UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => shootin' the shit => two wheel spiel => Topic started by: Norton Sharley on April 24, 2008, 04:26:51 pm
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A new thread to seperate the lycras from the baggies and so that Fatdoc, the undisputed champion of all things biking on UKB, can share his knowledge.
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Fatdoc, why so touchy about the Marin / Whyte comment. Your white Marin is after designed by a Mr Whyte?
More importantly does anyone own any of the new Hope Vision 4's? Or know anyone who does. And if so has the lead broken yet? I want to buy one but despite a lengthy conversation with a Hope bloke who was trying to persuade me otherwise I am not convinced that Hope have sorted out the leads and was looking for a bit of feedback.
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Disc brake question;
All with 203 rotors, Saints, Mono M4s, Moto V2s?
Currently erring to the side of M4s, but then you almost might as well spend another tenner and get V2s...
For downhill so weight isn't really to much of an issue.
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Knockabout/Trail/Shopping Bike Question:
OK here's the requirement. I want a bike like the 'tracker' I built as a youth but a bit more beefy to go banging around some local trails & go to the shops.
I don't want a 'jump' bike 'cos they look so horrendous to actually ride but I also don't want a full 27 geared hardtail MTB. I'm worried a fixed wheel is going to be too hard to push up the hills where I live. So, ideally I'd like a hardtail frame with front suspension and 5 or 7 gears - all for under 500 quid. Any suggestions from the UKB cycloknowledgebrain?
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Love my M4's, but they are on an xc bike and haven't tried the others which is really not that much help.
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I'm worried a fixed wheel is going to be too hard to push up the hills where I live.
Fixed gear you mean? Fixed wheel is like a penny farthing isn't it?
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Knockabout/Trail/Shopping Bike Question:
OK here's the requirement. I want a bike like the 'tracker' I built as a youth but a bit more beefy to go banging around some local trails & go to the shops.
I don't want a 'jump' bike 'cos they look so horrendous to actually ride but I also don't want a full 27 geared hardtail MTB. I'm worried a fixed wheel is going to be too hard to push up the hills where I live. So, ideally I'd like a hardtail frame with front suspension and 5 or 7 gears - all for under 500 quid. Any suggestions from the UKB cycloknowledgebrain?
Competition is so hot at that price range I would pick a bike from a big manufacturer and that fits you best. Job done.
Over to you Fatdoc....
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I'm worried a fixed wheel is going to be too hard to push up the hills where I live.
Fixed gear you mean? Fixed wheel is like a penny farthing isn't it?
Yeah, but, no but (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,7274.msg139765.html#msg139765)
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looks hellish
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What I meant was Singlespeed as opposed to Fixed wheel (or gear).....
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would sir be thinking about something like this...
(http://www.pashley.co.uk/cms/products/main_46.jpeg)
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Wow!
I spend 1 day at work and the world of UKB changes...
right, 1st off - my marin has different geo to whytes, whyte no longer works for marin or ATB sales, see link on legshavers for bikemagic review.
The 9 speed hardcore hard tail Qu... not easy to answer for £500 new.... check out the spesh P series... you could always but 27 speed, take the front mech off and fit a chain device - that'll open up your choices maybe you'll have to consider 2nd hand (look on southerndownhill forum), GT do some in your price range, but they are well heavy, often without disk brakes... I'll ponder this a bit more and come back to you..
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now then...brakes.
I'm NOT a fan of Hopes... that is the M series and the ti 6s.... they feel too flexy and dont have the power of the european oppostion... in the alps the Dhers have blown up a lot of them... one morzine orange hire outlet refused orange to put hope on their 2006 fleet, as 2005 was a disaster for them (XC bikes in the main). they went back to shimano deore - with good results.
but, times change. Hope have a very new product line up.
classically there are 2 kinds of disc brake.... smooth power onset... or all it's got near as you touch the lever (hayes being the best example). this distinction is becoming more and more blurred of late... brakes are getting a lot better. i love the feel of the avid 5 and 7.... seems to do it all with ease, very comfy on the fingers... the new hayes strokers i have are a cheap brake with a wonderful feel to them
i'm not well informed on the new Hopes to pass a good judgement... i'd wait a few months on any new brake to buy... to get teething problems sorted out.
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not easy to answer for £500 new....
I could go higher but I'm trying to be sensible .... you know how it is with bikes.. :bounce:
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The DMR Trailstar frame looks good with a front shock and setup as a singlespeed.
This Orange looks fantastic but it's nearly 900 quid.
(http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/710px/P7-One.jpg)
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Oh my - a whole thread for fatdoc - where he can display all his MTB geekness.
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would sir be thinking about something like this...
(http://www.pashley.co.uk/cms/products/main_46.jpeg)
PeeWee Hermans dream bike! :P
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The DMR Trailstar frame looks good with a front shock and setup as a singlespeed.
This Orange looks fantastic but it's nearly 900 quid.
(http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/710px/P7-One.jpg)
search around descent-world southerndownhill and perhaps gravity-slaves, you'll be fine with a second hand one...
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Cheers. I know alot of it comes down to personal preference about lever feel and the like. I've got an old style mini on my hardtail that i like alot, and C2s on my DH bike (retro eh?) which i fecking hate.
So as usual, I guess it'll be jumping into the unknown and hoping i like the feel. Although commandeering some friends bikes for a play might be a good bet.
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I swapped from old M4s to Hayes HFX 9 on my Alps bike - there's no comparison, the Hayes are better in every way than the M4s, and they are pretty cheap as well. My wife has the XC versions on her bike, and when I get round to it I'll swap the old Minis on my XC bike to Hayes as well.
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Got Avid Juicy 7's on my turner 6 pack and mono 6 ti on my downhill bike...
Love them both and both seem to have great power and modulation, howvere you cant get 6tis anymore so I do hear good things about the V2
And just for the record my new bike is now built up.....
(http://www.velovtt.com/v1/images/m3intense.jpg)
dont have the 40's on mine but the rest is pretty similar
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Was it you I met/saw at Wharncliffe with Bubba a while ago?
If so, what are you doing with your Bighit?
Can't really justify mono6s...
I need to find someone with some moto V2s and have a play.
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Falling Down - what about a Charge Bikes Stove?
It's billed as a "pub bike" - single speed, rigid frame and brand new for £299 - basically it's a grown up BMX cruiser.
(http://www.bikemagic.com/news/images/charge07_stove_hi.jpg)
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I swapped from old M4s to Hayes HFX 9 on my Alps bike - there's no comparison, the Hayes are better in every way than the M4s, and they are pretty cheap as well. My wife has the XC versions on her bike, and when I get round to it I'll swap the old Minis on my XC bike to Hayes as well.
My god, someone who likes Hayes brakes! Good luck to you tlr. I scared myself stupid in the Alps swapping bikes with a
punter that had Hayes 9's, but only the front one worked hence I was riding it. He got off the other end of the descent saying he was going to bin the Hayes and buy Hopes. I got off swearing I would never use Hayes brakes again, but it was one of the fastest descents of that particular hill I ever made! ;D
imho the problem a lot of people experience with Hope's overheating, particularly in the Alps, is due to them dragging the brakes causing gradual heat build up. Hope's were designed around racing where you tank down a hill then bang the brakes on as hard as possible when you need them. For this purpose they work extremely well which I can confirm from much testing in the Alps. This issue is probably why Hope no offer floating discs and phenolic pistons.
Avid's are a bit softer feeling but do work very well, apart from the turkey gobbler noise when they get hot and the fact that the pads are a bastard to change.
And of course Shimano's just work, very well.
But that's all just my opinion.
By the way Hope Mono M4 pads are the same as Shim XT.
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Falling Down - what about a Charge Bikes Stove?
It's billed as a "pub bike" - single speed, rigid frame and brand new for £299 - basically it's a grown up BMX cruiser.
(http://www.bikemagic.com/news/images/charge07_stove_hi.jpg)
Looks good but wouldn't work in Sheffield all our potholes and no front sus!
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My two-penneth on the Q's and comments above.
I have a Marin and its nice to see someone else has one too, Fatdoc.
I have just upgraded my Avid Juicy 5's to take a 203mm rotor and upgraded the brake hoses to Goodridge braided hoses (look well nice). So far I've nearly gone over the handlebars just the once but they will be just fine for my involvement in the Passportes du Soleil this year (startinbg in Les Gets) and for riding the Megavalanche (not the race, I'm riding it a few weeks before). I prefer Avids to the all or nothing feel of the Hayes but then some people describe the Avids as spongey.
I 2nd what Fatdoc says. A mate has an Orange P7 and its a great bike. Definately worth a look 2nd hand.
Crikey Fatboyslimfast, thats a hell of a DH bike.
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I'll put a vote in for Shimano Saint disc brakes.
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I swapped from old M4s to Hayes HFX 9 on my Alps bike - there's no comparison, the Hayes are better in every way than the M4s, and they are pretty cheap as well. My wife has the XC versions on her bike, and when I get round to it I'll swap the old Minis on my XC bike to Hayes as well.
My god, someone who likes Hayes brakes! Good luck to you tlr. I scared myself stupid in the Alps swapping bikes with a
punter that had Hayes 9's, but only the front one worked hence I was riding it. He got off the other end of the descent saying he was going to bin the Hayes and buy Hopes. I got off swearing I would never use Hayes brakes again, but it was one of the fastest descents of that particular hill I ever made! ;
I thought that might cause some controversy, but I can only report what I've experienced. Lots of people seem not to like Hayes in the UK (but an awful lot of people whinge about Hope too), maybe I've been lucky, but my Hayes have been far better than my M4s ever were (in their actual ability to stop the bike), and need less looking after. It was a couple of friends who race DH who convinced me to try the Hayes and so far its been good advice. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the quickest rider downhill though.
I had the M4s and the Hayes on the same bike, each for a week in Les Arcs so riding the same trails, so the comparison for my sets of brakes was pretty fair. The (slightly unhelpful) attitude of the guys out in Les Arcs to anybody with brake issues was 'its because they are Hopes'....
Just for balance, I've not personally had any problems with my Hope Minis either, but another couple of friends have had no end of trouble despite constant bleeding and maintenance.
I do seem to be quite light on bike parts however, so maybe I'm not the best barometer!
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Was it you I met/saw at Wharncliffe with Bubba a while ago?
If so, what are you doing with your Bighit?
Can't really justify mono6s...
I need to find someone with some moto V2s and have a play.
Indeed it was me, the big hit has been sold on! All that is left are a pair of 888rc's and some aerial flat crowns.(all for sale) The bike was actually sold before i got the new un, amazingly people were actually haggling to out bid each other. seems the big hit with the 24" rear wheel is a bit of a design classic now.
Got a brand new glazzdolli 24" tyre you can have bubba, forgot I had it
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Hayes are ok on my hardtail but they are a pain in the arse really - where my bikes live can get a little damp and the Hayes are always seizing up when left in there for any length of time.
They are also weak! Ok budget brakes but pretty shite compared to more modern offerings imho.
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seems the big hit with the 24" rear wheel is a bit of a design classic now.
Damn right! I still love mine :) I still want a Session 10 mind ;)
Got a brand new glazzdolli 24" tyre you can have bubba, forgot I had it
Cheers fella :)
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the new hayes stokers are very very good...
i've ridden a 203 mm disc hayes front in the alps for 2 years... no probs... with an avid juicy 7 on the rear one year, Hope ti the year before. avid better in all respects
BTW, i have a set of Tis hanging about... i think ther're 185s... in full order and have spare pads
anyone want em? reasonable offers accepted... might have a hope bleed kit somwhere too!
i'll not be on line for few days... off to scootland!
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I'm off to Machynlleth tomorrow and Coed-y-brenin Sunday.. should be fun but I'm going to take it very easy as I don't want to damage anything before I head off to Indo.
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BTW, i have a set of Tis hanging about... i think ther're 185s... in full order and have spare pads
anyone want em? reasonable offers accepted... might have a hope bleed kit somwhere too!
As in Hope m6 tis?
Front or rear? (or both)
Let me know which, and I'll have a think
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both, with floating rotas
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looks hellish
they ride fixed in san francisco. watch mash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaxAEXBBKfY buy it, its amazing.
that has a few hills!
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Cool. I'll send you a message later.
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fine outing today with norton, robin and mad Jerry!
I chose the route, god knows how far it is... who cares! 3 hrs.. of not easy conditions around Hope, jaggers clough, mam tor (nick close to cleaning the hill - damn him) and dirtlow rake and finally Pin Dale
*WARNING*
Pindale has had a chicane (!) of large boulders put in it on the first tight bend... you cant see the bugger if you're in flight mode, and 140mm of travel will not get you over it. Trust me... skidding on my left knee at 15 mph down the boulder strewn trail was not funny! Thank the Lord for 661 shell knee pads!! I'm getting some lightweight XC / All mtn elbow pads... i was damn lucky i can tell you.. the bends now are taken at at wobblingly slow dawdle... not doubt that was the intent.. the bends are blind and both MXers and mtbers fly round them... to be honest it's safer... shame no one told me they were there! I was involved with a very big very very fast group ride down there 5 weeks ago... if the chicanes were then it would have been carnage...
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How was the 'tress trip? and the canyoning?
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didnt get to 'tress. coz the weather was awesome!!!!
white water rafting, bouldering then next day routes...... bloody beautiful place, right time of year... dry ground... good cons, no wee beasties....
recommended!
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trails round sheff all near dry now guys...
met a guy new to working at HighRise.... boulderer. on a marin, fast... name paul?? he hooked up with us near burbage, was v quick on the lesser known aspects of Blakka...where i promptly displayed no real knowledge of the width of my new bars... and paid the price :wall: hit a tree, hard...
hope Norton got home OK, he borrowed my lights!!
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didnt get to 'tress. coz the weather was awesome!!!!
white water rafting, bouldering then next day routes...... bloody beautiful place, right time of year... dry ground... good cons, no wee beasties....
Bouldering and routes both at Weem? Typically scotland - not seen a cloud all week (apart from fog), then forecast to piss down all weekend.
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Fatdoc I've moved my questioning to here. On the Wolf medium my legs didn't hit the handle-bars even when in road mode, although it did feel cramped up compared to my road going machines. I think the only question now is whether to get the wolf or the attack - Is the attack worth the extra £400 ish. Lycra is for the road! Oh and the issue of hiding it from the Wife.
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stans have a copy of the last post.... thought it would help
right,
fork upgrade is worth £150. it's a lot lighter. mine is way good. ignore the set up manual it's wrong. i'll do this for you. stans also have en email copy of my setup, get the attack trail set up via my formula. it's taken me 4 weeks to get it right, it makes a world of difference. with your experience being mainly road i'm not surprised if you'll end up with a large frame ... remember it's got to feel right in the DH setting, the *roadie* setting is not important....!
(I'm defo riding sunday morning BTW...)
XT shifters, best around IMO... i was gonna upgrade my deores, but forgot. the deores are flexi, less metal in and last 6 months tops.
the rims are a bit lighter, and that's rotational mass.
XT front mech vs. deore? doesnt make any difference IMO.
BUT
the XT brakes have rave reviews..... and are a big cost upgrade....
it'll be only 2 - 3lbs lighter than my Wolf, but in all the right places!
so,
yes..... it's worth the £400 more...
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Anyone fancy a session at Wharncliffe tomorrow evening? I'm free all afternoon and can give a lift from Crookes. I'm looking to play on the DH stuff, none of this XC lark.
Oli
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Rode the medium and large wolf today. The medium was a far better overal fit especially off road and on the downhills. Just got to sort the cash out as I've just shelled out a load of cash for the wedding, and the other half is broke again!!!
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helmet, armoured gloves, 661 knee pads, camelbak, decent pump, shock pump & multitool to be factored into budget.
welcome to MTB!
if you do go *wolf* not attack then get a shifter upgrade off stans....
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Can anyone recommend somewhere in Sheffield that is likely to be able to service a MTB tomorrow or Friday (going away at the weekend and realised that I've not been out on it in months and last time I rode it the gears all need realigning).
Tried JE James as they're close and nearby, but theres a 3 week waiting list :o.
Whats the place just down from the Broadfield? Is Langsett Cycles worth trying?
Failing that I'll be getting my tools out and getting greasy tonight :lol:
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Gear re-alignment on Shimano is easy. Take about 3 minutes unless its totally mullered.
Place near the Broady is called Butterworths (as is the place in Hillsborough).
If you want to sort it yourself I can explain how. Or even help you if you are struggling.
Tim
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Gear re-alignment on Shimano is easy. Take about 3 minutes unless its totally mullered.
Place near the Broady is called Butterworths (as is the place in Hillsborough).
If you want to sort it yourself I can explain how. Or even help you if you are struggling.
Tim
Cheers Tim,
Have had a go at sorting it out before and have a book on how to do it all, but never seem able to get enough tension in the cables ('cause I'm a weakling!). Might have a go tonight and if I've no joy just hire a bike like everyone else who's going along.
Will see how things go this evening,
ta again,
slack (Neil)
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yeah, as long as it's not too shagged should be fine
i'll help out if you get stuck
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Just done the derwent classic for the first time, how good? Going out to do it again real soon.
Oh and fatdoc can I get a hand with sorting my new front changers out when you have the time (I realize that it is limited, what with your heavy gassing people and producing offspring named after computer game heroines schedule), I would v much appreciate it.
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my workstand is yours.. the dark art of indexing is one am very comfortable with..
by derwent classic do you mean the *cough* path up to the trig point??
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my workstand is yours.. the dark art of indexing is one am very comfortable with..
by derwent classic do you mean the *cough* path up to the trig point??
By derwent classic I mean the Circuit from the dark peak mtb book by John Barton- up the bridleway next to the Ladybower Inn, long lovely descent to Fairholm bugger :wall: of an ascent near the dam bringing you down to the A57, over this to path by ladybower res. and back to car.
Thanks for the offer of your stand I pm you to sort a time.
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the dark art of indexing is one am very comfortable with..
... except perhaps in morzine a few years ago ....
When you can't fix it Jon, my rates are very cheap 8) :beer1:
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cheeky sod...
i was doing fine... you just wanted to show off your cham guide credetentials ;)
You missed a good ride last night mate, for the first time in my MTB life i was only member of the team not bleeding :o
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Fatdoc I've finally found a more accident prone cycling / MTBing medic than you. He's had at least 5 operations due to bike related injuries!!!!
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TOP LAD ;D
last night saw me sheparding one poor post face plant / nose laceration / mild concussion (with 2 pints inside him of course) lad with scuffed knees back home... 5 falls... nasty!! :o
The other member of team displayed the reason why when using huge sharp big flat pedals one should consider full leg armour :o
can be a bit dangerous this XC stuff...
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I assume Jerry came out unscathed though ?
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I assume Jerry came out unscathed though ?
nope,
he owns the face in question!
:o
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Where were you riding?
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Blakka!
on a *cough* nice quiet bit....
on the way to the Crown pub in Totley, for the best (and most expensive) pint of lanlord there is in the world. anywhere. definately. for sure. completely. utterly. totally.
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I'm thinking of getting some new pedals for my MTB as using flat ones instead of clipped ones is annoying me. I've got SPDs on my road bike, but I'm thinking of getting some Crank Bros Egg beaters for my MTB as they're supposed to be easier to clip in, lighter, and dont get clogged up as much. Was thinking of getting the stainless steel SLs.
I could get SPDs so that I have the same on both bikes, then I could interchange shoes/pedals if I needed to, but I'm not too bothered about that.
Does anyone have any experience on SPDs versus Egg beaters?
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SPD's = very cheap (M520's), work, very cheap, maintenance free (at £20 just throw them away and start again), but do clog up with mud more than egg beaters.
Crank Bros. = not cheap, work (except for Fatdoc), are much better in mud, require maintenance.
Last year, having bust my spd's, I had a moment of madness and bought some Candy Ti's. The madness wasn't that I bought them but that I bought them from JEJ because they were the only pedals they had in stock. And whilst I am about to buy Fatdoc's old Candy's off him I would recommend sticking to Shimano M520's, for £20 they are the best value pedals on the planet.
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i'll second the 520s. they work and they cost nothing (i'm sure i've seen them for £17.50 but can't remember where).
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I've often heard stories of clogging, but I have used mine in Cotwold mud (grease) and coarse Cairngorm granite mud (grinding paste) and anything inbetween and never had a problem.
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ok then, here's one for you lot.
I used to race xc when i was a youth and had an orange 02 with pace rc36 pro's, XT group, race face stuff etc. then got into climbing and sold it to pay for an exped then got into triathlon and have road bikes instead.
Anyway, I've branched into off road triathlon partly by accident (i signed up for a race and then realised it was a mountain bike stage) but like the idea of a new bike anyway and so need a new XC bike which will do me for off road races and long days out in the mountains. I'm pretty much out of touch with the off road world at the moment. I'd like to get a custom build and spend ideally less than £2.5k.
Are pace still the daddy for XC forks? What about their hardtail frame or even their full sus frame?
Would you go full sus (is the power transfer goo enough these days) or am i better sticking to a hardtail?
Any other words of wisdom? Things to avoid?
Cheers
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Imho, and awaiting fatdoc's return from work when undoubtedly he will add his knowledge ....
Off road racing + custom build + <£2.5k = custom hardtail, at which point you have lost my interest
Pace are the lightest xc forks around and seem to be reliable these days so ideal for racing.
Try On One website. A mate has just got a custom build that he thinks is ok, but I suspect he prefered his old full suss for ragging it round the Peak.
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*jumps up and down repeatedly with feverish excitement*
£2.5k for xc races and big days out?
forget the hardtail.
really
times have changed
get an S works Epic from specialized. been used to win various XC world champs, light as, but with benefits of better traction due to full suss...
I think there's one in carbon at just a little over your budget ;)
i suppose if that's not too bling for you and you simply muussst have a bespoke build then a santa cruz superlight built way light by 18bikes in Hope would empty your wallet in the desired manner. I'm no fan of the handmade frame though it has to be said.... waste of cash. I prefer more bikes, Taiwan frames!!
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Fatdoc come now. Obviously he needs a full suss but let him come round to that decision slowly, we could have days of fun here.
And shame on you for advising an Epic, they're crap. Neither here nor there.
So back to basics. The man, a self confessed road rider, a triathlete no less, wants an "off road race bike", "custom build" and wants to ride all day in the mountains. Clearly his best choice would be to move over to the Leg Shavers... thread with all you other gay :spank: less adventurous types.
However the man wants sensible advise, not to buy a bloody Epic.
Back to you mate ...
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If you decide that you do want an Epic then this sounds pretty sweet and only a bit over budget....
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/mem/classified_ads/classified_ads.asp (http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/mem/classified_ads/classified_ads.asp)
6th ad down. But for what its worth I'd buy a bouncier bike, Epics can be a bit harsh.
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look, it's a the 1st full suss to win the XC world champs.....
som it's got piss all travel, flat bars etc...
but that's what the lad wants...
I stand by my thoughts,
an Epic, in carbon... full XTR etc... will see him right.
and bankrupt.
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Fatdoc I'm about to pay for the honeymoon then its back to bike spending. Mate of mine from school was talking to me about his new Santa Cruz Blur LT. Its got 140mm Travel, obviously it will cost more than the Marin, but it looks good. What do you reckon? Get the Marin still?
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Fatdoc I'm about to pay for the honeymoon then its back to bike spending. Mate of mine from school was talking to me about his new Santa Cruz Blur LT. Its got 140mm Travel, obviously it will cost more than the Marin, but it looks good. What do you reckon? Get the Marin still?
single pivot, over priced *hand made frame*, that lasts no longer than any other. about the same weight (that SC frame is heavy for what it is, though it's not prone to cracking)
this leaves you a very very useful position I'd say, coz it doesnt matter too much what i reckon....
get hold of his bike!!!
proper thrash / test it out... see which you prefer mate!
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Blur is meant to be very good, despite the single pivot.
Which Marin are you considering?
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attack trail....
so not a million miles away in terms of budget ;)
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Also consider Iron Horse MK III / Intense 5.5 ?
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The blur LT this year has a virtual pivot - is this any better than the single pivot?
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VPP should reduce pedal feedback, although how well it actually works I don't know.
Ellsworth make some really nice bikes as well, just to potentially confuse matters more...
www.freeborn.co.uk (http://www.freeborn.co.uk)
I want a Dare, and maybe a Ti Truth for some XC... But can't see it happening.
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There's a a review of the Santa Cruz in 'shift' - a new magazine from bike radar & bike magic websites. The review is very positive. Think I may stick with the Marin - once the wife to be has emptied my bank account. You'd never guess that she goes to work!!!!
http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/uan/3227 (http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/uan/3227)
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VPP is meant to be really good, though i've never ridden a bike with it on myself. It's good enough for the V10 and the VP Free so I think it'll probably work fine.
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I was wondering if some one could help me.I have a Marin Northtrail hardtail,Im from a bmx background I knew very little about mountain bikes when I bought the bike and although I'm very happy with the frame (it suits me down to the ground) the forks are crap,they are 120mm and seem to bottom out when I bunnyhop,Is there a decent set of forks that any one could reccomend that are reatively cheap? preferably under £200 quid??
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What forks are they? It could just be a case of adjusting the set up?
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if theyre bottoming when you bunny hop then there
a)fucked
b)got the wrong spring rate, too soft
c)if they are air, not enough air
Compression, rebound etc etc adjusting would not do anything to stop this.
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You should be able to get some forks to do the job for under £200 - i'm not sure what to recommend exactly, i'll leave that to the doc.
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VPP is meant to be really good, though i've never ridden a bike with it on myself. It's good enough for the V10 and the VP Free so I think it'll probably work fine.
I'd ride that blur fatkid... getting demos on them is not easy, and it's a great oppertunity. I know there are similar travel *bespoke* american frames out there... ellsworth etc... you'll be paying out more for sure.
This is an oppertune moment for me to remind you to set your budget 1st, choose the bike second.!!
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I was wondering if some one could help me.I have a Marin Northtrail hardtail,Im from a bmx background I knew very little about mountain bikes when I bought the bike and although I'm very happy with the frame (it suits me down to the ground) the forks are crap,they are 120mm and seem to bottom out when I bunnyhop,Is there a decent set of forks that any one could reccomend that are reatively cheap? preferably under £200 quid??
We need:
make and brand of fork, your weight, the colour of coil spring inside (if you're much over the *stock* weight of 11 stone that near all bikes are set up for) of the air pressures in the fork if it's air sprung.
This is not normal for your fork. However, are you sure it's bottoming out? Some forks do *clunk*....
If you want some new forks for £200 I'm sure we can point you in the right direction ;) Lets see if we can sort the one's you've got 1st...
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The blur LT this year has a virtual pivot - is this any better than the single pivot?
At the risk of being bollocked as usual the last few years' Blurs have had VPP, although perhaps not in the UK?
Anyway, I know a man who had an original Blur xc, with vpp, and was very happy with it except that the head angle was a bit steep and the bearings wore too quick. He then got a Blur LT with Pikes which fell apart so got replaced with 36's. He reckoned the LT was better due to slacker head angle. I never got to ride it cos it was an XL, and I'm not!
Also know someone with a Nomad, which he reckoned was brilliant, so vpp probably does work.
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I was wondering if some one could help me.I have a Marin Northtrail hardtail,Im from a bmx background I knew very little about mountain bikes when I bought the bike and although I'm very happy with the frame (it suits me down to the ground) the forks are crap,they are 120mm and seem to bottom out when I bunnyhop,Is there a decent set of forks that any one could reccomend that are reatively cheap? preferably under £200 quid??
I'm not sure about decent and relatively cheap in the same sentence? Marzocchi MX Pro are unbeatable value for <£200 but are only 100mm I think. As the boys say, fix yours instead or spend £300 on some Fox's?
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Or buy 2nd hand - Fatdoc probably has a whole rack of forks waiting to be sold
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off the top of my head, lying round in his garage are
1x minutes
1x coil pikes
2 x possibly nasty pair of of triple clamps
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before you all get some twats to break into my garage
(wont be the first time) - and my house insurance is bad enough as it is - i have no items of worth in my garage.
::)
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Right,
seems i've got confused Re: Prophets and blurs..... :shrug: easy to do, both made by *crack and fail* look a bit similar and cost too much! sorry about that...
had another look at it all....
Unless the ride is way better I'd get a tiawanese frame set and then use the rest of the budget on running repairs and accessories... as fatkid2000 will need a full set of MTB clothing etc...
Lets not forget the budget to start with was £1500 tops!!
So,
lets rein it all in!!
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Ever hear of Titus? Friend has just got a Motolite II from Fat Treads in Aviemore, and is going on about how great it is.
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as fatkid2000 will need a full set of MTB clothing etc...
Yeah, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt are very expensive these days :)
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as fatkid2000 will need a full set of MTB clothing etc...
Yeah, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt are very expensive these days :)
I go cycling in the same clothes if I'm on the road bike or the MTB.
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as fatkid2000 will need a full set of MTB clothing etc...
Yeah, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt are very expensive these days :)
I go cycling in the same clothes if I'm on the road bike or the MTB.
:o :o :o
NO no no......
and you bubs, you should know better :spank:
To start,
baggies, wicking top, good shower proof (he'll simply have to have Howies, raceface just not *cool, relaxed and wealthy* enough), camelbak, summer gloves, winter gloves, spd shoes, sealskinz, multi tool, shock pump, foot pump. various spares to carry.. incl mech hanger, spare gear cable, zip ties, 2 tubes & puncture kit... + oh yeah, leg armour and elbow pads... the roadie helmet also will simply NOT do.
Look darlings, it's the whole "look" thing...
AND then...
workstand, socket set, allen keys (imp & metric just to be sure), pedal spanner, various different cleaners and lubes [stop it],
AND then...
fender / front guard, off road lights (he's got these), shades (not too roadie either). clear shades for the night, skull cap [ only piece of roadie gear allowed]
There. That's better.
Ever hear of Titus? Friend has just got a Motolite II from Fat Treads in Aviemore, and is going on about how great it is.
It is. well, one of their models that's an all MTB 5.5 inch travel is anyway. They even do it in TI...
now, fatkid....... there's a thought
:devangel:
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To start,
baggies, wicking top, good shower proof (he'll simply have to have Howies, raceface just not *cool, relaxed and wealthy* enough), camelbak, summer gloves, winter gloves, spd shoes, sealskinz, multi tool, shock pump, foot pump. various spares to carry.. incl mech hanger, spare gear cable, zip ties, 2 tubes & puncture kit... + oh yeah, leg armour and elbow pads... the roadie helmet also will simply NOT do.
..
workstand, socket set, allen keys (imp & metric just to be sure), pedal spanner, various different cleaners and lubes [stop it],
fender / front guard, off road lights (he's got these), shades (not too roadie either). clear shades for the night, skull cap [ only piece of roadie gear allowed]
Which one of these pieces aren't roadie gear?
wicking top, summer gloves, winter gloves, spd shoes, sealskinz, multi tool, shock pump, foot pump, spare gear cable, puncture kit, workstand, socket set, allen keys (imp & metric just to be sure), pedal spanner, various different cleaners and lubes.
I'm not biased either, I wear my hydration pack on my road bike sometimes too, just like I wear my lycra tights on my MTB. :)
I don't see the point in buying two lots of everything. I only really do XC though, no DH. I'd rather keep the money. Nothing wrong with religiously spending all your money constantly upgrading and replacing, in fact I endorse it to keep 2nd hand prices down as I'm hoping to pick up a cheap 2nd hand full suspension bike at some point.
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To start,
baggies, wicking top, good shower proof (he'll simply have to have Howies, raceface just not *cool, relaxed and wealthy* enough), camelbak, summer gloves, winter gloves, spd shoes, sealskinz, multi tool, shock pump, foot pump. various spares to carry.. incl mech hanger, spare gear cable, zip ties, 2 tubes & puncture kit... + oh yeah, leg armour and elbow pads... the roadie helmet also will simply NOT do.
..
workstand, socket set, allen keys (imp & metric just to be sure), pedal spanner, various different cleaners and lubes [stop it],
fender / front guard, off road lights (he's got these), shades (not too roadie either). clear shades for the night, skull cap [ only piece of roadie gear allowed]
Which one of these pieces aren't roadie gear?
wicking top unless assos, summer gloves, winter gloves, spd shoes, not roadie cleats, sealskinz, nah, you want overshoes for the road, multi tool, shock pump, nah -obviously, foot pump, spare gear cable, puncture kit, workstand, socket set, allen keys (imp & metric just to be sure), pedal spanner, various different cleaners and lubes.
I'm not biased either, I wear my hydration pack on my road bike sometimes too, just like I wear my lycra tights on my MTB. :)
I don't see the point in buying two lots of everything. I only really do XC though, no DH. I'd rather keep the money. Nothing wrong with religiously spending all your money constantly upgrading and replacing, in fact I endorse it to keep 2nd hand prices down as I'm hoping to pick up a cheap 2nd hand full suspension bike at some point.
more importantly....
I sense the lust for MTB purchase....
Budget?
Look on bikemagic classified, MBUK forum (really!) and singletrack forum... bargains abound!
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I wear the same wicking tops doing both (and climbing and snowboarding), and have spd shoes/pedals on my road bike.
Budget for new bike will be set when my current bike needs anything replacing. I replaced the back wheel bearings and headset bearings a month or so back, and everything is fine now. I check the bikeradar forum quite a bit. I'll probably be looking at a light full suspension model that can do a bit of everything apart from hit the jumps and moderately serious downhill. Something along the lines of a santa cruz superlight seems like it would fit the best, but obviously it will depend what comes up on the market when I'm looking. I might get a new fork for my current bike, to make it last longer, I suspect the one that came with it is pretty poor (gt 6500, fork: Manitou Axel Elite). Still get about fine on it though, especially now I've got hydraulic brakes on, best thing about the bike by far.
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fork: Manitou Axel Elite
These babies are notorious for letting in water, i.e. the seals don't work. You will greatly improve their life by servicing them periodically which simply involves stripping them down, letting the water out in the process, and re-greasing them. Just don't put too much grease in or you'll get hydraulic lock. And be careful undoing the nut on the bottom of the fork leg, the nuts are made out of paper mache and you'll struggle to get a replacement these days. :wave:
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fork: Manitou Axel Elite
These babies are notorious for letting in water, i.e. the seals don't work. You will greatly improve their life by servicing them periodically which simply involves stripping them down, letting the water out in the process, and re-greasing them. Just don't put too much grease in or you'll get hydraulic lock. And be careful undoing the nut on the bottom of the fork leg, the nuts are made out of paper mache and you'll struggle to get a replacement these days. :wave:
Nice one, thanks for the info. Probably should do that as soon as.
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top advice from Norton.
use a good socket set, not an adjustable spanner... less grease is usally *more* if you get my drift
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BTW
look what I've found
www.vio-pov.com/
hmmmm...... sorely tempted!!!!
:oops:
even works with a mac once you add some freeware into quicktime.... bizarrely i now seem to be able to rip video off youtube.... cool!!
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hmmmm...... sorely tempted!!!!
:oops:
Oh great, hours of footage containing close up shots of other leg shavers lycra butt cheeks.
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hmmmm...... sorely tempted!!!!
:oops:
Oh great, hours of footage containing close up shots of other leg shavers lycra butt cheeks.
Yet another new toy for fatdoc the gear freak. How you going to sneak that in the house??
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hmmmm...... sorely tempted!!!!
:oops:
Oh great, hours of footage containing close up shots of other leg shavers lycra butt cheeks.
well... i was thinking of something a little more *off road*... though i hadnt considered the roadie angle... hmm.....
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OK here's the requirement. I want a bike like the 'tracker' I built as a youth but a bit more beefy to go banging around some local trails & go to the shops.
Thanks to eBay I picked up a 2007 Specialized P All Mountain with Hopes & Mavics for 400 Quid yesterday from a lady who lives directly below Earl Crag. Good value I reckon given they retail at about 800 squid.
Now thinking about a powder coat for the frame and white rims, bars etc. :-\
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You building up that and the Trailstar? Hardtail heaven :)
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Has anyone ridden a Sidekick? I'm tempted to get a frame and swap all my hardtail stuff onto it. I would have looked at a trailstar but I've only got some 100mm Z1s which I reckon would leave the front end a bit low...
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You building up that and the Trailstar? Hardtail heaven :)
I didn't get a Trailstar... I was looking at building up one from new but then this turned up on eBay so I elected to start with this rather than splashing out on all new components. It's going to be fun learning to ride a different style of bike.
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Ah I thought I'd read that you'd got it already - aye, should be a sweet bike :)
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Bubba whats your opinion on Hardtails V full suss for XC style trails, say some 7stanes type stuff, fairly technical but no DH big air! just the occasional jump, i was weaned on a hardtail and no sweet FA about mtb's these days.
Yours confused of turnbridgewells.
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Well I'm quite a fan of hardtails - cheap, pure design, very light, low maintenance, and challenge to ride fast on gnarly stuff - i've just got in after two hours on my Chameleon and it's just a pure joy to ride....but...probably your ultimate tool of choice would be a short travel full susser like some of the ones discussed above, e.g. Santa Cruz Blur LT, Marin Attack Trail, etc.
But it probably all comes down to how much you want to spend...
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BTW
look what I've found
www.vio-pov.com/
hmmmm...... sorely tempted!!!!
:oops:
That does look like a very cool toy - it's just a shame you still need a wired link to the cam, wireless would be so much better.
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yah.
maintainance is an issue with full suss.... if you learn (really not that hard) it's fine. if you just *take to the shop* it's a mare... and costly.
as you've probs gathered, i'm a full suss fan, but I can service the beast... all self taught mind. all the info is on bikemagic etc...
i wouldnt call a blur or attack trail short travel, more like more than you'll ever need on the Stanes etc... you only need more for full DH stuff...
yeah bubs i hear what you say there, but it's got solid weather proof connections and it's digital all the way... I'm ringing them re: wideangle vs. normal tomorrow. I want one!
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The thing is i have just forked out 700 squids on a Garry Fisher Hoo Koo (picking up this week), feels amazing to ride, well compared to my ratty old Rockhopper, but sort of feel possibly full suss was the way forward, but lacking available cash...well i guess at least i will be able to hone my skills untill the next bike.
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i wouldnt call a blur or attack trail short travel, more like more than you'll ever need on the Stanes etc... you only need more for full DH stuff...
I'm probably over-estimating the difficulty of 7 Stanes, I'm not really that familiar with them tbh. That said, even the harder XC at Inners looks quite burly.
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The thing is i have just forked out 700 squids on a Garry Fisher Hoo Koo (picking up this week), feels amazing to ride, well compared to my ratty old Rockhopper, but sort of feel possibly full suss was the way forward, but lacking available cash...well i guess at least i will be able to hone my skills untill the next bike.
It'll be fine mate - like you say if you learn to ride a hardtail fast on those trails then your skills will be honed and they will seem really easy when you get a full susser some time down the line.
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Total bargain DH/FR bike for sale here: linky (http://www.gravity-slaves.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5625.0)
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For the reds and blues at the 7 Stanes you will be fine on a harrdtail. The only time I have felt mine lacking is on some of the rockier black descents, but that's just because it chatters the teeth somewhat (and ripped one of my innertubes to shreds). Most of my mates who are there regularly have gone for the XC full suss option.
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keep the new hardtail, you'll love it!
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Fatdoc, I'm off to South Wales and my mate down there is a bit of a MTB freak. He's got one of these so I'm going to give it a go and he's also got some kind of Pace (think its hard-tail) so I'll then be able to make my mind up.
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/five-se.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/five-se.php)
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i'd imagine the pace is the 305.
that orange is veery nice indeed, the componemts also good.
£2,900 quid mind!
if it feels good.... it feels good!!
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The only time I have felt mine lacking is on some of the rockier black descents, but that's just because it chatters the teeth somewhat (and ripped one of my innertubes to shreds).
I'm sure you know this Chris but just as advice for others choosing hardtails - A longish fork on the front seems to help a lot with this - you sort of try to "ride the fork" and let the back end float. I've got Pike u-turns on mine so you can wind the travel out to 5.5 inches for downhill, and wind it back in for the more xc stuff.
I also run a downhill tube on the rear to stop rim punctures - ok, it adds a bit of rolling weight but it works for me and as you know I'm not exactly a small lad.
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I need to upgrade my forks to something like that at some point, but will probably just end up upgrading entire bike, and demote current bike to permanent "approach bike" status for using in mountain for longer approaches.
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god... approach bike??
hardcore!
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Aye, used twice this year already, godsend on both.
Aarverikie Wall - Binnien Shuas - hr uphill riding on approach (jeeptrack), return trip 15 mins no pedalling
Grey Slab - Coire Sputan Dearg - hr on the flat before an hour plus walk - same on the way back. Killer with fully rack.
Did Squareface and Mitre Ridge a couple of years ago - long evil approach carrying climbing kit plus tents, food and sleeping bags.
Also used it for Talisman but dumped it and started walking when I crossed what felt like the hundredth drainage ditch.
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now that's just awesome
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If you are going to tick classic rock, and the less accessible mtn routes, that's what you have to do. Annoyingly have to go into Garbh Choire again (longest approach) as we did the wrong route on Mitre Ridge. Do it in a day next time.
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Fatdoc, I'm off to South Wales and my mate down there is a bit of a MTB freak. He's got one of these so I'm going to give it a go and he's also got some kind of Pace (think its hard-tail) so I'll then be able to make my mind up.
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/five-se.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/five-se.php)
If you are thinking of buying an Orange I would suggest you ring them up first and find out what old stock they have, there are some serious bargains to be had, especially since the new ones are a bit overpriced imho.
Bubbs is dead right about the hardtails though - big fork, big front tyre, semi slick rear tyre = stacks of fun. And you learn to ride lines, not just over things!
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I'm back from my little trip to Wales. During which time I rode orange five as in the link above, which was great fun and some kind of pace hard tail. I have to say I enjoyed riding both - and if I was rich would love both. I liked the Pace for it being light and quick and the Orange was huge fun with the 140mm of travel. I know Fatdoc will tell me to go Full Sus, but I'm tempted to get the Pace and learn to ride it properly before going Full Sus.
The pace was the 305. Got to agree the Orange bikes look pricey - but I liked the ride, I spent about 10 hours on the five, whereas I've only ridden the Marin Wolf for an hour or two.
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the 305 is awesome.
one of the best hardtails there is.
it's the one charlie got for himself... he loves it.
i'm considering one :o for my 40th.... this year's build is highly rated but not what i'd go for... it too light. the concept of shorter stem and full width bars is essential IMO. it would be my winter bike.
i'd have the lighter DT swiss wheels, with 2.3 tyres (pref maxis highrollers, folding bead), the DT 150mm fork doesnt wind down, next years might.... so i'd be considering either a talas 36 (if the frame will still be warrentied for 160mm) or perhaps a mazz 55. there is also something else coming out that is 150mm, through axle and light - 18bikes assure me... the fork is the hardest choice.
groupset: not easy.... carbon race face?, or just sod it and get XT everything? If you go SRam X-9 then you'll be considering avid brakes? there are a twat to bleed.. but they feel great....
I'm unsure on the build.. one way of doing it is sram / shim for all the parts you cannt get UK made. I'd defo get a rear Hope maxle hub BTW.... I'm warming to this idea I have to say..
just remember if i go for this to give to myself as a big *40* pressie i'd be looking at about £2.3k..... for a hardtail....... even the basic rolling chassis is £1.5k. As with the USA handmade frame concept what you dont get is a definate value for money here - it's a brand / UK maunfacturer / ethos / ownership thing.. which is about £1k of the price.
you really sure you wanna do this for your 1st MTB??
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My mate down in Wales though couldn't decide which way I should go. Orange Full Susp or Pace 305.
He said some people believe you should learn to ride on a hard-tail properly, then get a Full-Susp rig. Others feel thats alot of shit and its just down to practice and talent and it doesn't matter what you start out on. I really enjoyed riding both, but the Pace felt more like a road bike in terms of weight etc so maybe that is why I liked it. The price thing isn't an issue - I think fatdoc and I agree on this (well up to a point).
I'm still undecided - but like all bikes - it appears as soon as you drift from the more mainstream brands the price kicks up. :wall:
You 40 soon? :o
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Learning on a hardtail will certainly be good for your skills but I wouldn't say it was an essential rite of passage. It will teach you to take accurate lines, be "light" on the bike and how to use your body to absorb what the terrain throws at you.
A full susser can cover up a lot of crap technique and decisions by just absorbing your mistakes but you'll probably still learn the same skills eventually anyway.
If you want a cheaper but less "exotic" alternative hardtail, then I cannot sing the praises of the Santa Cruz Chameleon highly enough - it's probably the best bike i've ever had and as it's name hints it can be built up for just about any purpose. Probably not best if you're just after an XC steed but you never know, maybe you'll be addicted to dirt jumping in six months time :)
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i'd be looking at about £2.3k..... for a hardtail.......
Not like you to be extravagant Jon :lol:
I think if i was going for a money no object hardtail then I'd get a Banshee (Mythic) Morphine in Freeborn's "Pro Build" spec at a hefty £2339.99 - ouch!
this isn't the above build but you get the idea - indestructible yummyness:
(http://www.bike2build.nl/meerinfo/banshee/morphine1.jpg)
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Learning on a hardtail will certainly be good for your skills but I wouldn't say it was an essential rite of passage. It will teach you to take accurate lines, be "light" on the bike and how to use your body to absorb what the terrain throws at you.
A full susser can cover up a lot of crap technique and decisions by just absorbing your mistakes but you'll probably still learn the same skills eventually anyway.
If you want a cheaper but less "exotic" alternative hardtail, then I cannot sing the praises of the Santa Cruz Chameleon highly enough - it's probably the best bike i've ever had and as it's name hints it can be built up for just about any purpose. Probably not best if you're just after an XC steed but you never know, maybe you'll be addicted to dirt jumping in six months time :)
wise words...
and i think you'll end up with a full susser in 1 year if you buy the hardtail.
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i'd be looking at about £2.3k..... for a hardtail.......
Not like you to be extravagant Jon :lol:
I think if i was going for a money no object hardtail then I'd get a Banshee (Mythic) Morphine in Freeborn's "Pro Build" spec at a hefty £2339.99 - ouch!
this isn't the above build but you get the idea - indestructible yummyness:
(http://www.bike2build.nl/meerinfo/banshee/morphine1.jpg)
wow!
I just got out of bed, and the old back injuries are reminding me why all my MTBing has been done with a spring on the back for years, not sure about this hardtail lark!
The orange sub zero has also caught my eye ;)
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I've not spoken to Stans yet but apparently there are supply issues with Marin at the moment - they have sold out nationally. So that may make my mind up - get the Pace 305 this year and full susp next year - more bikes to clutter the house up with. :lol:
Locally orange only seem to be available at James's - and I would never buy a road bike there, so don't see why I should change for MTB. I believe I can get a Pace at 18 bikes in Hope - would that be right.
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Pace either from Hope or some shop near Stoke (ask charlie..)... watch that build!
the 140mm Marin range has indeed near sold out...
30mins on the phone to evans etc... will get you one. also there are adverts in singletrack galore.
choose the bike, then get one... supply issues are really not an issue with the wunderful tint'erweb and a phone.
give me the cash and I could have a marin couriered to your place of work by noon monday.... :devangel:
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I'm looking at this Pace build. I'm being recommended not to go over 140mm travel on the fork - 18 bikes have never gone over this. Which groupset - Shimano XT or Sram X-9? The build is pretty reasonable.
If I go with the rolling chassis's that Pace do - it'll give me 130mm front travel - and will come in under £2K. What do you guys reckon.
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http://www.pace-racing.co.uk/rolling-chassis.asp?catID=1&subcat=459 (http://www.pace-racing.co.uk/rolling-chassis.asp?catID=1&subcat=459)
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I'm looking at this Pace build. I'm being recommended not to go over 140mm travel on the fork - 18 bikes have never gone over this. Which groupset - Shimano XT or Sram X-9? The build is pretty reasonable.
If I go with the rolling chassis's that Pace do - it'll give me 130mm front travel - and will come in under £2K. What do you guys reckon.
that it will be like 1p under 2K!!
the rolling chassis is designed to be value for money, so it is.
I'd look at the last few years common builds, get a short stem & wide bars. Also, what's the difference in weight from a 130mm revelation and a 140mm u turn air Pike? I'd get rear maxle as well, so unless i'm mistaken you'll need a Hope pro 2 maxle hub...
Sram or the bigS.....
I'm a sram lover, though the bigS shifters and mechs on my marin seem very good..
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At the moment I'm looking at a DT EX1750 hubs, rims & spokes.
They have recommended 140mm Magura Thor fork. They've built bikes up on this spec.
The 305 I rode in Wales was fitted with Shimano and it ran fine.
More bling stuff to sneak in the house :-\
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does that fork wind down? is it a through axle (mandatory).... get the rear maxle. it's worth it.
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Info on the Magura fork.
http://www.shop.18bikes.co.uk/products.php?plid=m14b13s410p439&tbv=MAGURA_**_PREORDER_**_Thor_140mm_ (http://www.shop.18bikes.co.uk/products.php?plid=m14b13s410p439&tbv=MAGURA_**_PREORDER_**_Thor_140mm_)
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nice, very nice. god, that's light!
now get a maxle on the rear...
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I don't know what size 305 you need FK, but theres a brand new second hand one (if you see what I mean) here. http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/read.php?f=5&i=677043&t=677043 (http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/read.php?f=5&i=677043&t=677043)
Saving more money to spend on other shiny bits, and carbon.
Tim
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Here's the 130mm travel version of it.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/laurin-fcr-13355 (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/laurin-fcr-13355)
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*slavers*
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Rear Maxle never made it into production with pace according to the boys at 18 - not enough demand
They recommended some DT RWS skewers - better clamping apparently?
I want a medium I'm afraid Tim - cheers for the info though.
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really?
they advertise replacable drop outs, and a maxle version.
I'm soo taken with them that i wouldnt buy without. I'll wait for marin to offer them on their hardtails... i'm sure they will in the 09 range.. they seem to be going *all mountain* I'm sure they'll have a similar aggressive 140mm hardtail in their line up next year..
honest, the difference is staggering.
as its Pace, ask them, they no doubt have the CNC so just get them made, either by them or BETD... make a few, sell them on!
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Isn't this all getting at bit OTT for a first mountain bike?
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:devangel:
probably ;D
;)
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Quite possibly, but you only live once.
Fatdoc has the same argument about his road bike. Or maybe he's planning to nick it from me.
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NEED ADVICE FAST!
Is this a waste of money, or should I have a bid? I just want something to have some fun on really. Seems cheap enough. The seller doesn't know the frame size and I'm having trouble guesstimating from the photo. Any advice is totally welcome in the next 30mins!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260252231985&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016
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My quick thoughts - unless you know size, it could be a dud if the geometry is wrong for you. A big guy can really punish shocks too.
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Pretty old but capable bike - probably can't go too far wrong for £200 though
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On the basis of an unknown size, and the guy selling it is 6'2" and clearly doesn't know much about bikes I'm going to give it a miss. It's cheap enough, but £200 on a beat up old bike is still a waste of money! And the fact that it just ended at £400!
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If you want something of that ilk at that kind of price look out for specialized big hits, old orange patriots, orange 222. They are big bikes with very slack head angles., the super 8 was forerunner to the the santa cruz vvp big guns like the V10 and is a real beast.VERY heavy.(this is from me whos big hit prob weighed around 48lbs)
The monster t forks are beastial, 12" of travel,
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For some reason I've decided I want to get a bike and start riding again. I never had a full suspension, and back in the day when we raced downhill we did it on hardtails! Only the top pro's at the national events had full suspension, but things have changed a lot since the late 90's.
Anyway, I'm after a full suspension rig, but don't want to spend a fortune. I just want to have some fun and get back into it. There is a big drop near here that we never did back in the day, citing that it would have been easy on a full sus rig so I'm intrigued about going back and growing some balls (or realising it wasn't that big).
Any recommendations are totally welcome. Perhaps it's worth staying away from something too heavy as it will be impossible to jump. I don't really need mega travel either as I'm unlikely to be doing any international world cup downhill events. ;) Thanks
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Ok.
there's a lot of good general advice earlier on in the thread... so to move on we'll need:
- your intended riding... i.e... up hill & down dale.. does the bike need to go up? If so it's basically more than 1 ring at the front you'll need, maybe 3... that's now been marketed as *all mountain*, and encompasses what we use to call XC... groups of mates going for a ride in essance.
-if the bike's for Freeriding... i.e: pissing about on steps / jumps / bike parks / drops and not for loops in the hills you have another type of bike to look for.. there is quite a bit of overlap with the all mtn bikes
- if it's full on DH runs... no chance of going uphill, another species of machine again.
I get the feeling it's a heavy duty all mtn / freeride machine you hanker for?
Right... to avoid the monetry disaster that is the *new* or *coming* back to MTB punter you need to right here right now SET your BUDGET. Look what fatkid2000 has done to his wallet on the last few pages!!
Also, will you consider 2nd hand?
What about a last year model??
Dont forget cost of helmet, gloves and probably some pads...
to start your searches have a look at these... I emplore you get hold of a bike and ride it about a bit.. then you can benchmark that with suggestions on here. There is a lot of talk on differing suspension systems... the posts on this thread go some way to explaining them.. with as many critics and advocates for each type. Test riding is going to be very useful for you. Keep off the *bespoke* models.... buy a major manufacters machine for value for money certainly.
- All MTN:
orange 5, marin 140mm series ,specialized Pitch, specialized Enduro, The Giant maestro range (forgot the model), Trek remedy
All £,1400 to £3k+ :'(
- Freeride: specialized SX trail, most of the above (!), Specialized demo 7
- DH:
specialized Big Hit - the best value big rig there is...
this is just a small example of the huge range out there... Bubs, Norton, FBSF & I will steer you in the right direction...
So
- budget & intended use...... get back to us!
oh yeah, how big is this drop BTW?
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I got a BeOne Nirvana 2.0 2007 model on ChainReactionCycles.com for not-too-much-money and I find it ace on everything I need it for!
Even... are it say it... a bit of road cycling!! :o
What would be your take on this one Dr.Fatdoc?? Interested to know what you think!
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For some reason I've decided I want to get a bike and start riding again.
Go for an All-Mountain bike. For someone moving from an old-skool hardtail background to a full-sus all day bike you won't believe how good they are for rough terrain and blasting fast downhill. I have a 5 year old Scott MC30 with about 4 or 5 inches of travel that I can blast down loads of rough stuff without any problems and it'll lock-out and ride all day with no problems. I imagine the newer models by similar manufacturers are even better.
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I got a BeOne Nirvana 2.0 2007 model on ChainReactionCycles.com for not-too-much-money and I find it ace on everything I need it for!
Even... are it say it... a bit of road cycling!! :o
What would be your take on this one Dr.Fatdoc?? Interested to know what you think!
for what they cost - i note the new discount on the site - it seems a perfectly reasonable way to spend your cash... good deal on the components or what!
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My wallet is still intact apart from the future Mrs C trying to destroy it - bloody wedding.
I may go for the Orange 5 instead, but I must say that Pace was awesome and compared to what I want for my next road bike its good value in my mind.
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Oh and The orange 5 range is hardly cheap unless you go entry level, and fatdoc you know you want a Pace.
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specialized Big Hit - the best value big rig there is...
Word to that - great bike that can be got v. cheap. Handles well, built like a tank - great freeride bike but some have even entered them in world standard DH races.
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My wallet is still intact apart from the future Mrs C trying to destroy it - bloody wedding.
I may go for the Orange 5 instead, but I must say that Pace was awesome and compared to what I want for my next road bike its good value in my mind.
christ.... that'll be a cervelo then.
I think you have a bike buying habit that is equal to, or even more so than mine.
just get on with it ;)
I cannt get out until weds, for the usual after work ride, if you dont have a ride by a week on weds I'm gonna beat you.
FTIW I dont think the £2,900 Orange 5 is worth it. I havnt looked at the rest of the range but IMO Orange seem even more expensive than they have been recently.. but hey - this is not a *need* purchase but a *want* purchase.... go get fatkid
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Uncle,
register at southerndownhill.com
I cant link into there from here.
In the complete bike for sale section there is a rash of freeride bikes for sale... either with or cheaply convertable to 2 rings at the front - so you'll haul up most hills and be a God of speed on the way down. Not knowing your height I cant tell which one is the best for you..
but there's some quality Sx trails and a session 77 that have certainly caught my eye!
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Oh and The orange 5 range is hardly cheap unless you go entry level, and fatdoc you know you want a Pace.
i've said it before but just in case you missed it, ring up Orange and ask if they have any deals on. I got a grand off an Orange by buying direct. I don't think the 5's are worth the full price but they are bloody good bikes.
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One thing that does often seem to get overlooked by these type of topics (not that such discussions aren't fun of course :) ) is the fact that once you've got a reasonably decent bike, 95% of what makes you go fast, go big, or whatever is rider skill and fitness.
A good rider on an old nail will always beat a crap rider on the best bike money can buy. You can throw money at the sport but it won't help you beyond a certain point.
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A good rider on an old nail will always beat a crap rider on the best bike money can buy. You can throw money at the sport but it won't help you beyond a certain point.
its the same with everything, photography, climbing, the lot. Hence why gaskins and jerry could crush like fuck in boreals, malc was a worldbeater in scarpas but mere punters like the rest of us debate for days about whether to buy dragons on solutions.
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fitness is key on a bike. fitness.
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Fitness is a big part of it but you still need ability.
An ultra-fit XC whippet isn't necessarily going to be able to ride fast through rocks, roots and drops.
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its the same with everything, photography, climbing, the lot. Hence why gaskins and jerry could crush like fuck in boreals, malc was a worldbeater in scarpas but mere punters like the rest of us debate for days about whether to buy dragons on solutions.
Damn right. When I used to do motorbike trackdays often the fastest guys were on bikes that the mags would have you believe were obsolete. People get far too hung up on kit.
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Fitness is a big part of it but you still need ability.
An ultra-fit XC whippet isn't necessarily going to be able to ride fast through rocks, roots and drops.
that old chestnut again.
i've been a round long enough to remember when mountain bike racing first started and the mountain bike guys reckoned that guys who raced cyclo cross would have no chance in mountain bike race as they wouldn't be skilled enough.
i think the likes of baker,gould and craig usually came in 30 mins in front in a 3 hour race.
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Hardly an old chestnut, i've seen it plenty of times myself. I've seen xc riders crash on bmx tracks, good riders scare themselves teetering down steeps and end up walking, flying over the bars or hitting trees; people freezing and crashing out as soon as they get air, etc.
You telling me a cyclo-cross rider would do well in a downhill race because of their fitness? Don't think so. I'm not surprised that they won early XC MTB races though- I suspect that cyclo-cross riders are pretty skilled; riding something that's akin to a road bike fast over wet mud and grass takes a lot of bike handling skill. And anyway, just how technical were early XC races?
Last weekend we were doing the Innerleithen DH courses - one of our party, Matt has ten years of BMX under his belt but has only been downhilling for three months. He was awesome on the DH - his BMX career has taught him elite technical ability.
It's interesting that on the 7 Stanes downhill courses, the official advice on the start boards is as follows "a good standard of fitness is recommended but technical skills are more important."
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you didn't say a downhill race you said roots,rocks and drops.all of which are usually standard in most cross country courses.yes i agree that a cyclo cross riders fitness alone is not gonna win them a downhill race.
a lot of top cyclists have cross over skills,there was a french sprinter for one of the pro teams who used to place in the world cup downhills.
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>And anyway, just how technical were early XC races?
I did an early MTB race from Rivelin dam over Stanage Pole down the Causeway and back again in 1989. A cyclo-cross rider won it by a mile through picking up his bike and running up and down the causeway - brilliant.
You're right about people getting hung up on kit though Bubbs... I remember Shaun Palmer winning a DH event on a hardtail wearing jeans, a Slayer T-Shirt and piss-pot when everyone else was in fully body armour.
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Palmer is a legend.
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a lot of top cyclists have cross over skills,there was a french sprinter for one of the pro teams who used to place in the world cup downhills.
Absolutely - people who do that are amazing.
I'm not saying fitness isn't important, just saying that you can't replace ability with fitness, and ofc the reverse works too - at the end of a day downhilling in the Alps, my hands were cramping up and my shoulders and legs were jelly - I should have been fitter.
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Oh and The orange 5 range is hardly cheap unless you go entry level, and fatdoc you know you want a Pace.
i've said it before but just in case you missed it, ring up Orange and ask if they have any deals on. I got a grand off an Orange by buying direct. I don't think the 5's are worth the full price but they are bloody good bikes.
:agree:
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a lot of top cyclists have cross over skills,there was a french sprinter for one of the pro teams who used to place in the world cup downhills.
Absolutely - people who do that are amazing.
I'm not saying fitness isn't important, just saying that you can't replace ability with fitness, and ofc the reverse works too - at the end of a day downhilling in the Alps, my hands were cramping up and my shoulders and legs were jelly - I should have been fitter.
:agree:
Having said that, Bubba's point on fitness to a certain point is fully correct in this day and age.... as is the point of the spend only getting you so far.
By drops Bubba will mean 3 - 4 ft minimun, often to flat. XC bikes these days can do this, repeatedly... without breaking. well, the good al mtn ones can... Orange 5s defo. Unlike times of old.
BUT, how many lyrca wearing fingerless mitt flat bar riding XC boys (bear with me, the sweeping generalisation will display my point more clearly) will be able to do that after 3 months riding off road on a modern *all MTN* full suss? Not many i suggest. How many BMXers after 3 months on same machine? All most likely. It's skill aquisition - just like blouldering - that takes soo much time... cardio fitness for all mtn MTB takes you only so far...
In the old days of riding round a field and carrying your XC bike up a hill sort of race course then of course roadie type cardio ability was the deciding factor... that scene near died a death from stagnation. Have you seen the XC course at fort bill? it's nails!!
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when i was referring to cross country.the fort william course was the one that came to mind.
i guess if you are good on a bike in any discipline and put the effort in,your skills will cross over to another discipline to a degree.
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Well once I get round to buying an MTB, just going to have to bite the bullet at some point, I'm very much looking forward to learning the dark arts of 'all mountain-biking' as it now seems to be called. Fitness wise I'm not worried, but I've got loads to learn as far as skills go. Hopefully without breaking the bike, as happened to my last MTB purchase.
The kit argument is true, I've out run many a person on a £4K road bike, and its even more amusing if they ride with a certain stuck up local road club.
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Fatdoc and Co what to you reckon to this bike? Just read a review in Singletrack which was good, if the front fork was changed. There's some other reviews around with it against the Pace
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/subzero-upg.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/subzero-upg.php)
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It's been described as "uncompromisingly stiff" - I had an Orange MsIsle and whilst it was a great bike, it was too stiff to be comfortable.
In a similar vein (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/chameleon-r-16779)
and this one (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/stiffee-fr-16798)
The Chameleon, Stiffee and Sub Zero are the main contenders for that sort of versatile all-mountain hardtail. I was originally after a Stiffee but a Chameleon came up first so I got that.
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Fatdoc and Co what to you reckon to this bike? Just read a review in Singletrack which was good, if the front fork was changed. There's some other reviews around with it against the Pace
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/subzero-upg.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/subzero-upg.php)
for your needs there are other bikes in that issue that would be better...
for my needs I've been seriously considering that Orange I have to say.... god knows why.. i doubt my back would take it TBH. I love that fork BTW, it works, it doesnt break and it's got no flex... at all. the only double crown fork i've had that is as stiff is an 888.
Good advice from Bubs... my choice would be the Stiffee for you (yes, yes..... Cove bikes = amusment on the fotum)
Just get on with it!
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I just need to go to a shop and buy something. Whatever I buy I'm sure I'll buying another one in a years time. It makes road bike buying a piece of piss.
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I just need to go to a shop and buy something. Whatever I buy I'm sure I'll buying another one in a years time. It makes road bike buying a piece of piss.
If it makes you happy honey....
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This is getting too technical. i have a pretty entry level bike - the brakes are hayes sole - they make me stop quickly. First disks and first hydraulics i have ever had. Are they really that shit? Think how much progress there has been on bikes in the past 10 to 15 years. That said my forks are bobbins - marzocchi mz111. what is recommended for an upgrade? they are on a cindercone.
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The kit argument is true, I've out run many a person on a £4K road bike...
:-\
Was this the point that Bubbs was making or am I missing something??
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problem is is that fatkid is really rather good on a road bike, in fact very good. he wants to try and purchase wisely so to keep an edge on his MTB chums.. personally I just want to be there when he learns to jump!! ;)
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Bike bling is a difficult area. I've got 2 road bikes with Campag groupsets, one veloce and the other Centaur - its only one step higher in campags range but does have carbon cranks. I really can tell the difference between the 2 groupsets. I prefer the frame of the bike of the veloce as its quicker but the centeur group works better. I can see why people get bikes intended for pro use. This is why I'm dithering about my MTB purchase. I don't expect the bike to give me skill, but I know I expect my bikes to perform.
I bought mbr rider today. They were reviewing all mountain bikes. They looked at the Marin attack trail and give it an 8. Interestingly they also looked at Lapierre Spicy 516 which has 160mm of travel, which they gave a 9 to. I think this may be too much for my needs, but they also make the Zesty with 140mm. I know its French, but they must know something about bikes with 2 awesome mountain ranges to ride. I've ridden a Lapierre road bike, which obviously means nothing, just wandered what you think of these, especially as the view seems to be that Orange are over-priced.
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Right then bike guru's. I have digested your great advice, and have been trying to figure out the way to go. The whole set a budget thing was difficult, because I know I want to pay as little as possible, but I want something decent, and I know I won't lose any money if I buy wisely. In fact, a few years ago, I made a few hundred quid on a Cannondale 2000 hardtail after a summer of fun with it. I guess I'm going to spent between 500-800 but this is based on my selling a few pairs of Nike's. Yes. Shoes. :-[ Don't ask. Anyway, I'm going to sell a few pair which should generate about £500 and the rest I'll tack on. My options in this price range seem to be;
Specialized SX
Kona Stab/Stinky/Coiler etc. I don't know where each model comes in the ladder of quality but it looks like they represent good value.
Norco A-line
And for the rest, I can't afford my dream bike.
I don't know whether or not I want 24" wheel(s). Is this a bad move? I don't want to ride around all day on this bike. I mainly want to go big and go fast. Do not mark these words, but that is the image I have in my mind.
I registered on southerndownhill.com to have a gander and there seem to be some nice bikes. I don't want to get sucked in and end up spending £1k because I really don't have the money. This is to be a bit of fun on the side to accompany the main serving of climbing! ;)
So which of those options above would be best? Best as in which represents best combination of performance/price/residuals/quality. Thanks!
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SX
you can go big and fast on it... and just about winch it up when needed.
I'd stay 26" wheel..
the stinky and A line are real heavy rigs...
Fatkid... those frenchie bikes are very highly rated, though i've not trawled through the spec sheets etc.. one thing to consider is they are quite a fashionable brand - and as such are prone to a lot of press exposure.
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Fatdoc, if you have time have a gander at the specs on those French bikes. I think 140mm travel is enough - which is the Zesty. The shops based up in Harrogate.
http://www.boneshakersbikes.co.uk/acatalog/Lapierre.html (http://www.boneshakersbikes.co.uk/acatalog/Lapierre.html)
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Being vaguely inclined towards the odd spot of cynicism I wouldn't believe a f***ing word the bike mags say. And I have a bike journo mate ;D
Have ridden a Commencal 4.xx which was superlight and very nice up and down, but not a Lapierre. Are you doing the servicing yourself, are there warranty conditions associated with servicing elsewhere, can you be arsed to keep going back to the original shop where you bought it, what happens if it snaps?
Lapierre are fairly new to big mtb's I think so have they really come up with a blinder on their first try or are mbr just after ad revenue?
Buy an Orange man, the best overpriced missile you'll spend your money on!
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there is something in that you know....
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I was only interested what people may have thought about them as I'd only heard about their road bikes. Did a bit of reading on it while getting bored at work this afternoon. They've been in MTB business for 15 years, but only over here for a year or so. The reviews in singletrack are good as are the reviews on bike radar. Maybe it'll have to be that Orange, I've emailed them as suggested about prices etc or maybe I'll have to join the doc on a Marin. I like that Pace, but I think I may need full suspension. All far to complex this MTB lark, maybe I'll just send fatdoc to the shops...on 2nd thoughts may be NOT!!
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/zesty-08-31095 (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/zesty-08-31095)
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Right uncle heres my 2penneth
you want a bike to have some fun on, fun being jumps,hooning about,tabletops and generally getting air, could do some slack dirt jumps and possible some park if your feeling particularly burly but at the same time can get you about but with a bit of puff to get you up hills....just!
First off ignore the stab,stinky,coiler and the A line...dont get me wrong I had a stinky for a while and good it was but hindsights a great thing. (all too heavy, basic, slack in different proportions!)
My thoughts
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Specialized-Enduro-S-Works-Medium-2006_W0QQitemZ270247182582QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Specialized-Enduro-S-Works-Medium-2006_W0QQitemZ270247182582QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
old enduro's, 05-07. Loads about cos loads of people bought them for xc then realised they were to slack head angles and heavy for showing off on hills, brill bike always well specced(ignore the seat post on that the bloke sounds like a fool) have seen one in the hands of a very good rider come down the hardest track at wharncliffe faster than most. forerunner to the sx trail!
http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/index.php/topic,159851.0.html (http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/index.php/topic,159851.0.html)
The sx trail, slacker head angle than the enduro, a great do it all bike, 2007/8 models have problems with the original stock wheels, there shit basically. It was atoss up between this and my turner when looking for a smaller travel bike,,,fatdoc had an sx so i went for the turner!
http://www.gravity-slaves.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5663.0 (http://www.gravity-slaves.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5663.0)
dont know if you can see that link but a guy who i have had dealings with is selling a yeti asx frame and a santa cruz bullit frame for 300squids, bit of a pain but you could do a build up for 800 i rekon.
Thats my 2p but there again what do i know
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Thanks for the advice guys. The inevitable is occurring and I'm finding ways to add in another £100 or £200 and finding my way towards £1000 which I really don't want to do!
I think I'm going to try and score a decent Specialized SX. I read about the problem with the wheels and that is a concern for me as I used to break wheels all too easily back in the day (among other things). I want to find one that has been ridden hard but well looked after and has had all the weak links upgraded. All this for less than market value.
Building a bike myself would be a fun undertaking and that would really take me back! However, I don't think it's cost effective. That santa cruz looks very nice, but at £300 for frame, £300 for forks, then £250 for wheels I'm already at my limit. Brakes are going to be another couple of hundred so I think I'd just be best off finding a good deal on an SX. The enduro option is looking interesting. If it's going to be more cost effective then I'll look into it. I also don't know why all the enduro's on ebay are size large! I want a small I reckon...
The reason I was looking at something like a stinky was because I thought you could get more for your money, but I guess that's because they're simply not as in demand as an SX. So the search continues....
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What do you lot think of this?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140243554570&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123
ta.
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Might be a good one - seems like it might have had a fairly easy life though can we really believe "This bike has never been crashed" :lol:
I run the same shock on my Big Hit and it's been great so far with no maintenance required. Not sure what vintage the forks are (Fatdoc will know) but the rest of it looks clean and decent.
If you're looking at Bullitts then also check Big Hit's for a bargain.
This one (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SPECIALIZED-BIG-HIT-CUSTOM-BUILD-MOUNTAIN-BIKE_W0QQitemZ260254386857QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item260254386857&_trkparms=72%3A12|39%3A1|65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14) is almost the same as mine though with a Manatou instead of the Vanilla shock.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV1O868DWc0
Gold and silver at the Worlds for GB.
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Gold and silver at the Worlds for GB.
:o Most have been the dapper once piece body suit that helped streamline him down that :P
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That's some blistering riding - quality....though Sam Hill would have wiped the floor had he not blown it just before the finish :thumbsup:
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Rear Maxle never made it into production with pace according to the boys at 18 - not enough demand
They recommended some DT RWS skewers - better clamping apparently?
I want a medium I'm afraid Tim - cheers for the info though.
I wouldn't worry about rear maxle too much, the back end just follows you down the hill anyway. Try and get a through axle (maxle) for the front though. Either Pace or Orange should be able to build the bike to spec so maybe a Pike would be better than a Fox. Another alternative is to run wider rims but with a standard skewer on the front. This certainly gives more steering precision and way less tyre roll but does bump up rotating weight.
Another point is to consider fork springs rather than air - they hold the front end up better due to having a proper linear spring rate and effectively mean you have a slacker head angle for the same load, if you see what I mean. And they last longer and require less servicing.
In conclusion, buy a bike, come out riding tomorrow night ;D
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(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/570542947_25083d2db6_b.jpg)
You know you want one ;)
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Fatkid, just buy a bike! You have been swithering for at least two months now. At this rate you will have no summer left to enjoy it (I am out the running for a new one for now, having just bought a new board.
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I'm going shopping at the weekend for this bike - well hopefully. Lord knows what I'm going to buy - I'm just going to go to a shop and hope to walk out with a bike. I've narrowed it down, just one thing. Spech now do the Enduro with a carbon frame - which seems to make the thing light, but isn't carbon a touch delicate for MTBs. I've heard that alot of people have dented / trashed the frame on those expensive new Whytes.
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FFS
I'm off this weekend, get over to mine, with some ID and a couple of pay slips... we're off the get some serious bike on serious credit.
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I've just come accross this ex demo Norco;
http://store.atb-sales.co.uk/acatalog/Norco.html
What do you think? Is this comparable to an SX which is probably my top choice at the moment. The Norco is really pushing the envelope on what I can afford though. Actually, that should be, it's pushing the limit of what I can't afford!
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heavy, and wallows more than an SX.
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I'm going shopping at the weekend for this bike - well hopefully. Lord knows what I'm going to buy - I'm just going to go to a shop and hope to walk out with a bike. I've narrowed it down, just one thing. Spech now do the Enduro with a carbon frame - which seems to make the thing light, but isn't carbon a touch delicate for MTBs. I've heard that alot of people have dented / trashed the frame on those expensive new Whytes.
imho, carbon does not have any place on a load bearing part of a mtb. not unless you want to do an Ayrton Senna :thumbsdown:
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:agree:
you must be mad to consider carbon a suitable material for a MTB
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:agree:
you must be mad to consider carbon a suitable material for a MTB
Well that's what I thought - its just that most of the enduro range seems to have carbon based frames / main triangles. Plus all the Spesh enduro's now come with their own brand forks
Has anybody used this place / know anything about it? They've got the Trek Remedy in stock and thought I may go for a test tomorrow.
Emailed Stan's to see if they have any.
http://www.lexs.co.uk/acatalog/index.html (http://www.lexs.co.uk/acatalog/index.html)
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Two of Kim's bikes have come from Lex's. They are OK in a "grumpy, but at least it's not JE James" kind of way.
Actually they are fine, but the bloke who owns its probably shouldn't have a gone into a job where he meets the public. At least he acknowledges your presence in the shop and actually know a bit about what he sells though.
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sorry, wrong thread. :wall:
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Mmmmmm me want:
(http://www.sicklines.com/news-images/Shimano_saint_4pot_brake_s.jpg)
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:agree:
awesome, simply awesome....
:devangel:
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I've just come accross an Iron Horse Yakuza on southerndownhill. It's cheap enough, and the guy selling it is very local to me. Is this a good buy? I am sort of hankering after an SX since it seems like a best in class bike but I'm going to end up paying 800-900 I reckon but this Iron Horse is only £550. Am I comparing an MR2 with a Ferrari?
http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/index.php/topic,161946.0.html
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oldd front hub... very old forks.. if no service history proven then walk away.... those forks weigh a TON...
frame is younger than the components, a common sellers technique. nothing wrong with the frame per se.. (single pivot, 6 inches), they do have a rep for lateral flex and have never sold well in the UK.
avoid tube less...
in summery... avoid this one.
just like cars, play the waiting game to get the bargain...
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:agree:
you must be mad to consider carbon a suitable material for a MTB
Well that's what I thought - its just that most of the enduro range seems to have carbon based frames / main triangles. Plus all the Spesh enduro's now come with their own brand forks
Has anybody used this place / know anything about it? They've got the Trek Remedy in stock and thought I may go for a test tomorrow.
Emailed Stan's to see if they have any.
http://www.lexs.co.uk/acatalog/index.html (http://www.lexs.co.uk/acatalog/index.html)
Enduros have carbon bits to keep the weight down not because it should be used on an mtb. Carbon would be fine if not for a) rocks, and b) falling off, both of which happen in abundance in the Peak ::)
Spec's own forks and rear sus cans have had a bit of a suspect start to their lives; -expect to take them back to the shop unless they have already been 'fixed' and certainly don't buy any second hand that are out of warranty, imho.
On the subject of shops have just arrived back from our friends at James' who don't have XT shadow rear mechs in stock either short or long cage and despite being a Crank Bros dealer don't have any service kits. Normal service then.
ttfn, off to chainreaction.....
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Not trying to harp on about it, but I came across this pic and it made me think about the previous skills > kit argument :)
(http://pixdaus.com/pics/sy8SQhDXCBSz.jpg)
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Not trying to harp on about it, but I came across this pic and it made me think about the previous skills > kit argument :)
(http://pixdaus.com/pics/sy8SQhDXCBSz.jpg)
is that the olympic cross country course.
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Do you think he is going to bottle it............ahem.
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Not trying to harp on about it, but I came across this pic and it made me think about the previous skills > kit argument :)
I don't get it, isn't this the type of bike you want for something like that? Wouldn't full suspension make doing balancing harder? ie you don't see any of the BMX flat floor bikes with suspension and obviously you don't need any fancy equipment for braking or to keep the weight off.
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its hardly a trials bike.its more like he's knicked it to get home from the pub.
maybe thats the chinese drink cycling test.fall off the bottles and you get done.
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I like the fact the bike stand is on there.. I must get one for my Scott
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i'm puzzled by the fact he's not wearing a crash helmet but most of the audience are.
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I don't get it, isn't this the type of bike you want for something like that? Wouldn't full suspension make doing balancing harder? ie you don't see any of the BMX flat floor bikes with suspension and obviously you don't need any fancy equipment for braking or to keep the weight off.
I wasn't really thinking of suspension, it's just it looks to me like a £50 "ladies" commuter bike, still with stand on. I don't think the geometry is very set up for doing anything technical at all, more for comfort whilst dawdling to work :)
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Well I've finally splashed my cash at a Santa Cruz which comes in 2 weeks. The future Mrs C was even happy about it - although she told me that fatdoc will be a dead man if I turn up at our wedding with any limbs in plaster. :o
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Which Santa Cruz?
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The Heckler - think it will do the job for me.
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Nice one - should be a great all-mountain tool :)
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Well I've finally splashed my cash at a Santa Cruz which comes in 2 weeks. The future Mrs C was even happy about it - although she told me that fatdoc will be a dead man if I turn up at our wedding with any limbs in plaster. :o
Thats OK, I'm not invited. :lol:
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Well I've finally splashed my cash at a Santa Cruz which comes in 2 weeks. The future Mrs C was even happy about it - although she told me that fatdoc will be a dead man if I turn up at our wedding with any limbs in plaster. :o
Thats OK, I'm not invited. :lol:
She knows where you work. :lol:
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The Heckler - think it will do the job for me.
So come on, what is it kitted up with?
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i know! i know!
sram X9, hope M4s, i think a raceface crankset (not the carbon one, thank god), hope pro2 hubs on mavic hoops...
that new 140mm magura fork
forgot the rest.... dunno colour either..
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Well, I've gone and done it. I'm the proud owner (well, technically I don't have it yet) of a Trek Session 77.
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/unclesomebody/e4ca_3.jpg)
All I need to do now is learn how to ride once again and hopefully avoid getting any horrific injuries. Also, I'm looking for people to ride with, so if you can tolerate a punter, let me know when/where. Thanks for the help/advice I've received on this thread, it helped a lot.
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Sweet - now get out to Wharncliffe :)
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he's already directed to gravity-slaves ;)
have to say that a session on the jump spot wouldnt go amiss, it's just getting the time :'(
unc got a good deal IMO off ebay for that Trek..
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Stop the XC faggotry then Fatdoc ;)
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Stop the XC faggotry then Fatdoc ;)
And get back on that road bike! :-\
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oh God.....
see what I mean?
:shrug:
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Well at last the sun has come out and I'm going quicker!! Just knocked 3 mins of my commute home. Well chuffed. Although my heart-rate maxed at 195 - OMG!!
Bad news is that I can't do the Leg breaker - on weekend of 18/7/08 - had to do some swops at work so I can have a holiday.
If anybody wants the place let me know - I only entered the short course (85 Km ish), but I think its fairly easy to upgrade to the medium (130Km) or long (165Km).
Come on fatdoc - get back on that road bike - you know you want to. ;D
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Woops - that should have been on the other bike related thread.
I can't be bothered to write down the spec on here - but its nice - and even though I've gone for that posh little fork works out cheaper than a similarly speced Orange 5.
Most importantly its Black.
Just need to decide which shoes to get - I'm thinking non carbon soled spesh - as I love their road shoes.
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Also, I'm looking for people to ride with, so if you can tolerate a punter, let me know when/where.
I'm keen to get out to Wharncliffe or similar for some DH/freeride stuff as all my friends who ride seem intolerant of that type of riding and never want to accompany me. Send me a message when you're keen to get out.
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Well at last the sun has come out and I'm going quicker!! Just knocked 3 mins of my commute home. Well chuffed. Although my heart-rate maxed at 195 - OMG!!
Bad news is that I can't do the Leg breaker - on weekend of 18/7/08 - had to do some swops at work so I can have a holiday.
If anybody wants the place let me know - I only entered the short course (85 Km ish), but I think its fairly easy to upgrade to the medium (130Km) or long (165Km).
Come on fatdoc - get back on that road bike - you know you want to. ;D
:off:
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Right then, I've been to pick the bike up today. It's very nice, very clean, and rides great. The forks feel a bit slow but I don't think it's been ridden much recently. I took it down to an old jump spot near my house, where we used to spend many days building trails, and was saddened to see there is very, very little left. I jumped what was left (tiny) and realised that the rear end has a bit of a kick on takeoff. I've got to get used full sus. Plus, bunny hoping is very difficult. Is this the result of 7" rear travel?!?! I used to be able to bunny hop onto the top of a picnic table... somehow I think that won't be happening on this thing!
PS. I think I saw you today Bubba, in Buxton. Were you outside the caving supplies shop at about 5pm? I did wave as I went by, but you probably missed it or chose to ignore the loon.
PPS. What's wharncliffe like at the weekend? Will it be full of people who'll be angry with a punter going small and slow?
Oli; I'll send you a PM about getting out, should be good!
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Wasn't me in Buxton - I was in bed at 5pm :)
Bunny hopping a picnic table is seriously impressive. But yes, the rear travel will soak up all that power...though you can use a bit of spring-bounce to get things going.
It sounds like your suspension needs some tweaking. If the forks feel slow then the chances are they have too much compression and rebound damping wound on (are they slow to compress, or slow to rebound or both?) If the rear end is kicking you on takeoff then it could mean that it has too little rebound damping. Chances are the bike was set up for somebody a different weight / riding style to you so you'll need to do some experimentation. It can take a while. I have my 888s sorted now but my rear shock still isn't on the right settings.
Wharncliffe is fine of a weekend, there's always a big mix of abilities out from some fast kids to people rattling down the easier courses on XC hardtails. Are you going up with someone who knows the woods? Can be a bit hard to find stuff first time. I would offer but i'm not about this w/e.
Get yourself booked at Innerleithen on the 27th if you want some real fun :)
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bubs is on the money for the suspension, have you set the sag?
my free time for riding on sunday has been allocated, sorry. (some mid summer Xc ride starting well early on sunday - in the region of 40km i reckon... including rushop, mt pleasant, jacobs ladder & hope cross!!! :'( all welcome! 8 a.m start mind)
if you get overcome with the setup PM me, i've some steps in my garden that i set my bikes up on... it'll take me 10 mins max.
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Good idea about steps - a big steep set of steps is probably a good way to get your basic settings sorted. If it feels like you're riding down a smooth slope instead of steps then you've probably got the basic compression/rebound settings right.
After that just tweak them for what you're riding (eg smooth fast course / drops and jumps / etc ) and your own preference. Must find big set of steep steps for this - any ideas?
Irrelevant and gratuitous steps pr0n - biiiig drop onto staircase - shows what a transition can do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W6PnM095S0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W6PnM095S0)
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I'm working on the suspension set up, but in my opinion the front forks are a little slow. Perhaps this is because they have recently been serviced and need bedding in tough. Hopefully one of you guru's will ride it someday soon and give me an opinion. In other news, the pawls in the rear hub are shot and I can no longer pedal with any force. It's being taken care of, and the chap I bought it from is paying for it. I still pushed it up to the local woods and rode a few drops from back in the day. I managed to confirm that the front forks do have 170mm travel on a measly 6ft drop. I was a bit surprised, but maybe they are low on air or something. Anyway, I'm mainly concerned with getting the freehub sorted so I can start pedalling...
I'm looking forward to wharncliffe now!
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6ft isn't measly, sounds like you're probably going to be fine at Wharncliffe :lol:
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I don't know if anyone's seen this before but I've just found some stuff about Millyard bikes. I'd never heard of it before, but it looks truly stunning. There's some good innovation on it, that could be the future for bikes. Stuff like internal gearboxes that actually work, single sided swingarms and active suspension...
I want one anyway.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/allen-millyard-part-1-2008.html (http://www.pinkbike.com/news/allen-millyard-part-1-2008.html)
(http://photos.nsmb.com/files/2/7/2/8/1/millyard2.jpg)
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Amazing pieces of kit, pure craftsmanship and back to basics engineering. There was an article in Singletrack about them about a year ago.
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Everyone was saying how this guy builds these bikes out of his shed for his son, but the guy works on missile systems as an engineer so I think an internal gearbox is probably small beer.
Back from holiday and fucking pissed off...........
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He made a V12 motorbike too, so as you say it's probably not too hard for him, but nevertheless its good for someone to start innovating and making new stuff that actually works.
Back from holiday and fucking pissed off...........
Rain? Broken bike?
I managed to snap my rear mech hanger by hanging up on a landing (not quite sure why it broke) and threw my newish XT Shadow mech into the rear wheel which pissed me off no end. At least it didn't rip any spokes out.
Also, anyone had any experience with Manitou Dorados? Found a decent looking pair second hand for not too much. I heard somewhere that they can be high maintanence
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Rain? Broken bike?
No just tooo good a time and wanted more...was lucky as I stacked big style on first day and gave myself a go faster stripe down by forearm, upper arm and shoulder, will post a pic as soon as I can get a moment.
Lets have a wharncliffe session then as suggested, all welcome with no pressure or macho bullshit, have a bit of a cycle do what u want to do kind of thing....that includes you Fatdoc, you need to justify hanging on to that demo 8.
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one never needs to justify the ownership of a bike.
yep, i'm up for it.
i'm not going
- in the pissing rain
- down no human
i will be
- swathed in body armour
- falling off a lot on the jump spot etc...
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Rain? Broken bike?
No just tooo good a time and wanted more...was lucky as I stacked big style on first day and gave myself a go faster stripe down by forearm, upper arm and shoulder, will post a pic as soon as I can get a moment.
Lets have a wharncliffe session then as suggested, all welcome with no pressure or macho bullshit, have a bit of a cycle do what u want to do kind of thing....that includes you Fatdoc, you need to justify hanging on to that demo 8.
Great, I'm game too. I concur that I'm not going in the rain but I don't understand the bit about going down on a man. :shrug: I will not be swathed in body armour, but I shall probably be falling off! I'll be up for it anytime during the week or perhaps even on Saturday. Is it cool to ride in ripped jeans, top off, with a backwards baseball cap on?
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Is it cool to ride in ripped jeans, top off, with a backwards baseball cap on?
yes indeed I hear this look is in this year
(http://p1.pinkbike.com/photo/2175/pbpic2175882.jpg)
normally caused by this
(http://www.more-mtb.org/galleries/gal_imgs/5/5/2/8/fall4.jpg)
It costs £60 for a full facer, to have 3 teeth replaced with implants and have it all put back together costs around £1500 in fees.....
As for going down on on a human, well............. :whistle:
you think were going biking dont you :spank:
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£1500 for some Dental work - damm picked the wrong job!!
New bike has arrived at shop - just waiting on the fork!!
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Have any of you buys ridden the XC route at Wharncliffe?
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Have any of you buys ridden the XC route at Wharncliffe?
yah, not bad, very good start in a quite modern idiom(trail centre type stuff, tight turns and open fast sections) leading to a section of the old xc route which is good if dry(otherwise its abit of a bog plough) this leads down a bit of fire road to the new xc descent which should have you thinking about the merits of long travel bikes. From the bottom you have a cpl of options, either trace the old xc route out(see Bartons guide) or you can do a loop over Wharncliffe side and do a return loop. Another option is to throw a bit of Grenoside woods in as well if your feeling strong
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thanks man. I'm keen to ride it. looks like it should be waymarked according to the WRC website.
Have any of you buys ridden the XC route at Wharncliffe?
(see Bartons guide)
yeah, i might have one of those kicking around... ;D
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it's NOT the route in Barton's guide.
it's been totally re routed and much more built up
look / post on gravity-slaves.co.uk or WRC for more info
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looks like it should be waymarked according to the WRC website.
it was, theres a local freak who thinks that all evils are to be blamed on mtb's so he has either nocked the signs down or stolen them, the so called badger man
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been on WRC. there's a route map. I'll try that.
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rode the wharncliffe xc tonight with obi wan... first half is good but it was pretty muddy. it would be very good when (if?) dry i reckon. i think local knowledge would be handy for the second half as the markers direct to pretty much just fireroad with bits of singletrack. still good fun. most markers seem to be up, first one is missing. a few guys were building on the xc too - good on them.
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Can I be next in the buying advice queue? Time to treat myself to a new bike.
Rode Dolly's VT (I think that's what it was) recently which is the only full suss bike I've ridden but it was great fun so I'm after full suspension. Want to be able to ride around the Peak, going downhill as fast as I can and scaring myself jumping off things. Don't see myself going for day-long rides as I've never done this sort of thing on my current old hardtail. So more all mountain than cross country. Absolute upper limit for budget is £1800, though I'd much rather spend less.
So many bikes seem to get great reviews, not sure where to start.
Specialized Pitch? Too heavy?
Orange Five? Over-priced?
Trek Remedy 7?
Second-hand?
Too much information available, too many options, so please filter it all for me.
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Specialized Pitch? Too heavy?
Dont think its that heavy, its an all mtn bike so round the 30lb area. Nice looking bike if you ask me(do some searches on the reliability of the spesh own shocks, not heard that much negative but worth looking up, the guy that designed them worked for fox before so must know something)I regularly ride xc on my Turner which weighs 36lbs, has downhill tyres etc etc. I can still just get up hills but I am riding for the downhill experience at the mo so it feels fine to be slow!
Orange Five? Over-priced?
Possibly, love em or hate them , talk to Norton and fatdoc for the opposites of the coin
Trek Remedy 7?
Meant to be good
Second-hand?
If you can hang on a little bit, get a bit of advice from Norton, myself, fatdoc you could pick up a fantastic bargain..
Bikes go for fuk all 2nd hand,
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Read the thread above. I went through this scenario a month or so ago, looking for an all mountain bike. I'm no expert - fatdoc knows what he's on about. I looked at the orange 5 and almost bought one - but thought they were too expensive. In the end I'm getting a santa cruz heckler with the all mountain package - its about £300 cheaper than the orange and I preferred the way it rode. I couldn't find a trek remedy to try, and alot of people seemed to advice avoiding Spesh due to their rubbish forks - although apparently the old enduro is a good bike which is available second hand. I'm sure some of the bike geeks can advice further.
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Can I be next in the buying advice queue? Time to treat myself to a new bike.
Rode Dolly's VT (I think that's what it was) recently which is the only full suss bike I've ridden but it was great fun so I'm after full suspension. Want to be able to ride around the Peak, going downhill as fast as I can and scaring myself jumping off things. Don't see myself going for day-long rides as I've never done this sort of thing on my current old hardtail. So more all mountain than cross country. Absolute upper limit for budget is £1800, though I'd much rather spend less.
So many bikes seem to get great reviews, not sure where to start.
Specialized Pitch? Too heavy?
Orange Five? Over-priced?
Trek Remedy 7?
Second-hand?
Too much information available, too many options, so please filter it all for me.
hello matey, if were you i'd buy the VT off Dolly, he never goes off road on it, it's 28lbs and has 5.7" travel ;) I had one for 5 yrs... damn fine machine.
if that's a no no and it's new one you want then for 1800 you will get a good mass produced frame, damn good gear on it and are sure to have a blast!
Pitch you say? GOOD choice. the weak point is indeed the spesh shock, better than last year... for the cash you have few other to choose really...
it will need a bit of determination to get up a hill, but it's OK.
I did the horror of the full edale circuit, going up the hill to then descend jacobs laddder was horrific yesterday.. why? i had spome old heavy coil forks on (airs bust.. again).. weighed the bike at the end... 35.3lbs.... nightmare. the pitch is lighter than that.
lbs really do matter... 2.5 lbs extra on my XC bike and it is much harder to climb on.. much!!
if you want MHO, go second hand unless you really must have new... if you do then for the price i'd go Pitch, marin 140mm range or a remedy... i'd ride a few! one will *fit*.
dont forget peeps, ALL bikes go up 15 to 25% for 2009... buy now!
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just reading about scotland coast to coast whilst eating cadbury snack shortbread thing for elevenses
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/jul/13/cyclingholidays.scotland (http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/jul/13/cyclingholidays.scotland)
looks good!
(not saying get guided just looks a good challenge!)
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FD / FBSF - are you getting the Spec Pitch mixed up with the new Enduro? The Pitch's are a heavier, therefore cheaper, framed version of the Enduro although for the price they are going to be a bit of a bargain as with all Spec bikes. Given that Mark bust Dolly's bike in one ride maybe he should go for a heavier framed bike? Buying Dolly's VT is not a bad idea, I think the second hand sales pitch would go along the lines of "one careful (lady) owner ...".
Maybe one of the original Enduros with a white frame and orange stripe down the middle would be most appropriate? ;)
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what do cats reckon of the Orange 5 then......(apart from it being potentially overpriced)?
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if were you i'd buy the VT off Dolly, he never goes off road on it
Cheeky fuk.
I did the Merida MTB marathon in Builth Wells last weekend.
Got my bike all muddy
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Buying Dolly's VT is not a bad idea
if only to stop Dolly riding it with slicks......on the road :thumbsdown:
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if only to stop Dolly riding it with slicks......on the road
I've only got slicks on my hardtail
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what do cats reckon of the Orange 5 then......(apart from it being potentially overpriced)?
Depends on your type of riding. Do you;
a) when climbing pick technical lines, sit on the front of the saddle and keep the power on
b) when climbing sit up, keep your cadance high and peddle over anything in your path
c) when descending pick technical lines and ride around objects
d) when descending ride light and fast and straight
IMHO a & c are more hardtail, older style long top tube, steeper head angle and more akin to hardtail riding
b & c are more new style short top tube, heavier, long travel (for xc) bikes
Orange 5 = a & d, which is probably why a lot of people don't like them - they ride like a hardtail uphill and, if you are brave enough to get sufficient speed up, like a missile downhill.
And they look gorgeous ....
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/570542947_25083d2db6_b.jpg)
pm me if you want to try out a small framed 5, as above but with different forks (Fox Vanilla), rims (DT5.1), hubs (Hope Pro II), tyres (Maxxis High Roller 2.35), pedals (Crank Bros Candy Ti), several incarnations of rear mechs, Odi lock on grips, a bell and a headlight!
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if only to stop Dolly riding it with slicks......on the road
I've only got slicks on my hardtail
... and scalp ;D
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what do cats reckon of the Orange 5 then......(apart from it being potentially overpriced)?
Depends on your type of riding. Do you;
a) when climbing pick technical lines, sit on the front of the saddle and keep the power on
b) when climbing sit up, keep your cadance high and peddle over anything in your path
c) when descending pick technical lines and ride around objects
d) when descending ride light and fast and straight
IMHO a & c are more hardtail, older style long top tube, steeper head angle and more akin to hardtail riding
b & c are more new style short top tube, heavier, long travel (for xc) bikes
Orange 5 = a & d, which is probably why a lot of people don't like them - they ride like a hardtail uphill and, if you are brave enough to get sufficient speed up, like a missile downhill.
And they look gorgeous ....
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/570542947_25083d2db6_b.jpg)
pm me if you want to try out a small framed 5
ta. i've gotten quite used to riding a long travel xc bike this summer but i have to give it back at some point. i might be able to get a deal through orange hence the interest. i guess i pick my lines uphill (up to the point when i'm fucked) but i like to ride pretty sharp-ish downhill, balls permitting. hmmm. they look well tough which has a certain appeal if you ride in the peak a lot i guess.
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See http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/closeouts.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/closeouts.php) for Orange deals, but it is always worth giving them a ring.
I can't fault my 5 given the amount of abuse it's had
What long travel xc bike have you at the moment then?
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(http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r277/lucianthebison/misc019.jpg)
pish and tish, get something to go down hill FAST on
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See http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/closeouts.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/closeouts.php) for Orange deals, but it is always worth giving them a ring.
I can't fault my 5 given the amount of abuse it's had
What long travel xc bike have you at the moment then?
i met the fella from orange at the weekend. he said he'd sort me out. it's unfortunately a long fall after riding one of these for the last few months:
(http://www.bikemagic.com/news/images/ibismojo_side_hi.jpg)
in fact, i think that's actually the bike i'm riding. :)
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pish and tish, get something to go down hill FAST on
careful, you could really hurt yourself on one of those.
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in fact, i think that's actually the bike i'm riding. :)
Very nice it looks too and I'm sure it rides as well as it looks from reading reviews, but:
1 - it's carbon, that makes it a road bike in my mind, or at least rather unsuitable for the Peak, Lakes, Wales (as per FBSF photo - top of Snowdon?) such that I wouldn't spend my own cash on one
2 - it has a side stand ;)
FBSF - Perhaps we need to consider the relative weight of ourselves compared to our bikes? If we did so we would probably have a similar rider to bike weight ratio, whatever that means?
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On a quick calculation of me, FBSF & FD, I reckon our Jerry should be riding a 48 lb bike to make things even between us :o Can you even begin to imagine how slow that would be :lol:
I like this concept of rider to bike weight ratio, perhaps we should ask the roadies about it, they'll know whether it's valid. Fatdoc ?
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1 - it's carbon,
yeah, that's the only thing that's preventing me from buying one. while riding through a biblical electrical storm in north yorkshire a couple of weeks ago me and tlr were trying to work out what exactly would happen should i get struck by lightning while riding it... we concluded my fried body would end up sat in a black puddle on the floor still holding the bars and clipped to the pedals.
i think a Five looks much more durable, certainly if my own money is getting involved.
...i thought trackstands were cool these days...? ;)
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if were you i'd buy the VT off Dolly, he never goes off road on it
Cheeky fuk.
I did the Merida MTB marathon in Builth Wells last weekend.
Got my bike all muddy
riding around that field for 24hrs MUST have been such fun ;)
if ever get out of work tonight and get at least a few hrs kip i'll be inviting you to come out XC tomorrow then dolly...
18:30.
either local of a quick one up to Hope cross, down the beast then back to hope via the top of win hill - longest down XC there is in the peak.... only prob being i've only got 30 mins of light, as Yoss has my usual ones..
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2 - it has a side stand ;)
are you sure? it looks like a stick to me.
I'm fed up with mountain bikes, the fucking thing keeps breaking. It's costing me a fortune. I've decided there is only 1 way to roll; no suspension, no gears, no breaks and 20" wheels. costs half as much and requires no matainance.
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riding around that field for 24hrs MUST have been such fun
It was a Marathon not an enduro. Great route over the Brecon Beacons, plenty of singletrack.
http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/home/news1.php#200813 (http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/home/news1.php#200813)
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Thanks for all the replies.
Have no objection to going secondhand. But that means trying to pick a bike from the past which isn't being reviewed in the current comics. So, can the gurus suggest 3 or 4 bikes so I can start monitoring ebay and the other secondhand sites?
I do have a suspicion that I'll be impressed by almost any bike. I've been riding a heavy, tatty hardtail for a decade. Anything is going to be a great improvement.
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dont forget peeps, ALL bikes go up 15 to 25% for 2009... buy now!
Does this mean '08 bikes will start being sold at bargain prices? Or need to wait a month or two?
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the opposite. No need for sales to shift stock
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the opposite. No need for sales to shift stock
Agree some shops are putting up component prices already - i.e increasing the price on 08 spec kit such as groupsets etc
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riding around that field for 24hrs MUST have been such fun
It was a Marathon not an enduro. Great route over the Brecon Beacons, plenty of singletrack.
http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/home/news1.php#200813 (http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/home/news1.php#200813)
use your pass out time more wisely and free up a few hours regularly so we can show you the 100s of trails of trails in the peak you've yet to ride. Sod marathons, some of the best xc in the uk is 10 miles from your house!
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the opposite. No need for sales to shift stock
Au contraire Blackadder
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/fuel-ex-7-2008-mountain-bike-ec001614 (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/fuel-ex-7-2008-mountain-bike-ec001614)
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And they are selling off Treks cheap because?
They break, as in snap. Regularly, apparently. At the joining welds on the seat tube to the rear suss pivot mount. Allegedly.
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are the remedys as bad? they have abetter suspension set up... less break jack..
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And they are selling off Treks cheap because?
They break, as in snap. Regularly, apparently. At the joining welds on the seat tube to the rear suss pivot mount. Allegedly.
Allegedly = toss. Apparently used to on old models, but not heard any problems in the '08 EX Fuel frames.
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I take it you have a Trek Fuel then Chris ? :)
Didn't one of the bike mags test an '08 fuel that cracked on them? Or was that an '07?
Don't get me wrong, if someone gave me one I'd ride it (but that would apply to anything!) :-\
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No, not yet! :)
I have no idea which bike it was, but you always hear these daft rumours and allegations circulating (bit like Naxos bindings) without any hard evidence.
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I've seen two cracked Fuels if that helps with the evidence?
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Indeed it would. Year? Model?
I had heard 07s had some manufacturing problems / design flaws, but not heard any bad things about 08s.
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05/06 models so may well be sorted now
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plus Trek are huge, so if it does bust you're going to get a new one
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Indeed. You should be yellow carded for deliberate time wasting.
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:lol:
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Feel free to remove previous waddage :thumbsdown:
But hey, if you want to go and buy some mass produced, Taiwanese welded, generic xc bike be my guest. :yawn:
Only trying to help (in lieu of FD's absense, I'll leave it to him then). LOL :wave:
That should all set the cat amongst the pigeons. Again.
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right, sorry for abscence.
FWIW I happen to like my taiwanesse cheap frame... there again 1st user full replacement warenty applies to marins.
If the fuels crack, dont get one. not worth it.
as for hand made frames being stronger / better investments thats total bollox.
Look about any DH forum and you'll hear stories of 223s snapping, 224 swing arms dis integrating etc...
what is important is if you know the year of the fuel crisis (sorry).... the history of the spesh Demo comes to mind here, first year they all snapped at the shock cage, year after no probs... non since...
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:agree:
Put snobbery aside - you can't write a frame off just because it was put together in Taiwan. Sure, if you need to buy British then go for an Orange but don't assume that their frames are going to be any better than a (for example) Specialized frame just because they're hand welded in the UK...
My (consistently dissed by snobs) Big Hit is a *much* better bike in all respects than my previous Orange Patriot 66. It pisses all over it tbh... I know it's not exactly comparing like with like but don't get caught up in the hype....
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the taiwanese used to be the world leaders in carbon fibre technology.some of those early giant frames were way head of similar european stuff.they are also very good at copying stuff improving it and making it cheaper.
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The discussion is academic at the moment anyway, as we have got tired of waiting for a 2nd hand van to come up locally that is what we are looking for and are going for a new one. I'll need to borrow a penny from someone to rub mine against for the next few months.
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... and so the pigeons flew ....
Who said anything about mass produced Taiwanese being crap? Not me. I just implied that Chris might like to consider something a little more exclusive. Like the Pace that FD keeps harping on about. Which let's face it is as overpriced as an Orange. I just have a bit of a personal quest to have all my bike originate from Gods own county, and failing that some bits from Lancashire, Switzerland and a tractor manufacturer in the States will have to do. And I'm sure that your average Taiwanese robot doesn't suffer from the odd off days due to hangovers, colds etc that your average Halifaxian (?) welder will. I also have to admit that the weld on my down tube is not quite straight, the bottle cage bosses are off centre (not that there's enough room to fit a cage in on a small framed 5) and the rear mech cable guide is also off centre so that the cable has rubbed a groove into it. I should point out that the whole frame is a second, Orange recommend that it never should have left the factory let alone get both wheels off the ground at the same time. But I see these as positive attributes. And Bubbs and FD should know how much shit that bike has taken. And now I'll probably go out on sunday and it'll break in two.
All I know is that my next bike will not have white wheels or handlebars. They are gay for road bikers.
But it will probably be a Spec Enduro made in Taiwan (sssssssshhhhhhhhhh!).
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The discussion is academic at the moment anyway, as we have got tired of waiting for a 2nd hand van to come up locally that is what we are looking for and are going for a new one. I'll need to borrow a penny from someone to rub mine against for the next few months.
And you accuse me of time wasting. :-*
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1I just implied that Chris might like to consider something a little more exclusive. Like the Pace that FD keeps harping on about.
Why?
Function > fashion.
:)
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I rode that Pace - and its awesome - but I'm no MTB expert, in fact I still want one. I don't get this frame snobbery - I've got a carbon road bike - with an Italian frame, and a Ti framed one from Taiwan. They both do there respective jobs really well. As long as the bike does its job, I don't care where it is from. I really don't care where the frame is made, as long as it does what it is suppose to do and reasonably well priced. Some of the best bikes in the world now come out of Taiwan, most Cervelo's and the new System six cannondale. You can go and spend a small fortune on a Pegrotti or an Independent Fabrication road bike, hand build - but will it be any faster or more comfortable than one half the price made in Taiwan - I suppose its all down to choice, and wouldn't it be a boring world if we all rode the same steads and these forums would be dead.
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The discussion is academic at the moment anyway, as we have got tired of waiting for a 2nd hand van to come up locally that is what we are looking for and are going for a new one. I'll need to borrow a penny from someone to rub mine against for the next few months.
And you accuse me of time wasting. :-*
Well this wasn't the case when I posted early in the week. Circumstances change?
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Due to a *cough* slightly over zealous order for bling for my XC bike I'm currently sprucing up my '07 SX for sale
Build is stock, but with new rear wheel (handmade)
just a heads up if anyone's interested.
It's a small (up to 5 ft 10 ish...). I have proof of purchase etc....
I'll formally get it some pics up and it on the for sale board later this week.
new cost me £2k, wheel £200.. for sale at £1250 ono..
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Ah look the gear freak fatdoc got carried away again with bike bling!!!!
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yep, dunno what happened :shrug:
one email to 18bikes and I'm dire need of funds
:oops:
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Presumably the Demo 8 will be following shortly?
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Presumably the Demo 8 will be following shortly?
nope.
certainly keeping it - worth sod all and i'm sure as soon as it's gone I'll hanker for it. The SX is an 07 so still very desired hence worth some cash!
Good one on the new child board BTW matey ;D
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But Jon you're missing out on a great opportunity to spend! All the kidz are riding Sundays now coz they think it'll turn them into Sam Hill - go on, you *need* a Sunday :lol:
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yeah. i know what you mean, but i'm not tempted!!!
much
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Pulled the trigger today and rode away on a shiny new Specialized Pitch. Bumped into FBSF at JEJames yesterday and he did a sales pitch the conclusion of which was "it'll do everything you want, you'll have fun on it, the price is right". So deposit went down and I went in to collect it today. Took it out in the Peak for a couple of hours this afternoon and had a ball. Anyone riding after work this week? Think lights are going to be first of the expensive accessories to be acquired. Which to buy?
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I will be out probably wednesday night, ont hardtail if i get it built!
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You won't need any lights for a while yet. Well except for getting home from the pub. So a cheopo set like this http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id27846.html (http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/id27846.html) should do the job.
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get in mate.
yep defo weds for me, maybe another nite too, not sure yet...
as for lites: IMO no choice
http://www.use1.com/exposure/products/enduro_maxx/index.php (http://www.use1.com/exposure/products/enduro_maxx/index.php)
though if Hope finally get there act together their new LEDS may be Ok
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I will be buying some of the new 4 LED Hope's in a month or so, so will report on their performance then.
Can't fault those Exposures though apart from I always thought the bracket looked a bit flimsy and might snap in a crash. Guess you've tested them well though FD? :P
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Got to agree with fatdoc regarding those exposure lights - not used them off-road but have on road on unlit sections, and they are the business. I've got the big one and the little helmet mountable one. If you are going to go for a long session you'd probably want the piggy-bag battery options as well - as the battery life isn't massive on full beam - then again the second light setting is pretty bright. They are fairly pricey. On the road you actually see cars waiting for you to pass - so from a road point of view they get top marks from me. I'm sure fatdoc can comment further on off road use.
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Ive also got an exposure maxx, very good
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Fatkid, you got it yet?
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It will be in my hot sticky paws by lunchtime tomorrow - was going to go today but had family leaving who were here over the weekend. Just need to decide which pedals to get. I've got some basic shimano SPD - not that keen on them. Think you mentioned Time ones f/doc? See you wednesday if you're up for it - may need some fun after my first day in new job!!!
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time freeride Zs.
i prefer time to spd or crank bros... others have opposing views; nortons on crank bros, big G on spds... horses for courses.
the stable weather pattern just changed :'(
was gonna take my lads fro 2 nights to the cromlech boulders, now looks like i'll be in sheff all week. weds it is.
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time freeride Zs.
i prefer time to spd or crank bros... others have opposing views; nortons on crank bros, big G on spds... horses for courses.
the stable weather pattern just changed :'(
was gonna take my lads fro 2 nights to the cromlech boulders, now looks like i'll be in sheff all week. weds it is.
Stable wather pattern - that must be where you keep your horses cos you can't be talking about a British summer and stable weather in the same sentence :o
You aren't going to beat Shimano M520 SPD's for value or longevity, I just prefer the mud shedding abilities of Crank Bros plus they have a slightly bigger platform which suits the semi soft shoes I wear.
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Right I can just about squeeze my new toy in the back of my car, but when its muddy its a pain in the arse. I'm thinking of getting one of those things to hang off the back of the car and put the bike on that. Anyone got one / advice on which one to get. I know fatdoc will tell me to buy a van - but the wife won't like that . Any suggestions appreciated.
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I had one of the basic jobbies you get from Halfords - it worked fine until I ran it over.
I reckon a roof mounted one would be less of a pain for day to day usage though.
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Right I can just about squeeze my new toy in the back of my car, but when its muddy its a pain in the arse. I'm thinking of getting one of those things to hang off the back of the car and put the bike on that. Anyone got one / advice on which one to get. I know fatdoc will tell me to buy a van - but the wife won't like that . Any suggestions appreciated.
if you have a towbar get a pendle...
and there's nothing wrong with a van!
& avoid clip ons, you always trash your paint work... there is another option, search gravity-slaves for a huge bag thing that fits in the car, you sling the bike in it, scoop it all out at home et voila! car not covered in shite.
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Is that the thing that's like a massive boot liner bag? Good idea.
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Big boot bag thing sounds like the plan - was it gravityslaves, the place to look fatdoc?
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We use an old bedspread in the boot for the occasions the bikes are really ming.
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CRC do one: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=17885 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=17885)
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Get yourself a roof carrier. I ride loads more since I got one 'cos they are so convenient to whip the bike on and off.
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wind noise? - with or without bikes on....
drag and fuel consumption?
how do the bikes fare?
never appealed to me but if the above are OK it's a potential solution...
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if it's pissing with rain you're bike will suffer, you will get water in your bearings. fuel consumption will also increase. I think a boot bag is probally the best option. at least you'll keep your bike out the worst of it.
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Also the problem with the ones hanging off your car is the bike get a lot of spray off the road. We drove back from Coed-y-Brenin to Bristol in winter with the bikes on the back, and they were covered in salt from the road - not good for them either?
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old sheets work as well as a boot bag.however the problem is how do you not only get your bike in but your two pads plus wifes and daughters complete wardrobes.even with an estate car this is taking some working out.
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old sheets work as well as a boot bag.however the problem is how do you not only get your bike in but your two pads plus wifes and daughters complete wardrobes.even with an estate car this is taking some working out.
What about a roofbox for carrying stuff?
Obviously might be a bit tricky squeezing a bike in there, but the wife and daughters would probably fit in ok :P
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wind noise? - with or without bikes on....
drag and fuel consumption?
how do the bikes fare?
never appealed to me but if the above are OK it's a potential solution...
There's a bit of wind noise but then again I keep roof bars on anyway and play my music loud. I've not noticed a big difference in fuel consumption but I'm sure there is one. I don't drive with work or have a commute so I tend not to notice changes in fuel consumption that much. The bikes fare better than they do when I'm riding them in the pissing rain and muck.
It literally takes 30 seconds to put the bike up or take off and I've certainly ridden more frequently than I used to since I've had one.
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old sheets work as well as a boot bag.however the problem is how do you not only get your bike in but your two pads plus wifes and daughters complete wardrobes.even with an estate car this is taking some working out.
What about a roofbox for carrying stuff?
Obviously might be a bit tricky squeezing a bike in there, but the wife and daughters would probably fit in ok :P
might get away with that.the missus wasn't keen on the roof rack too unsightly.do laura ashley do roof boxes.
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I have one of these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Raleigh-Avenir-Deluxe-Padded-bike-bag-with-2-wheels-black-nylon-14059.htm (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Raleigh-Avenir-Deluxe-Padded-bike-bag-with-2-wheels-black-nylon-14059.htm) that I paid about £30 for off eBay and one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15325 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15325). Latter is more sturdy with loads of pockets, former is easier to just lob the bike in to stop the boot of your car getting mucky and at £30 is a bargain - hunt around.
Normally stack two bikes in the boot in these plus bouldering pad plus trad gear, sports rope, tent, kitchen sink and you're sorted for a British week(end) away 8)
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*rant*
i hate my lbs... they have NO mtb inner tubes over 1.5 max with a presta fitting, they lie ("on order", "no one uses presta valves really" [see your own bike range then mate]), they are condescending to the extreme, they see me pay for something then ask to see my receipt on leaving, they suck cock.
when the competitor is *click here to checkout* some humane service would go miles......
AND
i've bust my rear rim..... god, it's only 5 months old!! my 6 yr old front mavic crossmax is still mint.... syncros FR rim my arse... 6 DINGS.... for god's sake!!
metal so soft i've used near no effort to bodge it back with an adjustable spanner....
18bikes have my order, 5.1D rims, double butted spokes onto a Hope pro2 maxle... 8)
fuckin cheese components... I'm not happy. no wonder I'm a wiggle platinum customer :o
AND i was toss at the Works this morning.....
sod it I'm off for a pint and then I'll do some pork in cider and cream :alky:
*rant ends*
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Fatdoc's rant sounds like a trip to JE James, the shop I avoid at all costs.
Wiggle usually have some deal going on inner tubes, I got 10 a few weeks back - and they have all the required sizes with presta valves. As mentioned in earlier threads avoid James's even if its your LBS. Just sit at home, turn on computer & there you have it brought to your door or place of work a few days later. The only arse is if you need something in a hurry or you're out when the delivery boy turns up.
Those wheels are good fatdoc....as you know I already have a set, good choice.
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5 months for a rear rim? thats not bad going really. I'd be pretty chuffed with that. I always thought mtb rims were supposed to be disposable. but then again i was riding dh on a hardtail
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you are joking...
my various DH bikes have never had a rim beyond repair in their lifetimes... admittedly my demo8 has sen little action for 18 months, but I'd expect a season at least!
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5 months for a rim used for DH on a hardtail seems pretty reasonable.
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yeah, I did some dirt jumping too.... I always used mavic D521s, not the strongest of rims but bloody good for the money, tried halos but found them heavy and not that much stronger, tended to split at the seam.
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Anyone got any opinions on Titus Motolite ML-1 (2007) or Iron Horse Comp Mk III 2008, or any opinions on either manufacturer in general?
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i think cofe's steed is a titus....
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mine's an Ibis. Not heard of titus. Rode a couple of Iron Horse bikes at cycle show last year. very nice, but never ridden one in anger on proper trails.
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i think cofe's steed is a titus....
Nope, its an Ibis Mojo. Its a carbon frame anyway, daft idea on a mountain bike in my humble opinion.
Titus Motolite is a pretty highly regarded bike I think, but then people who pay lots of money for a bike will rarely admit that they bought the wrong thing and its crap.
The alternative viewpoint, and probably just as accurate, is that above a certain point pretty much all the bikes available from any manufacturer are going to be pretty damn good.
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The alternative viewpoint, and probably just as accurate, is that above a certain point pretty much all the bikes available from any manufacturer are going to be pretty damn good.
This is very true, though some bikes will suit a certain body-shape or riding style better than others so it's still worth testing/reading reviews/etc.
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Local(ish) shop has Titus on good sale price on sale, hence the question. Googling seems to show positive reports, but they are new to me. Have asked around ocally and the the one guy who has one (at slightly higher spec) and spend a lot of cash on it swears by it. Funny that.
Might go for a look on the weekend.
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Anyone got an opnions on chain lubes for use in the Peaks. Is there really any difference between them, wet/dry etc. I've used the same road one through summer & winter with no problems.
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I've always used this summer and winter - cheap and does the job with no mess:
(http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/Full/1041.jpg)
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Not disagreeing with you Bubbs, but after using that for years I now use Pedros chainj http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19624 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19624) which is (allegedly) biodegradeable and is a bit thinner and works better in general. Former probably better for long wet winter rides though.
I have one of each sat at home at the moment. 8)
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what are props views on the commencal bikes? particularly the meta 5s? the 2009 5.5.2 is one sexy bitch.
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My mate has this years one and thinks it's pretty good. Does well getting around the peak, some 'other' stuff up blackamoor and trail centre action. If that floats your boat.
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Fatdoc put me off commencal - can't really remember why, think it was something to do with being French. I agree they do look nice machines. I rode one of their road machines in Spain last summer and thought it was shit, but their MTBs are probably a different thing entirely - Didn't that Atherton chap win on one in the World Champs in Fort William?
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Commencal - a mate has a 4.1 and 5.xx. The 4 is way light and he reckons the 5 is the dogs b****x. And he didn't pay for either so can't be biased by the 'I paid for it so it must be the best bike on the planet' approach. I've ridden the 4.1 and it was very nice, rode quite like my Orange though so I would be liking it cos' that's the best bike on the planet............ :-\
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Had a play on a bike a couple of weeks back and enjoyed it.
I was riding a Cove Stiffee which was probably a bit big for 'lil ol' me but felt like loads of fun. Also had a go on a specialized full-suss which was alright (but again a bit big) but felt a bit detached and uninvolved in the downhill stuff (whereas the hardtail had me grinning and terrified in equal measure).
So contemplating investing and given that I really enjoyed the stiffee I was going to look for a smaller framed version. Does that sound reasonable? Having read around the feeling seems to be that it is a great frame but perhaps a bit intense for a beginner (which I definitely am). Any thoughts/suggestions? Not really wanting a full-sus because they cost more, have more bits to go wrong and it left me a bit cold (just point it downhill and go*).
Also thinking of going second-hand, am I just going to get a hammered pup this way?
* Obviously this is a ridiculous generalisation but realistically I'm not going to be going on mega epic rides either in length or bounciness so full-sus would be wasted I imagine.
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Fatdoc put me off commencal - can't really remember why, think it was something to do with being French.
i didn't realise fatdoc was french. ;D
Commencal - a mate has a 4.1 and 5.xx. The 4 is way light and he reckons the 5 is the dogs b****x. And he didn't pay for either so can't be biased by the 'I paid for it so it must be the best bike on the planet' approach. I've ridden the 4.1 and it was very nice, rode quite like my Orange though so I would be liking it cos' that's the best bike on the planet............
sounds like a guy i should meet. the 5.xx do remind me of the orange. just looking around should the ibis go back sooner rather than later.
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Fultonius has a Meta 555 that he is singing praises to. They look like nice bikes.
Just went to Alpine Bikes. The Iron Horse looks like the money, geometry feels really good. Don't think I will be able to get the Titus on interest free credit (it's a small shop).
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Cofe why don't you 'forget' to return the ibis - we could all then see how long an expensive carbon frame can survive in the peaks. I'm sure if you can't break it, a ride in the hands of fatdoc would lead to some catastophic failure - like his recent fork episode.
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:oops:
my bike is now near in full order, there again i've not ridden it for few days
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sounds like a guy i should meet. the 5.xx do remind me of the orange. just looking around should the ibis go back sooner rather than later.
No worries, he lives in Chamonix though :)
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Had a play on a bike a couple of weeks back and enjoyed it.
I was riding a Cove Stiffee which was probably a bit big for 'lil ol' me but felt like loads of fun. Also had a go on a specialized full-suss which was alright (but again a bit big) but felt a bit detached and uninvolved in the downhill stuff (whereas the hardtail had me grinning and terrified in equal measure).
So contemplating investing and given that I really enjoyed the stiffee I was going to look for a smaller framed version. Does that sound reasonable? Having read around the feeling seems to be that it is a great frame but perhaps a bit intense for a beginner (which I definitely am). Any thoughts/suggestions? Not really wanting a full-sus because they cost more, have more bits to go wrong and it left me a bit cold (just point it downhill and go*).
Also thinking of going second-hand, am I just going to get a hammered pup this way?
* Obviously this is a ridiculous generalisation but realistically I'm not going to be going on mega epic rides either in length or bounciness so full-sus would be wasted I imagine.
All sounds like good sense to me. What's your budget?
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Don 't think you'll go far wrong with a Stiffee - one of the all-time classic hardtails.
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pace 305???
more forgiving, better UK type bike, not as full on as stiffee... awesome on singletrack
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Is the Santa Cruz Chameleon worth considering?
I'm sure it has been mentioned previously here, and I've heard it mentioned elsewhere as a comparable frame?
Pace 305 I'll look into cheers Fatdoc, although it was kind of the full-on-ness of the stiffee that really appealed, when I first got off I wasn't sure whether I'd had fun or a near death experience :)
Budget is basically as small as possible. I was thinking as long as the frame is decent and the components aren't complete dogshit then I can modify as the budget/obsession grows. Was thinking of looking for sub-£500 and probably ending up going up to maybe £700-ish. Which seems quite acheivable from my brief research (previously loved obviously). I've got a month or so to look and think before I get the funds through so keep the bike pr0n suggestions coming (obviously at the razzle end of the pr0n scale).
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:oops:
my bike is now near in full order, there again i've not ridden it for few days
So that'll last all of ten minutes - must be due for that marin frame to fail soon!!!
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Is the Santa Cruz Chameleon worth considering?
It's brilliant. Wherever I go with my Chameleon, people from little kids to DHers on full sussers say "ah, a Chameleon, I love them....". Bombproof and feels fantastic to ride.
although it was kind of the full-on-ness of the stiffee that really appealed,
I've never heard a bad word about a Stiffee - every time i've come across somebody riding one they totally love it.
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I think it looks as though the stiffee is the way forward, but I'll keep my eyes open to Chameleon/305's also (and any other suggestions).
Cheers guys I'll keep you posted on how I get on (and maybe head down to the Peak for a drubbing at your hands when I finally get a bike...)
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If your budged it about £700, I would stick to hardtails. Also it is coming to start of new season bikes coming out so you can get some great deals on new 2008 bikes - I saved £600 buying a 2008 model.
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As per above, the Iron Horse is now mine. It awaits a thrashing on the weekend.
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Thoughts and opinions please.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200249763848&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200249763848&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010)
I'm not really ready to get anything yet but if this is a decent set up and the price is reasonable I might have to go for it.
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cant see ebay at work....
i'll have look later.... working late though
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As per above, the Iron Horse is now mine. It awaits a thrashing on the weekend.
Show us a piccy then Chris
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Cheers Fatdoc, much appreciated.
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cant see ebay at work....
i'll have look later.... working late though
Use a proxy server, go to http://www.freeproxyserver.net/ (http://www.freeproxyserver.net/) then copy & paste the URL into the box there and you should be able to view it (will most probably work for other sites that are blocked too).
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nope
:shrug:
nhs barracuda got very upset there i can tell you!!
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As per above, the Iron Horse is now mine. It awaits a thrashing on the weekend.
Show us a piccy then Chris
(http://www.cyclenow.com.au/files/mk3_comp.jpg)
Only a bit dirtier now! Did half the ride we intended yesterday, but didn't stop for pics as a) it was overcast, in trees and showering occasionally and b) any time stopped we got midged to hell, they were just brutal. Loved the bike though, did a long section of wet really rocky and rooty single track, and it pissed it, although I think I need to have a play with the shocks etc to get it set up right for me.
Out again tomorrow night, will try and get some pics then.
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nope
:shrug:
nhs barracuda got very upset there i can tell you!!
Bummer, I can use proxy servers no probs from the NHS site I'm now working at. (Proxies just anonymise the traffic so they can't actually tell what your looking at, there are tons of different ones available, and some may not be blocked, if you can really be arsed to track them down, probably easier to wait till you get home though).
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white is a fine colour for a bike.
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I assume you are taking the piss? Agree it's probably not the most sensible / practical colour, but the price was right, so hey ho.
Old one is bright yellow, also got it on a cheap deal, probably why.
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Personally I think white is a great colour for a bike (or a car). I saw a kid riding a very similar bike on saturday and thought it looked great. I was tempted to ask for a go but I don't know if it's kosher to do that kind of thing...
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I assume you are taking the piss?
i can be a sarcy twat but i'm deadly serious here. white looks ace. check out this commencal i've been perving over:
(http://www.commencal.com/news/bicycles/pictures/meta52_09.jpg)
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not to mention this...
(http://www.nicolai.net/imgs/prod/800/08-fmxtb.jpg)
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White is a cool colour for a bike. I'm going to get my hardtail powder coated over the winter in a nice matt white and then pimp up the rest of it it. A total waste of money for no extra performance but hey, I'm a vain bastard.
Nice ride Chris...
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It's all about looking good.
Cheers FD. Just had boiler man round to tell us boiler is out of date and in terminal decline. Going to be an expensive month, luckily I bought the bike on the never never.
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Thoughts and opinions please.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200249763848&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200249763848&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010)
I'm not really ready to get anything yet but if this is a decent set up and the price is reasonable I might have to go for it.
the fork predates the frame.
it will more as need a service, but they are reliable. running gear all OK, those Hope bulb hubs are very very heavy duty affairs!
the stem looks too long for hardcore hardtail activities.
but, it's gonna be a great ride!
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Cheers Fatdoc, just wanted to make sure all the components weren't complete bobbins. I can ungrade stuff on an ongoing basis but would prefer not to have to completely rebuild the bike as soon as I get it.
Now I just need to get some of these outstanding accounts settled, the joys of chasing up customers >:(
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Nik, for £150+ it's a bargain, but some points to check when you go to pick it up (hopefully):
As per FD those forks are ancient
Disc rotors are running backwards so whoever built it might not have a clue
Stem is waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too long but easily replaced.
Chainset might be xt but is certainly not external bearings so check the taper or expect to replace regularly if its isis type (but they are cheap)
rear derailleur is deore, not xt, the guy doesn't know what he's talking about?
They don't look like Mavic rims.
Still looks good value though
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ive got a shitty mountainbike that i use for crazy stuff and just completely wreck it.
back to the point i have crap cable disk brake that constantly drag on the disk. anyone know howw to adjust them?
cheers
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Cheers Norton, will check said points if I decide to go for it. Although I've just been shafted by a going bust client, arse, so treat shopping might have to wait....
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Are you sure you want a small frame Nik?
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back to the point i have crap cable disk brake that constantly drag on the disk. anyone know howw to adjust them?
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/diskmech.htm (http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/diskmech.htm)
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Well I'm pretty small but there is also a medium frame listed on ebay which might be better. At the start of this week it was all looking pretty promising for getting one and I was keen to sort out a bit of frame size testing etc. But now it is all very unlikely and I'm probably going to have to leave it until I start doing work for clients who can actually pay, grrrrrr.
Anyway all the advice has been very useful and most welcome. I still plan to join the biking masses but just not right now it would seem....
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ive got a shitty mountainbike that i use for crazy stuff and just completely wreck it.
back to the point i have crap cable disk brake that constantly drag on the disk. anyone know howw to adjust them?
cheers
chuck it away and buy one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=avid+juicy+3 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=avid+juicy+3)
cable brakes are shit :read:
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Rear mech question; I had an XT shadow mech, which was really good, then either through maladjustment or snapping my mech hanger (not quite sure which was cause and effect) it ended up in my back wheel. The actual body is alright and the cages are knackered. So I've disassembled it into it's component parts and was wandering if i could by a cheap mech and stick the cage off that on the shadow body? I presume that the way the cages are attached (securing pin going into a groove on the cage shaft) are the same for all shimano rear mechs? Or taking it one step further, does anyone know if a really short roadie cage would fit on it for a truly compact rear mech.
In doing this, I've found that getting mech hangers for old frames can be a right pain, I reckon that's a good excuse as any to start looking for a new frame... :-\
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if you use a short roadie mech then you'll have to use a fairly low ratio cassette, and two chainrings rather than three...
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Yes. I'm on a single with a close ratio cassette so a roadie mech would work. Just wondering about the compatability to make an uber-mech for DH.
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well, i would've thought that it would work fine.
i read an interview with some kid who race a cove DH thing, and he said his ultegra mech was bent like the roadie whose bike it came off. or something.
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Excellent.
I'm not sure I explained my concept of this uber-mech very well. I was wondering if anyone knew whether i could get a roadie cage to bodge onto the body of my XT-shadow mech (now semi deceased) to create a very compact/out of the way mech.
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Sounds like you have too much time on your hands to me, or not enough cash. The results should be interesting, photos please.
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A combination of time/rain and being tight. :)
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buy a cheap 105 steel mech. Strong as..
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if a bike has cable disks, is it possible to upgrade to hydraulics?
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ive got £300 or less to spend on a full sus mtb. any ideas apart from the deacathlon rockrider 6.3? :-\
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Any recommendations for lights for MTBing at the cheaper end of the scale?
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if a bike has cable disks, is it possible to upgrade to hydraulics?
Yes, if the bike has the appropriate caliper mounting points on the frame.
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ive got £300 or less to spend on a full sus mtb. any ideas apart from the deacathlon rockrider 6.3? :-\
That bike has good reviews: See here (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/rockrider-63-07-20096).
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Any recommendations for lights for MTBing at the cheaper end of the scale?
I'd be interested in that too - any recs anyone?
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ive got £300 or less to spend on a full sus mtb. any ideas apart from the deacathlon rockrider 6.3? :-\
That bike has good reviews: See here (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/rockrider-63-07-20096).
and also in mtbuk aswell. full markes for value and spec, and was better than two other hardtails and a ful sus diamondback worth £430.
i was pretty impresed
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Any recommendations for lights for MTBing at the cheaper end of the scale?
I'd be interested in that too - any recs anyone?
I got these, pretty good for the price, but think I got the last of the stock on sale.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=8508 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=8508)
Pretty dear at full price elswhere, might be worth shopping around.
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if a bike has cable disks, is it possible to upgrade to hydraulics?
Yes, if the bike has the appropriate caliper mounting points on the frame.
and hubs on the wheels that you can attach a disc to.
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If it's got cable discs then it'll already have those ;)
And it'll already have the caliper mounting points!
Ah well - i read it as old style cable brakes.
So, in answer to the original question: yes, but you'll need new calipers, levers & hydraulic brake lines.
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if a bike has cable disks, is it possible to upgrade to hydraulics?
Yes, if the bike has the appropriate caliper mounting points on the frame.
and hubs on the wheels that you can attach a disc to.
If he has cable disc brakes already then he must have hubs that allow rotors to be attached......
Worth looking at Merlin Cycles website for some good deals on disc brakes if you decide to upgrade.
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bling up your xtr. (http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article.asp?UAN=6509&v=1) nice.
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admin, please delete Cofe's link before Fatdoc spots it. :)
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hmmmmm
shiny
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doh
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Anyone had any experience with an Orange 223? I'm half contemplating looking at a second hand frame at the moment. Obvious it'll suffer from brake jack being a single pivot, but are there any other 'issues'?
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Never ridden one but seen plenty going fast on uplift days. A solid bike I suspect.
It's a proper race bike so you'll be talking low bottom bracket and slack angles - great for going full out but will be less happy for slow/twisty freeride stuff.
You can get a floating rear brake arm to eliminate brake jack but i'd try it without first. They can be built up to around 40lbs which would be fantastic but I'm sure that'd cost a lot to do. Haven't read of any generic frame-cracking nastiness or anything.
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My disk rotor doesn't sit in the center of my new front disk brake. Anyone got any knowledge for aligning disc rotors inside the calipers, apart from get a washer and file it down to the right depth.
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You really want to move the caliper, not the disc. The disc should sit on the wheel mounts with no washers in between the disc and the mounting points.
Can you move the caliper on it's mount? Is there some sort of adapter between the actual caliper and the mount on the forks?
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My disk rotor doesn't sit in the center of my new front disk brake. Anyone got any knowledge for aligning disc rotors inside the calipers, apart from get a washer and file it down to the right depth.
Fork & type mount, type of brake and rotor size please, oh yeah and frame model
DON'T file anything yet mate!
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Shimano XTR front brake caliper, 2006 model I think. Forks are Rock shox reba SL.
The caliper is bolted directly to the forks at the minute, which gives them no movement. When the wheel/rotor goes in it touches one of the brake pads. It should be about .5 mm further out to be centered and running free. I did get an adapter with it, but haven't used it because I don't need it to get the caliper in the right position for the forks.
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That caliper is designed to bolt straight on to International Standard fork caliper tabs, but needs an adapter to mount on Post Mount caliper tabs.
I think the Rebas have Post Mount caliper tabs (check online for your exact model) so I think you'll need an adapter.
Didn't the caliper come with an adaptor?
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This daddy may be the business for those night rides or pissing off motorists on winter commutes. The rear light also looks good.
http://www.use1.com/exposure/products/maxx_d/index.php (http://www.use1.com/exposure/products/maxx_d/index.php)
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That caliper is designed to bolt straight on to International Standard fork caliper tabs, but needs an adapter to mount on Post Mount caliper tabs.
I think the Rebas have Post Mount caliper tabs (check online for your exact model) so I think you'll need an adapter.
Didn't the caliper come with an adaptor?
wise words.
that's why it dont fit on the one side... i've been in this pickle before.
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It's not possible to attach post mount calipers to IS mounts (and vice versa) - you'd end up with the caliper at ninety degrees to where it needs to be.
If the screws attaching your caliper to the fork screw in in a forwards direction (in line with your frame), you have post mount. To adjust them, you need to slacken the screws off and then you'll be able to slide the caliper from side to side. Newer shimano brakes use this system.
I'm pretty sure that 2006 shimano, and pre-2009 rockshox use IS mounts (if the screws go in sideways). In this case, you'll need washers to space out the caliper. You can buy washers pretty cheaply from CRC or an LBS.
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It's not possible to attach post mount calipers to IS mounts (and vice versa) - you'd end up with the caliper at ninety degrees to where it needs to be.
If the screws attaching your caliper to the fork screw in in a forwards direction (in line with your frame), you have post mount. To adjust them, you need to slacken the screws off and then you'll be able to slide the caliper from side to side. Newer shimano brakes use this system.
I'm pretty sure that 2006 shimano, and pre-2009 rockshox use IS mounts (if the screws go in sideways). In this case, you'll need washers to space out the caliper. You can buy washers pretty cheaply from CRC or an LBS.
This is what I've done, but the washers are too wide. ie without them it rubs on one pad, with them rubs on the other, so I need to file them down to the correct size.
With the screws loose on the caliper there is very little play to slide the caliper about, not enough to center the disk rotor anyway.
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dont file.
thin washers are near zero pence.... any LBS will have them (hope brakes use tons!!) and you have a brake that you can sell / move onto another bike... it will also be far less time consuming!
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Like Fatdoc says, you can get some seriously thin washers (0.25mm)
No idea how to link, but look here: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=356 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=356)
Are you sure both your pistons are fully retracted and you don't have one sticking?
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It's not possible to attach post mount calipers to IS mounts (and vice versa) - you'd end up with the caliper at ninety degrees to where it needs to be.
If the screws attaching your caliper to the fork screw in in a forwards direction (in line with your frame), you have post mount. To adjust them, you need to slacken the screws off and then you'll be able to slide the caliper from side to side. Newer shimano brakes use this system.
I'm pretty sure that 2006 shimano, and pre-2009 rockshox use IS mounts (if the screws go in sideways). In this case, you'll need washers to space out the caliper. You can buy washers pretty cheaply from CRC or an LBS.
It is possible to use post mounts on IS and vice versa with a suitable adaptor - see http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=post+mount+is+adaptor&x=10&y=10 (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=post+mount+is+adaptor&x=10&y=10) or here http://www.hopegb.com/voir_hbm.html (http://www.hopegb.com/voir_hbm.html)
If you have post mounts then the caliper should be slotted so you can centre the caliper. If you have IS mount then you need to use washers to centre the caliper. If you use a post mount adaptor to IS mount you centre using the post mount on the adaptor. There's no need to file washers down, 0.25mm isn't a thin washer, 0.1mm is. If you haven't got enough play in the slots of a post mount then you have a serious piston problem not a caliper mounting problem. If you are using a post to IS adaptor and you don't have enough play in the post mounts use washers on the IS to caliper interface to get enough play.
Anything else is bodging and shouldn't be done. Word.
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Okay, seems the solution is that I need thinner washers than the ones I've got. Thanks, I'll get on it. Want them sorted soon, as I'm off to visit the 7 stanes parks for a long weekend.
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It is possible to use post mounts on IS and vice versa with a suitable adaptor
True, I was just replying to an earlier post, where Squeek said his caliper was attached DIRECTLY to the forks without an adaptor - so, as you rightly point out, it's nothing to do with this.
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i'm whiling away a few minutes before a rather soul destroying 18 hr on call looms,
and I've had a look at these
www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/crush-upg.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/crush-upg.php)
www.marin.co.uk/2009/bikedetail.php?ModNo=3972-1F (http://www.marin.co.uk/2009/bikedetail.php?ModNo=3972-1F)
Now, I've hankered over the pace hardtail a bit, but it will be £2k, as will the whyte 19... these are the more bespoke end of the 140mm fork hardtail market. If i do get one i'd rather not spend that amount of cash... but i'm fancying a hardtail just for larfs... variety.. and as a pressie to me for surviving 4 decades of life.
Both the above have +s and -s, mainly sram vs shimano.
head angle is the desired 67 degrees on both.
downside is non adjustable length fork.... a damn good fork mind... but i'm really used to being able to wind in for the hills, and i'm a bit concerned about that.
what i'm keen to ask those who've got one of these *hardcore* hardtails is how compliant are they? certainly the whyte and Pace are well known for it... the marin bumf talks about this... my last orange was rock stiff at the back (missle) but there again a differnt type of bike.
If the Orange is a little flexy to aid grip / my back then I'm considering a frame purchase (always a mare, as I often fall between small and medium) and then either get a shop to build or FBSF and I will build it up... i could get me a wind down fork then.. (magura thor most likely) but then the cost of the project rockets... there again do i need a wind in fork? obviously closer to the time i'll get me a test ride (this planned purchase is some months away)
decisions, decisions...... any advice / thoughts???
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I seem to remember that special 40th Birthday isn't some months way - but hey thats only a rumour.
Psychologically you know you want & already bought the Pace - don't you now!!!!!
18 hours on call :lol: :lol: :lol: - I'm doing 6 hours, thanks for the career advice doc. :thumbsup:
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then there's these
www.cotic.co.uk/product/soul (http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/soul)
www.genesisbikes.co.uk/index.php?bikeID=13&show_bike=TRUE (http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/index.php?bikeID=13&show_bike=TRUE)
but now i'm in the steel vs alu quandry... and these are 130mm up front not 140mm, never mind cost....
oh dear, not easy this...
and now i've seen this
www.on-one-shop.co.uk/?page_id=590 (http://www.on-one-shop.co.uk/?page_id=590)
which is the same as FBSFs new stead... which will take the desired 140mm travel no worries
goddam - i'm well confused now!!
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.....And we all thought fatdoc was the bike guru, even he's getting confused now.
Santa Cruz chameloen ? http://www.santacruzmtb.com/chameleon/ (http://www.santacruzmtb.com/chameleon/)
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what i'm keen to ask those who've got one of these *hardcore* hardtails is how compliant are they? certainly the whyte and Pace are well known for it... the marin bumf talks about this... my last orange was rock stiff at the back (missle) but there again a differnt type of bike.
The Ms-Isle has the stiffest rear I've ridden - too stiff for most purposes but then it's only really built for 4x.
The Chameleon is a different story - rear feels perfect - not sloppy but just the right amount of springyness to not be a total boneshaker but to give good power delivery on the pedals. You're welcome to nick mine for a test if you want to check it out...of course remembering mine has pretty cheapo/cast off kit on it, so one with some decent components chucked at it would be amazing.
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i admitt that one got under the radar, i was always of the opinion that it was a jump bike that could be sanitized to ride uphill... got nice head angle and short stays (my preference)... if i bag off the *standard* makes then if i went bespoke this frame is nearly there... i'll ruminate a bit more - as cost will be a factor...
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18 bikes will order in a s/cruz build kit, and then add any fork you want - so kind of semi-custom - so you could get another magura on this or any other fork you may fancy trying. Thats what I did with my Heckler anyway.
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sounds good...
apart from the dent to the wallet
i'm tryingto see what you actually get over the *standard* makes, and i'm sfraid it's quite a lot, you'll get proper seals cart hubs, the brakes of your choice, better BB and rings and the drive chain of your choice.
arse, the marin looked great - but for the bg four O it doesnt cut the mustard...
bubs, i'll ge gratetful to have a blast round the park on your stead sometime please matey.. i'm taking my time over this, there are cotics, genesis and Pace all for demo from the wonderful 18bikes emporium!!
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Help yerself fella - rear mech is a bit bent so indexing is out and the rear needs truing after Penmachno but you'll still get the idea.
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is there any rim tape bettererer than velox..?
-
i'm whiling away a few minutes before a rather soul destroying 18 hr on call looms,
and I've had a look at these
www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/crush-upg.php (http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/crush-upg.php)
www.marin.co.uk/2009/bikedetail.php?ModNo=3972-1F (http://www.marin.co.uk/2009/bikedetail.php?ModNo=3972-1F)
Now, I've hankered over the pace hardtail a bit, but it will be £2k, as will the whyte 19... these are the more bespoke end of the 140mm fork hardtail market. If i do get one i'd rather not spend that amount of cash... but i'm fancying a hardtail just for larfs... variety.. and as a pressie to me for surviving 4 decades of life.
Both the above have +s and -s, mainly sram vs shimano.
head angle is the desired 67 degrees on both.
downside is non adjustable length fork.... a damn good fork mind... but i'm really used to being able to wind in for the hills, and i'm a bit concerned about that.
what i'm keen to ask those who've got one of these *hardcore* hardtails is how compliant are they? certainly the whyte and Pace are well known for it... the marin bumf talks about this... my last orange was rock stiff at the back (missle) but there again a differnt type of bike.
If the Orange is a little flexy to aid grip / my back then I'm considering a frame purchase (always a mare, as I often fall between small and medium) and then either get a shop to build or FBSF and I will build it up... i could get me a wind down fork then.. (magura thor most likely) but then the cost of the project rockets... there again do i need a wind in fork? obviously closer to the time i'll get me a test ride (this planned purchase is some months away)
decisions, decisions...... any advice / thoughts???
I've got a Felt dirt jump bike which I spent a load of cash doin' up (Fox 36 Talus / Atomlab wheels / e13 chain thingy) but have since hardly used. My new plan is to dump all the stuff onto a Nicolai Argon FR frame. I'm hoping it's going to be a great decision...
http://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames/e-argon-fr.html (http://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames/e-argon-fr.html)
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18 bikes do nicolai..
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that sounds like a german pr0n film.
(who are 18 bikes?)
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That Nicolai frame isn't cheap is it?
http://www.18bikes.co.uk/ (http://www.18bikes.co.uk/)
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no. but since my last false economy (with a latvian hooker) i've vowed to spend more on things that really matter...
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Ok, I know I've made a seasonal defection from the leg shaving world, but I have just aquired one of these (picture seems to be actual size!)...
(http://www.konabikes.co.uk/2008/cinder-cone/2008-cinder-cone-big.jpg)
I know its not the greatest of machines compared to any of the steads in Fatdoc's huge stable of bicycles, but it'll do me for a bit of cross country over the winter. Can I be in your gang now?!?! More to the point, I am also selling one of my road bikes - details on the for sale forum!
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Welcome to the dark side.
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Ok, I know I've made a seasonal defection from the leg shaving world, but I have just aquired one of these (picture seems to be actual size!)...
(http://www.konabikes.co.uk/2008/cinder-cone/2008-cinder-cone-big.jpg)
I know its not the greatest of machines compared to any of the steads in Fatdoc's huge stable of bicycles, but it'll do me for a bit of cross country over the winter. Can I be in your gang now?!?! More to the point, I am also selling one of my road bikes - details on the for sale forum!
image not visible in safari...
tell me!!! :bounce: must know!!
BTW due to cost of running i at present only have 3 bikes!!! that's a lot less then you perc eh?? ;)
sunday mornings, 8:30 ride time.... back home 13:15.. (yes, it's that tight!)
weds 18:30 [ get some lights] big fast crew thrash from eccy woods... pint in totley on way home... home 20:30 to 21:30 ishh...
I have trails to show you that will change your life mate!
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image not visible in safari...
tell me!!! :bounce: must know!!
It's a Cinder Cone :)
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Weird!!
it now shows up!!!
OK, lets play together ;)
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Weird!!
it now shows up!!!
firefox > safari ;)
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image not visible in safari...
tell me!!! :bounce: must know!!
It's a Cinder Cone :)
Good choice, still a classic, always has been...however I would be more impressed if you'd got one of these...
(http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo156/brissol/8Oct001.jpg)
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Me thinks this isn't the hard-tail for fatdoc.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/chameleon-08-r-build-32385 (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/chameleon-08-r-build-32385)
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On the other hand it has a brutally stiff frame that rapidly becomes uncomfortable on rougher trails
I just can't agree with that at all. It's a strong hardtail but it's not "brutally stiff" at all. I find it quite forgiving when it needs to be.
And what the fuck do people expect, it's a hardtail (there's a clue in the name) - if you want comfort on rough trails buy full suspension. If you're not prepared to put in the skill necessary to ride a hardtail fast on rough ground, then don't whinge, buy a full susser instead :)
There was a guy running the downhill course at Cwmcarn on a Commencal dirt jump hardtail. He was only marginally slower than most of the guys on big DH bikes (myself included). It was something to behold and I never heard him whinge about it not being comfy :lol:
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:agree:
Better too stiff than too Marin ;)
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i'll be surpised if the wolf ridge has any less lateral stiffness to your orange norton.....
however having said that it's the first time in many years that marins dont flex, jerry's bends alll over the shop...
I'm currently not getting a hardtail, but using the cash for the winter holiday... which will now be in feb... coz it never rains there then (allegedly) I'll email those i reckon i may be able to persuade to go in the next few days..
feel better after no exercise at all for 4 days - gone retro ps2 with resi evil 4 all weekend!!, got 1st night's good sleep in 4 weeks last night... shoulder didnt wake me up ;D
the marin is *cough* a bit bust, so I'll not get out until sunday MTB i'm afraid, which being vaguely sensible will be good for the shoulder.... by then it will have a new BB, crankset, chain and cassette ( bugger...)
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Last Wednesday the doc was praising his lovely Marin - well what's left of it anyway. I admit the Frame is still original but not much else, and I'm sure that will replaced under Marin's warrantee scheme.
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i'll be surpised if the wolf ridge has any less lateral stiffness to your orange norton.....
however having said that it's the first time in many years that marins dont flex, jerry's bends alll over the shop...
I'm currently not getting a hardtail, but using the cash for the winter holiday... which will now be in feb... coz it never rains there then (allegedly) I'll email those i reckon i may be able to persuade to go in the next few days..
feel better after no exercise at all for 4 days - gone retro ps2 with resi evil 4 all weekend!!, got 1st night's good sleep in 4 weeks last night... shoulder didnt wake me up ;D
the marin is *cough* a bit bust, so I'll not get out until sunday MTB i'm afraid, which being vaguely sensible will be good for the shoulder.... by then it will have a new BB, crankset, chain and cassette ( bugger...)
I cau understand why you might need a new BB and chain, maybe a cassette, but how on earth can you possibly need a new crankset on such a new bike?
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outer chain ring skipping tons.....
getting deal on chainset combo with the BB... seems reasonable to get it all done in one go.. not that excessive given the state of the rings
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outer chain ring skipping tons.....
getting deal on chainset combo with the BB... seems reasonable to get it all done in one go.. not that excessive given the state of the rings
Your not getting a Superstar set are you ? :'(
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standard XT full set. Just need it, or can't ride
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Just need it
cough cough :-\
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standard XT full set. Just need it, or can't ride
I wonder what else fatdoc will find he 'needs' upon entering the emporium of 18 bikes to get his new chainset - probably a whole new bike!!!!
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Fatdoc & bikes? wtf? :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:
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will try and not to bust anything for a bit...
would make a nice change have to say..
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I currently have an old hard-tail frame that's in good working order howver the compoents are fucked and need replacing. I'm thinking of getting new compoents & possibly switching it to single speed. Anybody know where I can get this done - don't want to spend much as the frame is probably only worth £50 - 100. BTW in Sheffield & James's is a no. I've thought about doing it myslelf but I have not got enough spare time currently.
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What about Braithwaites (I think) other side of the road from the Broadfield?
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You mean Butterworths, but don't tell Fatkid - a single speed, you'll be buying a road bike next, oops ;)
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Butterworth's are great. I'm never going anywhere else now.
Dead cheap, dead fast.
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:oops: I'm useless with names
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Dead cheap, dead fast.
Unlike you then Dolly?
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well I'm not cheap
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You mean Butterworths, but don't tell Fatkid - a single speed, you'll be buying a road bike next, oops ;)
WTF do you want a SS bike in sheffield for?
Are you MAD?
even with your young roadie steely knee joints you'll have a mare, SS are for smooth flat places - like the south as to make the trails difficult enough to be worthwhile....
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You mean Butterworths, but don't tell Fatkid - a single speed, you'll be buying a road bike next, oops ;)
WTF do you want a SS bike in sheffield for?
Are you MAD?
even with your young roadie steely knee joints you'll have a mare, SS are for smooth flat places - like the south as to make the trails difficult enough to be worthwhile....
Yes I am mad - I just want something cheap to nip to the shops on & ride to work through the winter. My commute is basically flat through the joys of Attercliffe, and the hill home I can do on a 53 front ring with 6 spares sprockets on the rear. I have always wanted a single speed & a renovation project looks the way to go. Maybe I'll bring out this winter and kick your arse up Froggart Hill on it - like some odd bloke did!!!!
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alas poor meniscus, we new him so well....
never, in the field of cycling commuting has so much idiocy been displayed by so few on the grounds of so little for no gain
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mad, mad, man....
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another one for fatdoc...
chum wants to buy his first big(ger) bike.
he currently has a specialized hardtail and a giant vt.
i have suggested a speccie big hit. he is also contemplating an orange 224.
thoughts? if i was buying one again i would've gone for something a bit gucci, along the lines of an intense or a nicolai, but that's because i like fancy stuff me.
is a new big hit a better plan than, say, an ebay demo 8?
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you'll get 3 big hits for one 224
budget first, bike choice later.
big hit is the best intro value for money DH bike made. period.
224 is one of the fastest, skippiest and lightest Dh bikes made. period.
I'd get a good big hit, and any cash leftover used to get all the gear to reduce hospital admissions to the minimum.
As for ebay, i'm allergic to the den of theives it is... I'd buy secondhand of sotherndownhill.com there are always a ton of good bikes on there.
A demo 8 is a fine fine bike, prices secondhand were all set to fall rapidly as is goes out of production... until 2 weeks ago when sam hill signed for spesh.. until the *son of Demo* is born he's on a blinged out demo8... all the kids will want one. the demo8 is a bit shorter, has a lower centre of gravity and easier step over, it's all round a bit better than a big hit, but not by much...
avoid 1st year demo 8s, they crack by the shock basket.
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224 is an all-out race bike, big hit is an freeride bike.
Agree with fatdoc that a bighit would be a better intro bike. They are still very capable (occasionally seen in world class DH) but would be a better allrounder.
ebay is fine as long as you only go for "collect only" auctions. That way you can turn up and see the bike and it's likely that the seller will take cash at the time of sale. I've bought one bike and sold two on ebay with no problems.
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Are Big Hits all 24inch rear wheel specific? Or can you stick a 26 in it without getting some special chainstays of BETD?
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They've not been 24" for a while - I think 2004 was the last year? That said I've got the small rear wheel and never found it a problem.
BETD have stopped making the adapter now anyway.
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They've not been 24" for a while - I think 2004 was the last year?
Obviously I'm behind the times...
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Just been offered a trek liquid 25???? for the best part of nothing at all. Is it worth getting it as a bit of an introduction bike. I guess it's a start and can be upgraded over time, until it's a completely new bike. I know nothing about these bikes, have seen a few reviews online which vary from great and indestructible to fragile and heavy. Like I say it's negligible cost so might just get it anyway but would still be interested to hear any thoughts...
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Check the frame size, if it doesn't fit you it will be hell
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Assuming it fits is it a bike that will encourage me max out the credit card in a fit of cycling enthusiasm? Or will it put me off for life thus securing my future financial security? Not sure which is the better outcome....
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I don't know the bike personally, but looks OK?
Depends what state it is in, how old it is, how much use it has had etc. You don't really want to buy a bike, then have to replace all the components as they are verging on fucked. Do you know anyone locally who is clued up on bikes who could have a look at it with you.
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:goodidea:
It might not be the latest technology but then it's not about the bike but the rider. If the components are in good condition and the frame isn't cracked you may get a bargain. But expect to buy a new fork maybe. Chris' suggestion of taking a mate who knows how to check these things out is a great idea.
What do you call best part of nothing? Are you sure it's not nicked?
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www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/allmtn-full-suspension/trek/liquid-25/PRD_363066_1547crx.aspx (http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/allmtn-full-suspension/trek/liquid-25/PRD_363066_1547crx.aspx)
you'll not have the pleasure of the Trek frame warranty as i believe it's first owner only.
For an all mountain full susser to have such a reputation is rare
i agree, with norton on both getting someone to look over it and if its price is too good to be true it will be nicked.
all in all IMHO
i'd avoid it
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Definitely not nicked, and in reasonable if used condition. Too big though so back to the hunt...
As ever cheers for all your thoughts.
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you'll get 3 big hits for one 224
budget first, bike choice later.
big hit is the best intro value for money DH bike made. period.
224 is one of the fastest, skippiest and lightest Dh bikes made. period.
I'd get a good big hit, and any cash leftover used to get all the gear to reduce hospital admissions to the minimum.
As for ebay, i'm allergic to the den of theives it is... I'd buy secondhand of sotherndownhill.com there are always a ton of good bikes on there.
A demo 8 is a fine fine bike, prices secondhand were all set to fall rapidly as is goes out of production... until 2 weeks ago when sam hill signed for spesh.. until the *son of Demo* is born he's on a blinged out demo8... all the kids will want one. the demo8 is a bit shorter, has a lower centre of gravity and easier step over, it's all round a bit better than a big hit, but not by much...
avoid 1st year demo 8s, they crack by the shock basket.
he got a demo 7...
when i get a chance to ride it i will report back.
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fookin good bike... nice one!!