Do you end up covered in a fragrant mixture of sick and tears by the top of long climbs? They’re dual-ply then. :wink:

I ran Nics up front for a few years and never punctured once. They’re really light and pretty fast rolling, but I found them really sketchy at higher pressures. Anything much above 32psi and mine was washing out all over the place.

Went for Minion DHF (with a Larsen TT on the rear) on the new build.

EDIT:

Never had a puncture on them, but I do run them at 45-50 psi.

Holy Christ. Did you have any grip at all at those pressures? That must have been like cycling on ice! 8O

Nice, what size is that? I quite like the look of the Bandit. The price puts me off though. Transitions used to be fairly cheap!

It’s an XL.

And yes, but then again most bikes and components have got a lot more expensive in the past few years. They’re still competitively priced compared to most other boutique manufacturers (which, admittedly, is not what you’d call cheap) and as I said that build quality is fantastic.

Valves and logos lined up, pictures all straight, but cables don’t look that neat.

Also need to sort out the spacers, but going to wait until the cassette arrives before finishing everything else off.

WTF is that sofa all about? Are you Iggy Pop in disguise?

No mention of that sofa RM? really?

Maybe he didn’t notice it… :D

Yeah, I know. Hand built by some chap in Yorkshire for less than the cost of a DFS job. Takes some getting used to, I admit, but I like it.

Definitely not a weight weenie – just want something that works well and is solid/reliable. If it looks nice then that’s a bonus.

Any Shimano in particular? The only ones that I seem to be able to find separately (I don’t need a front QR) is XTR?

I picked up one of the old Casio jobbies on eBay for £4.50 a few months ago. If it’s fake I can’t tell the difference and it works just fine. Gets strapped to the Camelbak when out riding and at that price it doesn’t really matter if it gets wrecked in a crash.

I’ve been running Nic front Ralph rear (both 2.25″, tubed) for over a year now. Neither are great in the mud, but they’re both very light and perform pretty well in most conditions. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised with the wear and durability, and amazingly haven’t punctured once since I’ve been running them (although now I’ve said that I probably will do tomorrow).

The one issue I’ve had with them is that I find they have a very narrow optimum pressure range. I tend to run the Nic at around 30-32psi and the Ralph at a few psi more. Any higher and the traction just disappears – in my experience, at least. I’ve also had the front start to wash out more during the recent hot/dry patch, but this is largely due to the trails getting dusty and I’m not sure any other general trail tyre would have fared much better.

61.22 with one high speed crash that would have resulted in beef mince. Also managed (an entirely accidental) back flip on the last double. :mrgreen:

Not sure about the bright green grips or red end caps – surely black would be better – but otherwise looks really nice. How long have you had it?

Oooh, is there any Pont-l’Évêque?

Outstanding choice – my all-time favourite.

I once drove back to London from Normandie with some pont-l’eveque in my bag. Got on the tube on the way back to my flat and some poor guy sits down next to me. He lasts about three seconds before giving me a “what in the hell is that smell” look and moving to the other end of the carriage. It had been without refrigeration for about 18 hours and did absolutely hum, in fairness. :D

I could just be really unlucky with the two 10-speed mechs

Here’s hoping! I’ll let you know how I get on with mine…

Fair play. THEY are incredibly good.

Yes, good correction. 18 stage wins now?

Got to say it: he’s really incredibly good.

Yeah, the breakaway are holding out for longer than I thought. Going to be a tight finish – particularly in the wet.

God damn that HTC train is an impressive sight when it’s in full flow.

More people who use this internet thingy need to be taught that if they’ve got nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all.

WRONG!
Thats precisely what the internet is for….idiot!

Genuine LOL. The ‘idiot’ really made it.

I use them in my calendar every year to make me go out and ride the rest of the year round!

Now that is a bloody good idea. Doing a trans-Alp in September – I feel an amateurish homemade calendar coming on… :D

If you want to read what I found in a bit more depth then I’ve just done a review / rant on my website.

Doug – just read your review. As someone with a 10sp X9 rear mech about to be fitted to a new bike (the rest of the drivetrain is X7 with X0 shifters), I’m slightly concerned! Did you speak to your local SRAM distributor? If so, what did they say?

Also interested to hear that you found the Shimano shifting ‘clunky’ compared to SRAM – I thought it was supposed to be the other way round? I have to say that the SLX/XT setup I’m currently running is incredibly smooth, perhaps even too smooth if there is such a thing – the lever barely even clicks when shifting and most of the time I can hardly even feel the gear change.

In the last month it has started having a few issues changing into the lowest gears, but most of the drivetrain is over two years old so I can’t complain. I think if I was buying a drivetrain separately I would go for a full SLX setup (but maybe with an XT rear mech and XTR shifters if I was feeling extravagant). Even XT is so expensive nowadays that I think I’d struggle to justify paying more.

Whose Soul is that? I see what you’re going for there. Similar to this, right?

Please show us a photo of you riding it. :D

If you’re looking at Lapierre then a Zesty might also be worth a look – a bit more of an all-rounder than the Spicy, which is a lot of bike for most UK trail riding.

Why don’t you line up a few demos and see what you like?

I also think it’s time to get roadie posts in the chat forum, it’s not mountain biking.

Speaking as someone who has never ridden a road bike, and has little interest in either doing so or reading about them, it does say ‘Bike Forum’ rather than ‘Mountain Bike Forum’.

Agree it was a good rant though. :D

What thats more than enough for Surrey Hills in fact the ideal travel !!

I think it might have been sarcasm.

T’is a nice colour that. Still a 5 though. :wink:

You been out on it yet?

Awesome – thanks for that. And only £21.95 at Bike Tart – that’ll do for me!

Good luck with your race.

That’s never a Kona

Exactly.

Who made those wheels?

Mavic, I think.

Who delivered them?

Standard Royal Mail First Class, if you can believe that.

Don’t be such a cynic, Yeti. With all the slaggings various bike shops and companies get on here, I thought it might be nice to balance it out by applauding some good service. If there’s one thing better than getting new bike bits in the post, it’s unexpectedly getting new bike bits in the post. :wink:

Yellow: it’s not just a colour, it’s my FAVOURITE colour.

Actually, I really like purple. And red. Still, it’s a really nice colour.

I have a spicy 516 at the moment and it keeps crossing my mind to change it, dont know why because it suits my riding very well.

So don’t.

You’ve already got an amazing bike that you admit suits your riding, why not resist the temptation of shiny new things and spend the money on a riding trip instead.

As tang says, it sounds like limescale to me. I think I would have bought a new one before resorting to putting bleach in a drinks bladder, but now you’ve gone to so much effort you may as well keep it. Or you could just scrape all of it off and see if it comes back? :D

well i can not back pedal with no pedals, and i also cant cover my backside with no seat.

In fairness, that was actually pretty funny.

if so you have lied through your teath (sic) as your (sic) shop had my phone number since i gave it [to] phil at 13.17 22rd june 2011.

Also in fairness, that second sic is unwarranted.

To be fair one final time, I would also have been annoyed if I had returned a new bike only to find an issue with the replacement. A lot of us are more than anal (bum chummery, you might say) enough about bikes to be sufficiently disappointed by a scratch on a new bike – however small – to want it replaced. I would not, however, have started slagging off the shop on multiple internet forums before I’d even spoken to them. Ask questions first, shoot second. You know, like the Americans do.

The OP should be particularly careful, as there is potentially a basis for libel here (not slander, as someone already pointed out). Not that it would be worth arguing as I suspect the claimants would struggle to recover costs, let alone damages.

It’s funny, how STW’s lowest lows are so often its most entertaining highs.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Avid brakes

Surely they can’t all be that bad? I’ve got some Elixir CR’s coming… :(

Really gutted for you – stunning bikes. Hope you get them back (or that you’re insured).

Keep us posted.

Did I hear someone got hold of a Bandit? C’mon more info needed…

Mine should be here in the next week or two. Will get pics and a ride report up once it arrives.

I’m guessing you’re talking to MussEd, but mine is X0. Hardly cheap either, but that’s a reason in itself to get a bash – I don’t want it getting trashed by some unexpected rock strikes.

Still, it won’t fit so I’m now looking to sell it. £35 inc postage.

Damn. Thanks for that.

Bash now for sale in the classifieds.

The Covert really is a lovely frame. I’ve got my Bandit coming soon – can’t wait!

I have a brand new, unopened e.Thirteen Turbo Charger (40T, black) if you’re interested. RRP £46.95, will do it for £35 posted. Email in profile.

EDIT: just listed it in the classifieds.

I think you should embrace the XR3i look. Buy a crud catcher, but mount it sideways to the back of the saddle like some badass spoiler. Then maybe customise some Reebok Classics by inserting some SPD cleats in the bottom, and write ‘Technics’ on the back of your waterproof jacket in silver pen.

Best bet is to ask on the website of another magazine.

Genuine LOL.

I’m in much the same boat – my Cube looks like it’s been attacked by an over-excited child wielding a sticker gun. On full auto.

I’d prefer something a bit subtler, but it rides nice so I’m not too fussed.

Yup, HT is the manufacturer. Same pedal also available branded as Nukeproof (for far more) and as Exotic (for normally similiar amounts)

So these are exactly the same (other than the branding, of course) as the Superstar ones? They’re only £29! Bargain!