Public Confession: I've sold my Five and am going to become a weight weenie!

I can't avoid it anymore, I have to confess – I've sold my Orange Five! 😯

I know I may well live to regret it, but it's done now and I have to get it out into the open! 😀

For those who know who I am and what I'm going on about – I really appreciated all the advice I was given and it did sway me from not selling the Orange purely for the money, but…

in the end, it wasn't purely a financial (although it has really helped in paying off our debt) I've decided I'm going to have a go at racing! 😯

I know it's probably the most ridiculous timing ever, but hey, at least it'll get me fit after the birth! Plus, I figured there's always going to be a reason not to do it and having something like this might help keep me sane and make sure I do definitely keep riding.

So there we go, hopefully that will explain my weight weenie based forum questions from now on! (Oh and I'm just picking bits up secondhand as good deals come along, so it is definitely much cheaper than keeping the Orange and is teaching me to save 8)

Course the cool thing is that I can still just about stretch to fit Mr. MM's Five for when I need a burst of grin factor that only the Orange really delivers! 😀

racing is great fun!

what frame are you going to base around?

"what frame are you going to base around?"

I've heard you can do a really light built on an Orange 5 frame…

Managed to get my sub five down to 27lb at a bit of a cost

Thanks cp – I need a bit of encouragement! 😀

I'm only 5'3" and am very light so for riding xc am going for a hardtail. There isn't much choice at my size, so am looking at this little Kinesis, which looks like superb value for money. Would love a Scandal but I think the TT would be a bit too long…

wwaswas – yep, I did seriously think about it! But at my weight and for xc it wouldn't work – even though I had it at around 27lb… new bike should be more around 22lb…

Have you seen the Be-One Karma frames on chain reaction?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=35236

range of sizes in the different models – well thought of frames. And come with headset. tempted myself!

Ooh thanks cp – looks like cracking value. Slightly longer tt than the Kinesis but the price is VERY tempting! Plus geometry wise it's hard to tell – on paper the scandal should be okay, but the inbred (same measurement) seems pretty long in real life.

Will definitely have a closer look at that Be-One though – I've never come across them before, but you say they're well regarded?

kinesis looks good, little kona's also fitted mrs rexated well, and a shorter on-one could be the carbon 456 with a diddy stem 8)

bring on the races!

rexated – cool, hadn't thought of konas. I do like the idea of the Kinesis in terms of fit, but I do like On One bikes – it'll be interesting to see the 'carbon whippet' bike when they come up with it! Out of interest how tall Mrs. reaxated and what models has she liked?

Having just had a look at the BeOne site, I reckon the TT would be too long on those, shame but nevermind the Kinesis is still good value I reckon…

Yeah, another vote for tiny Konas. I raced on a Muni Mula and Kilauea (spotted a new version over on the USA Kona site in carbon – prefer the oldschool steel version but I'll bet it's light).

Good luck with the racing . . . and the birth 😀 .

Thanks Mamadirt! I know I'm a bit of a nutter!

I'll check out the wee konas. Oh and I'm definitely still up for that local ride in the Summer – although I may well regret saying I'm gonna race when I can barely make it around Ashton Court alive! 😀

The Kinesis had a good write-up in WMB (?) by their girly, also make sure you buy a set of digital scales (about £10 in Asda).

Thanks b r 🙂

Yeah, it does get a good write up and one of my mate's who's a very good racer, reckons it'll be ace for me, so I probably will go for it – unless something really good turns up secondhand of course, but in my size I doubt that'll happen.

What's the max TT you're looking for?
I have a Merida CF HT race bike with full XTR kit, inc' brakes, BB, 170 cranks, wheels, Ti bolts, the whole 9yrds just waiting to go onto eBay.
About 22lbs. The same model that won the World Championships on in 2008 (I think).

Absolute max is probably 22" but I reckon 21.7 is about as long as I want to go really. Your bike sounds awesome, but I imagine it's out of my budget anyway to be honest…

🙄

😀

Pregnancy does funny things to the mind.
You'll be into downhill next week.
🙂

Did you sell it complete ?, I seem to remember you had some really tasty kit on it.

weight weenie….only when you get a mountain bike under 21 pounds….
i have a rush at 20 and a carbon hardtail at 18.
Bruce

put that cock away bruce

Lol at takisawa2 😆

You're right, but hopefully not about the downhill 😯

And yeah, I sold it complete – I think the guy got a very good deal. It was an easy sale though… Still, I prefer not to think about it! 😥

Nicely put racing ralph! 🙂

I'm extremely suspect of many of the figures that get banded about where weight's concerned.

My scales cost £100 and weighing the Merida bike that is all XTR & retailed at £4k – as opposed to the World Championship winning Team bikes which were decked out with SRAM – I think 22.4lbs would be accurate.

I did sell it on eBay a while back but the sale fell through. It managed £1.2K.

Ti29er – in that case, I could be tempted- especially bearing in mind I could change a few bits around. Please could you send me details and some pics? My mail is in my profile. Thanks!

but hey, at least it'll get me fit after the birth!

Ahh, the blissfull ignorance of pre-birth days…

lol – thinking the same si!!

Deluded is probably closer to it! 🙂

I'm extremely suspect of many of the figures that get banded about where weight's concerned.

Those are both plausible weights, although I'll agree both would have to be pretty special. Having thrown together a hardtail with a smattering of light bits at 20lbs, I'd be interested in the spec of that Bruce…

LOL @ MM – Woman in changing her mind SHOCKER 😆

Racing, eh – cool – it's always good to have a goal and I guess that post-birth that'll be particularly good though I'd be wary of putting too much pressure on yourself to hit a set goal as parenting has a habit of being very unpredicable and makes training to any set plan difficult… 🙂

Look forward to being overtaken by you at the Bristol 12 then 😉

Out of interest how tall Mrs. reaxated and what models has she liked?

she's 5'2". Best fit was a 14" kona kula. she also had an inbred (too long) and a 14" 456, and a giant cypher full-suss. always seemed happiest on the kona though…unfortnately decided to give it all up after too many face – ground connections…

Thanks Clubber! That pretty much sums it up! 8)

Good advice re not putting too much pressure on myself – although, I'm looking forward to racing I'm not a crazily driven person and know what's important in life, so no doubt straight after the birth I'll hate the idea of racing and think I was mad for considering it!… and then change my mind again! 😀

In all seriousness, I reckon it could be really helpful – and my Mum even thinks its a good idea! So I guess we'll see.

Oh and sure thing – I'll smile and say hello as I fly by

Racing's great, you'll be fine, plenty of top racers have had time out for sprogs and come back, no reason not to start afterwards!

Reaxted – sorry to hear about Mrs. Reaxted – that's a shame. Thanks for the advice on what she liked/didn't – I'm a couple of inches taller and find an inbred okay for bashing around the woods, but I think it'd be too long for much else… the more geometry charts I look at the more I reckon the women's specifc Kinesis is the way to go – shame no one nearby stocks them!

Thanks njee20! I appreciate the encouraging words! I agree! Though, I am very lucky to have an amazingly supportive hubby and great friends who are up for babysitting!

i seem to remember you used to have a 14inch sub 3 lbs titanium hardtail frame before it ended up in my kitchen….that would have made a really nice XC race bike…

😉

Matt

simonm – Member

but hey, at least it'll get me fit after the birth!

Ahh, the blissfull ignorance of pre-birth days…

Take no notice of 'em. That's just 'Dad's talk'. I bought my first mtb when I was 5 months pregnant with my youngest and never looked back 😉 . We'll defo try to arrange a ladies' meet this summer at Ashton.

Agree on the weights (I like how people will quote you weights, but then you find they've never actually weighed them accurately, and I don't mean the bathroom scales!) and scales.

Whilst I did suggest a set of 'drug' scales (which I have for smaller components), I also have one of the Park 'hanger' ones for bikes – but both are within a smidgen of each other.

Ah Matt, don't even go there! ;0)

As long as you're enjoying it though mate, that's the main thing (she says through gritted teeth!) Btw, did your other beauties turn up? Hope so!

Thanks Mamadirt! That's awesome that you bought your first mtb when 5 months pregnant – so so cool!

I am enjoying it very much thanks, built in to a lovely little 21 lbs single speed with my pace forks

and sadly no the others haven't turned up 🙁

BTW, work looking at cannondale femine frames, very light and nippy with a low BB so super stable and corner like they're glued to the trail.

Sorry to hear they haven't turned up yet. The widow looks awesome though! Let me know if you have any other wee hardtails you ever want to get rid of!

My wife has a small anthem X1. I think they also come in XS. My wife is about 5 foot 5 or 6.

If you can get a frame then build it up with light parts I think you will have a pretty light full suspension bike – better traction when climbing and more comfortable.

I've got a contact for some fairly lightweight rotors, there are lots of threads on here about foam grips, roval controlee wheels are a light weight under rated wheel option – oh, happy days working it all out on a spreadsheet 🙂

smurf