Alternative to YakTrax are Grivel Spiders, found they worked well for both trail running shoes and walking boots.

Liked that it left the forefoot and heel grip for harder/mixed surfaces.

Came with a handy pouch for popping into the pub or shop as they fit really easily.

Spider

My coffee machine has a ~1.5kg lump of brass that needs about an hour to become thermally stable, necessitating a timer plug and it coming on at 4:30 each morning…

I am consciously not thinking about the emissions from the coffee transport chain or the farmers who still do a lot of the processing steps by hand… 😬

Edit: Also live in a solid brick terrace with a 35 year old Baxi back boiler behind the fire.

@footflaps – There are two main styles of snatches, sport style like Steve Cotter shows with the “twirly” bit and handles parallel to your feet.

With hard style, like RKC or Strongfirst, it flips over and starting position is perpendicular to your feet. Key is on the timing to get it to kind of float mid air and then catch it by punching through on the last extension. That last part of the movement is key in slowing it down so it doesn’t bash your forearm. Easier to show than explain by text.

The hard style is not as efficient and harder, but that is kind of the point where they want maximum tension during the exercise.

Avoid smooth chromed handles like the plague, far to slippy to be safe for dynamic moves.

Cheapo ones are OK, but sometimes need the handle filing or shaping to remove the seam cast to stop shredding your hands.

I do like the sport steel ones, but prefer the iron hard style with a bigger handle for goblet squats.

Also the solid iron ones I find easier for double kettlebell stuff. At 5’8” my legs aren’t that long so a pair of iron 24kg solid ones are easier to use than the hollow sport equivalents which are bigger diameter.

I have proper wide feet, Meindl Bhutan has been fine for walking and OK with step in basket crampons for non-climbing winter bits. Admittedly mostly used for muddy climbing approaches and scrambling.

Would recommend them unless you are doing proper winter mountaineering with front pointing into hard ice etc.

@alongo – I think with that depth two fixing points would not be enough, but I’m not a carpenter 🤷‍♂️

Personally I would look at alcove fixing brackets and route the edges so you can’t see them from the top of the shelves. Would be bomb proof with a good length of support on each end and back if required.

Also let’s you get a nice platform for your template as it’s likely to be slightly different dimensions at each level.

I bought one of these for cutting stainless steel kitchen rails, also works a treat on bars etc. and covers 5-35mm

Not cheap but super accurate and easy to use. I have a clamp on cutting guide, but actually now prefer the tube cutter.

https://www.ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Ridgid-Rid29963-0095691299635-35S-Stainless-Steel-Tube-Cutter

@yourguitarhero – Eek, that counts as a lucky escape. Hope you are OK and stitches are minor.

Maybe time to get someone in with the full kit instead, if you have had a couple of goes at it?

You can also make or buy wood kits for the Niche, I had varnished mine to be walnut originally but got a replacement one made from reclaimed skateboards.

Just in case you or your other half are “particular” for some reason regarding colours in your kitchen… 😉

@Pierre – I really like mine, but they are not built like the Mazzer tanks are.

They had a bad couple of batches with motor screws loosening, easily fixed with loctite and new batches resolved.

I mentioned in an earlier post, it has a brushed DC motor and plastic gearbox. Brushes are consumables in the long term and the plastic gearing is a potential weak point. Not a huge number of problems with them, but you wouldn’t likely be passing it on to your kids etc.

@aidy – It was a game changer, pretty much you had to either mod a commercial machine like a Super Jolly or put up with an eternity of hand grinding for single dosing…

There still aren’t a huge number of single dosing grinders that easily do both espresso and filter for that money.

@dmorts – Apologies, I am a bit of a coffee geek! 😂

I would agree with you to an extent, the bellows are a bit of an add on to help clear it but it still has more retention than ideal due to the grind path and will be less consistent due to popcorning of the beans etc. without a hopper full. If they added an auger or flow control device and removed all dead spots it would have been snapped up.

The Niche support is great, but the Eurekas are higher build quality. Really like my Niche but it is more “kitchen appliance” than a proper commercial grinder, i.e. plastic gearbox and a brushed DC motor. Likely to do well at home, not expecting it to last forever but it is very convenient and makes nice coffee.

@dmorts – Fair point on the time, but not all hand grinders are created equally.

I’ve got a Feld-47 travel and it takes around 45 seconds for 18g of medium roasted. Maybe closer to a minute if you use very light Nordic roast style.

The single dose Mignon haven’t really taken off on the coffee forums as far as I can tell. Still more Niche and DF64s at the minute.

I’ve had both a Eureka Mignon and a Niche Zero after switching to single dosing so the coffee is fresher.

Would recommend the Niche by a fair margin due to bigger burrs and a much simpler workflow. If it is just a few a day the Made by Knock Feld-47 is pretty much as good and a fair whack cheaper, nice hand grinder from a UK manufacturer.

Feld47 Titanium Burr

If you are willing to mod things, then a used Mazzer Super Jolly can be had very cheaply if you keep an eye out. Gives you 64mm flat burrs not 50mm and will potentially out last you as they are built like tanks.

Edit: My Mignon did stall a few times going from coarse to fine, even with adjusting whilst running the burrs.

@molgrips – We have one of these, works well with dry food for our opportunistic/ruthless/very affectionate fur ball who adopted us in the first lockdown.

She is a big cat at 5-6kg depending upon how her hunting is going, not able to get inside it even after bouncing it the full length of the kitchen the first time we used it in a massive strop…

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_bowls_feeders/feeders/programmable/601554?origin=hopps&q=c500&i=1&ro=1

@rascal – have a Craghoppers one, packs pretty well and sees pub layer/walking/rock climbing duties as it warm for the weight and is synthetic.

Also cheap enough so you won’t cry if it gets properly brambled…

https://www.craghoppers.com/compress-lite-v-vest-blue-navy-poseidon-blue/

@cookeaa – Trade off versus dissimilar metal corrosion though, shouldn’t fret away really but fill the gaps. If applied when wet the rivnut should still bite in pretty well.

Would suggest steel rivnuts not aluminium if possible, or coating the contact surfaces with epoxy then using the setting tool if you have to use the alloy ones for some reason. Once the epoxy hardens combined with the mechanical fastening they should be bomb proof.

Also at that age there is a chance of joins or the wood not being that consistent in terms of colour.

Unless it is a hidden gem of gorgeous hard wood and you have loads of time, I personally wouldn’t bother. You would need to take off a lot of surface to remove all paint traces and the profiling could make it very fiddly.

@phil258 – If it is more than just a minor tweak and you end up using an adjustable wrench/vice like bigblackshed suggested then it’s worth doing a couple of extra bits as well:

1 – Length of threaded rod with 4 nuts & washers or old nutted axle hub fitted between the dropouts to brace the frame

2 – Short bolt through the hanger eye with a nut on the other side to protect the thread and keep it round

If it goes a little bit awry with the threads then you can get a nifty insert to epoxy in if required after drilling out.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/dropout-saver-threaded-insert-fits-into-rear-mech-hanger/

Had to do similar to ours, but twice, as I mistakenly used modern low VOC rubbish gloss that yellowed in a year.

I found Zinnser BIN primer covers just about anything if you give it half a chance and a bit of a sand. Regular white Ronseal wood filler for filling bits with no movement, then everbuild 175 acrylic flexible sealant for anything that does.

Used proper matt finish floor paint on the treads, was far too slippery and my wife slipped down them as she has a habit of walking on the tread edges. Fitted a stair runner shortly after, looks nice with the painted treads and sides etc.

With kids as well, I would just get a nice stair runner and change as needed. They will get hammered loads even if nobody slips, chipped paint on the edges will make them look tired very quickly.

Not been to Chesterfield for a couple of years now to see my cousins, had to order some off the website for the hole in the wall!

Our neighbours are from Leicester, they practically bit my hand off over the prospect of a spare dozen coming their way. 👍

I checked the website, rated capacity for that drill is 32mm masonry, instructions said it is the same for core and regular SDS bits.

Likely could do it, but I would still be tempted to hire the kit instead to be sure.

I would say rent, you should be able to get a core drill from your hire place?

What is the access on both sides like? Thinking you use a 650mm SDS bit to get the pilot hole through the wall, cut from both sides to reduce blow out.

The arbour holds the pilot drill in the middle, you attach the arbour to the cutter and in use the drill bit stops it wandering off. Extension bars are screwed to the bottom of the arbour to give you more reach. You can get really long extension bars though.

https://www.ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Silverline-719797-5055058164094-Sds-Plus-Core-Drill-Arbor-600Mm

Only used a smaller core drill through single skin brick to be fair. Guessing with that depth you need to chisel out part of the core once you max out the depth.

I think he is great, but seriously wonder how he has survived so long in London! Also cycle commute normally, no idea how he hasn’t been filled in unless he is a man mountain in real life.

Gandalf’s corner stuff is good, but the comments on his videos are even better.

Worth a look alone for the replies from the disgruntled ex-copper who has a grudge against him for shopping his dad for driving offences… 😂

@stoofus – TJ is right about using zip ties for crown, seat stay and chain stay attachment points. How about P-clips for the bolts if you don’t have eyelets?

Other option to consider is something like the SKS speedrocker, but zip ties on rather than the straps.

https://road.cc/content/review/261388-sks-speedrocker-mudguard-set

I have wide feet, can’t get on even with the wide fit Shimano ones with BOA adjusters. Must have bought and returned about five pairs this year…

Ones that worked for me were DHB Dorica MTB, about £50 plenty stiff enough for my road bike and the laces give loads of width adjustment. Look slightly more “golf” than “disco slipper”, but fine for walking round in and still reasonable for bars/cafe stops. Just size down, I’m normally 9-9.5 in shoes but an 8 in the Doricas was spot on.

Spoke to the retailer and they accepted as faulty straightaway, so will be posting them back shortly.

@ahsat – You are welcome, should be fine for short trips.

It’s slightly bigger than the old Kryptonite Evo Mini that I used most of the time and not as boat anchor like as the full sized New York that COVID bike scarcity paranoia made me dust off this year…

@scaredypants – Sounds like a nice bike actually! 😅 Any pics, as I do have a soft spot for the old drop bar conversion/up-cycled bikes.

My wife wanted a compact d-lock to attach onto the frame of her Surly LHT.

Wend for an Abus Granit mini, it’s been great for a few years in London when combined with a cable lock to thread through the wheels.

Bracket is properly sturdy as well, unlink some of the new Kryptonite ones which use a fabric strap.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/abus-granit-x-plus-54-mini-d-lock/rp-prod143879

https://m.bikester.co.uk/abus-ush-51-granit-plus-black-389503.html

@CliveA – I tried a couple of the Park pre-set torque drivers and was not impressed at all with their calibration at >20% difference than their expected setting. Unless it is markedly better quality I would not be convinced at how close either the TW 5.2 would be to say 2nm or 14nm.

I have a few for bike and non bike things, don’t carry one when out riding. Some mechanical sympathy and counting the turns from a known good value is normally fine. With occasional light home use the calibration should not drift hugely that quickly.

Would definitely recommend the Wera 3-6nm t-handle and a Teng 5-20nm, comes out similar to a Park TW 5.2 price wise and likely gives greater accuracy.

– Wera 1.2-3.0nm torque screwdriver – delicate non-bike stuff
– Wera 3.0-6.0nm t-handle torque screwdriver – most commonly used for stems etc.
– Teng 5-20nm – bigger bike stuff like crank bolts, pedal lock nuts or derailleur bolts
– Beam type one for big stuff – can be used either direction to ballpark/sanity check

@eckinspain – My wife and I have a shared Concept2 Bikeerg, they are super adjustable for different heights and are made to gym equipment levels of sturdiness. Really easy to move between quite different setups.

Only downside is it’s not a smart trainer as you have to manually adjust the fan for the resistance levels.

Plus sides are it is 1/2 the price of a Wattbike, packs down relatively small and is easy to move round at ~26kg…

@13thfloormonk – I got some BXP pads for my Cross Check as a short term measure whilst I dither about fitting a disc fork.

The brakes are much improved in comparison to the stock Tektro mini-v pads. I got mine for £21 from Sigma Sports for two pairs as I had the holders already. You would be looking at >£40 for the holders as well, which is into new long drop territory.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/SwissStop/Flash-Pro-BXP-Brake-Pads-2-Pairs/2GZC

Edit: Given the age of the bike and the pads look pretty old, they are likely to be pretty hard by now. Likely any new pads could be an improvement really.

Went with the Abbey one in the end as my birthday was coming up, glad that I did since when I used it on my cross check it was out on two points by 8-9mm. Super fast to tweak and recheck it.

Also looks lovely and is super compact, might not go in the main bike tool box because of that 😬

@trail_rat – Could just be down to me not building properly, as I’m self taught from the Musson book?

I normally try to get the j-bends tapped to follow the flange, twist the spokes together etc. Then a couple of goes with flexing the wheel with the hub resting on a block, then grabbing the spokes in pairs while wearing gloves.

Think there is a big difference between a wheel with no tyre/tube, but assume the difference is less marked between the useable range of say 45-50-55 or 85-90-95 psi according to the tyre/rim combination?

I’ve built a few sets of wheels, from 450g DT-Swiss/Mavic Open Pro road wheels to Rigida Sputniks. All with 32 or 36 spokes, tensioned/relieved/trued with not tyre to max tension.

Dish changes a fair bit once a tyre is added and maybe a 5% drop in tension. Last build steps for me is the final dish and small tweak to get the tension back up there.

Never had problems with coming out of true, cracked eyelets or taco-ing the rims, but I’m not using crazy light carbon ones.

Just curious how people get the dish right if they don’t check with the tyre on, do you account for the tension drop so it becomes central only with the tyre?

@mrdestructo – Thanks for the detailed view, glad it worked out well for you.

Don’t think mine is quite as far out, but will be careful regarding any threads etc.

Saw on the Abbey Tools video they rotated the valve stem with the tool that means you could be less fussy about wheel trueness.

I have a folding Park mechanics stand at home, which should make things easier as it is fairly sturdy.

@mrdestructo – That is progressing faster than I expected! Will be interesting to hear your feedback on one of them.

Agree with the other poster, persuading my wife to move country for cheaper optimised shifting would be a hard sell… 😂

Bit of a thread resurrection, the Shimano 105 10-speed has started to be too fussy on my Cross Check even with new cables and a few goes at adjusting the gears.

Most places seem to be out of stock for non-super expensive alignment tools, bad timing as Park have now released an alloy DAG-3 as a replacement to the cheaper steel older model.

Worth a punt on a Chinese eBay Park DAG-2.2 copy or using Bicycle Hero (ships Taiwan/US), open to other suggestions? Haven’t got a decent local bike shop anymore and the less local good ones are super busy.

https://www.bicyclehero.com/gb/parktool-dag-2-derailleur-hanger-alignment-gauge.html

https://ebay.us/Dyb20b

I also struggle with being disciplined enough to get by with just using “real food”, as I find the more tired I get the worse planning decisions I make.

Did a 113 mile ride around Essex yesterday, which was almost pleasant towards the end in comparison to some of my early attempts by sticking to having something like a bit of flapjack/sandwich/sausage roll or an energy gel every 30 minutes if I want something as a quick hit.

Used two water bottles on the bike which I refilled along the way, must have had 7 in total. Wouldn’t want a hydration pack on longer rides, the extra heat and chafing just aren’t worth it.