Well, of course it depends what you already have. Two of the last four bikes I’ve bought were a fat bike for £700 and a cross bike for £200. Both fantastic second-hand bargains that have given me so much pleasure. Now, I’d be looking for a Krampus or a Stooge Speedball

Modern is anything after 1976 as far as I’m concerned

Cheesy mash fried in butter till it gets a dark crust

Massive jacket potato, cooked till the skin is dark, with the consistency of crisped bark. Quickly (speed is essential to retain the crispness) halve the spud and eviscerate it. In a frenzy, add a half pound, or thereabouts, of salted butter to the skins and flesh, allowing it to melt. Add a grind of pepper and enjoy. If butter isn’t running down your chin you’ve done it wrong.

Great work!👍

I’ve been loving this thread.

It’s not the best time of year for Ranmore, Boxhill and Mickleham. They’re all on slippy, claggy chalk and clay. Mickleham holds up the best.

You can, of course, still get a good ride in but it helps to know which bits to avoid.

I have a light like Zippykona’s that I’ve fitted with a Hope qr mount. It’s pretty good but would be murder as a helmet light. TBH that Bikehut light would be a better buy these days.

I also have a Moon Vortex Pro. Very good for the £40 I paid and comes with helmet and bar mounts. Just wish additional batteries were easier to come by.

In your shoes, I’d get something like a Smuggler and a Stooge. Oh, I did.

I built one with a single bolt each side. It works fine

X-Fusion HiLo. Not the best lever and not the most positive return but it’s worked fine for a couple of years with no love.

I think they’re lovely but they’re not to everyone’s taste.

Have you tried kumquats?

Just to add my name to the list of users who have deserted the classifieds. I’m not flouncing, it’s just that the new format doesn’t give me what I got from the old one – window shopping with the (low-level) background thrill of a possible bargain or impulse buy.

i might search the new one next time I’m after something specific. But I probably won’t.

I got one of these recently to replace an ancient Lumenator, following a recommendation on here. Better than a Solarstorm. Definitely with £15

http://kaidomain.com/BL2s-2-x-Cree-XM-L2-U3-White-6500K-2-Groups-of-2-to-3-Mode-2200-Lumens-Bike-Light?search=Bike%20Light%20

I’d definitely trust that.

Moon are great. I have a Vortex Pro. Be aware that they don’t use standard 18650s. You need a special Moon battery which wasn’t that easy to find last time I looked.

“It’s brightening up”

when it clearly isn’t

Some possibly relevant NHS info:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medical-cannabis/

Bar end shifters would allow you to go for TRP Hylex hydraulic brakes and any drivetrain you fancy without breaking the bank.

Various combinations of Shimano/SRAM/road/MTB/9-10-11-speed components can be bodged to work together but in your shoes (depending on budget) I’d buy a system that’s designed to work as one (or at least one that’s in common use).

Downhill is for downhillers, cross country is for cross **** 😉

I remember a time when at least three people would have recommended a rigid singlespeed by this point in the thread.

I miss nostalgia.

I bought a nice mid-range carbon road bike but always wished I’d bought a CX to give the flexibility for mixed on/off-road rides.

Then I bought a bargain CX off ebay and it’s almost as light, almost as fast on the road and loads of fun off-road.

I don’t do club rides or races and I hardly ever ride my road bike instead of the CX these days.

IME carbon paste isn’t as good as grease at stopping your post seizing in the frame, so keep an eye on it and follow the tip above about greasing the lower portion of the post.

Leek and potato – some of each, one of those gelatinous stock thingummies, salt and pepper and some butter for softening the leeks. Simple and delish.

Mine s an On-One Fatty Trail. It’s a cracker

If you go with a rigid 29er then a properly swept bar like a Jones or an On-One OG adds a lot of comfort IME. Fleegles are good too, if you want something less swept.

I’ve got both a cross bike and a rigid 29er. Generally the 29er is more comfortable and capable off-roadbut the crossbike is more fun for some riding and is obviously better on the riad. It sounds like you’re at the cross/gravel end of the spectrum but only you really know that.

At that price the batteries will be rubbish. I wouldn’t.

I used to be pretty blase about cows, having never had any issues when taking a confident calm approach to crossing fields full of them, usually with a friendly “Afternoon, ladies” or suchlike. Then a couple of years ago I walked past a herd containing a young bullock who squared up to me, lowered his head and did that pawing the ground thing. 😳

I quietly sh@t myself and retreated over the nearest style as quickly as possible.

I’ve ridden Chronicles through winter since they came out. Not that bad but I may try something more noduley this year. Duro Crux any good?

^ true and made me chuckle

Worth an ask on the Bearbones forum. Maybe also the Bike and bivvy and Stooge owners FB groups.

Registering interest 😀

Have you checked tolerances on your ringpiece?

#tommysqueaker

Have you considered the Ribble alternative?

Stooge (ebb)

I get it but I wouldn’t buy it. The silly styling touches like that number panel and those guards annoy me. But I guess they’re what’s needed to sell this to the people who will actually buy it.

Thank god it’s not real

I’ve put flared drops on my Ridley X-bow. Is it still a cross bike?

I have a Lamina 20. It’s very good but it’s a lot more bulky than half decent down. I now use a UK Hammocks down quilt fir everything but deep winter. It’s great.