I use a Garmin Edge Explore (now superceeded by the Explore 2) on the mtb

Great for mapping and recording rides, lots of useful features taken from the flagship model but without all the training stuff

For all the bells and whistles ive got the Garmin 1040 for the road bike but at nearly £500 id never use it on the mtb for fear of crashing and damaging it

Explore

https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/garmin-edge-explore-20466-p.asp

Explore 2

https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/802162/pn/010-02703-10

If your feeling flush 1040

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Garmin-Edge-1040-GPS-Bike-Computer_246680.htm

If feeling very flush then the 1050 is pre order for £700

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Garmin-Edge-1050-Cycle-Computer_270027.htm

Whatever GPS you decide you want go check out what DC Rainmaker has to say about it

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews

Im still refining my route, will have a look at these links for ideas

If the weather turns out to be nice on Sunday then ill prob head to London

@james-rennie Not yet, weather looked a bit iffy on Sunday, may do it this Sunday

Mines in line with the stem, zero issues seeing the screen even when on the drops

Ill be staring at 6am so most canal paths should be nice and clear and im just pootling along on the hybrid

Will purely be sightseeing so will be heading into to central London from Richmond, a few laps to see certain things then head to the City and then maybe out to Docklands before heading back via whatever places that i havent decided on yet

Im quite happy with a meal deal! done Covent Garden, Spitafields, South Bank and various nice places in London for food before, trying to keep the cost of the ride down as the time i factor in fuel, ULEZ and parking it will already cost me nearly £50 just to go for a bike ride!

Facebook marketplace, put it up for £50, be willing to accept £25

Someone will have it for spares or they may have the parts laying around to bring it back to life

Im always on the lookout for stuff like this that i can repair and make a small profit on or strip down and sell the parts to make some extra cash for my bike fund

Wont be heading into any parks plus im on my 10 year old Hybrid thats worth around £100 so im not likely to be a target, only time ill prob stop and lock the bike up will be for lunch which more than likely will be a Tesco meal deal so just a quick stop

Will look into riding to Docklands, Regents canal and through Camden and Kings

Cheers for all the replies but there dosent seem to be any real advice that could help lol

Im always up early (5am most days) but that dosent help, my body seems to decide that i shall always go between 8-9am pretty much everyday which is always around an hour or two into an MTB ride, i cant go for a ride later in the day due to the heat ( i struggle with temps over 20+ degrees) plus family commitments mean i need to be back by midday at the latest

Im wondering if an adult nappy maybe the solution lol

Thinking outside the box, a pair of swimming goggles?

Lol now that would be a look!

Cheers for all the replies, im gonna give a black Sweat Gutr a try

Just to give you an example here’s a vid of my Halo sweat band after around 30 mins of riding in 17 degrees this morning

<script async src=”//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

perhaps just unlucky with the one you got? Perhaps another option is a lid with sweatbguard in like the Oakley drt5 for you? James

Dont think ive been unlucky, i just sweat so much it overwhelms the Halo and it cant guide it away from my eyes quick enough so it just soaks into the sweatband

Dont really want a helmet with a built in sweat band, i have 5 different helmets (two road, two MTB and the BMX one) so really need something that can work with them all

I have tried a cycling cap, still have to stop and wring them out every 25 or so miles and they tend not to last long with the amount i sweat, plus its not a good look on the MTB or BMX

My body really dosent like the heat and my head seems to get the hottest

It looks like the black Sweat Gutr fits the bill the best so may go for one of them if nothing else is better

Oakley DRT5 helmet

Cheers but not the kind of look i want on the road bike!

I no longer run tubeless on the road due to exactly what happened to you, getting myself, expensive clothes and the bike covered in sealant, still having to finish the ride in a sticky mess and then having to repair it properly once home and cleaning everything up (sealant is a bitch to get out of Lycra)

Once i got home i used to remove the anchovy i fitted to plug the leak and then id fit a mushroom plug as a permanent repair

So i had a couple of incidents on a ride last week

I uploaded them to the Sussex Police website last Friday and had an update on one of them earlier this week

The 1st incident was when i was close passed by a car (wing mirror felt less than 30cm from my arm) because the driver saw a gap between the oncoming van that had just passed me and the car that was following a bit further behind the van, he made it through the gap but was very close to me

2nd incident i was travelling downhill at 30mph in a 30, car behind me crosses a double white line to overtake me (gave me 2 metres of space) but they misjudged the oncoming traffic and almost had a head on collision with the oncoming car which had to brake and the overtaking car only just missed them

The police website update says

This report has been set to prosecution. This means the driver will either be offered a retraining course, given a conditional points and fine offer or sent to court.

Now im not sure what incident this is for as i never wrote down which case number relating to each incident so have no way of checking, the other incident is showing as case pending

If i remember correctly

Gen 1 Levo came out in July 2015, Gen 2 September 2018 and Gen 3 March 2021

So thats a 3 year cycle which means we should of seen a Gen 4 this year but obviously that’s looks like its not happening this year so most likely 2025

Get yourself on https://www.emtbforums.com/forums/specialized.4/ and have a read up of the Levo and other brands

Ive had a Gen 1 Levo, Gen 1 Kenevo and still have my Gen 2 Levo, all three bikes had their motors relaced under warranty, the Gen 2 was upgraded to the 2.2 motor that’s fitted to the Gen 3 Levo and its been faultless in the 3 years since being fitted

Spesh have been having lots of sales lately, think its more down to being overstocked and people not buying 6k to 13k e-mtbs rather than them clearing out ready for the Gen 4

Personally i think this will be my last Spesh, the warranty is good but other brands have caught up with the Levo

Once the Gen 4 is finaly released ill decide then but will be wanting a frame, motor, battery and wiring only for a personal build

If you only fitted them a few weeks ago i very much doubt they need a full bleed

Before you bleed the brakes try the following

Adjust the brake lever until the reservoir is level, remove the top cap and diaphragm, pull the lever towards the bars and wrap a zip tie around the lever and bars to hold the brake on, leave overnight, this should force any trapped air bubbles to the top of the system

The next day top up the reservoir and refit the diaphragm and top cap making sure its completely full and overflows when fitting the diaphram and top cap, clean everything up and the brake should be spot on when the bike is laid down or turn upside down

On my e-mtb im running Hope Tech4 V4 with Hope V4 vented rotors, 203mm and they are 3.3mm thick

Im 95kg and the bike weighs 23kg, they have never let me down with UK riding

The V4 calipers each weigh a whole 10 grams more than a E4 caliper, id go with the V4’s

As for discs Hopes 1.8 floating rotor weigh 146 grams (180mm version)

The fixed rotor in 2.3mm weighs 220 grams (180mm version)

The V4 vented rotor weighs 288 grams (203mm version)

So if my calculations are correct….

Pair of V4’s with std floating rotors are 20 grams heavier than E4’s with 180mm floating rotors

Pair of V4’s with fixed 2.3mm rotor are 168 grams heavier than E4’s with 180mm floating rotors

Pair of V4’s with the V4 vented 203mm 3.3mm thick rotor are 264 grams heavier than E4’s with 180mm floating rotors

What size spare tube would you carry if riding a mullet bike?
27.5 tubes work fine in a 29 wheel as well

29in tubes also will work in a 27.5 wheel to get you home/finish your ride

Some people just like where they are born

I live around 10 miles from where i was born, all my family are here, we see each other all the time and enjoy spending time together, we grew up with all our aunties and uncles around and now we are doing the same with our kids

We are lucky that we live on the south coast near the Hampshire and West Sussex border

Nice coastal areas, the Southdown’s is a 10-15 min drive away, in 20 mins on the bike i can be out in the countryside, great for MTB and the road bike

There are 3 cities within a 30 min drive for anything that you can only get in cities, we can be in London in an 1hr 30 mins for seeing shows, museums and everything else London has to offer

Really cant see me ever wanting to live anywhere else, had the chance to move abroad for work and declined, as much as i enjoyed working abroad for a month at a time there’s no way id want live outside the UK

No problem, Yes Castelli does have a premuim price hence why i buy my Castelli/Sportful spring/summer/autumn kit in winter when they reduce last season ‘s gear, i did buy 1k worth of Castelli in the great Wigle fire sale for £300 so im good for a few years

Think i must of just been very unlucky with Galibier but after having to return one item 3 times and another twice for repairs within 3 months of ownership has made me wary of buying anymore

Im a large in Galibier but an XL in Castelli

Can i ask why you are choosing Galibier bibs over Castelli which you currently have?

Do you not like them? is there an issue with themor just fancy a change?

My Galibier kit is just for winter use, all other times i use Castelli or Sportful (owned by the same company), ive found my Castelli and Sportful kit to be very robust yet light, yet the Galibier kit has been a bit heavier and not as robust (certain items have been returned mutiple times for repairs)

I may have just been lucky with Castelli & Sportful and unlucky with Galibier

Bottas finally back on a podium!

Bet the guy who came first says he’s faster than an F1 driver lol

I read somewhere that Red Bull won’t sign Carlos Jr, not because of tension between him and Max, but because of tension between Carlos Snr and Verstappen Snr!

That dosent surprise me, id be very surprised if Carlos went to Redbull, i cant see Redbull or Max wanting a driver who would push Max and has the hunger for their first WDC, they have seen whats happened in the past when they and other teams had two drivers pushing each other, things can get messy and go wrong

All the time Checo was being number 2 and coming in 2nd things were perfect, so if Checo cant keep that up (clearly he cant) they would be looking for a driver who would be willing to accept they are a number 2 driver

I did hear that Max was trying to get Hulk into the Redbull seat as they are good friends and he knows he would be a number two driver but i guess Redbull didnt want him hence he is off to Sauber/Audi

Ive uploaded a quite a few close passes and even someone going through a traffic light system on the wrong side of the road driving directly towards me to the Hampshire Snap website

I have never had any feedback from them about what happened

Ive also uploaded an incident to West Sussex’s snap website when a horsebox van close passed me, then turned left  directly in front of me, within a day i had a reply saying they had spoken to the driver and offered them the choice of points or a driving course, they chose the driving course

It does annoy me that Hampshire Police do not inform you what happens after you have submitted your footage, you have no idea if its making any difference

Advertise the bike as complete and also advertise the wheels and frame induvidually in seperate adverts

This is what i do, sometimes the whole bike sells and other times the frame or wheels go first, then its just a matter of listing the other parts

When selling as parts i use Royal Mail as they collect from your door and bring the label with them, you can even nominate a safe place for them to collect from if your not in

If im posting a complete bike then id use Paisley Freight

Best way to advertise is Facebook Marketplace (you will have to weed out the scammers) and ebay when they have a 80% off final value fee weekend

I can believe Max is scared of having a truly top class teammate

Max has said the following

Asked whether he prefers to come out on top of a tense to-the-chequered-flag duel with an equally-matched rival, or simply to crush all before him with wins of 20-second advantages, Verstappen smiled.

“At least 20 seconds!” he said.

“That’s for me… I’ve raced so much in my life in close combat. I enjoy a lot more if we can actually nail the car and are 100 percent sure that we can win by a big margin but, of course, that’s not what fans want to hear but I am honest, you know?

“I’m here to win and I’m here to create my own success.”

Havent all the F1 drivers spent their careers racing in close combat, no matter where you are in the field your fighting someone?

There is no way Max would want a top class team mate to disrupt his winning streak, dont think he would be scared but it must be a lot of stress, look at the toll it took on Hamilton and Rosberg

In true STW fashion of recomending what you got im gonna say a Transition Spur

At your budget it would have to be 2nd hand

How about a meduim ex demo GX spec with FOX sus for just over 4k direct from the UK importer with full warranty?

https://shop.windwave.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/transition-spur-carbon-medium-gx-aqua-ex-demo__13588?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=Spur-Aqua-M-1&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9IaByLuphgMVdZhQBh3yqg0BEAQYAyABEgKXr_D_BwE

https://shop.windwave.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes/transition-spur-carbon-medium-gx-raw-ex-demo__14014?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=Transition-Spur-Raw-M-1&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9IaByLuphgMVdZhQBh3yqg0BEAQYASABEgJ1XfD_BwE

Pretty much always wear shorts and a tech tee when on the emtb, along with a open face lid and i still work up a sweat

When on my non emtb bike i wear the same but a normal lid, and i sweat tons more!

Tend to ride early in the morning and be done by 10am due to this

Ive always been a heavy sweater, i run hot which is great for winter but not for summer,  if the temp goes above 25 degrees then ill stay off the bike till it cools down a bit

Speak to Windwave who are FSA’s UK importer

They may have some in stock/tucked away in a corner somewhere

https://www.windwave.co.uk/

So got a bit of an update

Bumped into the neighbour whos cat was attacked and then went missing, his cat has been seen in the area but wont come near the house, he has tried catching it but to no avail, one of the other older neighbour’s with two cats is now keeping them both indoors after one of his also came home with battle scars

The 5 newer cats (two households with 2 cats each and one household with one cat) have been chatting with me and the neighbours and it turns out the households with 2 cats each appolgised for their cats behaviour, it seems both new neighbours with two cats each have seen their cats fighting each other and fighting the other cats which have been here much longer

One of them did say their cats are neutered/spayed but they dont get along with other cats well and tend to fight, the other neighbour said his two cats like leaving him presents (birds, mice etc..) and even said they seem to work as a tag team to capture them!

There is a neighbour around 12 doors up who has an aviery, he normally keeps himself to himself but he has told one of the older neighbours that he keeps finding 2 cats sitting on his aviery roof chasing the birds

Admiral multi-car, which accepts vans.

They wont even give me a quote!

Dial Direct for me

They just quoted me £1793!!!

Little update, so far ive tried the following and here are the results

Compare the Market £469 and its my current insurer (no renewal quote from them yet) next quote after that is for £1013!

Go compare £464 and again thats my current insurer, next quote is £980

Confused.com £570 and again thats my current insurer, next quote is £978

Adimrial wont touch me, no idea why, its just a genuine Kombi, lowered 20mm on 20in alloys with an upgraded Thatcham approved alarm and immobilzer, valued at 15k, parked on the road in a good area, only used for pleasure, 7000 milles a year, 7 years NCB (didnt have a car for 6 years so lost 15 years NCB)

Greenlight want £500

Ageas wont touch me

Brentacre- waiting for a quote to come back from them

Try fitting the wheel using some 2mm washers, see if the rotor sits centrally in the caliper with a 2mm washer each side, if so then both end caps are 2mm short

Try again with both 2mm washers on one side and see if the rotor sits centrally in the caliper, then repeat again on the other side, that way you can see what end cap is too short

I stopped using road tubeless last year after 5 years of running tubeless on my road bikes

Got fed up of the mess it made of the road bike and my expensive road bike clothes everytime it got a hole too big to seal, used to plug the hole with a dynaplug until i got home and then went through the faff of removing the tyre, scopping out the sealant, cleaning the tyre, fitting a mushroom plug, refilling with used sealant (plus topping up what id lost) and getting the tyre to seal again

Now just run tubes on my road bikes, get a puncture? no problem, fit a new tube without needing tyre levers (i run tube only tyres) put punctured tube in back pocket to repair when i get home and then once repaired strap to the bike to replace the one i used (also carry some sticky patches in case of more than one puncture on a ride)

Tubeless is great on Mtb’s but not so much for road bikes imo

My Planet X Tempest had done 7000+ miles in two years

No signs of any cracks when I checked it over before selling it, all the stories about Ti cracking did make me wary about keeping it any longer than 2 years

Gone back to Carbon now and have had a carbon bike before that I’d done 18’000  miles on and was still in good condition when I sold it

If your interior is made of plastic and has a rough texture then the best ive found is using a spray bottle of Muc off and agitate with a Badger’s/Goat’s hair brush then wipe clean with a microfibre cloth

I was quite surprised how much grime it pulled out of my dash and door cards!

Yes you can fit a 12 speed cassette to a 11 speed freehub

You need a Sram SX or NX 12 speed cassette, these still use Shimano’s hyperglide freehub

You can also use Brand X 12 speed cassette’s (looks like a Shimano cassette) and loads of other brands 12 speed cassette’s just not Shimano’s

The Sram ones are 11-50 the Brand X are 11-50 and 11-52

Shimano 12 speed road cassette’s are hyperglide so work fine on a 11 speed freehub, the ratios are closer together but you wont get a large gear like a 50T

https://uk.redbrain.shop/p/00710845818011?utm_source=google&utm_medium=css_organic

Brand-X 12 Speed Mountain Bike Cassette HG Fitting

https://www.merlincycles.com/sram-sx-pg-1210-mtb-cassette-12-speed-280318.html

Campsites, chalk stream and pubs nearby?

Then you want the Meon Valley in Hampshire, campsites, lots of small country pubs, chalk streams and nice walks as your in the Southdowns

https://www.hipcamp.com/en-GB/land/england-meon-meadows-fisherman-s-cabin-1xmhzynv?adults=1&children=0

https://meonsidecamping.weebly.com/the-campsite.html

Chalk Steams of Hampshire as featured on the BBC Wild Isles Series

https://www.campsites.co.uk/search/campsites-in-hampshire

Cheers for the replies

Will get some quotes from the recomendations and see what they can do

The ad wording is wrong, that’s deffo a V1 or V2 frame

i had a V3 and it had normal dropouts and chain stays along with a 27.2mm seat tube