I really hope the seatpost is a reference to Rainier Wolfcastle.

The low depreciation argument for campers has been skewed due to Covid staycations and demand outstripping supply, but with vehicle electrification and the decline of diesels I expect that bubble to burst in a couple of years.

I wonder how many over 55’s that have bought them with pension cash lump sums have sold them not long after due to wanting more creature comforts in retirement than sleeping in a fancy panel van. I’m not at that age yet, but value sleeping in a proper bed with an en-suite bathroom and central heating.

Fair point, but assume £50k depreciation over 5 years is nearly £200/week, which would pay for a decent weekend away 52 weeks of the year (including breakfast and a bathroom). Agree that you would need a car instead of a van, but a £10k car would only depreciate £1k/year.

I’ve not done the maths, but expect £100k would pay for a lot of hotel rooms/B&Bs over the years.

I’d love a van, but the used prices are ridiculous, especially for a Euro 6 diesel (ULEZ) compliant.

Unless you need a van for work, you can get a much nicer car, for much less money.

Of limited use in this country, but Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pros were amazing in Sweden. Being able to ride over frozen lakes and down icy steps took some getting used to.

If it’s your only bike and being used in the Lakes/Hebden etc, then I would get a Jeht. I suspect the weight difference between a FlareMax & Jeht will be minimal, so why compromise with shorter travel.

I’d be interested to try this, but can’t see I’d ever buy one, due to the price increases, added complexity and how much filth it will capture.

They’re trying new stuff which is great. Some will love more suspension progression as it will allow more flexibility in shock choice (including coils) and happy to accept the compromise of more complexity. Some folk will prefer the standard single pivot design and not be as bothered about the progression. So long as Orange keep both options they will cater for all.

Also don’t underestimate the effect of having space for a proper bottle in the front triangle!

It’s certainly an interesting development by SRAM.

I’m not sure why folk have such strong opinions about brake fluid though. One of my bikes runs mineral oil and another with Dot. Both sets of brakes work very well and I can’t say I notice that one needs bleeding before the other. Sure, it’d be nice if the industry standardised, but we all know that’s never going to happen.

I should’ve mentioned that mine is a OneUp V2 dropper so 180mm drop may be equivalent to 150mm on an X Fusion post.

I’m on a medium Gen 4 FlareMAX with 140mm forks. I’m 173cm and just about manage with a 180mm dropper. Only done a couple of rides, but fit feels good and haven’t noticed standover being a problem.

A size small would definitely be too small for me.

I tried the Citroen LHM stuff once and it was a lot thicker viscosity then the Shimano stuff. This made the brakes feel strange and in very low temperatures it felt rubbish (like the fluid had got even more viscous).

This article is very useful:
https://epicbleedsolutions.com/blogs/articles/dot-brake-fluid-vs-mineral-oil

Basically says Shimano and Juice Lubes mineral oil is the best. Juice lubes is fairly cheap and in-stock.

I figure the faff and time taken bleeding brakes is worth more to me than saving a few quid on mineral oil which might not be much good.

On the phone to works IT helpline a few years back with an irritating problem and they had “eye of the tiger” as hold music. Certainly had me fired up and ready for battle!

Wife was getting our 10 year old car serviced at the local BMW dealership, and had a wander round the new car showroom looking at EVs and hybrids. Even the sales staff advised her to keep our car for a few more years until the range, reliability and charging infrastructure matures. This is where my thinking is at, but was surprising to hear this from people with a vested interest and commission to sell new cars.

Have you challenged the 4 year company policy?

My company does the same, but when I joined I got a concession from my boss because my car, although older than 4 years was very low mileage. They also weren’t going to miss out on hiring me on this policy point.

After that (3 years ago) nobody checks up anymore, so I just drive whatever age car I want.

Don’t spend a fortune and go through all the faff on the basis of a company policy that they possibly don’t enforce or care about.

Welding a blob to the bolt head and unscrewing using mole-grips is probably the simplest, quickest and most-effective solution, compared to the other options listed.

Only downside is you need the welding gear.

Thanks, I think that is comparable as the difference is in the S, which I guess stands for SwingLink.

I can’t comment on the steering effect, but it will make the wheelbase almost 1cm shorter.

https://www.schwalbe.com/pressureprof/

This is pretty accurate for me. It requires a wide range of data input and some interpretation of factors.

I should have said in my earlier post that I have the Dakine Hot Laps pack and the £6 Karrimor runners belt. I use the runners belt most of the time as it has the same capacity as the Dakine one (phone, keys, cereal bar), but is smaller, lighter and runs cooler.

In my opinion you’re paying MTB tax for the Dakine/Evoc alternatives.

Dakine do smaller ones that fit under a jacket/jersey.

If you’re just after a really small one for keys, phone and other small bits then Karrimor do runners belts at SportsDirect for less than a tenner that do the job well.

https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-x-lite-waist-belt-765203?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=10653972640&cq_term=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2ZCOBhDiARIsAMRfv9ITL_1Keq_Ttqw8Cg_z5gNTAVsC95RmWcq59RbdNIunxfrUlul9ln0aAm31EALw_wcB#colcode=76520303

https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-audio-belt-765237?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=10653972640&cq_term=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2ZCOBhDiARIsAMRfv9KO1FlOlkPEhyMwmzUY_XMydfxdraIxGcLqfxrbSn-6LxF6-Xj_1fgaAt1qEALw_wcB#colcode=76523703

Samantha Morton
Stephen Graham
Paddy Considine

Thick grease holding the springs and pawls in from the underside and then a thin layer across the top face. Seems to keep them in place for me.

Agree with IdleJon on this one. I wanted to like it, but found it dull and not that funny.

Clearly aiming to be a biking version of Whitehouse and Mortimer with the nice views and comic banter, but missing the soul and charm. Maybe with other guests there will be more chemistry.

I’ve been looking for a mid-sized panel van, but have decided to wait until Spring 2022 as the prices are daft currently.

I’d recommend getting a Euro 6 due to the upcoming charges. Older ones are going to get priced off the roads in the next few years (and depreciate quicker), so worth paying the extra now.

I’ve got both. IP is heavier, grippier and harder wearing.

FP is more flexible which allows you to wrap your foot around and feel the pedal more.

They’re both excellent shoes, but just subtley different.

I noticed that a lot of the EWS pro’s at the Tweed Valley were running Assegai’s on the front in wet and muddy conditions. Surprised I didn’t see any on the new Shorty. I guess the Tweed Valley trails can get stripped back to the bedrock under heavy rain which maybe explains this.

I think this is a price you need to pay on ebikes with 12 speed. I’ve found that even on normal (non-electric) bikes 12 speed chains wear quicker than 11 speed and 10 speed stuff, which is the price you pay for wide range cassettes and close ratio’s. Putting an extra 400 Watts through 12 speed chains is going to accelerate wear significantly, so 300 miles doesn’t surprise me.

I reckon the new Shimano stuff (heavier, more durable) is the way forward for ebikes.

Isn’t “over a GRAND” for a set of forks enough to talk you out of it?

I suspect the chassis and air spring if fairly similar so why not try a Grip 2 damper upgrade or custom tune?

I’ve used both B1 & C1 air springs in the same forks and I noticed a tiny reduction in small bump sensitivity with the C1, but the the increase in ride height was a greater benefit for me when riding steeper trails.

It’s a very good fork whichever air spring is fitted to be honest so not worth losing any sleep over.

In my experience, using carbon assembly paste is the worst thing to use as it is abrasive and forms a grinding paste between the BB cups and carbon frame. If it is a tight/interference fit between the cup and frame then threadlock is ok, but if there is a bit of play then a light epoxy is needed to lock it in place.

I’ve a Berlingo MPV (not the new shape one) and have been happy with it. Only major bits of work have been new injectors and DPF. Ours is getting towards 150k now so starting to think about a replacement (although will probably run this one into the ground, so hopefully another few years). As others have said it’s not refined at all, and only being 5 speed is a pain on motorways.

From what I’ve seen, the new shape Berlingo doesn’t have removable rear seats which cuts down on load height, which I’m not keen on. I like the look of the Ford Tourneo Grand Connect, and suspect it will be more refined and nicer to drive, but not sure if the rear seats can be fully removed.

From the comments above I might have a look at the S-Max.

Thanks for the replies all.
I used to run push-ons before lock-ons were available and even with hairspray and wire, they used to move after a while due to water and muck ingress.
So I guess I already knew the answer, but was interested to hear if push-ons are a lot more comfy and reduce fatigue. It sounds like there are benefits, but for most people not enough to offset the increased hassle.

I have the Lifeline Pro wheel jig, which is much cheaper than the Park equivalent. I used to build with just this and a standard red plastic disc spokey and this was sufficient for a decent wheel build. I bought the cheaper Park TM-1 spoke tension meter a year ago and although it’s not necessary I think it makes it a bit easier and quicker.

Some good memories of the Bomb there. Was just a doorway in the middle of a row of shops as I (vaguely) remember. A proper low ceiling sweaty club. Made the sound great.

There were some good nights in Nottingham round that time.

I run a butcher on the rear (2.6) and find it good in the slop. I have a Hillbilly on the front though. Worth seeing if they pop up in the sales.

How have people mounted and attached motofoam on their Enduro’s

I’m a similar waist size and tend to struggle as well.

I find that Noronna shorts are good fitting and decent leg length, but pricey at RRP. Sweet Protection are also pretty good.

I have Alpinestars trousers 28in waist that fit well, so expect the shorts should be good too.

I’ve used Maxxis Shorty 2.5 WT (Maxx Terra), Magic Mary 2.6 Soft Compound and Specialized Hillbilly 2.6 in fairly horrid conditions.

I agree with the majority of comments in that the Mary is the best all-rounder and gets used most of the year, although it can clog in proper filth. The Shorty is great in filthy mud, but I find it a bit slidey on rocks and roots (I suspect the Maxxgrip is better, but haven’t tried it). I find that the Hillbilly is a decent compromise across the patch, but not exceptional in any one area. I agree that the other Spesh tyres aren’t much cop, although I am running a Butcher on the back in the mud.

Worth noting that the 2.5 DD Maxxgrip Shorty is hideously expensive (and out of stock most places). I expect you could get two Hillbilly’s for the price of one Shorty. I would hope it grips twice as much.