Weird . I once missed out the 1mm spacer that sits behind the freehub.

Does it spin alright i.e. the bearings are not mashed?

Not that I’d ever have cocked one up putting it in….. Well, not often.

Thanks fellas – as ever the good folk of STW do wonders.  Ever thought of taking up government?  

Done a bit of bike packing and touring. And often wished i’d had an e bike, but am too mean to buy one. Also – there’s not a lot of space generally so if you’re losing your tent for batteries it all sounds pretty finely judged. Or a lot of Voile straps are involved.

Welcome and good luck. At 125 kg post 12 months of injury and illness I applaud your use of a motor – more fun for the same effort. Hope to see you out there, I’ll be wheezing along at the back with a note from Matron doing my best to whittle down to a racy 105kg……

Gents – very very many thanks for the offer! As ever the forum is a delight in the kindness of strangers. Do I need to ask the ‘what tyres’ for the sake of completeness?

Matt – sadly/happily I’m joining a mate in Glasgow otherwise I’d be taking you up on it.

Maccruiskeen – can you take bike on train, please?

Very many thanks – always rather super when folk are kind.

All the jolliest

Paul

Thanks both. Hardtail it is. The other option was a Cutthroat, but I do fancy a bit of squish.

marvellous. well done.

On the first one the opportunity for endless septuagenarian pelvic thrusting is a bit of a worry / a delight, as you see fit. Not what one hopes to see on a Wednesday afternoon.

M540s. 17.5 stone, clumsy and enthusiastic, plus riding about 9000 mi/yr. They are the cockroach of bike kit and simply refuse to die. Apart from the one I bent crashing, but I did have to go to hospital, so a score draw…….

Precisely 10 times the price of my first ever mountain bike.

I do like a Sidi Dragon and Spesh are to be congratulated at making me think they’re buttons cheap. Can’t wait to tell Mrs Please about my thrift. Chapeau!

Oh dear. So many things to press at the same time when under pressure. What could possibly go wrong?

Helitape it twice and ride it? Worth keeping an eye on, but I have a similar thing with a seat tube on an xc bike.

Conversely – a different breaker was ruddy marvellous, right thing, worked, timely delivery, all as it should be. Also paid £50 not £120 in the end. a karmic resolution?

Had learned the hard way to ask for photos of the actual items and a level of detailed pedantry before parting with cash, laced with suffuse apologies to the vendor.

Good luck. Trustpilot is your friend on this.

As Fossy said.

My experience with a breakers in Smethwick was maddening. Had the quote via website, ordered form breaker via website for a second hand silver door mirror. A new pattern part arrived, not what ordered and the local garage set out it didn’t work, back in the bubblewrap unmarked. Madness then ensued with the supplier setting out that they’d supplied a more valuable part and how dare I be so ungrateful.
Couple of calls later – position still more entrenched on their part. Stopped just short of being rude about my Mum. Genuinely the oddest customer service experience in my 51 years. You’d not dare to talk to someone like that in a pub.
Send part back.
Different chap at the breakers – jolly pleasant all resolved.
If using a breaker via a website and he’s called ‘Dave’ which given the surname may or may not reflect the birth certificate , please do have a look a Trustpilot before parting with money.
The website folk were worse than useless.
Caveat emptor, fellas!

Cat Eye Stadiums. Only didn’t work on 24hr races……..

Then onto Lupines at NWMTBs suggestion and the guys and gals at Lupine treat them like Trigger’s broom. The internals have been upgraded as part of their ’20 euro care package’ and occasionally damaged bodies replaced.

Made me wince when I paid for them, but the last 15 years of upgrades for very little mean I think they’re good value.

Running Ravemen on the gravel/road bike as they’ve got a road friendly lens and you can charge your Garmin off them and charge the light off the dynamo. Also an Exposure Joystick, because it’s light, bright and Rory’s ace.

The SDW bit is fine and the Ridgeway as a delight so far as navigation goes.

As one of the OPs sets out the eastern bit does want a GPS and/or phone and/or ability to chop out some of the tedious gate heavy bits. The Mint La bit somewhere in Surrey led me in a rough circle to within 800m of where I turned off, after 40 mins.

Also – don’t do it when nearly everything is locked down due to Covid and it’s 3c overnight, as a suggestion……

For the lochside bit it was definitely a team effort in places. Some of the ravines were do-able on your own but a lot more fun with others.

Also – how often do you get to wear your bike like a particularly uncomfortable Carmen Miranda style hat?

Lochside was 2 hrs of type 1,2 and 3 fun – but it was certainly a conversation opener in the bar.

Also Mr Winston Churchill (catering and deer wrangler) is a wonder. That only 50 of 80 or so riders rocked up at the event meant we were spectacularly over fed. Awesome.

Old Garmin 800 or 820 here. Grown up on OS Maps and for UK use they’re top. Screen is modest compared to newer ones – but as one of the other posters sets out – they’re cheap – I’ve paid from £70 – £110 for them with the UK on 1:50000 SD cards and am still on my original, albeit I lost one being an eejit.
Maps in GPX and I think other formats are transferable via PC.
THE 800 isn’t bluetooth compatible, 820 is albeit I can’t work out how to transfer new route files from phone to device when out and about. Quite possibly user error – see above.
For overseas I think it’ll be another Garmin, subject to price & availability.

Had some on the gravel bike. Poor. To the point where despite 2 bleeds, clean everything , proper bedding in – the front wheel could be pushed round with brake full on.

LBS went ‘these are bobbins’ popped some Shimano resin ones in and problem stopped. brakes all good.

In the interests of balance ran some on the rear and they stopped – but did not inspire confidence.

Used Superstar and Uberbike without issue and been running disc brakes (on various kit) from 1999.

Mebbe I had some duff ones, but I won’t be going there again.

Many thanks chaps. think the Ardentinny one might be a chortle before we leap in the car and go home. Does all rather depend on the weather.

Thanks again

Paul

That looks awesome – many thanks.

Or not. The first bit was funny. The last bit’s just a bit too outre to be amusing.

Am I alone in thinking it’s time to emigrate?

Pmurden- seconded. Yet to have a good experience with SRAM brakes, gears, BBs or wheelsets.

Folks can change their mind. Which is one of the reasons for me not still doing the GBDR race – weather in part, for example…..

Either way I think at 113kg steel full susser is next for me. Let’s face it another 2 kg on the frame will make no difference at all compared to my lardy arse. And I like the thought of a Cotic.

They’ll welcome your support and chapeu to the riders still out there! I certainly did – having been the first to attempt it and the first to scratch. 5 of 6 days riding pish wet through did nothing for my sit department. The electrical storms in mid Wales complete with proper hail N of Llandidrod made me re-examine my use of what is otherwise family holiday time.

The stuff of 1980s dreams.

Yes, in regular use round here – S Manchester.

For me – Tried turbo with a cast on. Silly – don’t do that.

9-12 weeks from break with a spiral fracture – apparently good as lots of surface area to mend on.

About 9 weeks before tying an mtb with flats. Just to get out, really.

About 11 before risking spds. As chiefgroovguru – pedalling was easier than walking.

Good luck and I’d suggest you don’t carry on like George Best on a Stag Do. I got really lardy.

Teenage daughters are bell ends, by any reasonable yard stick, at some point. Currently my youngest (16) hates me , I would really rather she went and joined a circus, preferably one with under fed lions, but her sister was broadly similar at that age and is now 19 and a really rather super human being.

It’s a phase thing and we all get to feel we’re rubbish dads. Because paternal guilt is just another trick in the arsenal of the evil teenager.

Now, does anyone have any hungry lions I could borrow please?

Awesome work fella! It is nearly Spring so the riding should be getting even nicer, and then cafes should start opening. Have fun and the bike sounds top.

Sabbath Silk Road (ti (has served me well for 8 years. Spa Cycles in Harrogate have the Sabbaths on a few weeks lead.

I’ve just drunkenly pre ordered a Sonder Calibri Ultegra in ti. If the frame’s anything like the Broken Road I’ve got it’ll be lovely. Most of the finishing kit and wheels will get upgraded over time, but it’s £2300 all in, so quite modest for ti.

Yes, if it’s your only bike and you mainly ride rocky places. The Peak came as a bit of a shock this weekend and I was reminded of the merits of line choice. Depends what you want from your riding but it made my calves feel weird,to say nothing of back and neck. And it’s Ti.

Chapeau! Show it to folk who don’t replace sealant…..

If it is the Pro 2 and not the Pro 2 Evo I have one that I’m not using. For a sensible offer it’s yours.

Just spent the weekend on the Dunoon Dirt Dash on a ti Broken Road – lovely, in all respects, even carried all right. If the cash isn’t the be all and end all then do it.

I used to find that I was more prone to illness after, in the winter at least , so now I tend not to bother. Seems churlish but I felt there was a pattern. Gave blood and then played squash same night. Complete lack of ‘go’ as others have said.

I have inadvertently ordered one. Whoops.

Wingnut – every time. Had a variety of other packs, mainly Camelbacks and back in the day a Blackburn – but Wingnut does it for me. They last a bit less long than Camelbacks in my experience but are lighter and the mesh outer pockets and shock cord on the back means you can eat on the move out of the pockets and be a bit less considered about stuffing things away and not losing them.

I like the weight lower down -bit less train on the shoulders.

If being picky- if you’re jumping off stuff there’s a bit of movement ( I don’t have the waist super tight) and   because of the different pockets – one on each hip and the main one on the lower back they tend to leave filth on the surfaces even after a bit of a wash as there’s places for filth to hide.  Try mine if you’re in Manchester.

36h, Hope Pro 2 Evo and Flows (whatever the normal spokes are)

About 120 kg in riding kit.

OR

32h Hope PRo 2 Evo onto the Mavic UST rim – 819 I think.  Still 120kg, sadly.