Great thread, well done.  I tend to pick litter once every fortnight as honestly that’s about how often I go for a walk.  We don’t have much and I suspect the rich types around here think i’m on community service but on the basis I don’t care what they think I will continue!

Very inspirational, I’ll pop out for an hour tonight in your honour!

The naming piece is a challenge, I have an uncool version of this, and by that I mean a vespa type scooter that’s electric. I tend to call it an electric moped to avoid people thinking I’m 1. on an e-scooter 2. In any way cool. :)

A bit off topic but absolutely love it, tops out at 50mph, 45 mile range. Got rid of my car and don’t miss it at all.

The dealer I initially went to had the night before just had 5 of the sur-ons nicked from his yard. He said they’re used alot of the time to evade the po-po after commiting crimes and drug deals.

I’d agree with the general consensus: cut off the supply, only sold if theyre registered/ road legal. I can’t see a positive reason to have one that an ebike doesn’t deliver

Oh god, that’s not good to say Solar edge seems to be pitched as the premium brand.

It goes to show how sporadic the after support is in the market generally, as if the whole industry seems consumed with installing as much as they can rather than balancing it with a good support network. Just my impression

@Daffy.  OK, that’s good to know as I definitely am not tempted now!

Got you, thanks.  Filing under “looks too good to be true so…”.  I’m keen not to put the contractor in a compromised position so will have a bit of patience

Thanks @trail_rat and @sharkbait, amazingly helpful.  That’s a shame but at least a constraint I can understand and work around (I didn’t really expect much exporting anyway).  I will put it down to me not articulating myself correctly.

While I have you! :) – any views on installing pre-G99 approval (by throttling the export to below the current permitted limit) just to get the system up and running quicker?

Bloody loved Kerby!  I almost didn’t buy our current house because the road outside didn’t have curbs so where the hell is my non-existent [at the time] son going to play kerby?!

Anybody had my scenario pls: an existing PV array (on a FIT agreement) where I want to add a 2nd entirely separate PV array?  Did it impact your FIT agreement?

The reason I ask is I’ve had 2 quotes from what appears to be two very competent contractors: Contractor 1 had no issue with this.  Contractor 2 said categorically there was no way to have 2 arrays at one property and I would need to come to terms with the FIT agreement being ripped up.  Everything I can find online sides with Contractor 1 but wondered if anyone else had this, or can guess at the driver as I don’t see that it benefits Contractor 2 to take this stance.

Thanks in advance

Thanks all, really good info. I forgot to mention I don’t have a smart meter so the assumption made by FIT is that only 50% of what is generated makes it to the grid. I suspect where we win in winter we lose in summer so it’s a fair arrangement.

Hmm, all I’ve worked out is it’s yet another subject that’s beyond my brain matter! :)

Thanks footflaps, I appreciate the pragmatic reply. I anticipate there are some that make it work as hard as possible but I have a personality weakness that it would consume me so I’m keen not to become one of those! :) It’s why I’ve avoided going onto a variable rate tariff as i suspect it would end in divorce.

Maybe the cheaper iboost type device fits my needs that would divert excess generation into heating water would be a better solution. Least not because I have a hot tub to support but I’m not entirely sold on the idea of a lead for a submersible heater coming from the front of the house (where my solar generation meteris) and the back (where the dirty sex pond is).

I haven’t really put alot of thought into this and wondered what more experienced people’s views were please.

I have 12 panels on a feed-in tariff in a East-West valley, they generate on a sunny day this time of year 10Kw a day but my house tends to use most of it. I guess it’s not as perfect as it seems with key generation being over the middle of the day and majority of use being either end of the day, and height of summer likely being closer to 20Kw a day.

What would you do? – add a battery to capture it all to ensure that it smooths out the usage and provides a back-up at the same time? Any views on size of battery I should be considering please? I had thought of a solar iboost type thing but if I’m honest feel like the battery is a better option.

Thanks and apologies, i’m at the musing stage so willingly admit I haven’t done any research!

Hahah, bloody genius. I had no idea!!!

I just adjusted it and it worked a charm. You’ve made my weekend lol.

Thanks for thinking outside the box and taking the time to state the bloody obvious as sometimes that’s the answer.

Got you, thanks @BillOddie.

Ah,no! I didn’t think there was any adjustment on the caliper, it just screws tight on the fork and that’s it right?!? :)

Thanks. My only hesitation after thinking about it over a cup of tea is if I replace my 5mm spacer with a velospeed 4mm one, won’t I make the wheel all sloppy i.e. 114mm of wheel and spacing over 115mm gap. Do I need to then buy a 1mm spacer to make up that difference lol or is it really not that exacting

Thanks all. That’s my bad, you’re all right – the spacers are all 5mm (I had in my mind the sum of the spacers needed to add to 10mm lol).

Cheers @dangeourbrain, I indeed had not reset the pistons but have now but it didn’t resolve the problem.

@legometeorology – magnificent, perfectly articulated and I shall buy! I’m not entirely sure how to gauge how many mm over i need to move the disc but will have my best guess.

As ever I really appreciate everyone’s input and patience with someone who should really not be let loose on the mechanics of a bike! :)

Syntace disc shims

Ah ha, thanks @Stumpy001. Just knowing what they’re called is great. I tell you what, I wouldn’t need more than a few of them to do the job. I’m worried about putting stress on the forks by adding more spacing than the 10mm difference between boost and non boost but I guess a 0.2mm a go it’s not going to make alot of difference!

I’ll add a 1mm washer to guage how much I need, also to ensure it’s not that in adddition I have a problem that the caliper is too close to the disc (I don’t think it is but the old fork had a mount on it to move the caliper away from the fork a bit, tried adding it and the disc wasn’t even in the caliper but want to cover all angles first).

Thanks so much both

Ah, I’m afraid the solution i’ve used doesn’t involve end caps. It’s basicaly this albeit in my instance i’m talking front (sorry, working round the fact i’m too stupid to attach images lol) https://images.app.goo.gl/JBcnpsoWNjsv6KYb8

Ah, interesting, thanks Daffy. I’m struggling to find anyone that wants to take my money – the industry seems very in demand! I haven’t researched but I wonder if there’s a restriction in the FIT terms to siphoning off the PV kw into a battery when I’m meant to be pushing it out to the grid.

I’ll have another go as it would remove worries we have of power outages also, we have a small PHEV battery and an even smaller e-Moped battery that would benefit from such an install. I guess the sooner I do it the quick I get the benefits.

@ Daffy. That’s interesting about the zappi and Eddi. I guess they are like the Solar iBoost device.

My situation is i’m technically inept, I have a 3.6kw system with no battery which is fairly ineffective (12 panels, half on either side of a East/West valley) on FIT. It’s about 10yrs old and never had any funky bluetooth app etc so no real idea but being quite a power thirsty house I’d imagine even on the sunniest days we’re not really generating much more than we use but like I say that’s a guess.

My wife would like to switch the hot tub back on so my thinking was get a diverter that somehow plugs into an external submersible heater, and ideally something that connects to the immersion heater. Happy to pay for install but really don’t want wires running all over the place so suspect with the minimal anticipated payback i’d be better forgetting the whole thing, cracking open a beer and just enjoying the hot tub as it burns large wads of money.

Anyone got any views please lol? (maybe that I’d be better spending money on adding a battery to my set up)

Cheers @Del (not sure if there’s more to @’ing someone on here!).

The retailer said it comes with a race crown, and then it didn’t, so i’ve asked them to send one. I see they only do Hopes so all is good!

Thanks for the works of wisdom on cutting it down, will do (along with watching 100 videos before taking the saw to them!).

I had a poke at the dust cover/lower bearings thinking I should clean them up but they weren’t shifting and I got scared so will clean and grease them up in situ. I mention in case you/anyone feels that’s an incredibly bad idea! :)

Thanks again

Right, it’s on it’s way! Surprisingly fast process really.

I assume I need to buy a race crown (as the one I have is a reducer affair to fit the old forks which were straight) and starnut. Anyone know if they are all roughly the same for a casual cyclist so I just buy them cheap off ebay?

Or should I really be going the expanding but or even a headlock modified with a big washer so it fits the tapered fork?

Cheers

@villageidiotdan the next one is in two weeks time, just come and have a go, it’s great fun…

Cheers Bigdaddy. II’m still keen but front forks are bust. Saying that, i’ve clearly been riding them like that xc in Morzine so may just strap them back together and have a go. I sold my car so am reliant on my wife thinking it’s a good idea mind you! :)

Hah, I feel personally attacked as that’s pretty much what I did (Direct Access, 600 bike crashed within months). Girlfriend at the time (now wife) said it was her or a big bike and never ridden one since. I don’t even blame her, it wasn’t for me. Love my little moped for getting around thou

All I can add is if you’re in your mid 40s, ask your doctor for a PSA test annually. Do it now, may save your life!

It’ll keep a track of your levels increasing and catch prostrate cancer earlier. I do it around valentines day as the relation tickes me and helps me remember.

It’s the reason I won’t even test an eMTB, I’ll know what I’m missing.

Thankfully my eBike is a heavy steel gravel bike affair that’s so utterly void in pleasure I’d rather carry a normal bike than ride that.

Hah, I recall a work colleague defending Jimmy Saville to the hilt on the grounds that he invented double-deck-DJing.

Classic Nonce’s Advocacy if I ever saw it

Thanks @joebristol. I prised the crown race off the old fork, I’ve not seen one before but am guessing they’re not normally this big so assume it’s a crown and reducer in one.

Neither top/bottom bearing came loose with a tug so I need to have a read as I started worrying that maybe they’re not meant to be removed lol

Well done all, thought yesterday how good the weather must have been for the event.

Read this with interest as I don’t think I have the body or equipment to do such a race but see that there’s a fun category to get some experience.

Edit: when I say the “forks are straight” I mean the existing forks. The Pikes are tapered as is the bike’s headtube.

Cheers all, just to say thank you for your input I really appreciate it and have decided to go for the Pikes.

I recall while the head tube is tapered the forks are straight and as I have no expeience of this I’m hoping it means the existing headtube is a bog standard tapered headset that I can reuse and I can just get rid of some kind of additional “reducer” ring they’re using to hold the straight steerer in the taperer headtube.

I’ll take it to bits tonight but the spec sheet says “FSA Orbit 1.5 Zero-stack” so I can’t believe FSA would make a all in one reducer headset.

hah, one man’s divey is another man’s supple :) That’s an interesting read, thank you

Cheers Doc, I welcome the alternative view as I’d read similar (“bimbling” certainly sounds like my riding!). I’d read that you can take the tokens out of the Pikes to address that to a certain extent (whatever the hell that means).

I don’t seem to be able to get the std Fox 34s for near the price of the Pikes, i’d need to go to a new-but-2021 ebike version to get the GRIP damper around the same money. Not that I mind the extra weight but hear they’re a bit stiffer so may be more chattery than the standard Fox 34

That’s half the trouble, the bomber seem to excel against it’s competition but it’s hard to find a comparison with the Pikes as they’re normally in a different price bracket.

Chief – apologies, you’re right – steep learning curve and GRIP v RAIL was in my head from considering 2021 Fox 34 ebike forks v the AWLs.

I think it may be the pikes then! Only reason I was drawn to the z2s was that people say that they’re nice n simple if you don’t know what you’re doing dial wise but I could just learn! :)

The wheels are non-boost but I understand it’s an easy/cheap job to convert them to fit boost forks, and I believe we’re talking £100s for a boost hub + the rebuild of what are cheap wheels for very little benefit at my level.

Brilliant, thanks everyone. I’m now setting myself the weekend to research and get the new tyre/s on order. Really kind of you all to take your time out of the day for the advice

Cheers Al, what a clown I’ve been, I can still hear my mate’s voice as he said “you sure you want to put these on” :)

Thanks everyone for your patience and clear replies….

Yak – Ah, glad I asked as that’s exactly what I feared (buying the same tyre!)
Richmtb- yup, bit of a noob so got a “my car has the same tyres on each corner so that must be how it works with bikes :) Ah, Ok, so potentially an option to keep the shorty on the front and have a DHR on the rear
Wonnyj – cheers!
Howsyourdad – Ah, triple compound Exo 3C? As you can see, I didn’t have a scooby what it meant and while it makes the bike look gnarly I’ve got to the point I don’t want to ride it!
Superficial – got you. I’m tempted to sell swap out both the shortys then as I think they’re way beyond the stuff I ride.

Ah, yes, sorry Jimmy 27.5

Cheers Kayak, will check them out. A little worried i’m just getting unfit lol.

Logic is chunkier tyre on the front from memory?

I was at Afan last weekend, I’d say half the bikes there were ebikes, at least on y Wal. Surely that’s the tipping point reached or is that not enough?

… Good post note! Yup, I think you’re right, I’ll get the SLX, it’s not going to kill me. To be fair, no, the 1×11 is a step too far money wise so was going to stick with the standard 2×10. Hadn’t appreciated that the cassette choice had a bearing on that so I think I’ll see if they mind me popping down to talk final spec. D