Max Tolerance

My previous vehicle had a tow ball/bar fitted and my bike carrier fitted to that, but now my new car has no tow bar and I am not planning on fitting one if I can help it so what Bike Carrier solutions are there? What options do I have or am I fitting a tow bar?

So how do you go from 9mm QR to 15mm bolt through? Change the wheel?

Well, off I went to Winstanleys Bikes yesterday, actually I didn't make the journey there I called in on my way back from Knowsley. As I have often seen, a really massive, comprehensive website doesn't correspond to the equivalent physical presence though there was a great deal of stock on show and some truly impressive bikes. Now as some of you may remember some time back I had an "incident" which resulted in me breaking a couple ribs. I had also broken the thumb throttle on the bike but I hadn't noticed. Anticipating a real struggle getting the handlebar grip off I was in the market for some new grips. Anyhow a really pleasant assistant there (Aaron) helped me with some advice and went off to get grips from the stock. The ones I would have bought off the Interweb I didn't like at all when I actually felt them, Silicone, bit like my ex's T1ts all promise and no substance. We spoke for a while and he gave me some bits of useful advice, especially regarding the battery on my pal's Cube bike (lost the key for the battery so I am going to drill it out, the lock, not the battery). I have a much better understanding now of front forks and my choice has widened a little more, I also get this part about the different axles and I think I can solve my conundrum easily enough regarding the 9mm QR axle my bike came with. In order to change axle types it is necessary to change the wheel! Sounds pretty logical to me.

Well, thank you all for your contributions, I didn't realise it being 27.5" it was such a big deal. I would have thought anything bigger would be fine (to a degree) of course there would be a point where the mudguard wouldn't fit and I am not sure about the rest. Certainly I will be exploring the Rokshox option and Winstanley bikes aren't too far from me so I would actually go and speak with someone before purchase.

Not now, not today but "soon" I will be needing a set of front forks for my Wisper Wayfarer. My own fault, washing the bike down, cleaning it within an inch of it's life and not putting any protective coating on the fork bodies and now they have rusted, not badly but I know from past experience it is only a matter of time before they start to leak. So my plan is to start looking now for a set of replacement forks. I would be very grateful for your suggestions. I am not looking for some MTB downhill racer forks but on the other hand there are some bloody big potholes on the canal paths round here and some days the forks just don't do their job.

Well, here you go: In 2021 I "realised" I was out of condition, so began researching then was offered a grant to help my employees get on bikes, I thought about this for a while then thought why not get on a bike myself! Then, the icing on the cake, I "discovered" electric bikes, now, while I would never have an electric car an electric bike was a completely different proposition, less effort right? So began my research and I joined this forum almost exactly two years ago, the people here have been very helpful and I was looking for a manufacturer from whm I would purchase my first bike. My initial idea was to buy a kit and build my own, then, me being me I thought to build the bike from scratch (something I could do) then reality set in and as I am very busy I decided to buy the actual finished product. I emailed a couple of manufacturers/importers and by far and away the best most attentive responses came from David over at Wisper. This guy knew his product and was prepared to give his time to an individual customer (the long term result has proved this was the right choice). So I placed my order, as my posts show, the bike arrived and I charged the battery then off I went, really thoroughly enjoying my new means of transport, the road to realising my new fitness potential was beckoning. What a deluded fool I was. I wasn't "out of shape" at all, my bloody heart was failing! After a summer of enjoying my bike, buying totally unnecessary "upgrades" and also investing in some proper kevlar riding gear the inevitable happened, going down my driveway one evening I pushed on the pedal at just the right (wrong) time, the motor kicked in and it spat me off, I landed just awkwardly enough to break three ribs. I slowly wheeled the bike into it's home I had built for it and that is where it stayed for the last fourteen months or so. Then I had my first heart attack. swiftly followed by heart attacks two, three and four. Make no mistake about it, heart attacks are not for the faint hearted and stay as far away from those Defibrillators as you can, they bloody well hurt. REALLY hurt. Anyhow, it has been a real challenge the last twelve months or so and I have met some really interesting and important (to me) people, one of whom is Ian of the Electric Cranks (featured elsewhere on this site) Eventually, navigating my way through the NHS I have been fitted with an ICD (Internal Cardiovascular Defibrillator ) I did mention to keep away from these things, right? So this sits just above my left breast with a service life of about fourteen years and I call it my third breast. It causes me no discomfort and is the very best battery operated device I have ever had, a guy I know who has one has likened it to cheating I refer to mine as my Turbocharger, the difference it has made to my life is unbelievable the device is not only a defibrillator but it also manages my heart and it does this in ways that are way beyond my understanding but are incredible, I am indebted to the folk at Medtronics. So now I am feeling much, much better (life changing really) I decided to get my bike out again: cue really crappy weather in my future :-( Really though get the bike out and look at what fourteen or more months left to it's own devices looks like :-( I took it over to Rick at Cycleworks: https://www.facebook.com/thecycleworks.tech/?locale=en_GB He is not a Wisper agent but he IS a very straight and competent bike person, he called me back after a week telling me: "it's ready". It really looked brand new, the same as the day it was delivered, Rick also remarked how well put together the bike was and how powerful, he sees a LOT of bikes so his opinion was important to me. I am so very pleased I chose this bike and now, at this time of the year I am planning my summer month trips and really looking forward to getting on my bike.

I get that, which is why I bought one of your bikes, but Hope Tech: Being a small business of a similar nature/background I am very conscious as to how few true engineers we now have in the UK and how few people are getting into engineering apprenticeships so.....

And here: https://www.merlincycles.com/hope-tech-4-v4-disc-brake-colours-260310.html No disrespect to Wisper who have been fabulous with a terrific product but I just like the idea of something made in England and support our own manufacturers for a change.

Yes, quite. A bit more realistic: https://www.merlincycles.com/hope-tech-3-x2-disc-brake-colours-97961.html last years tech is always a better deal. Besides: All options are out of stock

After enjoying my bike for some months now, a little over confidence cost me two broken ribs. I was steering with one hand and putting something in to the pocket of my shirt with the other, bit of pedal, plenty of acceleration and a big rock. As I landed the handlebars went between my arm and my chest then I landed with all my weight onto my arm. Bang, the rest is history, cut my hand up as I "thought it was too hot for gloves" but not a mark otherwise as my Kevlar shirt took all the abrasion. Worth every penny. I did however smash the rear (left) Brake master cylinder: So now I need a replacement. Should I just go like for like or are there any preferred alternatives?

Well we should discuss them as they do indeed concern us, it is often a small minority of people who cause the most grief for the majority, I wouldn't like to think I am grouped together with the irresponsibles but I am afraid Electric bikes are often viewed in the same way electric scooters are and while I really actually like the idea of an electric scooter and I will buy one, when they are legal, it is the thoughtless riders giving them a bad image, same way as "motorised" is immediately grouped into "hooligans".

DON'T SHOOT ME! A question born of ignorance and not a flame war fuse. I have seen various Bolt On Kits you can buy to motorise regular pedal bikes. What is the script with these, I mean legality wise. I am not interested in going to the bowels of hell for eternity or the thought police knocking on my door, I am genuinely interested, There is a young chap local to me and he zooms about on a bike so equipped but he does it without annoying anyone and without the (usual) cloud of 2-stroke smoke. So I am interested in finding out.

So which models do they have and what do you ride? It would be useful to know.

Buy the one you like. They will all cope with steep hills. Navigation gadgets are prolific so that would be up to you to find one you like but £3k is more than enough. Doesn't matter which one you buy you will always have a nagging doubt that the other one might have been a better choice, Cest la vie!

Okay, bit of thread necrophilia but this article was in the Times Tuesday, basically, guy gets done for doing twenty five in a twenty limit and in the video the Police send him it shows him being overtaken by someone on a scooter, On the Pavement!