I have a Kona minute. It has been the best bike for generally everything I have ever had. To the point that a lot of other bikes have come and gone in th3 7 years I have had it. It’s set up with a single hamax on the rear rack that slides on and off when needed to move a child. I use a tubus Tara front rack to carry stuff when moving kids about and a rack top pack when the seat is off. I use it everyday. Light and nimble.

Fensa is a pointless set up IMO. We had a bad experience with a window installation. Fensa didn’t want to know, said seek building regs guidance. Building regs were not interested as they were replacement windows. We were told the best method was to bad mouth the said company on social media!

Are you 100% sure its leaking through and not drawing down your flue in through your stove? We have an open fire place in the kitchen and stove in the front room. The draw on the open fireplace is very strong and can cause a down draught in the front room. Having a higher pot on one of the flews can eliviate this. Do you and your neighbour have trickle vents and enough airflow also. Double glazing and new airtight houses don’t lend themselves to open fires.

Get a nice little tig inverter, it will have the ability to do most stuff you require including Stick, also AC is an advantage if you want to do Alu. Single phase 16A will be fine on most stuff. They run a little rough on AC but smooth out after a few seconds to produce good welds.  Also A foot pedal will give you precise control when learning.

we have 3 phrase and single phase at work with the single being used most for small jobs,

It will be worth chasing up the warranty but if that fails and you can get it up to Peterborough I can fix that for you. It’s on the seat tube so if it does go again it shouldn’t be catastrophic.

Where are you located?

Got a picture. Where are you located.

Not to keen on a day of pushing :0(

I use these https://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/shop/army-surplus-uk/soldier-95-clothing/mittens-extreme-cold-weather-521167.html?pid=1403356&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgomsv63S2QIVb7ftCh2b2AMxEAQYAiABEgJdUvD_BwE when it gets below zero. Cheap and very effective.

2.2″ Small blk 8 or bounty Xr2 tubeless. They cope with almost every weather with the correct tyre pressure.

i got my Mrs a Nokia steel.  Its also a fancy pedometer but It’s waterproof, the battery lasts 8 months and it looks like a normal watch. It doesn’t have a hr monitor but the steel HR does which is a bit more dosh.

I was that impressed so got one myself.

The watch auto syncs with the paired phone. I would say the app is evolving still but gives you info about activities.

Garmin do a watch looking one now which looks good also.

I would love to try a pinion box bike. Especially this https://www.vannicholas.com/touring-bikes/deveron

They do a disc version now I think.

Daffy,Where did you get the set up? And how much would it cost? I run shimano ultegra and hope v twins at the moment which are a good set up but the alfine/hydro set up would be perfect.

Daffy, is that an Aldine 8 or 11 DI2 set up? Been looking at this kind of thing for my escapade.

I have two commuters. A kona minute with drop bars and a cotic escapade.

The kona did 4 years solid as my only ride and has clocked up over 30k miles. It runs on fat schwalbe marathon supreme’s most of the time so can feel a little sluggish but very smooth also. Its been faultless. Its got claris 8 speed which again, is super reliable and superb value for money. It can carry anything and go anywhere.

The cotic came along last April. It has just ticked around to 6k miles and is brilliant mile muncher. It has ten speed group and hope wheels. Its also been faultless. It is about 2km hour faster than the kona for the same effort.

My Mrs had a surly disc trucker with a Alfine 8. It is a great bike also.

Its a buyers market.

If I was to change, it would be for a kona sutra or disc trucker I think but can’t see that anytime soon.

I take it you will be abroad somewhere? I would look at what the locals have as if it goes wrong you need to be able to get it fixed quickly.

On a long commute the rack will be worth keeping. Tyres will make the most difference as always. The wheels won’t make much difference. Get the most out of the originals.

I would just use it as is and try to relax about the speed of the ride. Long commuting year round isn’t a race, its just part of the day. If you try and hammer it you will soon loose the will quickly. Ride it as it is for a full year, then re assess and when stuff wears out replace it with a better bit.

EBB Shell Insert

Ebb’s. Such a great thing but such a pain also. I have had a few on my single speeds and got the better of them all eventually. When you remove the whole ebb unit how much clearance/play is there between the shell and ebb? If it is a baggy fit then that won’t help. Bikeman(Carver) in America does a good sleeved ebb unit that is easily shimmed to fit snug before tightening.
The other thing and probably most likely is that the shell is deformed. What happens is that when the frame is welded on manufacture the weld areas on the chainstays, down tube and seat tube deform the shell very slightly. Higher end frame’s are machined out after welding. Lower end frames are not. The ebb tightens on these high spots then rocks from side to side with the pedaling motion slowly loosening. A good machine shop should be able to whip a thou or two out to make it good, then paired with a shim it will be creak/slippage free.

Nokia steel is a very good choice. I got one for the Mrs for Christmas. Looks like a nice normal watch, battery lasts 8 months and its water proof. Just those three things sold it. Super simple display and very easy to use app for getting more info.

Last year was superb. The weather was amazing unlike the previous two times I had done it. A 11/34 cassette is perfect paired with a compact chainset. Better to be looking at it than for it when hardknott appears.

Berlingo! I have a 55 plate which has been faultless for the 6 years we have owned it. The most practical car ever. The sliding doors make everything child and family related so simple. Also you can stand up on the rear door steps to roof mount bikes with ease. Massive tailgate to shelter under and bomb proof engines. We won’t get rid of it until it’s dead then will replace it with another.

Nasty edge? I have never seen or been involved in any trouble in Stamford. And squadies? Never had any issue.

If your train is coming from Leicester, its worth having a cheeky pint in the grainstore at Oakham. Pub is on the platform and is excellent.

What direction is your train coming from?
Anyway, Stamford has some of the best Ale houses in the area. I would (Pub crawl done many times) start at the bull and swan, then the George then the queen Marys vaults. Next would be the kings Head then the Toby Norris. Lord Burghley next then off to the crown. green man next them out the back door, through waitrose car park to the jolly brewer. From there off to the Melbourne Bros then round to the golden fleece. Finally a pint in the weather spoons before the train home

I’ve said before on other threads but will say again, I love it. Had it for 5 Years, averaged about 8k miles on it a year commuting and hauling the kids. Just fitted a tubus low rider rack so shopping runs are easier with the hamax fitted. My 6 year old still fits in the seat so I wouldn’t worry about the weight limit. It is a very verditile bike. Its been used for touring. The last big one was the NC500. Longest ride was 210 miles. Road bike fast but cargo bike capable.NC500[/url]

my minute.[/url]

Same as bez, my bike is always ready. Gave up taking the mud guards off years ago as we seem to gave more rain in the summer. One bike = a used bike.

How tall is your Mrs? I built up a surly disc trucker for my Mrs. its 26″ flavour to negate toe overlap. It has full guards and a alfine 8. Its a lovely bike. Super smooth and reliable.

NC500. Brilliant ride through the best scenery the UK has to offer.

http://www.circecycles.com/products/solutions/child-carrying/

If cost wasn’t an option and I was looking to replace the minute I would get a circ Helios.

I have a kona minute. Slightly shorter than a ute. Its brilliant for everyday life. I have had it for 5 years and it is my default go to bike. Perfect for dropping the kids off at school then commuting to work. I have covered an average of 8k miles on it a year over the last three years. Like previous comments, the rear deck is fairly high but I have never considered it unstable. The wide centre stand is perfect for loading and unloading. Its also good for touring. Its not as big as an all out cargo bike but this can be seen as a bonus as it makes it more usable in everyday life.

I have Claris 8 speed sti’s on my tourer/commuter. Absolutely faultless over the last three years. The anodising has worn off the levers but that’s it. Paired with an old xtr mtb mech the shift is super crisp. And as 8 speed stuff is so cheap it’s perfect for everyday high mileage.

I built up a 26″ wheel Surly disc trucker with a Alfine 8 for the Mrs. She loves it. Very stable and super smooth. The chain runs dead straight and needs very little lube. Just a drop of dry lube then a wipe to remove excess. It has a rack and hamax for the youngest. The belt thing would be more hassle than its worth IMO.

I live in the middle of the fens.

I have an open grate fire in the kitchen and stove in the front room. What is evident when using the stove is that the smoke drops a lot quicker. It almost rolls down the roof in the winter. The open grate runs with a higher flue temp meaning the smoke is hotter on exit making it rise faster and away. Stoves need to be run hot to be clean. A lot of people have a to big stove than what is required
and have it heavily damped down resulting in a dirty burn

The frame was faced and chased on initial build by my LBS. I watched the guy do it.
My experience is that I’m an engineer.
Pre load is very light using a park tool hand held thingamabob.
My ht 2 mtb bb last forever which is the confusing thing.
I am under the assumption that all shimano HT2 bb’s are the same? Just different shades and weight?
Would a hope be any better?
Try a different chain set seems the straight forward option, but if I’m going to do that I may as well go back to SQ taper.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2056088.m4084.l2632.R2.TR6.TRC1.A0.H0.Xkona+dew.TRS0&_nkw=kona+dew&_sacat=7294