Currently 30% off Gloworm lights from the European distributor. Best lights I’ve ever used, super customisable with various optics/mounts etc. and the after sales and warranty support has been amazing.

Good excuse to update my current set (X2/XS) from G1 to G2 and get the new batteries, connectors and a few extra lumens….

http://luminous.bike

Funny you should mention it but still have them all in the shed and just ordered some shoe-goo, chord and rubber boots and going to give fixing them a go. Will see how I get on!

There’s only 100g between the Enduro and DH casings, not sure you can put something in between.

Really? I jumped on a mates bike that had dh casing Kryptotals – was draggier than a draggy thing with flat tyres. Maybe the bike but certainly put me off them.

@joebristol

I’m West Midlands and do a big mix of riding/racing, always running sensible pressures for my weight. I did the front during practice at Ard Rock which I’d forgive but the rest have been big rips to the sidewalls on fairly mellow trails.

Really hope Conti either improve the enduro casing or bring out a halfway house between it and the Dh casing.

Love the Kryptotals, it’s a real shame they’re just not up to the job. I’m not usually hard on tyres (never flatted a Wild Enduro) but have so far ripped holes in 3 rears and 1 front. I’ve kept making excuses and trying again but that’s the best part of £300 worth of ties in the bin with very little use. I don’t really want to have to drag dh casing tyres around so back to the Michelins for now.

Yup, deffo smells of wee.

Most options already been mentioned but…

Focus ST – full chav spec but the 5 pot turbo makes such a good noise you won’t care. Also should be able to have plenty of £ left over to run it.

335i touring – fast, proper wheel drive, understated, good luck finding a manual though.

Alfa 159 SW – best looking estate you can buy imo. 1750 tbi is the one, the v6 is slow, thirsty, stupid tax bracket and isn’t a Busso.

And how do you try before you buy when they’re mostly an online seller…

They’re pretty common tbf, “excuse me mate, do you mind if try your glasses on” worked for me.

Mine are fine with my TLD A3 and Fox Dropframe, they did rattle a bit against my Fox Speedframe but not enough to bother me/want to send them back.

Shame they don’t do a clear for winter, so will probably just get another cheap pair.

They do a low light/clear lens, I thought it shipped with all their glasses and you just picked another fancy lens to go with it?

I’ve had a bunch of their glasses, goggles and other random bits,  zero issues and always good customer service from them. Chatting to them at Ard Rock about the newer nose rubber being a better design to a mates older glasses and they handed over a newer version foc.

Sounds like it could be made more obvious on the website but seems fair to not accept returns for customised orders to me, maybe try before you buy next time?

I use one of these on my gravel bike, works well from both drops and hood though makes wrapping them bars slightly more of a fiddle.

https://pnwcomponents.co.uk/collections/levers-1/products/drop-bar-lever-kit?variant=49004474925349

I’m not a fan of saddle bags and run a dropper so have a 76 Project Little Piggy/Micro Pig that holds a tube, 2x c02 carts and some quick links permanently attached to the frame then most of the time just chuck c02 adapter, a Stans Dart and multi tool in my bib pockets.

For bigger rides I’ve a small CamelChops frame bag for snacks, jacket etc. doesn’t get in the way, move/rattle etc and can still fit a full size bottled on the downtube.

That’ll somewhat depend on how it’s built. Mine is built with a 130mm fork, light wheels and xc tyres to complement my much more solidly built Bird Aether 9.

Very true but buying something like the Big Al then building it as an xc bike sort of defeats the point? Mine isn’t a heavy build (XT/EX511s/Ext) but it compliments what it’s good at without trying to make it something it isn’t.

I just think something with slightly more conservative geo would be a better choice for the OP.

Guessing if you’ve owned one and now don’t, it was probably the old geometry?

Nope, still have it and it is the latest geo. It’s certainly fun on the downs but the Scout and previously Chameleon it replaced were better all rounders imo. The Big Al feels more of a slog than it should when you don’t have gravity on your side.

Going against the 1st couple of posts, having owned one, I’d avoid the Big Al – great at descending but that’s about it. I’d look at something like a Nukeproof Scout or SC Chameleon – both better all rounders imo

Loads on marketplace for very little money. I picked one up (case, mount and waterproof pouch thing for about £20) for when the bikes on the turbo, works fine, case is good.

Mine live on the car, they’re pretty much silent at any speed in the dry but in heavy rain at higher speeds they can make a quiet low pitched whistle/howl. The kids call it them the “spooky roof bars” 😂 it’s has never bothered me enough to remove them and they only get used a few times a year for a roof box.

1.6 Caddy? My pal had a ‘mare with hers as well.

No, 2.0 so wasn’t the usually injector issue of the 1.6.

I’d say you’re probably right, if you’re looking for a van alternative the Elgrand isn’t it. If you want a big luxury mpv with loads of quirky JDM goodness, a great engine and a drinking problem… then maybe.

It’ll cost way more to run…

Not necessarily, I bought mine at the same time a mate bought a much newer Caddy. He spent thousands fixing that thing and lost a bunch when he came to sell it.

The Elgrand was super reliable, didn’t cost a penny other than servicing and petrol (admittedly a lot of petrol) and sold it for over £2k more than I paid. A good, recently imported one will be immaculate inside and out. Insurance was sensible and tax is a flat rate regardless of engine size due to being an import.

@ads678

Yeah, deffo big, posh mpv rather than an actual van.

2 captains chairs up front then 2x rows of 3 behind making it a proper 8 seater. The middle row is 3 separate seats, that recline with leg/foot rests, they swivel to face the rear seats and are on rails to move front/back. The middle centre seat can fold and become a centre table/arm rest for the front row. The rear row splits in half and fold up out of the way – mine lived like this most of the time.  You can also fold everything flat to make a good sized double bed.

I’d be tempted to remove the rear seats if you don’t need them as it’d make bikes fit way easier but for the odd kids party/school run there were handy to have.

Just fixing broken images…

I had an Elgrand for a few years, it was bonkers ugly and did low teens to the gallon but loved it.  Way nicer place to be than any van (and most cars) I’ve been in.

Drove the Alphard, wasn’t a fan and to me looks the wrong sort of ugly … if that makes sense. It’s also fwd/awd whereas the Elgrand is rwd/awd.

Spent ages looking for the right one and found a low mileage, recently imported Highway Star with the 3.5 v6, selectable awd, twin electric doors, dark interior and proper leather seats (rare). Fairly standard apart from coil overs and some 19in JDM Work wheels (winter wheels fitted in photos)

With the right seating options you can get a sliding middle row centre seat that you can move right the front and fit a bike with wheels on down the middle no problem. I also fitted a fork mounted rack so with front wheels off you’d fit 2 securely with bags of room.

Happy to advise what to look out for, they’re mega if you can justify the mpg/don’t do a lot of miles.

https://fromthesticks.co.uk/uploads/Elgrand1.jpeg

https://fromthesticks.co.uk/uploads/Elgrand2.jpeg

Does feel like a battle this year trying to keep our local trails running, there are a few of us that usually spend a few hours a month with hedge cutters/scythes which is enough. Would be a quicker/easier job if more people would put in a bit of work in. Also, hand guards – hideous looking things but better than wearing gloves.

Imo a big 4×4 or pickup (need to get one with a rear canopy) is the only sensible option for towing horses, anything else you’ll be on the limit of capacity or struggling to drag the thing out of wet fields.

Both my other half and daughter event, currently using a Ford Ranger which tows really well and has been a super practical family truck. It’ll will soon be replaced by another pickup. Something like a Toureg/Disco/Landcruiser would be a nicer vehicle to drive but would trash them filling the back with horse related junk unfortunately.

Don’t really understand why you’d bother tbf.

I stumbled on these via a bit of a spammy looking Facebook advert but had good reviews,  really can’t fault them for the money. great quality and lots of styles/colours to choose from. Permanent buy one get one free offer so have a bunch of free the Wayfarer style – good for the car/riding in etc.

Kyloe In The Wild

The main hurdle is the grief of selling the Yeti. It used to be a really smart Monte Carlo and now it’s got nearly 3 years worth of child-muck ground into it.

Looking for a yeti, child-muck not an issue. Could you let me know some more details?

Buy the vRS, great cars. Miss my petrol estate that was written off by a van a few years ago. Way more practical than the 335d I replaced it with.

If you’ve a tame fitter/mechanic and looking for a specific tyre brand/model I’ve found Camskill have the best price for just tyres delivered.

If not ring around locally and see who can fit you in at a sensible price inc fitting, a lot will beat online prices if you provide them. The bigger chains sometimes have a cash back schemes too so worth checking.

Came here to say ‘get her a horse’ genuinely does seem to work and fit well with cycling for a lot of reasons.

It must work for a few of us as there are usually plenty in wearing mtb brands or rolling around on nice bikes at events.

Get the Goldrush frame, a GRX groupset and set of GR1600s and you’ll have a great bike.

Love mine, only major down side is the 27.2 seat post and no internal routing for a dropper so limited to then 125mm PNW post and drilling the frame.

For car camping it’s another vote for the Decathlon beds with a decent sim on top. The beds are great, small and lightweight, have straps to hold the sim and can be clipped together to make a double bed. We have an Outdoor Revolution 75mm double sim that is pretty bulky but combined with the beds is as comfortable as being at home.

Avoid the WTB Riddler unless you’re only going to ride in the dry and rarely venture off road, genuinely one of the worst tyres I’ve ever used. Resolute on the other hand is a great all rounder 👍

I’m pretty sure it’s not just a case of swapping the cart. The posts can adjusted down 10mm from their max travel but to get more than that it’s new post time I think.

Give the WTB Resolutes a look, I treat my gravel bike as an xc mtb but these seem to roll well enough and are predictable off-road in most conditions. Have also done some longer 100k+ rides happily on them.

Haven’t had many issues with punctures, only had to plug them once. Also work well with tyre inserts if you want to drop pressures slightly but haven’t bothered on my latest set (which were bogof!).

Another vote for getting the biggest tunnel air tent you can fit in your car, they are quite big and heavy but worth it for the space and how quick and easy they are to put up and down. No need for an electric pump imo.

We’ve an Airgo something or other (possibly Horizon 6?) but it’s huge – black out bedrooms, huge living space and covered porch. Perfect for 2 adults and 2 kids.  Held up to storm Betty last year without any issues. Also have a smaller Decathlon air tent for weekends without the family. Can’t fault either, both great tents.

The big one takes up a good chunk of the boot of a 3 series so need a roof box for all the other ‘luxuries’ we now have to take :lol:

Yup, awesome vehicles – even better with a V8 or a 2jz swap.

Been covered really but just depend what you use your gravel bike for. I’m firmly in the ‘treat it as xc mtb and wouldn’t be without one’ camp.

1st thing I did with my ti frame was drill it to take an internal PNW dropper along with their remote, Coast bar and stem. Think I’d sooner go back to v-brakes than be without a dropper these days.

Hard nope on the suspension fork for me, half the fun is trying to get down stuff with zero grip on something that looks like a road bike.

I’ve done both locally, nothing particularly extreme. Tbf I’ve also raced enduro, dh and done a bunch of uplifts without issue so possibly just very unlucky. Doesn’t mean it’s not annoying though. I know a couple of people who have done similar too.

In the previous few years of using Michelin Wild Enduros (both normal and Racing Line casings) I’d not had as much as a puncture, never mind ripping holes in them!

Been riding the various combinations of the new Contis since they came out.

Currently on Kryptotal F (in enduro/soft) front and rear and find this the best combination for current levels of UK slop. Super predictable, roll really well for the grip and are a sensible weight. They are however silly expensive and the sidewalls are imo way too fragile. I’m usually pretty kind to tyres but have ripped big gashes in 2 Kryptotal Rs (running 25+psi), don’t really want to have to go to the dh casings but that’s £140 worth of tyres in the bin.

Argotal is a great tyre when things are really soft and filthy, it’s more versatile than say a Shorty but still wouldn’t run it year round – useless on fast, hard packed trials once (if!) things dry out.

Get the aero bars and just leave them on the car. Less faff, less chance of damage.

Best – SC Chameleon, raced dh, 4x and xc on that thing, also spend a day at the djs on it. Adjustable bb so could be run single speed too.

Honourable mention – Curtis SX26, limited uses but quality frame and  mega thing to ride.

Worst – On One 456 carbon. Ugliest frame I’ve ever owned, back breakingly stiff, heavy for cf, just an unpleasant thing to ride. Accelerated well though.

I can see some of the big teams stopping/trying to stop some of the riders take part in these events if they are at the start of the season or even half way through in case of injuries.

Yup, Bruni and Finn apparently wanted to race but Specialized stop it.

Yeah, I’ve been using  2x fronts on my enduro bike (after ripping the sidewalls on 2 rears) and it works well. Saying that, it could be worth hanging onto for when things dry out as I found the Argotals only work in slop/really soft conditions.