The latest fox version of the rear brain shock really is very good indeed there is no lockout on the rear but with the brain set to the firmest setting its as good as..I would imagine he is running some kind of brain setup on the front too, with those graphics on the fork its hard to identify what it is probably the latest SID or something, keep a lookout on iamspecialized.com there’s bound to be home details on spec on there soon

Just boring liberal twaddle was dozing off at about 40 mins , seems to be too many ad breaks. Bearing in mind that we like our tech and innovations the cycle show would be better in a gadget show style, I’d like to hear about new innovations and more product reviews, maybe some repair tips too. Was the cycle show produced by enthusiasts or liberal democrat voters?

Brilliant pics guys thanks for sharing them.
Something looks very right about Ninos scale with those 650bs

Sorry for a minute there I thought I saw Norman cook during in a giant inflatable octupus

The world is watching (oh sh1t)

Am I watching a closing ceremony or v2012?

Sponsored by BMW by any chance?

Don’t think there is a quicker bike cross country than a 22lb Epic’ you could argue about course types etc but as long as there’s bumps I just can’t see a hard tail being any quicker..

I always used to push a big gear at low cadence, good for endurance but it can make you a bit clumsy esp off road, i feel ive been a much better rider after increasing my cadence and using a lighter gear im not only quicker but my heart rate has also dropped vs speed compared to when i used to mash the gears…higher cadence defo works for me

RS, aliens is a true classic….you must be on drugs

Racing through the dark – David Millar

Like or dislike the bloke its a riveting read..

I paid £110 for my 10 speed xtr cassette with my shop discount, why did i buy it? Because i wanted the best drivetrain on my bike – I was hardly going to spend nearly a grand on chainset,shifters,front and rear mech and chain and then opt for XT just to be a tight arse and save £30 or so….

However, I still get in a bit of a rage getting stuck behind some apocalyptic mincer on a Blur TRc dripping with XTR and BOS etc who should really be riding an Anthem X4 or something.

hmmm i ride an anthem and you would never get stuck behind me – xtr or not.

Diet is everything – i noticed a massive difference in myself just by changing diet – cutting out the coffee and beer replacing it with water and lots of whole foods salads – oily fish etc…
I think its a good place to start..

Thats a really nice looking bike – love the red slashes on wheels and post… and some DT swiss 100mm forks would finish the job perfectly :)

our fabia estate (combi) is fab, 116K not one fault and averages 65 mpg no matter how hard its driven. Its the 1.4 TDI model 2008. Focus is a good car too though – but Astra / Golf / 307 would be in the same league / price range too..

give the guy some credit – he did it on a carrera for christ sake!

my missus just bought the entire box set….not sure the old boy can cope

Specialized epic 29ers- wonder what the profit margin is on these bad boys?

Fox forks- as above

Shimano xtr casettes- why such a big jump over xt?

Avid exilr brake pads- another sram rip off

Avid bleed kits- must have cost all of £2.50 to make

tried just about every combo going (shed looks like a tyre store) but ALWAYS end up going back to a Nobby Nic front and racing ralph rear 2.1 Evo combination, pretty good all year round combo for me..

2010 spesh Epic carbon with full xtr and pro 3’s on stans rims (dry use only!)

Love Trek bikes- i would say not so much VW as BMW but still brill anyway…
Its a shame however that some of the 29ers (esp Superfly hardtails) seem to be overpriced especially compared with Giant xtc 29, Grand canyon 29 etc…. it was the same with the top fuels, great frame but components pretty basic for the price..

acorn electron
Elite
Ravenskull

C64
paperboy
california games
commando
the last ninja
bubble bobble

atari st
xenon
leisure suit larry
starfighter
dungeon master

arcade
double dragon
outrun
chase hq
shinobi
afterburner

i think the most frequent visitor to the poduims would have to be anthem x’s from what i have seen in most enduros

really miss my s-works 26 HT , was stupidly quick but very twitchy. the switchbacks at cannock were a pleasure to ride up on that bike. great fun

i was a little dubious about tubeless to until the other day when i changed my rear tubless tyre, it must have had at least 8 or 9 punctures (you can tell where the punctures were due to the sealant hardening) but i didnt even notice, in fact i didnt even have to put any air in the tyre all winter as the punctures sealed so quickly. tubeless all the way for me. other than that you dont have to carry tubes when riding therefore saving weight on a ride- i just have a co2 canister nothing more….

Can you afford to walk away and lose the deposit… my Mrs did something similar recently.

She managed to charm the deposit back and then negotiate a further £1k off the price as she became a cash buyer.

If she got a further 1K off the car was too expensive in the first place. Used cars dont have 1,000 profit to give away unless there is a very good reason. well done!

Dont forget that taking finance from a dealer makes a tri-part agreement which gives you better consumer protection than paying cash/bank loan/personal loan. (effectively as long as its a hire purchase agreement you could approach the finance company to sort out any major problems you have with the car in the future that cant be resolved by the garage) £25 per month is a saving but over which term?, and also many online finance offers show an advertised offer which applies to AAA credit ratings – it isnt always offered to everybody when you get past proposal stage. Most used car finance rates start at around 5% flat at the moment but it does depend on the term and age of car,The dealer wouldnt want to loose the finance business so i would (politely) state you have been offered a better rate and ask them to shop around a bit for you. If you had a verbal agreement on the tyres at point of sale the deal may have been structured on that basis and they could say no to two additional tyres. However why dont you ask if they could supply them at cost if you get a no… which would normally be 20% off the standard retail price.

[/quote]We need Gee on this thread. He has many 29ers, rides in the Surrey Hills and drives an S4, the embodiment of the STW stereotype.

Yeah but only if its a S4 avant….

Rather stupidly i have 2 100mm full sussers, and Anthem x and Epic, just cant warrant the extra travel in the east of england and besides the Anthem can handle most things you throw at it anyway…and im getting old and cant be doing with a hammering from a hardtail any more!!

Mountain bikers have never had it so good. Pay your money and make your choice. Its fab having so many options to choose from.

come on giant give us a 650b anthem x, ill be first in the que…really want the 29er but just dont like the looks compared to 26, the 650b will no doubt look and ride brilliantly

a long travel hardtail will probably do everything but nothing particuarly well id go fuel ex..

Im looking forward to the olympics but im getting fed up with the overexposure of some of the athletes namely Jessica Ennis, i did really like her at one time but now she is irritating – and the sad thing is im not even sure she wants to keep parading about with her 6 pack showing – im sure team GB management are playing a big part in this – she must be under so much pressure maybe it would be a good idea to focus on training now rather that Vogue magazine?

shock horror somebody dares to ask about mainstream brands on STW forum…. i can see it making the front page tomorrow!!?

id second tprider, a light set of wheels will transform the ride. i put a set of pro 3 s on my x2 and it feels much more responsive. Anthems end up on many podiums at races the bike is very capable and with a bit of cash pretty easy to get sub 24lb . keep it!

I think you missed that comment altogether…. He was referring to the fact that Specialized always do inexplicably well in Future Publishing magazine grouptests….

Dont agree, if you do the research you will find some damming reviews for Specialized bikes too, esp the road lines.

Apart from that ive had loads of Spec bikes and ive loved every one of them, they arent that bad!!! Its a bit sad that some feel the bikes get good reviews because of some conspiracy theory, 90% of the range are class leading

Check out the archive on bikeradar, its not as clearcut as you think.

should of put a specailized sticker on it, then would of won trial bike of the year .

Specialized dont make a carbon trail hardtail….in fact i cant think of anybody else that does…..might be a reason behind that?

1/2 beetroot, 1 kiwi, 2 apples (no cores) with skins all in the blender, doesnt taste all that but its highly effective.

Fair bit of Fructos there, I’m thinking.
Not sure how effective Fructose is at helping you recover.
[/quote]

True the mix doesnt have much protein, but to be honest you can get all the protein you need from normal whole foods, what you dont get is the nitrates in beetroot which reduces post muscular fatigue, the pottasium and magnisium from the kiwis which you would loose through sweat and the usoric acid from the apple skins, which protomes muscle growth. I dont do recovery shakes or bars any more as they are so full of the cr@p you dont need..

1/2 beetroot, 1 kiwi, 2 apples (no cores) with skins all in the blender, doesnt taste all that but its highly effective. anything you buy in powder form is going to have an amount of chemicals, goodnesshakes tastes ok but £2 for a milkshake isnt cheap after every ride