Still suffering a truly epic hangover after a formal event last night (turns out you shouldn’t mix champagne, wine, beer and whisky), so no beer for me tonight.

But tomorrow’s a new day. :D

Well, to second what Banks said, I certainly don’t notice any weight on the trails. It may not be as light as some of the new carbon superbikes, but it’s still feels lively and fun to me. And sub-30lbs was very light for a trail bike not so long ago, so it’s hardly a porker!

You should obviously get a test ride and find out for yourself, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed :wink:

Whats your bandit weigh, and do you know the frame weight too? Looks very nice

If you’re bothered about weight then Transition probably aren’t the brand for you – they tend to focus on building really solid frames rather than anything superlight.

That said, the Bandit is their lightest FS frame, but I really don’t focus on that sort of stuff so I honestly couldn’t tell you the frame weight. The bike shop did weigh the bike it after they built it, however, and it was 28.5lbs. So I guess it’s probably just under 30lbs with a Reverb.

But I’m not sure how helpful that will be for you, as mine is an XL frame and pretty much a full custom build. Some heavy-ish bits (X7 drivetrain, ProII on Flows with tubed Minion DHF tyres, 203mm front rotor) and some light-ish (Rev World Cups, SixC bar, mag/ti pedals, Bel Air ti, Elixir CRs).

You can get them down to around 26-27lbs without spending too much or choosing silly components.

Are there any Bandit owners out there who can tell me how they ride.

It rides better than I can. Best bike I’ve ever owned.

Will it/can it handle all of the above.

Yes.

Do you find the 68 degree HA slack enough?

The head and seat angle are both spot on for me. A nice middle ground between being lively yet stable. (Note, I have a 150mm fork on mine, which slackens it out by half a degree, though I doubt I’d be able to tell the difference.)

Here’s mine (now with Reverb, but otherwise unchanged):

And in a more appropriate environment:

I met an old timer in New Zealand who made a good argument against replica shirts, basically if you haven’t been picked to play for your country you shouldn’t wear one.

That is an argument. Not sure I’d agree that it’s a good one.

I’ll try to pop into town at the weekend. Thanks all.

I believe these are going cheap…..

Heh. I should have said I was looking for a normal, non-spandex, white cotton one. Like this:

Rfu website?

£50 :(

No idea if they are the cheapest out there but Sportsdirect have a few.

Yeah, they have the 2011/12 shirt for £30 – cheapest I can find in the size I’d need (large). M&M have them for £20, in every size BUT large. Typical. (Link, for those that might be interested.)

I don’t have a garage and love the taste of GT85 in my dinner, so kitchen it is. :D

If money really was no object then I guess I’d be looking at DT180s. I’d be more than happy with ‘just’ 240s though.

EDIT: And, in real life, I am more than happy with Hope.

Mavic Stratos H2O that I picked up ‘cheap’ in the Jan sales from Ribble. Fits perfectly and wonderfully made.

Rab Neoshell Jacket

I have one of these and it’s without doubt the best hardshell jacket I’ve ever owned, but I’d be too scared to wear it on the bike – the thought of ripping it in a crash… 8O

davidtaylforth
Oh yeh, dunno whether these are any good but saw one the other day and they look nice!

They do completes. £1350 with Veloce.

At Tokyo Fixed[/url].

Sadly not, but did an hour on the spinner while watching the football. I’m a Villa fan – as if an hour of spinning wasn’t painful enough… :(

Shimano AM41
Ugly, ugly, ugly, but a massive step up from the skate shoes I used to wear. Comfortable, grippy and really durable – ridden into the ground over past 18 months without fault.

Helly Hansen Warm Ice Crew
Used to always ride in pure merino, but picked up one of these in the sale a few months ago and it’s been a revelation. All the warmth and anti-stink benefits of merino but with the added better wicking and faster drying properties of lifa. Perfick.

Specialized BG Ridge gloves
Fit me like, well, a glove, and seemingly indestructible – my current pair has survived over four years of heavy use and several runs through the washing machine yet still look almost brand new.

I do an hour on the spinner every day, unless I’m out on my actual bike, in which case I don’t bother. Got it set up in front of the TV, so just stick something on to take my mind off what would otherwise be an extremely tedious process. And I find 60 mins is plenty – if you’re not exhausted at the end then just turn up the resistance or go harder.

Are there any plans to reintroduce the code for people that only want one item and to place just one order? Was going to get some gloves but seem to have missed the boat. :(

I’mnot sure, but if anything I’d have thought cycling gloveswould be warmer due to them having to deal with windchill etc.

Yeah, I was wondering about that myself. But then I figured that you’re generating a lot more heat when cycling than you are walking, and you also need gloves to be less bulky to have feel on the bars and to change gears, brake, etc.

Sounds like the SealSkinz ones would be worth a look, but I just noticed that the Bonty ones have PrimaLoft insulation, so they’re probably also very toasty. Anyone have a pair?

Also keen to hear any feedback on the various Gore ones – I’ve always been impressed by their stuff.

Long back to back days in the saddle interspersed by very little uncomfortable sleep

I always aim to have very little uncomfortable sleep. None at all, ideally. :wink:

Good luck OP – that is a serious undertaking.

Really know nothing about GPS, but my Dad is planning on getting one for hiking soon – would this be suitable for hiking, or is really only designed for cycling? If so, what would people suggest for hiking?

Ribble have some very cheap Mavic stuff. Stratos H2O jacket at £146 – RRP is £270.

I’m 6ft, 14st, broad and slim. Ended up with int large

You’re 6ft, 14st and ended up with int large? How on earth did I end up between XL and XXL at 6’5 and 13st? There’s no way I would have got a large on around my chest or shoulders… Seems Mavic sizing is pretty strange!

Just tried a on a few that are apparently the same cut as the one I’m looking at. Turns out I’m between an XL and XXL! (In Mavic’s ‘international’ sizes. So that’s a L and XL in UK.)

The XL fitted well in the chest and shoulders but was a bit short in the body and sleeves, whereas the XXL was slightly looser around the chest and shoulders but perfect length in the sleeves and body. Think the latter is a better bet, but I reckon I’ll wait until I can find the exact model to try on.

‘L (int) M (UK/USA/DE) XL (J)’

8O

I just found a relatively local shop that sell Mavic stuff. They don’t have the one I’m looking at, but they do have some others in stock so at least I can get a feel for sizing.

Thanks all.

I’m 6’5 and very slim but quite broad. Usually around 13 stone, depending on training.

Definitely looking for something closer fitting and like the sound of the arms being long. Rickon – how do you find the sleeve length?

Sounds like I’ll need either a large or XL.

Really nice. The CX is the nicest of the entire Boardman range, IMO.

Really, really stupid question – what is supporting the bike in the first two pics? I assume there was something propping it up that was then photoshopped out?

Where did you get that from? :D

That English is stunning.

EDIT: That Andy Wilkinson vid. 541 miles. 8O

But I think that however quick you are you will always think of yourself as ‘average.’ I regulary get a kicking from the likes of Oli Beckinsale, to finish on the same lap is good for me, so I think of him as ‘very fit’. But talk to him and he thinks of himself as ‘fairly fit’ and he sees the likes of Absolon as ‘very fit’!

Yes, but I think that’s kind of the point. You’ll think of yourself as average so long as you are racing in the correct class. If you’re regularly winning your class, you should probably be in the next class up, at which point you’d be average again. Unless you’re regularly winning Elite races, of course, but I don’t think too many of us will ever have to worry about that!

I am one of the 10 slowest Elite riders in the whole country

That almost made me choke on my tea. :D

Nice to know that even Elite riders suffer from feelings of inadequacy. Bet you’re still faster than 99% of ‘normal’ riders though.

I’ve never raced – and doubt I ever will. But if I did, I’d likely try the Fun class first and see how I placed. If I did well, I’d move up to the next class. I’d then keep doing that until I found a level where I was consistently placing somewhere in the middle of the field. I’d then stay there and work towards trying to place higher in that class.

Comfortably winning a ‘Fun’ race as a really fit and competent racer must be a hollow victory, but if I was racing in that class and lost to such a person, I doubt it would bother me too much.

What tyres for the end of the world?

Minions, I should imagine.

Dual ply, natch.

Depending on budget, the Rab Xenon is lighter than the Generator, despite having a hood, and packs into its own pocket. Spendy though: £150. (£109 here if you’re looking for a small.)

Please tell me you ride it like that… :D

The Chromag skewers and seatpost QRs really are lovely things. A bit more expensive, but quality items.

I had a Spitfire with that problem and it got replaced under warranty.

Real shame about the Spitfire – meant to be an amazing bike otherwise. They’re meant to have sorted the issues with the new ones:

Hose off in garden, wipe down with old tea towel to dry and get rest of the mud off. Takes all of three minutes.

I’ve been humming a song by Alt J today, do I owe them money for that?

On the contrary – you should be congratulated for having good taste. Cracking album. :-)

Black on black, matt frame and glossy decals.

This. Absolutely this.

Then again, I have a Henry Ford approach to bikes and components, so maybe I’m not the best person to ask.

This makes me want to take my bike in the gym and put it on the treadmill

Just be sure to take a video camera. Just in case. :-)

Racingsnail – how are you getting on with it?

For the bag, depends on how much insulation you need and how much you’re looking to spend, but AlpKit is worth a look: link.

I wore mine for the first time today. Numb toes by the end of the ride. Might have had something to do with the fact that I was wearing shorts (my calves weren’t exactly toasty either), but I certainly didn’t find them any warmer than my normal generic sports socks.

OP is obviously good intentioned, but not sure it was a particularly sensible approach to take. Much better to go about things more subtly, let the owner win the auction and arrange collection, then let the police take over.