Holt my beer, again, Faran and others

Solid session spannering or bodging old and new parts onto this. 95% there, a few things to line up, bar tape to fit and then ready to roll.

Ain't the prettiest but happy with it. Suddenly have acres of framespace, will have to fill it better one day.

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Farrow and Ball paint tin the new Aesop bottle? @amey

Baptism of fire, snow, rain and sunshine complete. The review is in, this thing bangs.

Four of us spent six days navigating around the Cairngorms, picking out some stupid routes that included knee-deep, fast-moving Ford crossings, miles of hike a bike, flooded trails, rain, snow, sunshine and even with 4 pannier bags on, it rides great.

Credit to Tailfin. Was unsure about their pannier bags but they are rock solid, got fully submerged a few times and worked perfectly up front.

Had reservations about the Tubus Tara too but on more than a few occasions, in real trouble, trying to lift, drag or pass the bike, it made for the best hand grab.

It looks like that came at a price. Leave it or bend it back?
Thinking leave it..

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F****ck. I'm glad of the CH here in drizzly/showery Londres Sud

If your pannier still clip on I’d leave it but bending it back shouldn’t be a problem.

This is my partners rack after a crash, took it to a metal shop thinking he might have to remake the struts but he just bent them back. Have ridden about 7000km since then without any problems.

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he just bent them back

just wow!

This looks awesome/horrendous/mainly brilliant but Type 2 fun. Great stuff.

Camping or hostels/mixture?

In fairness, 4 of the 6 days were mostly sunny and lovely!

Camping would have been Type 3, stayed in pods at caravan parks and B&Bs. The caravan parks had drying rooms for our kit, much needed!

Think it'd be possible to string together a great road tour around there, it's also super easy to get the bikes up and down with the Caledonian Sleeper.

Great photos

Looks brutal and beautiful in equal measure

It's gone a bit obsessive compulsive disorder.

In my mind, the Tubus Tara was meant to hold a big light up front, something like an Exposure Strada. This would be paired with a modified remote cable switch, extended to run through the fork to control at the handlebars.

Given the location, in the firing line for mud and water, have parked that idea but still wanted to place some sort of beacon out there for commuting.

Looking around the web I could only find a few ugly home made options, so contacted 3bits who does 3D printed bike bits and sent them this light equivalent of the homer simpson car sketch to riff off.

Today they printed the prototype, super happy. The file has now been sent to an industrial printer and will include some tweaks. Notably a small curved splash guard that may do absolutely nothing but worth a try.

Love to see a 3D printed tubus Tara light mount

Once I've tested it out, might start a group buy list

On the OCD front, new wizzy works bag is so very close but not quite custom fit but am really digging the new the black Ultra 200TX material.

With nearly all of the silver bolts now removed, I think it matches nicely.

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The Pirelli cinturato velo 28c are on the way out. Thinking 34-38c next.

Suggestions for both a fast all weather tyre and nice black mudguads to hug them (with loads of front wheel coverage)?

Can get Cinturato velo 35c or Grand Prix 5000 AllSeason 35c for about the same price.

corsa next?

corsa next?

Added to the list, a few ££ cheaper too.
Tho never had a punture stop with the Cinturato velo and they were easy to setup. hmm

Schwalbe G one speed 35mm, can find them for about 35 quid each sometimes.

Cinturato velo 35c

I'm about to disappear for 3 weeks but if you're still looking next month you're welcome to borrow a spare used pair to try. Or come grab them from SE26 before Thursday.

Once I've tested it out, might start a group buy list

I'd be very keen, I'm currently using a sawn in half disc brake adapter and a bolt with top caps / spacers and its naff.

Big fan of the Tara, but how come the arch sits so high above the tire? More used to using/seeing it like this.

Thanks for pointing out, I picked the mounting point in the manual but there are presumable 3 for a reason, will have a play, it looks a mess!

I'm about to disappear for 3 weeks but if you're still looking next month you're welcome to borrow a spare used pair to try. Or come grab them from SE26 before Thursday.

Thanks for the offer, have many thousands of miles on the 28c. Should stick with what I know works.

That raises the question, do you ever wish the 35c were bigger?

do you ever wish the 35c were bigger?

Yes, kind of, maybe.

They're good tyres that would have been perfect if i was actually doing winter/crappy surface road riding. But they feel a bit inbetweeny for my current needs which is either fast road tyre that makes my Arkose a bit more fun or a plush big volume tyre that makes things more chill. I suspect on a full steel frame that gets ridden properly the 35's would be a nice compromise if you've been on 28'S.

Inspired by @jono84 have been upgrading the garage and then my partner has blown my mind and got this tool chest for my birthday. Have been spannering sat on a bucket on the garage floor for years, having a rolling worktop is amazing, who'd have thought?!
/csb

And it's not all steel here.

And fuck SRAM, again. The brakes on the Canyon squeel horrifically in the mountains, maybe it's the frame/fork/something else but have replaced the 11 speed gen 105 with 12 speed ultegra calipers and swaped the SRAM rotors for ultegra.

Oh why fuck SRAM? Shimano 12 speed gen calipers are so amazingly simple to bleed.

Please don't zoom on the fresh bar tape.