I have a Volvo V60 and love it (but it’s not practical so don’t consider it!). Volvos are fantastic IF you get a Volvo 5-pot engine with it! More reliable, powerful, fun and efficient than the Ford 2.0d and the Peugeot 1.6d. My D5 even sounds good and now embarrassingly quick yet gives me 50mpg without a problem. If you buy one with a Ford diesel, maybe you should have just bought the Ford?

Great, thanks very much.

It doesn’t seem like a simple question actually – bit of a minefield.

Love my Pivot Mach 429 carbon (100mm back end but 105-130mm fork) but that Evil Following has got me drooling. Need to ride my bike again and fall in love again!

Good advice all, thanks. I’ve gone for Stan’s! Hopefully I’ll have a few months of trouble free biking.

Cool, thanks. I half-expected some home made suggestions! If Stan’s works, then Stan’s it will be.

Wow, thanks very much. Still doesn’t work so I must just be doing something wrong. Thanks very much anyhow

Cool, thanks! It is old but it never had an expiry date on it so thought I’d give it a go.

BoardinBob and sazter – unsure if I missed it but what are the mounts you’re using? Thanks.

Great info, thanks everyone. Del – Dualiner is great – I used to have one and it was flawless and as I can only afford an older one, they’ve depreciated a whole lot more than VWs. Neither are perfect and all have problems at some point but I can’t think of a better van (and the Vito is RWD, which can be fun). I had mine in the snow and cold (with winter tyres) and only a few bikes in the back (so not a lot of weight over driven axle) and it was absolutely fine. No reason why this one won’t be similar…

Thanks everyone, that’s amazing, I even received a kiss from one of you; very much appreciated. I like the Saris triple racks but at the same time, I’m going to do more investigation re bungeeing them (or possibly both). I thought it cool that the van has interior protection and wheel arch covering etc. but in actual fact, it mostly just limits places to bungee the bikes against the side! Thanks again.

Light Bicycle Carbon – sounds good, I’ll have a look at them for a start.

I know the AC hubs are great (I’ve had them road and mountain for years and they’ve been flawless to be fair) but the deals for full built wheels are not hugely different and my wheel builder somehow managed to put me off the AC hubs too, which was a bit rude.

The reason I say wide is that my ideal rim would be Mavic 819s but they’re not very wide so would be looking for something more like 25mm +, does that make any sense?

As you can tell, I’ve not really kept up with modern trends but will look at all the rims you mention.

And yes, I would consider selling the AC hubs – that was the intention all along – I wouldn’t be binning them (I don’t even bin worthless stuff, so I wouldn’t have binned these!).

THANKS so much for your help so far.

Cool, doesn’t look too shabby at all, thanks for all the information.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! Looking into these now

No ideas? Maybe I should find my way around Torridon instead?

Understood. I already do double pay – I have another handset and sim only plan – it’s just mad that I’m diverting calls to my other mobile and even using its personal hotspot.

Oh well, it is what it is. I never thought I would be saying that my decent handset with excellent coverage and price is with 3. I had one when they first arrived and they were terrible.

My problem is with Vodafone – I actually went into the shop and said I was having some problems that have been going on for some time. The assistant actually said “Oh, is that with your signal then? Yes, it’s not very good in Scotland is it?!”. The person about to buy a phone walked out!

I think the only way to get back at them is to continue to do more of the same. If only my life weren’t finite and I had the time to hang about the shop!

Thanks for your help. Yes, I have argued my case so much that it’s now at the “fob you off with a postal address” stage.

The phone is fine, it’s the network that’s horrific.

You have chosen wisely – there’s so much it’s silly. Dumyat as mentioned, Woods behind the university, Mine Woods (Bridge of Allan). Meet up with some of us or simply get into the woods and explore – there’s loads of options. If you ever think it’s no good, it’s probably because you’re a few feet away from the great trail but you didn’t know! Ben Cleuch is good for a big day – straight up Silver Glen, right to Ben Buck, to Ben Cleuch and then follow your nose to Andrew Gannel and down to the crazy wee deep but tiny path to Tillicoultry Glen.

Dumyat is accessible and a lot of fun. Just don’t make a menace of yourself – lots of walkers, some of them not as tolerant as others!

Seriously can’t go wrong with a Whyte M-109. I’ve had one for a year and a half and love it. It has done everything asked of it – XC races, enduro and mostly proper natural (slightly crazy but I’m no hero) trails. PLUS it turns corners which most 29ers don’t!!

Had some X-Fusion 29 Trace 110- 140mm for some time and really like them. Bit more expensive than what you’re looking at but still worthy of mention. They do a cheaper version too I believe.

Give ATB Sales a call or take it back to your shop? I’ve never come across re paint but they’re certainly very good when they crack! You will have a 5 year warranty from when you bought it, IF you picked it up from the bike shop.

Heidelberg – epic.

Weird, thanks. Hoped they wouldn’t be wide but i guess it makes sense. Bugger, it’s never simple!

Yeah, they’re white and black rather than the grey. They don’t seem wide. Well, if they are, there’s very little difference between wide and narrow and I have really narrow feet which is why I always go for Shimano

For what it’s worth, I think a shock upgrade would benefit you. However, I wouldn’t go for a DT Swiss shock on a single pivot. The Monarch may well be a good option. A friend had a RP23 upgrade from a Manitou and noticed a huge difference so the Monarch should be close enough…

Thank you! Got one but wanted 3 -either they sold out or the website wasn’t playing ball (did encounter problems with it).

Giro works for my big head. Large Carrera also okay.

I have exactly these tyres on my car – got them with new wheels for an amazing deal and the reviews are better than a lot of options (I swear by Vredesteins but (18″ diamond alloy) wheels and tyres were cheaper than just the tyres!

Anyway, it was hell on earth for a good couple of weeks before I realised that the garage had 48 psi in the fronts and 40 in the rears. I would say all day long that they are not as good as the Vredestein Wintrac Extremes but seriously try a couple of psi changes here and there and they do come alive. I have found them pretty good since to be fair and changed them a wee bit from recommended pressures to discover what they can really do.

In that case, you’re laughing: Shimano works and it feels smoother too.

Not much difference but I’m not sure if you can change two at once down the cassette with SLX can you? You certainly can with XT/XTR but not the SLX ones I tried (albeit they might have been last year’s).

Told by a doctor? Good luck, I listen to my body and very much KNOW the difference. Even the doctor I spoke to said that the coeliac test would not tell me anything and may not find I’m a coeliac but it doesn’t stop me having a problem with it and also solving many of my friends’ major medical complaints just through diet – stuff they needed really serious operations for but are now fine.

Sorry, it just winds me up that folk can say it’s a load of rubbish when they don’t actually know. Only way to know is to go zero for a month.

Anyway, speaking of zero (!), I drink Corona now and I’m fine with it and I know a lot of folk, including coeliacs who are fine with it too. I really missed beer (and proper beer that I definitely cannot drink) but look about – you’ll be shocked – gluten from barley can often not survive the malting and boiling processes involved. Wheat gluten is a lot harder though – it can survive and some!

Sorry, just realised you didn’t need the speech (and I like muppets so should use a different word in future). I just noticed your phrase: “I’m glad I’m not one of them”. Perfect!

Ignore the Single Pivot muppets – Whytes are awesome. They have problems BUT they fix them and the warranty man, Grant, is the absolute man. These “multi-pivot-detractors” like to point out that these bikes are more maintenance hungry and in comparison they are. But it will ride much better, so I don’t care (and Whytes replace the bearings for free: lifetime warranty. Good choice, enjoy the bike.

These are awesome – there’s a demo one knocking about Stirling and I can put you in touch with the guy who has it if you just give me a shout.

Seriously, I know the guy who has done this (and it’s so massively different from a wee ride, it’s amazing). I have a weeride and will still get one of these. I know him but I am not paid by him (unfortunately). There are a good few folk, who are using their mountain bikes as they should be without their child getting battered, as they would on a Weeride. I mean proper mountain bike trails.

Mac Ride will be here soon apparently. Depends on age of kids but I’ve seen them in action and they’re amazing:

http://www.mac-ride.com

Oops, sorry, didn’t read on. Fool!

M-109 went in the same place and I bent the other side big time. They replaced the seat stays but awaiting the new reinforced ones.

Whyte are awesome – it will only take a few days to sort if they’re as good as they usually are.

glupton – drive a car with decent winter tyres. If I want to do the speed limit because my tyres grip all day long and because I emptied my bank account to ensure that me and my family are safe then that’s up to me. I’d rather be perceived as a fudd than actually be the fudd pussyfooting around at 20mph wondering what I’m going to slide into next.

So don’t be a hero and think you can drive in any condition with whatever tyres, because you cannot.

Just noticed a comment above – only get all four done or just don’t bother – putting winters on the front and summers on the rear will be interesting – I’ve seen a car do a 180 when braking normally on snow!

And with winter tyres, I could drive as fast as I wanted in an RX-8 (so I guess like a fudd?) and have more traction than on mildly damp roads in the summer with Potenza RE040s.

Nokians and Vredesteins are the ones I would choose. I am mad about tyres since I’ve used so many and can always tell the difference. I would only go full winters. If you’re going for a different size tyre (smaller the better so long as it fits over your calipers and is very close to the original circumference) for cheapness, make sure those insurance folk know – they like to wriggle out of things even when you’ve been good and halved braking distances etc. I honestly don’t understand why people think it’s fine to drive around on summer tyres in cold weather and/or snow and then flash me as I’m zooming everywhere!

I was i the shop down the road at the weekend and they have a demo A2B bike. It could do 42kph! 40 mile range, I’d be buying that if it were me.