Munqechick – don’t forget that Titus have gone bust so you won’t be able to get warranty back up from them if you get an El-Guapo. I suppose On-One would have to sort that out if they’re selling off the frames though?

I put some Lyrik Coil U-Turns forks and Fox RP23 rear shock on my Enduro SL Pro and it’s a much improved bike for it – much better quality of suspension compared to the Spesh AFR stuff. Highly recommened upgrade, I also put some Roval Traversee wheels on it and that’s a huge improvement of the OEM DT Swiss wheelset that came on the bike, also highly recommended.

Hmm, interesting that it’s not just me then, also interesting to hear that others have experienced issues with the MW80 boot – XTR 980 pedal combo. I’m going for a test ride with them over the weekend so will see if they loosen up slightly otherwise I might have to resort to cutting some of the sole around the cleat recess away to open up the space around the cleat.

Thanks for the responses.

I’ve got Elixir Carbon R’s on my hardtail, I’ve been very impressed with them to be honest and am amazed that the organic pads lasted just over a year considering how much the bike has been used. Brakes have good modulation and great power considering I use 160mm rotors front/back.

My only slight grumble has been when it comes to replacing the pads. Changing the pads takes about 20 secs and is very simply but getting the brakes set up again to not rub the rotor is a nightmare! I had to grind the pads down to get them to fit in once I’d pushed the pistons right back into the calipers. I’ve heard of users putting a credit card in between the pads and then applying the brakes to reset the pads but this didn’t work too well in my case. I’ve got it sorted now but it was slightly more complex than it has been for other brakes I’ve owned.

I did the 121km last year, really, really enjoyed it, nice route and includes some good hills to keep things interesting. I’m booked in to do the 132km route this year. Last year I did it on a 25lb 120mm travel full sus which was v comfy and got me round in a fraction under 7hrs 30mins but I wished I’d taken my xc race hardtail to be honest. I’ll be riding the hardtail this year I think. It would be doable on a cx bike, some of the downhills might be slightly bone shaking (I’m thinking about the nice gulley downhill coming into Wendover for example) but I’m sure you’d get round, there were some rutty and rooty wooded sections along the way so they may smart a bit on a cx bike.

Mine seems to have a significantly decreased burn time in temps less than 4C – during the spring / Autumn night rides I always get pretty much bang on 3hrs on max, however in these colder conditions we’ve had recently I tend to get about 1.5hrs on max…

Just taken a look at their website, blimey, absolutely stunning value!!!!! £2129 for a 100mm xc full sus with SRAM XX groupset!

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2070

Or how about an alu xc race hardtail with 2011 XTR drivetrain and dt Swiss XR100 forks for £1699!!

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2058

Apologies for the shameless plug but how about my 2009 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert hardtail? Am looking for £1200 (total build rrp last October was £2400), it’s in very, very condition, a 22lb rocket shop! :-)

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-2009-specialized-stumpjumper-expert-ht-2

Repack – agreed, having 203mm/185mm Marta’s on certainly gives awesome braking performance but will be overkill for xc racing. The brakes were off a previous bike I’ve now sold so for the immediate term it was just a matter of a straight swap over, will probably get a pair of 160mm rotors in the new year.

Captainmainwaring – am still fettling with final set up adjustments, certainly one of the things I was going to alter though following yesterdays ride is the brake lever angle, they were too steep.

Kato – the layback post works pretty nicely and the saddle rails are slap bang in the middle of the clamp, I’m also one those weirdos who likes the look of bendy Thompson posts on bikes! :-)

davidtaylforth – felt pretty nippy in the turns really, the Syntace stem is 90mm so not too long.

Shredder – ygm

thebikechain – thanks for the info regarding the 2011 pricedrop to £1899, could be a handy little amount, actually slightly refreshing considering all the price hikes across the cycling industry since 2009. I don’t see this listed on any websites yet though?

Ta.

psychle – thanks for the link, no good though unfortunately (I probably should have mentioned in my original post but would need a large size frame)

woody2000 – I suppose 23p is better than nothing but am ideally looking for a slightly more palatable total figure! :-))

LoCo – sorry to hijack this post, just wondering if you had good guidance on how to remove the lowers off SIDs (2009)? Even though they’re running nicely I probably need to top up the oil in the bottom of the legs of mine, wouldn’t mind just checking the seals / foam rings etc even though the bike is stored upside down to keep the foam rings lubed. I’m struggling to see how I remove the legs due to the deeply recessed bolts etc!

Cheers.

Realman – thanks, much appreciated! :-)

cynic-al – there you go you see, I did admit to knowing very little about IT! ;-)

Houns – I need to witness the matte carbon, that sounds luurvly!

Here's the link I can't access.

http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/blurxc_carbon/#builder.php

chilli1912 – I've fitted 2009 Lyrik Coil U-Turn forks and a 2009 Fox RP23HV rear shock to my Enduro SL Pro frame – imo it vastly improved the bike, the Lyriks are ace and the extra 10mm travel nicely slackens the headangle just ever so slightly more, the fork copes with bigger hits better. The Fox RP23 on the back was also a big improvement on the AFR – damping is more controlled, with propedal turned off for DH runs it's nice & plush (bit bobby though!), and I quite like the fact that you can effectively lock the forks and rear shock out now, makes fireroad climbs more bearable.

I'd totally recommend the changes to be honest, it does feel as though the AFR & e150 were holding the frame back somewhat.

gohandy – bike would be used for xc racing but predominatly longer 100km ish enduro events. I'm currently using a 25lb 140mm travel full sus for these and i want something that's abit closer to the speed of my 21 lb xc race hardtail on the climbs… figure replacing the 140mm travel frame for a 100mm could do the trick!

Specialized Sauserwind S-Works 1.8's – I use these on my race hardtail, they're pretty grippy, lightweight and even deal ok in the mud when it rains…

vings – one of the guys I go riding with has an 2007 SWorks Epic, it came with the Spesh AFR Brain but because 2 or 3 of those broke within the first couple of months of owning it, Spesh UK replaced his shock with a 2006 Fox Brain – that's been much more reliable. It might still be an option available to you?

dajs – I'd have thought you'd need one of the air valve assembly pieces (slim) from Mojo? Looks they screw into the shock from the outside.

http://www.mojostore.co.uk/acatalog/Shock_Valve_Caps.html

Amazing how off topic this post has become but with I'm most of the above… I boycott Israeli products and certainly would never dream of booking there for a holiday… should have booked a hol in Syria, enjoy it before Israeli / Zionist coalition decides to build illegal settlements there aswell!

Apologies to the OP for not providing any help with this post! :oops:

Pz_Steve – deffo take your bike, as mentioned above, Shotover is literally a 15 min spin from the city centre, great selection of little trails & singletrack for riding on the doorstep. If you're visiting mid week there's good mtb club rides on Tuesday evenings. If you're willing to drive 30 mins then the Chilterns offers exceptional wooded singletrack riding.

gazc – long time no see, how's tricks with you? :-)

foxyrider – wow thanks for speed reply – that took about 20secs! :D

Do a normal wash but add some vinegar (the clear stuff not balsamic!), it's an old wives tale that works a treat. Don't quite know how it works but presume that as the vinegar is essentially acid it kills the bacterias and stops the smells. Worth trying as vinegar is v cheap!

I use Pedros Bikelust, bikes come up looking as shiny as new with that stuff. On matte, anodised frames GT85 / TF2 works nicely though.

I saw an M5 alu 2010 Enduro Expert test bike in my LBS last week and it was in a rather lovely matt anodised dark red colour. Overall it looked nicer than the regular Enduro Expert simply because it didn't have the 'orrible orange wheels!

Any one else?

I've used S-Works Captain 2.0's on my xc bike for the last 2 springs / summers, aswell as Captain 2.2's on my 6inch travel FS, local riding being the Chilterns and am really impressed. The Captain 2.2's have been particularly good for Cymcarn / Afan visits aswell.

pixelmix – how about these, complete wheelset in the bronze colour you're after, let me know.

-XC Wheelset – DT Swiss XR4.2D rims, 28h/32h, DT Swiss Super Comp 2.0/1.7/1.8 stainless black spokes, alloy nipples, Specialized Stout front hub with 9mm DT RWS alloy QR, DT Swiss 340 rear hub with DT RWS 10mm alloy QR, 32h – 9/10 condition – £130 posted

I sold the e150SL forks on my Enduro SL Pro and put some 09 RS Lyrik U-Turns on it and it certainly improved the bike, I also put an 09 RP23 rear shock on it and that also improved the rear end.

The e150's were ok and certainly not bad forks but i hated the fact that I had to constantly service the seals to keep the fork supple for small bump sensivity. The damping on the Lyiks is also vastly superior when it comes to bigger hits. I'd agree that the Spesh forks are uber stiff but Lyriks aren't exactly flexy! I'm dead chuffed with my Roval Traversee wheels on it but having the 25mm bolt through on the e150 forks was also pretty short sighted, you're pretty much either stuck with the OEM front hub (cr*p!) or have to shell out for some Traversee's.

trail_rat – on a completely unrelated matter, I've just seen you've done remarkably well at the Puffer. Just wondering on how you structure your training regime – miles per week, road vs mountain bike, long distance training miles vs short intervals etc. Any guidance very welcome!

Well if I'm lucky there might still be enough material on the bolts for a T30 bit to get a good grip, I'll borrow one from my lbs and see if it does the trick.

I'll still be replacing them with some 5mm allen key chainring bolts though! :roll:

:oops:

C*ck, c*ck, c*ck, c*ck, c*ck… i used a T25 torq bit… :evil: Why couldn't Shimano just have kept 5mm allen bolts like on previous cranksets… much simpler!

Oh well, will have to take the drill to them then…

How about the K9 DH001? I've ridden this and it's the best tracking suspension design I've ever tried, doesn't bob at all and yet sucks up all the bumps perfectly, Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock also very tasty!

2010 Dirt 100 K–9 DH001–S

Spesh Phenom SL – got these on 3 of my bikes, absolutely love them, very comfy and good light weight.

I've also got an Selle Italia SLR that can get used for short xc blasts but find it starts to get sore after 2.5-3 hours.

Njee20 – that'll be v nice, look forward to seeing your pics once it's built up. It'll be better than you're Epic simply because the Trek has got proper forks and no Brain! ;-)

If the top of the range one (£5k+) weighs 22lbs how on earth will you get it down below 20lbs though??!!

stu_d – 'Twitchy' compared to my 5 inch travel xc full sus and 6 inch travel full sus but that's to be expected really! In the 4 weeks I've had the Stumpy HT it's all I've been riding, it's a nice involving frame, find it very satisfying to be out and about on. Great for getting the miles in but does get uncomfortable after about 3.5 hours.

stu_d – A month ago I got an '09 Stumpy Expert HT in the end of year sales for a total of £1850 which included a set of 2010 Roval Control EL wheels, xt cassette, Thomson seatpost, and new tyres, pretty damn good deal. Weighs approx 21.25lbs and is a rocket along the flat and uphills, bit twitchy on steep, tech downhills though!