trapezeartist

+1 for Lemur's suggestion. It really only needs quite a modest hit with a decently heavy hammer, and won't harm anything else.

What Comerfords did back in the day and what people do today to make a pre-65 competitive are two entirely different things. But have fun and build the bike you want.

This is a general answer, but I can't think there will be anything different about the TRS. Set of tee-handle Allen keys. The most commonly used are 4mm, 5mm and 6mm but you may need 8mm and 10mm as well (front wheel spindle, for example). Set of combination spanners. I think I only use 8mm, 10mm and 13mm on my EM, plus a big one (22mm?) for the rear wheel spindle nut. Set of screwdrivers. Pair of C-spanners for adjusting rear shock preload. Pointy nose pliers for gripping fiddly things.

The switch didn't fit nicely under the seat because it is designed to mount on a 7/8 handlebar. So I've put it up beside the throttle. Total cost for switch, plug and a bit of wire was just over £9 from eBay, plus some time to solder and heat shrink the three elements together. For comparison, the OE switch from Inch Perfect (not nearly such good quality) is £52.99.

Returning to this subject, I changed my bike and the new-to-me bike is just the same. It came with brand new Apico sintered ceramic pads so I changed to a set of red Galfer that I had lying around. Still the same. This is getting very frustrating.

That's a really interesting idea, but if I read that correctly it can't be used with FRB or PRBR, nor with TKO. I've just got a bike with TKO and will be riding it for the first time this weekend. If in a few weeks I decide I don't want to TKO I might give it a try. When I first got my EM, lack of "engine braking" was my main criticism, though I think I've pretty much got used to it now.

I've just bought this switch off eBay. It's a CNC aluminium body and "waterproof" (though without any IPxx rating), and it cost just £4 inc postage. It is so much better quality than the OE switch. The handlebar attachment is very narrow so it may go onto the straight bit of frame tube under the seat. If that's not suitable I'll mount it on the handlebar.

True, but it's a plastic pencil-type gauge for prices ranging from £20-£60 online. I could buy a metal one for £6. Anyway, I've got another Apico on order and I'll be sure to check first with the gauge on my compressor if I have any doubts whether a tyre is over 15psi..

How did you do that?

Those are the sort of answers I was expecting, so another Apico it is. I'll be ordering this afternoon. And you're right, konrad, I won't make that mistake again (hopefully).

I need a new tyre pressure gauge. I've just broken my Apico 0-15 psi one by putting it on a new tyre that had been left at very high pressure. As I don't have a separate gauge for my cars, I am thinking of getting a digital gauge that would do both. I'm proposing digital because it will still be readable at normal trials pressures, but does it actually read accurately down at 2.5 psi? Any opinions? Any recommendations?

A Beta 200 or 250 will serve you well. Don't go bigger! The Betas are simple and easy to work on, steer well and will do everything you ask of them. I've never had a Montesa so I can't comment much except to say they sound nice and cost a lot more. I'm now fully converted to electric, so I would also suggest you consider an EM. Cost secondhand is similar to a Montesa or maybe a touch more, but there is much less maintenance and they are brilliant to ride.

The MX bike has no gearbox, but the trials bike has. Putting a gearbox on an electric trials bike has a rationale that is still lost on me. The MX motor is liquid cooled and the trials bike isn't. Now that makes more sense as the MX motor will have to work far harder. Presumably the batteries are different too, due to their very different service conditions. So not a lot in common, really.

Thanks konrad. I tried that search and the only doubled-ended male-to-female cables are from AliExpress, and they are only 20cm long. I haven't measured yet but I need about 1 metre. The pre-wired connectors are on order so that is likely to be the route I go. While I'm waiting for the postman to walk all the way from China I will look out for a suitable IP-rated switch that could be mounted in the under-seat position as an alternative solution. I don't know if the TKO switch will function on the move. I hadn't considered it before but it offers an intriguing possibility if it does. My main objection is the fact that a switch designed to be mounted on a straight bit of tube is mounted on a bend, so mud and water can get into the back of the switch.

It seems to me that the Factor-e may be a step too far. Despite watching and reading all the blurb, I really can't see that the gearbox is an advantage for most people. It might be an advantage on the SSDT just to give you a higher cruising speed on the road, but that's about it. In any other situation it just seems to be a move in the opposite direction to every other electric vehicle on the planet. I was speaking to the Inch Perfect van driver the other day who seemed to be a faithful employee but not a salesman. He has ridden the Factor-e enough to know, but would spend his own money on a 2025 ePure Race.