The CBF125[/url] is pretty good value and not too small.

Maybe look at 125 enduro bikes like the Yam WR125, Kwak KLX etc as they’re obviously taller.

The Tour De Fer is looking really nice as well 8)

MarkBrewer – Member
It wasn’t completely the same as the road car according to the TT folks, but not too far off. Just a few safety bits and bobs, upgraded suspension and speed limiter removed.
The competition exhaust would have added a bit of power & it was remapped on race fuel too

I bet the quoted 305bhp turned into well over 350bhp by the time they’d finished!

It was certainly very loud when I was stood next to it and didn’t sound remotely road legal :?

I’m a huge TT fan, but the Subaru lap is lost on me to be honest. I think its a bit of a waste of time and not particularly interesting to watch from the road side.

thomthumb – Member
If internet ‘lore is to be believed his car was completely standard as well bar the tyres.
i thought it’s a massive secret what was actually done to the car. it was supposed to be standard but rumours range from totally standard to full on race car.

The video as least proves it still had the real fake wood on the dash :D

richmtb – Member
I think Tony Pond averaging 102mph in a Rover 827 is slightly more impressive though
If internet ‘lore is to be believed his car was completely standard as well bar the tyres.

I wouldn’t take the Subaru lap record too seriously, yes its a very impressive piece of driving but its a long way from the ultimate lap time a car could manage.

The TT authorities really don’t want to turn the TT into a car race so they are reluctant to let just anybody try a lap in a car. Subaru pay them pretty handsomely for what is effectively a publicity stunt.

There is lots and lots of machinery that would murder the Impreza’s time

Surprisingly It’s Subaru America who sponsor the TT rather than Subaru UK.

tightywighty – Member
This is the same guy that saved that massive tank slapper a year or two back, isn’t it?

Yeah, that’s the fella.

I think Tony Pond averaging 102mph in a Rover 827 is slightly more impressive though…..

There must be a quite bit of a difference in handling and performance between an 827 and an Impreza 8O

Also bearing in mind Higgins starts his lap already doing 135mph where as Pond drives out the top of the pit lane and only just appears to be getting out of 2nd gear.

It wasn’t completely the same as the road car according to the TT folks, but not too far off. Just a few safety bits and bobs, upgraded suspension and speed limiter removed.

The car Higgins drove is a stock U.S.-spec 2015 WRX STI, with the exception of an FIA-spec roll-cage, racing seat and harness, fire suppression system and modified springs and dampers to handle the sustained high speeds and changing conditions of the course. The Subaru WRX STI also featured Dunlop Direzza tyres and a high decibel straight exhaust for crowd safety. The speed limiter was also removed from the car.

I’ve had good experiences with Hope, Endura, USE and Rocky Mountain.

No personal experience of Specialized, but they looked after a friend of mine.

Flat ‘Army’ green wouldn’t be my first choice of colour, but it looks like a great bike for the money.

Could be a real bargain if they offer a frame and forks package.

shermer75 – Member
A Kate and Sidney pie……
Took me a while

I average about two and a half minutes (but there has to be ketchup)

:lol:

Go to be the HP brown for me.

A Kate and Sidney pie……

Took me a while

White Ind and Paul Comp.

I’ve got a set of White Ind Eno cranks on my SS and they are really nice.

IMG_0063 by AndyBeirne[/url], on Flickr

b r – Member
Only just managed to get back on the computer after last night, but as others have said; the Yamaha Tenere would be ideal if you like that style of bike.

tbh The last type of bike a new rider ought to be looking at is a too-tall Enduro look-alike on (semi)knobbly tyres.

Far better to start with a normal road bike and learn the ropes and probably the best place is an UJM in sub-600 format (with ABS if you can find one).

Tenere’s are very well respected adventure bike and it would really depend on what the OP wants to do with it. A pure road bike might not be ideal depending on use.

I think with bikes your heart needs to rule over you head. Buy a bike that hits the spot with both its ride and looks. There is so much choice out there now, in someways it’s pretty hard to decide on the ideal bike. I’d definitively recommend getting test rides if you can. It might make you change your mind on what you thought would have been your perfect bike.

rwamartin – Member
Is there a reason why you’ve narrowed it down to just the Transalp and F650GS?
Where I live is rural with plenty of gravel strewn lanes. Always liked the transalp style of bikes and that would be my first choice but there is a F650GS (a 650 version, not the later 800) locally – ’04 plate with 23000 miles on it. Better fuel economy but don’t feel it’s as bombproof as the Honda.

The bike is going to be stored outside and will be day to day transport, not a fair weather “toy”.

Only just managed to get back on the computer after last night, but as others have said; the Yamaha Tenere would be ideal if you like that style of bike.

I really wouldn’t rule out the likes of CB600 Hornets, Bandits and Fazers though unless you want to do a bit of green laning. They would be far better on the road.

Maybe a happy medium would be a Suzuki Vstrom 650 or Kwak Versys 650.

Any bike left outside will soon suffer from the elements. It’s well worth looking at the likes of ACF-50 and FS365 to protect it.

Is there a reason why you’ve narrowed it down to just the Transalp and F650GS?

I put helicopter tape on the chainstay, down tube and also the back of the seat tube of my Roubaix.

Gently heating the tape with a hair dryer before putting it on makes a big difference.

I thought the internal cable routing made it easier as there are less contact points between the housings and the frame.

I’ve just wrapped a large sheet of helicopter tape right around the chainstay of my Roubaix. You can only see it when you look right up close.

I originally tried a Lizard Skin chainstay protector that I already had; but it looked awful.

It’s definitely the date of the offence.

I really like Vast, although I think its around 4 years old now.

I cycle around 10 miles each way every day.

I wear a pair of cycling baggies, cycle shirt, wool socks and a cheap pair of SPD shoes.

I carry the following in a rucksack:

* Shirt, trousers, socks and boxers.
* 2 x tube’s, pump, tyre levers, multitool and a headtorch.
* Either a waterproof or fleece depending on the weather. If its dry
I’ll wear the fleece and carry the waterproof. If its raining I’ll
wear the waterproof and carry the fleece.

I also have a waterproof cover for the rucksack so everything stays dry.

I leave boots and toiletries in work and I’m fortunate enough to have proper shower facilities.

I eat breakfast once in work as I’d rather have a bit longer in bed.

Mudguards are a must for all year commuting, they make a huge difference.

One of the best things I did was buy a really cheap steel Dawes bike to commute on. Cost me just over £400 and its done around 5000 miles with just bit of chain lube every couple of days.

Year round commuting can be heard of components, so I thought a cheap bike would save my nice bikes getting wrecked.

There are some pictures of custom frame builds on their FB page as well.

epicyclo – Member
amplebrew – Member
Mine’s definitely not unloved, but it hasn’t turned a wheel since getting my Jones
Lovely bike. If you can fit Dirt Wizards, do so. You’ll love the grip and the nicer ride from the larger volume tyre.

You may not love your Jones so much though….

I reckon I’d get a Dirt Wizard on the front, but I don’t think one would fit at the back. I’ve only got 717 rims though, which I’d imagine would be far too narrow.

I’m running my Jones mainly with Ardent 2.4’s on Dually’s, but I also run a Husker Du / Rolling Darryl on the front when the mood takes me.

There was a Bespoke 2014 article on STW with a picture of the team bike.

Have a look near the bottom of this[/url] page.

Mine’s definitely not unloved, but it hasn’t turned a wheel since getting my Jones :oops:

IMG_0905 by AndyBeirne[/url], on Flickr

You may need these for the hedges though…. :lol:

trimmer by AndyBeirne[/url], on Flickr

ladder by AndyBeirne[/url], on Flickr

I’ve not raced at that circuit, but I used to live not far away.

I’ll just say that Aintree isn’t known for being a mountainous region.

Plenty of Youtube videos showing the motorbike racing around the circuit to give you an idea.

If I was buying a 2nd hand FS frame, I would already have budgeted for a service kit.

jacob46 – Member
globalti – Member
There really isn’t much difference between them, with the stem spacers and the flip stem AND the Specialized wedge shim, you can achieve the same riding position on both. The ride is very similar with Tarmac and Roubaix SL4, both are fantastically stiff but comfortable, the only major difference is the geometry of the tarmac, which is a little sharper handling. Roubaix SL4 Sport comes in tasty matt charcoal with red trim, I bought that one and transferred all the Ultegra kit over from my previous bike.
Got any pics ?

The Roubaix Sport looks very ‘S-Works’ ish in colour.

Have a click here.

According to Specialized a 54cm Roubaix has a 165mm head tube and compared to the 140mm of the Tarmac.

I’ve just picked up an SL4 Roubaix on Friday, so only got just over 100 miles on it; but first impressions are really good.

I only went for the Roubaix purely because I prefer a higher front end, so wanted the extra 25mm on the head tube over the Tarmac.

I wanted a bike that I could put 5+ hour rides in, so thought the Roubaix would be the better option.

I haven’t tried an SL2, so don’t know how it compares to the SL4.

I managed to get £200 off the Roubaix, so don’t necessarily presume that it’ll be dearer than the Tarmac.

I’m just using a very thin smear of grease on the titanium post in my steel spaceframe with no problems.

Is the post slipping?

Here is a link to the tech docs on their website, don’t know if they’ll be any help for your particular wheels though.

I think Duffbags are pretty good.

I use one of their kit bags and it’s been hard wearing.

Exactly like picture excluding shock (you need a 200×57) could possibly mean that it comes with a different make / model of shock; but I personally think it’s obvious that the shock is not included.

I would have thought that an advert for a full suspension frame that didn’t specify the shock details; an obvious question would be to ask what it did come with.

If the buyer was unhappy, I would personally refund on the basis that they paid for the postage back and also that the refund would only go through once the frame had returned in the same condition it went out.

I wouldn’t be refunding on the basis that the advert was wrong though, just that I would think it was the right thing to do.

@ stevied – You wouldn’t have even thought that was the same bike 8O

That’s a really impressive transformation.

The only thing that usually changes on mine are tyres. I’m not very adventurous and tend to just keep to the components I know work for me.

I’ve got a pair of Zaffiro’s on a Dawes Clubman than gets used daily for going to and from work and also road rides on days off.

I reckon they must have done nearly 5000 miles in all weathers with no punctures or issues.

I haven’t got a broad experience of road tyres though, so couldn’t say how they compare to other brands and models.

I just keep them at 100psi and off I go :-)

DeFeet Woolie Boolie’s are great socks, they’re very comfy and hard wearing.

The tape from JRA and also Biketart is good IMHO.

I’d go for the 5.4nm myself.