Wow, I thought I was drinking too much last year but based on this thread I’m a lightweight! Only have the odd pint every few weeks/month now.
Weirdly, a couple whiskies helps me sleep (?), but anymore than that I have a terrible night and sometimes throughs sleep out for a few days. Might just be my perception. Don’t use a Garmin, but would be interested to see the data.
Drink for me is directly linked to my stress levels. The more stressed, the more I drink. I can see how people enter a vicious cycle and spiral.

It’s a great resource and I’ve used it a fair bit and also contributed.
Didn’t realise it was a registered LTD co., I thought it was a hobby site!
Their monetisation model is pretty weak. I didn’t even know there was an advanced search available.
It’s really poorly advertised.

I’m also not sure most riders who use the site actually need advanced search access. If you are on ‘Geometry Geeks’, by definition you are into numbers and understand them to a degree, so what does advanced search really offer? EDIT- okay, I see the benefit of tracking down bikes based on geometry parameters. It’s a nice touch, but not worth £5. Most enthusiasts looking for a specific geometry range already know the majority of bikes in their category/budge.

I wish them all the luck but really if they’re trying to monetize it they need a better proposition and a better call to action.

I love quirky bikes and picked this folder up.
Interesting riding characteristics would be an understatement. It’s equal parts terrifying and fun. It’s also got a 3 speed Sturmy Archer. Balance bike for scale..

Heart, always heart! Cycling’s clearly a passion of yours so why would you buy a white goods bike that doesn’t give you a zing? You want something that you’ll look over your shoulder at and it will make you ride more. There will always be a more refined bike but you won’t love it so won’t use it as much.

I’ve done the head thing too many times and always end up moving them on quickly. They were perfect for a discipline, but never made me feel good; Trek Superfly, Specialized Enduro, Giant Trance, Vitus Escape, etc.
The bike I’ve kept the longest? My single speed rigid Stooge! It just makes me feel good and it’s fun to sometimes ride something inappropriate.

Your others bikes are ‘built not bought’, so why would that change now? Go for your heart (and I look forward to seeing the build :D ).

Little mess around this afternoon on the Stooge.

Not sure if it’s right for your needs, but this Whyte deal is pretty epic considering spec for an FF ebike.
It’s a  reduced ’23 model, but it’s exactly the same battery/motor as ’24.

Some good feedback! Thanks all.
Given it would be a winter bike riding up on the Ridgeway it’s going to be tame to be honest.
Mostly bridleways, footpaths with some singletrack, but it’s mostly smooth with gravel.
I might get away with it? I should try and find a rental somewhere locally first I guess.

How long the bike would last being run through winter.. who knows. One reason I’m mainly looking for Bosh bikes.

I don’t think I’m allowed to top-up, so stuck with £2k and under.
I can only see HTs for that price. I might just leave it.

Shame they don’t do framesets with the drivetrain as I’ve got all the other parts.

Thanks for the feedback. I think that matches my expectations to be honest.
The FF FS bikes do a good job of carrying the weight. You definitely feel it but at least it’s not uncomfortable.
It’s a shame as there’s some other good value option from Lapierre and others.

Thanks everyone for all the replies! Lots to think about.

One thing I’m certain of is that I’ve got it setup correctly. I’ve has RS stuff for years and is my preferred fork usually. Quite confident in getting them setup.

I might just do a service at home and inspect everything and go from there.
I like the idea of these after market bits anyway to improve them, so will definitely have a look.
Shame that Trutune and other are out of stock.

Interesting- thanks all.
The fork is definitely harsh. Not sure why I didn’t notice it before. Jumping from a well damped fork to this is night and day though.

Last serviced about 6 months ago and only been ridden a few times since (less than 40 miles). Only thing I can think of is that the bike is being stored vertically, but surely it’s a good thing as the oil would soak the seals?

Trutune Hit and Flow look like a good combination for an upgrade.. good value too.

Can definitely recommend the Cotic BFeMax.
I use it in exactly the same way as you intend to and it’s ace.
I noticed Cotic have pulled them so you’d need to buy second hand.

These look great! Considering one for the C2W scheme.
Spotted this in the description..

Specialized SL 1.1 custom lightweight motor, peak 240W / 35Nm, 2x you rider amplification (180% assistance), assist up to 28mph.

That’s not right, is it? I thought ebikes are legislated to only assist to 15.5mph.

I’m in the same boat as you. Jeht seems tick all the boxes for me. I’ve got a new-ish plastic Vitus but never gelled with it. I might be able to sneak the UK Jeht in under our C2W, or the Taiwanese one with the Ultimate shock.

The Taiwanese frame is based on the ‘old’ Jeht design, hence no brace bar across the ST to DT, where as the UK made frame (Gen2) has the brace and some sizing changes. The pricing makes sense to me and thankfully Cotic offer the choice. I’ve got the LLS BFeMax and Cotic where great with communication and the bikes been awesome.

I do worry a little about there being no brace.. I see the RocketMax and FlareMax both got the brace for the update. I assume this was added because of the cracks some had? @Kelvin can you clear that up?

@_tom_  – just drop me a message when you’re ready :)

Tom, where are you located? Feel free to have a ride on mine if you want. I’m in South Oxfordshire.
I would try and get a ride on some of the bikes above to see what works/doesn’t work for you, otherwise it’s just academic numbers on a page. I often find numbers don’t add up to reality. The O-O Scandal I had is shorter in everyway, yet felt more wooden/less playful to me. I use my bike exactly like you do, but it’s very personal with what works for you.

Another vote for the Cotic BFe Max. On paper it’s LLS with longer CS, but it feels fun and poppy to me!
It’s incredibly fast too. Had it at BPW and it just took off. I was the limiting factor for sure.
I’m the same ‘dimensions’ as you and run a Medium with a 35mm stem, 800mm bars (20mm rise) and 1x10mm spacer under the stem with a CC series 40 headset. Comfortable to ride all day.
I’ve run it 650b PLUS but with that amount of fork travel just found it wasn’t needed. I went for 29” with 2.35″ rear and 2.6″ front and it rolls very fast with plenty of grip.

Thanks @tthew ! I just enjoy the creative process, even if no one else dose. Breaks up the number crunching I do for a living. 

Funny you should say that- I did a video of filling up a Growler on another Stooge.
I’m pretty sure their mini kegs will fit.. watch this space 😅.

https://youtu.be/Tmq8yB6oDuk?si=VEEJjnSMulo6gx12

Had a lovely ride out on the Stooge for a pint. Was really nice having a back to basics ride.

Coffee & cake run to Oxford.

Shakedown ride on the new Stooge Speedbomb. Ludicrous bike but good fun.

Bit of closure- I had a play with the Bror in IKEA and was pretty impressed so I went for that. I used some 15mm OSB for the backboard which is attached to the same bolts as the workbench. Added a backboard and shelf. It’s solid. Very happy with it.
Part of the reason was also the size. It fits really nicely in the space I had available.
Just order some shadow foam and the. I can move all the tools across properly.
Thanks for all the help and recommendations.

Thanks again all- will go away and have a look at what I might do.
I can’t mount anything on the walls, so needs to be purely floorstanding.
I don’t think thats an issue though.

I’ve just seen this- looks like a more robust version of the Vonhouse. Price seems good too at £230. 

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/catalog/product/view/id/15499/s/sgs-garage-workbench-with-pegboard-wall-cabinets-and-sockets/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhomtBhDgARIsABcaYynzLV39OjX5Ud0XLDosN6-yb0zXw3r7uVmNb47xTkEZqDPlZQB3BEgaAjh2EALw_wcB

Lots of great comments, thanks!
I’d not really considered a fully wooden workbench.
It’s going in my cabin/man cave/garden office, so wanted it to have a nice-ish finishing.
I want it to be heavy duty enough to handle some DIY and maybe attach a vice.
I imagine a few 100kgs would be fine.

Thanks all! I’ll take a look at all those.

I had that Vonhaus one a few years ago and it lasted less than a year before falling apart. It buckled, bent and could hold nothing. Huge waste of money.

That looks interesting! Cheers.

They do the 1200mm wide one for £426.
Not bad! I’d rather have more drawers than cupboards.

I love it. Good job Andy! great price too.

I’m a fanboy mind… I’ve had the Mk1, Mk2, Mk5, Dirtbomb, Scrambler & Speedbomb.

I just love the fun factor- I can’t take myself seriously when I ride them. Yes, there’s better bikes for the job, but they are jHere’s a local brewery run I did if you want some Stooge inspiration.

We found that our kid wouldn’t nap during the day unless there was motion; sling, pushchair or car. We spent hours walking (3-4x day for 2+ hours a go). The cot was a no go for well over a year during the day. We kept trying now and again to settle her in the cot until one day it clicked.
Really miss all the walking now!

I did a back-to-back BPW trip and swapped between my 150mm Enduro FS bike and my 140mm Cotic BFeMax HT (A-2-C almost the same across the forks mind).

The usual geometry argument didn’t stack up for me. Did plenty of reds on the HT and it felt absolutely fantastic. The blues where actually more fun on the HT too. I was more beaten up at the end of each run though. Tempted to up the travel on the HT to 150 or 160, but I use it a lot for mondain flatter local loops and wonder if the even slacker HA might numb the ride on the flats and long climbs.

Pros: more fun at slow speeds, winter friendly & forces you to read the trail more and pick your lines so you enhance your riding skills

Cons: Noticeably more fatigue, can get caught out on big features & faster trails.

My dad casually told me on a car journey once that Santa, Easter Bunny and the Tooth fairy were’nt real.
I was about 6. Never forgave him.

Hadn’t spotted the origin tab- that’s a great idea. Also forgot that my BFeMax has 853 in it 8)
You mean these ones? Rather lovely.

Just curios, and I may have missed it among the replies, but is there a plan to move more/all of Taiwanese production to the EU for other models (thinking of all the 4130 frames)? Or is it a case of spreading production to reduce risk?
I would guess material costs would then become a proportionately smaller part if so, so possibly opens the doors for more 853 frames?

I’ve had completley 50/50 experience with AirBnB.
Some of the places I’ve stayed have been complete gems and gone above and beyond, some have been fine and other has been disasters and ruined trips/holidays.

The worst I find is booking out of season, mid-week in the colder months. Every property has been freezing to the point of unbearable. They are also dusty/dirty/mouldy/damp as I assume they get less bookings and are just left after the post-visit clean for a while without much/any heat.

I still use them as I hate hotels. Far too many people making noise and expensive for a room without facilities. That said, I’m very wary now as I have a young family and don’t want them to put up with these poor conditions. You can’t win :D

I picked up a Solaris Max a couple years ago for £680 with a headset and I was treating myself. I thought that was quite pricy then. £1200 is a bizar price. I can get a custom 853 frame from £1300 UK made. Recently picked up a BFe Max in the sale for £450 with a headset and thought that was a bargain. Not sure how this can be almost 3x more.

I don’t associate Eastern Europe with quality and exotica either, but rather heavy industry using cheap steel. Lots of rusty cars have come out of that region.

I’ve had 5 Cotics, so class myself as a fan, but this is just a weird direction in my opinion. Wish them all the best! A Rocket Max is still on my list (and looks better value compared to the Solaris).

I picked up a Stooge Speedbomb last week- thats £820 for frame & fork! Complicated frame design, EBB & double crown fork. Sure it’s only 4130 cromo, but that is a bit of a brgain in comparison.

Had a delivery dispatched followed by a ‘Can’t find your address’ from Evri.. checked the details and they only had street and postcode. Assume this is what everyone alluding to with address issues.
Luckily you can select ‘deliver to neighbors’ and select your own full address.
Very fast delivery though.

Even if they’re straight m7100 it’s good value! Less than Deores and you get the mounts, banjos and olives. That’s worth the price by itself.

Good stuff, thanks.
I might just get a set to try. They are so cheap on Merlin!

Thanks Supernova!
I’m eyeing up the 27.5×2.8 as a plus tyre on the Stooge Dirtbomb.
It’s going to be an all round SS bike, so maybe these tyres won’t give me enough compliance if they’re heavy ebike cassings..