[Fatleg]

Don't you just love fog. What a horrid weekend for roadie activities.

[tlr]

You are not wrong. I forced my self out over Holme Moss in the fog, rain and wind.

117km, 2500m and well over 5 hours in the saddle. And a puncture after a 100km to add insult to injury. I felt pretty beaten up by the time we got home. 

Short ride today - if it dries up!

[fatdoc]

You are not wrong. I forced my self out over Holme Moss in the fog, rain and wind.

117km, 2500m and well over 5 hours in the saddle. And a puncture after a 100km to add insult to injury. I felt pretty beaten up by the time we got home. 

Short ride today - if it dries up!

that's truly suffering to a degree most can only dream of. The visability driving was soo poor I thought it was too dangerous to roadie on saturday, so I went flogging myself down rocky trails in  the peak instead

I'm nursing a bruised knee, a scabby finger and have yet to contemplate cleaning my bike from the mtb of saturday... rather fun.

BTW

have you seen one of these?

www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/rc405-free-floater-07-19908

Shame the local mtb shop that is akin to the bespoke roadie place in Sheff isnt a dealer, nor has one for demo

www.18bikes.co.uk/content/custom_build_bike.php

damn, where did all my salary go? 

[Fatleg]

Got to agree fatdoc I thought it was too dangerous on a bike yesterday. Went running instead. Drove out to Hathersage to see a mate and could barely see where I was going so I didn't dare get on a bike. Tir you are either brave or stupid.

[chappers]

two things:
1) if any of you, like me are interested in the culture of the bike messenger and fixed wheel city riding below is a pic of the new bike that i have built over the last few months. i started it as a project as a way to teach myself how to build and maintain bikes to a better degree. i love the film MASHsf and was inspired to build a "fixie" for myself. the frame is a terry dolan track frame, the wheels turn around suzu hubs, most other parts have been begged from others. (every part that i bought i tried to buy from a japanese brand - the pedals are MKS etc...). i have certainly learned alot, there is nothing quite like cutting through the steerer tube with a hack saw etc... it is an odd sensation hot having the luxury of freewheeling!




2) over the easter weekend i am going to be about in the peak (stopping at mum and dads in tideswell) and am looking to go out riding on the road bike, if you are keen to meet up at a location (like the calver crossroads) then drop me a PM on here and we can sort it out - im sure that most people on here will kick my skinny ass (or should i say legs??). team kuota kharma ride about the peak?

[Fatleg]

Nice bike chappers - I like. I would love a fixed / single-speed but living in Sheffield makes bikes with one gear a touch impractical.

[Bubba]

One thing i've never understood about a fixie is how the hell can you corner at any significant angle of lean without bashing a pedal down?

Although I like the purity of them, are they really much good as a day to day bike in a hilly city?

[Fatleg]

Never ridden a fixed, but they ride them on velodromes - which have bends so can't be to much of a problem.

[Yossarian]

One thing i've never understood about a fixie is how the hell can you corner at any significant angle of lean without bashing a pedal down?

Although I like the purity of them, are they really much good as a day to day bike in a hilly city?

they have high BBs than a typical road bike, and you might also run slightly shorter cranks.

i too am wanting to build a fixie. i think i'm going to go for a bob jackson, though those dolan frames are nice as well...

[soapy]

i hope you put a pair of plugs in the bar ends

[chappers]

i hope you put a pair of plugs in the bar ends

plugs wont fit in because i cut the bars down...any suggestions? corks?  (ideally i would like some of those car wrecker spikes that stick out...).

[soapy]

these expand

[Baron]

Pair of Shimano 105 5600 wheels in James for £115. Were £175. Worth getting? Or should one hold out for the Mavic Open Pro rims with 105 hubs at £120 as seen on ebay? I intend to shoe them with Continental Gatorskins.

[fatdoc]

buy fulcrums.

i'll be in the lakes at the weekend chappers, some other time perhaps

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Thinking about getting a full sus, but on a tight-ish budget...

can only really afford this...
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id32657.html
but put off slightly by the mech disc brakes, and the cheap rear shock (£££ to upgrade)

Also looking at this...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s1p164
Which I 'may' be able to afford, but its only in 18", and I really need the 19" frame

But really want this...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s1p553
But not sure if I can stretch to this!?

...and anyway if I'm stretching to this, why not go for this...
http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b3s1p3531

Any advice on full sus/alternatives/justification on stretching to the 3rd option!

 

[tlr]

Got to agree fatdoc I thought it was too dangerous on a bike yesterday. Went running instead. Drove out to Hathersage to see a mate and could barely see where I was going so I didn't dare get on a bike. Tir you are either brave or stupid.

Definitely not brave, just very scared of The Fred Whitton! To be fair the fog was worst in Hathersage and Sheffield. Strines, Holmfirth and Glossop were fairly clear. It was actually bone dry round Glossop.

2) over the easter weekend i am going to be about in the peak (stopping at mum and dads in tideswell) and am looking to go out riding on the road bike, if you are keen to meet up at a location (like the calver crossroads) then drop me a PM on here and we can sort it out - im sure that most people on here will kick my skinny ass (or should i say legs??). team kuota kharma ride about the peak?

I'll be around on Friday and Saturday, hopefully get out on the bike and I'm happy to meet up. 20mph winds and snow may cause me to stay in bed though. Let me know if you fancy it.

Tim

[fatdoc]

Thinking about getting a full sus, but on a tight-ish budget...

can only really afford this...
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id32657.html
but put off slightly by the mech disc brakes, and the cheap rear shock (£££ to upgrade)

Also looking at this...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s1p164
Which I 'may' be able to afford, but its only in 18", and I really need the 19" frame

But really want this...


http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s1p553
But not sure if I can stretch to this!?

...and anyway if I'm stretching to this, why not go for this...
http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b3s1p3531

Any advice on full sus/alternatives/justification on stretching to the 3rd option!

 

I'm a BIG BIG fan of FSR suspension (horst link patent owned by spesh)... it works, it does not need chain tension to stop bob, it is not reliant on shock technology to stop wallow, it is "flat" - so it works the same whatever part of the travel you're in, it is reliable, there is NO i.e... NO brake jack (unique), not loss of feel in the lowest gears (a la VVP linkages).

unless you are much of a mtb geeks as me (that'll be FBSF, Bubba, Norton, Dolly and a few others) I've just realised you will understand near fuck all of that...

new plan ; demo an fsr... that spesh XC one will be fine for everything you'll be be doing for years...

[Norton Sharley]

Thinking about getting a full sus, but on a tight-ish budget...

can only really afford this...
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id32657.html
but put off slightly by the mech disc brakes, and the cheap rear shock (£££ to upgrade)

Also looking at this...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s1p164
Which I 'may' be able to afford, but its only in 18", and I really need the 19" frame

But really want this...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s1p553
But not sure if I can stretch to this!?

...and anyway if I'm stretching to this, why not go for this...
http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b3s1p3531

Any advice on full sus/alternatives/justification on stretching to the 3rd option!

 

imho:

Kona's are a bit on the heavy side generally speaking but offer good spec for the price these days due to their older designs.

Don't go near mechanical disc brakes, pay the extra for hydraulics.  Mech's have crap power, are a bugger to set up and generally are single piston only so go through pads like crazy.  Having said that Hayes hydraulics are the second lowest of the low in the hydraulics league table.

As Fatdoc says FSR suspension definately works well although I wouldn't have spouted about it quite so much since I ride a single pivot.

None of the forks on any of these are that good.  Do you need a full suss or do you just prefer the idea over a hardtail and how much mtb'ing have you done?

For £900, after you've got 10% off list price which you will, and to be brutaly honest I would go and buy one of these http://www.marin.co.uk/2008/bikedetail.php?ModNo=3873 . Way better fork, better but still Hayes brakes, great fun to ride and probably lighter than all the full sussers you listed.

pm me for more if you want.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Hmm, thanks guys, all good info but making it harder to choose not easier!

Currently got a 2001 Cindercone hardtail which is great, however I would like disc brakes and it's not economical to replace wheels/hubs/brakes on an old bike, also thought it would be nice to get full sus as I've never owned one. On one hand my priorities (time and money) have changed some what since Mini-Obi is on the scene, but on the other hand I tend to look after my bikes/keep them for a while (2 konas since 1991!) so get good value from them.

[fatdoc]

use credit to increase your budget if you're after a full susser... £1500 would be bout right. 

[Norton Sharley]

  with FD, £1500 min for a full suss to buy a Spec FSR Stumpjumper - awesome value.

£700 buys a 'proper' hardtail.

 

[Norton Sharley]

Does your Cindercone even have bosses for disc brakes?    If not then add new frame and forks to your upgrade list at which point ..... £700/900 h/t  £1500 full suss

[tlr]

Or go second hand and get a £1500 bike for hardtail money. FSR 120 here for £775.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/read.php?f=5&i=638300&t=638300&PHPSESSID=3d7260620ad3a639dcf3d0ed6bfe193e

a couple of days on singletrackworld and bike radar etc and something is bound to come up.

Tim

[Norton Sharley]

  top idea.  But be careful buying 2nd hand bikes.  A mate bought some Fox36's for a song off ebay, got them and found a hairline crack in the crown.  Did a bit of research then found the previous 'careful' owner raced xc!  I assume the 36's didn't come off his race bike mind.

[Bubba]

Any advice on full sus/alternatives/justification on stretching to the 3rd option!

buy 2nd hand?

as you know, cyclists are some of the worst gear freaks (especially Fatdoc) meaning the 2nd hard market is always saturated with bargains