Sent the franking machine back too. I use RM click & drop account, Print labels on an ancient laser printer that goes 6 months on a budget cartridge. As charlie says above, unless volumes are high, there is not a saving. 10 years ago, I had a local PO counter that I could leave a pile of post & pay later … but it shut & new shop/counter was far too busy.

Check which Fox 38 on offer. Some OEM versions (on Haibke) have the older cheaper fit 4 damper, some with limited adjustments & a useless lock out. Replacement best damper unit is £400!!

If Steel vs alloy is the issue… I ran the original transmitter for a couple of years. My first new bike for 20 years, modern geo ace etc. I switched frame to a steel Cotic Solaris max & this definitely has a smoother feel over the rough stuff.

Putoline sell a min oil… I use it.

Sack the spongers.

And here’s one I did earlier:

Lord Gun sent the steel sprox I ordered promptly in early Jan. Second one I’ve got from them…

The more I read about ebikes & motors the more it lead me to Yamaha as my motor choice. And then Haibike. The Allmtn 7 is a great spec for the price – price may have gone up a bit now though.

Thanks for the Winter boots tip. Tried my new Columbia Fairbanks Omni Heat out today & pleased to report dry & warm feet for my 20 mile lap of Surrey Hills Slop. I added some knee length gaitors to stop top leaks. Gave up trying to find MTB winter shoes – either no stock and/or silly prices.

Yep, it’s free on Pressreader – from your library..

No lube in sand, but remember X ring & O ring chains are somewhat tougher than yer average mtb chain… FYI _ I ran a std (not HD) chain on my trials motos & for several years just used a spray of WD40. Chains lasted one year regardless. In Sussex Mud & no Putoline involved!!

P bikes. Poverty not necessarily involved!

You can get a hanger extender bracket or whatever it’s called to cope with wide range cassette.

If one’s a E bike, the other’s a P bike surely…

I’ve 2 of the Argus jobbies. One with Puto for winter MTB & one with candle wax brew for summer Mtb, road bike, pub bike etc. The candle wax mix is great for a clean look chain & clean to handle, but not as durable in the wet winter grit of Peaslake etc.

Usually use 18650 batteries. Panasonic or samsung are the ones to get. £6 – 8 in uk or from £2 from china.

Stuff I use: charger https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32854233083.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dwvUu6Q

batteries: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32807032859.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dwvUu6Q

Torch – I use the 21700 battery. A bit heavy on the hat, but good! https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32807032859.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dwvUu6Q

I’ve used ebay or china direct lights for years. Silicon bands only work with “light” light units – add cable ties etc. Used torches for some time, still use one as a head torch. The bad stiff – batteries – power claims are usually lies. charger get too hot & one started burning. However I have tried loads of £20 lights etc, so can give you links to the good, proven suppliers I’ve used. I was lucky to win a Hope R8 a year or two back, but still used budget head torch & others on the roadie/pub bikes.

Who needs a litre? Putoline does 125cc for £5.80. I use this in my mtb brakes & Moto Trials clutch for years… If your are stuck, give me a shout.

Foil try, wax + heat gun for racers & experimenters…

I’ve run the 11 speed cassette for some time on my hardtail. 700 – 800 miles on it & it works fine, but back pedal in 1st and chain drops. That’s unlikely to be an issue on a commuter bike. I’ve not used that chain. Using a YBN gold chain. I have the posher ZTTO cassette on my full sus bike & that is lots lighter & has no back pedal issues.

A near new Sony compact phone was the most unreliable heap of *** I’ve owned. Best budget Chinese?? Cubot note 7 – £48 direct or £60 in UK. I’m only using it as a music & camera device right now, but seems pretty good (& cheap…). I have their Kingkong mini for normal use – but that has a small battery.

Don’t forget – you can read heaps of papers & mags for free using the Library app Pressreader.

Homebrew wax guru on Youtube.

Candle wax brew is great through summer etc, but not ad durable as Putoline for Winter slop. However it does give you a really clean looking chain!

No trouble using the Rons on my Cotic hardtail. Usually at about 15 psi. Did change to a better front Bontrager XR5?. Only issue was after 1 – 2 years use the sidewalls go & then you enter puncture city, even running tubeless.

Cubot kingkong mini, light & small, works okay as an on the bars route plotter & phone generally. But needs a small powerbank for longer rides. I got one for £2.80 that gives extra 3 hours. Two issues – GPS appears wayward on some tracks – not just a few feet out, but 100’s of yards! I need to take old phone out with me to test if it’s a Cubot fault, or GPS… And sometimes it goes into Andoid recovery mode randomly, never when in use though, but when left in hot van etc. So Cheap, it mostly works, but jury out on GPS for now. Cost £70.

Cubot Kingkong mini exp here!

I had a recent outing on the JW4 (the poor man’s PRST). From memory I’d set the front shock too soft, trying to mimic my moto trials bike’s soft forks. That just led to mega dive though. Recent online advice about much more pressure in the front shock than the rear proved correct. Riding the same swoopy rooty tracks I usually ride it was 3-4 secs behind the Cotic per track, only spooking the rider on a small log drop. It coped okay, even if the rider winced. On one super tight conifer plantation track it set a PB, all on very summer tyres!

A clean pic of the 46 in all it’s glory!

I ran one of these 5 years ago, on my journey towards a modern MTB. Also I still have the JW4 I used before the 46. I found a well prepared little used 46 that handled the rougher track better than the JW4, had a superb finish & held it’s value on sale 18 months later. Yes, it was tall & a bit twitchy on geometry, I did all the make it slacker mods Docrob mentions & found an overpriced Alpine link weeks before I sold it. Would have kept it if I had the cash & space. Liked the home service forks too. But as with any “retro” bike the revelation that comes with a modern long low slack steed is the clincher. A budget Sonder transmitter hardtail arrived & the safe confident handling was a winner. Then the Cotic that followed enhanced that with the steel frame.

Upgraded my Yasri a few times with the air side debonair parts. Worthwhile & cheap. But by far the biggest improvement was changing to the rc2.1 damper unit. Not cheap. But transforms the fork.

Gorilla tape or just cheaper duct tape works…. But, easy to damage when changing tyres or fixing that rare flat. Proper rim tape (stans etc) allows tyre bead to slide into place easily & less prone to tyre lever damage. So a quick job or re-taping every time you disturb the tyre !

The solution – bar end light using Lezyne light mentioned earlier. Folding mount. Used this for years…

I’ve worn out one of these last year. When part worn – a slight back pedal can get it to move chain. When properly knackered… (worn) chain sits too low in the tooth curve and is reluctant to shift down. A new chain does not cure, just gives lots of grumbles & rumbles.

I’m 1000 miles into a ZTTO full steel budget cassette and have just got one of their pretty posher ones (11T – 52T) for bike 2.

I used an old Android motorola moto E 2nd gen phone £30, solely as GPS routemap & record. Plot routes online alltrails.com & transfer GPX file to phone. Great Britain Topo Maps (android app) is great for route following & finding new tracks. More recently started using the Cubot Kingkong mini – cheap (£70 – 90), small size & large memory, but battery is only average, so I now add a small powerbank £2.80! Gives an extra 4 hours. Bar mount £8 Chinese jobby.

Best to use cheapo old phones for this.

File transfer – use Feem – move files over your wi-fi between devices.

Simon, Cubot – 5 – 6 hours running GPS + Strava and GB topomaps together and everything else turned off. The powerbank adds 3 – 4 hours so works okay on the longer rides. Mine was £70 ( used, but seems new!) and runs android 9 so heaps quicker than the old motorolas & saves carrying two phones. But the moto has a good battery….

I use an old Android motorola moto E 2nd gen phone £30, solely as GPS routemap & record. Plot routes on line alltrails.com & transfer to phone. Great Britain Topo Maps is great for route following & finding new tracks. More recently started using the Cubot Kingkong mini – cheap, small & large memory, but battery is small, so now add a small powerbank £2.80! Gives an extra 4 hours.

DIY using http://www.trackace.co.uk/ …. I do!

chain after 850 miles of Surrey Mountains. Had a steel front sprox for most of the time. Just added the blue bling one to the new frame.. About 6 weeks on Puto & then the rest using candle wax home brew,