Anyone?

Cheapest way is to drive, fill the car with friends and kit (or one family in our case) and book a self catering appartment.

Been spinning for years, how hard it is depends on what instructor you get. Some are really dull and are not very clear with instructions making it hard to get a good work out.

However, we have one that will notice if you put in 99% instead of 100%, and really push everyone. This chap also puts together a good class and I really find his class very hard. Harder than childbirth sometimes, just a little shorter.

Simone

It’s not anywhere near the foundations of the house it it?

My husband had some fun with a hole in a lead pipe about 20 odd years ago…..

Get it sorted and lead pipes replaced.

Simone

My son has a knolly endorphin in an XS. Would suit your budget id say if you splash out on a new one. His is a 2010 I think with 140 rear and 160 front travel on 26″ wheels.

New one now out with 27.5″ wheels, worth looking if they still do an XS. Travel truly feel bottomless on knollys. My son is not a brave rider, but tackled anything blue or red in the Alps on it and had a go at the ixs black dh at winterberg this year.

Sadly looks like he has just about outgrown it.

Otherwise, try the Bird. I have the zero in a small and it’s lovely.

Simone

Try WD40, great for removing anything sticky (combined with some elbow grease). Or CIF?

Simone

In Holland they always say minimum age is 9 months. Some scare story I’ve head about a family with a younger baby that thought their child had fallen asleep, instead it had died from a broken neck. Probably just an old wives tale, but still. So if even the bike mad Dutch don’t put them in under 9 months old, there must be a reason for that. They will use special brackets to attach the maxi cosi infant seat to the bike for younger children…..

I think I’ll give in, and go snow card. And yes the quote is for Europe, family, husband 56, and all extras taken off like the equipment cover (already covered on home insurance) and max access. Comes in at £397.

Now I better convince the other half.

Simone

Looks like perhaps dogtag for our mtb holiday at £130 for the trip and skicover for skiing (£43 for a week or £53 for the year), would seem to be the best to cover both.

Anyone used skicover? They seem clued up about off piste and park stuff, apparently all covered when I spoke to them.

Simone

Some options here, forgot to mention we will leave for a week in morzine Friday, so need dh mtb cover too.

Just seemed the dogtag cover was a bit vague on snow park use etc, listing no freestyle or jumping. On phoning them they seemed unsure and said only small jumps when skiing were covered?! And fun park was ok.

Still not sure….. Sow card ticks all the boxes, but is £150 more than dogtag! Dogtag comes in at about £260 ish….

Simone

Week in portes du soleil going Easter, 25/3/16, staying in morzine. Got big Appartment and sharing with some friends. We are bringing our 2 boys age 12 and 14.

Oldest boy has new slash happy place, looking forward to trying it too.

Fingers crossed for a good late season.

Simone

Got some last week from bike components at £36 each. Not sure if they were in stock, or couple of days lead time, but they arrived pretty quickly.

Simone

My husband got one, seems well made.

Only thing is, does not seem to work so well if you are light, maybe it will loosen up a bit.

Simone

Old zafira, better at family and camping duties than the yeti.

Dirt cheap, mine just keeps going. 04, leather heated seats, nice on long journeys. Owned for 6 years and about 90000 miles, now on 158000.

Few big bills between 100 and 120k,it’s a diesel.

Simone

They are not mine, they are my friends (I am building up a bike for her son). The domains only cost her £30 from another friend and came with a service kit. Great cosmetic condition, not much use. He did tell us about the issues, friend decided to get them anyway.

My son has some domains and when the local suspension dude installed the compression damper it did not work, turned out there was simply too much oil in it, may be the problem here.

Cheers for the Rev link, that may be the problem.

Looks like I’ll have to open them up…..was hoping to get some clues before I start.

She may just decide to let her son ride them until he breaks something on them and have them serviced then.

Simone

Ahem….Brugge is not in the Netherlands.

Anyway, my parents live near Amsterdam ( between Amsterdam and Utrecht ) and we visit a lot. My kids are not really a fan of Amsterdam, we usually leave them with “Omie” when we go into the centre.

However, they did like:

– Artis (Amsterdam zoo)
– scheepvaart museum ( maritime museum, near the central station, with huge ship replica)
– geitenboerderij in the amsterdamsebos

Outside Amsterdam:

Apenheul (monkey park)
Efteling ( we go every year, less busy on a Monday)

I’d say, don’t go to Utrecht as the city centre is a mess (and will be for the next few decades), major works going on.

Any suggestions?

And there is me thinking the tourans were posher than the zafiras, with less problems! Does not sound like it after all (going by my 1gen zafira anyway).

Interior tough as old boots, and we chuck in anything and everything (including large matal signs etc for work), not really managed to break it yet (apart from door speaker grill). 04, 160000 miles.

Leather seats with heating (5 different settings), and comfy even after an 18 hour journey.

Perhaps get an old zafira elegance petrol for a few hundred quid instead, most of our repairs have been diesel related….

Sounds Like a great buy. I have a 04 zafira, same sort of thing, touran is probably better built (although the old zafiras are pretty good).

Love mine, very practical. Carries just about anything you want really.

We’ve had our diesel zafira for 6 years and over 90000 miles. Mostly been good, few EGR valves, radiator etc. Most expensive repair was the DMF (and clutch), I think it went at about 120000. If yours has a DMF, check if it’s been changed, as it would cost more to fix than you are paying for the car.

Most expensive time was between 100000 and 125000 miles I think, been pretty good since. Now in nearly 160000.

Brother in law owners a garage and said that on tourans the turbo can fail.

How many miles has it done?

Too be honest, I’d just get it anyway…….

Simone

Hope you got it sorted. I presume it’s a diesel. I had the same a few years back with out diesel zafira. Only affecting 1 St gear at first, when moving off, but gradually getting worse over a few weeks. After a few weeks it was affecting other gears, where it would not go into gear when driving.

Anyway, it was the DMF (flywheel), new DMF, clutch and service was about £600 in just parts (we get free labour from my brother in laws garage).

Most expensive repair to date at 11 years old and 157000 miles (owned from 67000).

Good luck!

Earl – just got my son A new snowboard by slash……called a ‘happy place’. Hopefully it will ride as good as it looks. Will find out in snowworld I suppose….

Simone

Thanks for the tips so far.

The wheels have only been used for 5 days in morzine last year (leisurely by a girl), but free hub did come apart when my husband removed the wheel, perhaps he did not put everything back as he should. His own tesla evo wheel (even less use) does the same, the hope evo one doesn’t.

Mech is brand new.

What do the free hub seals look like? Could be the husband not putting hub back together correctly. May try and take it off and take a pic.

Anyone else had this?

Simone

Carlphillips – great, you’ll enjoy it. I will have to stop recommending it, getting too busy ;0). And cheers for booking a Sunday, meant we could sneak in an extra day! We will be there 8-16 August, now getting the bikes ready, can’t wait!

Simone

My kids started riding morzine quite young. The greens in pleney and Les gets are great for young kids. I found the biggest problem for mine was their hands hurting from breaking. They were using hydro discs…..but had to keep stopping.

I do remember year before we started going to morzine, my oldest tried to ride from Champery to a little practice trail in grand paradis (all on the Swiss size), he was on the road with dad riding a spesh hotrock fsr with v brakes: “I can’t stop” are not words you want to hear!

So, get them set up with a good set of brakes.

No issues using 24″ wheeled bikes in the lifts (stinky 24 and norco b line 24). Seen 20″ wheeled bikes being used too.

The kids will love it, just don’t expect the family trail to be like a green UK trail.

Simone

May just give that a try.

A bit over my budget for my sons bike, although looking at one for my status. Probably would prefer to not have too many adjustments, would prefer to ride and not fiddle! I presume I will need some kind of compression adjust though…

The Kage rc will come in at about £130.

Simone

My youngest will be using his knolly (Molly) again this year, other bikes being (re-) built at the moment.

Simone

Scott voltage fr is great. We built up a fr20 (short) for my son to use in the Alps last year. Great frame, we used it set at 180 travel. Cheap to build up as it has 135 rear wheel spacing and a 73bb. Will also fit any steerer size with the right headset. Shock size is common too.

They are small though, short now outgrown by my son (managed to grow over 3 inches in 10 months). Not sure how tall you are, but I think they recommend the short up to 5’7″, not sure about the long.

Simone

Go for the bird…..

Hi, my boys used to wear adult elbow pads on their knees, when my son was 9 he was wearing force field body armour arm limb tubes on his legs. He had IXS xs elbow/forearm pads on his elbows.

Both now outgrown and for sale if interested (including his back protector he used for skiing and morzine).

Simone

Reason for air is weight, but also not having to mess around with springs, light ones can be hard to get. Not even sure what spring I’d need. I weigh 59 kg (yep, without anything on of course).

(That reminds me, anyone got a soft totem spring spare?).

Simone

No I haven’t, I did check if it causes problems at full compression, and all seems ok.

My frame is a 2013 status 1 frame, shock is a fox dhx 5.0 8.5×2.5.

Simone

So do I need a m/m tune if I get a rockshox?

Simone

No, but I’d say you’ll have more water in Holland.

I am Dutch, and I think you’ll have a great time visiting. Water and boats everywhere where I grew up. I suppose you’ll be looking at Utrecht, Noord-Holland and Zuid Holland counties. I used to only really go on the water when it was frozen!

Mum lives near the Maarsenveense plassen, plenty of water and boats.

Simone

Mm, I don’t think I can be asked to send it to the USA, looking to get something soon.

Can get a fox dhx 5.0 I’ve seen, or a fox dhx rc4. Also considering a rockshox monarch high volume rc3….

What rockshox tune would suit the bike and my weight? They seem to come in m/m, m/l etc? Not sure what I would need?

Sorry for all the daft questions!

Simone

My husband was 41 when my oldest was born…..I was only 23 though. Glad we had them when we did, I’d say how old is your other half?!? I am now 37, probably fitter than I was at 23, but glad I had mine when I did (23 and 25),

I know people who left it late and ended up either childless, or had only one (even tough they really would have liked more).

Simone

Will look into that, cheers. Any other tips?

Simone

Also, there is a small kona explosif 650b on eBay at the moment, looks great.

Simone

Another vote for the bird zero, great stand over clearance, I have a small at 5’5″. They come up small I think and my 12 year old happily rides it.

Get a test ride!

Simone

I grew up in a small town in Holland, the son of our GP was in my class. A few years ago my mum was talking about him and mentioned the fact he was adopted. I never realised! The GP was white Dutch, and the son adopted from South America!

I had been around his house and everything….. I suppose I am truly colourblind.

Simone