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Great tip. But I don't go there - the beer's not as cheap there as it is in Lidl! Really? In the past these cheap German ones have been hopeless. You cannot go wrong with the Park Tool PCS-9, now down to around £70 from the £120 I paid. Saw something interesting from a cycle mechanic ...

Wireless are much more reliable. The wires inevitably snag and probably corrode. We probably went through 2 or 3 each before wireless varieties came out and we converted. Wireless require an extra battery, but I imagine they each last twice as long - which is particularly handy, since you'll not...

They're great - up to St Ives one end (where there is a Park'n'Ride - but from where you can join another traffic-free path alongside the river pretty much to Huntingdon) and across Cambridge down to the Trumpington Park'n'Ride at the other. Don't miss the nature reserve near Swavesey. I've...

My dad warned me of someone who'd put a can of coke in the pocket of his Belfast, fallen on it and broken his hip. Since then I've been very careful - no chain over my shoulder and certainly nothing hard in a back-pack!

Floppy Panniers can go into the rear wheel, but it depends entirely on the carrier - better ones have slight wings extending backwards, which prevent any problem. As you say, there is never a problem with imbalance. Do cars steer more clear of panniers? It is said they steer closer to cyclists...

I think this was the one I bought and I liked it. Well, for a while. First thing I noticed was that the dinky pockets on the back were useless, anything placed in there distorted the plastic stiffeners. Then I put two bottles of pop in one side and they burst the seams of the pannier. Our...

How did you not find the folding bike extremely useful? Did you think it might be useful living in your car, but then not use it? Has the battery maybe got baked as a result?

Back in the 50s one used a 2.5 volt bulb on a 3v battery and 3.5v bulb on a 4.5v battery. How well did they last? Not very well! But better on the steady output of a battery than on a dynamo driven by the wheel. In any case, batteries suffer a voltage drop when under load, so your problems...

Oh ... we were planning on doing Kent on the cycles this summer. What's the area like around Margate? Herne Bay any better?

Strikes me that folding electrics are the way to go for most people. Mines only a boring Cyclamatic Foldaway but is better for it.

There is a reason that most punctures are in the back wheel - a nail etc lies flat on the road, is kicked up by the front wheel and run over by the back. Motorcycles suffer this effect a lot, it may be less of a feature on bicycles. It could be a "power delivery" thing, but I think not.

I'm the Jeremiah who warned everyone against this method, so I stand corrected. I imagine what's happening in this case is that the steel in the critical spot is still in a softened condition from heating and bending (or slow-cooled after welding?). It's neither been quenched nor...

You're right to be gravely suspicious of the insurance elements - in the small print:

I'm not really sure what's in this tin marked "Castrol" but the grease seems to foam and bubble where you put it on (in exactly the spot you want it, via a very fine tube). The effect looks convincing. But even more convincing is that, if you have a free-wheel that's slipping, you lay the...

Cleaning chains just lets water in, shortening the life of the chain. Use motorcycle chain-grease spray, comes with a fine tube. A little dribble over the links as you turn the wheel backwards. It drips and flings off initially until the solvent has evaporated but then it stays in place...

Worn chains always damage the larger cog! That's because they stretch and ride up the teeth, which is a far smaller problem on the free-wheel.

I've obviously not been born - 40kg that Classic weighs with a Sealed Lead Acid battery! Nominal 12Ah capacity (but I think only the first half is really useable). But I must say, it looks tidy and "modern". Thompson Euro Classic 2 Electric Bike

Does anyone have a tidy example?

Phew, that was a relief, I was expecting to be blasted for having the eye-sight of a bat!

Dunno - but I've struggled with this and will use some of the tips others have provided. E-bikes especially need these cycleputers as a fuel-gauge.