Jeez, I can imagine the state of your keyboard…

Have you actually got your computer in the shanks with you??

What the wise monkey said.

We've got one in our loft conversion and while I have unblocked it myself on occasion, it truly was one of the worst jobs ever. You may also find that the blades or motor are damaged, in which case you're not going to be able to fix it anyway.

Most normal plumbers don't touch them… just google Saniflow engineers and find your local guy. Get them to bill your accomodation provider direct. They're not actually all that expensive. We got charged about £100 for callout and full service.

Isn't that an early prototype Jones?

I agree that beating someone who doesn't know they're racing you is a bit of a hollow victory.

Some folk do seem to take umbrage though. I overtook an oldish guy who was riding quite a nice custom Condor in full lycra through Trafalgar Square. I was wearing work clothes and riding a clown-wheeled folding bike at the time. It wasn't a competition thing, he was just riding really slowly.

I reached the next lights just as they were changing, pulled up and then had to edge back literally a couple of inches to avoid a scooter which had overshot the lights and was reversing back out of the box junction. Didn't realize that the old buffer on the Condor had caught up and was right behind me (I'm talking cigarette paper distance) . My rear wheel barely brushed his front wheel before I realized. I apologized (as you do) but he then proceeded to go completely mental at me…. I'm talking a complete Gordon Ramsay, sweaty purple-faced fit at the thought of some "civilian" sullying his tyres . I thought he was going to have a coronary…

I politely suggested that someone so tightly wound probably shouldn't be cycling in London in rush-hour, which didn't go down all that well. Dropped him again when the lights changed mind :D

Tools?

Here you go:

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/115873.html

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=32918

I'd agree that 4 months is a bit young, but my son has been on the bike in a front mounted seat since he was about 7 months when he could sit up pretty well. He loves it.

Naturally we pick our routes and tend to stick to quiet lanes and mellow trails, and of course ride sensibly. Although it's front mounted, his weight is in the middle of the bike, so an endo would be very unlikely unless you were riding a DH route flat out (or have no idea how to brake properly). He's protected by my arms, can see what's going on….he's genuinely at no more risk on the bike than he is in his buggy or a highchair.

I disagree totally with Hora… I'm surprised he leaves the house with an attitude like that. Getting babies used to doing fun stuff outdoors is surely a benefit to everyone involved.

Oh, and getting back to the original question, we bought our lad a Met Elfo S helmet from Wiggle – which is designed for infants. Wiggle are out of stock, but I think you can still get them from ChainReaction.

I haven't got a "proper" cross bike, but have a single speed, drop bar RoadRat which I run cross tyres on. It will cope with pretty much anything my Surly 1×1 will, and is way faster on the flat / tarmac but at the expense of some speed on rocky downhills. Having said that. it's a lot easier to "unweigh" it over fast rooty sections.

It's perfect for longer mixed road / off road routes. It makes me very happy.

I've got an early 90s cheapo MTB frame in the shed with the original biopace chainset still attached. It was my main bike for years and used as a pub bike and general hack up until about a year ago. I actually ran it singlespeed for a while (which worked, surprisingly enough), and my knees have so far lived to tell the tale.

I had a weekend in the North of the island a couple of years back when my wife was there for a conference and bitterly regret not taking the bike. As mentioned above, some stunning looking trails around Soller. Some nice looking coastal singletrack nearby as well, although I'm not sure how cheeky it is.

Thanks for that. That's kind of what I was thinking. Have just been looking at the AM40s… I don't doubt that they're good, but by god they're fugly.

Oh, and my suggestion would be:

Kona unit 29er 2007 – steel rigid singlespeed MTB
Klien attitude V 2004 – alu hardtail geared MTB

Ditch the cindercone and one of either the road or cross bike and get a drop-bar roadrat with two sets of wheels fitted with road and cross tyres respectively.

AW – Do you live in Surrey by any chance? Saw someone riding an almost identical bike to your Alan CX the other day near Godstone. If it's not you, your bike's got a twin.

If I'm not riding from home I normally park up in one of the laybys on the top (W) end of Swanton road near the dirt jump area. Slightly North of Gover Hill and just West of Peckham Hurst on the OS map where three bridleways meet at the road. Direct access to the trails from there.

Alternatively you can generally park up in the village hall car park in West Peckham. Stiff road climb to get you warmed up for a blast around the woods and quite nice fast bridleway descent via Yotes Court on the return leg followed by short road ride back to West Peckham. Handy for post ride pint in The Swan too.

I'd normally be well up for a Thursday night ride, but don't think I can make this week :cry:. Hope you have a good one.

I reckon you need to take at least one link out…. oh and position the tensioner so it's actually ON the chain.. :D

Seriously, like someone else said, you need to take up as much slack as you can by removing links before fitting the tensioner.

Getting back to Britain by Bike, did anyone else notice that Harold Briercliffe's "original" Super Galaxy that Clare Balding is riding is sporting some rather anachronistic Charge bar tape.

Just me then… I'll get me coat.

Machynlleth area? Loads of trails locally, accessible by train and potential for a good point to point mission

I reckon the OP should try a few and see which he/she (could be a girl nickf?) gets on with.

I'd agree with that… I think someone else mentioned about buying from someone who specialises in folders too… another good idea. I did have problems with getting spares for the Dahons through my LBS.

I had a Dahon Jetstream for a while, and before that a Dahon Speed. I really liked them both and they both rode like "real" bikes. I did several all day rides on the Jetstream without any problems.

There is no doubt that the fold on the Brompton is infinitely better but I don't reckon they ride so well – I've always found the M bars a bit flexy and the handling a bit skittish… I haven't tried the flat bar version, but I imagine they ride much better.

For shorter rides where folded size is a consideration then I reckon Brompton… if you're going longer distances and want something that rides like a full size bike then go for a decent 20" wheel Dahon, or something like a Mezzo or Birdy.

I wandered in here by mistake… I thought someone had resurrected the Friday Kylie thread…

SRAM PC-1.

Cheap as chips and tough as old boots.

(waits for someone to argue the point…. cue stories of mangled knackers and other carnage…)

Another thought – not ridden it but just south of the estuary, Sustrans route 8 comes off as a spur from the Mawddach trail up into the hills and is mainly bridleways and white lanes from the look of the map. You could perhaps park up top near the Cregennen lakes to avoid a big climb and explore some of that.

Would be interested in reports on that area, as we will be heading back ourselves in September.

If you haven't done it before, Yr Afon trail at Coed Y Brenin is great for families – old gold mines, waterfalls etc to explore. some bits may be a bit rough / steep for littleuns riding solo but we did it a few weeks back with our 11 month old in a front mounted bike seat, and it was fine, so you'd be OK with a tagalong or reasonably rugged trailer. Also has the advantage that you can go for a quick singletrack fix while the familiy get tea and cake at the cafe! The Temptiwr trail is good for a 1 hr blast.

http://www.mbwales.com/en/content/cms/Centres/Coed_y_Brenin/Yr_Afon/Yr_Afon.aspx%5B/url%5D

Doh… that really was just a guess, honest. I just spotted your earlier response….

I would guess somewhere to the North of Hunters Inn?

Coastal path riding is a tricky one… I can understand the conflict of use issue on particularly busy sections like parts of the SW coast path, but there are loads of bits which are very lightly used and some sort of voluntary agreement is surely the way forward.

When I got my first MTB, my local trails were the coast paths around the NW coast of Anglesey… I honestly didn't think I was doing anything wrong and just assumed that as they were footpaths I could ride them. Barely saw anyone anyway and those that I did were generally too gobsmacked to see someone on a bike to complain.

Risky when I think of it… solo riding on a rigid bike with canti brakes on a rocky 6 inch trail with 200ft of exposure and the only safety equipment a cheese and pickle sandwich… no helmet. In retrospect I'm surprised I didn't get a ride in the big yellow 'copter

Last one was Neil Young and others at Hop Farm 2008… next one is Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, Ray Davies, Seasick Steve etc at Hop Farm 2010 later today.

I don't get out much..

What about a drop bar Cotic Roadrat or a Genesis Day One Cross

I bought my roadrat for absolutely the same reason.. trouble is it's so addictive, I'm barely off it now.

It looks a bit like the Weber monoporter, but the mount looks completely different.

Ton – Graig Wen is great..a magical spot. Sure you'll love it. We camped there for the first time about 18 months ago… I actually found out I was going to be a dad there and this year we took our little one there for the first time as part of our camper van tour of Wales. Self catering accomodation looks great too.

You really can't go there and not take a bike, it's bang on the Mawddach trail and an easy ride down to Barmouth from there, although a killer of a climb back up to the main site on the way back. Also a short ride upriver to The George pub.

Pics below is the view out of the back of our van when we woke up in the morning:

…although I wouldn't rate any of those as the best beaches in Wales. For those you need to head further south to Pembrokeshore: Whitesands, Traeth Llyfn, Abereiddi, Newgale all top notch.
Barafundle, Bosherston… lovely, lovely lovely…

Are you staying at Graig Wen perchance? Lovely spot. Handy for Coed y Brenin too.

Would agree with what Tim said for beaches local to that area, but worth a drive up to the Lleyn peninsular for a day as well… some great beaches up there. Porth Neigwl (Hells Mouth) gets good surf on occasion, Morfa Nefyn, Whistling Sands, Aberdaron all really nice.

IDave… I've GOT to try that. I'm thinking some rosemary too..mmm.

SPDs or flat pedals? Have also had annoying noises coming from SPD pedals and loose / worn cleats which I was convinced were the bike itself.

Steak mince
Finely grated onion – leave it on a bit of kitchen roll for a few minutes to drain off the water though
Dried chilli,
salt
coarse black pepper

shape em up and pop in fridge for an hour before you cook em
errr…that's it.

For fab lamb burgers (or kofte kebab):

Lamb mince
teaspoon of cumin powder
dried chilli
some dried mint
bit of turmeric

It's admittedly a long shot and probably a daft question, but does it happen when you're in the saddle or standing up?

I had a really annoying click/creak for ages which I couldn't fathom… I even replaced the BB as I was convinced it was that, but without success…. eventually was sorted by thoroughly cleaning the seat tube and clamp with a bit of GT85.. I've since had the same problem, and the same solution fixed it.

Sproket jockey –'no way can you fit them in', well we do it every weekend!

To be fair I was referring to a standard VW camper conversion where there is no bulkhead behind the bed, and where the space underneath is taken up with water tank, battery etc… I guess with a custom conversion anything is possible, but personally I'm happy to leave bikes outside for the sake of more comfort inside.

I've got roofbars fitted to my Westy pop top – sure a Reimo would be similar. Supplied and fitted by Rob at VWCamperSales near Gatwick.

Do it, you won't look back. Would never be without ours

Yes, VWs are expensive, but hold their value incredibly well. We bought our T4 Westy for £11.5K two years ago and I could sell it for the same tomorrow (not that I'm going to mind).

Yes, you could buy or DIY a a builders van conversion, but it won't be so well kitted out and you may have problems with insurance.

It makes a HUGE difference what time in the year you buy… you will pay top dollar now, but wait until the Autumn and you will get a much better deal.

If you're not looking to hold onto the van long term, and can't be fussed with the hassle of selling when you get back, you could also consider buying from somewhere with a guaranteed buyback scheme – lots of dealers do it. Cheaper than hiring long term and a good escape route if you find you don't get on with it, but personally I would just buy something decent and have faith you'll be able to sell it on next season.

Rock the rear wheel side to side. If there is movement then you have play in the bearings and may need cones tightening or new bearings if its a cartridge jobby.

As far as the bikes are concerned, no way are you getting two bikes in with the bed down without seriously messing with the upholstery, with the possible exception of an LWB conversion. You might just squeeze two in with one behind the front seats and one on top of them, but that leaves you exiting by the back door.

Not sure if it's that much of an issue though to be honest, why not just leave them inside when the van is unattended and lock them to a rear mounted rack when you're sleeping. If anyone tries to nick them, you're going to know about them and in a perfect position to give the thieving scrotes a thoroughly good thrashing with a rolled up copy of Camping & Caravanning monthly.

As far as engines are concerned, are we talking T4 or T5?

I've got a 95 T4 Westfalia 1.9 TD. Despite putting out only about 68bhp. It goes fine, and will cruise all day on the motorway at 75 but can struggle a bit on hills when it's fully loaded without a decent run up… you have to drive it in a bit of a singlespeed style if that makes sense. Personally I love it.

The 2.5TDI is loads more powerful, but most VW mechanics seem to really like the 1.9TD and it's far cheaper to fix if anything goes wrong. You'll certainly get more power with a 2.5 TDI, but will pay a premium. Horses for courses basically… both decent engines, but don't touch the non turbo 1.9.

T5s are a completely different story. The 1.9 TDI puts put about 102 PS I think, so I guess there is less of a performance gap.