Mikee

There were quite a few Koxx bikes that I really liked. Particularly the Koxx Boxx. And the old Echo Pure? early 2000s with saddles

Same colours as my MTB. All black and purple hubs. Love it!

Wow. 2 years later and i'm back to toying with the idea of buying a pair. What's your opinion of them? Still in use?

Not getting paid for hours worked is illegal. There might be a delay of pay, with different pay days, but you will be paid. Nothing wrong with asking for more money. It's the reaction to the answer that bothers me. But the cost of living increase is effecting everyone and the rail strikes are impacting people who rely on trains to commute to work. That's unfortunate, but that's life. Specialist skills/qualifications/experience does not automatically mean big money. But it would be interesting to see some pay statistics for the rail workers, if you've seen any? I wouldn't be surprised if they were already making pretty good money. Your quality of life point could be solved by seeking other employment. Employees are not shackled to their current jobs. They are free to move on to somewhere that suits them better. Jobs are often a balance between lots variables. Pay, hours, enjoyment, commute distance, stress etc. We can't always have it all. Zero hour contracts is something that I think should be dealt with. But trying not to sound like a broken record, find a different job with set contracted hours. Pay freezes are effecting lots of people. These issues are not exclusive to the rail industry.

I never said it was only about pay, but it seems to be at the forefront of the negotiations. Asking for a 7% pay rise to help with the cost of living. I've been hearing in the news recently that job vacancies are outnumbering jobseekers at the moment. And companies are having trouble filling positions. Why would they lose a months pay? It would be silly to leave a job before securing a new one.

@Mark W It wouldn't happen all at once, there would just be a high turn around of staff. People leave jobs for better positions all the time. And if a company has a real problem with retaining staff, they will look into why and address those issues. Hiring and training staff is expensive after all. I have and I expect most of us have left a job over pay before. Striking just makes people seem so entitled to me.

I don't understand striking. In my mind... If you don't like your pay and/or working conditions, find a different job with better pay and/or working conditions. Unions are the problem. Goddamn Commies.

@JT! Surely no individual state would fully ban it though? Even for extreme circumstances, like incest, rape and if the mother's life is at risk? Are the "bible belt states" really that against abortion? I haven't followed this story much, as it doesn't affect us in the UK. Genuinely curious.

There are some unusual lightning phenomenons. Perhaps one of those.

@isitafox I watched ghostbusters afterlife this evening as well. It was a lot better than I expected. Even with all the memberberries.

Much better!

All rigid and single speed. Proper basic and I'm loving it. I'll order the Gusset one then. Thanks for the help chaps!

Jockey wheel or roller? Which will be quieter? I've been looking at the Gusset Bachelor and the 4-Jeri tensioner. I was hoping for upward tensioning ideally and like the simplicity of the gusset. But is the 4-Jeri the smarter choice?

I might try a new tensioner

@monkeyseemonkeydo Interesting bike for a SS conversion. Did you go for a bigger chain as well?

Recently converted one of my bikes to single speed and I can't get my chain tensioner to shut up. I've use plenty of chain tensioners before, but I never remember them being this annoying. Probably because it's not on a trials bike this time and the chain is actually doing lots of moving. I'm currently using the Heatsink tensioner installed and everything looks straight to me. I just don't get how one jockey wheel can make more noise than two on a mech. The other variable is the KMC Z1eHX chain. Do these not play nice with jockey wheels? I'm getting to an age where unpleasant noises really get on my nerves. Someone please help me.

I don't use this bike as much these days. Since starting a new job further away from home, I no longer cycle to work. So I decided to give single speed a try. I took it for a spin this afternoon and it certainly added some spice to a short, regular loop. It was hard work, but I managed all the hills (which are plentiful where I live). Gear ratio is 34:18, as that's what I had in my spare parts box. Luckily, that actually seems about right for me at the moment. But as I get stronger/fitter, I would like to make it a bit harder, as it does spin out on the flats. Only thing that I'm not happy with at the moment is the chain tensioner, as it fairly noisy. Everything looks straight, but it sounds disgusting.

I bought some second hand RS Revelations about 2 years ago, for about £130 on eBay. They have been 100% reliable, as well as being cheap and relatively easy to service myself. Only complaint is that they lack the small bump sensitivity of more expensive forks. A damper upgrade can fix this, but I can’t be bothered.

I predict self driving cars being outlawed, as a matter of liability. As said; Hopefully battery electric cars become a thing of the past, in favour of hydrogen fuel cell.

Had my first Pfizer yesterday. A bit sore where it was done and mild muscle ache in most of my body today. But nothing too bad.

It was dusty yesterday. Almost lost it on a few fast corners. Silver lining was how clean me and my bike was. Picture taken roughly 10 miles into the ride.

I think that a minimum wage on top of the benefits riders are getting, will just cause a lot of the lower ranked riders to lose contracts. We can't forget that it has to be financially viable for the sponsors, otherwise they wouldn't bother. It's a similar story with many sports, which don't have silly amounts of money to throw around. Unless you are at the top of your game, making a living from the sport alone can be tough.

Getting shafted by a buyer on eBay, confusing poor performance of older hardware with a hardware fault.

No bash ring?

I've heard of the pro 4 ratchet ring, stripping the threads on the hub shell. Is that what you are referring to? I've also heard of bearings being more of an issue, compared to the pro 2.