Make your own. By some elastic, cut to fit, sew it in.

Max 5 minute job.

I’d send it to alpkit

Got given a stolen goat orkaan for Christmas. It’s great. On really cold days I put an extra paramo windproof over the top and I’m toasty

I imagine they are just having a well earned Christmas break. Expect they’ve shut up shop til 4th Jan. Seems fair enough to me. We did the same and people have been pretty understanding about dispatch times

Andy, that is a thing of beauty. I must resist the temptation to build up a bling single speed!

Those of you who habitually ride SS do you stick with the standard off road ratios people chat about on here? I.e. 32:16 on a 26er etc? Do you not find it a little spinny on the flats or is the fast spinning part of the knack I need to learn?

As I was riding it, I thought maybe I should swap out the brakes from my hard tail (nice hope x2) instead of the road BB7 with canti levers but then realised the cheapness is what I like about!

Thanks guys – I’ll take a look at Velotech. Definitely feels like there’s at least room for a couple more in the market

Managed to get her to stretch the budget to £250 to get the Carerra Parva. Looks like a safe bet :)

Another + 1 for alpkit. Always better to try and make your gear last longer in my opinion.

Thanks @tenfoot – that’s kind of you but think it may be a bit small for her. But if it’s easy enough for you to send some pics it’s worth taking a look. I’m guessing it’s quite light compared to the Halfords jobbies

Forks: Rigid steel fork with Apollo suspension forks for durability and comfort

This is how the forks are described on the spec…Confusing?!

Thanks @theotherjonv – that’s extremely kind of you. Had a look on there and can’t see anything quite right. Given most people have actually been a bit more positive about Apollo bikes I think i light give one a go. The Apollo Theia looks pretty good. Despite saying it has front suspension(?) it doesn’t appear to and it’s under £15kg. Which, whilst a bit hefty, is lighter than my wife’s town bike. Also seems to come with mudguards which will be a bonus

Thanks guys – some useful tips there. I’d do the secondhand option if I could see a bit more of the bikes but a bit tricky with those charity schemes as it’s more of a ‘what’s there on the day’ and I don’t think my sister is very confident (and I live in tier 3 Kent so can’t help…)

It’ll get used quite a bit – but has the added challenge of being in Portsmouth. Which means it’ll rust up quickly…

Mate of mine is around 6’4 and loves it.

Pooguard looks like a much better solution to me than a bottle with a cap. Means you can use any bottle and not have the faff of removing a cap.

That or just a mudguard under the tube…

A lot of chat about down failing when wet and not easy to wash.

Things have moved on now and you can buy hydrophobic down (Rab do it and other starting to)

And you can wash jackets in your washing machine if you use the right stuff and dry it properly afterwards. Harder with sleeping bags due to the size

Maybe now is the time to open up the footpaths for cyclists to ride them to make more space!

If you are on a budget I have a vivoactive 3 you can have for £60 posted.

Why do you need a high hydrostatic head?

How often do you need to force water through it at high pressure?

Get something that is water repellent, hard wearing and breathable.

Probably get more on eBay but I’ve always found bikes sell pretty well here. Suspect I always slightly under charge but at least I can sort of know they might get a nice new life.

Although recently I sold one on here and then saw it advertised for 25% more than I sold it for. That made me sad. But guess he saw the op and took it!

Don’t overload on the salt. Apart from health concerns it will be so rank you won’t drink it.

Check your riding position. Had similar abs raised my bars a tad and it solved it. Was getting tension from my neck and back

Sorry to sound thick but where would I find that info?

I tend to just use a windproof that I have treated in Nikwax TX direct. Keeps the worst off and is pretty breathable.

Ice on the trails. Then it’s 3/4 length for me

I’d go mechanical disc brakes and bar end shifters. Cheaper and does the job ok. Had the exact same set up on a Swift.

You’ll probably want a shorter stem too (if poss) as it may be a tad long otherwise.

Both her parents chocolate and the stud from a fairly long line but you’re right – not guaranteed. That said, they normally got around 60/40 chocolate…

Yeah, the cost of dogs is truly insane at the mo. My folks used to breed chocolate labs with top hip scores, eyes, award winning Dads etc and they charged £800 a puppy. Nowadays the starting price is £2000 and that’s not for anything special by the looks of it. Covid-Tax…

Do not use regular detergent. Nikwax tech wash or if you are skint soap flakes. You should find it more waterproof and more breathable than before you cleaned it. Washing it removes the grime that stops it breathing properly.

Lend him yours. I did this with a mate round Bedgebury the other day. He rode my lovely ti hard tail I rode my rigid hack. We both had a lovely time and he now wants to buy an mtb. A convert

Another plus one on a decent windproof.

You can get a decent amount of water repellency on them if you look after them with the right aftercare etc and they are generally way more breathable.

Sounds like the moon worth considering – previous experience with with their rear lights not so good though.

Was hoping someone had some awesome experience with some sort of standalone unit. MTB batteries look good but want it all in one…

Sidi wides – not that wide. Basically a regular.

Try Lake wides. Perfect for me and I’ve got hobbit like flippers

Thanks Mick, given my inability to do the most basic of diy I’m not sure I’d trust myself with a plumbing torch :)

Will try Geoff :)

Thanks Dicky boy – will PM you

I did think about that but wasn’t sure how strong they would be. Also, got a nice seat clamp I don’t want to swap out ;)

Reckon I should probably just buy these ones. A mere £400??
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F164373648564

Thanks all. Part of tue reason for the ‘dangerous’ question is because I’m probably going to long term lend it to a mate who is need of a bike to ferry his kids but can’t afford one. So don’t want to cause him an accident!

The key is (as many of you have said) to make sure the machine is clean of fabric softener nasties etc and make sure you wash with Tech Wash first. I have heard a lot of people just use TX direct after using regular detergent or not washing at all and simply sticking in the machine with TX direct.

It’s not just the DWR on the outside failing that makes you get wet. If you don’t wash the grime out of it, the dirt impacts the breathability meaning you get wet from the inside.

I’d recommend Re-proofing after every 3 or so washes. Should be no need to reproof after your first wash unless you’ve knackered the jacket already by leaving it too long etc.

Also, I’d recommend the wash-in re-proofer. It generally tends to work better as it ensures you get it everywhere. But I know many prefer the spray as it feels like you can see where it’s going…

Heat activation isn’t really necessary for the aftercare treatments but if the jacket uses PFCs (which most still do) then it will benefit From a blast in the dryer. But be careful as too much heat could delaminate.