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End of term vibes. Rode an hour or so to meet some friends in the country pub we've been going to for years, and had a very very good pre-Christmas catch-up, but on the way back my front tire started to leak again. Thankfully I heard it before I was too far from the road to Leamington, but still had to pull over, try and fix it and then give up and call a cab eventually. There are so many plugs on that tire it's a miracle this hasn't happened already!

Anyway, two solid weeks off means I have time to tinker, write, explore, maybe take some time off the bike to focus on living a little.

Yeah, it doesn't seem set in stone yet, which is reassuring. I guess so many of us were so invested in the forum and so many of us are so skilled that it's only a matter of time before someone chips in to save it.
Oh, and your Cinelli is a big reason why I have this bike in the first place, so massive props :)

L'excitation!

Maybe it’s because I work with school students who could strip/round out anything, but I have an irrational fear of these flathead screws

I think, when I saw it on Instagram, I thought it was just different, not ugly. When you're used to the usual cap head bolt, seeing a nut there instead feels wrong, somehow?
As you say, if someone wants an ultra low profile solution then I'm sure they'll accept the tiny aesthetic difference.
When in animation school at uni I frequently tapped washers to make armature parts for stop-motion. Even when tightening pretty carefully these stripped regularly, so I feel like bike mechs/owners would 100% do so.

Great! Glad it all worked out. For what it's worth, for my rear guard I was able to use just a regular socket head bolt (the same profile as your stem bolt) and it doesn't touch the tire. I have quite wide guards and tires, though, plenty of space in between. It might be different with skinnier tires!

A pair of M5 cap head bolts will get you sorted. Measure the approximate length you need and you can buy either a whole pack (cheaper) or cherry-pick sizes from somewhere like Accu (spenny but better quality). Stainless is ideal.

My rear guard fits a bit like you describe, so I use a spacer (also from Accu) to make up the gap, and a small leather washer provided with my VO guards to dampen any vibrations. A little bit of rubber or bar tape should also work.

I was saddened to hear about the forum's imminent closing; I've been here a blink compared to some of you, but it's left a mark. I rode my Raleigh into work this morning, the bike that arguably wouldn't exist if not for Hayley's encouragement, @Hulsroy 's relentless aesthetic zeal, @Marcootsee 's great bike taste and basically @trigs and @Browndonneur 's entire parts bin.

Anyway, it felt flowy and smooth and looks great and all was alright with the world once more.

Superglued the gouge

It took me a hot minute to realise you were referring to your hand here.
Onwards and upwards. It’s easy to feel that things happen for nothing when we’re accustomed to having monetary/numerical results-based lives I guess. But intangible results are so much more real 💚

when they see a catalogue bike that needs some BDHU they will think of this place

This.
A totally accurate tribute, as nothing that is ever made is a waste. It has an intangible impact on innumerable lives. Think of the 1 million+ times someone has viewed and been touched by the bike nerdery bullshit that goes on here.

I'm with @M_V on the serviceability thing. Functionally speaking it really shouldn't matter. My old SP hub is seized but I abused that thing, didn't wash it and left it wet etc. New one is going on for 10,000+km with no problems.
Then again it does end up covered in muck every week so it's probably only a matter of time.
The dynamo hubs thread is useful, but honestly an SP hub will be great 99% of the time.

I agree, but I think it's very much a case of lack of use prompting a change. I need to ride it and it will feel better.
Partially though I've realised that I had left the old chain on too long, and now with a new chain either the chainring or cog is so worn that it slips terribly - will play around with that but it is rather annoying. It would be a great bimble bike for over the holidays.

You might be able to have them tbh - unsure if I'd get along with them and tbh I ride the Rockhopper so little that the old less backswept but more rise bars would be just fine.
I think they are Ergotec Moon bars, 660mm but a search yields like 5 variants, all with different shape so unsure which exactly.

Supplying completely different wheel sizes to what you specced seems like a pretty big mistake, no? The Keep Pedalling insta is good Big Bro build inspiration. I reckon a SP dynamo in boost would be pretty cool, plus affordable B&M lighting. Super commuter vibes?

I reckon at least part of it is not riding the Cotic nearly enough - like, given the pace and terrain yesterday I reckon a SSMTB would have been ideal - and it is languishing. Think I will get it out a bit more in the holidays for bimbles and that ought to act as a kick up the bum.
Also it feels a tad frivolous and ungrateful to complain about bike choice when actually, being able to play around with friends and go travel, see places and do things is actually pretty damned special.
Anyway, I had a play with handlebars today - dirt drops on the Cotic with a tiny stem is actually similar geo to the Stayer anyway. Sweepier bars on the Rockhopper I'm not sure about yet - a bit too much curve, no rise.

You do spot the Howgills, though dunno what gives them away! Route itself was lovely enough, nothing too spectacular for c. 13km out and 13km back, but very vibey. The road out from Kendal to c. Natland way was lovely in the sunrise, though I'd want to be there before the traffic as it rolling, narrow and twisty.

I’d like to think Curve would have these but worth a check anyway. Seeing as they are supposedly the ultimate ‘adventure’ fork and almost all Curve build come dyno-d up as standard.

This also makes me think of the Rodeo Labs spork, which seems to match your description to a T. Might be an import job, though….

After some weeks of meh/commute tedium/loss of love for bike riding I finally got back up north, and rode around with close friends. Average pace = 14 kph. Bird watching, mince pies and mulled wine were all involved.
I had a go on a friend's Fearless Warlock - its the fork pictured in image 2 - and I really rather liked it, even the fact that his XL size fit me saddle height-wise but the reach was not ridiculous like the Cotic. He's selling the frame for £350 so could easily replace the Cotic for that and actually have a dirt drop bike.
Pros - colour is great, feels 'premium', dirt drop-ready
Cons - not a fan of its curved ST, and the geo is pretty much identical to the Stayer. Too similar?

Outstanding Cumbrian gravel vibes today. Much warmer than it looks tbh.

What about the Curve Ride/Seek forks? Very burly but in the region of £400ish

I only just checked this but turns out I've been riding 71 GI....maybe I need to take it down a notch.
Mind you, South Warwickshire is only ever rolling, and North Warks can get steep but I'm not a fan of the riding around there anyway.
Need to get the fixed out next week I reckon, it's been months.

No problem!!

Yeah, the plastic ones are easy-release ones meant to go on the front, in case something gets jammed in (assuming that a front wheel jam would result in OTB, but a rear wheel would just lock and skid).

Yeah last I remember both Rose and Bikester stopped dealing in the UK post-Brexit

It seems trite and insensitive to think of what she would have wanted, but I agree, from what I knew of Hayley she would have been joyous about your bike nerdery and nothing but enthusiastic to see us talking bikes on here. It seems normal and human to not want to talk bikes anymore out of grief, but talking bikes seems like the most human thing we can do too.

Joyous for you to have known her in person, and you Riaz, she must have been an incredible human.