What @kelvin said. Here’s the pile of poo that is Shimano’s poor attempt at hub with bearings (not cup and cone) fitted to an eBike:

Big Pit. Mandatory if you’re staying in Aber. Took some younger relatives there last year and they knew nothing about the Miners strike!

Clytha Arms (old Monmouth road). Good selection of proper beer. Food well rated, but I was disappointed with the veggie meal I had.

Lounge Bar in Aber is good for ‘lite bites’. Coffee so so.

Walk up the Blorenge and then a swim in Keepers Pond. Ring the Tudor Brewery before hand and find out who has their Blorenge beer on tap. That’s your golden ticket right there.

They don’t any more. The maps were terrible.

You what! Err, shows how much I look at the mag.

Hang on . . . .Nope still garbage as it looks like you need a paid for OS subscription to see a proper OS map.

Come on Singletrack just put up a stand alone GPX file so we can any use app we like*.

*Full members only, would be fair.

Friend used Kommot to plot a round UK cycle tour. Mostly OK apparently, but led here up poo creek several times. Not sure why Singletrack uses Komoot to be honest as it doesn’t have OS maps. Hence I never look at the route guides from the magazine

Outdoor Active has a gravel filter and OS maps. Not free, but I think you can do the free month trial thing. I don’t ride gravel, so can’t comment on the route suggestions, or if there are any. I have noticed a lot of the MBR routes popping up on OA which is great – as long as you reverse them 🤣.

Samoens a good call. How about Bourg St Maurice?

Bourg St Maurice

Swimming pool.

Proper town a short walk.

Kids entertainment most mornings.

Supermarket opposite the campsite

I think there is an enclosed 5-a-side pitch just along the road. I can’t see it on google though.

And of course take the funicular to sample the delights of Les Arcs VTT.

I assume at that price these are UK made?

@orangespyderman

I have the ‘cheap’ version with the larger battery. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with it. My only grumbles are  the Sram brakes (they got sold and replaced with XT 4 pots) and the stupid head tube cable routing.

@Z1ppy

Thanks. Yikes more inflation. I think the complete saw was less than the price of a new blade. I’d like to say my Silky is only  a couple of years old, but more likely 4 years at least.

Silky for the win! Now where’s the best place to buy a replacement blade?

@Daffy

Not a bad idea, but I’ve always suggested vehicle volume should be included, so VED would be based on:

1. Pollution.

2. Weight

3. Volume

That would stop JLR making a carbon Range Rover.

And categorise Pick-ups a private vehicles

Went over the river to England for the first time in ages:

Looking upstream, with Brockweir on the opposite bank.

Plenty of steep Beech woods to play on:

There’s a maze of Byways on the English side, mostly suited to pootling. A couple on nice short sections, but mostly abandoned road that would suit a gravel bike I guess.

Nice latch:

Years ago in MBR (?) there was a whole page of latches and this latch reminded me to start my own collection.

Some Bike art?

The final descent I last rode many moons ago. I’d forgotten about the old school warp speed grass descending, with a full on panic as the next gate approaches. Home in the distance:

My Dad is 84 and is getting a new Giant Trance X E+ 2 Pro 750 .

STOP! STOP him now.

Two of them here. Both on second motors, both had all the wiring looms replaced at least twice. Only thing not replaced has been the battery. Mine feels like it needs yet another motor, but is now out of warranty 😪.

Having said that they are great bikes. I’ve been a Giant Maestro suspension fanboy for years. I think you’re close to me if he wants a decent test ride? Small and medium available to try.

Unless you already know how to weld please do not start learning on a vehicle, especially structural components such as sills or trailer chassis, until you do know how to weld competently.

Whilst unlikely that you will be welding the sills on a modern car, you should check with the VM that this is OK. Welding of structural steel is forbidden on these vehicles, due to the type of steel used.

 Whats the real difference/s between these and the 200+amp welders we have at work?

Duty cycle and the fact that the big machines take the big wire reel?

I bought an R-tech one to replace a very old SIP welder. The SIP was 180 Amps, could take a spot welder and had a stitch function. The replacement is OK, but the old machine had a nice ‘purr’ (when it worked), the new machine always sounds ‘harsh’. More than  likely because the new generation machines use mosfets(?) and not a massive transformer that weighs a ton.

Welds OK and has a built in ‘stick’ option. It will also do gas less. I’ve never used it gas less.

Thanks for the nudge. Just booked Brecon for October!

No hostels en-route, and of the few camp sites at least two are ‘caravan and camping’ which actually translates as ‘members only, and no camping

I don’t think any of the Camping and Caravan* club sites in Scotland are members’ only? You pay more as a non member, for sure, but still reasonably priced. I think we paid around £12 a night each in 2022 for a tent with an electric hook up. Members old gits rate BTW.

I’m with you on the 2 nights minimum though. Try ringing them. You could of course always join and get voted on  to the board of management and force a change of policy. I’ll vote for you.

*Not to be confused with the Caravan club.

Put some big guns on our bikes

Count me in:

I’d run a mile from the Amazon one.

As others suggest, drill down Autodoc and you can often see the OE part number. Alternatively find a friendly auto store that uses PARTSLINK

The old stuff will crack up, so just get it all out and do the job properly. Do it once and do it right*

Local ‘Home of Stone’ supplied Joint-it . No complaints and dead easy to apply.

*I have a masters degree in doing half a job and then starting again and doing it properly.

I see this with Santander. . . 

Yep. Bunch of shyster who seem to punish me for having a legacy business account from when they took over Abbey National. Payments can take days to arrive in my account. I only keep the account running as I get free banking with it.

Out yesterday to check the damage and see if Stickman has be out. No stickman, but the fricking MXers have tried to ride up Snake 1. Tossers:

A new trail pop upped over the new year. Top tip: If you’re going to build then at least attempt to disguise the entrance:

The ‘Lonely post’:

So called because the sign is in the middle of nowhere. Now has a fallen tree for me to deal with. See the tread on saws and riding out of the door. All less than 1K from the front door.

@goby

Makita DUV357. 350 mm bar. Single battery, brushless.

Happily chomps through 7 inch diameter branches. I’ve not needed to try a larger diameter as stick man can’t lift them into position. 😋

Away from home base I use a Silky:

Hard work on a 8″ diameter log though.

I bought a Makita battery chainsaw for the new year to continue my ongoing war with the local stickman*. I WILL DEFEAT YOU! I’d not use a circular saw under any circumstances way more dangerous than a chainsaw in the woods.

It feels a lot safer than the 2-stroke Stihl I have as the chain speed is slower and the cut off is instant. It’s also very stealthy.

I’m not seeing much empathy with those struggling with their budget due to poor mental health, poverty or a lack education here.

Cash is vitally important for this group and for that reason I’d make it illegal not to take cash.

Orange sails became Tushingham iirc.

Other way round, I think. Lester Noble worked for/with Roger Tushingham and the first bikes they imported were marketed as Tushingham.

An old mate was sponsored by F2 and Tushingham, so I had access to a load of ‘hand me down’ windsurfing kit and I got to sell off his old specialist custom boards which were the Vit C brand?

Because it’s extremely dusty (dirt driveway) . .  .

Exactly why you should get a decent tool box. Zero advantage to a shadow wall. The only item I have out is a set of T handle hex keys.

A big disadvantage of e-bikes is that they’re not suitable for hike-a-biking which rules out quite a lot of the more interesting big mountain days.

Not so sure about that. There’s a whole new subdivision available. I’ve spent plenty of time pushing, lifting and crying getting my ebike to the top of a couple of Highland summits. I was last to the top, but my upper body and core are like granite now (or rather they were) 😲. 

If other people cheat and don’t suffer on the climbs, the rest of us have to suffer more to keep things in equilibrium.

Thank you for taking one for the ‘team’. Keep up the good work 😁

This is what I found in Bristol . . .but is in quite a disadvantaged estate.

Daughter lives just around the corner from there. Kids play in the street, pump track across the road and Sourdough available less than 2 miles away. Well built ex-council houses*. I doubt you’ll find better in Bristol for that sort of money.
Nearest to me (if I don’t expand the search to include the Coleford) is a mere £1.100,000. 😲😲.
*Thank you Maggie, you absolutely ****ed up this country.

Fork protectors for when the bikes are piled up or being transported is up another notch.

Simple enough project easily made from used materials. I used an old fleece jumper for the inner, a bit of mouse eaten old Karimat for the padding and a leaky cheap dry bag for the outer. Velcro straps to secure them.

Next step up would be something cylindrical. I cut my teeth making chalk bags for myself and fellow climbers. Again all made out of used materials.

Even the ones in Whistler and Morzine only just about break even in summer. Even in winter, it’s only a couple of peak weeks that are profitable.

ISTBC, but didn’t Whistler make more money from the summer biking a couple of years back? Not sure if this was just lift passes or the whole accommodation etc. Something todo with the number of  lost skiing days due to the weather as I understand.

Probably completely wrong 🙄

 Which although agreed to made me wonder wtf was this an option in the first place.

eBay adds this automatically on some listings. You can’t remove the option. I only found this out recently when I started getting offers on a few items.

The training is rather special. I had a good chat with somebody who worked on a contract training for a national chain, and he hated dealing with them. The chain wanted their fitters to have some form of qualification, and by all accounts it was trying. 

A friend was a ‘sales’ manager for a college that had an automotive training facility and was asked by a chain* if they could organise a brake technician qualification for them. No problem he says, we can organise a 5 day basic course for your staff. Pretty much told it had to be 2 days max or they’d look elsewhere.

* I don’t think it was the big one.

That’s sounding like someone who didn’t have the right computer using brute force to get them back. Quite possibly looking at new calipers now.

And maybe the ABS modulator? I’m wondering if the correct tool also releases the valves in the modulator? I’ve never had a problem, but then I’ve the correct tools for the job.

@colournoise

+1 to some kind of STW forum photography contest (or even just a showcase or gallery).

You’ll have to judge it though, so you can’t enter 😋

Yesterday:

Classic sun through the trees.

Dealing with the local Stickman – again.

Road the ‘Cheese and Scone’ trail. The Llandogo dockers would sit here and spot any boats coming into Llandogo that might offer a chance of some work loading of unloading cargo.

Fixing the ‘Cheese and Scone’ trail.

At last! Some frosty singletrack. 

I like the idea that you could buy it to upsell the tool you nicked. Criminal mastermind required for that though.

I reckon a bunch of pissed up mates egging each other on to sell the most stupid thing they can think of? A sort of reverse pissed up ebay game. Hangs head in shame over the bidding war I got involved in for ‘Billy the singing bass’, encouraged by drunken mates.

Dare I ask the seller a question?

A sound bar with no subwoofer = waste of time.

As for a TV, then Panasonic every time. This is based on the fact that our old CRT Panasonic was made in Wales and despite the fact that the factory shut years ago I’m still a loyal customer. How sad am I 🙄

There is some real science behind this, assuming you accept the ‘Zoe project’ as real science. I can’t find the article or blog post, but nothing gets heated in the microwave in plastic in our house anymore. This is second hand from the OH who reads the Tim Spector blog/Zoe stuff:

https://zoe.com/