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Steve Cowles
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Buying a secondhand ebike battery
Spare ebike batteries don’t come cheap, I quite fancied one for my Pinnacle Lithium Ice as it is a nice bike to ride and would be suited...
stevecowles
Oct 8, 20221 min read


UK eScooter legalisation - Its all gone quiet
Obviously, there has been a lot going on in politics of late in the UK, I’m not sure that this necessarily bodes well for the...
stevecowles
Oct 2, 20221 min read


Common bike assembly mistakes
Many bikes are bought online these days, it is how I got my first one. They arrive in a huge box and you are left to do the final...
stevecowles
Sep 25, 20222 min read


A year car-free, what have I saved?
It is a whole year since my last car went to the scrap yard and I've still not found a need to replace it. So, what have I saved? surely...
stevecowles
Aug 29, 20221 min read


How long do ebike batteries last?
I'm talking about their lifetime here rather than the time between charges. This is a question which often appears on Facebook forums and...
stevecowles
Aug 27, 20221 min read
Five miles of drama, a tough Tesco trip
I’m feeling rather sore and a bit sorry for myself this morning. Yesterday's wee jaunt into town on my bike unexpectedly turned into one...
stevecowles
Jun 12, 20222 min read


How to use a micrometer
I have wanted to measure the thickness of the disc brake rotors on my bike for a long time to see if they need replacing. The problem is...
stevecowles
Jun 10, 20221 min read
500 Bike Rides - Any Lessons?
Yesterday marked my 500th bike ride since my 40-year break from cycling, it was just a short dash for lunch on a workday but no matter....
stevecowles
Jun 2, 20223 min read


What is Bad Cycling Weather?
I’ve been sitting here listening to the wind howling and thinking “I don’t want to go out in that”. This got me wondering what really...
stevecowles
Feb 8, 20223 min read
Why I'm not a 'Cyclist'
The latest changes to the Highway Code seem to have prompted an increase in the rage against 'Cyclists'. Now don't get me wrong here, I'm...
stevecowles
Jan 26, 20222 min read


Running a 'Budget' eBike - My Experiences
The Internet is full of bike snobs who assure us that any eBike costing less than about £5k will break down in a matter of weeks and...
stevecowles
Dec 9, 20211 min read


Shopping eBike Build Completed
It is now about 6 weeks since I bought my secondhand Dutch-styled NCM Venice to use as a shopping bike. I have put just shy of 300 miles...
stevecowles
Nov 24, 20212 min read


Which Thread Lock Should I Use?
Thread Lock is good stuff but what does it do and which one should you use? This is just a basic introduction as I'm certainly no expert...
stevecowles
Nov 18, 20213 min read


Tektro M290 Front Brake Pad Change
I thought it was worth documenting the process for changing the brake pads on these entry-level hydraulic disc brakes so here it is. If...
stevecowles
Nov 14, 20211 min read


Improving Trailer Visibility
Even after adding better reflectors to my bike trailer, I still nearly got taken out by a car the other day in the dark. Time for action....
stevecowles
Oct 27, 20211 min read


NCM Moscow Plus - Fitting a Front Light
I wanted to fit a light powered by the main battery, this is how I did it. This is a fairly easy project as long as you are not worried...
stevecowles
Oct 25, 20211 min read


Owning an NCM Venice, my initial thoughts
Going car-free is fine and dandy but if you depend on your 'fun bike' to do the domestic stuff you are likely to be unlucky when you have...
stevecowles
Oct 12, 20215 min read


NCM Moscow Plus - 3,000 Mile / 5,000 km Review
I've now ridden over 3,000 miles on my NCM Moscow Plus (27.5") so thought it was probably time to do a proper review of it, warts and...
stevecowles
Oct 2, 20215 min read


An Expensive & Bruising Crash
About 10 days ago I had a bit of a crash, if you follow me on Strava you may have noticed that I have only done a small number of short...
stevecowles
Sep 12, 20212 min read


NCN Millenium Mileposts
Although I was aware of the 'Millenium mileposts' on the National Cycle Network were and have passed several of them many times, I'd...
stevecowles
Aug 29, 20211 min read
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