Maybe piston seals leaking small amounts of brake fluid onto the pads. It was almost impossible for me to see the leakage as was so slight. I had it on my Shimanos and was going out of my mind. New pads, rotors, etc.

Bought new brakes in the end.

Or new bike needed?….

I recently did a 1x conversion with an XT rear mech. On the shimano website I managed to find the detailed manual for my mech and it stipulated a max of 46T. Combined with a 32T front gave me the same ratio as my previous lowest gear. SO worth checking with Shimano on your specific mech model.

One think you will need is 1x specific chainring which is called a wide-narrow ring. This keeps the chain on nice and securely. Total was about £100 for the both.

HTH

I have a keen interest in this topic as feel like I’m sleeping next to a jackhammer. The plugs that work best for me are Lunox earplugs that are washable and very comfortable for sleeping in.

linky

Have tried loads of other types but just keep falling out, uncomfortable or just don’t work. Beware of ones that look similar but are crap.

I do like Ginger’s suggestion of custom made ones 🙂

Also agree a bottle of wine has similar effect!

Second the Outwell tents if you can get hold of a good 2nd hand one. We had a Sun Valley 6 for 15 years on many happy holidays but didn’t pay any attention to maintenance of the seams and we had loads of water in last year after a heavy downpour. Invested in a new Vango Airbeam a few weeks ago in anticipation of them selling out soon! Just waiting to use it now in Wales 🙂

As one of the other posters said – get the basics sorted and the rest is a bit of trial and error.

Also it helps if your family like camping too and have good senses of humour 🙂 Good luck

Thumbs up for the Le Creuset SS. On offer a few years back at around £250 for the set of 3. very heavy but feel they will last an age. Plus they are a thing of beauty!

Yes agree the hand signalling to drivers is usually very good around narrow country lanes and most of the drivers are appreciative and courteous. Last week going up Gwern y Steeple which for those that don’t know it is a fairly steep and narrow climb. A Fiesta came screaming past me beeping horn so I gave him the finger then he had to brake as car coming head on. I usually just let it go. The passenger – young lad – hang out of the window and said he was going to get out and smash my f**ing head in then called me a fat c*** but ended shouting it in a young lady cyclist in front of me, before speeding off.

As I passed they lady I apologised as he was hurling it at me not her!

Also we had glazed doors into living room but changed them for solid to create a bit of a cosy/privacy room!

Our layout sounded similar to yours with long/narrow kitchen and separate dining room. Knocked through and added a single storey extension on the back so now have one big room with doors onto the garden. Got a large island between the ‘kitchen’ and the ‘dining’ areas. It does feel more social and its now the hub of the house. The smells are not an issue as have a good extractor fan and solid foors. Because its now a do it all space it does sometimes get cluttered with all sorts but we are not the neatest family! Also wife says sometimes she used to like her own space in the stand-alone kitchen without me interfering. Minor stuff really and not a single regret! good luck

Toms. Hands down the best pair I’ve ever had. Not cheap but built like they will last forever. Super comfy too

What an awesome event. Excellent organisation, perfect weather with a challenging and varied route and stunning scenery.

Did it on a hardtail and my tyres were definitely run at too much pressure for the gnarly descents.

Yeah its a bit hit and miss on both.

Thanks for the advice. Cheers

44 here and yes you are spot on. I did email Chris Moyles about 20 years ago for a bot of a giggle complaining about the sad decline of random porn found out and about.

If it’s too busy just to nip right through the traffic then I would go onto path and use the button too. Go with your judgement – If it feels scary for a hardened commuter it probably is !!

There are also some very nice country lanes between the that run sort of parallel with the A48 through St Lythans, Duffryn, Llancarfan, Llantrithyd, Llanmaes. Accessed from the Culverhouse Cross / Wenvoe area. Worth a good explore of you have time.

Depends what you are after really. One I take regularly is across the barrage – Penarth – Sully – through Barry past the Council Offices / Millennium Way – up past Romilly Park – through Porthkerry Park and through Rhoose then picking up the B4265 near Aberthaw / St Athan.

Other option is Barrage – Dinas – St Andrews – Port Road – then either Porthkerry or up past the airport. Probably a bit busier that way.

Can’t think of any others….

Good luck

My daughter is 11 and about 155cm. She had a frog 70 and after 8 months it was too small for her after a big growth spurt! She sold this and bought a small adult Cube Access with disc brakes. Lovely bike, fairly heavy but she absolutely loves it. It was just under £400.

Good luck.

Thanks

Thanks for the reply. Good suggestion about the alloy rims as the brakes were pretty much non-existent even in the dry.

Bought a Ltd Race but with the 27.5″ wheels in size 18″ (I am 5’8″). The top tube felt a tad short so had to put the saddle all the way back. Also the geometry took a bit of getting used to from my Genesis Core.

Lovely bike though and climbs like a mountain goat 🙂

Carole King.

We did the whole range of language from googoo gaga to proper stuff and read every night, often 4 or 5 stories a night.

I was driving once with our little one in the back seat probably aged about 18 months. Someone cut me up and I said ‘bugger’ in a raised voice in reaction. For the next 10 mins all we could hear was bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger from the little one. It was so funny and me and the Mrs were straining not to laugh out loud. Its just a good job I didn’t say anything stronger……

Had my Sonos for a year and cannot recommend it highly enough – it’s ace. Have a playbar under a wall mounted telly in the kitchen-family room and a Play 1 in the living room. Not a single regret.

I second the Ford Ka. Had one as a hire car in Italy about 12 years ago. Thrashed it round from Rome and up through Tuscany on dirt roads and all the side streets. It was like a go kart…

However not a patch on my C reg (1985?) scarlet red Vauxhall Nova 1.0 saloon bought for £800 in 1996. My first car- Looked like an old mans car but was a fantastic servant and brilliant fun. Kept fixing it with bits and bobs from a Nova breakers garage ‘Just Novas’in Long Eaton. Happy days.

Our combi boiler of 20 years (Worcester) finally gave up in that really cold week at the start of December. I similarly asked around as wanted reliability and didn’t mind paying more for it – all the answers I was getting were either Worcester or Vaillant. We opted for the Worcester and I must say am very pleased with it. The plumber said it should reduce our gas bills by 20-30% too 🙂

Had a slap tear repaired 4 years ago. Ended up with a 15mm tear which needed two anchors. Anesthetic made me groggy for a few days. Back in work in 5 days. In a sling for 6 weeks. No driving for a further couple of weeks. Then 10 weeks of physio. The physio felt very slow as the range of movement and muscle repair needs to be done step by step. I followed it to the letter and had no issues. A mate in work tried to push his physio by wanting to do more and more but it gave him lots more issues and lengthened his recovery.

Back on mountain bike about 12 weeks after Op but only easy stuff. Probably took a total of 5-6 months until back to full riding.

Good luck

Glad to hear Gee Ja Gees is still going. It used to be my local and favourite curry house 10+ years ago – even though I lived 10 miles away from it 🙂

On Penarth Road, Cardiff there was a white-goods shop a couple of years back called ‘Sell Fridges’

It still makes me chuckle

No – they don’t allow ties working in bike shops 😉

Cranks now fitted 🙂

What an idiot I am – I have tried everything except the blindingly obvious! Thanks very much

Chinese takeaway that the Mrs is fetching
Blackburn & James Californian Shiraz
Mumford

Rock & roll….

Tibidado was brilliant. Its like and old fashioned theme park set on a mountain just West of Barcelona with spectacular views across the city. Our daughter was 5 when we took her so maybe a bit tame for yours but great fun nontheless. Bus from Placa de Catalunya. The beach at Barcelonetta is ace with a very S.American vibe to it.

Regret not trying to go see a game at the Nou Camp just for the atmosphere and I am not a footy fan..

Ten of my faves off the top of my head

Stereophonics – Word gets Around
Radiohead – The Bends
Faithless – Reverence
Nirvarna – Nevermind
Manics – Gold Against the Soul
Queen – Greatest Hits
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life
Oasis – Whats the Story
Guns n Roses – Appetite for Destruction
Adele – 21

We went for ‘Papyrus honed limestone’ in our kitchen by Mandarin Stone in Cardiff. They are very smooth. Need sealing during installation and waxing before use. Now we wash it about once a month and wax every 6 months. Have had the odd stain leave a very slight mark but it’s not really noticeable.

Not cheap at all, (cost about £80/sqm when you include the adhesives etc) and that’s excluding fitting which I did myself.

TBH they look stunning and really set our kitchen off. Not a single regret and we spent weeks deliberating ourselves.

I went round a colleagues last week and he has marble and they look great too.

HTH

Went there 10 years ago in the December with the Mrs. Fantastic place, felt very safe. We went all around the island, mingled with the locals in towns and markets, and ate in loads of different places and the food was very good. There was loads to do for 2 weeks. We stayed at the Pelangi beach hotel. Nightlife was very low key and chilled out.

Would love to go back there sometime.

Hth

Matt

Thanks. That’s crap white101 that you have had yours pinched. Have reported it. Usually I don’t hang about with bike outside house and am conscious of even keeping the garage door open for longer than I need to. They have probably done me a favour in the long run.