The Bontrager ION are good. On the front I use a Moon MX which has an integrated Garmin/Wahoo mount. The buttons are overly complicated but it is a good light with long run times.

Had similar with mine on 2 bikes within weeks of each other. Replaced cables/outers, checked hanger alignment, replaced jockey wheels, new chain……..etc. Nothing worked. In the end I changed the mechs for Shimano SLX and the problem was solved. The mechs were simply worn out. They had done pretty well and I would have got the same again but availability was poor and very expensive. The SLX works just as well and was half the price. Let’s see how long it lasts.

Just inherited a Dyson V10 Animal. Pretty impressed. We have a black lab that should be bald with the amount of hair he sheds and the V10 picks that up no problem. The main downside is it fills up very quickly but only takes 5 secs to empty so not a great issue. Wife didn’t want one but is now converted!

We’ve recently gone with Zen 300Mbps FTTP via the CityFibre network. We were previously stuck with Virgin and had little option elsewhere as the speeds were appalling. Thankfully CityFibre put in their network during lockdown and it has recently gone live. I switched as soon as I could as Virgin was expensive, unreliable and I hated dealing with them. The Zen connection appears rock solid and fast and saves me £20/month. Wired or close to a mesh node I get 300Mbps down and strangely 700 up. I think they have just forgotten to set it to 300 so expect that to change if they realise. The CityFibre network give symmetric speeds unlike Openreach. The cable comes from the telegraph pole alongside the old phone line. I decided not to take their phone option and have set up a Sipgate Basic account and plugged my old DECT phone into the router. That costs nothing and used only for incoming calls from elderly relatives who mostly have rarely used PAYG mobiles.

I went for separate bike cover through Barclays. Cost about £50 last summer. Tell them the price of the most expensive bike up to £5k and they cover an unlimited number of bikes all up to that value. There are no onerous restrictions about sheds or lock types. The only oddity is they are not covered if stolen from in the back of a car unless out of sight in a locked boot. Not much use if you have the seats folded down to get the bike in! They are however covered if locked to a rear rack or roof bars.

I then just went for the best value standard home insurance for everything else. It saved hundreds of pounds.

Looks like you will need to drift out the axle from the inside of the chainstay and it will take the outer bearing with it. The inner bearing is then easy to remove on its own. Go gently with the carbon!

https://bikecheck.shimano.com/global/en/parts-selectors

or this

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/service-upgradeparts/road/category/disc-brake-pads.html

These will tell you which you can use, including the cheaper non-finned pads.

I’d suggest using a rucksack and dry bag strapped to the bars to start with and see if you like bikepacking first. If you do then get some good kit having learned a bit about bikepacking. The danger is buy cheap, buy twice or spend a load and never use it or find you got the wrong thing. As mentioned above decent lightweight kit is more important than the bags.

It’s not just how big a cog you can get the rear mech to shift to, you also need to consider it’s max capacity to handle the chain. I’ve not tried it with GRX400, but I would anticipate you would end up with either slack in the small/small combo or too tight in large/large with a 42T cassette. Some may say that’s no problem, just avoid those combinations, but IMO that’s a bad idea as all it could take is one accidental when tired and you mangle your drivetrain. At the very least ensure the chain is long enough to handle the large/large combo without damage or jamming.

I really like mine. Had it a few years now. Comfy, roomy and secure. The Dakine Stealth is good too, if you just want to carry a phone, a multi tool and not much else.

The Maltings
House of Trembling Madness
Evil Eye
Lendal Cellars

+1 for these. Evil Eye has some outstanding beers (apart from the 50%+ one which is more like Grappa!). Also, Kings Arms for olde school pub by the river as long as it’s not flooded (I’ve not been there for a few years so may have gone downhill).

I’d start from scratch in case the old chain was the wrong length. Not unheard of even on a new bike. It is one inner and one outer with rear suspension fully compressed and chain not routed through the mech. Do not include the quick link as this is extra. The chain is not directional but the link is. The document linked below has some clear pictures of the setup. Eagle is very sensitive to chain length so stick with what is recommended.

Sram Document

Works absolutely fine. I have SLX mech with GX Eagle shifter on 2 bikes.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/12-speed-mech-compatibility/

I use the GSI ultralight Java drip. Weights next to nothing and is the same diameter as a small gas canister so fits in my Ti pot with the canister and stove. Just take freshly ground coffee from home.

Moon MX:HM? It replaces your Garmin out front mount so very discreet. Has good battery life but needlessly complicated button logic. V happy with mine.

Another vote for Zipp Service Course CX. Nice and grippy, comfortable, long lasting and good value. I run it with gel pads under too.

All my MTBs are wide-range 1x but for my mixed use (off-road, bikepacking, commute, road) Sonder Camino gravel bike 2x was the only sensible answer to get a suitable range. I went with GRX 48/31 front, 11-34 rear. IMO 1x is great if your riding is mostly off-road and you don’t care about having a higher gear for the road and descents. Or it’s fine with a bigger chainring if you are happy with higher gears on the flat(ish) and are not worried about low gears for steep climbs or a loaded bike. If you mix your riding/terrain and don’t want to compromise then 2x will give you a much wider range. Otherwise you would need to go with a big range 1x (10-50+) cassette such as Eagle or Campag Ekar to get the spread of high and low ratios. Or you could swap the chainring depending on your planned ride – sounds like a pain to me! What I like about 2x is the ability to bulk change gears with the chainrings as you start a climb or crest over the top. IMO this is much better than multiple rear changes and really suits gravel/road style riding on a light and responsive rigid bike. My 2x has been no more difficult to look after than 1x and with the clutch mech the chain is perfectly secure on the roughest of tracks. I’ve not weighed it, but the weight of the front mech and extra chainring will largely be offset by the smaller/lighter cassette. So, for a mixed use gravel bike I’d recommend 2x despite being a complete 1x convert for MTB.

Also I believe rule 15.3 is unchanged, which was interpreted as “masi can do what the hell he wants with the safety car, so stop picking on him”.

I think that was interpreted wrong (just like any/all!) as that para is clearly describing the relationship between the Clerk of the Course and the Race Director rather than the RDs wider powers. All it says is the Clerk must consult with the RD for various things as the RD has primacy for those areas, one of which is the safety car.

‘…in the open’ a JTAC’s favourite phrase.

Followed by ‘in hot’.

Years ago some Italian colleagues were doing an Italian evening at work and drove miles to find pasta made from Semolina flour. Nothing else would do according to them. The food was sensational.

Barclays here too. About £50 for unlimited number of bikes up to £5k max per bike. Oddly they don’t cover bikes in the back of a car unless it’s hidden away completely in a locked boot. They are covered on a rack though as long as locked to the rack or car.

It’s always worth haggling with the main dealer. They price matched the local VW indy when I had my rear pads and discs changed a few weeks ago.

@ampthill. Are you sure it wasn’t Morecambe you went to??!

Yuk. Chamonix, like Morecambe but with a big hill

Despite posting this on a mountain biking forum, riding is low on the list of desires. If there is, it’s a bonus, but it isn’t the priority.

In which case go for Chamonix. Has everything you want and more. Great vibe and absolutely tons to do. And one of the best views ever over Mont Blanc. Easy to get to as well by car or from Geneva airport.

MTB is a little awkward in Jul and Aug as there is a ban on biking on the footpaths in the valley during the busy months. However, there are bike trails at either end of the valley at Le Tour and Les Houches. There are also some quieter paths that I’ve got away with riding or a run late in the day seems to work.

I wouldn’t size down just because the bike has more travel. Get the bike that fits reach and seat tube wise.

What about putting your 140mm Pikes onto the FlareMax and take that instead. Then use the money you have saved for some nice parts that will also get used when you get back. New brakes maybe that can handle the extra abuse? I rode my Tallboy there last time and it was great. Unless you are going for some massive air or super techy off piste you don’t ‘need’ more. It’s also better sometimes to ride a bike you are familiar with. Enjoy the trip.

I’m very happy with my Thermarest NeoAir. It’s comfortable and warm but also light and small when packed.

Stans Arch are fine with 2” tyres. I run them with 2.0 Conti Race Kings on my Camino and they work really well and make a light wheel. The only slight downside is the Arch have a very flat shape so are not very aero compared to a gravel/road rim.

Edit: mine are Mk3. Mk4 is a couple of mm wider (and more aero!).

A lad in Harrogate did ours & by the looks of it did a bomb/galeproof job

@esselgruntfuttock would you be able to PM me his contact details please? I lost some fencing last night too!! Thanks

Took a group of 14 with EasyJet from Manchester to Reykjavik a couple of years ago all with Evoc bike bags. We all had extra kit including spares (wheels, tyres etc) and clothing/shoes in the bags and had no issues. Some of the bags were very close to 32kg! The oversized bag staff did ask about CO2 canisters and oil though and they had to be removed.

What bike, tyres, terrain, riding style…..? Tubeless or tubes?

My 27.5+ hardtail is 13-15psi front, 15-17 rear. My 25mm road bike is 70f, 75r. My other bikes are all somewhere in between. All are tubeless.

Yes you can get them. Shimano and TRP do them as do others. Link to some for info but out of stock for those particular ones.

https://www.merlincycles.com/trp-flat-mount-to-post-disc-brake-adaptor-89957.html

@gordon, that’s a shame. If it is a 2010 vintage then there isn’t an adapter as the shifter clamp cannot be removed. Probably best to get a new shifter that will fit the I-spec EV. The SL-M4100 is available for <£30 if you are 10-speed.

@gordon what shifter have you got? You can get brackets to mount the shifter directly to the brake clamp to tidy it all up. The brakes are I-spec EV so you may need an adapter depending on your shifter. Wolftooth do a range. Otherwise some shifters allow you to move the shifter body left/right on the band so check to see if your can. Or could you mount the shifter further outboard with its clamp between the brake clamp and the support?

As said above, a 12 speed Shimano derailleur works fine with the rest of the SRAM Eagle kit, including the shifter. I have SLX on 2 bikes as replacements for worn out GX Eagle derailleurs.

I wish these fitted me as they get good reviews. Tried a couple of sizes but the thumbs were too short so returned them. A shame as they seemed well made and nice and warm. The search goes on….

As mentioned above the cheapest (and greenest!) option is to keep the current car going, especially as the secondhand market is hugely overpriced at the moment. According to webuyanycar my Dad’s A6 has gone up 30%+ in the last 6 months!

If you decide on another car then any big estate will meet your needs – Octavia, Superb, Passat, Leon, A6, 5 Series, V70, Subaru, Hyundai…. Or an S-max if you want huge space and the option of a couple of extra seats. They are all a muchness so find one that has the best mileage, engine, kit compromise for your budget. I had an XC60 and it was crap. Not very roomy, poor handling, unreliable (leaks like a sieve around the windscreen), uneconomical and the auto box was slow and annoying. My Passat has much more room and is better in every way. My old S-max was very practical and surprisingly ok to drive but I did have problems later from 50k miles onwards.

Conti Terra Speed 40mm? Roll well, light and set up tubeless easily. I’ve had no punctures in mine despite some rocky terrain. Not great in mud due to the shallow tread – Terra Trail has deeper tread if this is important.

Saw a FB post from someone who tried it on Boxing Day and said there were lots of trees down across the path. This was one of their pics.

Hutchinson Fusion 5 11storm for me too. 30mm setup tubeless on DT Swiss rims. Been great. Got them from Sigma about a year ago.

Will check my Aviva renewal when it’s due then…

I think new rules come in very soon about renewal costs having to be the same as new policy prices. Will effect both prices I guess.