@jameso I hope you can clarify the stock situation, I see that Evans website is saying no Arkose 2 until October, is this a realistic date ?

When would the 2019 colours / model be released ?

I use these guys for painting stuff through my business. They do a variety of item but have never asked about bike frames.

They are based in Crawley, ask for Ben….

https://www.universalappliedcoatings.co.uk/

I have got a coupe of merino mix tops from Mountain warehouse. I think I paid around £15 for them.

They wash really well on a normal wash cycle.

Can’t go wrong at the price.

Never had the pleasure of carbon bars so can’t comment on the differences in feel.

Weight saving has never been an issue either bearing in mind I probably weigh over 100kg in my cycling gear :)

I’d rather save the money and spend it on a nice cold cider at the end of the ride !

I’m torn between a single or a double chain ring version.

What are the feelings and experience of people that have gone one way or the other ?

I’m expecting my riding to be mainly leisure, maybe some bikepacking but will with some steepish off road hills.

Cant be bothered to answer your questions but I can’t believe that nobody else has picked up on your obvious error !!!

Your bike is out of action ?

Surely this is a clear and obvious case of n+1 ?

Agreed, the conditions are superb at the moment.

biggest problems will be sweat and dust !

Keep us updated as to where you will be when.

I’ve got plenty of Double Edged Swords you can have free of charge !

Blackspire Snaggletooth as well here, seemed to run very smoothly and quietly .

Plenty of sizes and colours is a bonus.

Old inner tube sliced in half length ways makes 2 nice stretchy straps

I’ve just fitted some friction door restrictors onto my patio doors so they can be left in any position.

Got them from Screwfix

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mila-door-opening-restrictor-stainless-steel-satin-75-150-/5325P?kpid=5325P&ds_kid=92700024372759989&ds_rl=1247848&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2PCMyL_d2wIVR54bCh2I-wkAEAQYASABEgKXsPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKKKhs2_3dsCFUdi0wodxvcBEA

Note that the picture is wrong but they fit into the Euro groove on the door and frame.

As Northwind says. I never really missed a suspension fork on my Dune unless you were getting some air on it. This weekend was probably the first time I missed it on my Kona Wo, stay rigid !

Definitely go 4.8 on the front :)

There are plenty of taps along the route as well as the designated stops, provided you know where the taps are !

As above 2 bottles should be fine.

Personally I would want to take some proper food and not just rely on gels. Didn’t think there was food available at the designated stops as it is supposed to be self supported or have things changed ?

A car like that I would expect that both sizes of wheel will fit over the same brakes. I can’t see that they would offered a different set of brakes on that model.

The gearing, speed issue will probably not a thing as although you are going for a smaller wheel the tyres are a higher profile which will help equalise the difference in size. No I’ve looked up to see what the exact differences are !

Might be worth having a word with a local scrappy to see if he has any wheels you can test if you are worried about the size aspect of it.

Good to hear that you finished it without any major issues.

Always good to set the bar for next time.

Well done !

Jameso _ I just need to order a particular adventure bike now to load my gear onto.😁

I’ve been the same thoughts after watching Abandoned Engineering the other day and thinking i would love to exp!ore more.

Just tagging along with nothing to add.

I’ve got about £250 so at 3x that goes a long way towards a new Arkose !

No dear, I have no idea what happened to those vouchers……..

@molgrips just to inform my Osprey is a Raptor as well.

Loads of different pockets and a handy tool roll as well.

I’ve been running an Osprey for last few years and cant fault it. I would say that it ticks your boxes for sure.

Find the number for your local dog warden, they normally jump on this sort of behaviour in my experience.

If that fails then size 10 winter boots on your next descent.

Round turn and 2 half hitches for me !

There are threads on howcto do this safely over on Barebones. Details on the kit and what to look out for.

Btw, comparing a liquified gas to a compressed gas is not a good idea.

The V1 frames at £149 are only in Small….

Definitely not the mud tyres. Go with what has more volume and less tread.

As mentioned above, its pretty dry now and the recent rain just dries up immediately rather than hanging around. Just means it helps keep the dust down a little.

I second the comment about the tyre boot, there are a lot of spare flints about that can rip any tyre wide open.

Where abouts are you planning to stop out of interest ?

I’ve just bought a Fitbit Versa. That has got Strava built in but I’ve not used it yet.

Might be worth taking a look .

Thursday night is beer night at the Gun in Finding, cycling is optional 😂😂

Love the way the route finishes in the cemetery 😂

I can confirm that BigSi is still around, whether he knows who he sold it to is another matter.

I’m sure that email address is still valid for him, if not let me know.

I feel your pain in more ways than one ! Constant low level pain can be very debilitating.

Ive had 2 back operations and its taken 8 years to get to the point where I dont have pain every day .Think Pilates really helped for this .

I’ve also suffered gout on a regular basis for a few years .This winter it got to the point where I was suffering attacks every other week. Allopurinol has sorted that out.

I had a decompression operation on one shoulder a few years back, I think it’s nearly time for the other one to be done.

Can’t wait for my 50th birthday this year 😁

I passed my test at 17 and my first car was a Triumph Dolomite Sprint in Mimosa yellow.

What a great car from a fun perspective when it was running properly. Went like s**t off a shovel but needed 2 feet on the brake pedal to try and slow it down again.

The overdrive gearbox was a thing of beauty at the time.

Had 2 more of them over the years and wish I still had one….

@linchpin – the best forward is to replace the double for a single chain ring set up on the front. You then might need a bigger cassette on the rear……

By the way, in terms of size I’m 5’11” and had a large frame.

I would certainly recommend getting a Dune.

Yes there are some that have cracked, and I have an example of it in my garage still !

The main problem seems to be caused by chain suck on the cheap chainset which is why many have been upgraded.

Id buying 2nd hand check the drive side chain stay where it meet the bottom bracket.

Great bike and will make you smile big time :)

Mrs B phone resides in the bottom of handbag on silent making contact with her is nigh on impossible.

This plus the fact that she wears a Fitbit 24/7 which shows phones call and text messages and she still fails to return my calls.

Just registering an interest :)

Not used any of them to be honest, I borrowed a Topeak one from a friend for a while and now tend to go by squeeze.

A word of caution, check which valves those gauges will fit on.

I had a disc herniate for a second time 3 years after I had it repaired .

It’s now been 8 years after the second operation and fingers crossed it’s bebeen as good as gold.

I also do Pilates to strengthen the core and avoid any heavy lifting.

The only lasting issue has been the nerve damage but that doesn’t really effect me .

I had the same plans through my door last week.

I also shouted out loud about the plans but haven’t managed to do anything constructive with them yet.

I was planning on putting my feedback in the post to them for what its worth.

I have a cracked Dune frame in the garage you can have 😂😂😂😂😂

I am 5’10” and was riding a large Dune, quite a lot of seatpost showing, would suggest either size would fit.

If buying 2nd hand then check the drive side chainstay for chainsuck, this is where the frames tend to fail.

Try and find one that was upgraded with a new chainset early doors.