Someone on here mentioned they bought out Wickens and Soderstrom which were pretty well received at the time.

I think you can get refill pouches were are slightly better value but it still works out spendy.

At this time of year surely you go in, suffer from cold water shock almost immediately, lose control of your muscles and breathing then drown?

That would relive you of your stress pretty quickly though.

True, I could just bite the bullet and take it somewhere proper to have a decent one fitted.

Don’t seatpacks tend to waggle a bit when they’re filled with heavier stuff?

I use a pretty chunky one and it doesn’t wobble, for the huge ones you can get metal supports.

Exo-Rail

Dropper post compatible. I have no personal experience of them though.

Do you think there’s any risk that the frame itself has been damaged or ovaled from this? It’s done about 40 miles of gentle riding.

I’ve heard horror stories about Decathlon stores taking ages to resolve issues. AFAIK, there’s no one in the store who can do it, so they need to be sent back to the central depot where their bike mechanic can fix it.

Please let us know how you get on.

Specs say that it’s a tapered headtube, so I wonder if you could get the bearing race out and press in some headset cups and fit some proper bearings?

That would also open up the possibility to upgrade the fork in future if your girlfriend really gets into it?

Will update. We’re going to take it to the shop on the weekend but I am expecting hassle and yeah I can’t see them resolving that in-store.

Luckily it’s the winter and we’d be doing far less cycling right now anyway.

For a brand that is trying to push an image of competing with the big boys and the amount of positive marketing coverage they seem to be getting at the minute for their value, it’s a shame when things like this happen and let them down.

It’s definitely a tapered head tube, upgrading the forks was always on the agenda for the future if she sticks with it. Hopefully shit like this isn’t putting her off early on…

It looks like the balls have been running against the internal plastic cup which looks fairly gouged up. I’m surprised the steering wasn’t really graunchy.

It does look very chewed up now you mention it. I’m surprised it was steering smooth too.

Little do they know the financially draining addiction they have just got hooked on…

Thanks all, needed a sense check and you’ve provided it (should have been obvious to me but sometimes it takes me a minute…).

OK, just seen the photo of headtube – bearing race fits fine, but still think you’ve got the wrong crown race fitted to the fork – part sequence should be: ball race, convex crown race, large plastic dust shield and ditch small plastic ring and big crown race.

@dovebiker do you think the part pressed into the frame is meant to be on an angle like it is on my most recent photo?

Thanks

Cripes, I’ve only just noticed after taking those last photos that the part of the headset that’s pressed into the frame isn’t straight… Not sure if that’s happened whilst riding hence it has ‘become’ loose, I’m guessing so but not sure how that even happens…

Frustrated at this whole thing to say the least and hoping it’s not somehow my fault although you’d think 4 rides in pretty much any issue like this would be a warranty claim right?

I think that the bit at the bottom of the stack should actually be on the top and fitting into the bottom of the headtube, with the bearing assembly sitting in it, bearing facing down and sitting on the race?

There is a bearing race fitted into the frame also (not pictured). The caged bearings sit into that and does fit that fine, its the parts below that which seem to be the issue.

Thanks

There’s actually 4 parts there, have taken a couple more photos

Yeah, there looks to be a few too many parts there! What bike is it?

It’s this.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/women-s-27-5-electric-mountain-bike-e-st-500/_/R-p-335096?mc=8655218

Appreciate it’s ‘cheap’ for an electric MTB but at 1500 quid it still wasn’t actually cheap and to be fair she loves it which is what I had hoped when we got her into bike riding.

I guess my hope is that if I take it back they’ll replace the actual headset rather than bodge it once I’ve left it with them and fob me off or something. Their bikes are decent value but the customer service isnt the best.

Did you take a picture before you took it apart?

Yeah, the two photos of it assembled are after we just got back from having to walk the last mile home. The disassembled photos are after I took it apart, but it looks exactly the same now I’ve reassembled it. Should have made that clearer, sorry.

Flip that lower bearing the other way. See how that feels.

Will give that a try. Don’t think that will help with the metal ring thing that seems to drop out and isn’t held in by anything but friction but that may just be crap design of the headset rather than it being wrong per say.

I’ve been having good luck with Peatys all conditions lube, goes on wet but runs clean. Doesn’t seem to get washed off easily when out in wet conditions but also doesn’t attract much dirt so a quick hose down after the ride gets it looking very clean again.

Downside is it’s pretty expensive to be honest.

I’ve tried all sorts of aftermarket pads for my RSCs and come to the conclusion that the OEM pads can’t be beat, and by a long way. I would never buy aftermarket again now.

Still hard to justify either of them for me, titanium frames seem to cost around 1k more than an alloy equivalent for very little gain.

most will expect someone else to sort their problem

Never, in present day Britain? 🙄

Thanks, good to know for future 👍

I wouldn’t bother. It’s changing “standards” that make steel frames unusable, not rust.

This is sadly exactly what puts me off ‘investing’ in a frame for life (or for a long time at least). My current non-boost 27.5 frame is impossible to find a new suspension fork for and even wheel hubs were very limiting, and the bike is only 7 years old.

What happens next? Probably it continues to flood at more regular frequency as the climate shifts and eventually is abandoned or sold for £1 or something. There’s not much more to it, unless they have some extraordinary capital to invest in flood defences or something.

Or, it floods less in the future because life is all about luck.

Either way it’s just a building at the end of the day, who really cares if it ends up worthless, money is just made up anyway, or something.

Agreed. Why on earth would you base your 2024 plans on trail centres?

The mind boggles.

I do as much ‘natural’ riding as anything else but it’s too easy on my MTB for the most part hence mentioning most of my goals for riding revolving around the gravel bike.

Given how often the weather is soaking here too, armoured trails do have value to me.

Perhaps I need to ditch the full suss and get a rigid mtb or something.

Rear wheel on the gravel bike broke and I’m not about riding the MTB in this so riding has come to a total halt for me. I did try riding the MTB on Boxing Day morning but lasted half an hour before I got bored as its too big for anything round here and the hard trails are all ruined.

Ford Tourneo custom?

The first time that it needs cleaned out 90% of people will just call a plumber and have it removed. In terms of fitting them to new builds anyway.

Do you actually need to use a CAD programme or can you just do a hand sketch with dimensions and angles on it? Admittedly slightly different but whenever I’ve had structural steel drawings off engineers they have been pretty crude hand sketched drawings!

who cares if the additional miles are assisted

Me, because I have to work harder than them to earn my descents which makes me better.

Goodness, this thread really has deteriorated into some proper nonsense bickering, hasn’t it. It’s now rather pointless, so hopefully it gets closed soon !

Is this your first time on the internet?

You turn the pedals, the bike moves. That’s cycling.

Ebike or regular ebike.

Yes, there is a word for that which clarifies the addition of a motor, it’s motorcycling.

I don’t get how people are making comparison to things like larger cassette sprockets, mountain bikes with suspension etc. The main difference is that all those advanced in technology still relied 100% on the riders energy to move whereas an ebike adds a very significant amount of power via a motor. It’s motorcycling.

I am not against them at all, my girlfriend has one as she’s very much a part time recreational cyclist amongst too many other more primary hobbies, and it allows her to ride with me without being miserable, but I would never have one myself at the age of 30 I would just get fitter on my own legs if I wanted to.

I know a fair few people that have bought them, had them a year then sold them and came out significantly less fit despite riding significantly more. Garmin stats tell you nothing about how strong your leg muscles are or how sore they’ll be the next day regardless of what heart rate they tell you you’re riding at during the workout.

Parts bin special, was clearly never worth 2.2k but at 999 it might suit someone that has a decent set of wheels to stick on it.

How hard did you crash? They’re pretty tough with the Garmin silicone case .

1.0 Ecoboost engines have a rep for detonating themselves, i think.

I’d avoid personally, someone my partner works with had to drop 8k on a new engine when theirs went. 

Used to but can’t be bothered these days. It shouldn’t be hard but there’s having a flat piece of ground to do it on, finding a suitable way to jack a modern car up can be difficult, and disposing of the old oil involves a trip to the local tip. For 50 quid more I’d definitely pay someone to.

Heh, was gonna make the joke but didn’t want to alienate half the forum

OK apart from the annoying of trait of slowing down as you approach a car in your lane on the m-way meaning you need to take over control for the overtake.

On VW cars you just hit the indicator and it knows you are going for a pass so hits the accelerator for you. I’d be surprised if BMW didn’t do the same.

Yes, adaptive cruise control is a big winner for me. All those little moments where someone touches their brakes for no reason, or drops in front of you then slows down by a few mph, or you want to change lane, overtake and drop back in front – ACC does all those without you needing to touch the brake or accelerator pedal.

You find yourself no longer having to react to all the little changes in speed and direction of others, which over the course of a few hours adds up to hundreds of instances.

No doubt someone will be along to say back in their day they had to climb under the car and change the gears by hand while driving etc etc

Other easy/cheap wins are cars without low profile tyres and/or stupidly big wheels (over 17 inch), taking your roof bars off when not in use, making sure tyres are inflated properly, and driving a bit slower!

But more importantly, It was an absolute accident

No it wasn’t, you shouted at him, didn’t give him a chance to act then rode into the back of him?

Or are you explaining it wrong because all I’m seeing here is an impatient knobber bashing someone off the trail because he couldnt be arsed to wait.

You said he should have gotten out the way faster, looking at your past posts don’t you ride an eeb? Not surprised he couldn’t get out the way quick enough if you were chasing him down on a motorised bike.