[Closed] Your 'best buys'

Just finishing my own dream build over the course of this year and have just added the Hope Tech evo V2 brakes with 183mm rotors, these brakes are fantastic not needing much pressure from 1 finger to slow you down with no fade. I picked them up for £340 for the whole set but I know you can get the non evo set for about £300 all in. Also got some Chris King hubs built with sapim spokes and stans ZTR Crest rims, fairly light weight at 1700g but super strong/stiff and have aided my descending and cornering no end, total cost of build was £740. A friend of mine just got some 2012 Fox Talas 140mm FIT forks with the new kashima coating, tapered steerer and 15mm bolt through for £520 brand new from Israel of Ebay, can't go wrong with them as cheapest in the UK is £740. Also got Middleburn duo cranks for £200 but a good bet would be the new XT double chainset as you can probably pick them up for £160, worth while thinking of as I went from 3x9 to 2x9 then to 2x10 and the 10 speed if definitely the best as the jump between gears is much smoother and better matched. Also get a Rockshox Reverb seat post from Germany for around £170-£190 delivered, I got mine from HIBIKE and you don't have to worry about warranty as their is a service centre in the UK for these so all you need is your receipt. Brooks saddles (sweet) and the new easton haven carbon bars and matching stem are great bits of kit. Enjoy your build, it has felt like christmas most weeks/months this year!!

Alfine hub. Miles of chain-suck free, maintenance free, crisp shifting.

Rockshox Sektor forks, brilliant for the price.

hope v2 brakes
loving my sx crossmax wheels too holding up to some stoopid stuff 🙂
hadley hubs

My personal best buys (which have always had a bit of a value for money aspect):

Roval Traversees: light for a trail wheel, strong (not trued in 3 years), and currently relatively cheap

SRAM XX: bought as a groupset very lightly used for the price of XT. Very light, pretty and reliable. Great shifting and the brakes (from 11 model year onwards) are great too. Powerful and light, good modulation etc. I'd probably go for an XTR chainset if I was buying now, mainly because it looks nicer 🙄 don't think I'll replace the cassette at the same level, but it's lasting very well.

Edit: worth looking at the Terralogic version of Fox forks. Haven't used them with a full suss, but they're amazing on a hardtail. Never notice them doing their thing until you ride something else. I'd have them on other bikes if I had the money.

Ritchey WCS foam grips - cheap, light, don't move, massively confortable.

Mavic 719's on Hope hubs from Merlin - very well built, indestructable.

SLX brakes, big rotors - very powerful, predictable and reliable.

Thomson posts, bit obvious but just works.

Wellgo MG1'S, light,cheap, very grippy.

Topeak seatpacks are very tough, I'd go for the oldfashioned ones with straps.

My best buys have been

Second hand Race Face Atlas cranks, have found a couple of pairs of these for less than second hand SLX and i think they are ace.

Second hand hope hoops in the past i have picked up great condition pro 2's on DT 5.1 and pro 2's on EN521 for £160

My hope 2 trout upgrade light, seventy squid and it gives£500 lights a run for their money,
Amazingly good 🙂

Hope Hoops on Stans Flow rims have been great running tubeless.
Formula The Ones - very light and stupidly powerful. I way about the same as you and one finger braking is easy, no fade I've noticed on long-ish descents in the Lakes. I'm thinking about dropping down a rotor size TBH.

They are very expensive and not as much modulation as some others though.

Stans rims on a decent hub are a must for me. Currently running ZTR Arch on Hope Pro2's and also a set of Hope Pro3 AM4 with Flow rims.

Previously also owned a ZTR Olympic based wheelset.

All have been light, tough for their weight and trouble free. The Flows give a really good volume/profile to the tyres.

If you are planning to run Shimano gears then invest in a set of XTR shifters. Buttery smooth and for me are one of the best upgrades I've made.

Value for money

deore brakes w/ massive rotors.

you can feel the flex in the pressed levers - but only if you ride XT/ Deore back to back.

You can get complete shimano gears sets brand new of Ebay for nowt really, Friend got the 2012 XT 2x10 system for £350, they come from taiwan but are spot on as this is £200 cheaper than the UK!

continental black chilli tyres.

Shimano gears. I've got XT but only because my bike shop offered a free upgrade from SLX.
Shimano XT brakes. Again was going to buy SLX but got upgraded.
Raceface Atlas lo-rise bars, just a really nice shape width.

That's the stuff that's made a difference to my ride when I changed it by way of being a big improvement over whatever it replaced.

A track pump. I really can't believe how many years I went without one.

At 100kg, I reckon Hope/Stans or Hope/819 are the way to go on wheels. You'll probably be able to pick some up in the classifieds.

Brakes - Hope V2

Fork - Sektor or s/h 36 Van, if the frame'll take it. I'd go coil if I were you, but then I just prefer the feel of them and am happy to take the 0.5lb weight penalty.

XT crank/BB - get it from Merlin, either in 3*9 or 3*10

Up to you on bars/saddle/seatpost. I use SDG, Thomson, Easton but it's hugely individual

Charge spoon saddle. Best I have ever used and a bargain too.

Looks like I need to brush up a little on wheels...

Ruscle, I'm already sold on 2x10 having had this on two of the bikes I tested. Also definitely getting Reverb post.

Neninja your comment regarding XTR shifters is a good one and just the kind of advice I'm looking for. LBS is pulling together a build for me and once done we'll sit down and discuss where a little more investment will be best placed, this is why I'm after personal recommendations.

Thanks guys.

2nd for charge spoon saddle!

Specialized BG saddle - had it for probably about 5 years and it's still going strong.
Mavic 721 rim on Pro 2. Strong wheel, survived 2 months of riding Whistler bike park pretty much every day. Didn't go out of true at all.
dealextreme p7, bargain really..

+1 with the Continental black chilli tyres. Whats the frame, I'm hoping a Yeti ASR-5 2012?

Also Golddiggers Tripple cute XML light is superb and only £125 for the head unit and £100 for smudges Li-ion endurance battery pack (mtbbateries) Thread below:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/diy-bikelights

RS Reverb. I got a blinding deal on one, but was on the lookout anyway. Where I live we arn't blessed with big hills here so I don't have th luxury of plodding up for an hour, then dropping the post for a decent descent, it's all little ups & downs. Makes riding a lot more fun.

A set of XTR970 cranks. I must have had them for nearly 5 years now. Been on my DH bike, a 4X bike & now my XC bike. Crashed, smashed & still going strong. Amazed by these. I'm building up a new Nomad carbon & I fancied some new XTR's for it, but i've spent a bit of time giving these a bit of TLC & polished them up, now there doesn't seem any point in spunking £300 on a crankset thats no better than my current one.

Charge Spoon, just read that, Normal Man !
I'm amazed at how comfy and hardwearing mine is.Run it for about six months now about 35 miles a week. Better than saddles costing four times as much in my view.

Coaching lessons with Jedi

ESI grips, & Squirt lube.

Madison FLux Saddle £20

Basically the same as the Charge spoon but i prefer it, tidy bit more give (Ive had both) 😆

Pedro Tyre Levers
RS Reverb
SH Oury Grips

+1 for Deore brakes. I had to buy one on holiday because I broke my Hope M4 and was amazed at how nice it was to use. The fact that they only cost £70 makes them an absolute bargain.

I still have it just in case.

Other top purchases have included a set of mint Wotans from forum member Clong, bargain tastic Revelations from Merlin and of course the Spesh Enduro now in it's eigth year.

I prefer the Gusset R Series saddle - it's the same as the Spoon, but comes in tartan or leopard print, if you're into that sort of thing:

http://www.gussetbikes.com/products-information.php?id=SAGURSBL

+4 on a Charge Spoon, doesn't look that comfy but they are, and I'm touching about 96/97kg. Probably the best £22 I've spent on bike stuff. 😀

Shimano SPD pedals
Thomson Seatpost/Stem
Hope Hubs with mavic 521's unbreakable wheels IMO.
Definately go for 205/185 rotors I'm about your size and was getting very peeved with boily squealey brakes in the Alps.

Spoon +1

100kg

Chris King headsets are always good value.

CRC are doing a good deal on xtr cranks at the moment. Decent wheels are a must and HopeHoops seem to take a lot of beating. Rockshox forks seem to be good value and last better than Fox at the moment.

XTR cables, well sealed and last for ages without any special TLC.
XTR shifters - second the comments above
XT brakes (m785), close to brake perfection.
SLX double & bash specifc front mech - brilliant idea, works well.
Hope hubs and Stan's rims - choose a model to suit your riding.
Maxxis tyres - Virtually any of the 2.25", 60a versions. Again, choose the one that matches your riding.
Magura Thor forks - I love these (now have two pairs), but perhaps not for everyone. Absolutely super stiff and accurate for the weight, though.

Coaching lessons with Jedi

I concur.

Spending money on how to use > spending money on (bike) = Happy joy

Also money spent getting to places (anywhere!) to ride.
And holidays with bike - anywhere.

And mud tyres for Winter uplifts.

Ruscle, I will not be drawn on the frame... I've tested six and agonized over the decision a far bit. I still am a little.

One comment I can make is that all of the bikes are pretty bloody close to each other; each had a particular 'skill' that differentiated it from the competition and that's the bit that's hard to decide on. The only one that I was mildly disappointed in was the Ibis Mojo SL. Don't get me wrong it's a very nice bike but... a bit boring. It had no flair and I didn't think it looked as good in the flesh as it does on paper (or interweb).

The ASR5 is good though isn't it. First one I had a go on.

Yes its a most excellent frame, especially with 140mm forks on, I chuck mine all over the trail and run it soft, bloody flies down the hills then flies back up! Best frame I have owned.

That'll do Ruscle. Not a thread for frame talk!

Thomson seatposts, they just work, they don't break and you can usually sell them for what you paid for them which is nice!
Sunline V1 bars, perfect shape for me, light and strong and nice and understated.
Specialised Phenom/Romin saddles in 143mm, cos anything else (Charge Spoon especially!) is agony for me.
XT brakes, cos they just work and they've got loads of modulation.
XT 10 speed drivetrain, works faultlessly and 10 on the back really is a lot more useful than you might think and makes 1 if not 2 chainings redundant.
Maxxis Crossmark 2.25 60a, easily the best spring/summer/autumn rear tyre I've used, so grippy and so quick.
FSA Orbit Extreme Pro headsets, same 10 year warranty as a King, but can be found for £30 online (rrp is £90), what's not to like?
DT hubs, have owned various, all significantly better quality and more reliable than Hope/King/Shimano etc. Also the freehubs are relatively quiet which is also a bonus!
ODI Rogue lockon grips, have tried numerous others, nothing else feels as nice or is as secure.
Crank Bros Candy pedals, more float than Shimano which means my knees are more comfortable.
Easton Flatboys Flat pedals, there are lighter and sexier designs out there, but not many (if any) are as grippy, and nothing else is as indestructible.
Tubeless, cos nobody likes punctures, so why not remove the opportunity for them to happen?

mboy you raise one question I'm keen to discuss. Now it's getting wet and muddy what's a good tire to use? Is there anything that provides any protection from wet slippery roots?

hope hoops \ stans flow. brilliant value bombproof tubeless for the heavier rider

stick a set of folding maxxis on them and they are even relatively light

mboy you raise one question I'm keen to discuss. Now it's getting wet and muddy what's a good tire to use? Is there anything that provides any protection from wet slippery roots?

I'm not convinced there is one, wet slippery roots are every mountain bikers nemesis. Plenty of tyres work brilliantly in mud, but a narrow blocky treaded tyre doesn't make for good performance over roots. Soft compounds and a decent volume are your best bet, something like a 2.2" Rubber Queen in Black Chilli, or possibly a 2.2" Bontrager XR4 also.

singletrackhor - Member

Coaching lessons with Jedi

cheers guys it means alot 🙂

just checked out your site Jedi, this I will look into at some stage. Looks great.

Madison Flux Saddles are just re-branded Spoons but sell for 15 squid if you shop around. Most halfords have a tyre corner @5 pound each. Gooutdoors grips same price are best I've tried. Tesco cycle computer @ 15 with cadence and rear sensor. 15m cable outer on fleabay.