WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 13, 2020 22:12:30 GMT
Are you suggesting he/she ought to join me for a ride?
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Post by Humph on Jan 13, 2020 22:15:36 GMT
Has she got a bike?
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Post by tyrednexited on Jan 13, 2020 22:16:59 GMT
...no, but I understand she has a Gravitarse... |
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Post by Humph on Jan 13, 2020 22:19:15 GMT
Wasn't he something to do with UKIP?
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 15, 2020 13:59:23 GMT
The new bike has landed. I’m going to visit it at on Saturday.
Looking for something else on the Whyte site, I noticed that the Friston now comes as a ‘v2’, and that the only difference I can discern between that and the one I have is that the rear tyre is now a 42mm Resolute to match the front one. Also noticeable that the ever-reliable Internet is full of glowing reviews of WTB tyres, but that the 37mm Riddler, which I have, is the only one not to get much love. And until Sunday, I thought it was just fine; still do, so long as I keep it away from deep, sticky mud.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 18, 2020 19:05:43 GMT
Road techniques of getting up and weight forward just don't work on the slippy stuff. Tan walls are kinda retro cool though. I get that. I’m hoping these will help. Two grades up the four-point WTB knobbliness scale from the Horizon at the bottom. Not so fierce that they’ll howl and drag on tarmac but should cope useful better than slicks when it’s rough or soft. Could have them in boring black now, but the tan walls are a few days away.  |
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Post by tyrednexited on Jan 18, 2020 19:49:34 GMT
......but the tan walls are a few days away. .....if they're that much slower, surely it's got to be the black ones........ |
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WDB
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Posts: 7,425
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Post by WDB on Jan 18, 2020 20:38:05 GMT
Fair point. Or the tan slicks (which makes them sound like tights) that it comes with, I suppose.
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Post by Humph on Jan 18, 2020 21:12:41 GMT
Bit too cool for the likes of me, wish I could rock it...
😉
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jan 21, 2020 8:58:05 GMT
After all that...
...the Ventures are not a few days away but three months. So I’ll take the stock tyres and see how they go. I expect they’ll be fine and I won’t bother changing them. Hey and, indeed, ho.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Feb 2, 2020 10:46:29 GMT
Picked it up yesterday, and the shop had even tracked down the tyres I wanted. (Having fitted them, they liked the effect so much that they suggested to Whyte that these might be a better choice as OE.)
I was busy yesterday afternoon and the weather is grim today, so I’ve contented myself with getting it set up to my liking. Handsome machine, though, and as nicely finished as the Friston. In fact, it’s hard to see what makes the Friston cost twice as much; are carbon fibre forks and curly handlebars really that expensive to make?
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Feb 3, 2020 16:19:57 GMT
Took it for a gratuitous outing at lunchtime — down the hill to the book exchange, a former phone box, where I swapped a James Ellroy for a John Grisham.
It’s really very nice. I made a point of not changing into cycling gear, just slipped on a pair of trainers. As a thing on which to pop into town, it’s very slick, and the riding position makes checking behind easier than on the more stretched-out Friston. I like the 1x shift here too: finger pull to shift up, thumb push for down. And it feels pleasantly lively, uphill or down.
But the real stars are the 650b wheels and tyres. By the end of the ride, I was actually aiming at bits of scabby tarmac I usually steer around in the car. I can see myself using this in town much more than I initially imagined.
The family think this is a frivolous indulgence, even at the knock-down price. I think it’s going to exceed my expectations.
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Post by Humph on Feb 3, 2020 18:11:26 GMT
All good stuff ! I can't afford a new bike at the mo.
Dog needed 1400 freaking quids worth of vettery at the weekend. "She" had forgotten to renew his insurance and the poor little sod got pancreatitis. It's really knocked him actually. Almost as much as the £1400 knocked me...
😰
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WDB
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Posts: 7,425
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Post by WDB on Feb 3, 2020 18:15:26 GMT
Ouch! Hope he’s quickly back on his feet — and under yours.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Feb 6, 2020 10:24:57 GMT
I can see how that will have been painful. I hope the dog didn't feel to much pain though after the op etc.
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