Tried to SS various bikes that were getting towards the end of their useful life. Always had minor niggles that made me finally move on.  Saw a Kona Unit one day in a bike shop and just thought wow, that is stunning and affordable. That was six years ago I think. Simple lines and comfortable ride. I mainly use it in the winter or to go to the shops or errands. If I ride with people I find myself at the top of the climbs first. Not because I want to show off but because there is no sit and spin option. I love having a dedicated SS.

When off road drop bars become unsuitable is my measurement. To cover all bases I just have a racey HT now.  Yeti Arc. I have participated in a few gravel events on it. Not because I want to place high, I just feel it is more comfortable. Some gravel events are drop bar only, so beware if you have this inkling. Look for a bike with off road orientated drops.

talkytoaster

Went from OS to here. Never looked back. Far greater detail.

LRD4, XC90 and LC. Here. LR and 90 are both 20 plates. Although neither has broken down the XC costs notably more to run. Goes through consumables quicker. I think this is to do with just being a large car and the components are at the top end of the design envelope. XC90 had a couple of issues repaired in warranty. Intermittent fault with handbrake and braking issues. Both sensor related. The LR is in overall better condition after 3 years, the XC90 uses softer material so not as robust. Corrosion has started around the wheel nuts on the XC. Garage suggest repair. I want replacement. For me the LR is a superior quality vehicle. The LC (17 plate) is a different kettle of fish and my #1 choice without hesitation. The XC is the wife’s car. Had a 14 plate old shape prior, she much preferred that. I think I did too. It felt very solid.

@nixie

🫢 Total brain fart there. I don’t know what I was thinking.

What about Royce? I believe these are considered the Rolls Royce of BB’s.

@nixie

Link shows that Middleburn/BETD are still doing a number of square taper. You’ll have to go through and see if they meet your requirements.

Middleburn square taper

Middleburn are the highest quality I have come across and used successfully for years. Now available through BETD after acquisition.

Local seamstress on the high street? Worked wonders for me in the past. If the material can be scavenged from elsewhere on the garment it will remain looking roughly the same. I’ve had them remove the rear pocket and use as a patch and replacing the rear pocket with something from stock material. Once as well they used the internal pocket material as it matched the torn area!! Again used a cheaper in stock material to replace the pocket. Both repairs were around the £20 mark and completed in a few days.

I was expecting over 2 hours from my head torch at max burn. Reality was more like 1.5 hrs. Meant frequent changing out. Not particularly cold. It was kinda misty during the night so needed full burn. If you get it cold and icey it may be clearer so require a less intense setting, but then I should imagine the cold will play a part in reducing burn expectancy.

@rockthreegozy sounds obvious but plenty of torch batteries or a means to recharge is essential.

<i>S</i>urely it is best to ask the garage this question?

Once was enough. I got a dry 24 hours but preceded by weeks of rain. Slop fest. Wish I had taken a disposable bike such was the wear. I don’t think that I would like to do it in the ice/snow. It would be a more enjoyable summer event when there is plenty of light and dry trails, but that would totally miss the spirit of the event. There does not seem to be the same appetite for the event as entries are still available. It used to sell out within the hour almost, or maybe they have increased the number of entries available.

I wish some of them would advertise for printing and binding ebooks. The place that did my thesis was an extraordinary amount for spiral bound of an ebook I wanted a hard copy of.

Loved a read at the Viz in the works rest room. Genuinely laughed out laughed on occasion. I mean, a guy carrying his testicles around in a wheel barrow. Brilliant!! I don’t imagine it has gone on line but doubt it would have the same feel.

Yup,my sentiments too, fair enough. You think the ferry fiasco is bad for the isles, much worse off in Orkney.  Kicker for them as well they don’t get the RET. Amongst other issues I think they are correct to explore better options of governance for the inhabitants. Could result in being offered incentives to remain also.

I will make it a priority to pop in when using the A720. Always make it a priority now to  use places like this rather than the sanitised Costa, Starbucks etc.

Just received a 20mm Yooside for use on another watch as I was so impressed with the Garmin nylon band but not available in 20mm.  I am disappointed with the Yooside band in comparison to the Garmin original. The material is thicker, heavier and not as soft or stretchy.  The velcro is like traditional velcro. The attachment method is more complex and results in the outside of the wrist having an area of double band. I think all of these features would add additional drying time if like me you do water sports. It also has a plastic bar at one end of the strap. I assume it is to prevent roll back of the velcro or prevent threading, the Garmin does not have this feature but does not suffer from the two mentioned issues. For me, not comparable to the Garmin variant. I guess you do get what you pay for.

Xero shoes. Closest thing that I have found to barefoot. Cramming your feet into traditional shoes is perhaps your issue. For me they don’t size as wide as Vivobarefoot.

Looking more closely at the link provided by DrP, the method of attachment differs from the Garmin original. There is an instructional video on Ali Express for the yooside variant installation. More complex. The band looks as if it would install in the Garmin fashion though or at least be adapted by removing the solid plastic piece at the end if required.

@Speeder The amazon link provided by DrP looks very much like the real thing and suitable for 22mm variants. If I was looking to try this set up to test the water I would start here.

@honourablegeorge Yes I have an X variant. 26mm strap required.

@Speeder and when you see it in real life you will gasp. It is just a strip of webbing but I don’t know what it is made from.

It is not velcro in the traditional sense. It is super fine material. It sticks to itself but nothing else. You can wear a wooly jumper and it does not attach itself to it. It cannot attract clothing fluff as it is not really traditional velcro. I don’t think nylon is a great description. It holds the watch central on your wrist without you knowing it is there, zero movement without being tight.

I really don’t know what it is. It is uber soft, slightly stretchy but sticks to itself insanely well. Lightweight, no smell. Honestly for me it changes the entire watch. Try a rip off one first and if you like it get the genuine one? There is a link to cheaper versions in the comments of the video I have linked.

Rather than try and explain the mechanics of attachment I’ve linked a video. It is so simple that the instructions would be hard to write down. Seeing it done is easier.

Like honourablegeorge has highlighted it is 26mm and only suitable for X variants.

Nylon band attachment.

@Speeder

Garmin OEM nylon strap.

I like it so much that I wouldn’t leave the Fenix line. My favourite aspect is the reduction in bulk and comfort. When you see and feel it initially you will question the cost, but upon putting it on I think the benefits become immediately apparent.

In no way does it make the watch look or feel cheap like some bands can.

Honestly, blow the budget out of the water and get the Garmin nylon band. So comfortable and soft, no weight and the adjustment is super micro. So good you forget you are wearing a Fenix that by its very nature is a lump. It totally changed my opinion of the Fenix line, easily wearable all day now because of the band. I’ve had mine over a year now and it is as good as new and worn every day. It covers every situation fantastically, freezing cold, summer hot and swimming. You’ll never fail to get it to fit perfectly. Doing sports there is enough give that you don’t need to constantly adjust it and it never cuts or slips. I never thought that such a simple band could change the  wearers experience of a watch so much, and the bonus, it never smells funky!!!

One for the climbers for sure. I’d love to see Cav take a stage and the overall stage win record.

I got a very pleasant and speedy response from BC.

I elected to contact the educational department as I thought this most aligned with good reasons for considering a purchase and exhibition piece. Below is the response. I’ll keep updating if I hear anything or if anybody else hears any progress it would be great if they could share also.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Let me see if I can get this in front of the right people to consider a purchase.

From a British Cycling perspective this may be difficult but the National Cycling is essentially a cycling museum on the concourse, even with a Beryl Burton display.

Will see what I can do!

Kind Regards,

Robbie George

Education Delivery Manager

One of our riding group has a Toyota Hilux pickup. I love it when it is his turn to drive as it is an easy set up with no faff. It has been designed around biking though. It has no rear canopy but a metal flat ‘boot’ that the bikes are secured to. 3 full bikes with wheels on and the option of more on a towbar carrier. There are long slide out drawers in the bed for equipment storage. I like how all the dirt stays out the cab. Generally there is just three of us though so in the cab we travel in comfort in the leather interior. I think this set up is best suited to a max of 3 people and  it works very well in this capacity., It is a biking focused set up though. He was a previous van owner and was fed up wondering if he was going to get out of wet camping fields/event parking. He says when the Transit Custom Trail combi  becomes more affordable he may change back.  I have a LRD4 with a tow ball carrier, but this is a work/other duties requirement before biking, it suffices though, I consider it just a large car with the pros/cons thereof. Due to be replaced hence looking at this thread.  Hope this little insight helps.

I just go to one of the big sites, often Merlin as I’ve found their service to be fantastic and filter to size and colour then sort to cheapest. I find that gloves don’t last long, a few offs, caught passing brambles, a few dropped chains or puncture covering them in muck. You don’t feel so bad when they go to the bin. It is not an item that I can justify more than £30 including P&P on. Currently rocking a Decathlon set which were marketed as a windsurfing glove. They looked good though and my previous Shimano set I did not like as they had those foam pads around the palm area that I was keen to get away from. I’ve had fingerless gloves from Lidl too, they were meh. I’m interested to hear if others drop a lot of cash on gloves and hear the benefits.

Lovely bike. The carbon wheels compliment the frame very nicely.

I like nettles, I get my mum to occasionally pick a bag full and I squash them on my legs as they help with the muscle spasms/pain due to spms, for a few hours afterwards I can walk and stand up far easier.

This is interesting as I was recently reading about bee venom therapy. There is growing evidence that this type of therapy can help with chronic  conditions such  as MS.

I need to make nettle tea again. Anyone partake?

I participated in a one night bushcraft course. We learned how to brew this. It was not distasteful. I’ve brewed it again on camping trips to pass a while. Apparently lots of health benefits.

Proper part of history there. I’ve contacted British Cycling to inform them of this and asked that they explore how genuine it is and consider a purchase as a ‘museum’ piece to have it displayed somewhere. Given the push around quality and diversity at the moment it would be fantastic if exhibits from these early pioneers were available to view and inspire future generations. BC could easily afford and affirm their commitment to supporting women’s cycling. If I could afford it and donate it, I would not hesitate. Great piece of history.

No offence intended, and I appreciate I might be slightly biased here, but I find this to be a bizarre stance. You find the lab-grown concept unappealing but killing and carving up field-grown actual animals is om nom nom?

No offence taken. Meat production at the moment besides the scale at which humans are doing it and regrettably abhorrent practices of the less scrupulous producers is the way in which meat has always been sought. You have to kill an animal to obtain it. This is the way it is. Looking at images of the factories/laboratories that have been built to accommodate this new method to seems to me very, well Orwellian almost. Futuristic.

I would have thought that most people on first consumption would be a little apprehensive thinking on how far human food production has evolved. Imagine informing a 19th century person that in a few generations the steak in front of them will be grown. Simply mind-blowing. That’s what I was trying to communicate with the term growth. It simply blows my mind that we can grow a 16oz  Aberdeen Angus sirloin from a few cells and a broth.

Maybe we will end up like the sci-fi movies of old where a pill was a whole roast dinner, or the replicators in Star Trek.

I wonder if it will ever be vegan?

No it will never be able to be marketed as vegetarian or vegan. It is manufactured from growing cells taken from real animals cultivated in a ‘broth’ of animal derived fluid.

More appealing than having an animal slaughtered after being kept in dire conditions for you to eat

Unfortunately the process is not slaughter free. An animal serum, a blend of growth-inducing proteins usually made from the blood of animals is required. The most popular is foetal bovine serum (FBS), a mixture harvested from the blood of foetuses excised from pregnant cows slaughtered in the dairy or meat industries.

Due to the expense of this serum and the R&D involved around eliminating the use of it, the product is at the moment expensive and will initially be served in the restaurant sector. It is hoped that by 2028 manufacturing issues will be resolved and economy by scale can be employed to get products to supermarkets etc. Initially it is chicken that will be produced.

TF Tuned able to assist?

I’m not sure how to take all of that. I’m not sure if The Josh is the ultimate troll or not. Stirred them up and walked away for a few pages then chimed back in to boil their blood again before the thread was closed. I became engrossed. 😆

Salsa Warbird or Cutthroat. Two very different bikes. Have a look and see which one covers your needs better.

Be more observant on your hikes. If they were running towards you then they could see you, therefore you should have seen them. It is unlikely the nano second they saw you that they began to run. Had you observed that there were 30 cows looking at you then you could have changed plans. People are killed every year by stampeding cows, best method is to put extra time on your hikes and avoid.

@TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR Budget and intended use?

Looks good and I’m glad that you are happy with it. I hope it makes you feel more confident and safer in your riding. Let’s hope it is never needed in earnest.

Do the job properly or regret it. Too often people complain that they purchased product X because it is industry standard or market leader and complain of poor performance or it failed within warranty. Often the investigation reveals that a work around of the recommended installation method was used, but by that time the disgruntled owner has likely started an internet thread condemning the product and announcing a waste of money. Hardly fair on the company. I’m not implying that you would do this, but I have a Gates myself and find they don’t react well to not being set up well.