JohnClimber wrote: ↑Fri Feb 28, 2025 11:35 am Link here

https://aeroe.com/products/spider-front-rack

Weight - 641grama

Thanks v much John. Is that the base plate thing for your dry bag to fix into, included in that price of £95. Or did you get it separate. Looking forward to see your reports on how you get on.

Postie delivered a USE Vybe stem.

Fitted straight away and out for a pedal. It actually makes the gravel bike feel reasonably OK to ride off-road, rather than the usual sufferfest. Quite possibly one of the most noticeable improvements I've ever made to a bike. Happy that it wasn't a complete waste of money for a change

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Fri Feb 28, 2025 4:15 pm

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Fri Feb 28, 2025 11:35 am Link here

https://aeroe.com/products/spider-front-rack

Weight - 641grama

Thanks v much John. Is that the base plate thing for your dry bag to fix into, included in that price of £95. Or did you get it separate. Looking forward to see your reports on how you get on.

Ah sorry, no that plate didn't come with it, I used a spare one off my other Spider racks

Great stuff thanks John. Hope it fares you well, but probably not for me due to the extra weight and costs involved. Will hopefully just use the Revelate harness as it is.

See you soon mate.

gecko76 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 25, 2025 5:51 pm A wee stamp off etsy for putting my mark on things.

Very nice

... and brought me a fairly whacky book, sent by our Reg ( ta very much), who may oblige with adding a picture or two to illustrate...
"Craft bomb your bike"

20 craft projects for your bike, everything from helmet cosies, basket bunny ears, ring a ding ding bunting, floral bike lock covers to handle bar birdies!

So, are there any natty knitters amongst you? Any members of the stitch and bitch community? Any happy hookers (which was the title of the book next to this one on the shelf...I'm assuming Reg bought that one for himself, for reasons probably best known to himself...)

If there was enough interest (cue stunned, deafening silence...), we could have a little competition. I would gladly give out prizes, for say ( those country show novelty dog show categories spring to mind ): Best male; best female; bike that looks most like its owner...

Happy Friday everyone

an excellent competition! (unbelievably I hadn't spotted Happy Hookers - probably also need a prize for the most accommodating one of those )

I'd love some bar parrots

Not sure it's wise to have the spoke flowers on the drive side ! Schoolgirl error !

...and dropped off a pair/set of Sonder Confucius bars, as per the Redshift post... they're quite wide 760mm iirc Oddly about the same as the Geoffs but look & feel much wider.
I've ridden with Jones / Geoff bars for about 13 years so they're super comfortable now.
The Confucius are pretty straight. Seem to be better climbing as there's more room in the cockpit area maybe.
I think an inch off each side and maybe a pair of Ergon GP3's and they'll be mint. Probably.

Pair of Cinturato H in 40mm arrived yesterday, as per the other thread. Look just the ticket, just need to get them on now...

godivatrailrider wrote: ↑Fri Mar 14, 2025 9:14 am Not sure it's wise to have the spoke flowers on the drive side ! Schoolgirl error !

I want to try this, just for some before and after photos on a muddy ride...

… with some AA batteries with built-in charging ports.

I still need to work out if using these and a powerbank to recharge makes any more sense than carrying a pair of batteries per day for the eTrex, as ultimately you still need to carry enough 'mAh' to see you through but it certainly seems a neater solution. I tested over the weekend and got over 18 hours from them, including far more messing about with the unit than normal.

You can also get ( lightweight )usb batery chargers for aa which is what my solution was and just charge overnight....your solutio is probably lighter but a faff as needs two cables to charge.

Came back from a few days away to find postie had delivered a new Topeaks Race Rocket MT, valve core remover & replacement cores, Schrader/presto adapter to add to second tool kit. All sorted now.

Lazarus wrote: ↑Tue Mar 25, 2025 4:50 pm … a faff as needs two cables to charge.

Ah, but they came with a hydra-like 4 headed usb cable!

To be honest, I've Eneloop Pro NiMH batteries too which I've used for longer and trust them to last so may go down the lightweight charger route anyway. I think battery anxiety is one of my biggest worries when planning a multi-day ride.

Eneloop Pro NiMH batteries

The business those boys.

Send me a Dm with your address and i will post you the charger for free *. I dont use a gpx with batteries anymore.

* call it a payment for mint gravel.

A couple of Gorilla Cage bags and some cage cleats to go on the fork mounts on the Topstone.

The bags are in black - silver was £3 extra per bag. Got the extra cleats so I don't have to take the existing cleats from their current fitting on two different bikes. The bags are 5.5 litres each, plenty of room for my bivy kit.

A Restrap bar pack and bumper bar

Roll on some AirBnB touring this Easter

...and delivered a Redshift Shockstop seat post for my hard tail. Looks really nice quality, get it fitted and tested at the weekend!

AndreR wrote: ↑Thu Mar 27, 2025 10:09 am ...and delivered a Redshift Shockstop seat post for my hard tail. Looks really nice quality, get it fitted and tested at the weekend!

Oooh interested ... can you do a review? I've considered buying one but £200+ for a seatpost make me twitchy .... did you go for the just the sprung one or spung & damped.?

godivatrailrider wrote: ↑Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:54 am

AndreR wrote: ↑Thu Mar 27, 2025 10:09 am ...and delivered a Redshift Shockstop seat post for my hard tail. Looks really nice quality, get it fitted and tested at the weekend!

Oooh interested ... can you do a review? I've considered buying one but £200+ for a seatpost make me twitchy .... did you go for the just the sprung one or spung & damped.?

I'll report back after some use! Just the sprung version, saddle bolt had rusted and seized on my existing standard seat post and broke when trying to make an adjustment so had to get a replacement anyway. Eraly thoughts is it feels odd but nice at the same time. Pre-setting damping according to the recommendations is way out, or my bathroom scale is under reading by about 25KG!!

Not the postman, as I went to collect it, but today's new to me thing is a bike/camping/roadtrip vehicle... Nissan NV200 7 seater - smallest van which will fit our tandem in with the wheels on...

Nissan NV200 7 seater

Ooh, same as ours.

...postie dropped off a Sonder Santiago frame yesterday from Alpkit Ebay Outlet. £400 for frame and forks didn't seem bad value. Rival 1x11 shifters and hydro brakes incoming from Merlin today, along with a headset, front and rear axles and a Mool rack separately ordered from Alpkit. Ebay listing specifically said didn't come with thru Axles, but they were in tbe box received yesterday, along with hanger and other bits and bobs, so the extra TAs will probably get returned...just need a gxp BB before I can start building up. Not having had steel before the frame and forks felt quite a bit heavier than I was expecting, (though within advertised weights). Just hope it "rides light"...

Listing suggested these may be seconds or marked, but close inspection doesn't show any issues at all, and welds and paint finish all looks very tidy indeed. Pretty happy for price paid.

Cambridge Audio Topaz CD player, latest eBay bargain.