Your mail, photos, ideas & rants

STAR LETTER FENDER BENDER

A couple of years ago you gave out a lovely mudguard free with the magazine. ‘Thanks very much,’ I thought and, already having one on my bike, promptly forgot all about it. At the weekend, we were driving around the countryside looking for a trailhead, and no one but me seemed concerned that the fuel gauge was beeping away like mad. We found the trail, rode it and soon enough were back at the van, adrenalised and laughing. I started the engine and the onboard system said – and I’m translating here – ‘You idiot, you didn’t leave enough diesel to get to the service station, you’re stuck’.

I keep a 5l jerry can in the back for situations like this, so I opened the fuel cap and started pouring. But there was a problem. The plastic funnel that went with the can was long lost, and the precious diesel just wouldn’t go in the hole it was supposed to, pouring all over my Five Tens instead. Desperate, I started digging around in the back of the van for a solution. The suggestions from my friends came thick and fast (thick being the operative word!). Maybe I could fill one of my Five Tens with diesel and use that as a shoe-horn (geddit?) to get the fuel in? Or take my grips off and use the handlebar as a feeding tube? Or take one mouthful of diesel at a time and just spit it in there?

Obviously, none of these appealed much. Then I chanced upon the free MBUK mudguard. What if I rolled it up a little, stuck the sharp end in the fuel hole and used that as a funnel? It worked perfectly! I still don’t think I got the credit I deserved from the lads, so next time I’m going to use the Five Ten shoe-filler solution, but it’ll be one of theirs, not mine!

Kieron Black, via email

That’s quite the solution, Kieron – the A-Team and MacGyver would be proud! This selection of handy Lezyne kit should come in handy on future van/bike misadventures.

STAR LETTER WINS...

Lezyne Pocket Torque Drive torque wrench & Alloy Drive (M) mini pump worth £105

THAT’S GOTTA H