Any question answered...

i do like those and im in the market for newshoes

No sharkpits, they wouldn't suit you.

Fizik Arione 00- more comfortable than the K:1?

Longer pumps should be better... But old frame pumps were awful. To clip into the braze-ons they had springs that resisted the last part of the pump stroke - i.e. the bit of the stroke where you're fighting the most air pressure and having to push against a spring as well is least welcome. Worst still even if you do fully compress the spring, the plunger usually still doesn't go near the end - air that you have to compress each stroke but that doesn't get pushed into the tyre, just uselessly re-expands on the out stroke.

The little screw-in connector pipes became a commodity and suffered from being made too cheaply. They'd constantly be working loose and leaking as you pumped, and the rubber tube had a short life before it perished.

If you run your tyres above 60 psi then avoid or old style frame pumps.

SJS sell some modern frame pumps that address at least some of the flaws, but they don't use braze-ons - they jam into the main triangle and rely on your top tube and down tube being really close at the head tube. (Although the picture in your second post implies they can fit braze-ons, or at least can be adapted to.)

Thanks for that explanation, was really helpful.

Sounds like i'd be much better off sticking with my little topeak. I can quite easily get high pressures in with it, but it just doesn't look as nice, and need to cable tie another bracket thing on etc...

Would've been nice to use those braze ons, but not at the expense of function...

Was in Brum visiting my brother and bought some sealskin gloves from Evans. Just got back to London and notice that one of the seams is split. I took the tags off before I noticed but still have the receipt. If I take them to The Cut will they replace them or will they try and tell me to take them back to the Birmingham shop?

Sounds like i'd be much better off sticking with my little topeak. I can quite easily get high pressures in with it, but it just doesn't look as nice, and need to cable tie another bracket thing on etc.

Don't they do a bracket for it that mounts on the bottle cage bosses? I have a Specialized AirTool, which is bigger and more effective than the tiny pocket pumps but sits neatly under the downtube bottle cage not causing any trouble.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/air-tool-road-pump-ec027073

Yeah unfortunately if i mount it on the bottle cage mounts, I'll have to remove the bottle cage that was there, so I'd be down one bottle. Although it would look much nicer mounted there for sure...

Why not get one of those little Lezyne pumps, decent enough (far better than any other pump it's size, not as good as your current one...), look alright, and mount beside your bottle cage, or fit in your jersey pocket?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&tbo=d&site=&source=hp&q=lezyne+micro+drive+pump&oq=lezyne+micro+drive+pu&gs_l=hp.3.0.0i30j0i8l2j0i8i10i30j0i8i30j0i8i10i30j0i8i30l2j0i8i10i30l2.10230.16717.0.17934.17.13.2.2.2.0.156.1683.2j11.13.0.les%3Bernk_timediscountb..0.0...1c.1.bXbjva2bcUY&bpcl=39650382&biw=1229&bih=794&cad=cbv&sei=bD7FULrODo2Y1AWZz4HQDg#q=lezyne+pressure+drive+pump&hl=en&tbo=u&source=univ&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=dD7FUP2NNLKW0QWBsoDYCg&ved=0CG0QrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=d706a9ac9484d4a3&bpcl=39650382&biw=1229&bih=794

Was in Brum visiting my brother and bought some sealskin gloves from Evans. Just got back to London and notice that one of the seams is split. I took the tags off before I noticed but still have the receipt. If I take them to The Cut will they replace them or will they try and tell me to take them back to the Birmingham shop?

Straight swap, bish bash bosh, didn't even change the receipt and cut the tags off for me. Rep to Evans on The Cut, if that were possible

Originally Posted by mdcc_tester
The 1.37"x24 sprocket thread may well be the last bit of bad design from the dawn of cycling history we're still using.

How far back in the dawn of cycling history can you find the use of this sprocket thread size?

No sharkpits, they wouldn't suit you.
are you calling me sharkpits? or are you saying as they dont have sharkpits therefore they wouldnt suit me?

Haha, the latter. But I might start calling you sharkpits.

i dont think you can get sharkpit shoes..

Not with that attitude.

Yeah unfortunately if i mount it on the bottle cage mounts, I'll have to remove the bottle cage that was there, so I'd be down one bottle.

The Specialized ones mount under/to the side of the bottle cage, so you don't lose the use of the cage

I'm about to order Shimano dual pivot calipers and notice that it says they "Must be used in conjunction with ST-4600, ST-4603, ST-5700, ST-5703, ST-6700 or ST-7900 STIs for correct leverage ratio". Is this true? Or is it the same as the recipe instructions on my Sainsbury chicken, "baste with Sainsburys butter, stuff with your favourite Sainsburys stuffing and place in a pre-heated oven"? That is, bullshit?

Sainsburys oven.

Sainsburys bullshit.

They changed the actuation ratio in the latest round of upgrades- (from memory) they reduced the mechanical advantage of the levers and increased it at the caliper.

This means that old style Shimano, or any SRAM or Campag levers when combined with the new calipers are, in Shimano's view, "too strong".

Basically, you'll have more power but less modulation I think.

I would go with what shimano say's, as they tend to be very good at making things that are not compatible with their other things.

I use 7900 levers with another manufacturors brakes and they're fine, that said.

Best paint for a satin black finish on some currently polished aliminium mudguards to be used in all weathers?

BBQ paint, Plasticote, some kind of Hammerite, Amourall etc or other? Only really looking for rattle can, not going to the lengths of powder coating etc.

Hammerite's black smooth metal spray is utter shite. It's like piss, barely sticks to raw metal (directions say it's to be used on bare metal, no primer), runs, takes ages to dry and flakes off. Expensive to boot. I'm now going to spray regular Halford's black primer over the top, hoping to have the corrosion protection of Hammerite and the look/finish of the regular car paint. Should have powercoated and probably will at some point down the line when this paint gets too battered to bear.

I wonder what the difference is, if it were possible to express it as a percentage or fraction or something. I mean, if they have increased the mechanical advantage / ability to modulate by 10% then I don't care, if it is doubled or halved it, then I would care....

When you say metal, do you mean aluminium or steel? On aluminium don't they want you to use their 'special metals' primer first?

The point of hammerite is to protect rough steel. The original hammered texture helped conceal the roughness of the result. Smooth hammerite is neither one thing or the other.

Ah. Appears that may explain it...using with aliminium without the special primer first. That'll teach me to skim the directions :(

Took what would have been a minor tumble on Sat. Ended up not being so minor because I landed square on top of the mini-evo in my bag and ended up in A&E for the rest of the day checking for broken ribs.

Anyway, this has convinced me to never want to carry a ulock close to my body ever again.

How about lock holsters? Anyone that uses one ever had the experience of falling on top of the hip with the lock between your body and the pavement?