Well, i didn't update this thread properly did I....
Hope replaced the freehub body without question, and they sent me a stainless steel version for no extra charge. Very happy with that. At the same time i upgraded the whole drive train to ten speed, and added the new shadow+ rear mech. It is awesome, it eliminates chain slap, and the ten speed shifters are great as you can change down two gears at a time. the only downside is that even with the 11-36 rear fitted, I still feel that there aren't enough gears. Should really have bought the triple chainset to start with. I continued to ride the bike until late november when it just got too cold, and i lost interest.
Boxing day is the big annual ride locally, has been for a decade now, and the bike was great. I washed it that afternoon, which is rare nowadays as i usually leave it to fester a bit and wash it maybe every three rides or so. I must be really in love with it.
This week I stripped it down, and gave everything a good clean. Having got the
cotic back i don't have to get it back together quickly so I am able to take my time.
All clean:-
One thing that i have noticed is that the paint on the frame is particularly rubbish. It seems that every time I look i find new chips and areas where paint is flaking off. to start with it was noticeable on the carbon stays, as a chip would look worse than it was as it would lift the surrounding area and look twice as big as it was. But now it seems the black paint too is lifting in large pieces, mostly around the droupouts.
I have touched the areas up with a halfrauds stick, and it looks fine. But i am a bit annoyed.