Catching up!

[Sprucey]

Hi Guys (and Girls?),

just catching up with the site again after sailing in France for 10 days.

So, here is the latest news according to Sprucey:-

I met Simon out on the trail at Queen Elizabeth country park last Sun and had my first short go on the......."856 remod"? (Not sure what to call it?!)

It looks fantastic in it's polished silver plummage and rides very smoothly. I ony had a little go - wrong pedals, shock not set for my extra weight and didn't want to break it but it felt very smooth! I think he's done an awesome job on the remodelling and it looks much better face to face than in the pictures.

I am also in the process o getting my 856 back on the road. Simon gave me an old rear ODS unit with the cone shaped lower mount. I have tyhe flat topped 855 seatstay strut and it is now being machined out to accept the cone lower mount.

After that I simply need a new front fork and I will have the single speed 856 back up and running - I can't wait. I might also do the swing arm pivot sealed bearing conversion as well - it was very smooth on Simon's bike and will be easier to mainatin in the future.
I am know going to check out the UK single speed champs in June with view to going on the 856.

The Oz is still going really well but I am noticing the rear end wiggle in the carbon swing arm. I have compared it to a work colleagues Mountaincycle Fury (which is an alloy Oz to all intents & purposes!) and his rear end is much much stiffer when you grab the wheel and push sideways. Maybe I should look for the alloy 4000 (?) swing arm which Simon has fitted ti his Oz?

Weight is still coming off so the diet is working and I'm off for a ride again tonight with the gys from Marzocchi UK so that should be fun.

Sprucey

[Carbon_Angus]

nice to here from you Mark. always glad you continue to sail...and ride.


[smiley=beer.gif]
Bill

[Simon]

It was great to bump into you again Mark,
very nearly didn't recognise you with all that weight
loss,keep it up,
hope your de-stress ride was a good one,
we'll have to arrange a proper ride out,I could bring
a shock pump and pedal spanner so we can set the bike to suit, then you can have a proper test,
maybe some other UK riders from this site would
like to join us  
hope the ODS conversion is progressing well.
Simon.

[jeffhop]

where in the uk are you based simon?

[Simon]

where in the uk are you based simon?

Petersfield in Hampshire
approx 17miles East of Portsmouth.
Simon.

[Dennis]

Sprucey,

don't know if we chatted about this before, but I also sail. I steer an Farr IMS 41. It used to be called Brava Q8 and is made of kevlar (not carbon, weird, huh?). its got a tiller so when sailing off the wind in over 25 knots its quite a handful, but loads of fun. we win lots of races!! (locally, any way).

I know IMS is going away, but here on Long Island Sound there is a group of about 20 IMS boats between 38 and 43 feet that race as a class. The ratings are all quite similar so its almost one-design. We often finish overlapped with other boats. One race a couple of years ago, all 18 boats in the race were overlapped as we crossed the finish line. talk about close racing!!

my biggest accomplishment to date is that we did the 2000 IMS off shore worlds in Newport, RI with this boat. we finished 12th I think. not bad considering we were an all-amateur crew (tactician was only pro on board) and went up against all pro boats. also, I won the 1972 Hobie 14 East Coast champs and finished top ten in the 1988 Sonar north americans as skipper.

how about you?

[smiley=groucho.gif]

[Sprucey]

Hi Dennis,

we had a big fleet of Farr 40s here in the Solent a few years ago. Mix of tiller and wheel steering.

I mostly sail (pro sailor and coach)  in one-deisgn keelboats. Dragons and Etchells but I sailed on a 67ft Frers designed Wally in the Med last summer (Renamed Annica, she used to be called Slingshot and was based in california). Tat is now sold and we are waiting for the owner to build a new race boat.

I did the Etchells Long Island Sound champs in October about three years ago as preparation for the worlds in New Zealand. Finsihed 4th in that I think. I also did the Etchells worlds in Marblehead in 1999.

Have won the Etchells, J24 and Sigma 33 national championships, national match racing champs, the Fastnet race and been in the British Admirals cup team three times. I also did the liberty cup in manhattan harbour in the nmid 80s - that was interesting, match racing between Battery park and Liberty island!

Have you come across an English guy called Steve Girling? He owns an Etchells based at Indian Harbour YC and also is good frostbiter in the laser class locally - a good buddy of mine. Lives i Wesport, Conn.

Sprucey