I bought a Redmi 4 Pro as a stand in about three years ago for £180. Over those three years it was so good I have replaced it with a Redmi 9SE (compact version of 9) which is also good though perhaps there are more competitors at the lower price points than there were. But generally highly recommended.

As above Xiaomi totally different from Huwawei.

What size Scandal would owners recommend for someone 6′ with 32/33″ inside leg also riding a M Soul and a L Transition Scout?

I have ridden On One 456’s before but seemed to fall between what were then 18″ and 20″ frames with neither feeling the right size.

Opps should have searched for previous dishwashing adventures of STW.

To be clear it was turned off within a couple of minutes of first smelling the burning and has not been back on since. The dishwasher was also only ever used in the daytime when we were in the house as a result of a burning dishwasher story from a friend of a friend.

I will read the other thread but agree a rodent is a possibility.

As to whether 15 years old means I should replace it I’m not convinced. It is mainly made of metal with limited working parts; in some respects it would be a shame to replace it with something new that has built in obsolescence. But as you suggest safety will be the primary factor.

Agree but what if you never really knew how to organise files or operate a computer and just used it in a walled garden environment just doing the things you have always done.

I am looking for a bit more of a structured approach tbh as that is what I fail to supply in 10 minute phonecalls.

Can anyone get more specific than youtube?

I would like to point my father in the direction of something. Either youtube based or an actual online course.

He uses a computer for internet browsing, email and banking but has recently shown interest in learning a bit more. Nothing major, stuff like Ctrl+X to cut rather than doing it all on the mouse and understanding that he is using programs to view files rather than the files being in the program – so you can use alternative programs to view a single file.

Any recommendations appreciated.

If it didn’t require a change of the crankset I would be confident he could fit the rest of the stuff (he is pretty handy, has sufficient tools and an interest in such things).

So deciding to change (or needing to remove) the crankset is the big deal, it may need a long bar as it has never been off. And then a change in crankset to NX Dub would need a new pressfit BB that I don’t have tools or knowledge of so probably a trip to a shop for that. The compromise would be to swap the chain ring to a OneUp one for now and swap the crankset and BB later.

But yes it would be ideal if I could do it in person (in which case he could also visit his two month old first grandson he has yet to meet!)

Ah sorry I should have been clearer, his bike is not boost spaced so I want old standard spacing and chainline.

Lots of the NX 12spd complete groupsets don’t mention if they are for boost or standard, how do I know or are they somehow suitable for either? Guess this is mainly about the crankset.

Also guessing I would need an adaptor to change matchmaker clamp to bar clamp as the brakes on his bike are Shimano

Thanks all, I had not spotted that NX was available with 11T. The SRAM 12spd stuff is barely any more expensive either but availability looks very limited at present, lots of places out of stock though Tweeks (never used them) look to have it all. There are some really good <£250 prices on complete 12spd NX groupset but can’t find one actually in stock so it is a bit academic!

@oikeith that sounds like a good budget option but with four years wear on the parts and since he doesn’t love the shifting action fairly keen to swap the shifter anyway. He is in his 70’s too so wary of loosing lower gears as whilst he is very fit the power is probably less than someone younger.

@chapaking Good idea to mix in SLX parts and save a bit. But agree I really like the XT shifter and iSpec B ones are a bargain! Swapping the chainring is mainly a logistics issue if he cannot get the crank off. He has a hardtail for grotty weather so this one is the summer bike and most of the time ridden in the Hertfordshire desert but I have not given it a waggle myself so may be worn!

Oh and here is the crankset, what do you reckon are the chances of getting the chainring off and a new one on without taking the crank off BB? And if the crank has to come off is that difficult? Guessing from the self-extracting bolt this is a three-piece affair.

So this thread has educated me to the point where I now know I have inadvertently bought good knives (Victorinox) but that ten years later they are blunt (I knew that bit actually). Having read the comments about the whetstones seems like I need one/some of these. Is this these the best bet to rejuvenate an maintain my knives for someone who at present has only a basic pull through jobbie. Do I need four grades of stone?!

Whetstones and steel

Guide

Ah great, that is nice and simple, I can’t see much visual difference so happy with the Evo. Will get one ordered.

thanks beargrease :-)

They look good too. Where did you buy them in the UK?

As in put the tape on, put a glueless patch on top of the tape then push the tubeless valve through both?

Guessing the point of that is the glueless patch has a bit of give to it and seals more easily?

Ah OK, I had not thought of that, useful thanks.

I had only used one wrap of Tesa tape but perhaps two would help with this; so long as it does not make it so thick I can’t readily get the tyre on…..

on one are selling some scandal frames for £80

Where are those?

Wow, all out of stock for <£100 ones at Scan and Ebuyer. Shows how ‘just in time’ a lot of shops must work on stock. Impressive really just an inconvenience to me at the minute!

My Dad likes his desktop PC. He does not have an iPad or want to piss about with one ;-)

He does want a webcam though…

They look a bit agricultural but the pendle ones look decent and adjustable to me and can be had at good prices on Ebay.

@geomickb – I’m pleased it wasn’t just me struggling with that. I was seriously sweating at one point; stopped at a T-junction, car behind me, super steep. The locals are very good at engine braking too in order to avoid cooking the brakes.

Oh that also made me think; IMO don’t bother upgrading the size of your hire car some roads are narrow and tight and they are all well surfaced but something with a bit of power wouldn’t go amiss given the gradients. We spent a lot of time in first gear in our Peugeot 208 :-)

The hotel I mentioned is in the Lido area so fits that recommendation well.

The northern side is dramatic, more rural feeling and spectacular. We enjoyed seeing it but if you are sun seeking agree it is not the spot to head to.

The Levada walks are good but many are one-way and often downhill so may we worth considering which can be done in a circular way or by bus access as a hire car does not help this.

Unless I missed a closer car park you can get to within what is probably 350m vertical of Pico Ruivo but the return walk took us about 2.5hrs including taking in the views at the top.

Oh and get ready to drive in lots of tunnels!

My wife and I went to Madeira in exactly the same situation though she may have been more like 7 months pregnant. Our taste in holidaying sounds similar – we normally move often and spend quite a lot of time camping.

We stayed at the Allegro Madeira which would be within your budget and offers one last child free stay! The hotel seems brand new and the room and views were excellent. The swimming pool might not be the best for setting length records, looked like more of a sit around or paddle in option. But just down the road there is a lido complex. The hotel is well situated and although it is not in Funchal central there is a bus stop 20m away with frequent buses that take 10min to the city centre. We used the buses for speed and ease despite having a hire car. Funchal central is pleasant enough but not don’t confuse it with a city break destination, there is not that much to see, but an enjoyable place to relax.

It just so happens that Freeride Madeira are within 200m of the hotel too. I only did one days riding with them but it was superb. Don’t know how often you are riding at home but for what you describe consider a gap between your guided days to give the arms time to recover. I would really recommend Freeride Madeira as they are investing a lot in the trails on the island. Riding was superb and plenty challenging. The island is seriously steep, first gear in a car is frequently required. If you have a hire car I would suggest one uplift a day would go a long way!

We considered the walk from Pico Ruivo to Airero but it looked a bit much. We did however go to Pico Ruivo from Pico Teixaura (sp) very easy and the same eventual high point.

We also headed to Porto Moniz which was great but choose your accommodation carefully.

We also stayed at Estalagem Da Ponta Do Sol it is a bit more money but worth it for one night, a really impressive hotel.

Thanks all, very useful. I bought my last Xiaomi from Gearbest so that was my first port of call but they don’t seem to sell the 9SE or may have sold out as there are so few retailers I get the feeling it may have been discontinued.

Thanks for pointing out the Global ROM and 4G band stuff. I am interested in phones but don’t have a detailed understanding and want to make sure I get it right first time!

After a bit more research I think that buying from Deal Extreme may be the best bet. It clearly states Global version of the phone (the others do not) and I have heard of them as a retailer which betters some of the others (one of which has even changed name since my original post!). Looks like a bit of a wait for delivery and suspect no UK charger but a good saving compared to Amazon.

Wowsers some folks must have racked up a lot of loans! Sounds like I should take my £17 and be happy I never had cause to borrow more.

I lodged my claim before the deadline and have their offer so I think I am still eligible for a payout but it won’t be the end of the world if I do miss it now I know £17 is all I am likely to get.

Great thanks all. This has drummed home the point that the ZTTO is very reasonable in comparison to the other options so I bought one. Sounds like those who have them are getting on well with them.

Some great tips here and looks a significant factor was picking the tyre/rim combo I had to hand.

@richwales – thanks a great set of tips there :-) I’d not heard of Tesa tape so will order some of that. And of course I will align the tyre/rim logos! I was thinking Specialized so good to hear those are what you use.

@yourguitarhero – I need to be able to get it on/off trailside so not interested in a shop doing it tbh. Besides despite the struggle I would rather do it myself so planning to tool up with the right bits and get it done.

So put the NW ring on the existing chainset? Which position would it go in? Surely chainline is becoming very critical at 12spd hence I would have expected a 1x chainset to be important.

What are the Sunrace 11-50 cassettes like? I have never been into mix’n’match but I guess it is just a set of cogs at known gaps!

So for that option the shopping list would be:
SLX 12spd shifter
SLX 12spd mech
NW 30T chainring
Sunrace 11-50T 12spd cassette

Ah OK, interesting. But I think they can be ‘sized’ which I think means ramming them a bit further down the lowers to decrease the diameter and tighten them up.

Hmm, just spotted a potential reason not to go for the Nokia 6.1 in that it is available in the blue colour for £125 but other colours, critically plain old boring black, are way more expensive like £240!

I’d welcome any other suggestions that fit the small brief better!

Thanks for the suggestions all!

True the Nokia 6.1 is £125 on Amazon. 149 x 76 x 9mm. 32Gb. Seems little reason not to go for that over other Nokias.

Had a Sony Z3 Compact myself – nice but fragile and battery life no where near my Xiaomi. I’ve been really impressed with my Xiaomi over the last two years so can’t really say I find it unresponsive. My father certainly wouldn’t notice. He likes a small phone because it is small, a bigger one will be just that to him as he is not really a frequent user (it is often turned off).

Samsung looks neat but doesn’t really look sufficiently better to go over budget for.

Thank you for link to Mi A2 UK version. Good to get a fix on which version to buy!

What about chainline dimension, is this a boost thing? The Shimano ones say 50mm would this suit my setup which is 142×12 at the back and threaded BB at the front?

I guess I was a bit hesitant on Shimano as they are not narrow wide rings. What is your experience of chain retention using that crankset?

Thanks Tom, that certainly fits the adjustable brief!

I think I cope OK with altitude; we both coped OK with trekking to 5300m in Boliva after about three days in La Paz (3600m). I later struggled on Huayna Potosí (6088m) but I had four days at low level between the two.

Footflaps – thanks for your honesty and I know what you mean about repetitive landscapes on occasion.

Really useful recommendations. I guess an attractive part of getting a personal guide would be going at our own pace but I am bit confused how this would work if accommodation books up.

I think it will be more about the conditions for cycling as the primary factor rather than distance/time. Road/traffic/safety concerns are normally a key factor why people do or do not cycle. Distance and time comes after that.

Also do you have any control on parking at your place of work? We only have about 30 spaces for >350 employees so a lot of people cycle.

Having said all that I think your distance assumption is not a bad one.

That Wellgo QRD is interesting. So you can quick release pedals between the adaptor bit? I guess it widens the Q factor but may not be such an issue.

Thanks, had not seen the clear things before but for the extra £6 the metal ones look a decent alternative (and flexible between brands).

The flat pedals can’t stay on as he often does 50+ mile rides on the bike and he wants clipless for that.

If you saw the garage you would know n+1 was not an option!

Ah yes I have circlip pliers. Good spot on the lowers oil.

Sadly I don’t have the grinder required for socket grinding. Though I do have a couple of sockets I would be happy to grind!