The "John Player Special" Alps classifieds bike..

Finally finished building bike ready for the Alps later in the month (just Reverb seatpost to come from Germany).

Got a bit carried away with the gold bits, but built for less than £900 despite the wheels mostly off the classifieds here and fleabay, it all went a bit John Player Special.

Just wondering whether to give the offset bushings a go? Already running 160mm forks in SC Heckler frame designed for 140mm.

Looks good! I’d probably wind the forks in to 140mm though if its designed for those otherwise surely it’ll ride crap?

Sweet Rig

How does it pedal on flatter singltrack with the coil shock? Interested to know as I fancy a change on my shova?

That’s nice.

What are those skinny pedals?

Just wondering whether to give the offset bushings a go? Already running 160mm forks in SC Heckler frame designed for 140mm.

Given you’ve only just built it, is there something about the bike or handling that makes you think offset shock mounts would be the answer?

I think they’re a great idea, but don’t see them as a universal fix-all.

Edit: bike looks good, by the way!!

Raleigh Ultraburner….

Pedals look like on one thinnies

Version 2 always was the best looking Heckler frame SC made.

The pedals are On One Thinnies yep, pedals and climbs better than I thought it would actually, need to turn the Propedal up to 11! though.

Only reason I thought of offset bushings was that compared to many similar bikes, even with the
longer fork it still has a steepish head angle and I do spend to plan most of the week pointing downwards, I thought if I pick up some the cheaper ones I could just experiment, if I don’t like
them then nothing lost

Is it just me or are single pivots the best looking FS design? In a functional unfussy way.

I must admit the reason I like it is the single pivot design, easy to swop out the bearings myself and feels great with the coil shock downhill

fwiw I have a Bullit with very similar angles and it’s fine for DH, don’t worry about it! Used it for 2.5 months of riding in Whistler and it never felt out of its depth apart from the super fast motorway section in A-Line where something slacker, longer and lower probably would’ve felt more comfortable. If anything the steepness and short wheelbase make it better for jumping and messing around on, feels nice and lively.

I think people get too carried away with what they read on forums and mags about bikes “needing” to be slack, stable etc but really just ride it and see how you get on with it. Both my bikes are vertical by current standards (sagged, the Bullit is about a 68 degree head angle, Trailstar’s 70) but neither bike seems to hold me back!

I’d say give the offset bushes a try – more for the bb height than the Head angle.

Not sure those are the wheels I’d rock in the alps… Take spokes.

+1 to oliver though I suggest taking a spare wheelset 😉

Looks good though

I got the wheels off here for £150, but have a spare set
Of trusty Hope hubbed Mavic 719’s

Most bikes with matching anodised “accents” look sheooooite.

That, however, appeals to my inner 10 year old 😀

Both cars No5?

They got away with it for 7 races!

Yes they’ll be both for the original team lotus driver. Can’t remember who, was probably late 70’s pre senna n mansell maybe. This would have been taken during a historic racing event.

That’s so nearly perfect, but silver cranks 🙁

Give it a testride, see what you think but I’ve always found Hecklers a wee bit steep for my taste and for the job they can do so personally I’d be going direct to angle-messing-about. Then again I have a track record of this 😉

900 squid?! Well done!
On a tiny phone screen…are those iodine wheels?

DrP

Thanks Northwind, it feels a little steep to me, I figure some of those cheap £20 bushes of eBay, nothing lost then if I prefer without, just wanna get out to the Alps now

Yes Dr P they are iodine wheels, they look good but and they feel stiff now,
but sure about long term reliability being a Crank Bros product, not read too much positive press about them!

I have the same year Heckler and originally had a dhx 5 coil and didn’t like the way it rode. It never felt settled. I am not sure it is the best shock for the bike. I have since swapped to a float r that has been pushed and it has totally transformed the ride. It has also handled a lot of abuse.

Looking good fella!!

You should fit a gold saddle

Now…..I might know someone who has one…… 😀

..saying what I have, I’d still be interested to hear how you get on with the offset shock things, as I wouldn’t mind getting my Bullit a bit lower if possible. How much do they lower the BB by?

Looks brilliant, how did you get a set of odi troy lees with gold clamps if you don’t mind me asking? They’re just what I’m looking for.

you didn’t find it in a skip in Rochdale did you?? Looks like my old frame (well a less knackered version)

FWIW
With a DHX5 SET RIGHT it’s a great bike. Spend some time dialling it in, talk to TF about springs. There are 5 ways to fiddle/meddle with it so will get it right in the end. However a RP23 works well out of the box too. Did mega with an air and was all good.

Angles
Ran mine with long 150’s and it was a bit rakey but rode well down. Missus has 150 Rev’s on hers and it’s fine.

Watch out for the rear brake hose rubbing on the top tube. Flattened mine.

Also the black paint job can look crap real quick so would suggest some frame tape.

The hanger is expensive and can explode in many ways, pack a spare. As it’s so long any twist or bend in the hack end will send the tyre into the swing arm and chew through that (from experience)

Oh and it will be quite fun to ride….

Hi Raisinhat, they are ODI grips with cheap Superstar gold collars

haha those wheels look familiar! And that doesn’t look like a commuter!

If the wheels do let go, apparently they have a decent warranty on them, just get in contact with the distributor.

Bike looks lovely, I’m jealous!

Very nice – but not enough gold for my liking.