I’m a serial tyre killer. Ran DD all last year including a week in Finale and Ard Rock etc without a single puncture despite running an Aggressor completely into the ground.

Fitted an Exo on the rear for one single day day last year (Tweedlove International – it had forecast rain which never arrived) and put a big cut in it at the start of stage 4 (waterworld).

Cane Creek say the Coil IL is not compatible with all 2019 stumpys (the yoke puts too much side load through the shock). But again, recommending a coil to a heavy rider on that frame would be poor advice anyway.

https://www.canecreek.com/product/dbcoil-il/

I’d be looking at volume spacers in the air shock if I were you. Coils are less likely to work well for a heavier rider due to being linear. I’ve been running the Fox DPX2 air, RS Super Deluxe Ultimate air and Fox DHX2 coil on my Evo without any of your problems, but I am fairly light and the Evo is a more progressive leverage ratio than the standard stumpjumper, which also helps.

The ‘problem’ with Hope BBs and GXP is that the SRAM system is designed around the non-DS bearing being located with a circlip into the BB shell. The crank axle then clamps around the non-DS bearing and this handles all the side loading with the DS bearing effectively floating (there is a few mm to allow for frame tolerances and chain devices etc).

On the Hope conversion, the crank axle clamps around the non-ds bearing as with SRAM, but the bearing isn’t held in place with a circlip and can move under side loads until the DS crank pushes against DS bearing. I’ve also found on one Hope GXP setup I had to use about 1 million lb/ft to remove an annoying bit of play!

I’ve done one ride on an S150 with each wheel size. The 27.5+ was much fun, wanting to launch off anything and land anywhere, generally encouraged mucking about. Going straight to the 29 after, they looked tiny and unstable but probably a bit quicker overall.

No exprience with the Maguras, but my Code RSCs feel great. Didn’t fade or wander at all doing a full day at Stiniog last week.

I’ve done them on a 100mm FS and even a full series on a rigid before. A different challenge but I enjoyed it on both bikes.

Mine is now 160 front and back after changing to a 210×57 DHX2 and swapping the fork shaft. Still has plenty of clearance on the back end even in low mode, you could go for 170mm+ rear travel in high mode.

Quite the thread bump! I’m still using the slack set on the singlespeed and still happy with the change!

The only guy I know who has ridden AXS said he actually dislikes having to ride regular eagle kit until AXS is available for his bike next month. So while I’m as pessimistic as the next man with gear cables that work ‘fine’ I think it is one of those try it before judging things.

The cost on the other hand…

@jameso – I tried by email and phone but they said they would not post one out, it has to be taken in. Sounds like I am best just buying a replacement hanger off the site.

The original strive was a great idea – take full enduro race geometry (of the era) and add a lever to make it work better uphill.

Unfortunately they seemed to move to 29″ wheels but keep the “enduro race” geometry from the same era as the original strive. A 66 degree head angle in “slack” mode is not slack enough and a 65 degree seat angle in the “steep” mode is not steep enough. Basically is shifts from one middle of the road geometry to another, slightly different, middle of the road geometry.

I never had the hanger recall done on my 2015 Arkose 4, and today it snapped on me while riding to work. Did anyone manage to get Evans to post out the revised version? They are just telling me to take it to store, which isn’t really feasible without a day off work (in which case it is cheaper to just buy a new one).

It simply comes down to weight distribution. Not enough weight on the front tyre will mean it slides out when cornering. Long reach and short chainstays (as was the fashion for the last few years) will cause this on any bike. Shorter offset forks bring the front wheel back in a bit and therefore reduce the understeer slightly. Longer chainstays also help to balance the bike.

Specialized Butcher Grid 29 x 2.6 – Loads new/nearly pop up on eBay and pinkbike in your budget.

Whichever DT Swiss rims are about the weight you require. Likely that the XMxxx range being the most direct comparison to Stans Arch.

If you are interested in the Sentinel, the Stumpjumper Evo is worth a look – more balanced geometry (well, a longer rear end), masses of tyre clearance, easy to convert from 140 to 160mm rear travel and apparently a carbon model is imminent. I like mine anyway! The only downside is having to sell on the factory fitted kit if you want a higher spec as no frame only.

It is very difficult to properly locate the freehub seal into the hub body correctly with the cassette on (on Hope, I’m making an assumption that Superstar are similar). I tend to remove the cassette when this happens to push the seal back in properly, otherwise it will all rust up very quickly in there.

I got the internal brand x one and fed the cable through the lower of the seat tube bottle bosses. I did angle the hole slightly so the cable exits at the correct angle. Looks really neat!

Doing a similar build (not on a Raaw) and trying to decide between XM 481s and EX 511, or maybe one of each! Was the XM 481 decision based on the bike being a little porky so you went for the lighter wheels? Or would you have gone for them regardless?

Pretty much every Santa Cruz in the uk has come from Stiff in one way or another as they are also the uk distributor (aka Jungle)

If the shock is mounted directly to the rear end, then the distance from the bearing to the shock is likely to be much greater, which would amplify any play and increase side loading on the shock. Look at the GT sanction above, that rear shock mount must be 200mm away from the bearing which attaches to the same part of the bike as the front shock mount. 1 degree of play would be much more serious (4x to be exact) than in the Whyte shown higher up (for example), where the rear of the shock is only about 50mm away from the bearing attaching it to the front triangle.

Try getting your weight low with a flattish back and shoulders over the bars instead of hanging off the back in a defensive upright position.

You would normally get the bushes done at the same time as a CSU swap.

While the default position is unlocked, the solenoid valve they use requires power to move from either state (locked or unlocked) and it requires no power to remain in either state. Basically, when it senses a low battery it will unlock and turn off the computer. If you unplug it/break it/rip a wire out/system crashes it will stay in whatever position it was last in (likely to be locked).

Yes you can make a long travel frame pedal great, but there is always trade-offs (mainly large amounts of pedal kickback). While the current examples shown at launch aren’t the best, I see the real advantage of this kind of system in allowing the engineers to design the suspension kinematics solely around absorbing bumps without having to compromise the design to build in pedalling efficiency.

I fancied a go, but for the round I could make (Eastridge) £75 seemed a lot to ride such a tiny hill. Probably £10 per minute of actual race time!

However, the same price for the Inners round was probably fair, and I don’t mind paying that amount for a festival such as Ard Rock or Tweedlove.

For me, the solution for a national series would be to somehow stirp it back to the bear essentials and reduce entry costs as much as possible. They had a great standard of elites riding this year!

You don’t get much longer then an XL Raaw Madonna. Had one on my Atera DL3 no problem…

Fire extinguisher for me. I got 2 for a tenner and it even works far better than my compressor. Plus a free bike wash when you first empty them out!

The DT XM481s i’m running at the moment have been fantastic. Highly recommended. I’d possibly run the EX version on the back if you are heavy/racing/brutal…

Definitely large. I’m 5’10 (and a bit!) and large is great. Also had a sit on an XL and it didn’t feel crazy big…

https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/santa-cruz-bronson-2019-l,specialized-stumpjumper-evo-27-5-2019-s2/

Two 150mm 27.5″ bikes compared… Bronson looks generally OK, a bit old skool, but I don’t get why such a high BB, even the 5010 is lower.

Both mine are average or shorter and were able to get on a Rothan from 18 months (when smaller than the recommended size), the seat drops a little lower than it officially states as the seatpost tapers into the saddle (so just don’t overtighten it). I have also seen people take the seat out completely and fasten something like pipe lagging/cushion directly onto the frame to get a few more cm.

Avon skin so soft, while usually for the midges, seems to be keeping the horse flies off me as well. And has no DEET like a proper repellant.

People complaining that it is an hour extra North/South/East/West of where they live were never actually going to attend anyway…

That G170 is 29″. Looks much better proportioned with the big wheels to me.

My Salsa El Mariachi fits the bill, not sure if they are still available though.

Harlestone Firs is my guess!

I’ve had XM481s on for the last year. Riding style is occasional Enduro races, but of Peaks, bit of Lakes, bit of Finale Ligure and lots of jumping about in the woods.

They have been really good considering I’ve run them well past their intended use, the rear has a few dents and is probably due a replacement soon, but I’ve shredded at least 3 tyres on it, and rode half a rocky stage with a flat rear last weekend. I am tempted to try the EX on the back next but certainly wouldn’t be afraid of running the XM again.

If anyone was wanting a tech check shirt, and was dissapointed to find a bunch of regular tees, then… http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sombrio-vagabond-riding-shirt-2017/ and http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sombrio-vagabond-riding-shirt-2016/