I’ve not used the GTX’s but we’ve got 3 pairs of Solomon trainers in various guises. I love them but the rubber is probably their weakest aspect.
Generally slippy in the wet and not great on the bike even in the dry. The rubber is durable but grip suffers as a result.

Looks good, thanks Rone.

jekkyl that grinder looks more like a food processor. There is no way you would get the same sort of consistency as with a decent burr grinder.

The int function from tillydog works but you need another decimal space in the 0.05 so it’s 0.005 for both.

My initial option was to do an if using the round and roundup functions. If they are the same answer you keep, if different you use round then add 0.005. Not as elegant as tillydog’s though but simpler than TFOs.

Garmin Etrex 20x or 30x sure in your price range though not bike focused like the 810 is.
A middle ground wound be the Edge Touring.

I have tried to get them to stay up on UST runs for a couple of weeks without success.
There is a tubeless ready MSO that was announced last year although still doesn’t seem to be available.

I’m gonna try the gravel roads that soma recommended.

Ta soma, looks like it’ll have to wait on new tyres. The gravel roads look good. Might get a pair to run on the rear.

Are they pretty true to size or do they run large / small?
Might struggle with the 40c if they run big.

Thanks for the tips all.
I’ve tried inflating with tubes first and popping 1 bead only, I rode the bike for an hour and a half with the 1 working tyre before it then deflated slowly.
You could see the goo bubbling between rim & tyre before the ride but not after which I thought may have done it but sadly not.

I’d rather avoid more rim tape so might just give up for now and try tubeless specific tyres once these are worn out.

simon: Maybe they aren’t, I looked yesterday and couldn’t see any reference to it but was sure it was mentioned when looking at reviews for the bike. That may explain the less than perfect seal.

Poah: I’ve used sealant and a bit of fairy liquid. Even the one tyre I managed to seat had just leaked air out the side. The sealant want able to stop the leaks. I guess it suggests that Simon is right and they aren’t UST which would explain the trouble I’ve been having.

Is there another way to get non-UST tyres seating properly on a UST rim?

Does your AMP have a phono stage? Or are you plugged in to standard RCA inputs?
They need a moving magnet phono stage.

If you like espresso based coffee’s then you won’t get a better entry level machine than a Gaggia Classic.

If you just want got coffee, any number of options are available for very little money including Cafetiere, Aeropress, Chemex etc and as with all coffee’s it’s down to the Bean and grind you use.

The best coffee I’ve had is from a Cafetiere using beans from a company who I’ve never managed to make a good espresso from.

I like my CX because I don’t enjoy road riding and I’m too unfit to lug my heavy steel MTB any significant distance at the moment!

Thanks, bought the Bahco ratchet set. Seems a good deal @ £14!

Thanks rone, look forward to the updates.
Might be tempted by one of these instead of a pressure washer.

First proper ride with the new bike.
Tried to do one of the “South Wales Gravel ride” routes posted on here…. got lost.
Still good fun and the bike was spot on.

P2275936 by jbeanbuyer[/url], on Flickr

Thanks rone, really interested to see the results.

Thanks Craig I found them and had a look after my post. None in my size either.

The Terrex approach shoes are aimed at climbers, hence the super grippy sole and rubber over the toe.
The ‘approach’ is to the climbing crag.

£57 is an utter bargain for them, only just bought an alternative for general walking / approach use but would have snapped those up at that price! I was evening looking for deals a few weeks ago and couldn’t see any.

Bunch of Grapes is a great pub on the way back down the A470 before you get to Pontypridd.

Any chance of some before and after pics rone?

I designed mine and they were built by a carpenter.
Use of the space is so much better than anything factory built in wardrobes from b&q or the like. Used white painted MDF which has been fine.

The best thing for maximising height was using Hafelle articulated hanging rails which are superb right at the top of the cupboards, just pull down to access. Don’t bother with cheap brands for these if you decide on some as they just won’t take enough weight.

Why not a new Mazda 2? Just updated and it looks good. Should be about as reliable as they come too.

Is look at the new crop of gravel bikes. There are a load that offer what you are looking for. You can always seal the tyres out for something thinner.

As above, I’d suggest going with 2 higher quality speakers per room over 4. If there room isn’t that big, a single stereo speaker may even be suitable.

Ohms wise, most amps can do either, but for a weaker amp you would want something easier to drive so you aren’t pushing the amp too hard when you crank the volume up.

I can’t recommend any budget ones unfortunately as all the ones I’ve heard are about £80+ each.

Never been sure about the mid life crisis thing.
Amway’s thought it’s just the point in time by which must people can justify spending £20k+ on a toy.

I’ve wanted a TVR since I was at primary school and I’d I can still find a good example for decent money in 10 or so years I’ll be that guy.
Might have to get an MX-5 in the meantime though.

Mark, why not make the mobile app a P only thing if it’s gonna affect revenue so majorly?
I find the site fine to navigate on mobile but then I have a browser that reflows text properly.
Don’t mind the ads either.

Not sure whether this is actually a positive move for consumers:

++
Less data bandwidth for the user
Faster load times
Clutter free sites

—
Increase in pay-walls for sites that rely on advertising for free content
A potential step away from ‘net neutrality’

It’s the alt one that really concerns me. The next logical step for 3 would be to only allow adverts through from those that pay them an extra fee to do so.
It is a similar step to what ISP’s have been trying to do for years, which is to throttle speed of access to sites (such as Netflix) unless they pay them for ‘priority’ bandwidth.

I’m firmly against any such measures as it hurts net neutrality and impacts on our choices as a consumer through the stifling of start-ups and new market entrants.

If take a look at Time Atac pedals with what you said about your alignment. Generally much better for people that suffer from knee problems so the extra float may suit you also.

If you don’t need rack mounts then the Norco Search takes a mudguard (don’t think the Threshold does…) and ha a 425 ‘rear centre’ length (BB centre to axle by the looks of it).

Wheel size is probably an issue though. Think 40c is absolute max.

I think options will be quite limited but something like the Salsa Fargo should suit. The OPEN U.P looks great too but pricey as you say.

From the ones (many) that I looked at, gravel bikes tend to have slightly less clearance than CX bikes but CX don’t tend to have mud guard mounts (and almost never have rack mounts).

I am pretty sure a few of the above bikes either don’t have the mounts or don’t have the clearance.

Only done tough mudder and echo above that I wouldn’t recommend it. Very few obstacles that were all straight forward. Basically a half marathon in the mud. Had a good time due to the group I was with though.

Plenty of other less marketing driven events noted above that would be worth doing instead.

RaspberryPi running Kodi and the Pi AMP?
Couldn’t steam from your record player though, would have to be a networked source.

Actually, I think the Pi can run some open source multi-room software based on the Logitech stuff which would be a bit simpler. Still not sure how you would capture the record player output though.

Thanks xyeti, won’t be getting then for a while if I do. Would really like a carbon option for the flared bars but can’t seem to find any.

Thanks xyeti, what about the cowchipper which is somewhere between the Cowbell and woodchipoer?
Supposed to be closer the the Cowbell so might be pretty spot on. Roadies worrying about your bars? Who’d have thought it.

Hmmm interesting posts ref under insuring.
I wanted to add a bike to mine but the Max they would insure on my level of cover was below the new value of the bike.

I could have gone up to the highest level of insurance but for significantly more.
I told them to just insure for the highest value on the current level and there didn’t seem to be any problem with that.

Could they try and screw me on a claim or am I OK because I’m paying a fair & equitable value?

Sorry about the hijack but re the Salsa Cowbell bars, is there enough of a flare to give extra control off road or would you recommend stepping up to the cowchipper for that? I’ll probably end up riding as much road as off road so am undecided.

There was some in our garden when we bought the place. They stood up ok but as above…. they rot pretty quickly, weeds grow through them and they are generally a bit rubbish.

All now replaced thankfully.

Picked up a Knog Blinder cheap on SportPursuit.

Both the models were available (may still be) and very impressed with it so far. The main gripe with the more powerful version (in reviews) was that it tended to rotate on the bars but they supply multiple accessories (including a narrower strap) to hep with this and having taken it off road, didn’t see an rotation (on road bars).

They’ve had them & the full jackets online for nearly 2 months.
Still not sold out which has surprised me.

Got 2 in the house but only since Christmas.
I got an ex demo Carbon version so can’t really give you impressions of the ALU but I find mine rapid!

The ALU one isn’t heavy either though and I’d say the geometry and ride makes them a fantastic choice for commuting. As with all low end bikes, a wheel upgrade would do wonders.