Cape Town, South Africa
Great Mountain biking.
Good surf although cold water.
Fresh fish.
Amazing wine.
Nice climate.
The real locals have the best accent.
If it weren’t for crime and corruption I’d be there now sending you guys weekly invites to come and visit.

When my espresso machine died I bought an Aeropress, it makes an amazing cup of coffee everytime.
Beans are Modern Standard, their Ethiopia/Konga is my favourite and just £4 for a 227g bag at our local Sainsburys. You can order it direct from Modern Standard. It is really good!

Cape Town.

Aeropress by Aerobie makes an amazing cup of coffee.
Stick with instant, Nescafe Azera is half decent.
Unless you want espresso, then you will need a machine.

VW transporter has a 2.0 TSI Petrol engine version.
I don’t do more than 8000 miles a year.
I think it looks awesome.

The Ford is a plug-in hybrid with a 1.0litre eco boost engine. It’s a step in the right direction but I don’t think the engine recharges the battery like Toyota’s hybrid system.
Very little info about anything else.
I have kept my vans until they’re 10 years old, which is why I was disappointed about buying my friends transit custom. It would have been 6 years old and not comply to ultra low emission zones.
If you think it’s only London that’ll remain ULEZ you’re in for a surprise, all the major cities will follow suit, so yes vans and cars will devalue significantly the day it’s announced.
Personally I’m all for it, getting rid of fossil fuelled transport. If I could I would cycle everywhere but I cannot get a van load of stuff on a bike.

Yeah, I’m still getting over George Lamb moving on!
Fortunately there a ton of internet radio, WorldwideFM is good a lot of the time.

Stanton Sherpa!

I’ve had mine about a year now.

Rode 56km on Monday around Surrey Hills and it was comfy, climbs well, descends well, rips chunks out of corners, manuals stuff, wheelies amazing so yeah it’s a hoot and will munch miles!

Its got changeable drop outs, current 142×12 bolt rear but I can get boost drop outs or single speed.

Stanton offer a number of builds or frame & fork or rolling chassis.

You’ll love it.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.topgear.com/car-news/speed-week/mercs-vito-van-tgs-speed-week-hero%3famp

You need to be drinking litres of water.

Decided to join the wife on current exercise/diet plan, 3 weeks in I’ve dropped a trouser size BUT

its pretty strict. No carbs for her, I’m allowed a portion of rice with each meal because im doing miles on the bike.

Men drink 4 litres of water, 3 for the ladies.

Chicken, turkey and fish only, no red meat!

Protein portion is the same size as your palm.

Handful of Green veg.

4 eggs in the morning, scrambled or boiled with salmon.

mid morning snack Greek yoghurt handful of blueberries and 6 almonds.

We’re allowed diet shakes instead of some meals but they suck!

Give it a go, you’ll be surprised how synthetic everything tastes after you’ve adjusted.

You can buy new trousers.

Got a pair of hiking boots and aproach shoes by FiveTen.

Also 3 pairs of Freeriders in different colours.

My feet are huge and it seems unfair I’m not paying per meter but I always find last season’s sale items and buy 2 or 3 pairs if they have my size.

The hiking boots and Guide Tennies are amazing, the soles are super grippy for tree climbing.

This shit is so old the last time I got into a Lycra/baggie/roadie/mtb  discussion I had to keep charging up my Sony Ericsson to send a proper reply.

I already own the most underrated car and I love it!

Still got an mk1 Slackline frame in electric blue. It’s an amazing bike. Real quality.
Last year I begged and borrowed to buy a Stanton Sherpa (29er). It’s absurd!!
It manuals, rails corners, blasts down anything I’m prepared to tackle and then cruises back up.
I’ve even been popping one hand wheelies (I’m 46 Years old for Pete’s sake!!!) it’s confident and fun.
I love the sound the Steel makes when trail grit “pings” off it.
That old Slackline laughed off some big stones on a rocky trail in South Africa a few years ago and the paint is still in good condition.
Get one if you can.
Dan Stanton is on the ball.
Titanium is nice but the Reynolds frames are so good I’d have to win the lotto jackpot before going that way.

Feeling your frustration here.
Popped my knee a few weeks ago at work, I can’t walk up more than 2 steps at a time, knee doesn’t straighten out fully, is stiff and painful.
I’m a self employed plumber/heating installer and it’s slowed working down unbelievably let alone being allowed out in the hills to play.
Stay positive.

All boiler manufacturers make a Combi that will cope but the cold main supply needs to be able to supply enough water, flow rate crucial.
Are you on an old lead main?
Check what you are getting at your kitchen cold, fill a bucket and time it, if you have less than 20 litres per minute you will struggle.
You may need to consider a new mains supply flow Waterboard’s stop cock.
Alternatively you can install an accumulator, there cumbersome and expensive.
Before you do any of that make sure ALL valves are fully open and there’s nothing restricting the current flow.

Did a coached course a couple of years ago with Tom Dowie.
He is the coolest guy I’ve met for a long time and yes, my riding was way better afterwards.

Sorry guys, it’s not bulldozer tracks that’s my new wheel size!
Useless on tight turns but no punctures yet.

Very very good!
I will check out his other stuff.

That race was awesome! A great track.
Nino looked like the 1st 4 laps were just a warm up.
I know nothing about XCO at the moment but I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season.

If the Santa Cruz was made out of steel I’d do just about anything to own it.
Except trade my Stanton Sherpa for it!
The only bike I would be prepared to exchange it for is a Sherpa Ti.
29 or 27+ with swapout rear you can do pretty much what you want even boost.
120mm fork is longest suggested on website but I’m not sure you’d want to go longer.
It’s very balanced and confident, wheelies like nothing I’ve had before so even local rides with my kids are a hoot.
Smashed all Strava (when I can be bothered) segments up and down.

I’m speechless.
Get well soon Nicky.

I can’t wait to see that on Police Interceptors.

The Whyte has a really short Chain Stay length, it’s quite easy to manual and a great bike to hoon about on, I preferred the T-130 though at the Demo day I attended.
I’d love to try the Cotic.

Phew, thanks for all the replies.
I did worry about him while he was away but he’s really risk averse and wouldn’t do anything silly, unlike his little brother whose already tried setting fire to his room.
I didn’t think he’d do it but I was proud of him he did.
The Skate park is really close, about half a mile and there’s no big roads to cross.
It is next to a traveller site, which I don’t mind because the kids have always encouraged the others to have a go at some trick, their language is awful but so is mine!!!

I can’t wait!
Better than anything else on tv except Redbull TV
Grand Tour was also better than anything else…Except Redbull TV, live coverage of Volcom Pipe Pro from Hawaii, that was insane!
Redbull Rampage live was epic!
Roll on World Cup season.

Sorry to wade in so late, I bought a Norco Threshold of eBay 2 weeks ago. It’s in great condition.
The bike is heavy compared to the road bike it replaced but out in the woods it feels great! Very confident, the cable discs don’t haul like my XT’s on the MTB but with those skinny tyres I wouldn’t want them to.
The skinny tyres are scary round corners but it’s a blast.
Turns my local flattish woods into a hoot, which is awesome, I used to have to travel to get to fun/challenging stuff but this bike makes local all weather tracks fun and sort of challenging.

Get the metallic black with racing stripes so you can park like a dick.

I’d go for the Frog.
Very well thought out bike for kids, things like straight cranks help with pedalling.
Nice light frames and they hold their resale value.

I looooooove my Reynolds 853 steel tube Stanton Slackline.
Sorted geometry means it goes round corners like nothing else, confident on everything.
Small thing like when small stones flick up on the down tube it sings with a sweet ‘piiiing’.

Family holiday back August was in Hossegor, France.
The surf was cooking, I took a body board cos I last surfed over 4 years ago and thought I’d suck.
Rented a surf board one day, it was like riding a bike, except the fitness! I couldn’t paddle for much. But I loved it.
It just got bigger through the week and I was glad to be riding a sponge. The old cycle fitness helped paddling with fins on the body.board.
I didn’t touch my bikes for months after we got back and spent my free time riding long board skateboards, I even got my wife to ride a skateboard for the first time.
Now it’s winter, I’ve been out on the mountain bike a few weekends on the trot, it’s nothing like surfing but I do love it. I prefer working on bikes that surfboards.
I just wish I could doodle mountain bikes as well as I doodle waves.
I have got a bike that in a weird way makes me think of one of my old boards, the board was way too small for me and I struggled to paddle it but when I got that board going it was pure magic. This little Hardtail is the same, too small really but get it on a small downhill gradient and it just comes alive. Rips corners to pieces and turns roots and little bumps into launch pads!
They’re not at all the same but both are epic things to enjoy.

Go straight to Peckham.
You’ll be lucky to hear back from anyone at Brixton BMX club, that said they will make feel welcome at the training sessions. The track was due for a full refurb but I’m not sure how far it got.
There’s a buzzing BMX race scene with tracks at Hayes, Weybridge, Gravesend, Mitcham and the list goes on.

Bought my vito from Claremont car & commercial, a small dealership in Chatham, Kent.
Ex-lease vehicle, 3 years old at the time with 136000 miles.
I’ve put on over 30000 miles and I love it!
I’ve had to put a few things right, new injectors window regulator and window switch.
I have it serviced annually and it still pulls like a train, it’s not bad on diesel either £70 will do 500 miles easily unless you’re in a rush.
I’ll definitely get another but with aircon.
Get deadlocks fitted as soon as you can but that goes for any van.

They’re rare but I’d look for a 4wd hiace based Granvia.
Otherwise I’d make do with a land cruiser or shogun.
It’s a pity our choice of cars for right hand drive vehicles is limited, I saw a 4matic Merc Vito bus while in France earlier this year.

I must be doing something wrong, most of the dog walkers round here are happy bunch.
As for roadies…

I could get 2 bikes in our old Skoda estate with the wheels on.
Vito is available with a 3.0 litre V6 220 bhp motor.
Just remember all vans will be subject to Low Emissions Zone charging.
Also 50mph speed limit on national speed limit roads or 60 on dual carriageway.

Check out some free dive and apnea excercise.
No tanx has a cool website.
It’s not necessarily going to increase your lung capacity but I’m sure you’ll benefit from some of it.
Singing basic breathing excercise will also be well worth checking out.

All the best

Last week I picked up a massive bolt in my tyre, 2nd or 3rd time its happened thankfully repairable.
Budget tyres haven’t been bad for a long time now unlike a few years back when they were made out of recycle bin liners and pva. They don’t last as long as premium tyres but the crap that I’ve picked up means that didn’t really matter.
KP tyres in Ewell, Surrey are awesome!

My favourite part of the program was when Sir Chris Hot gets into Guy’s van and says “Nice van!”
Or was he being sarcastic?

Some of the guys I’ve been out with on road bikes really don’t have a clue.
Changing direction suddenly, hitting the brakes for no reason and other foolish stuff.
My last road bike outing was so frustrating I didn’t want to see the bike ever again.