Here you go @pimpmaster. It is very basic, but works really well. I had planned to get the machine shop to make a whole new axle which would have been 148mm, but the guy said, I can just make a 6mm cap and have it over shoot over the end of the existing axle. I have run this on two bikes with no issues

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I have had this issue to and I could find no kits for the rear hub.

So I got a friend to machine a 6mm cap that fits on the ND side of the through axle. So instead of having the small steel spring cap, that is removed and replaced with this. the cap has ~5mm overlap over the 12mm axle so that it fits on nicely and the whole setup has worked fine for the last 3 years including a 6 week riding trip in the alps. I can post up some pictures if needed and if you can find someone with a small machine shop I’m sure it would be no hassle to get these made up

NZ is far from anywhere and has the luxury of it being a difficult place to get to. Even so, the NZ govt initially dragged its feet on closing the border and plenty of covid cases returned from overseas.

Meanwhile the govt closed pretty much every business for 5 weeks and the economy is going to hell in a hand basket. meanwhile jacinda gets on tv every day and says soothing words.

NZ has seen its main income earner, tourism collapse, so there are going to be some very tough times for the people of that country

Just get an orange sim card in France. Pretty decent coverage even in the alps and less messing around than the alternatives above

I had the same sort last year. A 90 min op under anaesthetic and it was done via endoscope.
All fixed and back biking gently about 12 days afterwards.

I’ve noticed a few folk in this thread have mentioned sore necks and I also get this. I regularly go to the physio for him to mobilise it, but does anyone have any good neck stretches they can recommend?? Apart from a noose (bad joke)

When I was there a couple of years ago they weren’t that busy. Hikers tend to stick to the round mont blanc route and the trail down to vallorcine from Col de Balme was empty and the only other riders I saw were up and down at Le Tour on the lifts there.

As what NZCol said. Its alright to have all these great ideas, but living here in NZ I do get the impression it is a lot of hot air and spin. I thought the previous conservative govt was good at spin, but these guys take it to the next level.

While it is refreshing having a younger new mother as PM, the govt as a whole is a coalition split between the greens, labour and a conservative/moderate group who all pull different ways. Seriously I don’t know how they get anything done as they are always negotiating
between each other. Labour itself put Jacinda in charge when it was clear they were going to loose the election, but she turned around their fortune and has one commentator said, it was like putting lipstick on a pig. The labour party MPs are extremely inexperienced and pretty damn underwhelming in what they have achieved in their lives (many former govt advisors, Union official and ex local body councillors) and they are pretty out of their depth and have a poor connection to ‘middle NZ’. Their coalition partner the Greens are as mad as snakes (that is what they labour party has said about them) and seem to think money just grows on trees.

So after the previous govt ran zero increase budgets that got govt debt down, these guys are going the opposite way and spending like crazy. That would be great if it is wise spending, but it is a bit all over the place and my major criticism of them is they have no real plan to grow and diversify the economy, something that has been the same in NZ since WWII and not tackled by successive govts. Recent growth in the economy has relied on mostly low-moderate skilled people from China and India and no real structural growth in the economy.

SO while it appears all lovely, be careful what you wish for. Bizzarely NZ is an expensive place, with milk 1.50 pound per L and butter 3 quid for 500g which is crazy in this land of milk and honey!!

Def a GT Avalanche back in the 1990s

I had a single one which was classed as a giant one in the end, but that was repaired with keyhole surgery and I was up walking the next day and for the first week did lots of walking which is recommended to get the blood flowing.

Back on the bike at 10day-2 week point and no problems since

Another vote for the Osprey 14 L. Takes everything, including knee pads and other bits and pieces, fits well and is well designed. I used to go for camelbak, but Osprey are better these days

I had this ongoing problem with my fox 36s.

Using warm soapy water I tracked the leak down

It turned out to the be the air valve on the top of forks. It has a ?10mm lock ring around it and try tightening that. Otherwise you need to get a new oil ring or sea for it. If they are new it should be a warranty issue.

As what Dobie said ^^

The thing about these old bikes is the great memories and unfortunately banging a shorter stem, and longer forks on one of these bikes won’t bring it into the modern era. Alas it is better to have the memories of what a cool bike it was and just hang it on the wall or use it as a pub bike

Both me and a friend both had the rear triangles replaced on an HD3 and they were with the boast set up. If the UK importer can’t get them, then maybe contact Ibis

Yep my wife and I did it outside the race a year ago. Frankly there is much better riding in the Alpes, but good to go and ride the Pic Blanc lift and ride down. basically it is a gravel road at the top with some chunky gravel and then some singletrack with bigger rocks.
Out of the alpine bit into the grassy section is fun and the section below the village is rooty and greasy and pretty chopped up.

Perfect!

https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/28075144?location=Torridon&adults=2&s=ive_hZRl

It was a medium cage rear mech and a XT 11-40 cassette.  No problems at all and no modifications needs.

Sifting works fine.

I do like the look of the new clutch road derailliuers Shimano has some out with too

Yep, I have done this and it works fine on my bike with 48-32 up front and on my wife’s bike running 34-50.  Didn’t have to do anything special to the derailleur.

Now that you can get hydraulic disc brakes for road/cross bikes, using that and an 11-40 cassette opens the bike up to lots of offload riding

Personally I’d get a car or van and bring the 150mm bike.  Pretty of offload riding to be had and more fun that touring.

3 months is a good length of time too

Plenty of riding in:

Rotorua

Central Plateau

Wellington

Marlborough

Nelson

West Coast

Canterbury

Otago

Aix-les-Bains.  There is a bus that goes up to Le Revard and it leaves the pool on the lake front at 9am.  1500m downhill from top and ignore the red Gas de France route down as it is an old railway.  For a really nice bit of single track down through some limestone bluffs, head south along the road from le revard and drop down Col du Pertuiset.  Its awesome

I visited Kashgar a couple of years ago and this was before the current crack down.  It was pretty clear it was a police state being run there with security cameras at every intersection in the city, police checkpoints in and out of town (where the police had passport scanning tech), heavily armed police/army patrolling the streets and an overwhelming appearance that the Chinese were cracking down on the Uighers.  I saw some pretty disrespectful scenes from the Chinese border guards towards an old Uigher guy when a Chinese border guard back handed the old guy’s hat off his head and then push him around.  The Uigher guy looked to be about 80 and it was super uncool.  Privately Uighers would say there were people disappearing to detention camp.  It was bloody sad to see and my opinion of the Chinese govt really went down after that.

Nice idea, but plenty of other nicer places to ride in NZ.

That sort of ride is probably fat bike specific too  ; )

Second iPhiGéNie and I’ve found it really good. I’ve used it in France a few times and the maps are good plus you can cache maps using wifi instead of data.  Also easy to add in gpx tracks.

Yep I’d seriously ditch the idea of a motorhome.  They are expensive to rent, then you have to generally stay at paying campgrounds.  They are also a pain in the arse to drive on twisty NZ roads and a better solution would be a cheap hire care from Apex rentals and Airbnb or motels, with Airbnb my preference for staying somewhere cool and meeting some more interesting people apart from motel owners….not offence to motel owners

If it is raining in Morzine then a high chance that it will be raining in the rest of the Alps.

My NZ based one has worked fine in the French Alps, Central Asia and Pakistan.  I’m sure Canada will be no issue

Funny, but I put a 45T wolf tooth extender on a XT 11sp 11-40 cassette.  It has worked perfectly, especially having the 5 tooth gap between 45 and 40.  I was put off by the big jump on the 11-46 cassette of 46 to 37….this works out well.  It will be interesting to see what the new XTR looks like

@binners I was thinking someone would post a picture of that car!!

These washers are the sort that were used on the pads of old skool V brakes, so if you have some of those laying around, or the LBS might be able to help

I’ve spent plenty of time in France with bikes in the back of a van in plain sight, or sitting outside a chalet (a real one) with no problems.  Really it is as safe as anywhere else and I think this whole topic speaks to how paranoid some folk can be.  There are good and bad people everywhere, but more good than bad

I have rented a Partner Tepee when travelling around France and it was great for transporting the mt bikes and all our crap.  Depending on the bike size they go straight in the back and the sliding side doors makes loading them up much easier.  Passenger Seats folded right up.

Downside, well the 1.6L diesel is pretty gutless, but good economy.

The thing is pretty fugly!!!!

I did a cycle tour in Kyrgyzstan in 2016 that covered the eastern half of that race. It was seriously remote country and the “roads” are in a pretty dire state. Amazing scenery and lovely people, but serious remote over much of the course.

@shermer75 yer, now I just swan about as ex-PM….being meaning to change that user name for ages

that PM was a tool

I regularly fly to NZ with my mt bike. You don’t need to put the tyres in the washing machine!
Give the bike a hose and a a wash and remove any obvious dirt and you’ll be fine. Generally they’ll just open the bike bag and if you say yes I washed it and there is not 3kg of obvious mud on the tire staring at the agricultural inspector they’ll send you to the green channel.

The officials at the border seem to have relaxed a bit in terms of bike dirt in the last few years and sure everyone you ask will bust out some horror stories, but in my experience its pretty painless. Not once have I had to take the whole bike out of its box or bag

@Jim25 No it isn’t. That is someone else

Thanks for the replies and I’m glad I’m not the only one that has had problems with bearing longevity. I have ordered a set of enduro max ones for the next replacement.

I had decided to pull the rear linkages to bits the other day to check them and pop the seals and give the bearings some more grease, but it was too late. They were shot

I was there in August and it was very nice. I’m sure that coming into winter that there are still plenty of places to eat out that will be open in the town. Maybe email the tourism office there?

24-34 on the front and an 11-40 cassette on the back will get you up anything

If you do fly via the states via Air NZ or Virgin you’ll get a much bigger luggage allowance. You pay whichever way you have to go

I’m currently in Briancon and will be riding at Serre Chevalier today. Got the trail map from there the other day, plus had a look at the top map. TBF, navigation around there looks pretty easy. We were up at Montgenerve yesterday and same deal there, tracks are well marked including the 1300m single track descent back to Briancon. Maybe you might need a guide for a day, but it is pretty easy area to navigate around