Yup

I live just down the road. It was still shut (last weekend) and looked like there was still plenty of work going on.

Victoria baths, oodles of nice bikes, and then sit in the bar watching some Tour! The perfect weekend. It’s in the diary now.

Not exactly Malaga, but I’ve done some great riding around El Chorro, and you can get a train there directly from Malaga. Passing by Restaurant El Mirador Ardales is essential.

For full face I have some cheapo goggles, but with prescription clip-in inserts. They work just fine for uplifts. 

For open face, I have prescription Oakleys, but they flap about in the full face. 

I have Ground Control on the hardtail, and if my loop has a tarmac out leg I set off with them blown up hard.

I have Hope on the cross bike, and the special tool. I haven’t noticed a great deal of difference compared to a much cheaper alternative. I don’t imagine they machine the actual bearings in Barnoldswick, so I just get replacements from Aire Velo Bearings. 

We had an Earlyrider to start, looks cool. I like the idea of building one. Agree about weight – I used Garnica for my van furniture. Good looking stuff, although it can have voids in it.

Geometry geeks might have some guidance on angles.

https://geometrygeeks.bike/bike/littlebig-balance-bike-2015/

If I didn’t need travelling seats in the back I would look at theplyguys

https://www.theplyguys.co.uk/campervan-bed-systems

You have a lot more flexibility with a 2seater, and you are not restricted to a RocknRoll bed. You have a lot more layout options than the standard side kitchen/R&R bed.

Things we find essential –

LWB. Gives you more space for bikes, and standing space in the morning when the bed is down.

Diesel heater, mounted under the floor.

Pop Top.

External insulated windscreen cover

Fridge

Nice to have- 4WD. Has got me out of the field at Foel Gasnach, Gisburn, and several cyclocross fields.
100W solar panel

100Ah Lithium battery to run it for a weekend without hookup.
Karitek to get the canoe on the roof

Tailgate bike rack

And my partner’s Luath.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/X1RiDNcr8PvCoUry7

This one is Spray.bike over carbon primer. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDMsVH0pjtS/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Spray.bike acrylic paint is very satisfying and cheap way to go. I’ve done three bikes so far. This CX bike was a standard red Luath, and is still doing the circuits with a new rider.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjF_XMLFIY5/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

The Endorphin- surely the chain is going to eat the high chain stay? The original one has some protection tape there. The new one is dealing with bigger wheels, wider tires, so even less space to get the tube past the chain.

Love this ad, inspiring for my daughters too.

I’d use WEEKNUM on each date, and graph the data with weeks on the X axis. This is good if you are interested in variation across or between years, but obviously no good for Monday to Friday changes.

I’ve ridden a Peloton in a hotel for a week. It’s rubbish. You have to change the resistance manually, like a £50 job from Argos. Not compatible with any other fitness service. The subscription service gets you access to being shouted at by some dudebro with shadowy wraiths in the background.

My contact with BC is largely through Go-Ride. It was very well supported with money from Rupert Murdoch, and gave my kids opportunities they would never have otherwise had.

The HongKongShanghaiBankofChina money supported fewer coaches, less equipment and less facility access. When that went we had a Zoom call.

Unfortunately massive marketing budgets to fund kids sport tend to come from companies that have made big profits. I wish it was otherwise, and I shall still advocate for active transport, transition to a low carbon economy, whilst at the same time driving my Transporter to Wales for an Enduro race with my daughters.

So it’s difficult to be an ethical consumer. I’ll take an oil company budget to promote cycling, and meanwhile try to use less of their product.

If it properly burns the gas, it might be safe, but I’d suggest a CO meter. If you are using wood or charcoal, then absolutely not safe inside – the CO will kill you.

We have a wood OONI and it’s the wood and smoke that makes the great pizza.

A classic of the victim blaming narrative rolled out once again. Yes, this demonstrates a truck that has driven past a cycle lane, then turned left into it, even though the driver would have had a clear view of the cyclists on the approach.

Demonstrating the mirrors only show the curtain side when the cab is turned is a lesson to drivers to observe their surroundings before manoeuvring across a lane.

I’ve just bought the new version from ODBEleven. There’s a subscription offer this week with two years Pro for the price of one. Pro lets you do coding.

I did have a cheapo reader, but I can’t make it connect anymore.

Burgtec – very happy with them

8 months on from my previous post, same ZTTO cassette still doing fine

Bolton tip is free to use for domestic. It has number plate recognition which claims to limit to 52 trips/year. Tidy, organised, and segregated for pretty much every waste stream.

We still get fly tipping though, and there are occasionally prosecutions if they get an address.

Love it! Building kids bikes is so satisfying. I’m a spray.bike fan too, it can turn an old frame into a brand new custom bike.

Family of 4 here. We started out with Mazda 5, + roofbox, + towbar bike rack. Now we have a T5 which gets used all the time – just about to head off to a bike race this evening, went climbing with it last weekend, camping at a bike festival next weekend. Perfect vehicle for an active family. Nothing like coming in from a cold trip, putting the heater on for a few minutes and making a brew.

Manchester Evening News has the story

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchesters-clean-air-zone-24120914

I’ve got a Euro6 VW van on order since last November, but it won’t be built till 2023 given current lead times.

DIY response –

I did the main bathroom with aquapanel behind all the tiles – would have been better to just do it round the bath/shower.

Loft shower was green plasterboard with a roll-on rubberised waterproofing treatment. I was pretty thorough with the waterproofing and careful not to breach it during tiling. Still dry now.

I wouldn’t do tiles on plaster for my shower. You are relying heavily on no water getting through the grout.

I bought a laser level to get the base laid, which saved me a day in getting everything flat.

We had concrete slabs moulded to look like stone – I would advise these need to sit for a long time so they are properly hard. Some were straight from the factory and were much more fragile.

@mrl the listing was for a 27.5 wheeled frame when I bought it in 2020. you have to hunt around a bit to find the right spec.

Wheels

Frame

I specified no decals on the wheels after spending hours trying to get the frame decals off before painting.

I’ve also got a set of road wheels from the same vendor.

DE3D4D23-BDA7-4452-989D-DE3F8CD2574E by drinfinity[/url], on Flickr

7C54646A-62E1-4074-A5EE-74695E6D22FF by drinfinity[/url], on Flickr

Thanks to @LimboJimbo it works, using desktop not iOs app

Daughter’s super lightweight carbon XC built from AliExpress parts.
OGEvkin frame
ZTTO cassette
Shimano brakes and shifting
Chines Carbon wheels (eventually – ordered in early 2020)
Paint is Spray.Bike

Edit dismal fail on image link to FLICKR!

spray.bike is the way to go. I’ve done an urban camo CX bike and a sharp looking hardtail for my daughter, and a classic look on a new Islabike Luath pro.

I’ve got a 27.5 Spectral, and ride similar to you. Tyre choice and pressure makes more difference than wheel size I think. Blown up hard setting out till the top of the hill, softer on the descent home.

I’ve got ZTTO 9-50 12 speed on my hardtail with SRAM mech, very satisfied. I have ZTTO 11-50 on a spare enduro wheelset and I’m happy with that.

I built a super light hardtail for my daughter as a bit of an AliExpress experiment. ZTTO 11 speed cassette was OK with ZTTO chain, but a Shimano 11 speed chain was fractionally too wide, and ran horribly.

I also tried Sensah shifters and rear mech. Mech was cheap and cheerful, but the shifter was useless, and the ratchet would often not engage. I swapped those for Shimano.

https://gowaan-gals.myshopify.com

Gowaan Gals

We rode Gisburn on Sunday. Highlight was the newly maintained Hully Gully. Many areas unscathed, but the trails listed as closed on FB were in patches that had been smashed, and will need a great deal of work to recover.

Over the hill, Havoc Bike Park were sounding very pessimistic about their prospects.

Self almalgamating tape for me too.

The GM zone is my excuse for getting a new van to replace my 17 year old T5. I’ve ordered a new Euro6 compliant T6.1, but with current lead times it might not arrive in time for June 23.

Daughters are looking forward to free travel passes at age 16, and the plans to have through tickets on a coordinated public transport network are excellent. Currently it is cheaper and faster to travel to central MCR by car for me, but a linked bus/rail service will change that.