…breathes a big sigh of relief and clicks ‘buy’ on the wheel build!

thanks, perfect info.

@ zilog6128

thanks – I did read your post.

bump for the office crowd – anyone else had any success with 25s or 28 road tyres…?

????????

Clearly this is a much more interesting thread, but can someone please answer my question about road tyres on a 29er Crest as I need a new hoop?

Yep. Love it.

Until I was introduced to this off-road lark by you lot, it was my favourite flavour of bike time.

bootleg canyon / boulder city looks incredible – thanks people!

never fails to amaze me that STW can answer even the most niche question.
brilliant.
thanks, again.

done.

getting loads of MPs bothered about this debate could be a really good thing.

Alright folk.
Born and bred Islander but now living in that London.
I ride West Wight whenever I visit the folks so will check in here next time.

Keen to have a go at this ‘Grammars’ place…?
I normally do the forest XC but would like to try some DH flavour…

I have an X with disc front and canti rear as described above.
It’s almost faultless.

MTB batteries . Co . Uk

Run by a chap off here. Lights are brilliant, service is faultless.

I don’t think you’d be disappointed. Great frame, decent price.

I bought an RL853 frame off here.
Although the actual frame weight is not massively lighter than the Inbred it replaced, it feels like it is when you ride it.
It’s much more ‘alive’. Seems to have a great balance between comfort/compliance and an ‘urgent’, purposeful energy. It just seems to glide along smiling! The Inbred, to me felt a bit dead and character-less (I know a lot of people rate them) but having ridden both, with exactly the same wheels/running gear, I’d choose the RL 853 anyday.

…Having said that, I would have a look at a Scandal for similar money.
Despite being billed as a ‘racey’ speed machine, I find it also has a great ‘light’ ride feel. It’s weirdly comfortable and ‘springy’ (in a good way).

MIP if you want to try either of these.
Happy hunting.

hi rocketdog,

I’ve got a 58cm X.
I’m 6ft, with a 33″ inside leg.

The 58 X suits me as I can run a shorter stem than the 56 would necessitate and I can have the bars higher.
This helps the handling for trail work and long touring IMO.

Your welcome for a spin if you’re South ish.

@ d45yth

did you do a solo Morocco mission, or was it guided?
where did you go?

my brother-in-law runs Surf Maroc[/url] and we go every year… I keep meaning to take my bike as well as board – the local hills and dusty tracks look great.

Faultless family business.
Spread the word, they are great.

Only a half hour local spin.
I’m sure snow riding has to be amongst the best training you can do for bike handling…?
All that drifting, sliding, weight shift and correction.

I un-bolted the trucks from my old skateboard and dragged the nipper round for a bit which was a laugh. 😀

Good Friday.

thanks all
hot water trick is a good one

full marks for ‘STW maintenance support’ again!

bump for anyone who might be able to help with this (can’t measure brake)

ta.

the standard CRC jobbie got my shiny road bike to Nice and back, but I added heaps of extra foam/card etc.

met a guy at the guy airport who swears by one of these bike box £130.

Scruff:

700c audax road bikes are designed for doing long days, big miles at decent pace.
They’re generally quicker & lighter than tourers with a slightly more ‘focussed’ feel, but nowhere near as ‘committed’ as a full-on road/race bike.
Mudguards usually come as standard and racks can always be P-clipped if no fittings are brazed on.

You should be able to pick up something 2nd hand for £300… (search for any road bike that comes with full length fitted mudguards).
You could get a Dolan build (as suggested above) a Tifosi or a Ribble winter/audax for about £600 if you want to buy new.

Steer clear of anything with a 53/39 chainset (gearing won’t be fun on hills with luggage).
Get something with decent puncture proof tyres (25-28 width).
Comfy seat (brooks/spoon type).

Buy the best frame you can afford – a good audax is a very versatile bike that will see you through crazy miles of commuting, club runs, sportives, alps trips, light touring!
A decent set of handbuilt wheels on a good frame can be paired up with some basic running gear like Shimano Sora or Campag Mirage (bought off here).

The below is from SPA cycles looks great if you have a bigger budget: Ti frame with sensible build and even decent tyres for £1500.
spa cycles – ti audax

Keen to learn some more routes round Swinley, but am injured at the mo.
Can I get in touch in a few weeks?

Strength and honour team.

TPMA
totally positive mental attitude.

I’d start with 30 front and 35/40 rear (up this a bit if it’s very rocky and/or you are heavier than 10st).

If you can ride a short loop, keep lowering the pressure and see how it feels.
I couldn’t believe it when I stuck a gauge on at the end of a session in the woods and discovered I had less than 20psi in the front and only 25ish in the rear – the bike (steel hardtail) felt better than ever – it was like some sort of miraculous handling upgrade that should have costs hundreds of pounds.

Have fun and take a pump with you in case you overdo it!

Works fine with BB7 road calipers(silver colour) got em on my X.
If they are the MTb BB7s (black colour) you will need a travel agent.

Roue d’explosif.

I’ve got one. Bought off here. I put a carbon fork and disc on front but left canti on rear.
Have ragged it round trails, done Cross sportives, ridden across France, commuted, towed trailers and generally thrown it around.
It’s a brilliantly versatile bike. Not the best out and out crosser I’m sure, but it rides beautifully off road and is stable, comfortable and quick enough on Tarmac.
It’s bullet proof. It’s stiff enough to carry more kit or offspring than you need.
If I was only allowed two bikes, this would be one o them.
When I get round to it I will post some pics and a review, but might delay as it looks like this forum is sponsored by Cotic at the moment!

Mines a 58 and I am 6 foot. Could have gone 56, but I like having a shorter stem.
You’re welcome to a spin if you ever get near that London.

Am not a medic/physio, best advice would be find one you trust and go through issues with them.

As far as my own experience goes, getting your ‘core’ really strong sorts most back issues.
Pilates and the right sort of yoga can seem a bit pointless, but if you do them right (and regularly) they really work. Surfing is also great (if you are near the coast)?

Maybe google ‘exercises to strengthen core’?

Paulo here you go… You’ll need to use it in the next couple of days.

B57YE2VK9FI(or it could be a 1?)Y71

Great post.

Am yet to pop my night-riding cherry. Have just picked up a Smudge light off here… all I need now is my hand to mend and I’ll be out there trying not to think of horror movies.

pretty sure I’ve got one at home, won’t be able to check till later – maybe drop me a mail and I’ll dig it out for you (MIP)

Well done Kev.
It’s good to hear more about the trading on here that works really well.

I was new to mountain biking about a year ago but have since built bikes for my wife and I entirely from these classifieds!
Not only that, but I’ve had the most brilliant ‘tech support’ whenever I’ve been confused about a mechanical issue.

Have done heaps of miles with Hamax fitted to bot 26 and 700 wheeled bikes.
One setup trick is to slide the child seat as far forward as possible on the plastic ‘runner’.

The rest is down to your own weight distribution and handling.
Imagine a long, steep, seated climb up a mountain… Weight low and forward… Nice and smooth.
Same rules!
Once you’re underway you can stop looking like a freak, but when going really slowly this approach does work.

@TimK
Wow.
Savage.
How much do you want for that bit of finger? Could be useful. Does Paypal Gift work for you?

@wwaswas
Comedy genius! Properly laughing out loud for the first time since finger munch. 😆

@ sam_underhill

Yep! That was me! Thanks for stopping – I remember (vaguely).

Some quality blunders from the rest of you which have made me feel a lot better.

Wow! You’re still here!
You obviously don’t have a 29er, or the wheels would have exploded by now and destroyed your computer.

Unless you align valves to tyre logos and keep your grass tidy I would get out whilst you can.

Almost got that for the wife.
Ended up chucking another £100 in and got her a Genesis Aether instead, but if you are set on “new” I’d say this is not a bad option at all for the money.

Just make sure it fits you well.

Audax/tourer as already suggested as you’ll want guards for sure (and maybe rack/pannier if you take kit).

A good option could be:
Cotic X
Croix de Fer
or similar…

Very capable as commuters but swap tyres and you can have some more fun.

For Psychle, who organised the SDW in a day mission, which was champion.
He’s gone back to Oz, so here’s something to remind him of that London.

My wife worked there for a fair while before we get together.
Despite cautions above, she had a really interesting time. It’s quite different! Maybe that’s a good thing to experience, if only for a while?
You can do some good exploring from there.
MIP if you want to get int touch with ‘Mrs Barn’ and see what she has to say.