OP here.  Thanks for all the input – seems like the main takeaways are that fitting is complicated and personal, and that the so-called AI offering might help with ballpark stuff. Might take a punt on it or find a relevant FB group as a cheap starter to make sure my fit isn’t miles off.

To answer Jameso, the bike is a Pinnacle Arksose R2 (hooray!), is my only bike, and is combined with a desk-based job and no stretching. Suspect I might need to try a few things, starting with some stretching…

Damn all of you. I just picked up a M perfetto from Merlin for £85! Fortunately it fits my malnourished frame.  

*waves at Oblongbob*

@wbo – for job relevant IP, it usually belongs to the employer by default by virtue of the UK Patents Act, assuming you’re in a paid-to-invent kind of role (e.g. R&D, engineering) or in a senior position. Of course, the employer might have more generous IP ownership provisions in their employment contracts, but that’s unlikely.

@Greybeard – to put you out if your misery, assuming he was employed in the UK, then the agreement he signed (and got £1 for) was merely confirmatory. The title to the invention already transferred to his employer by virtue of employment, assuming he was in a paid-to-invent kind of role.

I’m a UK and European patent attorney.

The UK Patents Act 1977 contains provisions relating to this – see section 39. An important point to note is the ‘nothwithstanding anything in any rule of law’ preface, which means that e.g. a term in an employment contract which further diminishes an employee’s right beyond that defined in the UK Patents Act is not enforceable. In other words, employers cannot just grab all IP made by their employees irrespective of the job role etc.

I’m an IP lawyer. It’s worth saying that the IP ownership angle is potentially quite complex here and might not be resolved solely by looking at your employment contract due to the impact of statute and the varying IP rights that might be in play for a software product.

For instance, in respect of potentially patentable inventions, s39 of the UK Patents Act 1977 provides a statutory test for determining situations where employers will own inventions created by employees, and employment terms that further limit an employee’s ownership rights are non-enforceable.

You probably need professional advice, or a written agreement/waiver from your employer about ownership of the IP rights in your product (unlikely, I know!). As with many of these things, it’s not always a case of who’s right, but can be about who’s willing to fight – so it’s worth considering the likelihood that your employer would bring an action if your product is going to be damaging to their business.

Can anyone with V6 hubs comment on whether the rear hubs should be slightly notchy when new? The fronts are as smooth as anything, but the rears are a little notchy and have more resistance to turn.

Ah thanks, I missed that!

…and did you ever get that Kona unit frame going?

Anyone having issues with delivery? I ordered the Arc Ultra on Monday, got a DPD email Tuesday saying delivery on Wednesday, then nothing happened yesterday. DPD tracking showing as having not even received the parcel from SS yet.

Oh, and there’s no salacious end involving bombers and frozen sausages either. I walked past the cancelled cottage a couple of times during the week and it seemed empty on both occasions. Also, our last-minute cottage had a gas inspection on the last day, so perhaps it’s not so unusual after all?!?

OP here to provide a happy end to the story.

We managed to book somewhere last minute with Sykes cottages (thanks whoever mentioned that above as an option) and had a great week in Alwnick and the area.

Cottages.com initially offered 40% compensation in addition to a refund, although they were very sniffy about it and alleged that they didn’t have to offer anything other than a straight refund. I rejected their compensation offer on the basis that it didn’t even cover the additional cost of the last-minute cottage I’d had to book. In the end, they increased the compensation offer to cover it, so I wasn’t left out of pocket (other than my stress levels!)

For those thinking of going to Northumberland on holiday, I wouldn’t bother – as everyone on here keeps saying, it’s rubbish! 😉

OP here.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, help, advice etc. Knew I could rely on you lot!

We’ve now booked somewhere through Sykes, which is only moderately outrageously expensive. Now to do battle with Cottages.com for some form of compensation…

Thanks for the thoughts so far folks.

This is through Cottages.com, so not exactly a small outfit…

We’re 2 adults, a 5yo and a 2yo – so we’re currently trying to pretend to the kids that nothing is going on, while desperately trying to find some alternatives!

Given that the time between the cottage being cancelled and check-in is only 90 minutes, I think it’s fully to be expected that we have travelled…

Having done a more digging into the Ravemen range, it looks like the CR1000 might better suit my needs. Smaller, same price as PR900, and all 1000 lumens are directed into the road-shaped beam.

Does anyone have one of these? Is there a reason everyone has / is recommending the PR range (perhaps because this is a MTB forum?!)?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like the consensus is something like a Ravemen 1200/1600 or a B&M Ixon…

You’d probably get £400-500 for that. Is that worth selling to you?

Potentially. I sold a similar XTC (Rebas, LX, less flashy finishing kit) for £410. Spotted a couple of weeks ago that it’s back on FB marketplace, and hasn’t shifted at £275. Perhaps the COVID market is slowing down now?

Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m putoline curious as I’m fed up of reapplying squirt every 50km on the commuter and road bike.

Before I take the £50 plunge, can I just confirm that the sheer amount of wax in a putolined chain doesn’t affect shifting on a 11-speed set up?

And sorry if this has already been asked – this thread is long!

I use a Carradice SQR slim for commuting based on a previous STW recommendation. It great – fits my clothes,lunch, slim laptop and tools/spares.

In terms of lights, I have a Lezyne KTV which I attach (in an admittedly slightly wobbly fashion) to the strap and handle on the bag.

Thanks, everyone – plenty of suggestions there I hadn’t even heard about. Rocket ratchet looks really good, but couldn’t see past the price or the Hexus in the end, which I picked up for £17 in Halfords.

Thanks everyone. Went with TransferWise in the end.

Thanks, both. Will have a crack – probably new cables time…

Thanks, folks. You’ve convinced me to have a crack at selling it. Goodness knows how to price it!

Thanks, folks, for the suggestions. For clarity, the problem isn’t getting the tyre on the rim (although it is a pig to do so), but getting the bead to hook into the top, inner part of the rim – much of it ends up hooking further inside the rim. Will give the soapy water trick a try…

Sorry, should have clarified that this is on the gravel bike, which spends 95% of its life pootling around back roads.

So…I’ve joined the club! Arkose R2 on sale for £810 plus being able to use C2W made it too much of a bargain to miss.

Cycle Inn, Beeston. Always cracking service in there – the owner’s been running it for 30+ years. Asked him the other day how he competed against the likes of Evans / Cycle Republic, and his response was that his mortgage rests on the quality of his work, unlike the mechanics employed in a larger bike shop, so he makes sure he gets it right!

Thanks everyone. Just ordered some Conti GP GTs in 28 – will see how they fare!

Hmm…think I might be able to squeeze a 28c in there, but need to check.

Both the GP5000 and Formula Pro Tubeless look expensive! I was hoping for something half that price (or less)…

Also, if anyone has been inspired by the OPs purchase of a Kona Unit, I have a frame with fork for sale in the classifieds for only £225…

For me, it’s got to be the relative lack of maintenance. I commute on a singlespeed road bike and, but for a change of brake pads, haven’t had to do anything other than lube the chain and replace the odd tyre over several thousand miles.

Thanks for the comments.

@Piemonster – what prompted the change to the Alpkit Koala Exo rail system? Any advantages over the carradice for commuting, or just more versatile for bike packing too?

Suspected I’m being a numpty here. Yes, I think the frame and fork were originally set up for cantis.

Essentially, I’m wondering what to replace them with that will actually brake a bit better?

I thought I had read online that a conversion to calipers was possible but might require some drilling and some long drop brakes.

Are there any other options. Can I replace with V-brakes instead?

Thanks, folks.

Drop appears to be of the order of 60-70mm, so either those Tektros or Allonghas should work.

In terms of the set-up, the fork has both canti bosses on the fork legs and a hole at the top of the fork. Presume that means fitting calipers should be fine and that they won’t foul on the bosses?

I’m not sure how setup on the rear is supposed to work though. The seat stays have canti bosses but the cross-bar (?) connecting the seat stays doesn’t have a hole. Do I just need to carefully drill a hole to be able to fit calipers?

Sorry if that makes no sense – I’m not very good on these retro projects!

Following all this with interest, but wondering when the 2019 Arkose models will hit the shop floor (or have they already?)? And do we know what the new models weigh in at yet?

BigJohn’s bang on.

IANAL, but I think you’re not giving up any rights by doing anything in response to a ”without prejudice” letter – regardless of how you respond, you wouldn’t be able to use the letter as evidence in a subsequent civil action, provided that it meets relevant criteria to successfully qualify as being entitled to being “without prejudice” (e.g. must be a genuine settlement offer). Suspect this and more is all in Footflap’s link above.

IKEA + 100

As Mr Nana said, they’ve won Which? Best-buy awards. I think that applies to the Hesseng, Hovag and Mordegal. We’ve got a Hovag (£180 for a double) in the spare room and lots of guests have commented favourably.

Thanks for the feedback – looks like a 180 front / 160 rear is a good option. I just need to convince myself that I’ll be able to find a bleed kit for them…