Spokesman wheels is superb I had a set of road disk wheels built nearly 3 years ago and they are still perfect. Bearings running sweet and true after over 10,000 miles of Devon worst potholes and debris. Great guy as well.

I have had the same wheels as Ransos from http://www.spokesmanwheels.co.uk/ and they have been perfect for 5000 miles and I am around 90kg.

They weigh in at around 1700g in a 32/32 spoke build.

Let me know if you need a hand with anything, I live 10 mins from Exeter airport have a good toolbox and pretty handy with landrovers.

Top budget would be around £100 to £150 to get it setup. I would prefer no monthly running costs. Already have 1 Chromecast Audio and several USB powered portable hard discs plus a couple more 500GB sata hard disks if that makes a difference to the planned route.

Should have said I really need a system that I can get an app to control it for both android and ios.

Cougar, can I ask what amp that is, its functionality sounds exactly what I want.

I have just moved over to them in the last month or so, switch was easy they ask for meter readings via email etc. its like most of these things the measure of the company is when things go wrong how they deal with them. Everything has been as simple as could be for me.

I also have a Genesis equilibrium you have the choice of either disk or rim brake. I use mine all year around. Not in the same price bracket as Mason but great bikes in my opinion

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/road/road-sportive/equlibrium/equilibrium-725-fs

I do agree that most of the climbs are long and medium in gradient and can be spun up with the right gearing. I was just under 9 hours on my first attempt with a few cramp problems and some leisurely food stops also doing it solo.

Last year I was about an hour quicker due to riding with a buddie being fitter and really pushing on a full gas for the last 3rd from Princetown back to the end.

I have entered again this year and would dearly love to try for a silver time which I think for my age group is 7:20 which is going to involve a good bit more speed and very fast food stops. We will see how the training goes.

I personally find the typical dartmoor classic climbs much easier than the short steep climbs that can really take it out of my legs and it is an exercise in eating and drinking enough. As well as enough training rides to be comfortable on the bike for that length of time.

If you can’t life a happy life on £40K in Devon then you have cut your cloth wrong.

Not having lived in Sussex I can’t say for sure but it really depends on what you currently spend your money on. If you currently eat out lots go to the cinema buy new clothes and you expect it to somehow be cheaper in Devon doing the same things then you are onto a looser. If however you spend quite a bit on entertainment paying to get into places eating over priced food etc and you swap that for being content at home and doing largely free activities in the outdoors then life could be cheaper.

We run our ship pretty close to the edge and rely on doing free or cheap activities. People grumble about the cost of parking but if 4 people get a day out on the beach for £6 or £7 then I think that is good value.

As far as bills and overheads go I wouldn’t expect them to be cheaper, we have the most expensive water and waste bills in the country, council Tax can also be up there. There is a massive difference in the area of Devon that you choose. We live in East Devon because it is cheaper than Exeter, not as cheap as North Devon but more convenient for us. Coastal is ridiculously expensive know.

I think a medium cage rear mech is the approved way forward, you might get a short cage rear mech to adjust up ok. Living in hilly Devon I thoroughly endorse a 34 – 32 combo. You don’t use it very often but when you get to a long 20% hill its worth its weight in gold.

Decathlon 700 or earofit as other have said are superb and last really well.

Get yourself one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Converted-Fire-Truck-Campervan-Motorhome-Camper-Catering-Van-Unique-Restored-/222107046149?hash=item33b69c9105:g:bowAAOSwAvJXCLAs

To move the radiator as the OP says needs the pipes cutting and new pipes joining which you cant guarantee can be done in 30 seconds. Just drain the system, you have said you already know how to do it. Cutting corners if the job doesn’t work perfectly can leave you with a lot of water to mop up. If the rad in question is upstairs as suggested by bedroom and bathroom you should be able to get it completely drained pretty easily. New water and inhibitor will give you a couple more years.

I am not worried about the loads, I have been walking on 9mm tounge and groove for 6 years, will look at the EPDM and also use will put sheets of OSB under the new covering to help spread the load.

I have very similar wheels to Ransos built by the same guy http://www.spokesmanwheels.co.uk/ he is local to me so I spoke with him in person and collected the wheels.
I have Stans Grail rims on novatec hubs with sapin spokes.

I am around the 100kg mark and have put nearly 18 months of regular riding on Devon’s best potholed roads and they have been perfect and needed nothing at all.

The wheels weigh around 1700g and seem strong as old boots. I paid around £330 without delivery.

I have had 6 years use out of my last set from smudge at http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/ and am 1 year into my second battery from him. I do tend to use it a couple of times a year in the summer, surely people ride after 9pm. I use it 2 / 3 times a week for at least 6 months of the year. Really cant recommend his batteries enough. He does frequent this forum from time to time.

Was thinking about a concrete tiled pitched roof but happy to put an insulated flat ceiling under the rafters level.

Doors would be wooden barn doors that should not need to be opened very often so could work out a system for making them shut and seal well.

If I did put in a window it would be a double glazed upvc unit.

lodger the free wheel hub has marked up a bit more than I would have liked. Its probably 4 months since I last removed the cassette, but it still works fine after a year. Might get a tougher key made at work when I can be bothered. The free wheels aren’t particularly expensive so I am happy.

I have had the 32h Stans Grail rims on a set of novotec disc hubs for just over a year now and they have been superb.

I am a heavy rider at approx 16 stone and the disc’s put all the braking loads through the spokes. I have not had to touch the wheels at all, lots of very rough potholed devon back lanes later and they are still perfect.

If boiling water doesn’t work caustic soda will. Sometimes can take a couple of days. Might scrap the seatpost but the frame will be fine.

Its about 5 years ago but we had 8 engineered doors hung for about £350.

They can be very very heavy which makes the job a lot harded, especially if you have to carry them outside to machine off material.

I am pretty sure the guy should have charged us more in hindsight. God only knows how he could carry them around on his own.

Tescos have announced they will not do a hudl 3 sadly.

Paulwf that is the exact socket I have got. Think I will just run the 16 amp socket on its own spur from the consumer unit and let the spark worry about the best way to get more 13amp sockets into the garage at a later date. Thanks all for the advice.

Cheers Rich,

Was going to put the cable run in conduit, its just a simple 1m run straight down from the consumer unit to the point I need the 16amp socket so nice and easy.

Will look at a separate consumer unit with mcb and rcd. What do you need to know to confirm if the current consumer unit needs to be rewired to allow the fitment of a second separate consumer unit.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is an incredible achievement so far, I think they had always planned to close over winter, they just had to bring the closure forward, which is a shame for those booked in but for the project to be great they need to have time to perfect the technology. I am happy to ride a more buoyant board as long as they are available to use. I hope they come back in the spring with lots of the little problems ironed out and can offer the kind of service that will make it great value and brilliant place to visit.

Do people know if they plan to close every winter, just out of interest. I guess the water in a relatively small pond will cool down much more than the sea and probably in that location freeze relatively frequently.

I can see why you would not put salt in the water because of corrosion etc. but if it means that you can’t ride your normal board in a normal way its a bit of an home goal.

You would have thought they would add salt to the water as it wont evaporate so should be a one time deal and surely most of the lack of float problems are down to the fresh water. I guess maybe some of the equipment has been specified for fresh water only.

I don’t agree about to early to seek medical advice. Go see a physio as soon as possible. I know money doesn’t grow on trees but pay and get there as soon as possible. It might only take 1 or 2 appointments with a good Physio at around £35 per session. As a general rule I have been told the longer you leave it the longer it takes to treat it when you finally give in and seek medical advice as your body has got used to compensating for the damaged area.

I live in East Devon where it is very hilly and run 50 / 34 upfront with an 11 – 32 cassette on 11 speed 105 drivetrain . Its a fantastic compromise and good all round combinations of gears.

Cokie, the air flow from a fully open front is the best way to dry the wood, the occasional wetting with rain drys off very quickly. Ideally the roof would overhang a decent amount and it have the solid side pointing in to the prevailing wind. You ust have to make the best out of the space and orientation you have available.

If you value enjoying it or your own health and safety then don’t ride along the A30.

It is a brilliant ride if you follow the back lanes, weather or not you can do it is a personal thing. It is very very hilly on some of the back lane routes.

I have used it a couple of times. the products have arrived exactly when they have said they would but as pointed out above. They have an offer on for a period of time and only once the offer has ended do they send out the products.

Some great bargains to be had.

I have been to see 2 different physio’s and they have recommended rollering it is just a small spot on the outside top end of my calf muscle that is very tender. If I can t get a definitive answer I will go back to the physio.

Waterjet will give you a good cut that should be accurate to 0.1mm. As Nickjb states you can waterjet almost any material. Where in the world or country are you looking to have it done. Most waterjet companies would just want a couple of 2D dxf files and follow that. It should be 10’s of pounds per plate not hundreds. Most small towns will have somewhere within a few miles that can waterjet. This is a company we use at work. they are very good http://www.precisionwaterjet.co.uk/home

Is it a 3d profile, can’t it be redesigned to use a couple of 2D profile cut plates that could be waterjet. If you put a picture up it would help constructive help.

Blooming brilliant sale. Just picked up full and short 700 bib tights and a wind proof gillet for less than £50. I am 6’4″ 16 stone and fit well into XXL which seems spot on compared to Italian sixing where I don’t fit in anything at all.

Smudge for me, had a battery 6 years ago for a trout light that has done 3 charges a week through the darker months on average for the last 5 and a half years before a cell died. I have replaced it with another from smudge that seems to be just the same quality.

surroundedbyhills – smudge is mtbbatteries.co.uk

Get some caustic soda in their and leave for a few days, it worked for me.