Thanks where my trust in my abilities falls down…

Don’t you need to re-dish as well though?

I reckon I’m going to give it a go. I’m fortunate enough to have my own office so it’s only the poor buggers coming to meet me who would smell any stale sweat 😉

Think the tip about showering first and always wearing fresh gear makes sense.

Not been working there long so not sure how honest my colleagues would be!

Yeah, maybe it’s all about relative effort. If i keep it at 60% threshold on the way in and then ramp it up to 80% on way home maybe baby wipes and spray are the way ahead…Problem is it’s uphill on way in 🙁

seoncd Open Pros. Been running them for a while. About 60/40 probably…works well 🙂

2002 Kona lava dome. Got some disc mounts brazed on and some 80mm SIDs

Rides lovely

Used to do 15 miles on a Stanton Sherpa with 3 inch tyres and 140mm suspension. Inappropriate and slow. But comfy and let me nip into the woods every now and again if the mood took me. Sold it now though and will be commuting on a single speeded 2002 Kona Lava dome

Buy an old 26inch frame and build yourself a nice bike that you’ll can have multiple wheelsets with tyres of your choosing ready for any eventuality

What molgrips said. If it’s below neck you’ll end up longer off the bike in the long run

I just sold two bikes and a pair of forks and bought a lovely bike. Working well for me 🙂

Think people are just struggling a bit with the ‘change’ so it might not appear so active but once folk realise how much easier is it to post pics etc I reckon it will pick up. The boosted ads make it look less active than it really is

The mojo was mine and so is the Sherpa 😁
Mojo gone but Sherpa still there if you’re keen. £650 mind…

It’s much easier to post on imho. I hope it picks up. Having the boosted ones at the top is a bit crappy but can understand the rationale

Pleased to hear it’s working out well Mark – great work! The stats don’t lie so I’ll back you all the way 🙂

Have posted some stuff up there this afternoon to give it a whirl!

Nikwax TX direct for your waterproofs – recommend washing them in Nikwax Tech Wash first (or another non detergent based cleaner). Just make sure you don’t wash in regular detergent.

For Down Nikwax also do something called ‘Down wash direct’ and ‘Down Proof’. If you’ve got hydrophobic down in your jacket you only need the Down wash direct really. But if it’s not hydrophobic already I’d recommend washing it in the Down wash direct and then washing it in Down Proof. That will add proofing to the Down and the outer of your jacket.

No nasties in Nikwax stuff.

Hope that helps

Faltering Fullback, Finsbury Park

My ibis hubs have been excellent

Pretty obviously it felt like a very different bike. I didn’t enjoy the road bits on it at all. But once I hit the byways and bridleways it all felt worthwhile. Hoping when I change tyres I’ll get the dream combo…

I do too but in Tonbridge. Got a set of hope xc with some 2.1 tyres on them.

But draggy tbh. But think I should try something a bit more ‘gravelly’.

The beauty of the ones I chose is that I can also stick them in my ‘proper bike’ 🙂

That’s right chief. Nikwax has Been PFC (fluorocarbon) free before anyone was really talking about it. Nick (the founder) is obsessive about it and rightly so.

I think you might have a different Chris…I’d be terrible at flooring! Wish I wasn’t though as my floors need a bit of action.

There’s no need to tumble dry etc. It’s fine air drying. The type of proofers that use PFCs etc need the tumble dry treatment.

I recently started working for Nikwax and have checked with the development folk as I used to think heat was required too.

I asked about the soft shell proof too…there is a bit of a difference but you’ll Be fine to use TX direct

I’d be a bit careful with Halo on anything treated with DWR (i.e. Paramo or other waterproofs like GoreTex etc).  It’ll be great for your base layery type things.

The violet laundry stuff sounds like it should be OK on stuff with DWR on it.

I should say BTW that I have recently started working at Nikwax so obviously I’d say Nikwax will ultimately give you best results.

Feel free to DM me if you want to know anything more specific and I promise I will give you a balanced answer.  Just don’t want you to knacker your kit!

I’ve got 140mm pikes on a MK2.  Feels a bit high if I’m honest.  But I’m coping…

Sorry yes, alfine! As long as it’s not as grindy and wobbly as mine it’ll be an improvement

I have the 57 and it’s not crazy light (Ultegra and hope RS4 build) but I don’t think you buy these kind of bikes for the lightness. They ride lovely. I also have some 650b Hope xc wheels that work nicely 🙂

I’ve just got a Paramo Velez adventure smock (the lightweight version) and it works a treat with a thin base layer. It’s waterproof but feels more like a soft shell. Added bonus that of it rains I’m sorted too 🙂

There’s an Edge Explore on classifieds for £60 as well. I’m holding out for a cheap 1030 because I’ve been sucked by some of the ‘live’ features that I know I don’t need…

I started off using a gravel bike for my 12 mile commute because it had a bit of off road and sketchy country lanes. But after getting 2 punctures I started using my Stanton Sherpa. It was slower but gave me much more confidence on the sketchy bits when it got dark. Had the added bonus of making me a lot faster when I got back on the gravel bike at the weekend!

My son has been lying pretty much since he could speak. Clearly a born politician. Admittedly it’s mostly about whether he’s done a poo but given the state of British politics I’d say he’s already on the right tracks

I just use wahl plug in now.  Head and beard grade one, job done.

One thing I would definitely steer clear of is the ‘vacuum’ ones.  They are shit.  My wife gets moody about beard trimmings all over the sink (fair enough really) so I got a vacuum one.

But they only claim to do 90%…(Lucky if it was 50%).  Anyway, point is 10% still requires cleaning the sink faff.  So you might as well clean 100%, takes same amount of time!

Thanks for the tips guys. How do you find sizing on Shimano? I am usually a 43 and bought a secondhand pair (from here) in a 44 and they were too small. The main problem with trying on these kind of shoes is so few shops have a decent stock!

Thanks but i don’t really like riding long distances in flats.

Repair every time.

Got myself a Reilly recently too and love it.  It was my 40th (a couple of years late because it took me that long to decide).  Thought the customer service was great.  He opened up shop for me (despite having a family lunch) so I could come and get myself sorted and was a lovely chap to boot.  Think he’s just super busy (because his bikes are awesome) and so isn’t necessarily able to respond as fast as he’d like to emails.

If you can be patient (and maybe arrange to go down in person) I’d say it’s worth the wait. I went Ultegra and Hope and it’s lovely…

So, I finally got through to folk on the chat.  And they’re sending me a replacement device for £75.  TBH I’m pretty happy with that as it stops me shelling out on the newer versions that seem to get fairly average reviews.  I’ll wait til they sort out those issues and then treat myself!

Pretty sure that’s what I tried and they simply replied to say it was out of warranty. Will try again 🙂

I have been toing and froing about watch vs edge anyway…maybe I get a wahoo and a Fenix 5x for the maps…maybe a bit overkill mind!

How do you find the wahoo for off road? Does it do OS?

Seems odd because they still do expensive bike reviews…maybe worth surveying the readership?

i loved the TTG reviews too – much more interesting that first time reviews of over priced bikes IMHO

Oh, and yes it’s front and rear I’m after. 100mm QR for front and 135mm QR for rear…