What size frame are you after? Kona dew’s come up on eBay and are brilliant bikes.

Cotic road rat or escapade? Or an old disc MTB with 700 c wheels.

I have Claris 8speed on my work horse. Running 34/42 on the front and a 12/34 cassette. It’s been faultless for 4 years and over 30k miles. My route is fairly flat. The 42 ring is perfect for most if the ride just dropping it down to the 34 on a hill near work. Chain line runs straight at 15 to 17 mph to extend chain life which is roughly 6 months/ 4K miles. Cassette normally lasts a year and the chain rings have been on for three.
I contemplated going Alfine but can’t see the need as the Claris stuff works just fine.

I think it sounds terminal. Some ratchet rings screw in, most are pressed in. Any movement of the ring means that more than likely the hub has given up. Email the manufacturer to see what they could do.
The torque going through that part is massive so the fit will have to be dynamite.

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kona-Ute-cargo-bike-20-frame-lots-of-upgrades-Hope-Avid-Agu-/263157224744?hash=item3d45649528%3Ag%3AbSgAAOSwlWFZmY4K&_trkparms=pageci%253Ad4939fdb-8976-11e7-9a69-74dbd1801373%257Cparentrq%253A18b29cc815e0a99be97f850affffbcfb%257Ciid%253A1

For anyone wanting a cargo bike.
For reference I have a Minute and it is the most used bike I have.

The Mrs has them on a disk trucker. Very good value for money and as good as brakes twice the price.

Bonty XR1 or Small blk 8’s?

I looked at a pace frame a few years back with a crack longitudinal down the center of the head tube. It wasn’t repairable Safely in my opinion. But that depends on how much you value your teeth.

There is nothing like a new bike But, there is nothing as comfy as an old faithful bike. Just upgrade the worn out bits of the old ride? It feels good totally wearing stuff out then replacing it with new shiney bits.

Im rolling old hope xc’s on Mavic CXP 33 rims. Absolutely bomb proof. Never been inclined to weigh them but they are reasonable. They are 2 years old and done easily over 12k miles.
If i was to swap them it would be for some XTR hubs (just for the ease of cup and cone with a bit of bling) on open pro CD rims or Hplus TB14’s. I think these would build up lovely and easily under £500.
Its a buyers market.
What type of riding do you do?

If you use a HT2 triple chainset you might find you have to change the front mech due to the fixed chain line. You might be able to file the stops to get it to drop into the little ring. A MTB ht 2 double would be the best option as previously stated if SQ taper is not floating your boat.

What bb does your frame run? If its threaded, go for a square taper chain set from spa cycles. Really cheap and good quality. Spec any rings you want (MTB) then fine tune the chain line with the bb spindle length. For reference I run middle burn cranks with 32/42 rings this can be lowered as well. You won’t need bigger than 42 on the front. Your touring not racing.

I was there with some friends. It was the perfect day. So glad I put a 34t block on the back as it made the whole ride achievable. I saw 3 riders down in total, 2 on honister and 1 big get off on the descent of hardknott. The guy had totally missed the second switch back (25% down hill) and went off the edge dropping into a ravine. Didn’t look nice at all. Hope they are all OK. It is a great sportive, I hope it keeps the same atmosphere now it’s being run by a different company.

What spec and temper is the Alu at the moment? I have repaired a few in the past (whyte,Marin,santacruz, etc.) all without further heat treatment and as far as I know they are all still going.
With Alu frame repairs it is down to the location of the crack/break. If it is more towards the front in a critical position I would bin the frame. Towards the rear and less critical is always worth a go if the frame you believe the frame is worth it.

After years of my mrs trying to get the hang of derailleurs, I got hold of an 8spd alfine. The Mrs loves it. Finds it perfect. Paired with a more upright riding position, and a proper female spec saddle and proper female kit it has transformed her riding ambitions. I would go to the LBS and get her measured up. It will cost you a bit but will be worth it long term.

I have a kona minute. Had it for four years. Use it every day clocking up 7k miles a year average. Its brilliant. It takes 1 hamax and panniers with ease. For two kids, a Ute or surly big dummy would be ace. There is also the circ Helios tandem/family bike that looks amazing.

I have a nice fluro green jake the snake I can move on. 56cm, ultegra 10spd group, aksium wheels. Was looking for £500. Let us know if you would like some pics :0)

I have a very nice fluro green Jake the Snake needing a new home, it does have cantis not disc but is very nice and super light.

Second the cotic or maybe a kona rove. Nice big comfy tyres and big mudguards with clearance and a long flap up front to keep your feet dry. The surly disc trucker is another mile muncher that would tick the boxes.

Second the cotic or maybe a kona rove. Nice big comfy tyres and big mudguards with clearance and a long flap up front to keep your feet dry. The surly disc trucker is another mile muncher that would tick the boxes.

The Mrs is 5ft4″. 46cm looks like the best option?

Rusty, is your lht set up flat bar or dropped? I think the disc lht is what we will go for. Just want to be sure to get the sizing right.

At the moment she rides a 15″ ht MTB. I don’t know of any shops near me that sell surly. (Peterborough) I think the disc lht will make a really nice ride. Have considered the ogre as it might have a alfine going on it.

Thanks for the info. I have the alfine 8 already. The frame is for the Mrs so needs to be small but Thanks for the offer JPR. I’m half tempted to just get one and have a go. On a flip side the surly lht looks good but would need a tensioner and is more cash. Any recommendations on alternative frames greatly received.

I have had v twins on my commuter/tourer for over two years now clocking over 14k miles on it. They have been very reliable. Like the other posts say, cable set up is very important. I change my cables every six months or do to keep it fresh. Also, last year I had to change the two little o rings behind the cable adjusters on the front of the unit. Using GT85 on the cables to keep them lubbed sprayed in at the sti end the oil had made its way down to the head unit and swelled the o rings making the resistance on the lever stiff. Once changed and lubbed with red Greece they were all good again. So in a nut shell, super reliable and plenty powerful enough for a road bike. Oh and I’m still on the original pads and reckon get will last another year.

rockettrides.com. the guy holds the record for the lejogle. His book about it is a good read.

I have a Kona Minute fittted with drop bars. it is my go to bike for everything. It has a hamax on the back for the school run which comes off in seconds to make a fast tourer/commuter. Rides well off road loaded and unloaded and is just great fun. Stiff aluminium frame means no flex but with enough post sticking out to make it really comfortable.

Me and a friend rode it last september and did it in 5 days light touring using youth hostels.
It was a fantastic ride but very tough. We are thinking of doing it again this year but over 7 days.
The roads are almost totally traffic free but roll very slowly due to the surface.

Day 1 . Inverness to applecross
day 2. Applecross to ullapool
Day 3. ullapool to tongue
day 4 Tongue to helmsdale
Day 5. Helmsdale to Inverness

550miles and LOTS of climbing :0)

Just seen the “stuck bolt” bit on the OP. I would flatten the top, centre dot the top then centre drill. Slowly step up the drills. Chances are that as you get close to the original thread root dia it will drive the remaining thread out. Then a quick clean out with a tap.

What’s up with the old one? Is it loose or totally threaded? Also, if you pop it through into the frame, can you get it out?

Three days might well be an option. I will sit down and plot a route this weekend then post it on here to get opinions. Keep the suggestions coming! It looks like it will be epic:0)

Not much MTB for me this year but lots of good riding :0)

Cleaning all the climbs at the fred whitton
[/url]orig_23722_155176498355509060b7845 by rents2[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Riding the NC 500
[/url]IMG_20150904_172538083_HDR by rents2[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Going on an adventure with my lad and riding the Dava way
[/url]IMG_20150615_120924338_HDR by rents2[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[/url]IMG_20150615_111651353_HDR by rents2[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[/url]IMG_20150904_095740584_HDR by rents2[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Kona Minute! I bought this a few years back to take my lad about with me and since then it has become the #1 bike in my stable.
Its good for everything. Club runs, chain gangs, touring, gravel roads and the odd bit of singletrack (with the little’un)
I commute on it everyday all year round and it never lets me down.

when you say “front wheel in stand” what do you mean? Front wheel off and using a frame?

On the second pic located at the six o’clock position on the steerer, looks like if could be de lamination? Put the expander back in 3/4 of the way in an slowly torque up. Look in suspected location for separation or miss alignment at the top of the steerer.

I had the same with a set of pace rigid forks. If you are not sure I wouldn’t use them as is as a steerer tube failure is not good. I managed to fix mine by machining a aluminium bung that was almost a press fit that extended into the steerer past the top race. Then epoxied it in. The bung had a tapped hole for top cap screw. Been fine for three years now. It just means the steerer can’t be cut.

First off, Have you measured the internal diameter of the frame and the external diameter of the ebb (with the wedge screwed in)? They should be very similar in size. I have a carver 69er with the said ebb. The frame shell was distorted from welding in the manufacturing process. Only by 0.75mm. This was enough to create high spots in the shell and not get full contact on the ebb body. Resulting in it coming loose all the time. The only way to fix this was to bore out the shell so it was perfectly cylindrical then make a new sleeve for the ebb so it is a very good fit before tightening. In three years it hasn’t moved or slipped once. I have also done this mod on singular swifts with carver ebb’s with perfect outcomes. It is a bit “involved” but does guarantee a trouble free Bushnell ebb.

Really enjoyed it this year. We were on the shonky green Tandem :0) Started off steady and felt fairly fresh at Hardknott and wrynose. Managed to get up and over everything which was the only plan for the day. I did absolutely s##t myself going down kirkstone (first major downhill). I Let the brakes go at the top and realised when i got to the chicane 1/3 of the way down that the brakes didn’t have the power to scrub off that amount of speed so just had to go with it. luckily the stoker was oblivious. Our final time was 8hr30mins which was well inside what we had hoped for so really chuffed.
The support all around the course was amazing making it a fantastic day out.
Hope to be back next year looking for sub 8 hrs and will defo have a dragbrake or disc on the rear :0)

Our Tandem is just about ready with triple and 34t on the back for the long ups. I Was looking forward to the descents but feeling a little reserved as it gets closer. It’s a rocket ship down hill!

I Have a Minute. very very good bike. shorter than a ute but longer than your normal bike by about 120mm. This gives it good load carrying ability. It is fast and fairly well spec’d. id recommend one to anyone for anything :0)