got them on my 2015 stereo 160SL, they feel really solid none of the unnerving flex that can be felt with the carbon renthals i’ve tried.

minion 3c front, high roller 2 rear both tubeless.

your no more likely to get a puncture on a french mountain than a british one.

like it or not though “MTFU” is 95% of what is involved in improving your level of riding.
all the skills coaching in the world doesn’t change the fact that jumping/drops require very little in the way of “skill” its all about committing to the obstacle most jump related crashes involve the rider changing their mind as they approach the take off.

excellent, thanks chaps.

If you go for a mondraker buy shares in a bearing supplier at the same time.
the ride nicely but burn through bearings like nothing i’ve ever seen. . . other than an sb66 switch link.

at 5″11 i’d say large, i’m a hair over 5″9 and ride a medium spicy but would have no problem riding a large either.

its very very good, after a few rides you forget its there and just let the shock do it’s thing. brilliant for fast single track you can stand and sprint on an essentially locked out bike but still get the full benefit of the travel when its needed.

climbs just fine, even when the shock is stuck full open because i forgot the EI battery

The quality of bearings used often makes a huge difference, most OEM stuff will come with very cheap nasty bearings, replace them with something descent and you’ll have much improved life.

Stay away from the eBay tat too, most of them are very poor quality or in some cases counterfeit bearings.

they’re great bikes i’ve had mine since march a spicy 527 EI (essentially the same bike.
done everything from an alps trip to the brecon beast without any problems at all just spent 2 minutes every few weeks to keep the chain stay pivots lubed and your golden.

love the blade, great trail.

willing to bet that mr flashheart loves the tedium of cwmcarn.

work at a cube dealership, just going off what the chaps in holland told me when i asked them back last September. i have seen the bike in the flesh though and its very very nice.

http://www.cube.eu/bikes/fullsuspension/stereo/cube-stereo-140-super-hpc-tm-275-carbonnflashred-2015/

sub 3 grand – carbon, pikes, 11 speed, proper tyres and a hair over 26lbs.

ob done.

got one coming in january.

95% of the people crying warranty this forum are taking the pi55 and trying to get something for nothing, this thread however dives to new depths of utter stupidity.

http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/fullsuspension/stereo/cube-stereo-140-hpa-275-black-anodized-2015/

some right dick heads on this forum, mostly the holier that thou regulars as usual.

been working at a cube dealer for over a year and have still to see a legitimate warranty issue, had a couple of bikes arrive with shipping damage, paint chips etc but not a single failure of a frame.

go with the sb5 ive owned an sb66 and the bearings need a lot of attention, the new switch infinity is a far better idea in my opinion, no bearings just a coupe of seals and a bush, should be much much more durable.

try repairing the things, odd sized cheapy headsets, crappy hubs, BB’s that went out of production in 2007 (on a 2012 bike)
basically parts bin bikes.

i’m with wrecker, love the blade trail in the wet or dry. utterly despise the abortion at cwmcarn.

Rorschach you just hit the nail on the head, everyone that chews through bearings claim to be the most careful owner in the world. reality is often quite the opposite.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/opinion-it-should-be-hard-shouldnt-it-2014.html

seems to be a ton of work going on in les gets/morzine, chatel too.

this must be a record for a thread like this, 3 replies in without a single “hardtails give you skillz” comment.

willing to bet it’s the rear that has lots of lever travel.

you’d be amazed how many 2014 bikes have volume reducers fitted to them by the manufacturers.
the fox 34’s on my 527ei spicy will be for sale as soon as zocchi 350cr’s become available. fox stuff has been overpriced shite for a number of years now.

OEM RC damper forks advertised at the RRP of full retail RCT3 forks.

i’d avoid the dodgy ****ts.

the strive’s bottom bearing should drop out fairly easily, mine could be pulled out with my fingers its probably just a bit gummed up.

should go back in very easily too, no need for a press.

aaaaannnnnddddd here come the warranty monkeys :roll:

great on road bikes and bikes that dont see dirt much.
atrocious on anything that see’s any sort of real mud and slop.

what he said ^^^

the bin is the best place for any talas spring working or broken, get a float spring in there.

dont confuse the cheaper M545’s for M647 DX’s the later are bombproof the former not so much.

the shock tune on mine is light/light. can’t remember the boost valve number off hand though.
mojo have suggested to change it to medium medium if your above about 11st

awesome bikes, heres mine :D

i regard mountain biking as riding over quite rough technically challenging terrain, what a lot of folk here describe as their mountain biking i would describe more as touring.

why do people think that learning to control a bike properly is all about showing off and being a badass?

having the confidence and ability to just react to the unexpected when riding is pretty important in my opinion.
say for example your on an unknown bit of trail your having a ball enjoying the day and suddenly a rock ledge jumps out on you, if you regularly ride such things without thinking you just pop off it and go on your way, or you could panic grab both brakes in the traditional death grip and smash your face into the floor.

seems to be that the general consensus is you need to drop at least a grand on “skills courses” before you attempt such insanity as a 3 ft drop or a 6 ft double jump. most people i ride with learned how to jump and control bikes as kids on grifters and raleigh burners without a coach in sight.

probably because most folk that frequent this forum are beardy single speeder types that havent realised that the sport has moved on in the last 20 years and think that wheels leaving the ground is only for likes of josh bender on his carpiel apocalypse.

When I demo’d a 5 29er it sounded like a skeleton pleasuring it’s self in a biscuit tin. Also didn’t seem to like changing direction.