First ride out on the vandal today.
Changed a few parts. Well almost everything. Did use the headset and the stem.
New saddle and bars ordered the rest is up for sale

Selling an orange medium scandal frame in vgc If anyone’s looking for one….

I bought the AM jacket from Decathlon after someone recommended it on here.
colour is a bit more low key

Its got the hydrostatic thing at 10000 if thats good! It seems quite waterproof, I have had the hood on over a helmet and I like it more than i expected.
It has vents but they are not zipped so on cold days you get cold air wafting in during windy conditions, a minor gripe overall.

Also came with a little stuffsack so packs down smaller than expected to put in a bag.

Anyway its reduced on Decathlon to £69.99, so probably worth a look at the price…

3-layer fabric with breathable membrane;RET = 6

It has it all: material (10 000 mm), taped seams, water repellent zip

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/all-mountain-waterproof-jacket/_/R-p-309673

Thanks for all the information
Ordered a set of the M05 alloy forks from Ali express
Due end of the month all being well
Can post some pics when they arrive on f anyone is interested

Thanks for the info, iv pulled the fork out of the frame and it turns out although its tapered steerer tube, the steerer tube is straight so I should be fine ordering a straight steerer alloy fork from Ali and carry the headset & crown race across.

That sounds ok to me
I’ll have a look at the adapter thing

Sadly no pics for me, seem to see other pics that people are posting in the thread but none from the OP…

Anyone tried the All Mountain Jacket from decathlon? Heard some good reviews here a while ago but it wasnt in stock then

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/all-mountain-waterproof-jacket/_/R-p-309673

Just found this…another user of the sandwich iron or carp fishing pan (not sure how carp fishermen kept these to themselves)
It lived in the camper for ages, but once the secret was out it is a regular in the kitchen now straight on the gas hob, makes a cracking toasted sarnie.

cheese chorizo and chilly jam coming up!

https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/ridgemonkey-the-classic-deep-fill-sandwich-toaster-inc-utensils?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIifrCkf288wIVQrrVCh0yZwSDEAQYAiABEgK03PD_BwE

Hi if you ordered the bolts I posted the link to, in the pic you can see 12.9 stamped on the head. Thats the tensile strength a basic bolt is 8.8 the 12.9 is about s good as you will get so should be more than strong enough.

Bought a Scandal frame from their ebay shop recently, it arrived missing the rear through axle and not a bit of packaging in the box, thankfully it was undamaged and they sent an axle when I made them aware it was missing.

Recently sold my Chameleon so I cant have a look to check but I seem to remember the drop out bolts were “low Head” cap screws like this ..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322376383228

Sunset ride to the coast for fish and chips with this fella

where to post picture[/url]

Took a spin up to Skiddaw house and back.
Really enjoying the Scandal especially now Iv a dropper post fitted.

If the boots are really muddy I have a brush attachment for the hose, quick brush and rinse off.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Water-Fed-Car-Wash-Cleaning-Soft-Brush-Attach-To-Hose-Pipe-with-Control-Tap/324441089047?hash=item4b8a322417:g:6ioAAOSwQJlf8rx-

That sort of thing, then the boot dryer. Boot dryer is the difference between stinky boots and nice dry boots. Dries from inside out, when I used to plonk them by the radiator they didnt always get fully dried between rides.

Boot dryer looks like this but was £20 on amazon

https://richmond-radiators.com/product/st3d-digital-footwear-boot-dryer-shoe-heater-290w-wall-mountable/

Not sure this qualifies as a tool board, but the garage is a bit better since a lock down sort out. Most of my small tools / special tools are in a roll cab out of shot but the small tools you need o n a regular basis I keep either on the clip on rails or a magnetic rail from Lidl. Small vice was my great, great grand fathers must b e about 100 years old and very useful, red thing to right is a small parts washer, ideal for chains and cassettes etc.
Probably the best improvement I made was altering the lighting, so there is adequate lighting on the bench top, previously I felt I was working in my own shadow. The little LED strip light was also a Lidl buy.

The info about the boost tank is almost correct, but the hose wasn,t titanium just flexible hose running down inside the A pillar and into the sill , then the tank.
The pic with the tank in the back of the car wasnt for storage or transportation, once the FIA said the sytem would be outlawed for next event, the spare tanks were fitted into the back of the cars so the cars then had 2 tanks and twice the storage capacity.

Thanks for all the info, there was a lot to think about. In then end I decided to stick to what I know works for me ! Managed to find anothe pair of the classic Celsius, should keep me going for a few more winters.

There is another way………….

I had some XTR cranks and built them up for my sons bike, I fitted a standard 104BCD ring.
I had some offset bushes made to spigot between the crank and the rings, then run standard M6 button head bolts to clamp everything together.
I havnt tried it without the offset spigots but it would probably work ok, certainly worth trying on a hack bike.

+1 for for the dishwasher, they come out gleaming! Iv never tried with pads but I dont see why not, its only water and a cleaning solution, not a lot of difference between that a wet ride and a wash

Snowy pic is going up the south side at Whinlatter, looking towards Grizdale Pike

Ok first ride out today, nice cold frosty day, ground fairly hard, bit of snow higher up.

Bike rides nicely, very easy to lift the front wheel but didnt seem wandery on the climbs.

Running a 120mm fox 34, also have a 135mm Pike on another bike so may swap them to try the slightly longer pike on it.
Felt balanced at 120mm, running a 50mm stem and it feels quite short (not too short) im 5`7 on a medium.
Dont have dropper on it at the moment didnt really need it for the ride I did, local loop from the door with a bit of whinlatter, intended to do more but fork seemed to lose air so cut short and spun home.

https://postimg.cc/jWz33ZgW%5D[/url]

screenshot software for windows

Will be out for first ride on mine today, shall report back latter……………….tbc……….

Ican website

https://icancycling.com/collections/uk-warehouse

they apparently have a UK warehouse so you shouldnt have to pay import duty on purchase.

I cant vouch for Ican as I have never bought from them, I have bought light bicycle carbon wheels from China and had no issue.

Did notice the 650B MTB frame reduced to £157 !!

Hi there

thanks for all the interesting feedback.

I think I have been put off the new Northwave celsius as it now seems to have become an XC shoe and the sock thing just isnt boot enough!

I think for me a winter boot is a north of england winter so mostly temperatures around +5 to -2 its a more waterproof boot I need rather than a boot for -10/20 dry cold conditions.

To be fair the old Northwaves were waterproof and plenty warm enough, I dont seem to suffer from cold feet too badly and usually just wear “normal” socks never bothered sizing up and never wore wool socks etc.
The Specialized defrosters look good, and from what people here are saying probably fit the bill for what I need. I cant seem to find them for sale in my size….

If anyone has seen old stock Northwave celsius or Spesh defrosters in size 44 / 10 let me know.

Once again thanks for all the input.

Has anyone tried the Ibis Ripmo AF?? Is that a trail bike?

Think it has some pretty good reviews, DW link is pretty good platform nice looking bike

https://www.evocycles.co.uk/ripmo-af-1059/mpn:IB-001111Metalframe_z/

I’ve taken the bike down Rosset ghill
As a decent it was disappointing and big chunks of off and on then some chunky stone pitching at the bottom.
I wouldn’t rush back. There’s loads of great riding in the Langdale area that could keep a day or two filled with good riding without having to head west to the 4 passes area.

Not sure if I ever thought this was pretty but it looked a lot better before I bolted guards and a rack to it!

I bought a Nukeproof Digger a while ago and it became the bike I rode the most, perfect on pot holes back roads, gravel tracks, commuting to work. Its probably the best “fitting” bike i have had dont feel too stretched, the wide drops are comfortable the gearing is fine for most.
I have had it with panniers and full guards on, the fashion police wouldnt be happy but super practical. The comp model comes in just over your budget, i dont know how it compare price wise to other brands. It seems to work well.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/nukeproof-digger-275-comp-bike-2021?g=0

Nice bike,

For everything? or still got stooge for bike packing?

I was up there a while ago and rode up to the monument at Fyrish above Alness. There was quite a few sections of sinlgetrack that someone had made that were quite good. Your also very close to Contin woods where the Strathpuffer takes place. Thats worth a look.

Someone posted on the forum a few weeks ago to say bike parts were selling like hot cakes on ebay at the moment. That weekend I had one of the £1 max fee things so had a big clearout. As usual I took plenty of decent pics and an honest description. Put them all on at buy it now at a price I thought was reasonable for clearing out kit I will probably never use again. Most items were sold before Monday the rest after a few more days.
But….. posting expensive items can leave you open to the PITA people. I have a bit of a rule of thumb anything up to £50 shove it on post it and finger crossed.
Bikes and more expensive items, if I can I do cash on collection type things.
That said I sold a fairly decent carbon hardtail recently and included postage to widen my market. The guy that bought it sends a message in slightly broken English asking me to send it to a forwarding company near the M25 to then have it delivered to Bulgaria! Im think forget it this is a scam I will lose the bike and paypal with have my money back to him in no time…..
Anyway I look at his feedback he seems to buy a fair bit from the UK, I ask for his phone number and get a Bulgarian colleague to give him a call. 5 mins later my colleague says yeah no problem send it.
So I did 6 days later the guy leaves me glowing feedback and is delighted with his new bike…..

Swings and roundabouts..

Hi Rich, sorry to hear you have postponed, but of course completely understand. I have really enjoyed taking part in the last 4 events, the atmosphere has been great, the scenery stunning, the routes challenging.

The fells will still be there when all this chaos calms down, hope to see you out then and maybe have a beer!

NCB

I have just put a 16″ 29er frame in the classifieds for £100 if thats any use to anyone?

I’m just rebuilding my teenage sons 29er into a larger frame I’ll have a 16” frame for sale but that’s probably a small / medium. Although she may have longer legs and a shorter body so who knows!!

I think there is a chance that the pimples you saw at the beginning were possibly caused by the various coats of paint going on too quickly / too soon. If the primer isn’t allowed to dry ( let the solvent fully evaporate) it will keep doing so over time. This is why a spray booth / oven is used. If the top coat goes on before the primer is fully dried then eventually the solvent (assuming it was solvent based paint) will blister under the top coat of paint. I had a similar issue with a classic I owned a long g time ago.

i shall keep looking thanks for the ideas, boxelder the left field option looks like its probably on the small size recommended rider size up to 5`9 hes there already!

Yes it beginning to look like that. I sold the Boardman frame not expecting him to grow so quickly! Im beginning to think it may be better / easier to sell his bike complete and buy another larger bike. Its a shame as it was built with quite nice parts the forks were reba RLT its got a Thomson post old XTR cranks running 1 x 10 it felt quite light when it was built.
A large old spec scandal frame would be ideal! Guess a look on pinkbike wouldn’t be a bad idea, thanks for the replies.

Where in the lakes are you staying?

You can ride a fair chunk of whinlatter on a gravel bike, there are also some other fire roads and trails that link into a decent loop.
You could look at the lakes monster miles route as it runs through whinlatter and use some of that as the beginning of a loop