Why has nobody mentioned Commencal? I have one and even i’m not sure how to say it! I normally go with Com-en-sal but i’v eheard it pronounced com-en-cal too….

Sets of brake pads FOR £1.79 per pair, what’s not to like?

I wonder if things will improve now they have been absorbed by Wiggle? Wiggle have a massive new warehouse a mile away from me, surely the fact that the items don’t have to cross the water should speed things up.

I remember the days of next day for free. It’s been a few years since I’ve had that kind of service on a regular basis though. It was one of the reasons I used them over others too. It meant I could order Monday morning and get it Tuesday without having to consider getting up and going outside!

The immediate issue that springs to mind is clearance at the rear. I have the 2015 Crush and with a 2.3 Nobby Nic on the rear and I have very minimal clearance at the seat stays.

I’m a size 9 and I do get heel rub. Never notice myself doing it when riding, but there are streaks of rubber on the helitape when I wash it down. It doesn’t bother me!

He did the cat and Fiddle ride a few weeks ago in Stoke. We only got a glimpse of him, he set off with the very first riders and didn’t stick around long. I think in typical Guy style he has no interest in being a public figure or celebrity which is why we all like him so much.

Depends on your riding style. If you’re aggressive and ham fisted and skid to scrub speed rather than controlled deceleration then use the XT’s as you don’t need any modulation. If you’re a smoother rider you will appreciate the feel you get from the Hope brakes.

Shimano’s brakes are throw away parts. They always seem to get to a couple of years old and need new seals which means a new calliper/lever. They are so cheap and do almost as good a job as the Hopes for 50% of the price.

I’m a Hope fan, but even so I still think the negligible weight penalty is absolutely worth it for reliability and peace of mind. A few extra grams so close to the centre of rotation isn’t going to be noticeable.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPAPEX/planet-x-pro-carbon-sram-apex-road-bike

I’m looking to buy one of these. It’s worth looking at the gearing on cheap bikes before you buy. I have a bottom of the range Trek and the lack of low range kills me on Sportives. I’m all good for the first 30 miles but once you start hitting the big climbs not being able to spin takes all of your energy. The Planet X Carbons come with a 34 front ring and 32T cassette, which is going to be a God send on long climbs.

Immediate thoughts were “You’re best off speaking to Commencal”. Then I realised it’s Commencal so you’re probably best off speaking to STW! Customer service ain’t great.

I can’t imagine the mounting hardware will come with the frame as they are specific to each brand/model of shock. Best people to talk to are TF/Mojo/Loco as they will sort you out a shock with a tune tailored to your bike, weight and riding style. As soon as you get it heli-tape the hell out of the rear end as your feet will take the paint off in no time. It’s really wide.

Tickets. Run it like Glastonbury or any other festival. It’s the only way to control numbers. You only have to make the journey once in your life right? Well ‘there’s always next year’.

Squirt.

That’s the same with everything though julez, you can’t expect to buy something and it not to depreciate!

P.S Wheels are s*** is the general consensus. I need to replace mine soon as I’ve killed them. Mine came drilled for schraeder which was a PITA.

In the photo I posted just I had two broken elbows.

I’d get some some elbow pads too.

I use fox endure for my joints. Don’t notice you are wearing them and they stay put for 30 mile rides.

It’s on your list anyway, but I have the Meta V4 in small and it’s a very very good bike with huge amounts of standover due to them sinking half of the shock into the top tube!

I for one think it looks great.

People change tyres for the winter? Just ride it you Jessie!

High roller 2/ Ardent for me all year around on the big bike and Dampf/ Nic on the HT. Slippy is fun!

Look at the reach in the specs and compare it to your current bike. I have the small as i’m 5’5″ and it was 20 mm longer than my previous Nukeproof Mega. It’s comfortable but still not as long as my Orange Crush though.

We never actually went through the old tunnel, as my wife and I were totally unprepared and walking in converse and it was flooded.

Natural trails > trail centres all day long. It’s pretty cool that people aren’t riding Barmouth that much, sometimes it’s nice to be the only bugger there! Shropshire is a place that is brilliant and nobody seems to ride. Hopton and Eastridge trail centres are deserted at weekends and you can spend a full day up the Shropshire hills and rarely see another cyclist.

My mom has recently moved to Fairborne, next to Barmouth. We went walking at ‘blue lake’ last week and I really want to go back with my bike!

I paid a tenner for that. I was a bit miffed, but only because the same company charged me £2.95 the previous year. It’s a nice picture and what can £10 get you nowadays?

I’m one ride in on the RSP Plummet so can’t comment on longevity, but so far so good. Having said that my mate had one for 12 months and apart from the odd strip and grease his was fine. I’m used to a reverb and it obviously doesn’t come close to that but it was cheap and it works. Unlike the reverb however, you have to kind of unweight the seat before pushing the lever and them sitting back down on it again. By the end of my ride I was getting used to it though and I’m sure with more practise it would become second nature. If it was my best bike would I be prepared to spend more? I’m actually not sure I would unless I was used to the infinite adjustment and smooth action of a Reverb. I actually quite like the fact there are 3 levels of adjustment at set heights. Sometimes on the Reverb I find myself only wanting to drop the seat a bit, which is easier said than done when going full chat down some rocks.

I’ve got the AM one and the only thing I can knock it for is the rear triangle is very wide meaning you do rub heels on it. You don’t notice when riding but the evidence of rubbing is clearly there when you get off! Heli-tape the shit out of it!

around £1300 from Alltricks.

I’ve had Hope and Shimano, and I’m happy paying twice the price for a brake that isn’t twice as powerful. I’ve always felt Shimano brakes lacked the feel you get with Hope and the quality isn’t up there. Shimano’s work for a few years and then the non serviceable callipers start to leak and you have to buy new. The whole brake units can be had for so cheap that you just buy a complete new set and after two years you have spent as much on brakes as if you had got the Hope in the first place.

It’s more about the feel and adjustability for me though, I can get down very steep descents in complete control whilst my riding pals are locking up and skidding all over the place.

It’s not a motorcycle, but some old timers may remember these:

I’m 26 myself, and I had one when I was 16 because I thought they were cool as. I sold it to move on to a 125 and have been looking for it ever since. I settled on the above example as it’s as close as I could get, same year, same colour and spec. My original didn’t have the expansion chamber and I took a trip to wales to get a dual seat and mag wheels for that one.

Edit: It’s a 1972 by the way.

This one may get a 70cc kit and big carb at some point.

Here’s my cat Dave in his jumper:

I’m leaning towards a new set of forks then….

In fairness to my pal, he isn’t a victim to trend. It’s took two years to convince him to get a dropper (which he still hasn’t fitted) as he doesn’t think they are needed and he still hasn’t gone tubeless. He is also much better than your average rider.

New springs are about £50 and with only 4 to choose from, I’m unlikely to get one that suits my riding style and weight perfectly. I like the adjustability of air and the fact that If I decide to go to the local downhill trail on it I can whack some more air in and not worry about bottoming out on every feature!

If I send the fork off for a service and firmer spring it will cost me over half the cost of the brand new fork. I don’t even ride the bike that much, it’s normally reserved for hilly natural rides as it’s 2×9 so gives me a better range of gears. I’ll also use it for the odd 40 mile canal ride. It’s a bit porky but the forks are over 2200g and the revs are down as under 1700g. I’m just trying to work out if it’s worth more to me than the return on selling it.

It’s not that far to Swinley Pez, far in distance but not in time as it’s all mainly motorway. Less time to get there than Degla for us. It’s a pants trail centre though unless you know where you are going I guess.

I’m pretty sure I read on here though that Bird travelled up to Cannock for one of the guys to test out the bike, may be worth asking!

No oil at all from factory? How easy is it to check?

I have the 350CR and they are great thus far. Apart from me falling off on my first ride and scratching the stanchions 🙁 Mine seemed a bit sticky in the first part of travel but they seem to be freeing up nicely now. Enjoy!

These horror stories upset me as I have the new espresso 350CR’s on my Meta!

Bank loan is the way to go if you don’t have the dosh and don’t plan on swapping it once the deal is over. Better rates than going on finance for 5 years. Once we finished Uni and got proper jobs we got a flash car as we thought it would make us happy. After about 2 weeks it’s just your car and you think nothing of it.

Now I want a van for the bikes!

I just wanted my Reverb remote to look better. Don’t judge me.

I’ve got both and I can categorically say get V12’s.