Any question answered...

Ultegra BBR60 (or whatever - standard external cups from wiggle). Would me being a heavier chap riding a fairly high fixed gear on an older 531c frame up Gipsy Hill every day - so quite a bit of pressure - be causing the BB bearings to crap out prematurely? Doesn't feel like its been in very long and I've had to strip and reinstall twice so far to get rid of a creak.

BB shell was faced not too long ago, greased threads and I'm fairly confident I installed it well enough.

I'm think maybe the flexy frame and the fat rider pushing a high gear up a hill is probably not the originally intended conditions for this part. Am I completely wrong?

This has been done many times as a forum ride, not the random bit at the end that was just me... https://ridewithgps.com/routes/314112

Are you in a hurry? I've done Cambridge to Ely several times but on routes that involve a lot of towpath and tracks and occasionally getting lost in fields. It's totally worth it though - I once saw a BABY OTTER on the riverpath approaching Ely, it was pretty amazing.

I had a look back and my route had a lot of zigzagging between villages but apparently since then there's been some new NCN11 fixed up near Bottisham, which looks nice. I now want to go see it. I did a quick route starting from the DNA path just south of cambridge (where the Lond-Camb route goes a bit strange): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12388942

I actually have a favourite route from Bishops Stortford up to Cambridge, but I don't have a good London to Stortford route. (I get the train, it avoids the endless Epping exit.) https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2521128

Depending on the bike/how fast you want to go the first 20/30 miles up to about Ware can be done along the Lea Valley path

http://www.ctc-maps.org.uk/routes/route/1073/summary

anyone know of any good vegetarian restaurants/cafes in Liverpool (city)?

Usually call in at Egg Cafe or Maguires Pizza Bar when I'm over that way, both cheap and cheerful

More options: http://www.happycow.net/europe/england/liverpool/

@Cazakstan may.

My route would be to go up to Barnet, through Hadley Wood and then Potters Bar, then through Essendon to Hertford. Then go through Crouchfields to Wadesmill (just north of Ware), and head on up to Puckeridge. Then it's B1368 time all the way up to Hauxton. Go through Cambridge, and head north on the Histon road, passing through Cottenham up to Wilburton on Twenty Pence Road. At Wilburton go down Station Road towards Witchford. If nothing else that route means you can truthfully claim to have ridden on Grunty Fen Road. At Witchford turn right towards the Lancaster Way roundabout and then it's a quick A142 to Ely, or the cyclepath on the LHS of the A142 if you're not feeling brave.

I live in Ely, so it's a route I've done quite a few times, albeit usually in the opposite direction.

There's all the usual suspects like Wagamama and pizza express etc but my shout out is for a really cool little Mexican place: http://www.lucha-libre.co.uk/ They have a wall of chilli sauce! Good cocktails, really tasty food, not expensive.

Anyone know of any good shops in SE London to get wall bracket/flange like this and a length of 1" galvanized steel tube?

Cheers

I'm trying to make up my mind whether to attend a conference in Valencia, Spain at the beginning of April, is it a nice place to visit?

I think it's one of Spain's underrated gems. A heady mix of old and modern.

Valencias ace, we visit regularly. The old city is beautiful, and then you have the City of Arts and sciences which is well worth a visit.
In the 50s(?) they rerouted the river through the city and this is now a massive park. Well worth renting a bike and starting from one end working your way to the other. Has great food and nightlife too
Edit: Also has a rather nice beach, and behind it is a restaurant where ernest hemingway used to go for paella.

Great, thanks for the info. Would love some places to eat tips as well (I'll be on my own and working so no partying).

I'm guessing it's going to be better to stay in the old city and then take the underground to the conference center.

Thanks for the recommendation too @andyp Will make the effort to get myself a press pass to the conference.

np man, we stayed in a hotel near Colon station. Quick walk to the old city but also near Russafa which is the kinda quirky arty quarter.
This is where we found the best food too, a place called El Camerino Taberna is well worth a visit.
There's a fair few restaurants in the old city but they never blew us away, though its good for lunch around here. Lots of Pincho restaurants around the Cathedral. The museum of modern art's worth a visit if you get a chance.

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Thanks for all the above recommendations on the Cambridge route, was possibly going on Sat, pending weather, seems like cat obligations may prevent me from going at all...

I live in Ely

... I love that bike/toy shop there, do you use them?

Name four styles of brake?

Shooting brake, hand brake, emergency brake, compression brake.

Are those styles?

I was thinking, aero, skeletal, retro and futuristic.

And really the question is more like:
Will you name four styles of brake? Do you fancy doing that, hmm? yeah? please?
Rather than simply the instruction: Name four types of brake.

Front, back, foot, deth.

Filling in a logbook thingy for some bike shop training and the copy is so bad I'm tempted to just be a pedantic twat. Talk about sucking eggs!

Or plums.

Cheap, expensive, broken, working.