Galaxylense on eBay have been good for me. Based in the USA, but never had any customs issues.

Shimano stainless inners from rockthreegozy on the Classified ads here may have some left. Have been great for me.

Credit to TiRed.

A slight variation on their idea works for me.

Cut a circular piece from an old inner tube, about 40mm diameter. A couple of small cuts in the centre, and push that over the valve and against the tube.

Fit the tube as normal, making sure to tuck the edges of your ‘washer’ inside the tyre so that it doesn’t foul the bead.

On eBay uk………..galaxylense. Based in Florida but ship to the UK for free or reasonable cost.

Always found their aftermarket lenses to be decent, and don’t cost a fortune if they get scratched or broken.

Seem to have Jawbone lenses in stock.

Another vote for MTB Batteries. The Lumenator is a great light. Mark’s customer service is second to none. He made a custom head lamp for my daughter for ultra distance running, and it’s performed well in all weather conditions.

I bought a SRAM kit from Total Bleed Solutions, with the Bleeding Edge adapter. It worked well on a bike I serviced with Code R’s last month. The Bleeding Edge adapter was a good fit into the bleed port on the calipers, and the kit did the job well.

The only negative was when I cleaned the bits up, the lengths of hose are no longer transparent and turned cloudy/milky. I’m assuming the DOT fluid reacted with hot soapy water.

I’m looking for replacement hose, and will post on here if I have any success. If anyone else has found some, let me know. Cheers.

MWIS x 3.
Also SAIS for avalanche forecasts, which is a must if you’re up the hill at this time of year.

I agree that Windy is also very good.

‘Modifications from the original condition.’

You’ll be aware that most bikes come without pedals, or cheap crappy plastic ones.
The fork steerer tube is often cut down by the dealer or new owner.

So, when you add your own pedals, or have the steerer tube cut, are you voiding the warranty?

Halifax for me. Went for the ‘Ultimate’ option. Covers bikes away from home and accidental damage. On a previous thread about bike insurance, someone identified an issue with taking bikes abroad, but that’s not relevant to me. 2 mtb and one road bike, value iro £11k.

There was a whore from the Azores
Who was covered in spots, pox and sores
The dogs on the street
Wouldn’t eat the green meat
Which hung in festoons from her drawers.

Sorry. That’ll never happen again.

I’ll second what ‘cb’ says……….Halifax for me.

£10k of cover for bikes, with accidental damage, and some positive small print for a change…covered temporarily outside the British Isles for up to 60 days.

Outbuildings, specified as garages, sheds detached from the private residence. No requirement for ground anchors or additional security. As long as the outbuilding itself is locked.

Third vote for Bounce. Replaced the original bushing on my Fox shock with their HD hardware. Now only need to press on a polymer bushing when it wears out. Better performing, easier and cheaper.

Kelvingrove Museum. Went there yesterday with friends. Haven’t been for years. I forgot how brilliant the place was. Vegan options in the cafe too.

I’ve used galaxylense on eBay. Decent quality clear, mirror and other lenses for my Radar EV. Ships from the US (Florida, I think) and no customs issues.

I have the JLabs Jbuds Air, with earhooks. Just seen on sale at Argos for £50. These are £100 on Amazon. Very good battery life, closed charging case and waterproof. Sound is good too. The only issue for me the volume is not very loud and I need to use the memory foam ear tips.

Hey.
I’m was an SSE customer, also on THTC with storage heating.
At this early stage, I’d like to say I’m no expert, but may be able to help.
If SSE give the option of a single meter to replace the two THTC meters, I’d seriously consider it.
Many suppliers have a considerably cheaper unit price than the lower rate THTC tariff, and you may be able to switch supplier. My understanding is that the THTC meter isn’t strctly speaking ‘off peak’. The electricity used by your storage heaters, boiler, shower and one socket in your living room are all routed through this lower rate meter, regardless of the time of day.
Like I said, I’m no expert. This is just my own experience.

Thanks BearBack.

I should have said…….it’s a 2014/15 Fox Float CTD. The service instructions from Fox have a big red ‘NO’ to removing the other screw unless you’re reversing the remote.

I’ll look at what you suggested as an option.

IANAE, but a wise man told me that fork seals have mold release on them from the manufacturing process. They should be cleaned with IPA before fitting and never greased.
A suspension tech on here might be able to confirm.

I think ‘O/C’ stands for ‘Open Cartridge’ and refers to the type of damper. Rather than the FIT damper which is the rubber bladder type.

Fox recommend using the newer style flangeless seals on the fork lowers if you’re using the 20wt Gold oil.

I’m no suspension expert, though. I do service my own suspension, including a full strip down and rebuild of the FIT damper.

A service centre such the one recommended would be a good shout.

Yup. Got some stuff from them recently via their eBay pages. Very good prices and fast delivery. A thumbs up from me.

I’ve used Woolyhatshop a few times. No problems. Recently checked out Bikeparts and discovered they were one and the same. Ordered some Park Tools. Good price and service. Thumbs up from me.

Lumenator?….Sorry Ed…wrong torch. Lumen 800. Small head unit and battery back, easily light enough for a head torch. Currently £55.

Lumenator 800 from MTB Batteries.
Mark modified one for my daughter…shortened the cable so there isn’t loads of excess flapping about. She’s an ultra runner, so needs a good light. When she lived in the Lakes, there were a few folk with swanky Hope and similarly expensive headlights. Hers performed as well, if not better. She’s delighted with it, and his customer service.
Sorry….should have said…. it’s within your budget, but maybe a slight wait for stock.

Xiaomi Mi A3. One of their lesser known phones. Bang on the 6″ size, Android One operating system. Hybrid SIM slots so takes two SIMs or one sim and a memory card. Decent camera, two days+ battery life. Had mine for a while and doing everything I need form a phone.

I’ve always bought cheap (<£30) wireless earbuds. Mainly because there’s plenty reviews out there suggesting the more expensive ones don’t last any longer.
My current set are Aiwons true wireless buds from Amazon….£16.99 when I bought them a couple of weeks ago.
Sound quality is ok, not super loud in terms of volume. So far, they’ve stood up to the rain. The main plus point has been the 9.5-10 hour playtime before they need charged. I just hope they last.

Lumen 800 from MTB Batteries.

Got it with a head strap for my daughter’s Christmas. She’s an ultra runner and says it’s been great.

Brilliant service too. Check on this forum……….loads of recommendations.

Hey Mick,

I’m with you re Flickr. Been caught out for 2020 and looking for an alternative for next year.

Try the discount code ’25in2019′ at checkout (without the inverted commas) for 25% off. It worked for me, although it’s meant to be for new customers.

Let me know how you get on.

Tweeky.

Halifax Home Insurance Ultimate.

I know what’s been said about Lloyds/Halifax, but when you look carefully at the policy limits, a specified bike up to the value of £5,000 is covered, up to a total of £10,000.

Unspecified bikes are £500 each.

Had been with Aviva for years but they just significantly increased my premium at renewal, and wouldn’t discuss reducing it. Their loss.

Remove your saddle.

Lube the saddle rails, clamp and bolts, then re-assemble.

Get a good hold of your frame and back wheel on the rim at 12 o’clock.

Try to move the back wheel, and if you hear creaking, clean and lube the thru axle and make sure it’s clamped up tight enough to the frame.

Pop into Crinan Cycles in Lochgilphead.

Kevin, the owner will give you a map of the ‘Firetower Trail’, which is in the forest behind the town. Quiet compared to Tweed Valley/ 7 Stanes trails and lots of fun. Should be fairly dry as the weather has been pretty good for the last fortnight.

The ‘Leacainn Muir’ trail as mentioned is known locally as ‘Auchendrain’. It’s not a drain at all as it holds a hell of a lot of water during bad weather.

Take the advice of the previous poster as quite a few folk have ended up calling Mountain Rescue. There is a great wee shelter called Carron Bothy half way round for a piece stop.

Lots of other options on forest tracks around Lochgilphead. You might be able to join a few guys heading out on Sunday.

Enjoy and hope you have a good time.

I’m with macdubh on that. Also some patience and persuasion will be needed up and over Conic Hill not long after starting, and later up the Devil’s Staircase and on the climb out of Kinlochleven. Good on them, though.

CheesybeanZ……….Firstly, just a reassurance. You’ll be fine and back to everything you need for work and leisure. I had a double inguinal hernia op…..open surgery…..a few years back. The first couple of weeks the pain made my eyes water, 4-6 weeks I was able to do most activities (not heavy lifting) without any discomfort. I know you need the £ coming in, but just be careful and a wee bit more. Any twinges just back off.

Wwaswas…….sounds like your surgeon is switched on. I know they all should be. At the pre-op consultation, mine was explained in simple layperson terms,including fixing the mesh on the inside of the abdominal wall. Several years on now and not even the slightest twinge now. Doing everything I was before. All the best for your op.

Try Aviva. Up to £42 cash back just now via TopcashBack. I used to be with Marks & Spencer as they covered my bikes and other sports equipment including climbing gear. When their premiums got silly I went with Aviva. Don’t know about cover for racing, though. You’ll need to check.

Try Aviva. Go through Top Cashback and you get £50 back. I was with M&S Insurance for years, then their premiums went daft. They always covered expensive bikes and climbing gear.
Looked at Aviva and their policies are good. Based on premiums and customer service. Fortunately not had to use them.

Oooooooh to be a…..GOONAH!

Les Gets……………what you’ve said.

Would it surprise you if yesterday I heard it pronounced ‘Lezgitts’?

I eventually figured out where they were talking about.

Dee-Fye…………as in disobey or not follow orders.

Allez. From the French term of encouragement, often used towards bike racers. Definitely ‘Al-lay’.

Here’s another………..Les Gets…..popular mountain bike and ski resort. Guess?

What they’ve all said. A new machine is likely cold water feed only. Check the machine instructions.

Leave the machine out from the wall so you can check for drips/leaks.

Connect one end of the hose to the back of machine. Use any washer or filter supplied.

Connect the hose from the machine to the supply pipe with the blue tap. Use the rubber washer which should be supplied and hand tight is sufficient. You don’t need a wrench.

Switch the cold feed on. This should only need about one eighth turn. You will hear the water flowing into the machine.

Wrap some bog roll or kitchen towel around the supply pipe/hose connection and machine connection. This will show up any leaks.

Run a short cold water cycle. Keep an eye on it, checking for leaks.

If it’s all okay, move the machine into position, being careful not to snag or pull the hose.

If it does leak, switch off the water and run a spin/drain program to get rid of the water.

Disconnect the hose and try again.

……….and by leaving Vodafone cut my household mobile bill by 75%. Good times.

Here here. I got a cold call from Vodafone yesterday. Left them a few months ago for another network after lots of hassle. When the guy asked me why I’d left, I told the truth. No reception at home and no mobile internet. He checked their coverage map, found I was telling the truth and was genuinely lost for words, other than apologising. The call ended very quickly.

Gringo, try Aviva. I have cover for mountain and road bikes with their buildings and contents policy. They actually lowered the premium on renewal, so I stuck with them. Was with M & S for a few years, but their prices went sky high. Not had to claim yet, thankfully, so can’t help with that. Cheers………and Happy New Year.