So how much ‘stretchy’ Mega stretch do you need to line a SWB T5?

There appears to be a bit of conflict on how much. 10m2 / 12m2 & Vanguard suggest 18m2?

Phoned Vanguard in Fort Bill (just up the road)…very helpful

So they recommend the best way forward is to apply a foil sticky backed material, then the wool type insulation, then cut ply panels to fit in the space and glue them in place. Once that’s all been done, you then carpet the lot.

Has anyone applied the foil to the wheel arches prior to the carpet…every little helps as they say!

So educate me a bit more…

What’s the difference between the sound deadening material and insulation?

Some of the sound boards I’ve seen like they are firm but playable and come with a sticky back?
What the best insulation…there’s some like above (firm board with sticky back) or the ‘wool’ type?

Is there a product that does both or are they mutually exclusive?

Is the best way forward then to apply:

[*]Sound deadening sticky backed panels to all the inserted areas then…[/*]
[*]Apply ‘wool’ or board insulation on top of that then…[/*]
[*]Carpet all exposed ‘raised’ areas then…[/*]
[*]Cut out and cover 2mm ply in the shape of the ‘inserts’ and screw in place?[/*]

Next set of questions after this is done is about seating! Any sources for 1+1+1 seats at reasonable money or should I sell another kidney?!

I ‘invested’ in a vacuum bag sealer (linky) which has worked fairly well for the last 2 years. I’ve brought everything from a full cooked breakfast (scrambled eggs in another smaller bag) to a full Indian take away. Simply boil everything in the bag and it’s good to go.

My son did his DoE last year and by all accounts the smell of Indian wafting across the moors made everyone a tad envious!

The down side and as others have suggested is the weight of BIB meals. I also have a fairly compact cook set for the bike which consists of a Alpkit BruPot with a 650Ti mug / stove / gas / meths & spork all packed inside. The BruPot is slightly too small for BIB meals especially if you’ve got several things to heat up but it works well.

I’m going to mess about with more dehydrated stuff this year to see if that’s any easier / tastier.

Oatcakes / nutella / salami / boil in the bag rice / fresh eggs held in this all work for me. I try not to take many sugary things until last thing at night as too much sugar gives me gut rot on longer rides.

I’m all for eating from a bag as opposed to from the bowl / mug. Washing up is always a chore when camping.

On a serious note, check your forks, a lot!

Good advice tazzymtb, I’m fully aware that you get what you pay for so I’m not expecting them to be ‘forks for life’. Health insurance all bought and paid for!

😉

How do you fit it to the headtube????

The steerer is a loose tube which you insert from the bottom (ahem) of the fork up through the head tube…simples. You then tighten the 2 bolts on the bottom and the 1 bolt on the top once you have it in place.

If the length and offset are the same as the originals, why should you need to adjust the stem length?

I originally ran some carbon forks. My guess is that the carbon fork flex’d considerably more than the truss thus dampening all the steering inputs. Because I now perceive no delay in the steering reaction it feels (to me) very twitchy compared to the original carbon fork.

Why so many cables though? I count 5..but you only need 3- rear & front brake + dropper..?

I also run the bike with a Rohloff when on longer rides and bike packing. The other 2 cables are for the shifter which I simply tie wrap up when not in use.

What’s the comfort like?

I’m only 2 (gentle) rides in but thus far it’s not noticeably harsher than the carbon fork. I tore my hamstring last weekend so I’ve not given it the full beans yet. I suspect it’ll be a little firmer when going full chat but IMO the steering precision makes up for that as you can steer with so much more precision & accuracy.

I reckon £1000.

Considerably more…I’m now down to one kidney!!

Clink…

As for Ti Truss forks on a Stooge…my custom one (made by XACD) shipped last week. It’s going on to my Mk2…will post photos when it comes!

More details please! Pics, geo, cost? Did you keep the same fork length and 55mm offset?

My post re the forks…linky

Mmmm….I’m not instantly taken…maybe it’ll grow on me. It look a bit too ‘angular’ to me…IMO.

As for Ti Truss forks on a Stooge…my custom one (made by XACD) shipped last week. It’s going on to my Mk2…will post photos when it comes!

Carried out a full fluid replacement & bleed and spent ages making sure everything was 100%.

Used wet & dry on the new disk and also used alcohol / oven so they are 100% clean. Fully scrubbed the new pads and baked them too.

System felt great after bedding in with no noise and great stopping power….but after 2 rides the brakes were again beginning to squeal and the stoping power is gone. The lever still feels great so I’m confident the system has no air. No obvious signs of leaking….sigh!

Dug out my receipt…bought them June 2015. Booked a warranty inspection from Evans later today. Worked out that the new disk & pads lasted a total of 12 hours riding before the performance diminishes……fingers crossed they find something!

So….to clarify, they are M785 brakes

What I want to know is….do the callipers eventually leak regardless of ‘maintenance’.

Had Hope X2s in the past and loved the initial bite but I never felt they had the same power as XT’s ‘when working’ properly.

Tempted to go back to them if I’m honest but man they cost a packet.

tuffgnarl – Member
Got a MK1 purple with a couple of stone chips, can anyone recommend a suitable touch up pen that’s a reasonable match? Perhaps for a particular car make/model so I could source it at Halfords?
Hang on, this isn’t 1978, they don’t do purple cars any more. Um, options?

After much hunting for a match I eventually opted for a few Humbrol model paint tins and mixed them together till I got a match…or very close.

Shameless photo opportunity! My new (to me) Mk2, setup as a SS with a 29+ front end and 650b+ rear.

WTB Ranger in 27.5×3 on a 40mm DT Swiss was far more capable than I thought it would be. I thought that coming from a 26×3.8 (on my other bike) would be very noticeable in terms of grip and cush, but it was very very close. Much faster for sure and as such you were through most things before loss of grip became a factor. Sliding about was actually good fun too!

I’ve wanted to scratch the MTB SS itch for a while now and this did not disappoint. I can see me riding this more than any other set up I’ve got.

Really surprised how good and easy it was…far faster than I thought it would be as you tend to carry more speed into obstacles and corners…me legs hurt a bit though so it was obviously harder than usual! Need to loose some more weight and get a bit fitter!

Thanks for all replies in my search for a frame.

Untitled by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

Cheers for the the offer spectabilis…I’m now sorted with a Mk2 build from cokie above. Your picture are nice, looks like a cracking build.

My kids use ‘moob’ on a regular basis…when I ask them what it meant I got the raised eyes and they called one…still don’t know what it means!

‘Tool’ is a favourite but for those occasions when nothing else will do:

Ya big/wee/ugly (delete as appropriate) lanky streak ‘o’ p&%h

I’d try it will both as the washer isn’t obviously working.

Had similar issues with our Jura F50.

PTFE tape should do the trick, 3 – 4 wraps should be enough.

I’d maybe take it easy on tightening things “as hard as it will go”…small threads on nuts / bushes / olives can easily split if over tightened. Check you’ve not got any hairline cracks when everything is tightened up.

^ what he said…!

Just did a little fettling on freespoke with a basic 650B rim with 5mm offset spoke holes.

Turns out a offset rim can be used with both a 15mm offset and 0mm offset with (I think) an acceptable tolerance in spoke tension and angle.

reversing the rim

Andy…now that’s a thought I hadn’t considered…cheers!

Spokes won’t offset it by 15mm though!

Yup, the 3.8 Hodag is what I was thinking about.

Surly replied to a query I sent saying they have no plans for a 650b rabbit hole. 🙁

As I say Lightbicycle make a 50mm one with offset holes…guess that’s my only option…was hoping there was something less spendy out there before jumping at the carbon loops. It’ll be light build I suppose.

One other question…has anyone tried a 650b x 3 on a 65mm rim? Nextie make a 65mm although I’ve yet to establish if they do offset drilling.

I should just buy a ‘normal bike’!

WTD….Now that dalhalvaig is sorted with his Mk2 stooge…does anyone have another one for sale please?!

Any colour / condition considered.

PM to stwrossatmedotcom

Thanks

What’s the biggest tyre a 35mm rim can take ‘safely’? I’m ideally hoping to squeeze a 3.8 on for sloppier months and then revert to 3.0 for the dryer times (ahem)

The World Cup XC trial is good but may be a bit damp and can be a bit techy when wet.
Loads of circular trails around the lochs which are very easy but scenic.

The best bet may to drop into Bothy Bikes in the town and Dave will be delighted to give you loads of options and maps.

BTW…there’s loads of snow on the way…

mechanicaldope – Member
I asked almost exactly this question earlier!

So it seems Vango is the best option then. Anyone bought one from their seconds sale…I live in Glasgow so the factory is close by.

I’m with a couple of guys above…

50mm f1.4…it make ‘me’ think about every shot and forces ‘me’ to consider the whole setting as opposed to a zoom lens which make ‘me’ lazy.

For the money, the low light functionality takes some beating too. Used it this summer in Portugal for a shoot at sunset on the beach and the quality of photos (on a 70D) made me very happy!

futon river crossing – Member
Unless you’re riding on snow a lot, then 3.8” for the rear, and 4.8” for the front would be my choice, with 65mm Carbon rims.

+1

I’ve been on everything in between with more or less every tyre combo out there. Unless you’re riding on snow….

I’d also echo the 150mm front end. Just in the process of ‘upgrading’ mine from 135 to 150 for this reason. They’ll also fit my new Ti Truss forks when the arrive from the far east!

Good timing…been thinking about how to do this too.

I work for a client in the city 2-3 days a week. Used to commute via a SS for years before I went self employed and really miss it. Result!

Now to decide what bike best suits the business…!

I’ve been looking for a ‘winter’ replacement for my trusty Brooks Ti B17….it’s just too wet here throughout the winter and it sits in a permanent wet state which isn’t the best….so….after a full 12 months I’ve finally settled on a WTD Pure V. Here’s my list of tried / tested / failed as it happened.

1. Brooks C15 Cambium – 2/10 – like sitting on a brick but the brick was comfier.
2. Fabric Ti Scoop – 3/10 – lasted 1 x 2hr ride, too hard
3. Fizik Gobi – 5/10 – too narrow and slightly too hard
4. Specialised Phenom – 6/10 – hot spots after 2.5hrs
5. Charge Spoon – 7/10 – getting there but hot spots after 3.5hrs
6. WTB Pure V – 10/10….JOY OH JOY!

Have a look at the WTB site, they recommend measuring your sit bones and then campaign that to their fixing chart which eventually pointed me in the right direction.

At the end of the day..you just have to try a few…

Thanks for the replies…should have thought of the spannerbike resource before! Much more bedtime reading to do!

Let me know how it goes as I’m always on the look out for bikes to feature…

Andrew.

Cheers Andrew…I may be in touch in the near future!

dovebiker – Member
Been dealing with Waltly and XACD for many years and some of my bikes are on Andrew’s Spanner.org webby.

Good to know dovebiker…thanks. I totally agree re the service thus far from Wally…they have been very very easy and helpful. Having been through the whole design and build process with Ben I know exactly what I want already…the only bit I’ll be stuck on is the tubing sizes so some more research is needed on that front. Will drop XACD a note and get their input.

What about a squid fork?

Check out Ted James instagram page for a few pics:

Good shout…I’ll check out his stuff too.

A very rare brass fly fishing reel.

I inherited a beautiful split cane rod and hand made brass reel from a relative. As a daft 16 year old I went out by myself on the local loch for the day on the boat along with 2 other boats. I was 15min on the way home before I figured it out and went back for it. Presumably one of the other boat users (tossers) had pocketed it when they came in at the end of their session.

I remind my self of this every time my 15 year old looses ‘another’ glove / hat / jacket / top when on their DOE outing!

3 and no. Wish we’d started earlier…

Mental amount of work / stress / worry / sleepless nights / arguing / fretting….but it’s getting better by the day. Doing the GGW tomorrow with my oldest (15) and then the Cairngorm loop in the Oct week. We’ll argue, fight, sulk, probably belt eachother around the lugs a few times (metiforically speaking of course) but the rewards, friendship, companionship FAR exceeds all the crap.

Good pictures Atomizer…thanks.

Unless you’re frequently on the very limit of cornering ‘leaning’ traction the outside knobs could be trimmed a bit.

How was the 650b+ wheel size compared to 29+. From previous research I think the 650b+ hodag comes out at circa 750mm which is circa 15mm smaller than my 29+ Chronicle on a 50mm rim.

More thinking to do….!

Anyone?

I’m running 2 sets…29×50 & 26×65…both run on my fully rigid frame.

The front’s are on a 135 Hope Fatsno with DTswiss spokes.

The rears are offset drilled to accommodate my Rohloff on the offset rear traingle of my frame.

The 29 set have been great with no issues to speak of.

The 26 rear with a 4.8 at 8psi failed after about 5 months. I ‘think’ that the fact that the rim is offset drilled make for a slightly weaker rim. The rim cracked on both external & internal walls…not something that can be repaired.

To be fair, I was going full chat down a long landrover track. I’m not aware of hitting anything although there are a few deep depressions in the trail that can buck you if you’re not careful. No strike marks or dings are on the rim.

LB were great…I sent off the associated photos of the rim and after a few back and forth emails they came back within 48 hours with a new rim under warranty. Top marks from me on that front.

I’m putting the failure down to the fact that a) the wheel is built up as an offset wheel thus placing more pressure on the external face and not the centre of the rim. That being said it was the opposite side that failed not the offset side b) I was going at full speed c) at 185lbs I’m no weight weenie…more pies please!

Chaps….great great things here…thanks very much…that’s helped.

Since posting this….he’s texted both of us saying he was very sorry. That’s a genuine sorry BTW and not a ‘oh man…I’m in deep doo doo when I get home’ sorry.

maccruiskeen…I totally agree…if we constantly criticise them then should we be surprised if our kids grown up to be critical…and so on. FTR, it was in jest…sort of!

He joined me and a few chums on our local MTBing evening spin the other night for the first time….incidentally destroying us all on the hills….and we ended up in the local for a beer afterwards (milk for him!). The group is made up principally of professionals / Doctors / Engineers so he’s being introduced to that side of life…it was interesting to see him sit in the corner observing our ‘chat’ about life / work / stuff.

We’re in Glasgow so plenty of nice & trendy student places to choose from….I’ll just be out of place!

Last nights pulled pork with a little BBQ sauce….fried in butter then combined with a three egg omelette with some double cream mixed in for good measure….splendid.

Arteries seem to be a sore this afternoon…

Great, thanks scotroutes. That was my thinking but better getting it from someone who knows the local terrain better than I do.

I’ve walked all this area loads as a young loon when I lived in Inverness but that was 25years ago and now I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night….sigh!

No worries highlandman..here’s a screen shot.

My questions is would this be easier going clockwise or anti clockwise starting and stoping in feshie?

Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 16.28.57 by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr