Was chatting yesterday evening with Crust, plus also seeing a mates pics from Chicksands and decided I REALLY need to get something with a bit more bounce at the moment and start making use of the mountains a little more next year. Not planning on a major family holiday due to house move next year, so will take advantage of that and use a bit more time throwing myself down a mountain or 3. Currently Llandegla is my favourite away day location, so need to make more advantage of heading there next year.

Whilst the Spearfish is capable, indeed, more capable than me, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right tool for the job. So in a random “who wants to swap” thread on STW I was offered this locally.

Specialized Pitch pro 2011.
150mm Revelation forks
Fox RP2 shock with LOCO tuning
I get to keep my brakes as he has multiple bikes running the same brakes, so that’s Formula RX running 203 rotors
Mostly XT drivetrain
Reverb 125mm seatpost.
etc etc

So a fair bit more burly that my current Spearfish. Which I think will work brilliantly for what i’m planning. However I’ve not really got on well with AM type geometry bikes previously LOL. I’m more an XC head over the bars kind of rider.

Plan will then be to pick up a lightweight XC Hardtail next Autumn/Winter for winter duties and fun.

Collecting/swapping on Saturday and hopefully heading straight to Swinley Forest for an hours test ride. I must admit, i’m REALLY looking forward to it 🙂

Watch you dont get tangled up in all that cable.
Where to start with your yard!!

cloudnine – Member

Watch you dont get tangled up in all that cable.
Where to start with your yard!!

It’s his yard 🙂

Good grief!! Get those hinges sorted for one. Priorities young man.

Thats a set of Lyriks isnt it?

Sorry yes…. I need to read more 🙂

They are Lyriks, and it’s no longer my yard. Photo was taken before moving house.

Swinley will be a slog on it (its a slog on anything not rigid IMO), untill you get to Red-15, then it gets a bit scary. It somehow found an entirey different set of (much rougher and looser) lines to my XC bike without even trying, which meant that by the time I hit the tabletop which normaly seems to be a nice woooossshhhhh——plop sensation, I was going fast enough to hit the downslope somewhere just past next Tuesday. Be carefull, it lulls you into a false sense of security on the flat sections!

You will hate it 😉

Ooh I had one with a coil shock and 36’z, was a beasty going downhill..

thisisnotaspoon – Member

They are Lyriks, and it’s no longer my yard. Photo was taken before moving house.

Swinley will be a slog on it (its a slog on anything not rigid IMO), untill you get to Red-15, then it gets a bit scary. It somehow found an entirey different set of (much rougher and looser) lines to my XC bike without even trying, which meant that by the time I hit the tabletop which normaly seems to be a nice woooossshhhhh——plop sensation, I was going fast enough to hit the downslope somewhere just past next Tuesday. Be carefull, it lulls you into a false sense of security on the flat sections!

I’m quite looking forward to it 🙂

If you want the best first impression, skip Swinley, fit the supertackies an head upto Aston Hill :-p

Or if you’re set on Swinley, head for NE Switchbacks, mini-alps, axle run, babymaker, 15 etc rather than waste time in the flat bits. It’s like a rally car, probably still fun to drive to the shops, but way more fun elsewhere 🙂

thisisnotaspoon – Member

If you want the best first impression, skip Swinley, fit the supertackies an head upto Aston Hill :-p

Or if you’re set on Swinley, head for NE Switchbacks, mini-alps, axle run, babymaker, 15 etc rather than waste time in the flat bits. It’s like a rally car, probably still fun to drive to the shops, but way more fun elsewhere

I’ll have my 5 year old with me… I doubt Aston Hill is on the cards for him despite him being nuts for his age 🙂