DavieB

Wish it was a mechanical - left calf muscle gone and season over. A season that started with some promise before descending into sub par mid season ended up in Crosshouse A & E....gutted. Well done to Paul who joined the "not lapped" club and is cementing his place at the front end of the race, I'm sure it's got something to do with that bike Enjoy the rest of the season I may see you again 2-stone heavier and much slower. Would buying a new bike now cheer me up or "p" me off even more? Davie

Ross, A sensible post! Cheers for the link they wont actually help as the issue remains without interchangeable end caps my hubs will still only accept standard 9mm QR skewer. The more I look at this the more I am against it as unless you have a couple of sets of (new) Zipp Firecrests lying around in your garage then Joe Public is going to be riding around on tubeless or clinchers for at least a season or so. Absolute nonsense in my humble opinion. I am looking at 2016 non thru axle carbon frames at the moment and after ages of searching may actually have found one. Cheers, D

Word from Irvine beach is that major course changes from last couple of years - lots of the single track eliminated to allow overtaking. Get down early to scope it out and dial in tyre pressures. The run-up remains! The sand section was like a section of the A737 today.

Doubt Planet X will offer any advice other than no, as it would expose them to liability issues in the event of failure. If I was them that's what I would do so not being negative about them.

Billy, I would put my money on Novotec for origin of px hubs. Novotec market conversion kits for some of their hubs but not for others. When I have time I will take one apart and consider further. Cheers, Davie

Alan, Sage advice indeed, however the crack hidden by a good dod of Araldite on one of my "old" wheels may well render them as not for sale. Will ask PX but doubt it...

Thanks for the replies chaps - on re-reading my question it is very badly worded, the originator of the query linked has a better mastery of the English language and the responses are not what I wanted to see as having 2 sets of Planet X tubs it seriously curbs my options in terms of new frames.... http://www.ukcyclocross.co.uk/forums/topic/thru-axle-conversion/

Anybody know any compatability issues with wheels with standard disc hubs i.e. quick release being fitted onto thru axle frame? Essentially can I with confidence fit present carbon tubs onto a thru' axle frame? This maybe a daft question but it may prevent an expensive mistake.

Na! Will still be trying to work out whether a Paul Milnes carbon disc x-wing is just an older model Ridley x-night re-badged. Got a weird bridge arrangement at seat stays which I can't see replicated on any Ridleys...which confuses me somewhat.

I no longer know what it's about to be honest.......

Tough day in Fife mud....slippery but not very clogging. Good to see Duncan and Mike in the v50s and an excellent result and decent points for Paul in his pro calibre rig. Another load of dross from me and continue to get pummelled at the back so hopefully the sand dunes of Irvine are kind.

No probs Paul...without bike racks it would probably have been a bit of a task.

Will be there for what looks like the 1st mud bath of the series. Paul , I think the bikes would have to be laid on top of each other but let me know if you want to car share. Still to work out travel times etc.

Don't forget the off-camber section(s) which are in fact quite technical and the hardest of which will quickly descend into portage if at all wet. See you there.

Paul, Thee regularity of your mechanicals and wheeling and dealing in bikes and components makes Billy Mac's absence easier to bear....keep it up. Checked the lap times for Alan M and he would have shamed most of the V40 field ...brillant stuff. As for me my goal of going the season not being lapped and scoring in every round nixed....not a great day think I need one of these ... https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/cyclocross/crux-pro-race/106288 If only they did one with a threaded BSA bottom bracket.... http://alanbike.it/en/cross-gravel/cross-race-pro-en/

For anybody who has a vague notion of doing the 3 Peaks...... http://www.ukcyclocross.co.uk/articles/a-to-z-3-peaks-cyclocross/ Getting a start is the 1st part of the challenge.

Nice bike .....

Nae luck again Paul. At every race you see some choice riding and you do need a fair bit of luck sometime to get round. Anyways I lived to see the day my name was called up for the grid, it was the last name called but hey ho! That said, last row of the grid was no use and it was the usual stramash of riders some of whom would be better off staying back a wee bit and riding a solid race of their own rather than going Banzai at the start and messing up the races of us gridded elites Needless to say a Kamikaze move at the the off camber 1st corner caused a crash with me caught behind it, made up most of the places in the 1st lap and consolidated a position in a good wee battle amongst 5 riders. Rode sand first 3 laps but then missed rut and came off 4th time round, rider behind had to dismount and doing so ran his bike over my carbon rims (oops) no time to check if they were cracked or not but was a bit wary of them for half a lap so lost a wee bit of ground, which I managed to make up and then lose again on the group in front. Entering last lap, I decided to consolidate position as I was never going to catch group up front and had miles on the guy behind me and guess what - every technical section fluffed, and an off through (easily) rideable mud and got passed! Even though it was a decent result for me I was actually fumigating as I crossed the line as my last lap was a bomb scare - about 40 seconds off my average - and lost an easily defendable position. Any way it was a cracking course, though the fact that you don't have time to practice is a bit crap as 3 laps in I was still finding my preferred lines.

...a portion of fat, mince and gristle squeezed into a skin suit...... can I go as a sausage? Should be there.

All the way up Whernside this year I swore I would never do it again....but here goes... (1) Get a start in the 3 Peaks; (2) Complete 3 Peaks without peak bog induced face plant; (3) Do it sub 4.5 hours. Unrelated.... (4) Decipher the Majorca 2017 thread.

Sorry, just to say I am OK to deliver whenever it suits. D

Alex, I would like it to go to a group like the BB tbh. If you are ok with this consider it yours. Let me know but there is no great rush to collect.

My guess is dying.... Hope to see you there. BTW cheers for the Bike Channel tip for Super Prestige series. Strangely I still prefer the Belgian (Flemish?) commentary...sage pronouncements along the lines of aye..ye aye, ye aye..YE AYE! seem somehow fitting at the right moments. .....some final lap today! Enjoy your hols.

Paul, Certainly can act as race HQ for the day....

Having clear out and need to get rid of a Outwell Carolina tent. The link below is similar model, you can stand up in it, and has a separate sleeping area. http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/tents/p/Outwell-Carolina-3/846 Camping days are over so I will never use it again. Condition I would describe as decent it certainly should not leak but may have a bit of mould here and there as the last time it was used it was murder getting it dry as we packed up when it was raining, and then rained solid for a month. All poles and tethers are present. If you are interested post up or pm by the end of the month otherwise it is destined for landfill. Cheers, Davie