Definitely a balance bike. The Islabikes Rothan is great- a little more expensive but really well made and has a rear brake which functions well with little hands and pneumatic tyres which many others don’t.

Our eldest was a little slow getting to grips with the balance bike (over 3) but he’s a little caitious andI think he’d never had the right location. Camping early this year on a gentle grass slope he suddenly cracked it.

He got an Islabikes Cnoc 16 pedal bike for Christmas (he’s 4 now). Mrs M insisted we got the stabilisers as well in case he didn’t manage. First try on my Brother’s sloping drive he manages a few short runs without being pushed. Today we went to the park- he got on and rode away. My proudest Dad moment!

Going Solo[/url]

I think in summary, the hard cycling skill to learn is balancing, not pedalling.

No experience with Squeezebox but definitely recommend Sonos: not cheap but incredibly easy to set up, iPhone/iPad app works seamlessly (I don’t have a Sonos controller) and Napster links perfectly- great VFM at £5/month

It is a Cnoc 16. Really impressed with it. I assembled one of his pal’s 16″ wheeled Dawes bikes. Huge difference in general finish, weight and quality of components. It’s a real ‘little big bike’

Costs a little more than others but I’m sure we’ll get the difference back on resale.

Little brother has the Rothan now!

Ah.. I see you used the good old fashioned “unhook their brakes and shove them down a hill” method

He’s not the best at modulating braking and it’s his first experience with a front brake. It’s amazing how affective v brakes are on a little bike: after he grabbed a huge handful of both brakes in the first couple of runs I decided it’d be wise to disconnect the front at this stage to avoid a huge faceplant!

Right about big shove though!

Test run:

[/url]
P1030154[/url] by m3fst3r[/url], on Flickr

Thanks for that!

I’ve got 32GB Wifi. If 3G is needed can easily tether to my phone.

No music stored on the ipad: it’s all on my phone and that’s always with me. A few films for the kids to watch when we’re away, but otherwise no storage issues.

Thanks trout. I’m guessing a replacement Hope battery would be about £80. I guess my option would be replace the battery or buy second hand from eBay to get a battery; unless their is another light I could get for that price get a similar performance LED light.

I guess the Hope Vision 1, although not as bright, may be more road bike-friendly.

Thanks for the advice aracer- the washers should definitely do the trick.

I think the proper name for the nut is an M6 flanged rivet nut. A few suppliers on the web but seem to sell in bulk. I might try phoning a couple of bike shops- I believe that some brake manufacturers supply a couple of different sizes to allow for different frame fit. Big not, the CRC option looks like a good option (although £4 for a nut seems steep!)

At last!

Try a link to the photo[/url]

I suppose continuing the Watchdog analogy I should have said “not to be confused with other (bike) companies of the same name”.

Mods, feel free to alter my title to be a little clearer which Orange I’m referring to !

‘Free service works perfectly for 10 years’ would have been an alternative thread title.

I take my hat off to Freeserve and Wanadoo for their ‘free service’. I guess the £15000 in mobile phone and internet fees Orange had from us in the time makes me feel a little less charitable!

I’m calming down a bit now. The post was written after coming off the phone to customer support for over an hour. Banging my head against a wall doesn’t come into it!

My phone contract is up for renewal this month- was going to shop around, but the Orange support merry-go-round has reminded me why I should stay put!

Now what’s Ann Robinson’s email address…

I suppose by referring to a ‘product’ it may have been a little misleading. The ‘product’ in mind is also a ‘service’ in some ways.

I agree that community sites offer much wider use and growth potential than a simple review site. I also agree that there a far too many ‘cover-all-products-under-the-sun’ review sites on the internet.

I do, however, think that there is a place for a more focused review site for the product/service we have in mind. We’ve trawled the net and not found anything close to what we have in mind.

I suppose one way of looking at it is that if I’m looking at a particular product, I tend to look at specific review sites (cycling, hifi, hotel etc.) rather than reviewcentre or Which? My experience with Which? is that whenever they test a product I have some knowledge of, I don’t always agree with their views. A kind of Jack of all trades; master of none.

I’m not looking to pack in work and retire the Monaco (although that’d be nice!) but id would be an interesting project with a potential to be big if we got it right. I suppose the other angle to approach the situation is to create a cheaper bare-bones website with functionality but less of the ‘Pizazz’ of a pro site. Test run it with friends to see if the concept is a runner…

Chvck, the dooyoo site it more generic and doesn’t cover the product we have in mind. Although the interface appears different to what we have in mind the essential review functionality is similar. Our idea is targeted to a specific product and a particular demographic.

I suppose the difficulty with a review website is getting enough initial reviews to make it a useful tool for new users. We have plenty of people we know who could offer reviews, and if they encourage the people they know and so on, (with a little ‘prize draw’ incentive to encourage reviews.

Thanks for all this info guys. I’ve gleaned more useful tips than hours trawling the web.

The site wouldn’t sell products itself. But I’m guessing that if it’s done well and proved popular with the planned demographic, advertising could provide a stream of income from companies who want to tap into the users.

Don’t really know how much income web advertising can generate, and if a website, once created needs professional upkeep (with associated costs) or just general ‘housekeeping’ such as answering email and moderating reviews (not wanting to make the STW mods’ task seem straightforward!

I’m mildly OCD when it comes down to final product. I’ve got a pretty keen eye for detail and so if I couldn’t create what I would see as a professional, slick website I’d get a professional to do it. I wouldn’t want to put my name to a cobbled together site.

The idea is really a review site for a particular product and their suitability for a certain demographic. The idea would be similar to the mtbr site (although not cycling) with an outline of product features, followed by reviews from people who have used the product, giving an average rating. People would be able to search for products, selecting key criteria from a list to narrow down products best suited to their needs and how they’ve been rated.

I’m guessing there will be plenty of legal aspects to consider when the general public are reviewing products (although the idea behind the site will be geared much more towards highlighting good products. Criticising poor products won’t really benefit users in the planned circumstance.

Thanks for the advice guys. We’ve bought domain names before for email addresses. I’ve bought from namesco before and they’ve prove good to deal with. Is there an advantage to buying your domain name from the company likely to host the site?

Damo, you mentioned not underestimating the cost. Are there notable running cost once the site is designed (other than hosting). For web design would you be talking more likely a 4-figure or 5-figure sum? That could make a difference as to whether it’s worth a punt.

I managed to fit Crud Roadracer Mk2’s to my Pro Carbon SL (if they’re the ones you mean). Little rattly but it was my first effort at fitting them so I’m sure they could be tweaked. Ran with 23mm tyres and not much room to spare.

Thanks chaps. The brakes were on the bike when we bought it second-hand about 5 years ago. I’ve not touched them since. Although the bike has had pretty light use away from any extreme weather or mud/grit, I’m guessing it’s overdue a service!

If I do need to do a seal/piston job, will I need a specific Hope tool for the gold bore caps?

If it looks like a major overhaul, I might look at the option of some second hand hope Mono Minis or Shimano discs. They’d be a little lighter, more in keeping the the riding style of my wife, and it would simplify the spare pad situatiion, as I have these on my other bikes

Check it’s not coming from the saddle clamp area. I’ve had an annoying creak that I thought was BB and turned out to be from the saddle clamp.

Thanks for the advice Autoelec. I would have thought that if it was the pistons sticking, the problem would be notable during a ride, with the pad not releasing properly. I would also expect ‘slack’ in the lever as the piston had not returned. This is not the case: the problem is at it’s worst when the bike has been sat unused for any length of time and the lever is rock-solid open rather than loose.

Thanks for the reply Ewan. You guessed correctly, The brakes haven’t been steaming after the braking required on the High Peak Trail! The problem actually occurs when the bike has been sat for a while.

I’ll bleed them and see how thinks look after that.

Similar to previous posts, I have a small seatpack that’s permanently on my road bike. Has spare tube, multi-tool and spare chain links (overkill for many roadies but I’m the only person I know unlucky enough to snap a newish chain on a road bike), CO2 inflator and adhesive patches. House keys go in as well. Mini pump on bottle cage as back up. Arm warmers, phone and £10 note (together in freezer bag) and snacks in jersey pockets. On longer cyclosportives I use a small top tube mounted ‘tri-bag’- mainly so I can access my phone easily and it doesn’t get doused in sweat.

Just missed out on an Outwell SUn Valley 6 going for £174 on eBay. Light use and local- could’ve been a bargain…

Thanks for the continued suggestions, chaps: all really useful. The Tentipi and Belltents both look great, although I’d feel like I people would expaect me to exit them in costume!

Taking in all the information you’ve hared, and discussing with Mrs M, it’s been agreed that a tunnel tent is preferred so the sleeping compartments are all side by side.

I think I’ll keep watching eBay. Appear to be loads of second-hand Outwells going all the time. It’d be good if we could get one with a few extras.

(My next camping post will be related to key family camping accessories!)

Who needs UKcamping.co.uk with the wealth and breadth of camping knowledge on STW?!

I see from the Outwell site there are loads of tents to choose from. There are also different ranges: Classic, Comfort, DeLuxe, etc.

Do the different ranges reflect quality of materials, space/design of the tent or a combination of both? Should I look within a certain range or are they all a good option for our needs?

Thanks for all the suggestions. The trailer tent is a non-started from tow-bar and storage limitations. I’ll check out the Vango Diabolo 600.

Have a look at UKCampsite.co.uk .Its the camping version of STW.

Now there’s a thought to strike dread into the heart of any man! I’ll certainly check it out.

Outwell Montana certainly looks like it ticks all the boxes. Cost-wise, I’m wondering for the limited weekend use it’ll get, the Montana is a little ‘Claridges’ and our needs are more ‘Travelodge’!

Tatton sunset…

I was thinking something bigger would be better and kinder to my wheels (ande backside!)

Rustling in my box of tyres: Racing Ralph 2.1 x1, Michelin XC AT 2.0 x2, Specialized Adrenaline 2.0 x1.

Panaracer Fire XC on my other bike. (Not sure if I can be bothered swapping between bikes though.)

Thinking Ralph on the back, Michelin on the front. I’m sure the Michelin measures wider than 2.0.

Thanks for the recommendations, guys. I’ve not had a look at the Garmin Connect site before; certainly plenty to get our teeth into there!

I’ve always fancied Jacob’s Ladder- it’s one Peaks route I never done, that I can remember. My only concern is that it might be a touch extreme in terms of rideability to the guys less experienced off road, particularly in current conditions.

They’ve both done the classic Biketreks Ambleside route by Rydal, Elterwater, Hodge Close and Loughrigg Fell which they managed without any problems. A few technical climbs and flowing downhills were ideal. I think anything too much more might be a little much- particularly on a longer ride. Technical downhills you can pick you way down as well as nailing fast will be great, but rocks the size of footballs might be tough for them on hard tails. I think we’re all getting a little old and sensible for that!

I’ve done plenty of routes in the past around Mam Tor. I guess that isn’t too far. How muddy/boggy are these routes at the moment?

Thanks for the response, Jim.

One of the hire photos shows a covered rear deck with a hard cab up to the roofline. Problem is, previous experience is that it’s very difficult to pin hire companies down to a specific car. If the Hilux came with an open and un-lockable rear deck then it’d be a bit of a problem for driving around.

How’s the Hilux to drive? Road noise, seat comfort, ventilation etc? We’ll have a couple of 5 or 6 hours drives to do.

Another vote for the Love/Hate.

Bought one three years for family workhorse/trailer-pulling duties. It’s a Mk 1 with the mech hanger and has proved to be really versatile. I’ve run it SS rigid and with suspension, and last year added a rear mech with zip-tied full outered cabling to help now my passenger is getting heavier! I opted for a mech rather than Alfine as it didn’t need a new wheel and I think is easier to get the wheel off to repair punctures.

It’s probaly been the best bike I’ve owned and gets much more use that the others. The EBB is really easy to adjust.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I’m liking the look of the Sportsman in Hayfield; food sounds good and sounds like a nice snug bar with the open fires. I’d have to look into routes- slightly outside the area I’m familier with

Thanks for all the advice guys. Sorry for the hijack rockhopper!

Little Mefster has an Islabikes Rothan, so hopefully that will give him the best start. I’ll re-check the saddle height so his feet are flat on the ground and just stick with it. I just need to get him to sit down and scoot rather than ‘waddle’ with it between his legs: that’s when the bike ends up falling over and he gets frustrated.

I’ve shown Mrs M the thread (especially the photo of Harry_the_spider Jr- great shot!) I think she still thinks I’m being mean not buying him a ‘proper’ bike but I think I’ve won a stay of execution!

thanks for the info chaps. I’ll recce the bits in other directions but sounds like the section we did is the most usable.

PaulBecks- thanks for the offer- I’ve PM’d you.

It’s funny. Although I’ve lived in the area for 7 years, my local knowledge is really limited when it comes to off road riding. When I was growing up I knew every sneaky off road route around Warrington, but I realise that I don’t get the opportunity to mess about and explore the local area like I did as a kid. I suppose with the limited riding time I get, it’s either a blast on the road bike or if I get longer, then bike on the car and Delamere, Macc Forest or the Lakes/Peaks. I always feel the need to get a ‘proper’ ride in…

Great to hear your little on has cracked it, Rockhopper. Our eldest is 3 next month. He’s had a balance bike since before his 2nd birthday (it was way too big then). He’s still not cracked it; he tends to stand up and shuffle on his feet rather than sitting and scooting. He’s got a 3 wheel scooter (2 front wheels: lean and steer) which he’s really clicked with this past few weeks. Scooting around at quite a pace.

Mrs M thinks we should get a pedal bike with stabilisers as she feels he’s missing out on a usable bike with his balance bike. I do feel he is missing out a bit but am really keen for him to get to grips with his balance bike.

Any tips for coaching him? Grass or tarmac? high or low saddle? pushing him holding the bars saddle? Feel I really need to crack it but don’t want to be a pushy Dad!

Thanks for all the tips chaps.

Did the Broadheath to Lymm section yesterday afternoon with the boys. Was ideal for what we need. The short ride to Seamons Road to join the trail was fine with the trailer; mainly quiet roads.

Really impressed with the trail for family riding. Surface seems really good (and hopefully in all weathers. Most of the gates could be negotiated (Except the ones with the sleepers you have to lift the bike over- 2 man job for the trailer).

Picnic lunch in Lymm, duck-feeding and an hour on the park before heading home.

Such a bonus to be able to ride from home, and when the boys get alittle older it’ll be great for getting them out on their own bikes. I think it’ll get plenty of use from us!

Be interesting to see where it heads as you get to Warrington and if it remains traffic-free.

Thanks for that shadthebad. A’d prefer to avoid the canal towpath if I could with its associated water hazards and grumpy fishermen!

Altrincham Tourist Information (Altrincham has tourists?!) don’t have the map but have a leaflet with some details that I can pop in and photocopy

Doing a bit of research it looks like the first section from Broadheath in Altrincham to Lymm might be on the towpath of the Bridgewater Canal. If this is the case it might be a non-starter as from memory it’s a little narrow at points (particularly ubnder bridges) and might be a little dicey with the little one strapped in the trailer