaly threadlocked as standard, so wont rattle loose

...and i suppose they are marginally lighter, but meh

go rummage in your spares box!

in other news, the 456 hub gave up the ghost, died and it turns out the carts cant be taken out without a 300 quid blind bearing puller (BOOO HISS on-one!) one saving grace is that the flange dimensions match the ProII perfectly, so (although im sure a "proper wheel builder" will chastise me) I could use the old rim and spokes. I also found a rather fitting welsh dragon in a mona lisa in aber, which now resides on the monster headtube, and if i say so myself, looks awesome. A little nod to Nant yr Arian and cronies.

Holiday

2008-08-05T21:25:00.001Z

Popped over to Yankland for the filming of the next Roam, in the rainforest, so we did
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Its been a while, again. Slacking.
We've been on holiday to sunny old North Wales for a week of bikey goodness. (FYI)
What fun we had :-D

Arty

2008-07-05T22:14:00.001Z

Arty
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

rather bored, so heres an arty snappet of mon velo
i am running lights down, to try and recover the battery a bit,(though it mat be reet buggered to be honest, which is a shame as ive only used them twice) which is why there is a funny looking puddle of light there!
Also NB, skinny, undirtied 2.1 rubbers in place of the 2.3 gravs.
hopfully a bit faster and better gripping and clearing.

Alice - the Return of the Queen

2008-06-03T21:11:00.001Z

Thanks to a bit of Jiggery pokery with some components, and the temporary butchering of the jump bike for a drivechain (minus cranks), getting some miles in after work, without the pain in the arse of maintenance is back on the cards.

Cant wait for a bit of suburban exploration :)

considering a half-link for push up tensioning, but only to clean up the chainline.....

More pictures on flickr

Of Llamas and bikes

2008-05-21T20:38:00.001Z

Derby mountain biking has a new home

http://www.llamabikes.co.nr

Confusion

2008-05-19T21:21:00.001Z

I did have plans for the mech and cassette that were in the collection of bits off the Jump bike, but I cant find them for the life of me, so that's going out the window, hrmph

I can't help feeling that I need to Cull a bike before I can justify the next one. Perhaps I just need to cull the supply of useless spares (4 half worn chainrings for example)Or perhaps a fleabay/STW classifieds spree

SSing the XtC is a brilliant idea, its going to be so perfect for the job of low maintenance super reliable Eastmids-mobile. I've a couple of bargains in the bag (Ideal rear wheel for pocket money) but getting it there is bugging me. It wont cost much, rather lots of little expenditures. a tensioner here, a Chain ring there, all adds up pretty quickly (perhaps STW and Fleabay could come to the rescue here too?

I can almost smell the occasion where I'm happy with 2 bikes, though I know its miles away in reality, with imaginative designs on an Alpine built reign-X holiday bike and a track-bike commuter ever circling like vultures. So close, yet so far.

134

2008-05-14T21:49:00.001Z

134
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Things have happened and moved on in the past fortnight, but i thinks it would be rude not to mention the Dyfi, even if belated.
We came to wales, we saw the Rockband and cheerleaders and we conquered the flapjack.
A weekend well done all round mefinks

On a side note, some new XT brakes are on order. I'm not convinced i can afford them (i can but i hate to see the money go)
My hayes are dying a death, and nearly killed me last night on a Blackrock ,North Derbyshire.
Dont worry, they arnt going in the bin or anything daft, they need an overhaul, and then they will be going towards the XtC SS Pot :-)
Also, Hope XC on 717 for 40 quid as aposed to the 70quid on fleabay or 120ish new, bargin mefinks, even if it did require some "percussive maintenence" to the bearings
Wheels, Brakes, Fork, Frame and SS kit lined up. now just a few finishing touches (cranks and bars and saddle and other vaguely vital stuff)

Olly Out

Bakewell to Chatsworth and back again:

2008-04-22T19:00:00.001Z

Bakewell, and the surrounding area has some pretty sludgey mud this time of year, it would appear.

following the first "epic route" from the light/white peak book.

though I wouldn't have classed 17 miles as epic myself, and wasn't exhaausted at the end of it, twas enough riding for one day for someone in my position (being a office cake and biscuit fatty monster)

the imposing Chatsworth house over an even more imposing toptube ;-)

luckily, Gravity tyres have such little grip in mud that clearance really wasn't and issue, even with the peculiar reinforcing brace

a smaller bike, with less problems in the mud (apart from the use of flat pedals perhaps, tsskk)

and the compulsary bike photo, of course.

Where it Hurts — Hit The North!

2008-04-01T21:04:00.000Z

Where it Hurts — Hit The North!

Go Team;

"You'll drink bitter and you'll like it"

Compulsary Ride photo

2008-03-29T17:18:00.001Z

Compulsary Ride photo
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

I'm getting there, not that may mean much to "you" as i havent really been keeping "you" up to date.
Since buying the Trance, and worrying about this and that, crap things like "is my headest too long" and "what do i do about the cable routing" not being able to get out as much is raather bugging me. And then of course theres the biggy "should i have bought it in the first place"
However!! a quickish blast up and down the Long mynd with Stu and his brother, Andy has highlighted that Yes I did make the right choice, and No i dont need anymore bikes.
if i were to have ONE bike, this would be it.
Once on it, its perfect, and all is well with the world. While stuck looking at it, in the corner of the room, or on my computer desktop at work. all those little niggles work thier way out, often ending me up making plans about buying brakes and cranks and stuff i already have and dont need, which disapate just as quickly.
tis a confusing way of doing things.
Anyhoo, things may be changing, as i BELIEVE there is a ride setting off from Derby village center next week, an oppertunity to meet locals and get ones foot in the door.
Which is always good.
Enough waffling, back to looking at anodised titanium bolts i dont need.
x

Eve

2008-03-02T19:49:00.001Z

"Eve"
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

...

Super Commuter

2008-01-31T21:31:00.000Z

Love it, would be great to have a utility pub bike type thing like that.
i think ide buy it frame only preferably, and spec it myself :p
not the kinda thing youd want to single speed though, if its going to be carrying massive loads (and quite right too)
zoom zoom zoom

Dyfi '08

2008-01-28T18:58:00.000Z

Dyfi Enduro number 134!

Genuinely really excited :D

The Holy Grail

2008-01-23T17:27:00.000Z

having recieved a shiney new 456 9mm bolt through front hub for Christmas, and having a spare 717xc rim in the garage, it seemed logical to get it built. as joe says, its always a good thing getting ride of another OE part!

The hub:Clever, see!
having been quoted 55 quid for a wheel build by the snotty man in the new LBS, i thought stuff it, ill have a bash myself, with a little help from the Guru, Sheldon Browns guide to wheel building

having got it down to half a mm of wobble, which i think is pretty good for a first build from scratch, and accepting the fact that it will settle and loosen anyway as it beds in, I took it for a ride around South Derby region (Robins Wood?) and its still straight.
huzzah!
when i bother to SS the XtC, and am looking to put a ProIIsss on as a rear wheel, think ill have another go at this wheel building malarchy. :-)

thats trancex i have promising myself has turned into a straight Trance and a pair or RockShox Revelation forks, but still hasnt materialised..... yet

Autumn

2007-12-02T18:12:00.001Z

Tourer
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

More Autumn riding, wet filthy roads and slimey concrete makes for hellish exciting "touring"

Autumn

2007-11-16T10:32:00.001Z

Splash!

2007-11-09T16:22:00.001Z

Fed up of flipping pedals around each time i want to swap bikes, i thought i mite as well get the pedals Ive been eyeing up for months. Xpedo Mountain Force, which as basically SPD reps (so can use same shoes on both bikes, but these are cart bearings, and also are 300g a pair as apposed to 450g a pair.
also decided to get a seat clamp, as swapping that over kept scratching paint, and it saves on postage getting them in the same delivery, honest!
advantage i didn't foresee, is that both the wheels AND the seatclamp on the xtc are 4mm bolt up now, allowing me to carry my diddy ikea Allen-key only! awesome!
ALSO got 180mm disk for xtc at long last, an XT one as they were also on offer.
that's my spending done methinks, I'm feeling extravagant

More shonkey boll

2007-10-18T15:48:00.000Z

Due to 7speed setup being stolen to go on commuter bike. spike got left in the garage on its ownsome. (with rigid forks on cause i thought i mite enjoy a bit of that trials malarky, i didnt, its rubbish)
Nehoo, DJs are back on, an its 32:16 SS now thanks to that fetching Bachelor. there was never any point in shifting on that thing anyways as it was so small.
Cranktastic.
now all i have to do is take advantage of autumn to beat some animal trails into bike sized trails while there is no salad on the ground, and work out some loops avoiding fences. (though we all know theres a difference between saying and doing sadly)
x

Fresh, Ahhaaaaa

2007-10-05T21:03:00.001Z

Core division
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

25, count em, 25 people on the freshers ride this year. Its a record (possibly, possibly not) featured here, the core division who didnt woose out of the leg burnner (more fool them).
It was fresh, to say the least

Evolution

2007-10-01T19:08:00.000Z

The ongoing SS plans are getting more and more specific of course
wanted to be 130-150mm, but cant have ugly cable stops all over it, must have bolt through fork, but that raises the fork limit to 140mm, ruling out the simple

all in all it turned a bit ugly. but then I noticed the new Orange (eugh dirty word) P7
steel, 140mm forks, with crafty interchangeable dropouts, all vertical, but sliding. with or without hanger capability. and if you DID want gears perhaps one day, you could always ziptie on a full-length-outered cable.
long-ish-fork single speed trail basher most of the time, and on the off chance you fancy gears, zip on a ready set up mech, cable and shifter combo with the interchangeable drop out setup.
and stick in the Bulb wheel from the garage.

What i would class as an fairly burly ride for some one like me who doesn't hammer the crap out of things, with plenty of travel for my needs.
Optimum Build (in my eyes) looks like this:

Orange P71 frame - 379.95

Marzocchi 55 TST2 2008 - 339.99

Red Pro2s, Trials rear, 20mmBT front on Black Mavic EN321s, Black Spokes - 214.99

Hone crankset bash - 74.99

Hope headset - 59.99

Hope Seatclamp - 9.99

Hope Skewer - 14.99

Hayes Stroker Ryde 6" rear - 99.99

Hayes Stroker Ryde 7" front - 104.99

Raceface Atlas Bars,Stem & SeatPost - 39.99, 62.99 & 29.99

Speccy BGII grips - 7.99

Speccy BG Avatar Saddle - 19.99

SRAM nickel plated singlespeed SP1 chain - 9.99

Middleburn Hardcoat Middle Chainring - 19.99

Gusset single speed sprocket - 3.99

Tyres - Conti Diesel ~ 30.00

Xpedo spd knockoff Pedals - 29.99

Totaling a not too uncomfortable £1554.82

only thing is lacking as the custard paint job, but i'll live i think.

SUM=[Google Earth] * [Ordnance survey]^2

2007-09-11T20:14:00.001Z

OS maps "borrowed" from Multimap, overlayed onto Google Earth = crafty trail finding tool.
All the detailed markings of "creative" b.o.a.t.s from OS explorers, onto the detail and advantage of actually being able to see the terrain from google. classy, im sure you will agree. if only they would get themselves sorted out with Wales at google! maybe ill scan in some MBR and singletrack route cards and overlay them too.

White Bird

2007-09-10T23:36:00.001Z

White Bird
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Up the lawley again, will have to have a search and get to know the region mefinks

Lucy Finished

2007-09-01T15:07:00.001Z

Finished
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

All done, front brake on, new levers on, saddle adjusted, spacers had to go under the bars due to complete massive steerer tube on the new forks, but will see how it rides before cutting it down i thinks.
looks pretty cool if you ask me! could use a new crankset and pedals, but the current ones work, so we will see. I filed the front of the dropout slightly (about 2mm) to make the ratio (32:16) work directly which is cool, but if i decide to change the ratio probably pointless, we will see eh, its a SS, so its never gonna be in the right gear anyway (2:1 at the moment is most comfortable on a very slight uphill)

Lucy

2007-08-30T16:23:00.001Z

Bwarp
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Will have 2 finger v brake levers as aposed to those 10 finger plastic slabs. Is also missing front brake, chain, rear cog and the front fork, but the new one should be the same but with a longer steerer tube (and no disk mount sadly)
Could do with single sided SPD and new cranks, but will come to that when its had a bit of use and all works i thinks.
getting there though!
getting 2 cogs with the SS kit, so may put them side by side for a manual adjust if it comes to using a tensioner. but if its a "magic chainstay length" then wont bother.
x!

Lucy

2007-08-26T12:54:00.001Z

Basically just with a fork and wheels on to check its ok rigid!, it wont even be that fork on the final build as the damn thing is 10mm to short. Also, they are the wheels off the xtc, again there to see if it would work ok, the wheels going on it will be running 1" conti gators.
Give it a month of super stingey ebaying, and if all goes to plan we should have a rigid, v-braked, singlespeed?, 26"x 26", commuter bike! currently priced at about 20 quid plus wheels (but that's another story) as I've got quite a few bits already. Huzzah for woolly hat shop!
Also thinking single sided spds, as i need new cleats anyway, and could choose shoes and hoping i can get some square taper HT1 cranks on fleabay for a couple of quid.
Notae Benne: old 110 giant stem pointing down! shock horror
Its name is Lucy by the way, I'll leave you to work out why.

726

2007-08-20T20:54:00.001Z

using the technical wizadry of photoshop... and a hammer on the touchpad if the image is anything to go by, i have recreated, to scale, for the purposes of geometry, the joyus unity of Giant boulder, 700cc front end, and cough Cyclocross cough cough bars and seatpost
praps mine will end up as a SS? Better for a pub bike, not so good for a commuter bike praps?
one ring up front for sure, praps a handful of gears out back (a hand with seven or eight fingers?)
All reliant on captain fleabay of course
Incidentally, I've decided its called a 726 - Seven Hundred (700cc) and Twenty Six (26")
cause 29" isn't 700cc, i believe
x

69erish Pub Bitch Bike

2007-08-20T17:56:00.001Z

Having left my xtc locked up in town for all of an hour, i'm terrified its gonna get stripped. (tealeafing little buggers with allen keys). Having looked at insurance, which would end up being a mere 100 queens notes a year PLUS having a 4 tonne D lock, i think it would be cheaper to get a pub/bitch/commuter bike.
Ive got a boulder frame (SS at the mo, never ridden) which would do the job, road wheels, one brake jobby. however all my forks are shot to poo or leaking, a rigid would me much more usable. only a bog standard rigid fork would make the geometry all wrong. HMMMMMM!
trek 69er runs a 26" back end, and a 29" front end. The back end provides good acceleration and the 29 front end gives a smoother quicker ride.
How about, a cheap ass road fork on a road wheel up front, to correct the geometry?

700cc = 28" MTB size give or take
frame is adjusted to 2-3" travel.
a 700cc wheel would give a rise (over a 26" rigid fork) including wheel extra, of ABOUT 3 inches

...to fleabay...
I say, a 700cc alloy tourer fork for £1 plus £5 postage
a 700cc wheel, tyre and tube for £6
That is considerably less than 150 quid for a years insurance, true im gonna need a new BB and rear wheel, but im sure auntie fleabay can help out there.
if i win the fork (which ends first) i think I'll "green light" the project as an OK idea.

piccy "borrowed" off the treck website, the new 69er, awesome (though i dont understand the need for tripple crown myself)

Location of note

2007-08-19T19:35:00.000Z

Having been finding random locations on the interweb, and looking them up to see what they are and what the mean to people, heres one of my own

52°43'57.52"N 1°41'39.55"W

google earth is obviously your best bet but if you DO have a GPS and a week to burn wandering the country/ browsing the map library, have fun!

Trail Hunter

2007-08-19T19:09:00.000Z

With a little help from google earth, in establishing wider areas of woodland, I am embarking on quite a mission, to establish myself a local route, as entirely offroad as possible, covering as wide an area as possible
starting with a bash through the closest woods. The blue line denotes the course of thebrook (I think) and i will be adding this, and the wider area to the route as and when! wish me luck, ill keep information updated of course. :-)

Highway code ammendment

2007-08-16T16:07:00.001Z

The highway code has had some 40 rules ammended for the upcomming new version
but most importantly, the wording makes it clear beyond question that cyclists are vulnerable and should ride within their capability, and personal limits, putting drivers firmly Secondary to the safety of the rider

"Rule 61: Cycle Facilities. Use cycle routes,
advanced stop lines, cycle boxes and toucan crossings unless at the
time it is unsafe to do so. Use of these facilities is not compulsory
and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your
journey safer.

Rule 63: Cycle Lanes. These are marked by a white
line (which may be broken) along the carriageway. When using a cycle
lane, keep within the lane when practicable. When leaving a cycle lane
check before pulling out that it is safe to do so and signal your
intention clearly to other road users. Use of these facilities is not
compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can
make your journey safer."

CTC

SITS07

2007-08-15T15:30:00.001Z

Sleepless was as always eexxcellent
we were a VERY casual team, with a rather embarassing position:

Main Linky & AberMTB results

however it wasnt helped by a drop out 5th rider, and if the rest of us had actually bothered to go riding at all over the preceeding 2 months we may have been a bit quicker on the climbs too
maybe next year eh (though we say that every year)

a good weekend had by all, and 3 more riders introduced to the joys of SITS

Fathead

2007-07-28T16:17:00.001Z

Fathead
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Those of you who dont know, i had an argument with a van last week, it was rubbish and i lost. (twas his fault entirely so no issue there) but my face hurt.
nehoo, repairs got done today, and somebody is getting a triple figure bill for a mangled gear system and saddle.
he would have been better off choosing somebody on a halfords bike really i think.
x

Headlights

2007-07-11T11:14:00.000Z

I was looking at these very lights only a month or two ago, for the bargain price of 60 quid you get a NiMH battery, a 5Watt spread and a 10Watt beam Halogen headlamps.
Well sleepless is looming and CRC have an offer on and they are now £19.99..... Jackpot
so i thought it would be silly to miss and splashed out on a gradution present. thing is, it dosent get dark till 10 now, so they may not get much use for a few weeks. but they are here, so i think ill flatten the battery (having had it on charge for 12 hours) and put it into storage till the darker months.
Incidently, the badge on the headtube is now black because the chrome was getting skanky, and i thought it would add a nice custom touch (as the rest of the original bike has been obliterated over the past 2 years)
came out quite nicely, i think you will agree. :)

2007-07-10T14:26:00.000Z

Get Your Countdown

Single Speed

2007-06-29T20:19:00.001Z

Apart from a brake cable and a brake hose its rolling stock! Rock!
could do with a new rear wheel, a seat QR and a new bottom bracket would let me put on some more suitable cranks, (the current one is very short)
the saddle and front wheel are off other bikes, but are quick release so i may as well use them as ive got them already!
it pedals fine, but cant stop yet! I could get away with just a rear brake but as ive got the mini, and it fits the rotor on the street bike its too convenient to ignore. New SPDs are due on mon XC bike, so the current SPDs could go on the SS. the street bike could use a new Headset (the other one is ok but a bit rough) so when i get a Pig Pro on there, the Pig can get serviced and put on the SS too.
slowly but steadily i guess!

Flickr

Super simple SS conversion cont'd

2007-06-28T18:59:00.000Z

just out of interest (and a bit of boredom) i thought id'e try it, and whadya know.
though i wouldn't use a chainring myself, when you can get a nice supply of sprockets, of ALL different sizes by taking a hammer to an old cassette.
by having a fiddle with chain lengths and sprocket sizes, you can adjust the tension pretty accurately, and when its done properly (with SS specific cogs front and back, the ghost cog cant fall out, cant rattle loose, it just floats there, wedged between the chain going forwards at the top and rearwards underneath. because the chain moves at the same speed top and bottom it dosen't creep in either direction.
The clever bit is, if you need more tension on the chain, knock the wheel out the dropouts and move the floating sprocket a link closer to the freehub, (away lowers tension equally), if its awkward, chainge the size of the sprocket. kinda hard to explain, you either get it or you dont i guess, as long as the floating sprocket is bigger than the space between the upper and lower chain, it pushes them apart, tensioning it nicely.
a spring loaded tensioner would be quicker a less of a faff to set up, as would a mech, but i like the clean lines of this, and on a pimpy pit/hack bike it would look cool with a magical floating sprocket methinks :)

Super simple SS conversion

2007-06-28T14:40:00.001Z

Ive just found the very best method of tensioning a vertical dropout single speed, its bodgetastic and it is going to be done on the slow progessing SS hack-bike project, it looks crazy but is so simple and there is NO reason for it to not work perfectly (may be a little unstable on a MTB, but we will see!.
Linky

Wishlist

2007-06-26T13:49:00.001Z

Wondering if i can get a linky to a CRC wishlist on the sidebar.... hmmmm
If i stick one here, then i can check see if it stays linked to "My Wishlist basket" for any great length of time.

sigh ... bling bike bits ... sigh

New Brake pads

2007-06-16T18:53:00.001Z

Last time my brake pads wore out, they got replaced by sintered pads, due to the high wear and tear inflicted by welsh muck, however they are no wear near as good, sure they slow you ut dont bite and feel a bit soggy (i prefer wooden trials style braking as i'm not a dipshit and can modulate)
however fibrax make a cross breed between the two, so this time im gonna try these, putting the sintered ones in the back brake for low pressure control braking, and hopefully they new much tackier but long lasting pads up front for some phat front wheel styling (xc/trail stoppie-tastic trick cornering)
Whoot!

Of Wooly hats and alloy carriers

2007-06-10T12:34:00.001Z

Bought a ProII on a wheel? You probably didnt get the sticker that says "only use alloy carrier cassettes"(as it will bigger the freehub body). I know i didnt. nehoo i'm not a 'galoot' so i havent destroyed it.
But to prevent any major damage, as i havent bought anything in aaaages* and as my cassettes getting on a bit, i found a nice Fleabay shop which still stocks XT 8speed! which is sadly being phased out.
Ive got better things to spend 90 quid on other than new shifters, cassettes and chains just because Shimmano are getting more and more rubbish and Hope are following shortly behind.
Hope make thier hubs in every combination possible, bolt thorugh single speed rim specific, the works. yet if you want a tougher freehub body you need to buy the steel body aftermarket, and they dont sell the Ti ones at all anymore. Expensive, but in my mind worth it as they are the best of both worlds. nehoo, you should be able to decide between weight and strength. rather than have to retrofit second rate steel ones (200g heavier or something stupid) Shit, im turning into a weight weenie kit whore

*now everyone has left aber for the final time, i cant steal/borrow extensivly tools, so the shopping list has suddenly lept up to include shock pumps, chain whips, cable cutters...

Dyfi Bannanas are the best Bannanas

2007-05-08T11:53:00.001Z

The Best Bannana in the world (eating a yellow fruit)
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

A few pictures from the Dyfi Enduro, only a few though, as we were to busy 'enduring', to take pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ollyroberts/tags/dyfi/

Dunkeld Panoramic

2007-04-10T17:58:00.000Z

Its been sitting on my desktop for a while waiting to be processed after BUSA, but the panorama adjuster thingy ive got eats memory like popcorn, so its one of those things which needs leaving for half an hour to process.
nehoo, heres the small version to fit on this page...

and if you are feeling super adventurous, and have the bandwidth/time spare to download an image 19590x2485, then heres the link to the full version. Stored on uni webspace, (so after 2007 it probably wont be there)

Mahuusive!

enjoy!

Sheldon Browns 63 speed

2007-04-08T19:32:00.000Z

The man-machine-bodge-daddy of cycling has done it again (or at least ive just found it)
a combo 3 speed hub on a 7 speed cassette and i assume a triple front ring.
pointless, but bodgealiccious

http://sheldonbrown.com/otb.html

raather pointless, but you gotta love the spidersweb/ratsnest of pointless cables and extra brakes.
being away from aber is giving me ideas for that damn single speed again, tisnt a good thing as i cant afford to pour money into another bike!
at the moment the Bams are going on it, V on the back and either a hope mini or a cable disk on the front.
needs a new headset, pedals, seals on the bams (and bridge strictly speaking) and a restore of the mini if i choose that.
also need to find me a rim brake compatible rear wheel which is in one piece!
hmmm, want it to be as similar geom feel to the xtc as possible, but we will see!
also been looking at large custard cotic simples [not availible in custard the larges] :-(

Out

Lonely Marshall

2007-03-27T21:43:00.001Z

Lonely Marshall
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Hopefully not the last BUSA get to, but a good one to finish on.
absoloutly epic XC and DH location in gorgeous weather for a long weekend of filth and fun. i could go on about it, but wont, as im lazy.
results are here (for the moment)
and there are plenty of pictures knocking about, mine are here

Brechfa Gorlech

2007-03-17T23:19:00.001Z

Brechfa Gorlech
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Table tops and Helter skelter berms, take away the rubbish climbing singletrack and i think you may have the perfect man-made trail (though natural stuff always beats man made stuff). Its like a rollercoaster, only decisions on braking and pedaling, pumping and unweighting, not to mention steering, dictate how well you stick (or don't) to the rattly rails of the sketchiest rollercoaster ever. ACE, the next bike is a steel hard tail, long travel, single speed, bullet proof, trail monster truck. but until a job falls in my lap, i will just have to worry about which frame i want. Curtis SX trail? Cotic Bfe? on-one? I think, as it stands at the moment, i want to make my own ^o) tsk, typical

Conti Kit for BUSA

2007-03-17T22:36:00.000Z

Continental tyres for busa i think, mud race tyres for the bike, and conti mud stomping "tyres" for me (only they are Dunlop with conti stickers, but damn cool none the less) bring on the busa muck!!

I [heart] On One Dropouts

2007-03-05T18:30:00.000Z

One-One's new dropouts officialy make me mayonaise. They do everything, Geared, SS, AND sliding disks on the inside of the rear triangle (which i've always liked) The only change i would make is route the hose on the underside of the seatstay (as-aposed to the top of the chainstay).
These would make ultimate FRHT dropouts in my opinion (if they were beefier maybe), because even if your gears do fail, you can flip it to SS with a few moments bodging. Bombproof FRHT. hopefully, by the time i have enough money for another bike (15omm travel FRHT jobby) On-One will have made a chucky version of one of these).
Love it

Windproof

2007-02-27T16:33:00.000Z

As i left my waterpoof at home, i bought a new roadie wind jacket off of sculliaann.
its bo, and bling, and not really new as this was a week or 3 ago, it is however, not muddy, which is much cooler, and having munched myself into a tree last weekend, i got a new lid too (on its way in the post) which is yellow and black also, "Pee Aye EM Pee"
only thing is, being a German top, the yellow side is on the pavement side of the road, so its 'road safety' properties are marginaly diminished. Sigh. (its hellish lightweight though)

posing for the picture btw, i dont generaly stand like a howies model

Tony the Tiger

2007-02-04T16:27:00.000Z

2 awesome weekends of Mach3/Climax/Tony the tiger, whatever you want to call it, either way, I love this game.

More pictures across Flickr: abermtb
Pete
Mark
and of course Mine

New Bike anyone?

2007-01-04T18:04:00.000Z

Browsing these fancy "Asphalt" Konas points in one direction really, the knackered XC bike in the shed. Ive got the:

tyres
stem and bars
forks
cable disks (for the front)
levers

which need replacing, the seat is easy, as being another giant, i can use the seat and post off the xc rig, which will make it nice and comfy (not like i can ride 2 at the same time is it).
all it needs is:

New Headset
New Wheels (if im getting them done, single speed on the back and a disk on the front on basic bearing hubs as they wont get screwed over on the road/commute)
and once ive got the siezed BB out, we're laughing.
and as a project, paint it nice, as it wont get scratched up either and the current paintwork is haggard, but thats just asthetics obviously.

sigh, its not like i need it, but its such a convinient idea.

[incidently, the cromloy frame in the picture down there under the 'urban riding' post is a Kona Explosif, thats what got me looking at Konas. Sla]

Tee

2006-12-22T00:27:00.000Z

Its late and im waiting for someone to mail me some stuff wot needs printing, so while i wait, a homage to the first abermtb Tee, in the form of a print to go on a tee. Its our Mike as a first year with his 'rad' beer/tyre lever teeshirt....Yo

Dink

2006-11-29T18:23:00.001Z

Dink
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Just riding along happy as Larry when BOOM! I think i was runnign my tyres a bit too hard (resisting pinches on snowdon, so around 60psi :$) and the turb just couldnt hack it, so catastrophic tube faliure, as with all tube faliures (rather than Punctures) they dont wheeze or Hiss down, one moment they are up at 60psi, the next they are flat sa a pancake. nehoo, the italian-job slate at Nant didnt really agree with my rim and decided to have a little squabble and the slate won, bummer. opn my nice new wheel too! Though quite a triumph of martins wheel building, its still as straight as an arrow, pretty good work when a rim bends before it goes out of true i think. A bit of careful leverage with a good quality shifty spanner, and will be as good as new. (i hope)

Urban Riding

2006-11-24T19:38:00.001Z

Urban Riding
Originally uploaded by simonankor.

Life on a bike? I quite fancy being a courior, that would be awesome... until it rained at least. much call for couriors in Hawaii? or New Zealand? Anyhoo, Its not my picture, its, Simonankor's picture, but check the cool slipping dropouts on the beasty steel urban frame.
Kerbluuey

Snowdon 2 - Snowdons Revenge

2006-11-20T16:53:00.001Z

Scout returns with Bad News
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

XC this time, and it was much more fun being able to ride up sections which were depressing to walk and it was much appreciated being clipped in too, however, its no fun on those rocks and slates in the wet and with winds which could (and did repeatedly) try and blow the bikes out of our hands of from underneath us (,which could have resulted in them crashing down the faces to thier dooms on the rocks). Nehoo, after the second bridge, we met a rather miffed looking simon with a feather weight bike buffeting in the wind. General conclusion, it wouldn't be rideable up OR down and would be plain dangerous to even walk it. so the scores so far, Bike 1: Snowdonw 1. However the XC whip will be out on the next ride, hopefully in drier, more temperate climes and snowdon will be pillaged and dominated

"Night ride Olly? No? Shame"

2006-11-15T22:39:00.000Z

Joe has just been round, with his new lights, its getting to that stage where im going to have to get some lights. I dont fancy the 30 quid for 10watt and 5watt combo, im more drawn to the 50 quid single 10 watt, simpler and sooo much tidier (they are both on CRC i'll leave you to explore).
Nehoo, the picture, for those not in the know, is probably the neatest and most secure (though not the best i would imagine) light on the market.
what i/you really could do with a barrage of all over light on the bars, from a pair of light weight, long burntime LEDs (good for climbs and a general melle of light) , and a 10watt spot on "le helmet" for directional awesomeness( which would also facilitate off the bike problems, like repairs, stuff droppped out bags (its bound to happen in the dark)). Also better for hefty batteries to be body mounted to prevent bike handling getting cocked up
anyhoo, another of my masterplans which will probably stay in its metaphorical box for quite a while.
Back to the remote sensing report.... ghey

Ultimate Freeride

2006-11-14T23:22:00.000Z

Ultimate Freeride Hardtail anyone?
One of these

Teamed up with a matching pair of these

All set off by stealth DH Hayes Nines, Hone hollowtechII crankset with sram shifters, rear mech and drive chain connected to (blue) Hope Pro2s on some suitable mavics And for comforts sake, keep it WTB in the seat department. the only issue i have with this plan is whether to choose flats or SPDS, swapping beween the two would be ghey, and you cant get both without sacrificing qualities of each. which is a shame. So until then, i will have to stick with my Giant and Street bike. while im on the subject of talking myself out of wanting one, its a little short i think to be comfortable for some one of my 'stature' to ride any distance.

Its the Harrier Jump Jet of bikes, go anywhere, do anything. If you only ever buy one bike, THIS would be it.
XXX

Chasing the sun home

2006-11-06T18:03:00.000Z

Chasing the sun home
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Ride out, Joes back garden at Nant Y Moch, and chasing the sun home due to lack of lights at 16:15
(dusk at 16:30, 10ish miles of flat chain-ganging road to be eaten up)
ended up being perfectly timed as lighting up time arrived as we got home

Spike & Clarach DHJ

2006-11-02T11:58:00.000Z

Behaved (all in all)
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Spikely has new Forks, (DJ Pros) which seem tough as hell, and apart form being obvoiously heavier than my BAMS are ace, if i ahve the money, one day i will get the Bams repaired and serviced as they are awesome, but a pair of these off fleabay is cheaper so at the moment im on DJPs (which arnt going to break too soon i feel, touch wood) Picture from the Clarach DHJam last sunday, pictures all over the forum, flcikr and AberMTB Flickr site (there is also a film on Putfile)

ABERMTB.COM DH JAM CLARACH OCT 2006

RESULTS

1. ROB SCULLION(2) 1.22.83
2. JOE TAYLOR(13) 1.29.61
3. MIKE INMAN(1) 1.30.45
4. DUNCAN BURTON(22) 1.33.27
5. MARTIN WALKER(12) 1.36.61
6. MALCOM(20) 1.41.69
7. ADAM LISTER(11) 1.43.62
8. DAVE SPENS BLACK 1.44.47 (WITH HELICHOPTER PENALTY)
9. DAVE BLACKBURN(9) 1.48.93
10. NICK(16) 1.50.20
11. NICK BURTON(21) 1.52.34
12. IESTYN(5) 1.56.57
13. CHRIS LOWE(3) 1.57.21
14. JAMIE(24) 1.57.96
15. JOE HOWARD(26) 2.03.70
16. TOM WARD(14) 2.04.92
17. OLLY ROBERTS(17) 2.05.12
18. MIKE LELLIOT(29) 2.07.95
19. RICHARD EAKINS(4) 2.09.38
20. MIKE EXLEY(10) 2.13.67
21. RHODRI MORRIS(7) 2.13.98
22. HARRY RAZZLE .D(15) 2.19.07
23. TOM EVANS(27) 2.23.65
24. JAMES(6) 2.39.95
25. MARK(25) 2.39.97
26. PETE(18) 2.52.09
27. TOM(?) 3.03.60
28. MATT INGHAM(19) 4.38.51

Tall Zer0stack

2006-11-02T11:37:00.000Z

Tall Zer0stack
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

New Headset.
Cartridge zero stack wonderness, and i already have spare carts for it, so it shouldnt need money spending on it for years/
whoot!

STP Zero 07

2006-10-27T21:55:00.000Z

For that uber street bike, replace the frame with one of these new "Giant STP zero" frames. short as hell this year, much nicer paint work (though would be better in pink or chocolate) and being Alu a hell of a lot lighter (the only critisism or the P1 is the weight of the steel chassis)

Image publisher isnt working so its over Here

Ultimate Street Bike

2006-10-16T18:14:00.000Z

My ultimate street bike, ultimatly based on the Specialized Bicycle Components : P.2 Cr-Mo However a few changes on the component front (well all of them basicly)

P Cromo frame, in baby pink, with the same "skull" patern
Black Zocchi DJ1s, bolt through forks
Black Hope Pro2 Hubs
Shimano Hone Crankset, undecided between 2 rings and a mech or 1 ring and a guide, is there a compromise?
Roadie Cassete and Rear mech
Hayes nine brakes
Wellgo V12 Flat pedals
WTB trialsy saddle
Speccy Grips, not in brown

Short-as-you-like Scrummy

BMX - Issac Newton eats his words

2006-10-15T22:27:00.000Z


Blatent disregard to Newtons Laws, Gravity and Traction, let alone local authority and risk of ASBOs, cheeky bugger fair enough though, respect like. x

Bikes are gay still

2006-10-09T11:08:00.000Z

Having manualed into a wall (whoops) i set about repairing said gash, easy really. Just wet and dry the burr off the gash, then fill the pit with nail varnish (hence the blackness of the pit) and use brasso to gently level off the varnish (repeat as needed)

it actually works so much better than i expected! pretty much perfectly, you can only feel the pit by picking at it, rather than just gently stroking it (how erotic).

ANYWAY, to get at it properly, i took the fork leg off so i could take some time over it infront of the TV

Bolting it back on again however, i noticed this crack in the bridge, i Hate bikes so much, its just a chain of busted bits, mend one and another one goes or is found. i should have stuck with cacky pedals :(

why is it on its side? :S

To be fair, the forks could already do with an overhaul, new spings, oil and seals. grrrrr

Sombrio Cartel - 360 Flip

2006-09-13T13:24:00.000Z

Dont try this at home kids!!

DO check it out though

Jordie 360 Flip

Shrine of Worship

2006-09-11T10:41:00.000Z

Its arrived

I had big plans to make a shrine to my fantabulous new wheel, but now ive run out of ideas. Martin claims, its a pleasure to build nice wheels from nice components, so thats always good.
Does it WANT to be any louder, i may have to put a dab of grease in some time to shut it up! Apparntly its 4 pawls in a 24 tooth ratchet, which is a bit of a bummer to my Bulb, 3 pawls on a 21 tooth rathcet, muhahaha
however, while out on a ride yesterday i did finaly get pedal hops in (on a new xc wheel :$ tut tut) it probably helped, being clipped in, with the pedal kicks, but after going for 'just one more go' the tight clips got the better of me and i over cooked it and couldn't jump out before being deposited on my arse. Ow
anyhoo, it has been subjected to a weigh in too

The old wheel was 1300grams, this one is...
922 grams, which in uncooked pork sausages is, 62.5 weight watcher points, and in semolina, 48.5 weight watchers points. Jens scales finaly get some proper usage it would seem. Anyhoo, 400grams, nealry half a kilo, is enough of a difference to be quite noticable i thinks, and the general indestructable badassness of the build has made it, overall, a bargin buy (keep telling yourself that and it'l be fine)

You love it.
I know i do

New XC rear wheel

2006-08-29T11:25:00.000Z

Sinnerman is me

Sinnerman says: omfooking god
Sinnerman says: was in summit
Sinnerman says: talking to Martin about a repair to my back wheel (60 quid in total)
Sinnerman says: and ended up talking about a hope pro2 on a light rim
Sinnerman says: as an xc wheel
Senor Drew says: ow do
Sinnerman says: and my dad was like, ill give u 80 quid towards one of those
Sinnerman says: if u pay the rest
Sinnerman says: so ended up with a 160 quid rear wheel on xc boike now (costing me 80 quid)
Sinnerman says: :o :o :o
Sinnerman says: (reeto la)

Rant over!
i swear i could explode!But im of 2 minds of wether its the right thing, i mean, it is! cause it'll last forever, and the 60 quid option needs an extra 60 quid every 2 years ish, so in 4 years its paid for itself, and even if i bend the wheel (which wont happen with a Martin wheel used for xc) i still get to keep the hub forever an ever and ever, as its tougher than the fabric of time itself.
However 160 quid is a lot... but then im only paying 80, so less impact, more guilt.
Though im not getting a birthday pressie anymore i dont think, but then i never wanted anything specific anyway so its worked out on that front quiet well. anyway, its ordered and being built, ill make a shrine to it when it arrives, before it gets muddy. have i done the right thing in getting this over a rebuild onto my current hub, basic cartridge hub with sealed unit freehub?

New wheel looks like this:
one of these
http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/v/vtt_produit_jante_XC_717_disc.php?gamme=vtt

built onto one of these
Pro ll Rear 32H - 135mm - QR - 6 Bolt Hope

By Martin at summit (the ONLY wheel builder)

Sleepless in the saddle 2006

2006-08-15T10:41:00.000Z

great weekend of racing pretty much demolished by rain and unfeasible amounts of mud, grrr n bugger, shame, potential was ace. but it stops being a bike race when you have to run 40% and wheels wont turn for a quater of the track.

Mangled Jockey Wheel

2006-07-22T18:43:00.000Z

Mangled Jockey Wheel
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

bugger!
13.99 for some new cart bearing xtr jockey wheels, and a tenner for a mech hanger, which got bummed too.

Rear Caliper - Hayes nines

2006-07-11T20:20:00.000Z

Rear Caliper
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

high quality piccies bring out all the nicks and scratches really clearly evidently.

Hayes Hydraulic Disc Brakes: HFX 9 XC

2006-07-08T22:00:00.000Z

Got me a pair of these, installed but not tested yet, they look cracking and feel much more solid than my MPHs, hoses are a wee bit long but have gone for a pimp routing anyhoo, and ive heard Hayes are damn good, and an open system will help a bunch too on overheating etc. nice looking rotor, and big pads. all in all, looking forward to the next time i need to drop the anchors.

Hayes Hydraulic Disc Brakes: HFX 9 XC

Sketch

2006-07-02T12:33:00.000Z

^ Clicky ^

ironicaly, i as listening to 'a perfect circle' while i was drawing most of it, wheels included ^o), though apprently only mad people can draw perfect circles freehand. Damn the cacky repro on this camera, i need a new camera. apres brakes and wheel. grrr n cackyness. it was only ment to be the shoe, but i got carried away, may have another go, do the shoe only but big loike

Spikes 'new' forks

2006-06-22T20:12:00.000Z

Spikes 'new' forks
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

New Colour scheme! Black forks and frame, with blue and yellow trim,

Blue forkcaps, saddle and ziptie on the front brake,
Yellow Valve caps, Tyre badges and Rollamajig
Pimp

having spent 3 days spraying the forks, a tiny layer at a time, and spending 2 hours masking them off, if i say so myself, made a damn good job of it, hope it stays that way, though touch ups will work with black nail varnish if needs be.
Looks so much slicker now, Orange is officialy the worst colour in the world, the only things which should be orange, should be... Oranges

Up the Lawley with some local riders

2006-06-09T12:01:00.000Z

Will
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

Steep an dusty, pretty cool, and now i know what to expect ill be a bit better prepared, though for the first time brakes cooked so much they smoked a little and locked up completly, until they cooled down at least. wheels were pretty much locked! new brakes after new rear wheel, sometime before christmas i think.

[EDIT: 09/06/06@16:03: there are unfeasible amounts of thorns in shropshire, just like the good old pottering around lanes days, after yesterdays ride, ive pulled 5 thorns out the rear tyre, and 2 out the front, and i know they wenrt there when i left, cause i put the tyre on that morning. grrrr, slimes would possibly help around here to some extent, messy pinches arn't really a threat here]

Mountain Goats

2006-06-07T12:06:00.000Z

dont worry, It is in the right section... The Mountain Goats are not only my new favorite band for this week, but also awesome riding music, and with a name to match. crrracking

irrelevant image by ROBERT BATEMAN
The mountain goats are here

Just not the same

2006-06-06T12:25:00.000Z

Just not the same
Originally uploaded by olly rob.

to be honest, i feel a little dirty now ;-)
1.1/8 " gator ultras, with fabric walls and arimid puncture proofing all the way around, stupidly light and horribly fast on the road, though not quite as comfortable i feel.
gtg race to town now. ta ta!

Wheels

2006-06-05T19:37:00.000Z

Back end needs a truing and new bearings, theyre cartirdges, but i cant find the units anywhere online and its a looong waiting list for the bike shop in town. which is now making me quite fancy a nice new wheel, a silver mavic X317 rim to go with the front one, on a nice clicky, 21pickup Hope xc hub in bllllack of course. as i said though, its after shifters and brakes, and the only thing before the frame gets replaced... whoops.
i think ill true it myself, but let the shop have a fiddle with the bearings, dont fancy tapping out hub shells and that myself.
P.S. Got me an LX front mech, not only does it shift simmingly, but matches the hollowtech cranks, collour and shape wise... cracking

Grandfathers Hammer

2006-05-27T14:18:00.000Z

If i decide to upgrade my gash shifters before Sleepless, and stick some nice deore LX hydro disks on too, as they are cheap as chips, and some of the best brakes you can get without spending 200 quid... the only original parts on my xtc would be the frame, the static gear (seat tubes, bars, stem, etc) and the back wheel AND THEN i may be forced to upgrade the back wheel when it dies to a Maxic 317 rim on a Hope XC hub, to match the front wheel. So the question arises..., if i uprgrade the frame to a yummy trail frame, (heavy XC full susser) such as say... a Trance (like the reign but lighter, and not as whippety as the anthem) is it the same bike??

i wont needless to say, the wheel would be the biggest buy, then i think i MAY stop. it seems a shame to build all this stuff up, i could have bought the bike in bits for less money, but then again, ive only replaced bits ive broken, and its a work in progress right? and you can never be happy with them right?, so if ide bought a trance outright, it would still have got upgraded, and it would have cost just as much (note the lack of Hollowtech, xtr mech etc etc).
its a confusing game. andy anyway, the ONLY way i could have got such a gourgeous Cream frame, was to buy an XTC4, and this way, ive upgraded that I want, not what Giant want, and its a custom bike. Dont worry, im waffeling now, i feel i have to justify myself, or something. only ive got my ambition to keep building her up to a heavy XC/Light trailFR Bike.
That trance is a cracking spec, looking at it, wonder how much it is.... £1650
that would be why then! maybe one day, ill tot' up the price of my bike.
Back in a wee bit.
XX

[Edit, I can get a trance trail bike, heavy build with Aveoli running gear and V brakes, then build up my nice bits and bobs, and either sell the rubbish off, or build it up onto the XTC frame as a hard tail. though that would be sacrelige, maybe ill get a job/win the lottery and just buy all the bikes i fancy instead. we can but dream i guess]

Electronics

2006-05-23T22:46:00.000Z

How about that for an electronics project, sleepless in the saddle would be even more awsome with these on the bike. legendary
http://www.instructables.com/ex/i/3C61E5B2FF42102880EC001143E7E506/?ALLSTEPS

Black never goes out of fashion

2006-05-22T22:49:00.000Z

much as matt black chipped and orange worn out forks is a loverly colour scheme, i reckon street bikes need, by law, to be stealth black. so the plan is, over the summer, to strip down the street bike and paint the frame and forks in matching gloss/satin black
not only that, but its gonna have some cracking little details in it too, like 'embossing' le fork??
we will see, but i think its an ace idea at the mo.
i suppose, while its apart, i can clean all the other bits and bobs, and make them shiney to go back on... perhaps

The Return

2006-05-18T19:05:00.000Z

OllyMTB

Its back, its cleaner, it links to the main page, and rather than be full of gay stat reports, it'll be all the waffle off t'other blog that has bike stuff in it (circa 50%) about cool rides and spending too much money and being cold etc etc.
Ive been looking for an excuse to play HTML games and the main page is.... well... perfect, so i thought ide perfecterise this one instead
Boom!
Enjoy :D

WOW

2005-12-17T15:11:00.000Z

Oh my GOD these tyres are THE SEX!!!!!
Effin Effin Eff of Eff Effin 40 quid bargin Effin Eff!!
Street Bikes new shoes?

Straatt Bike (street)

2005-09-13T13:32:00.000Z

To save bashing the XTC anymore, finnaly got me a street/play bike in the hols, 160 quid well spent i feel.
SO now i can think about lightening the XTC, and sacrificcing some strength for weight, as and when money arises nehoo, and the sexy black deore stuff can go on the Street i gueess too, as its currently using Alveoi or somat. Poo i kno but as long as it works who cares tbh on a play bike
Once again, im sure il get some pix n stuff goin, mite have to ,modify site now too!, although lik my xtc page top, jumper may have to go as a footer. Hmm,got some sexy ideas already.

Long time (XTC)

2005-09-13T13:14:00.000Z

Its been a long time, infact anyone (singular) who ever bothered to check regularly may have given up, but its all been busy this summer, spent lots of money, and pedaled muchly. So much so in fact, that im gonna go for the whole list approach as im lazy.

1) Funky bar ends bought, concluded that i didnt like em on the ends of the bars and so have stuck em on the inside of the grips, outside the control mounts, the plan is, still work as climbing bars, comfy position for flat cruising and nice aerodynamics for descents on roads. I think it works wonders myself, and only use the gribs when i need brakes really, can even change gear while using them. Im sure ule get a pic some time ish soon ish.

2) Spuds, or even SPDs or even shimano pedal dynamics, or EVEN Suicidal pedal design. Either way, funky M5 SPDS, and some v v sexyt specialzed Body Geo Shoes to match, am loving em, just couldnt go back to Platforms.

3) Riding 12k each way to and from work over the hols demanded slicks, if only to save expensive tyres, and the soft tacky rubber has been munched by meole braces damn roundabouts, super grippy tarmac (the yellow sandpaper stuff), on tyres reuslts in big bald(er) patch. Nehoo, loving roadie riding, want another bike.

3) Sleepless in the saddle was awsome, but to avoid me waffeling on about it, as im lazy, go to the forum and look at the thread, pith piccys and all sorts (my piccys are on my gallery also)

4) errrrrm, Begining 0f Hols i got my dudey rollermajig fitted, it looks techy (which is always good imo) and it hink it helps muchly on ghost shifting, but its hard to compare so hard to tell.

Nehoo, shutting up now, Laters. XXX

sleepless in the saddle, early morning

Pusing the envelope

2005-05-31T09:32:00.000Z

Damn it, ive bent it again.
We went to the redbull trail in Coed Y brenin, and then the Marin in Betsy Coed.
The redbull was good fun, if a little cobbley for my liking on the climbs. Then we stopped for a steak sandwich in the visitor center, mmm cracking. Then on to Betsy, where we rode out a good 10 k, before i broke my bike by mangling the dropout, so my hanger was well and tuly wedged in my spokes, got it out, and with a flat tyre which i couldent reapaair, began the 10km walk home, was quite irritating, and i didnt have a clue where i wass going, so had to guess a lot of it. Probably walked much further than nessacary damn it.
Why do i break it soooooo easily!? Argh, off to summit soon, see if i can get a new dropout (I think thats the bit im on about) and a new tube

Mavic 317

2005-05-25T10:56:00.000Z

Got my Mavic 317 uber uber light rim yesterday got Summit to build it up for me, one silver wheel and one black now.... Pimp.
Also re-aligned brake calipers, and purged them again, getting quite a bit of air out again. So now they are running sweet as.
Mmmmmm fiddling

Bosh, Body slam

2005-05-21T15:10:00.000Z

Happily trundling along, gears fail to change and crunch a little, so look down to check whats goin on, sort it, look up, and a dirty great tree is running towards me at 30, the bugger
new wheel or rim me thinks

Spongey

2005-05-21T13:45:00.000Z

Brakes were getting a tad spongey, so purged them today, not a complete rebled, good old Giant MPH3/Hope C2s are an open (or is it closed) system (never can rememeber which way round that is). Meant i could stick a a length of tubing filled with fluid on the top of the resevoir instead of a whole syringe set, pump the system a few times, pushing all the air bubbles up the system as the Dot4 is forced down, No need for me to fiddle with the caliper end of the brake, so no risk of spilling fluid and permanantly writing off pads, rotors and pretty paint jobs, mmm toxic/irritant/acid badass brake fluid. i think ill take it for a hack this afternoon, and then redo the back brake, its still a little spongey and being horizontal it is tricky to get he bubble to rise up, i got a ot out, but i think a hack will disturb all the others, putting them nearer the top of the system. Its only a hypothisis, but im pretty confident.
Joy to the procrastinating world, my brakes have been done, back to revision.

999.9

2005-05-12T16:17:00.000Z

999.9km since ive had it.
Add few for things like broken computer, wrong wheel sizes and rubbish like that.

Blackhole

2005-05-10T13:44:00.000Z

The new 2006 Giant range is out
New XTC is gurgle worthy, Is carbon composite frame, overall blacker than a blackhole
And will be light as a feather. New forks too, and lightweight XC rims, all in all, with the probs ironed out, but ill be changing my rims and forks over summer nehoo so :p
Looking at it
the £500 model, the ony difference is the tyres and the forks, and the tyres are worse, and the colours crap
The carbon frame will set u back 1250 squid so tis not a great loss
will be workgn on my weight over summer as part of the acid project, get me some lightweight rims n forks.
Is all ok
Ill leave you to oogle at the 2006 range

NyM with South wales riders

2005-04-28T18:11:00.000Z

I'm Slacking!!!!, i really cant be bothered to post at the moment, so its gonna have to be another few posts rolled into one

1) Ride with Riders from south wales last weekend, was pretty good, would have been ace if it wasnt for stuff breaking, first i got a puncture, while mending i lost a vital pump bit, set us back a good 15 mins, arse. Then, on the moorland section of the conti, my peddal sheared off, which was gay. So a nice 10km walk back to teh car park for me, then a 3 hour sit in the car park. I got a few shots on the way back though, and paused to write some anti 4wheel slogan onthe side of a Quad bike van, who came steaming past us when i was with the group, can put up with Motocrossers, but if u cant balance a bike then get off the trail :@

http://www.ollymtb.fotopic.net/c513651.html

2) Took drive arm down to summit, and asked them to helicoil it, but it was too badly damaged so wasnt possibel, so instead of sellign me awhole new drive chain, they gave me just the bits i needed, and took the cogs off to sell 'em seperatly
What useful chaps!!!!
£25 quid i think it was, ho hum, beats buying a whole new chain-set

Keep in touch
XXXX
me

Uber Plan

2005-04-22T18:22:00.000Z

It has come about, that i want another bike. Being a bit of a saga this story is; [Forum].
anyhoo, the plan is this, as it stands.

1) In august, after my results come out buy this most beautiful Giant Acid 1

Its an ace setup in my opinon for the price, as Giants always are as they make clones of deore hubs, Hope C2 brakes, etc and can produce and fit 'em cheaper.
however the forks are a bit on the XC side for entry downhilling, so hopefully i can get me some second hand vanillas or bombers off Tim or Andy and then the complex bit begins,

2) move the zocchis MZ comps onto my XTC, and the XCP75s off the XTC onto the old bouldershock (so old it hasnt got a website but its much like this) Genius.

3) Not only that but the wheels on my XTC are excessivly heavy, rims alone 470g, cause they are downhilling rims (for disks only) according to the Alex website. anyhoo, as giant parts will be on both, they shoudl be compatible, so i will se eif i can swwap the wheels on the Acid for some liht weight ones, and then put eh new ones on the XTC and the old Alex DP17s on the new Acid. Are you still with me boys n girls? if so, congratulations

Road Race

2005-04-19T17:02:00.000Z

Roadie race tommorow,
slicks are on, slip pedals are going on, bottle cage for some serious lucozade abuse. some MTBers are racing agains Ystwyth CC roadies, just for fun, we are gonna get eaten alive, but its all good, will let you know how it goes 2moz
XXX
(p.s, just posted to test m crafty new 'msn, my space' tactic, is all explained on main blog)

Sick Slicks

2005-04-17T18:14:00.000Z

Sick Slicks, damn fast though

Multiple posts, all rolled into one mess

2005-04-13T22:42:00.000Z

what can i say, Sunday was a mess. The Clarach trails have been redone, now knobbly horrid downhill rather than just big singletrack, am much distressed. Drew wasnt feelign to great so i robbed t' Patriot and had a go myself, was muchos fun with all them soggy springs, but then i thought ide give thee drop a go, which worked perfectly i mite add, but the compression got the better of me on the following up ramp, catpulting me miles into the air (around 5' according to spectators, which is far too high for my liking) upon crashing to ground, realised i was being chased by a runaway, riderless Patriot with monster Ts looming down. well i didnt die, so i got up and tried it again, and proceeded to exactly the same thing again. All in all, it could have gone better. then again it could have gone worse too.
Bit of street riding with drewfish today. great fun, only Scully turned up and prceeded to show us up with his hardcore trial skills. grr. getting a job over the summer i think, for a plush street bike.
Oh yeah, got a puncture on sunday too, to consti a bit to fast and twatted a pointy rock, pinch! and ripped my computer cable out yet again, so its now built with a electrical chocolate block glued on fork outers, and one on the stem area, with a repaceble bit or random wire inbetween, genius i thought, no more splicing wires for me, just stick in a new one/tidied old one in with a screwdriver. class
nehoo, beddy byes, mwah, me, XXX

New Term

2005-04-10T14:07:00.000Z

Tis a new term, new riding, so forht erecord, the ODO is on 770.8km
Just so you know :p
off to clock it up
Love me

New Saddle

2005-04-10T09:15:00.000Z

Got a new saddle over easter break boys and girls, Good old Chain Reaction. Its replacing my mangled old 'giant velo' saddle, which was bent down at the nose, the rear lead in and al in all, the rails were a mess, i would show you pictures of the buckled rails but i cant be bothered to go find the old saddle, here is the v sexy and muchos comfyos saddle, very higly recomended so far, mildly heavier cause its steel, but much stronger and very comfortable. And it was in the sale at a meer £12.99, bargin.
XXX, me

http://ollymtb.fotopic.net/

2005-04-01T20:06:00.000Z

I have decided to gallerify all my pictures, to save clogging up blogger, following in the footsteps of eveyronelse, sheep stylee. well, i like to think, more like singletrack stylee.
either way
its under galleries on the sidebar, 'My Gallery'