Test

I was always led to believe that greasing wheel nuts shouldn’t be done, even with something like copper grease. As timbog says the risk is over tightening a greased thread to reach the required torque reading on say a torque wrench, which can cause other problems, eg stretching threads and issues around the lug holes in the softer material of alloys.

I had a quick search on the internet and the debate is lively on this issue, with proponents mainly saying they’ve never had a stuck wheel bolt and their wheels haven’t fallen off yet…

Thanks for the suggestions and advice.

The last time the wheels were removed & refitted was to replace the brake pads. Rears (one of which was the problem wheel) were done just over a year ago. They were probably put back on with the air gun on full power as suggested. The other rear will no doubt be done up as tightly.

I’ll loosen the other wheels and re tighten with a torque wrench to the correct setting. I have a length of steel pipe to provide the necessary leverage on the drive, and I’ll order a decent breaker for the boot

Test

If portability and budget are important the Park CT5 does 12 speed.

Hi OP – To eliminate the possibility of anything to do with the brake pads, remove them and give the wheel a spin to see if the sound goes or is still there. If it is no longer pinging/clanging then the brakes are your answer. If it’s still there then you move on to the next suspected area to inevstigate.

Kenda Small Block 8

The Centerlock standard is proprietary, rights are owned by Shimano and I recall reading that to use Centrelock other companies would need to pay Shimano a fee. Six bolt is an open standard and is free for any company to use. This is one of the main reasons why 6 bolt is much more prevalent.

Leatherman Style PS lives in my backpack (w. Topeak Hexus).
Small with very well made pliers, which have proved more than up to the task when needed on a ride:
https://cdn.packhacker.com/2019/07/ce491e32-leatherman-style-ps-open-in-hand-outdoor.jpg

I have a Park PCS10 and it’s worked well for me.
PROS – sturdy, stable, feels like it will take a beating, can take a heavy bike, quite flexible in terms of bike position, good clamp, additional accessory tool tray can be attached (if you like that sort of thing)
CONS – heavy and awkward shape to move around, awkward to fold/unfold, still quite big when folded for storage, currently quite expensive
In summary I’d say it’s better left open in one place rather than folded and stored when not in use. Definitely not good for transporting.

I haven’t used any of Feedback stands so can’t comment in terms of comparability. I guess their relative lightness would be a bonus for many.

…here’s a link to the thread containing the original recommendation for the USB lights and Powerbank combination:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-cheap-night-riding-light/#post-10197230

Lasts a long time – I’ve yet to run out of power on a ride. The combo was recommended by another STWer on here (forget who). I recall on the thread it was said that not all USB power banks have the grunt are to be able to power those type of USB lights. The Anker 20000 mah one I’ve posted is the one that was recommended to work.

I have a pair of these cheap Cree XML T6 light units with USB connector: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-Front-Lamp-6000LM-2x-CREE-XM-L-T6-USB-LED-Bike-Bicycle-Light/402425900497

The light units are powered by an Anker 20000mah Powebank with 2 USB outputs, like this one:

The Powerbank is in a top tube bag. I can also use the Powerbank to charge my phone, which is on bar mount and is used for navigation. Gets over the problem of the phone’s battery running out of juice on all day rides

The USB Powerbank can of course also be used for non cycling purposes.

Suggest some hydraulic disc brake installation tools. I have the Jagwire needle driver and hydraulic brake hose cutter.

Video of needle driver in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-030kPzvwJE
Pic of cutter: https://www.bikester.co.uk/jagwire-sport-bike-tool-for-hydraulic-brake-lines-black-511532.html

Installing brake hoses can be ‘achieved’ with pliers, hammer and a stanley knife, but tools like these do it properly and reduce room for error.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Bontrager/Flare-RT-2-Rear-Light/JJ37

+1 for the Santa Cruz Superlight. Still ride mine regularly. Quite a long production run so suggest you go for Version 3.0 and above – see Superlight history here for details of the versions: https://nsmb.com/articles/5172-the-history-of-the-superlight/

I converted my old D cell Maglite to LED. Seemed a shame to throw it away, and a bit of a waste. Ultimately not as bright as a modern LED torch but bright enough to be serviceable.

Something like this kit will do the job:

The Guardian did a feature on winter clothing and they recommended a heated gilet.
Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/sep/30/denim-is-rubbish-for-keeping-you-warm-experts-tips-for-cold-weather-dressing
Here it is on Amazon for £36: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freefa-Electric-Lightweight-Resistant-Touchscreen/dp/B07LG7CH3S/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Heated%2BWaistcoat&qid=1601387913&sr=8-5&th=1&psc=1

NB it comes without a battery and requires a separate USB rechargeable powerbank. Advice from purchasers is to size up when ordering.

I take a Topeak Hexus & a Leatherman Style PS. Hexus has all the bike specific stuff including a chain splitter that works, and Leatherman has well made folding mini pliers plus a few other bits, to complete the package.

This combination covers most bases without costing too much, and meets my portability requirements.

On the bike I take a Leatherman Style PS and a Topeak Hexus multitool (current combined price about £45).
The Style PS is small but very well made with decent mini pliers. Surprisingly useful for its size. I’ve used it for jobs like valve cores, gripping/pulling gear cables, dealing with quicklinks and cutting zip ties. It also has a clip so it’s more difficult to lose.

If you’re after a full size multi tool with pliers for the bike I’d avoid the Gerber suspension. I have one and it’s a big chunk of metal and way too heavy to take on the bike imo. I’d look for something lighter.

Pack the gap between pads and disk with cardboard so that the caliper is firmly centred (the IceToolz tool above does the same thing), then use TWO Allen keys to slowly nip up the bolts simultaneously. Doing the bolts up one by one can twist the caliper out of alignment.

The Bushy Park proposal looks like what’s been in place since Covid began. Cycles can use the bit of road that’s blocked off to motor traffic.

With the Richmond Park proposal, similarly I think it applies to motor traffic only, so cycles will still be able to use the roads blocked to motor traffic.

Endura Singletrack liner shorts under Endura Hummvee baggies. The Liner shorts have Enduras’s 500 series chamois pad which I’ve found quite comfortable.

I fitted a similar MB Quart speaker kit to the doors of my Passat B5.5. They sound really good and come attached to the unusual looking VW connectors so you don’t have to chop any wires – as a result they were properly plug and play and easy to fit without issues. It looks like the ones linked to by stumpy01 above are likely to be the same for the B6.

This has worked for me when the bead refuses to pop into place using a pump.
Pump the tyre up to a decent psi and put the wheel on the ground with the unseated bit of bead at the bottom facing towards you. Holding the top of the wheel with both hands pinch the tyre firmly with the tip of your trainer so as to grip the sidewall and press the tyre firmly against the ground. Gently roll wheel away from you with your hands, pressing firmly with your toe. NB You need quite a firm grip with your toe to trap the tyre against the ground and pull the bead into place. Grip provided by trainers works well – does not work well with flip flops!

+1 for the Specialized Chisel. The spec on the Comp X1 model appears to be very solid indeed, and reviews are favourable. High quaity aluminium frame, decent fork (Rockshox Judy 29 Gold Solo Air, 100mm travel for M-XL), Shimano MT501 brakes and SLX gear shifting, and bolt through axles front and rear. It leans towards old school xc geometry as others have said, but that isn’t a problem for me. Price on Specialized website is now just below £1k, but the problem is finding one for sale at the moment.

Product page: https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/cross-country-mountain-bikes/chisel/c/chisel
Review 1: https://off.road.cc/content/review/specialized-chisel-comp-x1-3062
Review 2: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/specialized-chisel-comp-x1-review/

For a family friendly less busy alternative to Richmond Park there’s nearby Bushy Park. Big enough with plenty to see such as deer, ponds/lakes, and features like the Diana Fountain and the Upper Lodge Water Gardens.

You could also take in nearby Hampton Court Palace and the towpath by the Thames, both easily accessible traffic free from Bushy Park.

Car parks in Bushy Park reopen on 14 July. Bushy Park info: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/bushy-park?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7LbV88rH6gIViZntCh033Q68EAAYASAAEgLbifD_BwE

+1 for the CK Magma Tool Roll. The pic in this thread gives an idea of how well it covers bike tool duties:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/inspire-me-race-day-toolbox/

+1 for Wusthof. Have been using them for a few years now. Started with a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. Have added a couple of others but reality is those three are the ones I use most of the time. Quite heavy/chunky style of knife, particularly the 8″ chef’s knife. NB hand wash only – never in the dishwasher (also for other knives mentioned on this thread)

Hopefully arriving tomorrow is a Kurt Kinetic (KK) Inride3 Bluetooth/Ant+ sensor to turn my KK Road Machine turbo trainer from a dumb one to a smart one. It should make turbo training more structured and involving once I have some numbers and graphics in front of me.

All the other gear including turbo trainer tyre and front wheel riser support are lurking in the garage. If it goes well I’ll order a heart monitor to complete the package.

More stocks of isopropyl alcohol arrived today.

Something positive on the vaccination development front:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/19/uk-drive-develop-coronavirus-vaccine-science

Verdicts of the experts on the UK Government’s coronavirus measures:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/12/verdicts-of-experts-on-governments-new-coronavirus-measures

Worth a read.

General facelift looks good. However issue I’m having is that side bar is overlapping the first couple of letters of text on the left hand side of the posts and thread titles.

So, at the bottom of the page where the ST banner says ‘Support Us/Join US’, side bar covers first two letters so it says ‘pport Us/Join US’ (Using Windows & Chrome)

I have a Gerber Suspension which is a well made full size multitool with decent pliers, but I’d avoid taking it on a ride as it has a locking blade, which in a public place is frowned upon by the law.

DMR V12 MG for the last 3 years. Been very happy with them. Haven’t performed any maintenance apart from a wipe and some spray lube and they still feel okay.

+1 for the Leatherman Style PS.

It’s small (7.5cm closed), light (1.6oz/45gms), and very well made particularly the pliers and cutters. I was after something small to supplement my Topeak Hexus multitool. It contains a few other tools but doesn’t have a blade (if that’s important to you).

In my experience its toughness and performance belies its size. It’s come in useful on a number of rides, including dealing with stuck valve cores, gear cables (gripping/cutting), removing thorns and metal stuck in tyres, helping to undo quicklinks and cutting cable ties.

This review has pics of the Style PS being held and used which gives a good idea of its size: https://packhacker.com/travel-gear/leatherman/style-ps-multi-tool/

I have a Leatherman Style PS which is quite small but has proved useful on cycling trips. Has mini pliers which I’ve used to pull small thorns from a punctured tyre. Pliers also good enough to grip/pull/cut gear cable. Also has clip which allows it to attach to loop on rucksack so quite handy. Nice supplementary tool to Topeak Hexus.

I Have an MTB Batteries Lumenator which I use for off road riding and small road light for connecting tarmac sections – a Bontrager Ion 100 R. When I’m on the road I generally only use the small light.

If I feel I need the extra vision on the road that the Lumentaor offers then I angle it right down and use the lowest setting.

Couple of options with lengths including 10m and 20m :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Data%C2%AE-BLACK-Network-Cable/dp/B003ZB68H0/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ethernet+cable+20m&qid=1575922608&s=computers&sr=1-3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Data%C2%AE-BLACK-Network-Cable/dp/B003ZB68H0/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ethernet+cable+20m&qid=1575922665&s=computers&sr=1-3

I bought a Pioneer MVH X580DAB single DIN unit on the strength of a group review in Auto Express which said it was excellent at holding on to a DAB signal with a windscreen aerial. It came best in test.

Have had it for a few years and can vouch for the DAB performance with a windscreen aerial. Also it’s a neat install that does everything (bluetooth phone connectivity for calls and music) without wires hanging about. Loads of features and good sound (if that’s important to you). All in all pretty pleased with it.

£85 in Halfords* – https://www.halfords.com/technology/car-audio/car-stereos/pioneer-mvh-x580dab-car-stereo

*you’ll need to buy a windscreen aerial separately – a generic one will do.