The base is solid carbon, which keep trail/road spray out from below. A muddy backslide will grind mud in i suppose, but it’s easy to blast out and the top dries out very quickly.

Hasn’t shredded shorts, but i haven’t worn baggies when using these saddles. The tackiness might be a problem…

I bought two RYET printed saddles for my road and gravel bike. One is a PRO Stealth copy (so quite square, flat with a wide nose) and a Specialized Romin copy – both about 140-145mm wide to match my previsous saddles.

Postives – Very light (140-150g) and very nicely made. Look really smart and expensive. Have been robust in muddy conditions and clean up easily. Cheap – were about £35-40 delivered.

Negatives – the 3D printed mateiral is super grippy – almost tacky. In makes shifting position quite a conscious movement and while it’s been confortable for up to 4-6hrs rides, on a recent multiple day trip in the Pyrennes (x3 100km, 5hr days) i did nd up with some nasty sore on day #3. Not necessarly the saddle (the Romin Copy), but i’ve not had this issue before. Compared to a real Specialzed Mirror 3D printed saddle or Fizik Adaptavive saddle, it’s just a mesh cusion stuck on a carbon base. The Mirror saddle is like a Mattress by comparison! The RYETs aren’t that sophisticated, but there is more cushioning than a regualr Specialized saddle and it’s 50% of the weight.

Worth experimenting with, but be wary of the tacky grip!

I think Admiral have a £10k cap though. I’ve got 4 named bikes that qualify, with some lower values ones ‘unamed’ covered under the broader contents cover

My car replacement was an Orbea Kemen SUV. Shop bought, discounts readily available

It’s based on a hardtail MTB but it’s more like a very robust flat bar gravel bike. Solid 25kg rated rear rack, decent mudguards, decent 100m fork. Put some faster tyres on it and it easy to ride over the motor limit on the flat.

I can get over 70km range / over a 1000m of climbing from the 540wh battery

PSA – TriSportResort has started selling stuff again on eBay. All fixed prices now, but free (Evri) postage. Bagged some black Nukeproof Evo pedals for £15 last week…

Stif are doing some spectacular prices for Sweet Protection helmets. Just picked up a Falconer 2 MIPs for under £50!

https://www.stifmtb.com/collections/open-face-helmets

Picked this Amplitude up before Christmas for £300. It’s had a few upgrades ( Recon fork , better brake, burgtech kit). Also needed some bearings and slightly taller gearing, but it rides nicely and feels like the right tool for pump track practice. Looking forward to hitting S4P dirt jumps to see how different it is to a long, low 29″ trail bike

I have a pair of 45mm Tundras on one wheelset and recently fitted set of 38mm Terreno Drys (TLR)  on the other.
I expected to be riding the Tundras this winter, but the Terrenos are seriously impressive. For road riding, with a bridleway and gravel links they are brilliant. Yes, deep mud, wet grass and slimy chalk will suck, but for all other Surrey conditions they’ve been ace.
Better rolling than my Ramblers and seemingly better puncture protection.
Maybe also look at a Specialized Pathfinder Pro too, which are often discounted

Bitex?  Can be boughti via their uk distributor, DCR wheels with their own branding. 

Light, reliable, multiple colours, ratchet freehub

They came standard with my orbea Ebike mtb commuter (Kemem SUV) in reflective 29 x 2.35 guise. They’ve lasted a year very well. Hardly any wear noticeable in 3000km and maybe three punctures that have needed a plug. 

Impressive a go anywhere gravel tyre for commuting and taking the off-road option routes. For that they are brilliant. Ultimately they are designed for hardpack and road use, but they do light roading well if run soft.  I’m considering getting another set when these finally wear out.

Not Tubeless compatible apparently, but I’ve used sealant successfully for 9months. 

Those particular early road calipers are notorious for leaking. Bin then. I switched to some cheap XT versions, which have been leak-free and are less prone to squealing (I believe the pads can retract a touch more)

My sister rode from Canada to Mexico on one a few years back. An orange one, with Suntour forks and basic SRAM gears. just had a few punctures and it’s still going! Think after various BC discounts back in 2017, it was about £450!

Recommend what you have – Orbea Kemem SUV. Absolutely love this bike as my nearly daily commuter. Shimano motor has been faultless in 2,700km since last November. Full Deore 10sp Linkglide drivetrain, decent Magura brakes, Z2 fork. Useful integrated lights. Quality Ortlieb Ql3.1 rack. Think of it as a gravel bike rather than an MTB and it’s brilliant

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/bikes/electric-bikes/orbea-kemen-suv-30-electric-bike-202223-black__383359?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=N35219VG&awc=6914_1695593709_315ec2993aa011bf714ed37536432614&utm_source=AWIN&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=626889&utm_content=Comparison+Shopping+Service+%28CSS%29

Unless it’s a dedicated Linkglide groupset (11sp XT or 10sp Deore) it’ll be a normal HG or HG+ cassette (depending on 11 or 12sp respectively)

I’ve bought rims and wheels from LB three times in the last two years. Always pay the postage option + tax (usually about £50-70) and they turn up beautifully packaged by UPS or Parcel Force in about 2-3 weeks. Not had to pay any suplements.

Juat had a lovely set of their 25mm tub rims built up into a 1250g wheelset for my retro Time. Teh wheelbuilder in Dorking was well impressed with the quality and and ease of build.

I’ve snapped a new 10sp KMC chain 3 times in the last fortnight with almost the same damage, where the end of the link has been snapped off. This seemed to happen in my lowest climbing gear – i.e where there was a large force going through the sprocket and chain. The problem was probably a conbination of a incompatibel titanium campagnolo casssette and a ligthweight KMC chain, buy hey ho.

Check the teeth on your cassette to make sure none are bent from before (causing) or after  (resulting from) the crash

Thread update on the DIPWAX cold emersion waxing….

So far so very good! I appreciate it has been an exceptionally dry 4-5 weeks in southern England, but I’m coming up to 400km on both my road bike (new KMC 10sp chain) and ebike (cleaned Linkglide 10sp chain) on an initial clean and emersion, with perhaps a weekly drip treatment from the supplied mini bottle.

I’ve kept a log of mileage, so I have an eye on a fresh dip this weekend, but that’s not because the drivetrain feels dry or noisy. The Linkglide eeb train does look very dry and shiny, but when manipulated you can feel there is a lubricant in between the rollers. I think the weekly drip treatment is all it’s needed to say supple and quiet.

Both are also very clean drivetrains. No gunk clogging the pulley wheels or mech cages. I had to repair the KMC chain roadside twice and finished with fairly clean hands – a minor win!

I think I’ve cleaned 7 chains so far with the cleaner and I think it’s lost a bit of its cutting power. I need to strain it through a coffee filter and try again.

The residual packet of wax is still going, with about 1/3 used and I suspect enough to do 5 or 6 more chain.

I’ve emailed Tom at Hagen to make him aware of the chain waxing Histeria on this forum and prompted him to get in touch with editorial to send over some kits for testing.

So, in summary:

Good

– Very easy and mess-free cleaning and wax application
– Effective chain cleaner
– Useful durability (in dry weather…)
– Feels smooth and supple in use
– The Kit can do a lot of chains
– Gunk free bike
– No need for crock pots etc
– Biodegradable credentials
– Create coms and service from Tom at Hagen

Bad

– Wet / muddy use a bit of an unknown
– Chains have corroded/ discoloured a bit (is that normal for all waxed chains?)
– Quite expensive
– The top up lube pen needs to be larger or some clean wax needs to be set aside to keep this topped up

Link again – https://hagenautomation.com/products/dipwax-system

I’ve been using a full 10sp Deore Linkglide (11-42 cassette) on my Orbea commuting eeb since the start of December ’22. I’ve put 1500km on it over this wet winter/spring and about 50% off-road. It’s been flawless – I’ve not even adjusted cable tension a turn. Now experimenting with a waxed chain for more faff-free gains.

The shift feel is quite SRAM like – sort of metallic and pinky – rather than the damped smoothness of my XT 12sp on my Stumpy. I don’t mind it, but it is different.

No sign of wear on chain or cassette, so well impressed.

Garbaruk have an option for this, but it’s over £240!

Lovely bit of kit. Superlight and quiet.

https://www.garbaruk.com/shop/product/12-speed-shimano-hg.html

Winspace / Lún?

I’ve bougth a gravel frame from them, which is superb and some mates love their Hyper road wheels.

They have a sale on at the moment too…

£24 get the cleaner, wax and the top up wax ‘pen’. It’s 12.99 for a just a pouch of the wax.

I’ve dipped 2 chains so far and i think i could be at least 10 coatings – maybe more. Will give a it a go on my e-commuter and my fixie too :)

Will update the thread i’ve put some miles on it.

You get two zip-lock bags of cleaner and ‘wax’. Just curl the chain up in the cleaner, shake and leave it for 20min. When dry (1-2hrs left in the sun) dip it in the wax for 5-10s minutes with a shake or two. Then hung up on a nail outside for an hour to dry and you’re done. Fitted to the bike with clean hands!

Impressed with the prep, now to see how it rides and lasts…

Great forks. Easy to tinker with + they are compatible with the coil upgrade kit for the Marzocchi Z1. About £200 inc a suitable spring

Currently five that are ridable, which feels excessive, but covers most bases and feels right. I like having multiple on and off-road options…

– trail bike full susser (27.5″, 130mm)

– nice light gravel bike with big tyres (cabon, di2, 45mm Tundras)

– summer only roadbike (classic Time VXS with mech Campy) for Alps / Pyrenees trips

– fixie with gearing for rolling hills

– e-bike SUV for daily commuting and kids stuff

Love the Ebike at the moment, but should really sell the fixie and buy a 29″ enduro rig for Ard Rock racing etc

Admiral for 4yrs. Reasonable to deal with, flexible when making updates/changes and tweaks aren’t expensive to make. Cover away from the home (my commuting e-bike when parked at work) if securely locked. Also happy with my Asgard as secure storage.

Never had to claim, but this side of the service had been very good.

Called them direct. Comparison site quotes were often more expensive.

Surrey Hills Cycleworks in Leatherhead are selling a 4-ride old, Whyte G-180 RS in medium,with a 27.5″ and a 29″ front wheel, for £2,500. £1k off

Check their Insta story for a few pictures and the advert itself.

Winspace G2

Far more interesting than a Sonder, Pinnacle or Planet X

Gavarnie or the Cirque de Troumouse? Not pure gravel, but a gravel bike would be the an idea bike.

Both absolutely stunning climbs, but pushing 3-4 hours if you staying at the bottom of the valley. I’ve always stayed in Luz

If you are doing the Tourmalet, maybe try getting up to the Pic du Midi via the gravel track that heads north from the Col. At 2,800m, that would be epic!

or sprint shifters on the iside of the drops

Also note I’ve been advised the wireless module and bar end junction box won’t work with older version of the battery. It’s but of a minefield if you are sourcing and mixing new and old bits!

Privateer race bike, with a bit of badge (and decent residuals)?

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3261566/

I like the alu models of the more recent V3 and V4 frame designs. Easy to service, worth bolting on nicer bits and will keep reasonable value being a SC.

The geometry is ‘modern’, but not wildly LLS – and you could fit on either a medium or large with a few tweaks.

Don’t think the XT front mech is rated to shift up to a 46T chainring. The largest XT double chainset is 28/38.

I’ve got the same ‘cross 36/46 chainset and use a Ultegra di2 front mech

Go Ultegra, or maybe GRX?

The council won’t give you a commercial opinion. You really need a planning consultant who can take your brief and advise on what’s possible and how to go about it. Feel free to drop me a DM

Garbaruk? I’ve just order a Shimano HG version from Bikester. Should arrive today, with no extra customs charges (I paid VAT at checkout). Compared to R2 (who i normally use) they were about the same price when postage and customs added on.

Bketart also had a few in stock and Cylorise?

I broke both wrists front wheel casing a hefty jump just over three years ago now. One was a distall fracture i think and I’ve got two big titanium plates that will be there for evermore. But, I barely give it any thought now – be it riding mtb, road gravel – hot or cold weather.

I must add that I haven’t been going out of my way to do press ups, but I think I’m about 95% there in terms of movement, strength and fatigue resistence. You’ll be fine!

Resurected my Langster this summer, with some fancy Light Bicyle 65/55mm tubeless rims, wider tyres and spinning on Halo hubs. It’s geared for 72″ (44/16), which is just about managageable on the rolling stuff in the Surrey Hills.

I’m dubious about the fitness benefits crossing over to normal road riding, but i do feel stonger on the MTB and for when running hill reps.

I’d like to fit a power meter out of curiosity

12months ago, they look about 6 weeks to arive

AR46s on the Lightbicycle gallery

I’ve run a pair of gloss UD AR46s on my road bike since September – in all weathers and on some very rough roads. They ride so so nicely, which hints they woudl be pretty decent on gravel! Really pleased with them. Look great, nice tyre profile (28s Pro Ones swell to 29mm). Easy to set up tubess and have stayed beautifully true (build was DT240s and 24 pillar spokes each end).

Just taken delviery of some rim brake R55/R65 for my fixed gear road bike – in bling gloss 12k. I had these built locally and they have been great so far. They are a touch narrower and not gravel compatible, but are beautifully made and have built up nicely.

I’ve been using some Galfer centre lock rotors, with a wavey pattern. Switched from Ultegra and they are notionally lighter and I got them for less than £50 a pair on a random Ebay motorcross shop.

Galfer are more known in motorcycles circles, but i’m impressed so far in use with a hope RX4 caliper. Seem quiet and clear well in the wet.

https://galfer.eu/bike/galfer-disc-wave-now-available-for-the-center-lock-system/