Any question answered...

Speaking of which, if you like spending money, Speedplays are great.

If you do go for Keo, it's worth checking out Exustar.

I've got both alloy and plastic versions.

Stoopid cheap and Exustar are good enough to make the pedal bodies Garmin Vector.

If you do go for Keo, it's worth checking out Exustar.

Maybe. I've got a few pairs of those E-PR16s but only because I want to use my Keo shoes on beater bikes. Otherwise, you get all the weight of SPD-SL without the benefits (lovely Shimano bearings, superior cleat hook hinge placement), and the Exustars are only a few quid less than Shimano PD-R540

Buy the keep on covers and your speeplay pedals and cleats last for ages.

Works out quite cheap that way.

Going to try both SL's and Keo's a look and see what I like. Might need a little extra float due to riding like a prat for years on badly aligned cleats. Saying that however, I can get my hands on filthy cheap 6800 SL's so they might just eat up my money.

Buy the keep on covers and your speeplay pedals and cleats last for ages.

Works out quite cheap that way.

Cheap after the initial £100 out lay?

#nevertrustthefinancialopinionofsomeoneinrapha

I've been steered right. Bibs are in the post. Thanks again for the advice.

You should know that Phil bolt on hubs are notorious for slipping as you tighten them, especially over chrome.

Has anyone got a spare 90mm black Thomson x2 either 10 or 6 degrees?

Is it terrible to just cancel direct debits to charities without calling them?

Nope, but don't expect them to leave you alone once they've noticed :)

yeah but it's a front... no issue with slippage, no?

As constable savage said, also give the drum a light rub to get rid on any pad residue off the drums. Have found cleaning the whole lot out with brake cleaner and then wiping the drum and shoe material with celulose thinners really improves the brakes.

Looks like your average festival tent, ie 1/2 season. The 'season' in tents refers mainly to its ability to repel the wet, the wind, and the higher the number, the weight of snow. Your typical 3 season will have strong guy ropes and the ability to vent in high winds so that the wind goes through the tent and does not turn it into a sail.

That said, for casual camping, even in Patagonia, you are likely to have the ability to choose your weather window. The tent you linked should be fine. Just make sure it's easy to put up. Oh, and practice. In the dark!

Can anyone point me in the right direction for some replacement bearings for Centaur hubs? The rear is 11sp.
These are the hubs: http://www.gbcycles.co.uk/p/48740/Campagnolo-Centaur-Hubs
But I'm struggling to find the correct bearings.

err... no. it's your money.

unless it's your neighbour's granny's local fundraising tea party that you have historically bought biscuits for. might mean you no longer get that annual free reacharound.

They're not cheap. They're not necessary unless you're doing something weird. SPD-SL ftw!

which bike shop is it (central London) that has all of the Lezyne stuff?

You don't need to tell me, I just spd... Frankly I think road cleats aren't really necessary, let alone really expensive road cleats that have the mechanism where you walk.

I fiddled with the index/friction lever on a 7 speed Ultegra barend/downtube shifter while it wasn't mounted to anything and now the indexing is kaput (goes, click, click, long swing, click or something like that instead of click, click, click, click, click, click).

After fiddling I read something online (possibly a Shimano tech doc) that intimated the index/friction lever should not be operated with the shifter unmounted.

Have a buggerfucked it or is there a way to save it? I can't really see any way to get in to the indexing mechanism.

This is the shifter if it helps.

I am looking to upgrade my Cross Check with some gears.
Specifically I've thought about a 1x7, 1x8, 1x9, whatever setup with a DT shifter.
Now I don't know the first thing about DT shifters, their compatibility to mechs, the compatibility of cassettes to hubs and the limits of an 1x* setup.
Is there a handy guide somewhere, or a failsafe "these components have been used together a bazillion times" style approach?

@Murphys_Law

Strangely enough last week I upgraded my Cross Check from the stock SS to 1x8 with a downtube shifter. Brixton cycles did the work for me and ordered the parts. It's all Shimano - Claris short derailleur, Sora casette and the Dura Ace 8-speed indexed downtube shifter. It's my commuter dad-bike so I'm not fussy about the parts. Brixton do a lot of these conversions so for £200 for all new bits (including a back wheel) plus labour it was money well spent.

Wow, thanks. That's a partlist I can work with.
#rep
I guess most of these parts can be sourced cheaper if used, so I'll have a look around.
Out of curiosity: what ring size / cassette size did you go for?

I think 11-25.

Worth mentioning too that I also picked up a chain guide for the front ring from Charlie the Bikemonger - http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/gusset-lil-chap--1x-chain-device-1x9-1x10-2805-p.asp

I need to fit that now that I think about it.....

Thanks again.
I'll probably pick up a wide range cassette since I'll be riding up some hills around here.

Is the chain guide thing really needed for 1x8 or 1x9 setups?