beauty is in the eye of the beholder... nice punnage though

i think they ming too. mtb-esque geometry, q-factor and ponderous handling.
an overpriced hybrid imho. want to ride on the road? get a road bike then.
hybrids are for towpaths and people who live their lives in the slow lane.

i know a few people on here have them but i don't care. i think they are an answer to a problem that never existed. they remind me of those bikes designed by car companies that never quite hit the target and cost too much.

indeed... and i am the living, breathing incarnation of the 'fascist at the core of every liberal'.

so ignore my more vitriolic outpourings. i'm sure the kolchak ragrut is a delightful bicycle really.

but I disagree. The rugrats were a part of my childhood, and so I like em:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYTutoZF4Lo

Eh? Surely you're older than ten?

Grew up in the states, it started there in 1991.
I arrived as a 7 yr old in 1994.
so no not much older.

I was joking!

I feel like an old f*cker now...

yeah sorry my answer seemed quite serious in comparison.
Ah its been a long day.

Flat Stanley was better than the Rugrats.

Back on subject...
I am very close to buying a BLB own frame. It's cheaper than an IRO and without the horrible graphics on the downtube. Great. Thing is I really want a threaded fork. Not 1 1/8" threadless.

Has anyone heard of unbranded frames that fit the bill?

To be fair to them, I did get a replacement (unbranded) Japanese crankset & shimano BB.

Never got my headset back that they replaced for me though. I shouldn't have had to ask for it back, but if I'd had my head screwed on I would have realised and gone back in to get it. I can't say it's a one off - I've had to prompt them to give me back bits i've had replaced before as well.

Janos is a great guy, he made a point of getting the mechanic to apologise, and he did so sincerely. I think i will shop there again, but I won't get them to change my cranks again any time soon.

Mainly because I have the tools to do it myself:

doubblepostenger

Yeah i know, my internet was being stupid. it appears to have been magicked away though. :)

How much are the BLB frames then?

Freya sent me an email "Our frames are very similar to what the IRO's are : Cro mo steel, nice finish. the only difference is the price. since we produce our own frames directly they only cost £160 frame and fork, black or cream sizes: 49, 53, 56, 59."

But... I'm now thinking of selling a kidney and buying a Bob Jackson, or d0gball's Yates maybe?

I really don't like modern a-head bikes. It's an issue my bank manager would like me to work through!

modern Ahead is better.

that's why it's the current standard.

Bob jacksons have Ahead..it's up to you..

you only need one kidney

I know it's stiffer, offers more choice etc. But if you took that argument all the way we should probably all be riding alu/carbon Dolans or something.

...oh, we are.

my Bob Jackson has a 'normal' classic threaded headset + quill stem [though now its got a converter]

Sell your kidney, buy a bob jackson. They are nice.

I've just sent them an email actually and shall be in contact tomorrow.

I just found myself speccing a new bike with a whole load of whizz-bang and me still hating it. So I'm going back to Bob Jackson, Campagnolo, Nitto, and Brooks. I might even run tubulars!

:)

I don't think they bother replying to email, at least they didn't when I sent one about a year ago..

I don't think they get the interweb in Leeds anyway.

eyebrows. Do you have and pictures of your Bob Jackson build?

That's lovely. The more I see Bob Jacksons the more I'm tempted to sell mine and get one!

@miro_o - sell the kidney.

it's a bit scratched these days, the paint job is flaky as hell. it's dark blue, so i guess it's easy to touch up when i get round to it. it's got some friends.

your road bike has no seat? guess you get better time in TTs

i'm short of saddles right now.

i only have two that i would consider rideable, so i have to switch them around ALL the time. i need to buy two more.

what do you ride saddle wise?

short tires as well?

finding it hard to get 27s in an acceptable width, i/e 1 inch, may have to go bontrager 1 1/4, they have a fairly narrow carcass.

need a brooks for the stokes path frame. for the others, anything comfy.

27 by 1in is going to be tough, is it a period thing?

This is it pre- quill to ahead adaptor mutilation:



And after:

nope, it's a narrowness thing.

1/14 = 28mmish

1" = 25ish

i ordered some panaracers with kevlar from SJS, only for them to call me and say they have been discontinued.

maybe tubs is the way forward.

mutilation is possibly the right word there.

25 still feels wide to me, im actively trying to skid through my rear so i can buy a 23

You're damn right. I just need to find a quill stem that works. But hey it's fucking comfy.

Quick heads up Cavendish have three BJ Vigorelli frames in stock right now 52 53 56 for about £40 more than ordering direct from BJ and with no 8 week wait.

http://cavendishcycles.wordpress.com...-guest-vivalo/