Its to replace my ti etape do it all road bike so really needs to be ti for light and comfy plus I want frameset only.

Love Endura neoprene overshoes for the road absolutely hate them for mtb. They come off the toes, are a right pig to get on, make a hideous noise on the cranks and are warn out after a month. NW celcius good enough my winter road bike now has spd pedals!

Secure lock up 2m in full view from my desk. :D

Rocketdog would that be AYTE? Agony…

Is the course longer? Do people normally do a pre race practice lap?

Hardest part is just getting out the door, once out on the bike the weather/conditions are never as bad as you thought they were going to be

Obviously not an intervals ride which I look forward to but am in such pain after 20m all I can do is think of excuses to end early.

Had mud X’s on for first time y’day and found them good in mud but atrocious on any root unless dead flat. Even the faintest imcline and a root and they spun. Think my maxxis beavers were better. Can’t wait for the 2.25 version of them.

For ultimate grip it’s nose of the saddle in your butt and a low enough gear. You’d be amazed what you can get up. In fact you should get enough grip on a fs bike with good tyres that the issue can be having enough seated leg power to keep the cranks turning.

Maxxis Beaver on the fs and bontrager mud xr on the ht. Beavers are ace the mud xrs less so being draggier and really bad traction on roots.

No way will Rebas be as good as a set of tuned foxs (I know I have some and they are precisely weight adding big hit savers) Maybe once they’ve been serviced and set up but thats an extra £110 which reduces the differential plus what will you get for a set of honestly described shagged Fox forks?

I use K force 670s with bar ends and really would not want to go much wider with bar ends on single track. Catching bar ends on stuff is bad news. You’d be surpised how much bracken/branches brushes off bars that catches and yanks on bar ends.

ps they feel great and 15mm is neither here nor there so go for it – love bar ends!

1×10 30×11/36 on the xc race fs and 3×10 on rest. I can barely get up long greasy chiltern climbs in 24×36 so it’ll be staying for me.

Where are the cranks?

Caterham have moved from what they do best – the 7. Nothing else has really worked and personaly I don’t think it will.

Love the Warbird but no guards which kills it for me.

I didn’t know! Many thanks for the info.

Surely the 2 is ok on the back of an fs with the bigger up front?

It’s due into this country in December according to next day tyres. I want one

It’s quite a bit heavier than the 2.0

I’ve been running 2.2 MK protections (Black Chilli) and find them OK as an allrounder up to mildly greasy.

With the rain we’ve had and the mud I’ve not found them great and had a huge tankslapper on a greasy clay mud descent the other day. They’re off now for Bontrager XR muds.

I would rather drag on roads than sliding all over on mud.

I too am 6′ and got the large fs260. They’re ok but the legs are quite short so they pull up from the calves which means they are rather loose just below the knee. I got mine 2 years ago amd have done a lot in them. Now the stitching in the crotch has let go meaning there’s a big hole. They’re ok but I’d rather do better and knee warmers for next time.

stickler = the flat bermed single track that goes on for ever but not long enough?

Heaven!

Height trumps lumens. 1600 lumen maxx d on the bars is not nearly as bright as 550 lumen lupine on the helmet.

Never depend on one light alone and always have a headlight for mechanicals

I’ve heard this “Swinley grinding paste” loads of times. Honestly, compared to unarmoured local trails round my way that can go to axle deep muddy shite at the drop of a hat, Swinley puddles and a bit of sandy residue are mere piffle!!!

My experience is different. Chiltern mud affects my chain and rear pads very little. I can measure the wear on a chain after a wet session at Swinley.

Swinley holds up well in the rain.

Unlike bikes at Swinley in the rain which die quickly from the hideous sandy paste that covers everything!

Negatives – 26″

SERIOUSLY! that is now a negative? a negative used to be “is snapped” not “wheels are 25mm smaller than the current market would have you believe is necessary”

Unfortunately it does seem to be.

I hope your recover both mentally and physically.

FWIW my 2nd vehicle collision convinced me I didn’t want a 3rd so I’ve moved over to MTB completely now.

Relying thousands of times on idiot drivers for your survival is no longer a chance I am willing to take. I’ve reduced my car exposure manytimes over but no doubt at some point someone will try to kill me again.

I was out today round the Chilterns and the trailkings were pretty sketchy. Trouble is continental 2.2 (ie a generous 2.1) is as narrow as I dare go because dedicated narrow tyres kill my back. Can’t go much over that as I’m on 717s Any ideas?

Judging by some of the lovely bikes at very good prices (moots, lynskey, on one ti ss etc) that don’t appear to sell I suspect under a 1/3rd of what it cost to build?

Negatives – 26″, old taco style frame, SRAM, chainset not the best, wheelset not the best?

Positives – not worth selling – keep and enjoy a really great bike.

ps were 120mm forks reccomended for the older frames?

Do you win those 6hr enduro’s xc races then?

Fair cop but I’m mid field generally and if I’m honest my granny on the double was 30T before I went 30T 1×10.

That’s a big negative. Most XC racers I know run a single ring at the front regardless of whether it be SRAM or not. I think if you’re using a granny ring in an XC race, you probably shouldn’t be racing….

Not all XC is 1.5hours max. I’ll use my granny in a 6hr race thanks.

Can’t wait for Di2 SS

Would be interested in getting out with a group.

FWIW it’s easy to get good trails the hard bit is linking them into a coherant loop. There’s always a boring road bit somewhere!

E bay stuff was thin.

Just Riding Along thick, better to apply and stays on better

Mine used to and as the frame was expensive I had a top tube protector on it.

Then I did a bike skilz session and learned the importance of wrists down when attacking/descending and had to tilt the levers back up (and closer) which meant they clear.

If you stack the bike and the bars rotate hard with levers not clearing you will dent the top tube not matter how slack your levers. It’s either a top tube protector or adjustment.

My Salsa a la carte Ti [/url]
Nettlebed snowy bike[/url] by adshools[/url], on Flickr

and the Soul

[/url]
Icey soul[/url] by adshools[/url], on Flickr

I’ve got exactly the same in 57cm.

Same wheels, veloce throughout apart from a Centaur triple chainset.

I’ve had slightly over 50mph on mine and it was as steady as a rock,in fact it’s so steady and comfy I don’t use any other road bike.

I’d like one with disc and clearances as a CX bike!

Take the back road in Crowmarsh out to the Carmel Colledge roundabout. This takes you passed Blakes feed merchants. Cross over A4074 at the roundabout (care – fast traffic from the right). Head towards Reading for 75m then turn left up slope through a gate. You are now on the bridkepath part of Grims Ditch. Points to not Others come the other way, there is one hole that needs a bit of care, the path is not very technical but does srop off enough either side that getting it wrong can hurt and the trig point by the side is concrete.

Cross the road continue on the track for the rootier descent. Most would then turn right for 300m before turning left tjrough woodhouse farm for the long climb through the woods to Nuffield. You then can crossover into a descent to Witheridge Hill and with a bit of care make a great loop around Stoke Row etc.

The Ridgeway is probably the worst bit of riding in the county. I only use it as a connector. You are about 2 miles from really great riding to the West!

A lot of the normal open crowd were missing on Sunday, perhaps due to the weather. Unfortunately I 8Oam a vet who seem to be a hardier breed witness my 13th ex 35 would have placed 3rd in open

Columbus do a full carbon one called the Minimal which can be had for about £150

Being in agony doesn’t in itself make you fast if you throw technique, line and control out the window.

So what mud tyre to race xc in then?