RussJ

Just taken delivery of two Rambletta suspension bikes mainly for use when touring with our caravan. We plan to load them into our car and are looking for storage bags to avoid sratches etc. Plenty on eBay and Amazon but none appear to be deep enough to accommodate the Rambletta which I measure as about 45 deep when folded although the website says 35... Has anyone come across a suitable bag? All help gratefully received. Russ

I was really looking to modify my bike rather than buy a new one..

I have owned a Kakhoff Pro Connect since 2011 and been very pleased with it. However., as the thread suggests, I'm having problems with my wrists and thumbs and finding the bike increasingly uncomfortable. I need to find a way to make the riding position more upright to take some of weight off my wrists and an alternative gear shift for the Alfine 8 speed. The standard stem is a Concept adjustable and I guess I need a shorter one to bring the bars further back. I believe I can convert the Alfine to a twist grip change but not sure. Can anyone give me some advice or come up with better ideas (other than using the bus!)? All help gratefully received. Russ

I have an Allay Nomad on my Kalkhoff and have found it to be really comfortable. They do womens versions too! Russ

Kalkhoff Pro-Connect Disc 8 for me - truly the Mercedes of eBikes! Not the cheapest but well built and superb quality. Russ

I have fitted telescopic type suspension seat posts in the past and found them to be better than nothing but only just... This time round I used a parallelogram type on my Pro Connect Disc 8 which is far more effective. I bought a Suntour post for about £30 and find it far more comfortable than the telescopic one. The only thing that you need to get used to is the slight rearward motion when you hit a bump... Russ

Just thought I'd post an update... 50 Cycles sent me a replacement spoke as promised (thanks guys) and I fitted it this morning. The hub fitting was easy. All you have to do is slip a thin screwdriver into the slots around the hub on the chain side. Gently lever outwards working around the hub and the fixing ring will come loose. It then gives enough clearance to pull out the old spoke and insert the new. No need to take the wheel off or remove sprockets etc as I'd feared. Pulled off the tyre near the nipple and lifted the tape to remove old one and fit new. Could have reused the old one if the spoke hadn't broken off flush with the top of the nipple. Thanks again to everyone for their tips and info. Russ

Hi Guys, Many thanks for your quick responses and useful info. Sods Law dictates that its a chain side spoke that snapped! I will have a chat with the workshop before attacking the hub though. Russ

Just noticed that I've got a broken spoke on the rear wheel. 50 Cycles are sending me a replacement but I'm not sure how to unhook the hub end of the old spoke. It looks like all the hub fixings are covered by plastic plates. Do these just pry off to reveal the hole? The spoke has broken within the nipple so presumably I have to take the tyre off to get at that end? Its a 24 spoke wheel which if I remember correctly has caused problems in the past but I thought that had been resolved. I hope its just an isolated incident... Russ

Having had several Mercedes over the years, one thing I can say for certain is that they don't do anything for "FREE"! Russ

There aren't many (any?) electric bike shops in and around Norwich that I managed to find so I bought on recommendation from this forum and other research on the net. I live about 8 miles from Norwich and have a Kalkhoff Proconnect Disc 8 which you're welcome to come and have a look at and try out. As far as I know, we will be here in late August so, if you're interested, suggest you PM me nearer the time and we'll sort out a meet. Russ

I added it to our lawn tractor tyres years ago after a succession of blackthorn punctures. Never had a puncture since. Following my flat last week I bought a bottle and "Slimed" mine and the wifes bikes to hopefully give some protection. I suppose it is an act of faith in some ways but in my view worth a punt. Russ

Ticking noise - problem solved! I spoke to the guys at the 50 Cycles workshop and they suggested a change of pedal. I was a bit sceptical but agreed to try. I swopped them with a pair from my wifes bike and set off this morning. Bliss-no more clicking! 50 Cycles are sending me a new set today under warranty - thanks guys. The originals weren't loose in the crank and spin freely without obvious play in the bearings so I don't know why they made the noise - I'm just delighted to be cycling quietly again. Russ

I prised out the plastic end cap on both pedals and added some oil last night but today the click is back with a vengeance. Running out of ideas now so it looks like its off to the LBS for me. The disc noise seems to have gone though, perhaps a little bit of grit got caught in the pad? Russ

Sods Law intervened on the day I posted when I picked up a puncture 6 miles from home. Fortunately I was able to call in the cavalry in the guise of the missus with our estate, so avoided an hours walk in the pi**ing rain! Didn't get a chance to work on the bike till yesterday when I fixed the puncture, "slimed" both wheels and worked my way through most of the suggestions to get rid of the annoying ticking noise. Nothing was obviously wrong or loose but this morning when I set off all seemed quiet again so I thought I'd fixed it by nipping up bolts etc. No such luck. After about a mile the noise returned along with a tinkling from the front disc. I'm pretty sure its drive train related as it stops when I dont pedal. It also seems to be louder when I push hard on the right crank so maybe the suggestion re lubricating the right hand pedal is worth investigating further. I'll have a look tonight. Can't see what I've done wrong with the front wheel though. Had to take it off to get the bike into our Saab but when I refitted the wheel it makes a tinkling noise which stops when I touch the brake. Sounds as if the disc is just slightly touching the brake pad(s). Not sure if there is any adjustment on these?

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, I'll work through them this weekend and report back in due course. Scott, if I can't find the problem I'll take you up on your kind offer. Russ

I've done about 500 miles on my PC Disc 8 and I've recently noticed a regular ticking noise which I can't find the reason for and its slowly driving me nuts! It happens once each turn of the pedals regardless of gear so I guess its something to do with the crank mechanism. I have also noticed a "crunchy" feeling through the pedals especially in higher gears, rather like a rough bearing or as if the chain was slightly out of alignment. I've taken off the chain guard and cleaned everything, lubed up the chain and checked all cogs for wear but everything looks fine. Also checked the Alfine hub for adjustment and all is well. My gearing is higher than standard - 41/11/16- and I've removed one link from the chain as advised. Would appreciate any ideas of what to look for as I'm miles away from 50Cycles.. Russ

Could it be they've installed the wrong size chain? If the chain is wrapping itself around the drive cog under power, it suggests the chain is jamming on the teeth when the extra torque is applied and the teeth are forced into the chain...

Sorry to labour the point but the presumption will be that anything being sent to you is owned by you and therefore will be subject to duty. After all not many retailers would ship to you from the US without having received payment first! HMRC is well aware of who the forwarding companiers are and where they operate from. If personal goods were being returned to you (say you'd left them behind when on holiday) then you might get away with it provided you could produce evidence of purchase from within the EU. There is an appeals procedure but its long winded - as you might expect. If you're going to do this, best to expect to pay duty and be pleasantly surprised if you don't!

I think you'll find that these services are designed to get round the fact that many US online retailers will not ship outside America. They allow you to buy quoting a US address, accept delivery and arrange for the goods to be forwarded on to your home address(for a fee!). If you're ordering a number of items from different suppliers they can consolidate into one package and save on shipping costs. Duty is payable on goods according to their point of original sale, not ownership. Odds and sods arriving via Royal mail are often ignored but anything coming in from outside of the EU via a courier and having a declared value greater than £50(?) will attract duty and a handling fee. Sometimes labelling as a "gift" or "no commercial value" will get it exempted but you may face problems with an insurance claim if its lost or damaged. Russ

NR9 for me

In my motorcycling past I was always careful to use earplugs to protect my hearing from windnoise and in my pre-electric days, I couldn't cycle fast enough for this ever to be an issue. However, now I can maintain a comfortable 20mph and often max out at about 27mph, I have started to notice an increase in wind roar. It usually takes me about 40mins to cycle to work so that's about and hour and a half per day exposed to a reasonable level of ambient din. Is this likely to be damaging in the long term? My Dad had tinnitus and partial deafness caused by years of exposure to printing press noise... Should I be concerned? Russ

Its difficult to describe but more obvious when you look at the chain. I punched one rivet almost through leaving it clear of the inner but fixed in the outer piece and split the chain by wiggling the inner part free - the two side pieces forming the female fitting. Next I took the male end, counted back two rivets and punched this one right through so revealing an inner part - ie the next available male fitting. Rejoin the newly exposed male end to the female bit by pushing the rivet back again and you've shortened the chain by one link. Hope this is a bit clearer now... Russ

I took out one inner plus two outers (does that equate to 1 link?). Swopping over the sprocket is easy although getting the snap ring back on can be a challenge! Have a look on Youtube for a video demo of how to do this - a picture is worth a thousand words etc... 41t chainring plus 16t sprocket is a very high geared bike (at least for my old legs). If you have significant hills it might be too much and an 18t more suitable? Russ

I've swopped my rear sprocket for a 16t version on my Pro Connect disc 8 - was fitted with 19t. Much reduced pedalling speeds but hard work in the top gears for my old legs! Top gear is now best on the flat or slight downhill. Might go back to 17t or 18t. Russ