Just to get this back on track…

I had something very similar to this. Tried everything and everyone sorting the brakes out, and it turned out that the cones in my rear hub needed tightening. The wheel kept leaning on the disc under strain cos they were loose. Tightened cones (thanks EBC) and problem solved.

What Flying Ox said… had same problem on my hardtail. Is there a bit of play in the rear wheel bearings?

Oh…and toe overlap has never been an issue on mine, even with the "short" frame.

TBH I think I'm swinging more and more towards the Roadrat. I've yet to hear that I can definately get one via my work's particular scheme, hence still wanting to hear about more "mainstream" possibiities should I have to resort to Halfords.

You can order a Roadrat through Halfords no problem – I ordered mine through my works scheme from there the year before last. I went into the store, told them what I wanted and they put it through on special order. I think I just had to call Cotic first to check on stock.

For what it's worth, I'd say it's a good match for what you're looking for and ticks all the boxes. You will probably need to be careful with tyre choice though given your mixed commute. I run drops and cross tyres on mine and it will go in most stuff, althought it gets a bit sketchy on really rocky trails. Absolutely rips on tarmac, fire roads and smooth singletrack and is a great mud bike.

Singlespeeding is great fun, and I ride gearless about 90% of the time although I have to admit that I've still got a geared bike in reserve for if I go anywhere really hilly or need to lug a heavy load.

Does anyone else find that riding singlespeed brings out their stubborn streak? Take yesterday…. did a quick 1 hour loop before brekkie on my singlespeed cross bike and managed to clean a climb I've only managed once before on my geared hardtail. I was a quivering wreck by the time I got to the top of it, mind… but it was worth it!

twohats -my mistake, I was assuming you'd need to decouple the frame to get the wheel out but I just clocked the picture showing that it's tensioned using the Tugnut in the normal way.

Is that really it?…I'm thinking a couple of minutes to oil / clean a singlespeed chain every so often (not very often in my case, admittedly)…A few quid and about 5 minutes to change a chain every few hundred miles compared to cost / time / effort to chop the frame and install belt drive.

That's not to mention the hassle of changing tyres and tubes which I'm assuming is a real faff.

Sorry, but it just doesn't seem to add up… unless of course you just really really want one, in which case that's fine! :D

3

Surly 1×1 as main offroad bike – perfect for local trails
Cotic roadrat drop bar (built up as singlespeed crosser – 42:18) – for longer mixed road / off road rides
Geared (ageing) Gary Fisher hardtail – for child seat duties, trips to proper mountains and rare trail centre visits

Seems like a pretty good mix – if I was only to keep one, it would be the Surly, no question.

You've obviously spent a lot of time, effort and money on this, so please don't take this the wrong way (I'm, genuinely curious), but what exactly is the benefit of a belt drive? Apart from keeping your right trouser leg clean of course? :D

I've got a 1×1 myself – great bike which will probably outlast me, I don't doubt that the belt drive will last ages, but I run a SRAM PC1 chain on mine which also last ages, costs buttons and takes about 5 minutes to replace.

Given that belt drives can only be used on singlespeed or hub gears, which by their nature are pretty reliable anyway, I really don't see what the advantage is.

I made the mistake of starting to take it off earlier while I was in the middle of cooking dinner thinking it would be a 5 minute job…. bits of shredded tape everywhere now and bike looks a complete mess 8O

Ah well…. its still more entertaining than the football….

My first posting on this thread, but felt compelled by Ro's comments. For the record I don't know Sharki, but have enjoyed his posts on here, and have also benefitted from some of his tips on riding in the Quantocks, he's obviously greatly liked by those who do know him, and I hope he's safe and sound.

Ro – What exactly is your problem? You didn't have to read this thread, let alone waste your precious time responding to it, if you don't feel it's worthwhile. The fact is, a lot of folk on here do think it's worthwhile, and you should respect that.

You are doing the wrong thing in the wrong way for all the right reasons.

I think it's safe to say, that you are doing the wrong thing, in the wrong way for all the wrong reasons. I'd get your coat, if I were you…

AdamT – that is truly hardcore. Rigid, singlespeed and chainless…

Another 1×1 here…currently that and my roadrat are my only rideable bikes…

Hi – thanks for that. I did consider using the bit behind the back seat for baby, but I'm a bit on the large side and reckon it would be a bit cramped with both of us in the pop top. I reckon baby in the pop top is the way to go. With a safety net, he wouldn't be able to get into any trouble that he wouldn't be able to in his cot at home.

Unfortunately our Westy started out it's life in sunny Italy so doesn't have an eberspacher fitted… and when I got a quote it was, as you say blooming expensive to get one retrofitted. We generally stay in proper campsites, so just have a fan heater working off the hook up when it's cold.

Stoner – out of interest, what's your solution for child sleeping arrangements in your T4?

Our son is now 9 months old – when he was really little he would fit in a carry cot across the front seats. Too big for that now so either he or one of us will need to go "upstairs". There is no mischief he could get up to up there so I was thinking of getting one of those safety nets to go across the roof bed. What do you reckon?

If you're not sure, I'd agree that hiring a van is a good idea, but prepare to be hooked…

T25s and Bays have bags of character, but as other posters have said, they require a pretty hefty time commitment – if you want something reliable then you really need to get something newer. If you're budget is £15K, you can easily afford a nice T4 conversion – more space than a T25, easier to drive, really reliable. I wouldn't personally choose a Bongo, but they're also great vans and you would get a newer van for the money. Avoid Mercedes Vitos – good to drive but prone to rust and a bit flimsy IMO.

We have a 96 T4 Westfalia California pop-top (Left Hand Drive) which we bought 2 years ago for £11.5K – it's got bags of space, has been 100% reliable and is used as our second vehicle as well as holiday transport. It's a bit more difficult to get a deal now due to the strength of the euro, but scout the classifieds and am sure you'd find something in your price range.

One thing that you do need to be aware of is the cost of buying a van varies a lot through the year – buying now at the start of the season you will pay top dollar, whereas if you can wait to September / October time then you would get a much better deal….however some dealers also do buy-back deals so you could run the van over the summer and they then guarantee to buy it back for a set price at the end.

God..that's a difficult one… so many to choose from. Varies week on week, but at this precise moment it's Warren Zevon and probably Desperadoes under the Eaves.

Titusrider… I've just had exactly the same experience with the Halo hex skewers – was switching wheels on my 1×1 earlier today (was running them with a tugnut on the rear) and managed to completely shear the rear skewer – didn't think it was particularly overtightened either – not much more than finger-tight just using a crappy minitool and I'm not generally that cack-handed. Have put a normal QR in for the time being, but may go for a nutted axle if it slips.

Based on that I'd avoid the Halo skewers…

True, but to be fair, I think there were enough comedy dismounts to dent the biggest ego. It's bad enough when you forget you're clipped in and keel over at the lights in front of a Ginsters lorry, let alone a few million viewers.

After being initially cynical, found it weirdly inspiring. Patrick Kielty has also gone up in my estimation. Miranda Hart seemed to do OK too to say she was the least fit of the lot.

Not mine…definitely painted. Having checked more closely, it does look like there is a braking surface underneath. Just trying to avoid additional cost of getting discs for the other bike which is mainly going to be used over the summer. Cheers all…

OK -so presumably the paint on the rims just wears off and there is a braking surface underneath?

Found the manual… if they're the MX Comp Airs, and your 90Kg, you need 2.9 to 3.8 bar (42-52 psi) positive air pressure. This is in both legs if they are the non ETA version. Right leg only with ETA. I used a standard shock pump. Recommended sag for XC is 15-20%.

For the rebound adjustment, pretty much as TJ says above ( the wand thing I referred to earlier is basically a really long, bar-shaped hex key) – if it's the non ETA version with no external adjustment, you need to take the dust cap off the right leg and first let the air out. You then want to use a socket set or 21mm cap key to remove the internal cap. Insert the long hex key into the adjuster inside the fork – turn it clockwise to reduce hydraulic damping, counter clockwise to increase. Once done, put it all back together, and re-inflate.

The point about oil is a good one – have to admit that I haven't changed mine in the 4 or 5 years I've had the fork, and haven't noticed any deteriorations (the MX Comps are always a bit squelchy when cold) but may be worth doing if you can't get it sorted.

I've got a set of these which I've run for years without any problems – the older ones are great forks if they're set up correctly. From memory I think you need to screw off the valve to get at the rebound adjustment. The forks came with a "wand" which you could then use to adjust it.

Have got a manual for them somewhere…. <shuffles off to attic>

There's a ride I've done a couple of times down near Hythe, one section of which goes right alongside Port Lympne zoo. Last time I did it, there were a pair of what I think were lynxes in an enclosure right next to the trail. Freaky…

rickmeister – your T5 rocks! Love our T4, but now have van envy :(

Bigface0_0 – Member
Just a little bump, Anyone got any really sexy Transporter Pics?

Well I think it is, even if no-one else does :D

And before anyone says anything, yes it is very flat… that's why the boards are on the roof…

Currently have two (working) bikes, both of which are rigid singlespeeds -a Surly 1×1 for offroad and Cotic Roadrat for road / light offroad. Pretty much all I need for the riding I do 90% of the time and both bikes refreshingly faff free. Have a third (geared) hardtail frame in the shed along with a set of (old, pre Taiwan) Bomber comp air forks which I'm trying to decide what to do with at the moment. I don't have enough spare bits to build it up as a complete bike but reckon I'll keep it in reserve for a gnarly day when I can cannibalize bits from the Surly. I can think of some rare occasions when some front suspension would be welcome on the Surly (a particularly rocky downhill last week springs to mind), but it somehow seems a bit wrong to not run it fully rigid. I think the 'zocchis may be a bit long anyway.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not some beardie "steel is real" evangelist – if I regularly rode somewhere a bit more hilly / rocky I'd definitely consider getting an long travel hardtail or perhaps an FS… but the fact is I don't so my bikes at the moment just suit their intended purpose really well.

clubber – the fact that you have 3 PCs at home probably suggests that you would consider what I would regard as faff, as a leisure activity :D

kuco…unlucky. Have never had a problem with mine, whereas I've had problems with every windows machine I've owned.

It's called an opinion. The OP may well be better off with a cheap windows PC, but as someone who spends a lot of time fixing other people's PC problems, I prefer not to have to do it in my own time.

I hear George at Asda do some nice kit these days…

I work with PCs and Windows all day, so use a Macbook Pro at home. Mainly because I just want to use the bloody thing for what I need to do and not have to bother about updating virus software, chasing bugs and it crashing all the time (and yes I know that Apple are now recommending anti virus)….don't get me started on Vista…In my opinion Macs are well worth the extra money for the lack of faff… just plug it in and off you go. The aluminium macbook is also a thing of beauty.

Think of it like a Ti Singlespeed… not neccessarily suitable for every situation, but built to last, works when you want it to, nice to use and look at, reliable etc.

Not sure whether anyone already mentioned this, but this did make me laugh…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/01/ed-vaizey-bbc-6-music

…especially the bit about him becoming an overnight fan. Do you think the swing in public opinion may perhaps have been a factor.

I can only agree with the comments of most of the folk on here – the only reason we bought into DAB was to listen to 6 Music – there really is nothing else on air like it. It's on constantly in our house. Sure the daytime programming can be a bit repetitive, but the evening and weekend shows (Marc Riley, Jarv, Guy Garvey, Stuart Maconie, Craig Charles etc are brilliant…. Excepting of course George Lamb, who has achieved the dubious distinction of being more of an ar$e than Tim Westwood and should be packed off to Radio 1 without delay.

I wrote off a complaint to the BBC last week (the first time I've done anything like that), and just got a standard reply back :

At the core of the strategy will be a renewed commitment to serving the British public with programmes and services of the highest quality. Audiences admire and value the BBC's digital services and the BBC will remain fully committed to online and to digital television and radio.

But the new strategy will lay out ways of focusing and concentrating licence fee investment on areas and services which are distinctive and best fulfil the BBC's public purposes, which meet the expectations of licence-payers but also leave plenty of space for commercial media providers…

distinctive and best fulfil the BBC's public purposes

– as opposed to Radio 1 for example??

Still learning, so be gentle… :?

tron – thats exactly what we've generally done, but with a 10 month old baby, we're really looking to stay a bit longer in places.

Carlos – thanks for that -looks just what we're after. It's actually only a few km from where we stayed last time – we were renting a villa on the Baie d'Arcachon side of the peninsular. In fact I think I might have surfed the break just down from the campsite… I remember an unfortunate incident with a naked German popping up out of nowhere on the sandbank!

Great pics. Make me want to sling bikes in the van and head off somewhere. :D

Clearly not… do you think they'd clash? ;-)

Same as above comments really…. we've got an 8 year old Bosch, which has taken a complete beating. Muddy riding gear, trainers, wetsuits, and now the 3 daily washes demanded by our 7 month old (his clothes, that is, not him personally), and its still going strong.

This has however been a timely reminder for me to to check the filter!

Doh! Ignore last post. Found it..

gil_ Do you have a link for that site? Thanks