Any question answered...

We need to hire a car for two weeks from Barcelona airport. The cheapest I have found (in Terminal) is through Firefly. Their site looks okay, but they have the normal ludicrousness with excess insurance. Their rate is ~ £75 compared to Europcar's £220.

Has anyone ever used them? And am I right in thinking if I get excess insurance for a year for £40 from somewhere like https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/ I'll be covered for any nonsense they might pull when we return the car?

We use insurance4carhire and call it the "bumper car insurance". Since getting it we don't worry about checking the car before or after hire, and have never had any problems.

Fuel shinnanigans are another matter - we picked a car up from Malaga from a company called Goldcar, and got stung. They made us pay for a tank of fuel at pick-up.

A quick google suggests Firefly may be the same - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g187497-i44-k7213849-Firefly_Car_Rental_Barcelona_DO_NOT_USE-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Yeah, I saw that after I posted - I think I'll stick with a more reputable hire firm (if there is such a thing).

Check this site, they've been very good on various trips and offer their own CDW and theft waiver which is usually quite cheap.

EDIT: the company they recommend also charge for expensive fuel when you pick up the car.

Sorry, I don't follow that. Why would people not want to see the true value of things? Which people?

Take 5l of unleaded in your hand luggage and tell them to fuck their mandatory tank of fuel.

quick bump

Am trying to find German stockists of the Reynolds Assault SLG disc clincher wheelset. The Reynolds website is cleverer than me so won't let me check who has them. Starbike and bike24 are out of stock.

The price someone advertises something for, tells you nothing about the price it was actually sold for, nor the circumstances under which it was sold: haggling via PM, a skint vendor, an ignorant buyer, a favour owed or returned etc.

There's no convention, it's just the "path of least resistance" to indicate a sale: replacing £50 with sold, is easier than £50 sold.

Having said that, I'm sure there are just as many ads where the item is sold but the ad isn't updated in any way.

If I wanted to get an XT groupset put onto a bike today in East London, would anyone have any suggestions?

Looking for: 26" slicks about 50-60mm wide, cheap and cheerful

Also: 26" wheels for rimbrakes, cheap and, if possible, wider than 19mm internal.

Any hints? Looking to build a 26" single speed city beater

Specialized Fatboy slicks is almost there

Understood!

Apologies if that came across as a bit "preachy".

How does someone become a great climber but not a great decender? Alternately, why aren't the best decenders also the best climbers? Are all these people cycling up hills then getting cars down or vice versa?!

Riding up a mountain is a whole different set of skills than riding down a mountain? If you're referring to pros, I imagine those who don't descend at the same pace as the "great descenders" are still going down at a fair fucking lick. Going up a hill is more about what your body can do, whereas going down is about knowing the limits of grip, how effective your brakes are, using the right lines to set yourself up for the next corner, knowing where to straight line an S bend, not just grabbing some brake anyway because you see a corner ahead, and in between all of that, fitting in pedalling the biggest gear you can between corners.

This guy is a "naturally gifted descender", but I doubt he's a grimpeur...

It did not!

Nerves, going down at 75km/h on a tiny high pressure tyres, lyrca barely covering your body, helmet only useful for a gentle 5mph crash onto a grassy knoll, and an moderately working brakes to slow you down dramatically.

@NurseHolliday pretty much summed up the strength/skill difference.

So climbers are basically the fittest of the fit, whereas decenders are brains and balls?

I know which I'd rather be.

#naturaldecender ;)

In some respect you do need brains with climbers, i.e. making sure you don't overdo it, attacking, working with domestique, giving a poker face etc.

moderately working brakes to slow you down dramatically.

See also: Tour of Utah. Apparently it's a good thing Matt Brammier hit a car because the alternative would have been a looong drop and/or trees. No barrier.

I work in this area, my advice is to go for 'Dollar' through rentalcars.com (I hate the brokers but this is the best way for you imo).

It will be slightly more expensive than goldcar or Firefly but the service is better, the car will actually be a Hertz car, the fuel will be full-to-full rather than being charged for the entire tank and then being refunded for what you don't use (minus an admin fee). Dollar is owned by hertz and used as an in-direct channel (through brokers, travel agents etc).

CDW if you want it buy it separately and refuse it from them.

Anyone recommend a material for a cargo rack bed? To fill the space left between the struts here:

Ideally thin, stiff, strong, drillable and cheap. The problem with the regularly used inner tube weave is that weighty goods can end up resting on the front headset, effecting steering.

Marine plywood? If you get some of the thicker sheet then you probably won't need any other supports and can just bolt it to the frame.

I was hoping to avoid wood. I'd have thought some form of plastic must have higher stiffness for a given thickness, and be lighter.