Firstly, are you sure they are stainless steel rims? Most steel rims are made from a more normal mild steel that is then chrome plated for corrosion resistance. Back in my days of cheap 10 speed racers, the brake pad material of choice for chrome steel rims was a rubber pad with a leather insert. I think the main advantage was for wet weather, i’ve no idea if the leather also made them better in the dry. A quick internet search suggests that they are still available.

Second; I once met a man on the side of a volcano in Kenya who was carting charcoal down from the summit to market on a Raleigh All Steel style bicycle. He had made him self a foot brake that was hinged near the bottom bracket and pulled two hand carved wooden brake blocks into the rim at the chainstay. It was probably completely useless, but a mighty impressive piece of engineering all the same.Just an idea.

Third (of two); Disk brake material will be useless as mentioned above. It has a very low coefficient of friction compared with rubber. It benefits from a much higher contact pressure in it’s application. You can buy rod brake pads in modern rubber compounds, so I think you’ll just have to try them. Making sure the rod system is adjusted properly and lubricated at the pivots of course.

Cable is usually rated by it’s cross sectional area in millimetres squared, but most suppliers will also list it by it’s approximate current carrying capacity. Vehicle Wiring Products are a very helpful supplier:

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/section.php/198/1/single-core-pvc-thin-wall-cable

The actual current capacity depends on a lot of variables, the temperature, length, proximity to other cables, etc. But the easy way to deal with it is simply to get a cable much bigger than you actually need.

As nickjb says, are you sure all you need is 20A?

What are your competitors selling and how much for?

Never used it, but
http://ioverlander.com/ [/url]
sounds similar.

The ones with a suede-like palm, known as ‘mechanics’ gloves elsewhere?
Silverline make some:
http://www.silverlinetools.com/en-GB/Products/Safety%20%26%20Workwear/Gloves/763587
but there are many others available. I’m sure a ebay search would find some cheap ones.

You mean a dishing gauge?

That looks to be a stove rather than a lamp. Similar to an old Primus parafin stove.
It’s missing three tent peg looking bits that would have slot into the holes in the edges to support the cooking pot.

Like a rollamajig?

Travelling for work (school trip) whilst your first passport is held up in the bewildering bureaucracy of the UK passport office surely counts as a valid business reason? Especially as this happens every 2.5 years. A letter from the Head should do it.

Are you aware that it is possible to hold two passports? Very useful when one is being held somewhere and you need to apply for a visa (and a number of other reasons).

If I were you I’d apply for a second one now to allow you to travel to Tanzania.

In that case I’d suggest ignoring references to ‘spring frequency’, which will almost always bring you to information on racing cars. Searching for information on ‘ride quality’ or ‘IRI’ would be more fruitful, but take care to separate the surface unevenness of a road from the actual movement of the vehicle.

I recall that the Race and Rally Car Source Book by Allan Staniforth has a short section on suspension frequencies along with some examples.
What are you trying to do?

I’m not sure having a potential source of sparks near the fuel filler is the best idea.

Industrial users of Ethernet in harsh environments use 4 pin M12 type connectors. They’re robust and waterproof, but very expensive.

Like this:
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/industrial-automation-cable-assemblies/1235557/

Those Bulgin connectors linked above are a close second but tend to be a little fragile. Okay for a one-off use like yours, but not for repeated use.

Having said that, for your purpose I’d just poke a RJ45 through the wall and be done with it. Replacement would be relatively easy and unlikely I would imagine. If you’re determined to retain an external connection, a RJ45 coupler in a waterproof box is probably the best bet for minimal cost and ease of assembly.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that you can download a Body & Equipment Mounting Manual (BEMM) from the Ford Etis webpage (https://www.etis.ford.com) which details all the mounting points, cable routeing, and other pertinent information for camper conversions. It’s used by specialist vehicle manufacturers to build campers, ambulances, etc.
It is very useful. And free. I like free.

Is the flippy straw removable from the can? If so, you only need to buy one, then swap it between cans for all eternity.

My neighbour is in a similar situation to you. His garage is the other side of my garage and driveway. We have an arrangement where his garage electricity supply is taken from my house/garage, via a meter. Every year I take a reading and work out how much he owes me. He barely uses it so it’s usually about a pound.
You could dispense with the meter entirely if you agreed to some fixed fee for a years electricity. If you pay slightly over what you think it would actually cost, you’d sweeten the deal for them.

I should imagine the ebay sellers list bits at 500mm for convenience, a typical purchase. Have you tried just phoning them and asking for a shorter bit?

Are you sure it’s a crack? It looks like it might be a seam where the tube was rolled up from a piece of flat sheet. Does it move when you flex the tube?

If you like the van but want 4×4, how about a Sprinter 4×4?

From the first link on google:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-105-rd-5700-rear-derailleur/

Shimano 105 RD-5700 Rear Derailleur
Short Cage
Maximum low sprocket 30T
Maximum front difference 16T, total capacity 34T

Phone the courier and get them to chase it. I’ve had (commercial) packages clear customs in a matter of hours with a bit of pushing from me. I’ve also had packages that have spent weeks not moving because someone has lost paperwork and not bothered chasing.

A couple of friends and I once bought a £20 chinese market ‘Mountain’ bike each and cycled the Friendship Highway from Shigatse over to Kathmandu. That’s mine in it’s rather fetching power rangers livery above. In the three weeks it took us we went through two cranks, three chains, two left-hand pedals and eight right (one ten minutes after it had been put on, causing me to have a minor meltdown), two brake levers, one brake cable, 24 brake blocks (one set went down to the metal over 1km on the descent to Nepal) and one rear wheel. Anything that hadn’t been replaced was either welded, bent or thrown away. The first mechanical intervention occurred in the shop we bought them from (chain snapped), the second in the hotel (brakes bent and shot off the ends of the cantilever studs) and the third 8km after setting off (chain again). Whilst it was one hell of an adventure I certainly prefer my ‘modern’ touring bike which is a steel framed hardtail mountain bike with 26” wheels and very robust mid-range components (below). It’s nothing special, but I can rely on it and get spares pretty much anywhere without much hassle. It’s not always possible to wait around for parts to arrive if you’re on a short trip in annual leave with a flight to catch home.

DSCF1190 by crogthomas[/url], on Flickr

I used Araldite on a set of Aerozine MTB cranks that did this. They lasted about a year before I decided to replace them.
Get them spotlessly clean with solvent (I used brake cleaner) and warm them up with a blowtorch or hot air gun to make the epoxy flow properly. Make sure you remove the excess before it hardens.

Oh no they haven’t! Those are the drilled ends remaining after he’s removed the panels.
Your only option is to push them through with a punch. You may be able to manoeuvre the bits out using a big magnet since the other side should contain a steel bobble.
If they have to stay in, then I wouldn’t use foam which will hold water. I’d squirt some Waxoyl or similar in there to hold them still and prevent corrosion.

Go to Bracknell/Swinley much? There’s a shop just down the road from the station.

The car park is between the A487 and the Cadair tea room. The entrance is just a little past the bus stop on the B4405. Not obvious I’ll admit.

Edited to add: that link you gave shows the car park on the map if you zoom in.

http://road.cc/content/forum/78726-italian-or-english-thread-bottom-bracket

You’ve already removed the lock-ring from that right?
If so, the remaining cup should be loose. It’s the one used with a pin spanner to adjust the bearings.
If it’s seized, the usual remedys apply. Heat, oil, brute force.
Filing flats and putting it in the vice or welding it are last resorts, but the most likely to be sucessful. Good advice.

Actually it might be easier to take the other side out first if you can?

An old USB cable for something sounds about what you need to me. SNIP!

To make your own on a lathe you’d be better off using a polyurethane, commonly used in aftermarket car suspension bushes to replace rubber. It can be frozen in a domestic freezer and then machined with a very sharp tool.
This company were very helpful to me when I wanted to make some bicycle suspension fork elastomer springs a while ago:
http://www.powerflex.co.uk/road-series/products/Washers-2788/1.html
I managed to speak to someone who was a keen mountain biker. Contact me for their details.
PS: that is a very cool old bike. Villers engine? Will you have to carry round a measuring cylinder to add oil to the petrol?

If the insurance company get really difficult:
http://www.acuityforensics.co.uk/index.html

aracer – Member

A spoke bent to fit makes a perfect spacer.

This.

Like this:

I’ve been looking at these Oxford Bike works bikes recently. They seem to be very well thought out, with the spec based on what actually works, rather than what is fashionable. Customisable as well.

Various models are available, from just below to above your limit. Something a bit different.

http://www.oxfordbikeworks.co.uk/models/model-1e/

Mechanics gloves from about £10 at loads of places.
Padded, abrasion resistant, a variety of types with full fingers or half, perfect as riding gloves, they last forever.

Thanks. Time to experiment I think.

I now ordered one of these mounts for the new Electron F650 light. Gopro (and SJ4000) compatible, £14.99 from any bike shop with a Madison account. At 35mm diameter it will need packing out for most handlebars but will clamp snugly on a lot of stems.

Thanks for that recomendation. Just what I was looking for.

When not buried in junk the brazing setup looks like this:-

A propane brazing setup! How well does it work? I’m intending to do just the same to avoid storing acetylene. Apart from propane hose and bigger torch tips, any advice?

Clear, or gold/Yellow.
Won’t look out of place, but will show off the work you’ve done.

How many spacers do you have under your stem? Enough space for a another stem and a set of old bars cut down to 10cm long?