cant_ride

Gaar!! Don't you always find you want to ride more when it's raining!! Let's get a Manc ride sorted flippin' soon people!! Was up at Dovestones reservoir the other week with the extended family and thought I'd be anti-social and take the old 24".. crackin' time, what a great place to ride (apart from all the dirty sailor boys!) Ol

Yeah, I forgot all about the forum for a few weeks there! I'm up for a quick ride in town tomorrow if it's still clear. O

Right, come on let's get this sorted out!! I've finally recovered from the Leeds ride weeks ago haha (Still a few scabs to remove at my leisure) and I've got some brakes so shouldn't get so beaten up this time! Contrary to what most people say there's actually some pretty good riding in Manc so get out and ride! Oli

This is amazing!! I found a load of old photos the other day, must've been 1994 at the latest back when I rode my 18" Marin frame for trials! I bet some of the younger members won't actually believe the equipment that we had to put up with before proper trials parts came on the market. It's good for them to see how lucky they are to be getting into trials now! Oli

Mike... big delay... get it sorted!! I'm always up for it but after Leeds yesterday I'm going to need some proper recovery time; feel (and look) like I've ben in a war. I'm well up for Lee Mill Quarry too, looks like it's only about 45 mins drive. It's a shame all this is happening just as the weather's turning crap. By the way there's some ace natural up at Dovestones Reservoir too, near the peaks if anyone's interested? Oli

Hey can someone actually in Leeds give a real-time weather update at about half 9 tomorrow morning? Ta Oli

Hola. Hopefully driving up with WIGAN tomorrow (if the weathers good) is the playhouse free parking? Also, are there any other Brakeless riders coming along? I still can't get mine set up right so am considering just taking them off for tomorrow. Oli

The mounts are bang on it's literally the width of the rim coupled with the skinny frame that's busting the brake arms out like that. I got frustrated with it, wrenched the arms out to force the slack end of the pad against the frame. It seems to have bent something to exactly the right angle. Still a bit spongy but nothing unbearable, and really flippin' powerful. It'll do for now even though it makes me feel dirty. Oli

Yeah that's still all I can think of too. I'd honestly rather scrap (take off and save for another time/bike) the lot and stay brakeless rather than buy more brakes. Cheap b*****d I know! I'm sure it would but that basically counts as 'spending money' as I'd be losing both longevity and functionality of the brand new pads without even riding them.

Update ^^^^^^^ cheers Oli

Thanks Ali all considered but trying my hardest to conjour up a solution that doesn't involve money first. I'll get pics up after work for those that have ideas! Ta Oli Ps they're just the standard blacks. I don't have the cash to blow on fancy pads just yet anyways I've always used standard pads and they never let me down! Until now of course.

Well so far that's 'set up as it should be'. If I run it flat to the arm (non of the pivoting cup and ball spacers just a washer to deal with vibration) it's perfect on the pads vertical angle but then hits on a slant lengthways. I'm thinking there might be a way to solve that and hopefully without risking bending pad mounts or brake arms etc. I'll try again after work tomorrow, in the meantime any more ideas would be appreciated. Cheers! Oli

Yeah that's about the extent of my ideas so far too! They're all good compromises but nothing I'd trust to save my life heading vertically downward towards a razor sharp rail. Keep them coming! Oli

Hola, Finally raised the cash to buy a set of brakes and then after looking for my brake lugs for over an hour (for some reason wrapped up in my sock drawer?) started to fit. Front.. perfect! Rear.. complete mess. Now, I don't actually believe there is any way to solve this problem without buying a thinner rim / wider frame but you guys might have some crackin' tricks. Mt frame (Marino Inspired geo 24") is quite skinny at the lugs and I have Onza Ronnie rims. My Avid SD5 is wide as balls as a result and I just can't get the pad angle right for hitting flat on the rim. I've attached a pic to help you get the jist. Really p**sed off after waiting so long - might as well have stayed brakeless! Cheers Oli As promised.. side on(ish) pics of the problem. I have absolutely no decent light in my house past sundown so excuse if you can't quite see what you were looking for. And Adam, mount spacing looks to be 80mm +/- across centres.

I'll see what 'the wife' has planned for next weekend, then I'll tell her I can't do it because I'm going riding. Deal! Oli

Hmm, I don't really know anyone and haven't ridded for years but I'm getting bored of no one riding in Manc and it's a only a 40 min drive. (80%ish) count me in. Oli

Allo, For a big city there are literally no riders as far as I've found so far. I live in Stockport (South Manchester) and there's a guy called Bede who's studying up here too, think he's moving back up next week. I'm horribly unemployed for another two weeks so give me a buzz if your bike appears. What do you ride? Oli

Yeah I thought that would be the outcome. I was pretty sure before it's because the chainstays have intruded slightly inside the shell I just really can't be arsed to 1. Take it to a bike shop and 2. Pay for them to do it! Although that would be better than paying for a new BB/Frame when the threads commit suicide! The BB I got is the right length for the BB shell its literally just a case of the flippin' dodgy welding. Cheers for the help.

Yeah it's not perfectly colour coordinated but it does look ace in real life. Again most of it was down to what I could get cheap or free. The stem is a tad long but the bar and stem wee donated so I can't be picky. Saying that, it actually feels really tight and responsive with that stem on there, it's not really as long as it looks. I'll start tailoring the feel of it when money starts trickling in but for now it rides like a muther hubbard!! Zoster I think there are a few how to and close up shots of people's spoke tensioners around the forum. I just worked it our for myself. All I did was clip the hooked end into one of the rear mech cable lugs, wrap it round the wheel axle and then kinked it in to be in line with the chain. Works brilliantly! Oli

Hey all just a quick one. I built my Marino yesterday and as most of you cab probably guess, frames handbuilt in a shed in Peru have a distinct lack of quality control. My BB bottoms out on 'something' inside the bb shell leaving about a 3mm gap between the drive side flange and the frame. What is the absolute worst thing that can happen if I ride with it like this? I used to work as a bike mechanic but I never came across this so I have no idea. Instinct tells me it's a bad choice but it's tight as it can get an the bottom bracket as a whole is tight and smooth. I think it's a case of either risking buggering the threads or take it out (which might also bugger the threads) and file down whatever it is inside the frame stopping it screw in the whole way. Let me know your threaded bottom bracket horror stories. Ta!

Good sick? I live in Stockport at the moment so if you're about any time between now and uni-finishing day give me a buzz. It'd be grand to come out for at least one ride before I forget I ever bought the thing!

Hey hey, Haven't ridden a bike for about 4 years and decided to build up something a bit different than I was used to before. Marino 24" Inspired Geo Bunch of donated parts Bunch of Tarty, Echo and Trialtech parts Federal grips I've never had more fun on a bike, and all I've done since building it earlier today is ride out of the front of my building, do a 360 and hop up a curb. Then I got the lift back up to my flat and sat on the couch watching CSI and uploading pictures. Phone pics.. sorry. It's actually a really nice chocolate brown and that seat is 'olive' not just crappy phone picture green. I might go get some proper pics in daylight sometime soon. I know you've seen it all before but I love the detail on these parts. Last time I rode trials all we had was 'burns and tensiles. Thanks to whoever first thought up the spoke tensioner idea it's ace!! Now someone come and ride Manchester!!!!!!! Ta!

That is really sweet mate well done! How does it ride? I'm getting my earthy Marino build finished tomorrow (depending on the courier) Pretty samey: done on the cheap, can't afford brakes, half of the bits donated or second hand but it's going to be ace!! Will post pics! That Peruvian guy builds a sweet frame!

Hi Mate, I recently got my Marino through the post from Peru. I had so much trouble with the money transfer but managed to get through it eventually. Use xoom.com NOT Western Union, and for Xoom you will almost definitely need a credit card (debit or electron don't work) I only had to pay a transfer fee of £12 which isn't bad considering! Marino emailed me within 10 minutes of the transfer telling me he had the cash and would get to work on the frame straight away. By that evening I had a few pictures of the first welded tubes from the Geometry I gave him to build. 4 weeks later I had my frame exactly as I wanted it in the perfect colour. There are a few quality control issues like one of the tubes in the rear triangle is slightly out of line but it's literally 0.8mm. Also had to sandpaper the headtube for an hour or so to get the headset in with a ParkTool press. Aside from that it seems like agreat quality frame, very light and stiff and good quality welds. I know many people have ordered with no problems and Marino seems like a great guy; always emails back straight away and does his best to help with transfers etc. What you get is WELL worth the ridiculously low price you pay. They may not last as long as other frames but at 1/2 even 1/4 the price who cares! Oli

Agreed. I went singlespeed years ago purely because I never used gears. I rode trials in 3rd and normally forgot to shift about when travelling around. Sometimes when I'm riding to a spot a good few miles away I wish I had gears but they add weight, add more clutter on your bars (we all know bikes look better the less they have hanging off the bars) and as was mentioned earlier, more to go wrong with derailleurs, cables and shifters getting battered during riding. Oli