If you're on a budget, the Genetic digest are worth looking at .... for all I know they might even be the same bar as the Alpkit one but I've not seen the two side by side.

Ocelot is a superb piece of kit, surprisingly roomy and as Chris says - 'tis made in the UK.

A greased eel's probably less slippery than sil'.

I've seen a few people saying they use it for a bivvy bag - I didn't think it was breathable?

Base only generally ... a full cuben bag wouldn't be nice, although Z-packs do list breathable cuben. How breathable it is, I don't know.

No, not a football team - Blackburn are looking for people to become 'Rangers', Ideally you'll be racing the TD this year or be a veteran, in return you get all kinds of benefits, inc' a trip to the US and a new spankly Niner. Anyway, have a look if you're interested. https://www.blackburndesign.com...

I use TN 'Tuff Bag' over mitts. Work well, the palm / fingers are textured so grip seems fine. You obviously lose a little dexterity but given the conditions I wear them in, it's a small price to pay.

Never tried them on drops though.

Did an ex-Alpkit employee on the Facebook bike & bivi group just say as much?

I don't know, just seemed logical. As someone who makes things by hand, I can testify that very rarely are two items ever exactly the same.

Stu - what do you reckon to using Tyvek? It's good stuff, easy to work with (cut, sew). Reasonably hardwearing, virtually waterproof (depending on grade), breathable and very reasonably priced when compared to cuben or even sil' and it's not slippery or noisy. Downsides are, it's a little bulkier w...

Could it be that due to their hand-made nature, not all Stem Cells are exactly the same size?

For the sake of a few diddy bags is it worth it? I can see the savings for big items like tarps being worthwhile but for diddy bags it seems akin to chopping the handle off your toothbrush off No, it's not really worth it. I make them 'because', there's very little (if any) practical benefit :wink:...

I'm just about to depart from Brecon for the Bach to Bach. Riding up to Nant Rhys tonight, and then following the loop of checkpoints clockwise, hoping to make it to Llanbrynmair for toast and goodies before 2pm Saturday. I'll then continue clockwise to catch the rest of the checkpoints southwards ...

some trendy sunglasses!!

I found some horrible looking Ray Bans while out riding a couple of years ago .... wonders off to look for them.

Wish you lot would stop it .... I feel like I ought to be going now.

As long as you stand them on something that won't burn / mark / melt then you'll be fine.

What about bits? That's what I'm struggling with... I use a varied selection ranging from course carbide burrs to almost smooth flap wheels depending what I'm doing. In reality, you're never really removing vast amounts of metal, so burrs and cutters don't see that much use. 120 grit grinding stone...

Which spring? This one? I think that's Dee's plan :wink: What bits do you use for that? I have an air die grinder and some tungston carbide bits from machine mart (https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cht500- ... -burr-set/ ) at the moment - trying to keep an eye out for some decent bits though. I use a...

Nice, but I do need to see more of this bike too Not much to see at present Dave, it's scattered all over. Painted frame bubble wrapped in one barn, bottom end stripped and awaiting a new primary chain in another and the head sat on my bench for porting / flowing. I'm aiming for sometime in spring ...

Am I right in assuming then I could put a 29er fork upfront? What makes a rigid fork 29er, 26" or whatever is the length ... as long as that's correct, you can fit it. Be careful with the 'is it tapered, is it not' thing. Even a straight steerer will have a flare where the bottom bearing sits ...

s this finish something a complete novice could realistically achieve our should I just get it sprayed somewhere by a pro? It's really not difficult Gairy, the key is not to rush and as Zippy says, have somewhere warm(ish) and dry. For a decent sized frame you'll probably need the following cans: P...

It doesn't actually matter whether your new forks are 26", 650b or 29" ... what matters is the axle to crown length. Measure your existing forks from the spindle to the crown (the point where the bottom headset bearing sits on the fork crown) and look for a fork the same length or up to 20...

One thing I've noticed about the Schnozzle is that it's lighter material than the normal Exped DryBags so I'm wary (having not used it in anger as a dry bag) of its durability. I'd use it like you suggest as a secondary bag. Yeah, I just consider it as a 'liner' to a much tougher outer bag. I would...

Is that paint petrol proof?

Yep, although the amount of ethanol in modern petrol may cause a few carb issues.

So, Stu - spill the beans - has Jack signed up for another go this year..?

No, he's not Jim ... although he does keep a watchful eye on the comings and goings

It's not really difficult Ben, as with all painting, preparation is key. 2 - 3 coats of primer and sand between each coat with 800 paper. When you're sure that everything is smooth, apply 3 coats of base ... it's usually silver of gold with candy but you could use anything you like. Sand between the...

Perhaps this post may seem a little odd but I thought it might be of interest to anyone considering a DIY bike makeover or whatever .... candy paint is lovely stuff but without a compressor and decent gun was pretty much impossible to spray. However, I recently stumbled across candy in cans and alth...