guineasmithpig

if the threads are stripped, then there is no metal to re-cut the threads into. thread chasing tools are only designed to tidy paint and debris from threads, or fix a bent thread at the very outside of the shell. you can get threadless bb's, but i'd be dubious about the integrity of the bearings and axles. waynio was saying that everyone he's fitted (to normal bikes, not just trials bikes) has died pretty quickly alternatively, there's two rethreading methods i know of. having the bb shell reamed out and a sleeve sweated in, into which NEW bb threads are cut. or (apparently, never seen it done) there is a different bb size known as an 'italian' bb thread. at aguess it comes from old road bike sizes or something. the bb shell is reamed out, and rethreaded to this slightly larger size. i had a sleeve fitted in an old dj frame a few years back, and it cost me about £40, and was offered the italian job (haha) at the time as well. having a sleeve fitted is the best option, as they use a steel sleeve, giving stronger threads than soft shitty aluminium ones we all keep killing BE WARNED: warlands cycles in oxford told me one of their staff had a frame done in this way by Argos cycles, who charged them over £100 for it?! dunno if this is the going rate these days, but mine cost me £40 done by George Longstaff Cycles in Chesterton, near Newcastle-under-Lyme smithy

as has been said, a lot of frames (the ones made in taiwan) are just a 'designers' pick-n-mix of dropouts, gussets, and tubes, welded up by the same companies in the same factories in the same countries. it's only a few bigger american companies who mass produce their own frames (giant, gt, marin, etc), or smaller companies going for quality over quantity, and for those you pay the premium of quality and brand appeal. However, with taiwanese models, you get the benefit of someone elses good design, at another companies better business price. I ain't complaining if it's the same old shiz. Only problem comes when companies spec piss poor tubing to cut costs Smithy

very good frames if you like something short and streety. still nice and light for hopping around on. strong as hell (apart from the disc tabs which always snap off if you knock em) try typing in a readable format please. yellow on a light background is a bit tough for us mere mortals Smithy

mighty impressed with the Rock pads i got for my front v. only using Acera-X arms and Avis AD-1 lever, with short scrappy cable. plenty stiff enough, and the rock pads are vicious! Tis a nice front setup, and i'm sure the pads would be equally at home on a smooth rear rim (i'm using a XM719 silver with no grind and its immense) big thanks to Tartybikes for the recommendation of pads Smithy

just got in from one of those 'just goin out for a pint' nights. here i am, 6 pints later, battered (didn't eat dinner before going out, fool ) and ain't rang the missus tonight. boy am i in trouble! and all this straight edge crap is daft. nothing better than a few pints to escape from a crap day!!! Smithy

let him slip it in. if you don't like it, just tell him.

huh? who were? you knew the Polish couple? Smithy

have you actually read any of the reports? or the posts in this thread for that matter?

Beau, i reckons you're thinking of Longman/Lonman or something? Drives a silver 911 with blue and red stripe down the centre? he is a freaking nutbar My fave so far was Martin Hadland stuffing his Cossie. The footage was from Max's Bentley I think. They were doing a good 100mph or so, and spun the camera to the side to film a Lambo overtaking them. Then Hadland appears, overtaking the both of them, on the gravel, off the side of the road! As he pulls in, just spins it straight across the road in front of both of em, and starts barrel rolling through the desert. Thank feck for WRC rollcages! He's a grade A loon too. Seen him caravan towing at +125mph? Not at the moment, being part way through an engineering degree and everything. Hence the sincere hope it doesn't get canceled, and that they can keep it all under control so they don't give authorities reason to ban it. oh, and it's a wee bit more than £10k Smithy

wasn't a dig at you matey, sorry the first bit was just a joke. the rest was me being pi**ed off at the dumbass idiots involved. the dangers of excessive !!!!!!!!!! use, eh?! SMITHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

watch you mouth Beau! the guy who died was an OAP, hit by 2 british nobhead gumballers! they fled the scene as soon as an ambulance arrived to continue the event! Sickening, though the guy apparently died in hospital later on. but still, they just jumped in another car and left (figuratively speaking). Reported story here Smithy

Sorry for thread hijackage, but how well are the N95's holding up? My dad is a manager at Vodafone, and I've just had a phone upgrade, but he refused to sort me the N95 as they reckon the software ain't running properly yet? APPARENTLY the GPS doesn't work right when you're in the car, and struggles to find appropriate signal when out and about (i wanted this feature for xc rides and adventures), and there can be issues when trying to view high res pics on the phone? As it happens, I ended up goin for one of the Ltd Ed McLaren mercedes Z720's, which is probs gonna be all flash and no massive features, but my D900 has held up really well, with no issues (unlike my 2 previous phones, K700i and 32-something, which were both replaced 2 or 3 times due to faults). Still, would be a bit gutted if the N95's are really living up to all the promises now! Smithy

You do see a number of the drivers driving totally disrespectfully. They think they're ok because they can afford the fines and bail fees, but you can't buy someones life back if you cause a fatal accident. I'd love to do the gumball, give it some beans on the open roads where there is enough space to do it safely. I'm a big fan of fast cars and driving fast, though I would only do it responsibly. When you see some of the gumballers undertaking at 100mph+ in urban areas, it's just ridiculous. All that money just warps their perspective of reality i guess. Let's hope this doesn't end Gumball. One system employed in casual road rallies is to set a minimum arrival time, so that you need to average a reasonable speed for the stages. Obviously there are ways around this, but it just means that racing to be first in is pointless. There are blatant racers in the Gumball every year (that fat German tw@t, Kim Schmitz) and then there are those who take part (note: not 'compete') as it is designed; actually using your multi-thousand quid supercars and gt cars to cruise through beautiful countries, meeting some awesome people, and enjoying the luxuries of the hotels and parties along the way. From what I've seen, Max Cooper sets out a really good event, and kinda knows what goes on elsewhere, thought there ain't really anyway of controlling it. And because of this, there's always gonna be the bellends that abuse the opportunities presented to them, same as in every walk of life. In my eyes it's not just a 'bunch of rich wankers messin in cars that are too fast for them' (sorry poyser), but a fantastic event just waiting for some idiot to mess it up one day. Long live Gumball, and may it's true spirit prevail Smithy

Will Longden in Chainspotting 'I'm on the telly Mum.' pause 'What dya mean 'why?'!' And, was it in The Fast Show? 'Women, know your limits! Don't drive!'

i like! sweet whippage, and liking the x-up. all looks very controlled, which is always nice to see! would love to get upto to chicky. trails look mint, and wanna rag that 4X track too can't wait to get my car back. will be bombing around riding proper trails. took my revell out on the dirt for the first time ever (i think). only some half decent jumps up oxford way. but sent it over the biggest set there (two step downs into a monster table). got the adrenalin back and can't wait to get back on it. i miss being airborne Smithy

good on you guys. i'm sure there's plenty of people who would just go for the ultimo pimp factor, even with the extra outlay. why have the same bog standard brake as everyone else, if you can afford something a bit pimp? (Juicy 7 carbon on my revell dirt street rig. i cringe everytime i bail, but smile everytime someone says 'oooooooo, carbon brake!') and the brakes look very swish. good effort boys Smithy

just watched it. go ashley! Smithy

oh dear.... old, and still rubbish I prefer to ride on the roads than the cyclepath on the pavement when i commute to uni. the cyclepaths suck because you have to avoid pedestrians (i know they shouldn't be on said cyclepath, but you can't just ride into em to prove a point), people pulling out of driveways, stop to cross roads, its bumpy as hell... I even stay on the road round the massive roundabout and down the dual carriageway (A40, oxford) rather than using the cycle route through the subway. last time i used the subway, i got jumped by a bunch of chavs who tried to nick my brand new xc bike, so never again! I get loads of abuse from motorists whinging about there being a cyclepath 'just there', but to be hoest, i'm a competent enough cyclist to be considerate and safe on the roads, without causing a nuisance to other people. there is nowhere on my route i hold up traffic (though i average 15mph anyways), and the only danger to me is shit drivers, so they can't complain about me being on the road if they don't know how negotiate someone on a bike. just recently i got cut up 3 times in 200 yards by some spac in a taxi trying to find a road and not watching out for other road users (me on my bike), and eventually pulled onto the kerb without indicating, and would have run me into the pavement had i not been a concentrating. so who's really unsafe to use the roads? (oh, and for anyone who cares, i smashed his wing mirror off and gave him the finger. should have seen the shock on his face, as he'd never once saw me, even after he nearly ran me over. knob.) Smithy

road trip, anyone? well, space trip. i reckon an A6 diesel would do it on one tank full Smithy

hey, glad you got in touch with Simon. I urge you to take his advice and don't do anything until he tells you it's ok. I've seen what happens when ankles don't heal properly (due to NHS treatment the first few times i did mine) and it's simply amazing what a difference it makes when it's treated PROPERLY. even the surgery that the NHS offer when they're incompetence has resulted in a totally useless ankle is a complete joke, and provides no help whatsoever. takes it from one extreme (no support at all) to the other (almost completely imobile joint!) I gave you my story in the pm, and was fuming when they couldn't even diagnose 2 seperated ligaments and tried making me walk on it! haha. well, keep us updated. Catch me on MSN sometime (guineapig_84@hotmail.com) if you want any advice/support while Simon's is sorting you out. Been there, done that, know the score he's a top bloke. cheers Simon! Smithy

and get dropouts that use better mech hangers. those 2/3 screw ones are the devil! apart from that, whack up some geo, materials and weight Smithy

and get them bars too we took a car off a guy the other day. haha. told us we could have a test drive, so off we go to see the car. gets there, and it don't actually start. luckily had the tool kit in the car. stripped the distributor, cleaned the contacts, and the spark plugs, and went to get a new battery (car was goin for £100 and was in sweet condition, so £50 was no biggy). anyways, started a dream after that, and runs well nice. so we said we'd give him £20, due the hassle, and asked him for the paperwork and VAT slip. 'oh, i can't find them, sorry' right, took the £20 off him and drove away with the car. THATS how you deal with knobheads. he never even argued with us over it either. they know what they're doing Smithy

please confirm the server is working at this very moment, as i'm having issues connecting just checking if the firewall is blocking me, but just says i can't connect to the master server where you guys playing if i get on? Smithy

watching it looks big, but when actually look at what he's gonna land on while setting up to hop, half the stuff is above his head! absolutely nuts you are a beast, my man (did that sound gay?) Smithy

way to make everyone one jealous. git hehe. nah, good on you chap. Smithy