The Hunt wheelsets are light and stiff but not the most durable in my experience, i have a gravel set and the front wheel came out of true really quickly compared to the heavier axis 3 wheels i had before. Like previous posts i have also heard of snapping spokes.

So if you dont mind a bit of DIY they are a light , stiff wheelset. Good but not great value for money.

That looks like a singletrack forum list if i ever saw one!

The Grail is great value but having seen one in the flesh the frame looked a bit industrial, with triangles welded here and there.

For quality frames look no further than the Diverge and Giant Revolt. The alloy 2020 Revolt is equal to the Canyon spec but is much tidier. The Diverge rides brilliantly and can take 650b wheels if you need more tyre clearance,

After grinding up a 10km climb last weekend on my gravel bike only to be overtaken by three pensioners , one of which was wearing sandals has convinced me that e-bikes, for a majority of the population are indeed the future.
But seriously the way that battery tech is improving and the motors getting smaller and lighter it will very soon get to a point where e-bikes will be indistinguishable from their non powered counterparts…

you have a two week cooling off period to cancel with no charges at all

It depends when you give them the notice of your intention to cancel, if for example you leave it three days they will charge you three days interest, not a huge amount of money but something to be aware of.

Yes but pay it back within the 14 days to avoid higher interest charges. The interest is charged daily when settlements are calculated.

It really isn’t: as was pointed out above, the Lib Dems can promise whatever they like, they’re not going to be the next government.

Absolutely. And l for one will take great pleasure in seeing them obliterated in the next General Election. Jo Swinson is a disgrace.

Replaced my 2012 XTC 29er with a Specialized chisel expert. Its amazing how a few changes like 2 degrees on the head angle , boost and wider XC wheels change the ride. The XTC feels twitchy and uncomfortable compared to the Chisel. I expected an improvement but its crazy just how much!

Im using a 105 50/34 with a shimano XT 11-36 cassette on my gravel bike and its perfect for me in the mountains. The thing with the gravel bike is if the terrain is that steep you will probably loose traction before the need for any more gears calls.
Another thing to bear in mind is the gap between ratios which i found a pain on larger cassettes, too much variance on slight changes in gradient.

Who…dont know. My question is why?

Had 3000k of very rough use out of my full carbon diverge fork, i take it out every 500k or so to check it but there is never anything, not a mark.

My son enjoys those freedoms too, he’s in Berlin at present and will be able to stay as long as he likes thanks to his French passport, it’s a little sad that many of the children of people on this forum will no longer have the oportunities that I’ve enjoyed and have allowed me to prosper.

Free movement has been the single biggest problem with the EU. The argument of free movement and being able to work in another country thanks to the EU is a false one. Sure it may be easier but that doesnt mean it wouldnt happen post Brexit. If you have something to offer another country you will always be able to work there, just ask the thousands of Ukranians and Russians pouring into Eastern Europe.

Some of the Loons I know are gagging for the No Deal.

And its that kind of speak that causes division. Them ( the thickos that didnt know what they were voting for) and me ( the smart one).

We are all poorer because of Brexit, and we’re only just beginning with it…

If people felt wealthy pre brexit , we would have remained by a huge margin. But this was not the case, what many remainers dont seem to understand is that many people that voted leave had very little to loose.

100m Full susser = perfect

CX bike or rigid singlespeed if you have a tolerance to vibration or just want to be a hero

Would I need to watch the original first?

Ideally yes, but not essential. The key questions for me are

What does it mean to be human?
How do l know l am human?

no spoilers but in a nutshell thats what the film is getting at..

The Norths prosperity relies heavily on global warming

Fantastic film and beautifully shot. For me in many ways better than the original but does rely on that film to hold the storyline up somewhat

I regularly “run” traffic lights if there’s nothing about but this was effectively just riding down (a close miss) a pedestrian who assumed he was safe with the lights in his favour.

If you ride on the road you should follow the rules of the road. Can you imagije if everybody took that attitude? Mayhem!

Charge have gone bust, all the Arkose’s now have gears, Kona no longer have one in their line up, On One/Planet X don’t have any at all. What’s happened?!?

hint, hint….

I think this is probably one of the best 2020 bikes out there. 45mm tyre clearance, 105 hydro groupset on the top end alloy version for £1500. Put me down for one (apparently they won’t be landing in the UK until Christmas)

I bet the suzuki jimmy will still outperform it and be more reliable in the real off road world.

Just get a secondhand Diverge on e-bay, you should be able to pick a decent one up for about £500.

You are not really giving a reason for a CX bike? Winter use and Turbo doesnt really shout CX to me

Pretty sure the Spec part number is S142500001 and should cost about £50
from a concept store.

Or as others have stated wynch bearings are brilliant the bottom is 52 x6.5 x 45 degree and should cost a tenner.

Might be time to upgrade my i phone 4…

herefore even if you pay the PCP off, you still have the remaining value of the car to find? Or are you talking about paying the whole thing off?

You can pay the whole thing off and take outright ownership of the car, it is also possible with some finance companies to pay off part of the final payment, giving you more equity at the end of the agreement and therfore a higher deposit if you want to finance a new car on PCP again…

ar ownership is a financial risk. What else is it. Nobody wins from car ownership.

You are making assumptions about warranty remaining and service plans, one of which is dependent on the age and mileage of the vehicle and the other has nothing to do with PCP, they can nearly always be a standalone option anyway.

If you take those factors out the added costs of running a PCP in interest alone cancel out any benefit, including tri part agreements with continue even if the loan is paid off early.

I think you are assuming all PCP’s are the same as your Wifes agreement which they are not.

you suddenly open yourself upto all the financial risks of car ownership which is the prime benefit of PCP type deals for me….t

What financial risks do you open yourself up to?

If you can then yes, you pay alot of interest on the final payment during the course of the loan.
The only instance i wouldnt pay a car loan off ( if i could ) is if it was 0% or a very minimal rate…say 2-3% APR , you may be better putting the money somewhere else like mortgage overpayment in that case.
On a side note it is possible to part pay a car loan too, which is another option.

I have always thought that Gravel bikes are really mountain bikes for true roadies that wont be seen dead with flat bars and 2.3 tyres..Seems like l am getting closer to realising that theory

Im using a shimano XT 11-36 and a 32 tooth XT 11 speed chainring . Works fine.
a 11-46 10 speed cassette will have some big ratio gaps, i tried a 11-42 and hated it for that reason The 11-36 is much tidier , small gaps in between ratios and the 32-11 ratio will handle all but the very steepest most technical climbs, for me anyway…

You need the trance for the kind of riding you intend to do.
The new Spark (not RC) is probably on a par with the trance too and will feel very different to your current Spark, might be worth a try.

Spark RC. I don’t own one but have ridden one for about 10 miles.
things i liked:

-I felt like i sat low riding the bike and much more confident on tech descents and cornering (compared to my Canyon Lux), even though it was just a test ride l PR’d on three descents on strava which confirmed this view.

-The Grip 3 remote is brilliant, and its no coincidence that Sparks hold many KOM’s around my area on fireforad climbs. Its a system I’m surprised more manufacturers don’t adopt (is it copyrighted?).

-Its a good looking bike, neat welds and feels like quality kit.

Things i wasn’t so sure about :

– It wasn’t that light, the RC900 Comp i rode felt like a 28lb bike even though in reality it was probably a pound or two lighter.

– Once it got going it was great at keeping momentum but from the off i felt the acceleration was a little sluggish compared to epics i have ridden and my canyon lux, this may have been the wheel set…

– A couple of people asked if it was an e-bike! the down tube is large and slightly oval which can to the untrained eye make it look a bit electric!

Overall though a brill bike and one l would buy (fox suspension)

Full sus just sit there and grind for most of the time , certainly better for longer rides. Much better on steep technical climbs but slower than a hardtail on the smoother stuff.
The Specialized Chisel is one bike that crosses the line somewhat. Its one very comfy and quick bike, you almost forget you are riding a hardtail. Fantastic frame but XC only.

friend ordered a Lux and cancelled after months of waiting.

My Lux CF7 was a month early , this may have been due to others cancelling but i have long suspected they underpromise on many bikes to try and push you into stock or stock that is due within a couple of weeks. That was certainly my experience when speaking with the customer service in Germany who were trying their best to stop me ordering the bike i wanted ( which subsequently arrived early)!

I had a bike that was a month early resulting in me being massively overdrawn for a couple of days. The first clue your bike is on its way is automatic payment , there isnt any other warning!

Thinking about doing the Epic on Sunday.
As im on holiday i only have my 29er hardtail with spec fastrack 2.3 tyres.
The pre race info says it can get very slippy in that area when wet.
Looking at the forecast its going to be dry Sunday but not sure what kind of condition the trails will be, would the fastracks be ok?
Cheers

We buy any car purchases end up at auction, selling under a variety of named sales.
I wouldnt worry, once the car is signed over the deal is done.
The only possible thing to watch out for is any evidence that the starting problem is documented not only by reciepts but also on main dealer records , which they may want to / be able to access prior to them buying the car.

My Grandfather always used to tell my Father that things are getting worse, My Dad always was telling me that things are getting worse, i find myself telling my Daughter that things are getting worse…

Perhaps you should actually speak to some then, do you think the constant vilification of the EU & European politicians in our press & by our politicians (Johnson, fargae etc have made careers out of it!). Has no effect?

I speak to them and l live with them, Money is the main reason and funnily enough many of them like Farage and agree with what he stands for.

Well lets have a poll of expats or ex-expats then, there are a lot on this forum. When I’ve worked in other countries money has never been my main motivation. In fact on my first move my salery was divided by 10

Ok sure, but that’s the opposite reason that a majority of the migrants from Eastern and Central Europe moved here from 2004. Their Salaries were multiplied by 5 or 6 and our currency was 50% higher than the Euro. Like l said it’s economic.

Funnily enough all the ones I know are scientists who specifically say Brexit was a reason they left, and they are choosing to return to countries where it’s harder to set up labs and there is less funding, including France, Portugal and others like Germany and quite a few to Holland

But hang on, according to the retainers the labs will now cease to exist in the UK when the EU funding gets cut?

I’m going to say it, many Europeans blame Brexit for leaving the country but l find this very hard to believe as a standalone argument. And its actually annoying when they say they are not welcome in the UK as , if the same level of immigration was to happen in their home countries they would be kicking off big time.
Interestingly this is now happening, as immigration from Russia, Ukraine and some parts of Asia are increasing in Eastern Europe. And those people are willing to work for much less.

And so it begins….