Any question answered...

beefy chain tool that people thought was decent

Sold under many brand names with different colour plastic dipped handle.
HubJub
Hubjubs catalogue image host seems to be down, but it looks like they are now selling the same version as Velosolo
Bike Hand YC-324 (now with moulded handles)

Fat Spanner

Acor ATL-2716

Also the same tool.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJWPTR/jobsworth-pro-chain-remover

on a mtb, the pedals need to be removed. i was able to remove one, but the other is just stuck. it's usually a 15mm wrench that goes on there, but that's too big and 14mm is too small. I'm lucky that it's old and it got space for bigger tools. i put an adjustable wrench on it and stopped the pedal with a straight bar for my weights. i've sprayed wd40 on it for the last few days, but it's a no go. any tips? also, tips for removing a completely stuck seatpost? i also sprayed wd40 on it, but it's still stuck in the frame. can't rotate it, can't lift it out.

Cheers. Worked a treat. Beamed it into the massive telly from my iPad. Unfortunately I had to play an extraordinarily long game of Monopoly with my niece and it was a nightmare being banker and watching at the same time. Managed to lose quickly just before the end.

Type "stuck pedal" into the search box: the first thread has plenty of suggestions.

Ditto "stuck seatpost.

#utfs

Helpful and comprehensive as ever. Ta.

aluminium chainring bolts. yay or nay?

Nay.

Anyone ever heard of, ridden or seen this frame?

I'd like a cheap, big alu track frame and this seems to kind of fit the bill. The alternatives are (as far as I'm aware):

Ridley Oval - if I could find one.
State Undefeated - 2nd hand, not paying the hipster tax for it.
Intec P01.

What else is there? Headtube at least 210mm.

because soft and chromo is pretty much indestructible?

Pretty much. My opinion is that aluminium alloy bolts have no place on safety-critical parts of the bike.

Steel ones are cheap and strong. What's not to like?

Goldsprint? the site got more choices;

http://www.goldsprintshop.com/Goldsprint-Ronin-Track-Frameset

Yeah the Ronin's a bit small. It's the Colossi Cheeko track, so geo isn't ideal. HT of 164mm on the XL...

The BB drop mean headtube will feel smaller than 164mm on track frames.

Road frames with BB30 can be converted to eccentric BB is another ideas.

My opinion is that aluminium alloy bolts have no place on safety-critical parts of the bike.

You might as well say that aluminium alloy has no place on any safety-critical structure. You can't just drop aluminium into steel's place and expect it to work (even 7075T6 is considerably weaker than garden-variety 8.8 bolts), but each application should be assessed on its merits.

What are the rules for compressing down jackets?

I have a Trespass Ramirez, and considering its price point I'm afraid to over-pack it. I could easily compress it half the size of the stuff sack, but my instinct says that will also halve the lifespan of the down.

It will be an 'emergency' layer in case I'm wild sleeping in the bivvy + jungle bag, so I don't want it taking up half the kit bag either. Since I'm away for the whole of May, it will remain stored for a fair chunk of time. Any tips?

@hippy / @skinny / @7Üp ?

Two rules.

Long term storage, let it be fully puffed out.
Short term, stuff the hell out of it.

If your away a whole month and not using it at all. I'd just get it out every other night and throw it around to help the down puff up, then pack it away in the morning.
The longer it's compressed up for, the longer it'll take to uncompress fully.

It'll be fine.

Ideally, don't compress it at all.

If you have to compress it tightly, do so. It will be fine. Its repeated compression/decompression that 'damages' the down.. not so much the time spent compressed or the tightness of the compression (within reason). It'll take longer to fluff up after a long, tight compression, but won't be any more damaged than after being scrunched up in a ball and released.

Dont wash it. Thats what kills them.

Thanks, @7Üp & @skinny . Sounds pretty much as expected, though the repeated compression thing seems to fly in the face of the frequent getting out to puff thing. I'm not expecting a lifetime of use, but best practice and all that.

It's in the dryer on cool air cycle with some softballs to loft it out as much as possible.

If I want a fridge to get colder, do I turn the dial up? ie. Do the higher numbers correspond to higher power/function/effort or higher temperature?

In my experience, higher number = more fridging = colder.

Interesting. Maybe I'm mistaken. Take what I said with pinch of salt about getting it out.
I need to check up again.

I think theres truth to both approaches, in actual use.

I tend to air mine out quite often anyway.. because I want it to work the moment I put it on, not wait for it to fluff up! In the long term though, it'd be best to just leave it alone, or not compress it at all.

Do the higher numbers correspond to higher power/function/effort or higher temperature?

RTFM, either might be the case.

Almost always a higher number will be cooler. Unless it's fancy and let's you specify the temp...