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Are the dots correctly aligned?

yes

Hi,
I've recently got a new alfine rear hub because i was told they are maintenance free and quiet.
However, mine seems to make a LOT of noise. The noise ranges from loud clicking noises in several of the gears to general loud humming noise.
The hub works fine and runs great, however I really want a quiet ride.
Can you have a look at my video below to see if this noise is normal (sorry for shaky camera -I was changing gears with one hand and holding camera with other)?

http://youtu.be/KyY55fziE6g

thanks for the tips .
I've been riding the bike for a couple of weeks now (about 200miles) and the problem persists. I'll have a go at sanding the pads and see if that helps.

cheers
ives

I have a slight problem with my Avid BB7 road disk brakes.
This is the first time I’ve had disk brakes so I’m not that familiar with how they should feel compared to rim brakes. Before I start I should say that I’ve had these brakes ( and the bike) a week now and the pads have been properly bedded in. I’ve also consulted several sources on how to set the brakes up (including Avid’s .pdf file) and I’m confident that I’ve set them up correctly.

The problem I’m experiencing is that when I’m applying the brakes, it feels like the pads are biting the rotor more positively in some places on the rotor than others. In other words, when I grab a handful of brake it feels slightly juddery and not smooth and consistent like my rim brakes used to. I often feather the brakes on long downhills to just scrub off some speed and it feels like the brakes bite strongly for a second and then less strongly for a second and so on. In other words, the breaking isn't consistent. The same happens when you want to stop quickly and grab more brake: only it’s more pronounced.
I’ve tried cleaning the rotors with disk cleaner and I’m pretty confident that the rotors are true. I’m at a loss to figure out what it might be. I haven’t actually inspected the pads yet, so maybe this should be my next step.
Can anyone throw any light on this problem?
Many thanks

Hi,
I don't know if anyone here can help me but I'm looking to buy a bike but I don't know if anyone makes the type of bike I'm after:
I'm looking for a belt drive, hub gear, drop handlebar bike, preferably with disk brakes.
Does anyone know of a company that makes such a bike?

thanks
I

Sorry if that has been answered already, but I can't find any contact details (especially an email to send images?) of Mario Vaz? Where exactly is he based?

Also, do I have to hand over the frame prepared for painting or do his prices include the blast-off/burn-off of the old paint?

Anyone have an idea of how much he's probably charging these days for the whole job including a respray in pearlescent white?

based Hither Green SE London
No need to prepare frame...just take all the bits off
Whole job about 65 quid last time I checked

Ives, is that Ribble just polished or is it lacquered afterwards?
If it is, I'd like to know what with.
Or do you just keep polishing it?

polished. No laquer.

I was told all sorts of scare stories about stripping an alu frame and about how fast it would oxidise and how one would have to polish it every few days to stop it going dull grey.

All of these proved to be untrue.
I polished mine after I stripped it and that was 3 months ago and I haven't touched it since. It still looks as good as the day I polished it. No dulling or oxidisation at all, that I can see.

I used Nitromors on my Alu Ribble winter frame and I couldnt be happier with the results.
Took me a few applications of Nitromors but the paint came off pretty easily.
I then polished with Brasso and the surface become really shiny.
The pic below on a cheap camera, doesn't really do the finish justice since it's really quite shiny and not dull as it appears.

Hi David...thanks for the info.

Hobo: how much did they charge to polish the frame?

Hi,

Can someone give me any feedback on my idea to strip my aluminium frame and ride it without any paint or coating?
I've heard differing reports about whether this is a good idea or not. Has anyone done this and do you have any tips? I understand that the surface gets burnished after a while and needs regular polishing. Is that right?
Also, what's the best way of striping the frame?
I could take it to Mario Vaz and get him to do it cheaply, or I could use Nitromors. Is Nitromors ok on an alu frame?

thanks for any help.
Ives

Hi,

I was involved in a crash the other day ( a car hit me).
I thought the bike was ok, apart from a damaged front wheel, however one of the rear seat stays has cracked near the lug at the seat pin. Here's a pic:

It looks to my untrained eye like a small-ish job.
Since it's my only bike and I need it every day for my commute into work, I was hoping that someone knew of a frame repairer who could do the job on the spot. I'm willing to travel anywhere in London to get this done.
I've tried Mario Vaz but he's saying it will take 4 weeks because of backed up work.

Can anyone help out?

thanks
Ives

Does Mario take off cable guides and change road to track ends?

I think he does.
Best to phone him though.

Mario did this for me about 6 months ago.
Used it every day for commuting in London.
Has held up pretty well, although there are a few small chips here and there where I've chained it up:

I found a soloution to this problem.
As I said, I've had a couple of Shimano and ACS freewheels and they all develop play and create noise.
I've found that the cheap Dicta freewheels, available on ebay for about a fiver, have no play, a nice loud campag like clicking noise as they go round and perform perfectly,

re: tarps. Tommy, as stated l think they're too much of a compromise for UK climate. If l was somewhere less rainy/windy l would likely be more inclined to a tarp. you really need to keep an eye on the weather and ground water! our climate is just too irrational. thats not to say folk don't prefer em, l've seen them on OMMs, 3peak challenges but it looked grim. comfort isn't about HTFU. after a days exertions l want to get out of bad weather, be able to sit up, stretch, change out of wet clothing, sort out rucksack/panniers, write, map read, cook, sleep well, cuddle your partner, do bike maintenance if the weather is atrocious and you cant be arsed going anyway, whatever.

tarping grew out of the USA weight-weenie crowd but tents have come a long way, matching the weights of tarping but with all the benefits of tents
when you add up the weight of tarp, bivi, poles, net, guylines+stakes, thicker mats/warmer sleeping bag, extra clothing, its close if not heavier than a sub-1kg tent, eg, laser comp or contrail.

re: gelert.
wild camping and cycle touring is something l do a fair bit of so like gear that suits my needs, terrain, durable and light, etc. My experience with this tent stems from a mates's exp and horror stories on the trail. as with anything, manufacturers specs can be misleading but l doubt their hydrostatic head, seam and stitching claims, fabric durability, etc, match the similar claims of a higher quality manufacturer. the poles are sh*te, poor design, the usable dimensions are cramped, exacerbated by the fly taper, no headroom, the acute angle of the fly makes the porch space next to useless, poor ventilation, bad condensation. if it worked for steff, then all power to him/her. granted my tent cost 10x but l would say its infinitely better - even the original vango you fancied is a massive change from this! like l said, pop into an outdoor shop and compare it to a midrange tent like a mountain hardware or vaude and feel the difference.

IMHO, it would be a serious mistake to use this tent touring, eg. scotland or above tree line, ok for nice summer days by the lake like the one pictured in the above posted review.

ives, from your update, campsites are generally found on lower ground and sheltered so the gelert might suit you fine. however, l would still get the vango!

thznks for that.
Maybe I will go for the Vango then

I likes me the Henry Shires tarptent: http://www.tarptent.com/

Small, solid, not coloured like an accident in a Crayola factory.

What's the difference between a tarptent and a tent?
They all look just like tents to me?

lol that vid is ridiculous. I'm generally against tarps - just too compromised for our UK climate imho.

ives, where/when do you plan on touring so we can narrow it down further? eg., Scotland, even in summer can expect all 4seasons in a day! is it just for bike touring or hill walking? do you plan on using it a lot? the gelert is cheap for a reason(s)! That TN bivi looks ace but for that kinda money, look at laser comp. brilliant tent.

anyway, enough from me, don't wannabe the resident tent geek ;)
oh... to all those who pm'ed me re: atko. seller is looking to offload locally 1st (Manchester) - l'll repost here if its still available.

probably a couple of week long cycle trips : one in June and one in July/August.Staying on campsites, more than likely.
Almost certainly both will be in southern England.

its works for me

good reviews here:
[ame="http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=5739"]Gelert Solo Tent: An initial kit report - Song of the Paddle Forum : : The call of the Open Canadian Canoe[/ame]

ive got one of these,cheap as chips,lightweight and dose what it says on the bag

http://www.greatoutdoorsdirect.co.uk/pc-1869-41-gelert-solo-lightweight-tent-2009.aspx

wow! that looks remarkably good value.
There must surely be a downside though..........?

to my untrained eye, the Jack Wolfskin Gossamer looks good value for £90 at Cotswold Camping.
It's a bit heavier than i would have liked at 1.5kg, but maybe I'm being unreasonable trying to get a 1kg tent for £100,

Single skin isn't such an issue as you might think depending on just how much comfort you're after on a budget that suits you and of course where/what conditions you're going into. I've had generally good experiences with Vango - Had the Equinox 350 a few years back which, until it got set on fire was great. We used to sell a lot of the Ultralite range when I worked at Nomad and they got pretty good feedback. Someone posted a link to the Hennessy website earlier - they're great fun and should cope in pretty much any condition. Fairly light and the entire system fits into one tiny bag. The higher end ones get quite expensive though but should last you forever if you look after it.

I'm probably only going to be using it in the summer/good weather.
Just what are the advantages of having a fly sheet and an inner tent?
Is it just to stop condensation?

thanks. I didn't realise it was single skin.
I guess thats not a good thing

budget probably £100-150
I'm 5 10"
the rest, I don't know since this is the first tent I will have bought.

Anyone any feedback about the Vango Ultralite 100 Tent

It looks good: £110 and 1kg?

http://www.outdoorkit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=1334&gclid=CI-c4Kqs1ZoCFQVxFQodjDwf2g

Hi,

Does anyone have any recommendations for a lightweight one man tent. I was thinking of 1kg, probably for summer/Autumn use only.
Or, do people think a bivvy bag is better?
I'm open to suggestions.

thanks
Ives