Just to clarify it's only the 1120 fork I have (on the Titus frame), as I wanted the rack option...but it was harder getting a rack than I reckoned with! Want to try it out soon!

On the regret thing: those are very salient points. I'd say commit before other commitments pile up and make it harder to do. Making the time and money now might be difficult, but it will get even harder when you put mortgage and children in the mix, some point down the line (if that isn't the case ...

Finally, after ordering it in October last year, the Trek front rack for my 1120 forks arrived today. It's for a Farley, but it's black rather than orange, thankfully. And they're like hen's teeth to get so it'll be a keeper. Great way to carry stuff when I have those forks on. Weighed 425g so not t...

I'm quite lucky as we see them often as they nest there most years. Just the other day we saw one chasing away a red kite. Watching it carry prey was very special though..

Saw a peregrine carrying a pigeon back to its nest on the local telephone exchange building (tallest building in town centre). Just walking to the skatepark with my son!

Thanks for that!

Yep, truss fork. Thank you for doing that.
Here it is in final build:

Good idea, my other half has sent the Facebook stolen plea on to stooge on Facebook (as I'm not on it any longer)...thanks for the idea.

For a stooge speedball on any kind of classifieds. Grape colour, silver components, brown grips and saddle. Got stolen from Newbury station today. It's pretty unique frame set, so even if it turns up resprayed months away, somewhere...let me know. Needless to say I'm pretty gutted. Reported to polic...

prequel 1883

I though that was excellent.
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Agree, my favourite of the saga!

Reading the blurb, and looks like there are still more flats than drop bars...so not entirely a gravel bike race yet! :grin: Dot watching TV would be ace! Also watched Yellowstone and prequel 1883 for much the same reasons. Also, iPlayer has a great Ray Mears series 'How the West Was Won' from 2014....

Grand depart tomorrow, 'Rigs of..' and good intro to this year's race over on bikepacking.com. Thought it was about time there was a dedicated thread on here for it. Anybody dotwatching? Any boners racing it? General discussion on the event, this year's course, social media controversy, whether they...

Always a joy. Try find a bung with a long clamping surface, and as Phil says, use plenty of paste.

See the grouchy thread for possible solution. Is the shifter 11 or 12 spd?

Convert it to band on clamp and avoid future compatibility woes...?

Yeah, shimano created a compatibility nightmare with their many versions of i-spec. I had an ispec shifter break, and happily reverted back to a rather elegant bar clamp, just because I had it, and it doesn't take up much room on the bar! You might want to just make life easier and get a new or 2nd ...

Shaf, from my point of view it's got nothing to do with retro, especially retro for retro sake. I'm OK with new tech and material improvements, in life or on my bikes. It's 100% about stepping back and being objectively critical on technology we are expected to adopt without much thought. On bikes, ...

a cable that needs feeding through a frame Internal cable routing? Not for this committed retrogrouch! I don't even use internal fork hose routing on the gravel bike, so I can service the headset without disconnecting the brake hose. Yes it looks a bit ugly with a bolt on cable guide in an eyelet a...

This is the thread i've been waiting for after reading all of the fawning reviews. Never mind retrogrouch - i'm here just for the grouch! :lol: Firstly, i'm middle aged and have never been a racer. I'm not into new tech for tech's sake, and electronics on bikes does nothing for me and i'll avoid it ...

That's a proper utility bike

Thanks Shaf! Speedball's came with a stooge truss fork and a biplane fork. John's is silver so maybe he has something nicer like a Ti fork!?
Most definitely a 3 handed job to fit the fork and get all the right headset pieces in order!

On the subject of speedballs, been riding mine this week and enjoying it. Needs some finishing touches still, and to put the 2.6s on that I planned. Hope chainring didn't play well with the worn chain, so have got a surly stainless chainring on the way, and new chain and cassette much later. https:/...

A second bit of bad news for the Darwalls: the recent land inheritance tax changes will have affected their tax avoidance scheme. Oh, how sad :grin: Agree with everything the Right to Roam campaign had to say really, a victory that shouldn't have been necessary, but at least for this case that shou...

Finished off the last bits to get the Speedball rideable! Needs some finishing touches, and the rear mech maybe upgraded/something silver to make it match the rest. Pedals also for something silver perhaps. Change of tyres to slightly narrower soon, rear is almost touching the chain in lower sprocke...

Speedball ready for a test ride! :-bd It needs a couple of finishing touches like frame protection and one hose shortening. And it'll probably get 2.6 tyres put on at some point, but otherwise it's done. One or two parts i'd like to be different, but I just wanted it done and riding. Now a weekend o...

Nice write-up, and nice to bump into you for a chat! :-bd Baked horse prints are the devils work, even with any kind of suspension. The bit you completed is the hilliest part of the route, going east and north it steadily gets flatter - good going! I'm with you on heat too, I struggle on hot days on...