what bike would you ride?

Rigid, single speed 29er of course. This is STW.

Probably with some kind of funny bars too.

Raleigh Shopper.

I’d probably leave the Chopper at home and take the Grifter instead

Something from Halfords

heckler 🙂

Edit actually if they were proper well made steps probably a hardtail if they were rubbish steps with wheel grabbing drainage gullys etc see my previous answer.

36″ wheels are where it’s at for steps;

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYt6IqaHk_Q[/video]

Orange Five?

One of the new (2010 onwards) Enduros, I like a lot, but coated pretty much completely in inner tubes with an old tyre on the downtube to protect the frame from chips/dents/upflying shrapnel (a much under-written about bike killer!).

BB is a bit low, is the only thing. But if it’s too low for a given trail that trail probably is no fun to ride anyway.

A very slack downhill bike with sticky tyres I would imagine. I would change my mind if I had to ride back up through.

it is for a mate who is a walking guide in the himalayas.

Rigid, single speed 29er of course. This is STW.

Probably with some kind of funny bars too.

Fixed CX, I reckon. Made of balsa wood.

Alternatively, a Patriot or even a full DH rig (the use of the word ‘bike’ is banned from the DHers vocabulary).

36″ wheels are where it’s at for steps;

or possibly just a 26″er and a bit of skill/power but where’s the niche in that?

Blue pig.

it is for a mate who is a walking guide in the himalayas.

Guide them up to the dead zone, loot their bodies and ride home?

Oh in that case an On One Inbred – the AK-47 of the mountain biking world. I don’t think there’s anyone in the Himalayas who can service an Rp-23.

I will never never know.

is there a full susser that works just on a coil shock?

In that case you want stuff that lasts and is easy to fix. so:
Slack steel hardtail frame
Marzocchi forks (the ones with the no service for 2 years guarentee)
Shimano brakes with big rotor
Handbuilt wheels
Durable tyres
Not sure on drive chain.

Heckler?

A DH bike I would guess

456SS with some Magura forks?

Heckler/Orange 5
coil shock
Coil forks
Spare bearings

blue pig.

is there a full susser that works just on a coil shock?

all of them? just replace the shock….

Evil Sovereign?

ton

where abouts in the himalayas there is a french corsican in pokhara nepal who has a mtb guiding business who is a very very good rider and has a range of bikes may be worth a chat with him. Otherwise from 3 years of being out there a hardtail with a coil fork is prob best

RHSno2 – Member
A DH bike I would guess

^^^ That.

So this. Cos it’s perty

Sort of on subject – which coil fork/which 2-yr guarantee Marzocchi fork? Is there one at 140mm for under £450?

Thanks!

I’m trying to get my bike more robust too.

jhw,
not quite under £450… but… these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42256

Shop around. I paid about £395 in the end & love ’em

“it is for a mate who is a walking guide in the himalayas”

– has to be a good geo steel HT with rockshox forks, shimano discs and ss or 1×9, maybe 1×8 gearing.

Karnali, good point, I’ve ridden with them – the above comes from time spent riding their bikes and chatting to them! their bikes were rideable and the trails were awesome, but well-specced and serviced? well what do you expect ) make do and enjoy. go simple and replaceable on the cheap..

regular riding out there looks like it eats bikes, the grit is something nastier than peak grit. look at what a skint alpine guide rides and make a more durable / sortable version.

last herb?

jhw – marz 44 rc3 ti – good god just buy them! i found mine cheaper than those CRC ones mind you. can’t remember where but search around. if not – buy those!

zesty 514

karnali, i think he is based around ladahk (sp?)

thing is , he wants me to sort it here for him and then ship it.
he said he wanted asusser, but i will put the h/tail thing to him.
seems more sense regarding durability.

thanks all.

456 summer season

+1 for the summer season

Zoolander – Member

456 summer season

naaa, SOOOO last year!!

deffo something steel with VERY simple easy to fix forks as i can’t see LBS on every corner in nepal…

One of these..

Stinky frame, coil marzocchi f&r, 36 spoke wheels. Bombproof and low maintanance. A hardtail would just be stupid.

456ti or a summer season.

That Mondraker looks nice and slack.