I don’t use anything else these days. I have some relatively cheap Decathlon ones and a nice pair of Tifosi. My standard sunglasses tend to remain in the draw unless it is high summer and very bright.

Jockey wheels on my Sram mechs seem to seize regularly at the bearing but the Shimano ones just wear the teeth and usually last longer.

I treated myself when I was 70 for much the same reasons you mention. I still ride my normal bikes regularly but for those days when you are lacking energy and motivation it gets me out. Just do it.

It’s a good price but it is very heavy. Still, less than half the price of a Sunrace.

That worked! Cheers scotroutes, as you say very snappy now.

I do pay the annual subscription but it still takes several minutes to load on a Pixel 3a.
This is relatively recent, it used to produce a map very quickly on the same phone. I can only assume that they have changed something that means it doesn’t work as smoothly on Android phones

I have one cassette and chain for two wheels but I don’t change them very often. I also have a cassette tool with pins to hold the sprockets which I find a lot less fiddly than a chain whip. It all works fine.

It will be fine. I am using a 3x Xt chain set that I bought in 2007. It has been on at least four bikes and has been 3x, 2x and now 1x according to what other kit was on that bike. Everytime I see a fancy dedicated 1x chainset that I lust over, I have to ask ‘why’?
Just pick your speed and gear ratios and it will work fine.

I sometimes ride in a group of people I have ridden with for years. I have always been the weakest in the group so when I come on my ebike I can keep up with the others and have a social chat. This hasn’t been a problem for anybody except the strongest rider. He has always been first up every climb but he really doesn’t like the fact that I am there with him. In fact he always quizzes me on which bike I will be on and seems to avoid the rides I am on the ebike

I converted my old 26″ Soul when I bought a new 29er HT. I used a carbon fork and some old 700c wheels with gravel tyres. I didn’t bite on the financial bullet that converting to drop bars with hydraulic brakes would be.
It works very well but I think I might sell it because I seem to use the new 29er for everything. I even have spare wheels with less aggressive tyres fitted.
You’ll have to ask yourself how much you will ride it and whether it’s worth spending any money on. The only things I had to buy were the tyres, the rest was from the spares box.

I have to agree with the 4pot doubters.
I am sure they have some advantages if you are really hurtling down super blacks but most people would be quite happy with 2 pots.
I was suckered into going 4 pot and to be honest they feel exactly the same as the 2 pot SLXs they replaced. There’s nothing wrong with them, just not any better.

I had a Reverb , bought another bike which came with a BrandX. I replaced the Reverb with a BrandX and now have two bikes with BrandX
They’re absolutely fine

I haven’t been out for three weeks which is unheard of. My explanations sound a bit like the random excuse generator!
Illness, grandchildcare , weather, wife’s illness, entertaining and probably the most important, mega apathy

That Whyte FS with a swinging arm at the front! Can’t remember the designation, PRW something?
I used to see one locally and really,really wanted one. Fortunately, I didn’t have the cash, by the time they came down to my price level I had realised the bike was answering questions nobody was asking.

This is exactly what is on my mind this morning. Last night I slipped on ice and went down like a ton of bricks and this morning I am still lying in bed feeling sorry for myself. Last year I would have moaned about it but wouldn’t have let it stop me doing anything.
Apart from not working there is no upside to getting old

As I said earlier, I was fancying a Solaris to replace the Max but looking at the Cotic website reveals the Max frame is the same weight as the Cascade and though they are being coy about the exact weight of the Solaris, I can’t believe it’s that much less .

As above, excellent Shimano remote on one bike, ZTTO on another. Shimano definitely the best.

I had a Trace on my Solaris which worked fine . My only objection was the threads on various components seemed to be made of cheese. I changed travel and nearly stripped the thread on a foot bolt. You also needed a special tool to locate the damper rod when refitting lowers.

My daughter in law terrifies me when driving.,* She, many years ago , did a paramedics driving course and believes that this still gives her the right to drive as if in an ambulance regardless of conditions.
There must be many such ‘experts’ out there.
* Actually she terrifies me most of the time

It’s making me regret buying a SoarisMax.
I was hoping for a 29er Soul which it isn’t.
Maybe the new one is a ‘dad’ bike but that’s exactly what I want and I suspect so will a lot of other people.

I have that same extender and just used some fairly cheap epoxy from B&Q. I had no intention of using it in other forks so was more than happy to have a permanent solution. It’s on my most used bike and has given no trouble whatsoever, enabling me to use some decent forks that were otherwise a write-off

We endured a rant from a walker about how one of our number was a ‘good’ cyclist because he had a bell. We were too polite to point out that if he kept his idiot dog under control we wouldn’t need bells.

I have complained before about the tininess of Briskers. I couldn’t even get the XXL ones over my palms so I never found out if the fingers fitted

I have loads of gloves because my hands get very cold very quickly and I am always looking for the perfect pair. The RAB gloves mentioned above are my latest fave. At first I thought they weren’t going to hit the spot because after a few miles my hands felt cool. After twenty miles I realised they had not got any cooler and were perfectly comfortable. I haven’t taken them out in subzero temps yet so we will see. Oh, and they are nowhere near as big as they look on the RAB website.

I always used to buy it from my local hardware shop for way less than disc brake cleaner but they haven’t been able to get it for ages because it’s all gone to make sanitizer.

I bought one after recommendations on here but I don’t love it. The battery life seems very unpredictable and the tiny button is very difficult for my huge clumsy hands to operate. I wish I had bought two (or three) cheap lights instead.

I have a spare set of wheels with gravel tyres that I use on both my HT and my ebike. All three sets of wheels are different hubs but all seem to play nicely in both frames.
The most adjustment I have had to do is the old loosen the caliper and pull the brake on fix.

I have a ZTTO and the Shimano. The Shimano is better and good value. It’s easy to set up , light and so far durable.

A different gear on Thirlwell road in Sheffield recycle bikes and bits and support charities in Africa. I have taken loads of stuff and they always seem grateful. Once I mentioned that I had loads of surplus SPD pedals but thought they wouldn’t be interested. Not so, they help out young racers in Africa who otherwise wouldn’t have access to such parts

Whenever any footwear threads come up I have to ask my usual question, is there a huge foot option? Even XL overshoes just don’t stretch over my size 12/13s. Every pair I have had have split or ripped the zip so what’s good for canoe feet?

It’s the hand measurements for gloves that drives me mad. I have big hands, mainly because of wide palms but doing the measuring as indicated in the size guides still gives absurd results. Invariably my measurements show size XL which rarely fit, XXL usually being needed

I bought a 3500 Monteer last year from Olight for £99 although it did have Olight branding rather than Magicshine
Not seen it that cheap since but might be worth keeping an eye on their site as they do have bargains from time to time

I replaced my Brand X with a ZTTO like many above but when I bought a new Brand-X for another bike I used a Shimano lever which is easy to set up and works very well.

A Giant TCR of some sort that he has had for years. I used to have one and didn’t think it was particularly nervous but I was a lot younger then!

Any suggestions for a particularly stable frame?
A friend of mine is getting on and feels increasingly nervous on relatively twitchy road bikes and is looking for a more comfortable and stable ride. He is very tall,6’4″, and is convinced this adds to his feelings of instability. I am not sure about that but he certainly needs a more reassuring bike.

Another old Soul here with 700c wheels and gravel tyres. It’s my go to general purpose and holiday bike.(not of course a biking holiday). I was never going to use it as an MTB again but I didn’t want to get rid so makes a nice compromise.

On my XT 756 triple chainset I run the 30t ring on the middle position. Tried the outer position but it threw the chainline completely out. This set up is actually the best shifting on my 3 MTBs

I looked at the Laka bike specific insurance mentioned in another thread and this came to more than my contents insurance even with the same bikes specified. Is there any advantage in bike v. content insurance?

I do something very similar on a boost SolarisMax. Old XT triple with a 30t ring but it does put ring and chain very close to stay. It’s been fine but I think a larger chain ring would give problems.
I have been looking for a new boost chainset and have been puzzled by conflicting chainline advice. Some say 52mm for 135/142 hubs and 55 for boost, others say 52mm for boost.
What is the STW view?

I too have a SolarisMax bought in the hope it would take the place of a 26″ Soul. It didn’t. Too heavy and a tad inflexible.
I have spent the money now so I will have to live with it but I am keeping an eye on this thread to see if there is an alternative that will motivate me enough to sell the SM and transfer bits to a new, lighter more engaging frame.