Yeah midges having done the e2e and got battered by clouds of them on YHA in Torridon whilst fixing a bike, it’s been keeping me up at night.
So any recomendations on anti-midge gear such as nets or mossi coils?
We’ve got bucket loads of lifesystems anti-midge DEET, also the better smelling non-DEET stuff, skin so soft (which sort of works)

thanks all! Really super helpful.

Back from holiday : broken ankle precluded any biking in Kielder but I got in some walking / lurching..
The van performed without any dramas it handles pretty well for a van, the front pogo’s when hit with a load of bumps like it needs a lot more damping, but it resists under steer pretty well it responds not too bad to the throttle, and doesn’t roll to much either. Mpg is 26 to 28 not exactly great.
For that rear seal repair I had ground down the metal and then kurust treated it, then a little p40 over any holes, then epoxy-mastic over the whole lot (which is waterproof). New metal would’ve been better for sure but I’m hoping this repair will last a good while (more than 18 months) maybe 4 years. Well I can hope. Other similar repairs like small holes etc, I will p40 over the epoxy then epoxy over that again, ie to stop water getting into the sills through the small hole.

Today the caravan mane cam round to check it over before we head off for the Easter break, spooky yes you were correct the cylinder is a non-refillable type, apart from to exchange with another using the local business printed on the side of the cylinder. All in all it went pretty well gas is all OK, I need to add a RCD, to the ‘leccy but the earth check went fine and she’s good to go.

Here’s the worst rust I’ve found : https://goo.gl/photos/EBACHP5pYnMtGQNv5

And after some epoxy-mastic a P40 (fibreglass muck) oh and RIP Bosch niCd drill

https://goo.gl/photos/bC3WawYUhaJqvqto7

The rear step is also good as a reversing aid, who needs a camera?
https://goo.gl/photos/bhLjgnmgC5pryDbg8

The rest of the door looks good, but mr Rust has concentrated on this spot:
https://goo.gl/photos/nt3RG4zUrukWMXL3A

Birds nest after swapping the single passenger for a twin bench seat:

https://goo.gl/photos/WXoksPtwy88XDnN26

I’ve used cleveraccounts and never had any problems with them, they also can bundle in employers insurance and things like that. Simples.

I’ll bank on refilling it via the usual cylinder refillers then, it’s massive and will realistically last us years and years. An underfloor one would be a nice idea but can’t be bothered for the moment.

The curtains look OK in reality, certainly when compared to a lot of caravans out there, and it’s possible to get the material online I can post a link?

About the rust : well the sliding door bottom is rusted out and that needs replacing sometime, it’s not apparent from the outside though. Also the police used the rear step as a sort of reversing anchor so it’s dented to hell, can be fixed for nothing though.

I’ve got to get a towbar on it for a bike rack which I’ll leave attached all seasons, probably, (hate messing about with bike racks)

The CAB40 fridge will be fine inside when run on a hookup, it’s rare that we use gas for the fridge anyhow, and if we do the doors will be open a bit at the back plus we have a CO monitor. Anyhow the hob itself produces a fair bit of CO when boiling water, and I have 2 massive noisy police issue extractor fans on the roof if need be.

The gas cylinder itself, yeah it must be disconnected and reconnected to fill via LPG of course. So are you saying that the cylinder cannot be refilled at all, or just not refilled via LPG? There is a ratio 1.6 times the volume of the cylinder or something, mentioned in the ‘manual’

As for 4*4 sprinters, yeah they do go for a lot of money and mine is in a lot better condition than that one lol! Especially now I have blitzed it.

We’re taking it away on ‘hols’ this Easter, with halfords pro socket set and multi meter. I’m getting the mains checked out by a mobile ‘van tech

I spotted that Clacton was mentioned in this post earlier, but nearby lies Jaywick Sands. I cycled past it once on the sea front. It’s like a shanty town, or a permanent travelers site.

Personally I hate Weston Super Mare, full of brummies on holiday and local narrow minded meat headed morons.

thanks! Yeah I’ve spotted some renovated LT35 and Sprinters going for 8-10k on ebay, but this’ll need a respray to match them, and a dometic fridge would be nice rather than the free standing job you can see in the photos. The van seems to not have many bodges but it needs care and attention.
It’ll be at the Big Bike Bash later this year if anybody wants to knock on the door. So far the rust is cosmetic with tiny holes in a few places (P40 over those), though I’m eying up the mig welders at toolstation… Trouble is I’d need time to get the welding technique dun else I’d doubtless blow through the metal. In the meantime I’m going for the ‘snow leopard’ paint effect hahhaa, with urban industrial / shabby chic I suppose interior.
Trail_Rat : your obviously well versed in van life : can you recommend any good forums and what not ? Spotted a few converted mwb ivecos out today on the mothers day arboretum run.

RE: clutches I heard they were good for serious miles.

you wouldn’t want a gas/electric fridge then……

It’s legitimate to be filled up by the usual caravan gas route, it has a pressure valve on the top, maybe it legitimate for car LPG I dunno? Maybe not but it’s full ATM haha.
The extra gas pipe can be used for a barbecue apparently.

Trail_rat : The gas fills from auto-gas in the petrol forecourt like a LPG vehicle (not tried it yet as gas is full and it’s a massive cannister)

The rust is not too bad, nothing remotely structural , I can do it bit by bit, and was cheap as chips.

Rust

airtronic fault finding compendium

The size of the van is ideal for us and it was local. Sort of mad-max styled to my eyes.

Here are some pics of him or it (more like)

https://goo.gl/photos/MVwzJwU2QPx3nSNN8

It’s got an eberspacher airtronic diesel heater that is pretty cool but needs a service…

Well I went and bought it anyway, knocked the seller down to 4.5k .. it sailed through an MOT with no real advisories apart form brake discs,and the electrics are good, starts on the button, has rust. Fingers crossed. It looks cool (possibly to me only), and the interior is not ‘old man caravan’ style.

It’s a mock up for the Bond film, real life one being too expenzive

A jabber stick ?

Sonic racing transformed , but you can’t get out of the car/boat/plane thingy. It’s a laugh competing though!

How is your LT35 158bhp? My sprinter 413 is 130 ish and I cannot be bothered to get it mapped. My outgoing 330d was close to 300bhp, that could overtake and it handled.

personally I’d avoid those with WRC graphics… plus they sound like tractors around town. Rev out ok though, fun on a rally course and they feel fast as hell off road…

@John_Key : Well that sounds good, congrats on your recovery.
RE: The fall. I had an armful of rope at the time and just couldn’t get in the clip, the rope was between my legs (which apparently is a no-no), it was a 6b+ which was pushing the grade for me (new to lead climbing) plus my attitude comes from years of bike racing ‘just go for it / brain in sock’ : climbing is the polar opposite of bike sport in almost every way! I ended up upside down about 1 metre from the deck. Fallwas not high, decking out would’ve been fine… so long as not upside down.

Anyhow thanks for all your replies, the swelling is going, foot looks like a foot, bruising is apparent on my sole and down the sides of my toes! which is a new one for me heh

I recommend Chris Knott everytime for modified car insurance : they have always been good as gold with me (not that I’ve had to claim).

WorldClassAccident : that ankle looks a bit sore!!! Are you going to the BBB this year? I’ve already got my ticket.

Interesting and thanks for the replies. It sounds like I was lucky in that I got it diagnosed and me on crutches / in a cast straight away, and I’m hoping to make a good recovery as it was a small stable fracture (no metalwork or ops). The ankle is starting to look much better now, 4 weeks to go until final x-ray (fingers crossed).
I’ll be sticking with bikes and indoor bouldering from now on, I’m done with lead climbing.

Interesting! When my broken ankle gets better I can get to work on mine.
88k miles, medium wheel base sprinter, with some rust spots, inside is nearly done.
https://goo.gl/photos/AaAQenGeevVjfvhM6

Mine has a Airtronic D2 diesel heater that needs some attention!

medlow : yeah I understand! The tripster is a great bike, it’d be OK to race on too as it’s light, to it’s credit the tyre clearance is massive, you’d pick up places on some races due to that alone hahah. And you can take them MTB trails with some 37c’s.
Also : Tubs are great to race on, but a pain for general riding. But Spryes are not that great even with non-compressing cable outers etc, then again they are cheap and good enough, also very easy to fix if your’e out in middle of nowhere with a broken part. Also a whole season of winter CX is a very serious undertaking, 4 races is enough for many.

Vans rock! Broaden your horizons, beat the rat race….

I had a mk1 1.8 gti and thought it was a bit sensible and boring….

I have a Tripster the titanium one. I am usually 54 but a 52 on the tripster.

Now I love my Tripster I really do. But I it’s not a CX race bike, it’s a do it all bike and great when loaded up for touring. CX courses are really really twisty. A common scenario is twisting up and down a large bank in a convoluted zig-zag way to make the most of the space the race organiser has to play with. Then when you think it’s tight, here will be a hurdle! The Tripster is waaaay too long a wheel base and too relaxed a head angle for that : you’d wash out.
The Tripster is an all day bike. My CX1 is a bike for a 2hr blast, like a road race bike. If you really want to race, get a race or ‘real’ CX bike, not a touring or ‘gravel’ bike.

I drove a citroen relay 2.2 for a bit. It was the 6 metre lwb one, new as it was a hire one.
It reminded me of my old mondeo st tdci estate more then my BMW 330d manual. My BMW was great, it was fast and the handling was really fantastic I thought, and it would do 40mpg everywhere. But at the end of the day these cars are meant for exec fat cats. In was not the buzz of say an escort mk1 or a modified (real) mini 1400.

The Sprinter van is a laugh because you can see everything from it’s lofty seat. It is not really fast with only 130bhp and ‘lacks poise’ in the twisties. It is RWD and has ESP. But it is fun because I don’t give a sh1t about the paintwork really I don’t! So I can have fun driving it like a van driver when some idiot is speeding in town, watch them dive for the kerb! I don’t give way to much, apart from other bikers or nice drivers of course.

At risk of turning into a piston heads conversation this!

real car choice options :

if FWD and 4 cylinders ? may as well get a new van like a transit custom for example.
if RWD or AWD and > 4 cylinders or turbo what have you : Get a fast car for a bit.

I cycle to work though.

Another thing is van speed limits are restricted by stupid UK law.
Now if it’s been converted to a motorhome & registered as such by the DVLA you get cheap insurance and higher speed limits.
I used to have a folding camper, as a family holiday home with bikes and stuff it was cool, but you couldn’t just go where the hell you wanted, at the drop of a hat.
But if you just want a van then and don’t want to do the whole camping lifestyle, then just get a fast estate.
But for me a fast car was nice, fast, but not really raw enough. I enjoy bikes too much, and the outdoors lifestyle. And there is no way I want 300 tank range like a suburu would have when used. (I reckon)

Also remember that if you have a nice looking car you’ll want to protect it from bike handlebars and so on. A low car is a pain to get into rough areas (you have to be careful).

Here’s mine https://goo.gl/photos/ZwB2o6TFbn5tBaEX6

hah I started on a On-One Scandal in Pink! Great bikes :)
I started in summer cross, then both wheels jammed up solid come the winter mud. Even a stick could not remove the clag.

As for tyre sizes for racing, 32 is fine. The UCI limit is 35. In the UK mud clag is a massive issue especially if you are racing with 1 bike and no pit crew! So I’d go for something that has large clearance. In this respect a rigid 29er is pretty good shout, though they can clag up to.
If this is your first stab at racing I’d just use whatever you have, a 29er hardtail on rigid forks is OK ; you just cannot shoulder them at all and carrying them over hurdles is awkward as the frame triangle is very sloping.

I hated my cast, now the boot is just about OK. Did they even give you crutches? Or was it just MTFU?

So A&E didn’t even put you in a cast?

I’ve broken my ankle and I’m in a ‘boot’, so it could be worse! 6 weeks is the usual prognosis.

I loved my 330d m-sport!
Now I have a sprinter 413 camper and a SV650.

Force hydros are night and day better when compared with Spyres on my Tripster.
Plus – the time you save messing with cables you can spend helping out with marshalling and other club activities!

I’ve got a Plant X XLS CX1 the Force groupset is awesome.
It’s proper race-ready bike with tubs and carbon wheels.
If you’re serious about racing then it’s the way to go.

Trail_rat ; do you know James Ochterloony? He was something todo with the angus bike chain, haven’t seen or heard of him for ages.