AEG here. Bought because my mum’s one has lasted 20 years.

And there was me thinking that Charge make decent kit at reasonable prices. If they get more people to buy their stuff through a bit of pncey marketing, what’s the problem?

My Trance came with 100mm forks but I thought the geometry was much improved with the 130mm Pace RC41s. If anything, increasing the fork length should make it more rather than less steady, as it makes the head angle slacker.

The only problem I found is keeping the front wheel on the ground for very steep climbs, but I get around that by using the launch control to compress the fork down.

“Religious people…practice tolerance to other faiths and atheists”

If only that were true.

I had my LBS do mine – they got the seal kit direct from Pace. Total cost was £100, a lot less than new forks, and new forks would need servicing in a year or two anyway.

On the other hand, if there’s an aspect of your fork’s performance that you dislike (that wouldn’t be fixed with a service) then it might be worth a change.

“Exactly – there is as little evidence for the existence of God (discounting of course the various anthropic principles, which are less religious in content and more philosophical) as there is evidence for the non-existence of God.”

As Bertrand Russell pointed out, you can’t prove that there isn’t a teapot orbiting the earth right now…

I had a similar issue – RC41s on my Trance starting to get a bit sticky. I sent them off for a service with new seals, and they’re now as good as new. I’m not sure what you would gain by changing them.

“flexy bike?

The Kaffenback may not be “beefed” up specifically for the purpose of carrying loads, but Id be surprised if anyone who owned one would consider it to fragile for touring duties. Your criticism of a frame may be appropriate for aluminium cross frames or lighter road trainer 700c frames, but the kaffenback is a pretty substantial beast.”

4lb is not substantial at all for a steel frame. I didn’t say that it’s too fragile for touring, I said it’s a bit light for full camping loads.

My bike (Thorn Audax) isn’t flexy unladen – my weight is supported by the seat tube which is substantially beefier than the rear stays that support panniers. That’s why Thorn use heavier gauges for their full touring bikes.

Though given that the OP isn’t planning to do full blown camping, this is all irrelevant anyway.

“As for the “weight” of a frame suitable for touring however, the technical limitations of, say, a steel kaffenback relative to a Dawes Galaxy are de minimis unless you’re a clydesdale. Even if you load the bike with 30Kg (mad, but possible) then the combined weight of a chap and kit is going to be in the order of 100-110kg. Which if it was going to be a problem would mean a weight limit for just a rider on the frame of the same mass…cant say Ive seen such advice for the kaffenback…”

You’re comparing apples and oranges. Touring luggage places direct loads on specific parts of the frame, different to the load placed by the rider. That’s why many light touring bikes have luggage weight limits, and why full touring bikes tend to be a bit heavier, as they are beefed up in the right places.

If the effect of luggage is minimal as you claim, explain why two full panniers induce noticeable flex in the back of my bike at speed, yet I notice no flex at all when riding unladen.

It’s all academic anyway – I suspect nearly everyone puts raw food on chopping boards rather than directly onto worktops, so your chopping boars is surely far more important than your choice of worktop. I actually use plastic chopping boards because I can put them in the dishwasher.

“So, wood not better than anti-bacterial plastic, then? Or did I miss something?”

You missed something. The experiment was looking at how long different surfaces resist bacteria, once they have been cleaned with an antibacterial spray or wipe.

Wood did better than anti-bacterial plastic.

“Those anti-bacterial plastic boards, actually. On a Stainless Steel counter.”

Mine uses a wooden block. I doubt that environmental health would allow him to do so if it posed any risk to his customers.

“The hygiene thing, well, I wouldn’t want to place a lot of faith in a material with lots of minute grooves and cracks in it’s surface. And I’ve seen some pretty manky wooden worktops. The top may not show much, but have a look underneath…”

Take a look at what your local butcher cuts his meat on…they’re subject to regular hygiene inspections.

An ex of mine had stainless steel worktops in her kitchen – they looked good for about 5 minutes but scratched really easily. Restuarants use them because they take hot pans and are easy to clean, not because they look good.

I scratched the laminate worktop in my old kitchen through to the chipboard underneath – only repair option would have been replacement. With wood being solid you can leave it without worries, or sand it down.

We halved our water bill by switching to a meter. Rateable value is low as we’re only council tax band B.

“Does no-one involved in catering watch that Gordon Ramsey programme where he gives that exact same advice every single week? Good local ingredients, simple menu, tidy decor.”

You’d think not! Unless I’m going really upmarket (when I would expect a bit of ponciness on the menu) it’s how I judge a restaurant. If they’re offering a dozen or more main courses then you know the ingredients aren’t going to be fresh. Coversely if you see a menu with 4 or 5 choices, and a nod to seasonal, local ingredients, it’s almost always going to be half decent grub.

Stoner – those pictures prove nothing as they show lightly loaded bikes. Whilst it’s possible to camp with that light a load, most people don’t. And anyone who really loads up a 4lb frame is asking for trouble.

MMW – yeah, matching bikes, matching panniers, etc, etc. I see your point! I reckon a Kaffenback would be a good, cheap option for B&B touring. I had a look at one the other day and was surprised at how close the clearances are though – I reckon 32C plus guards would be the absolute limit.

I haven’t eaten in the Little Chef for years. This programme reminded me why – the food is rubbish, and it’s not even cheap rubbish. Best of luck to HB but he’ll never succeed so long as the David Brent type in charge doesn’t want to address the fundamental problems – nasty ingredients, tatty decor, overlong menu.

What sort of touring? If you’re planning on camping then you might want something a bit more sturdy than the options already mentioned. Dawes Super Galaxy is the obvious choice. If not, have a look at audax type bikes. I have a Thorn Audax and it was perfect for the B&B/ YHA LEJOG I did the other year.

We had oak worktops installed about 18 months ago, and overall we’re very pleased with them. We used Howdens for the wood and Danish oil to treat it. It does pick up the odd nick or scatch – you can sand them out if you want, but I think they look fine as they are. I don’t know why people keep going on about hygiene – the surface is sealed with the oil and in any case you use wooden chopping boards without any worries. We only use Ecover type cleaning products, as I think anything more agrresive might attack the oil.

Like others have said, if you’re the kind of person likely to put hot pans directly onto the surface, they’re not for you. Get a trivet!

I once saw a horse throw its rider off – I went over to check if she was ok, and received a load of abuse, saying how it was my bike that had spooked it. Given that I was some distance away, wheeling my bike through a gate when it happened, this seemed highly unlikely. Perhaps the next time I fall off due to a lack of talent, I’ll head over to the nearest stables to give them some abuse.

Closest is Trenchard Street multistorey. You’ll struggle to find anywhere free without a lengthy walk.

Thanks for the feedbaack. SLX it is – CRC have them at £36 a pair.

We had talktalk broadband & phone, they were so awful at resolving a line fault that we moved to Virgin. Who turned out to be even worse to deal with (yes sir, we will port your number – 1 month later and still nothing)so we’re back with talktalk.

I did LEJOG in 2007, over 12 days, We stayed in YHAs and B&Bs, which keeps the luggage weight right down compared with camping. I also like a hot shower in the evening, before heading to the pub to carbo load, courtesy of the local ale.

One top tip I would give you on route planning, is to buy a superscale spiral bound Philips atlas. Tear out the pages you need, highlight the route, and then laminate the pages. You then have a lightweight, waterproof map for the whole journey.

The theory about starting at LE is based on the prevailing wind, but you can’t rely on it so I wouldn’t worry about it. We had headwinds all the way to Scotland.

Cornwall & Devon are by far the hardest part of the route, so if you make it as far as Somerset, you’ll be fine. Whatever you do, avoid the dual carriageway part of the A30. It’s a motorway in all but name. Dartmoor is beautiful, but a tough climb and very exposed. Some people go via Okehampton & Crediton instead.

The bike I used was a Thorn Audax – ideally suited for this kind of trip as it is lighter than a full blown tourer, but will carry enough luggage if you’re not camping. I recommend Ortlieb panniers – tough as old boots.

My daily distances were about 75 miles, I would advise a bit shorter at the beginning and a bit longer once you’re into your stride.

As others have said, the CTC LEJOG forum is a great resource. There’s some posts from me on there under the same username.

^^

Incorrect usage of the reflexive pronoun.

Why would dishwashers make these knives go blunt?

Why not buy a decent set off ebay then flog them again afterwards? That way you’ll only end up paying a bit of postage.

Gaggia classic & Dualit burr grinder here. Some don’t seem to rate the grinder but I’ve been delighted with it, and it’s a lot cheaper than most of the others mentioned so far.

I had the wet weather seals installed on mine and used Manitou grease with no problems. Only needed one service in 2 years’ use.

Can’t help with the set up as I flogged them a couple of years back, so can’t remember where the dials were.