stratobiker – i posted the same query a couple of weeks back, not much feedback recieved though.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/winter-tyres-specialized-s-works-2bliss-sauserwind-18

However, since then I went ahead and I've put pairs of 1.8 S-Works Sauserwind's on my xc ht race bike and xc 5 inch travel bike. Only been out riding on the hardtail so far but am fairly impressed, very light and roll incredibly well and seem good in the gloop, slim carcass of the 1.8 cuts nicely through the mud. I'm running them on 2010 Roval Control EL's and 2009 Roval Controle SL's and they were a b%stard to fit on the 2010 wheels but really straightforward on the 2009's, no idea why so different but anyway!

Bream – could you post the link to the pages on the RS website if poss? Just taken a look but can't seem to find anything, only the general service manuals?

Ta.

Anyone else used these tyres?

I'm a big fan of my carbon Deviant, certainly nice and light for a full face helmet and happily use it for Aston Hill and the like, no way I'd want to ride 100km xc rides in it though…

ade – I've replaced the Brain on my 2008 Stumpy FSR Pro with a 2009 RP23HV 190×50 rear shock. The Fox shock is sooo much better than the Brain imo – I really prefer the RP23 on the fly propedal adjustment and lockout and the damping on the Fox is vastly superior.

The slightly longer stroke of my RP23 has increased the travel from 120mm to 136mm and the BB is raised by 0.6cm. Makes the headangle slightly steeper but to be honest it's given the bike more xc race geometry which suits me perfectly. Fitting the RP23 has also saved 220g of weight, the weight taken off the rear axle is really quite noticeable. With an XTR, SRAM XO, Magura Marta, Roval Control SL, Thomson build I've got a 24.75lb 5.5 inch travel xc bike, absolutely love it. :D

I've got an Enduro SL Pro – SRAM XO, XT HT2 cranks, Roval Traversee wheels, Magura Marta disks, Thomson post & stem etc, and have replaced the Specialized suspension with 09 RS Lyriks, and an 09 RP23 shock.

It's a superbly capable bike regardless of what the badge snobs say! Approx 28.5lbs and will happily hammer downhill and really not too shabby on the ups due to the light wheels so fine for all day rides. For Aston Hill etc it's just a matter of putting some hefty DH tyres on, putting the frame in the low BB / slack HA setting and away you go.

I've got an SL Pro which I've been pretty chuffed with. I have however added 09 RS Lyrik Coil U-Turn forks, 09 Fox RP23HV rear shock, and a 09 Roval Traversee wheelset and to be honest there is simply no way that the Specialized suspension is anywhere near as good as Rockshox and Fox stuff…

I found that swapping the suspension has transformed the bike for the better. 8)

Cheers Njee for info – however, what's the 'BC' stand for? Also, how do you go about getting a race license for Southern XC Masters or Sports cats? Can I simply buy a licence early next year to race 2010 Master or Sport cat races, how much are they?

Sorry for all the Q's!

Cheers.

LOL @ Clubber! '12.4%' – that's v precise! :wink:

Super, thanks.

I ride in Oxford / Chilterns / local area with Trimix & Mattie_H above and would echo exactly what they have said, a great deal of good riding nearby! :-)

nickc – I was aware that I can’t use sintered pads on Magura’s (the heat melts the seals!) so I went for the ‘green’ organic EBC pads which should be fine. I hope… :roll:

TJ – deffo haven’t glazed them, have been making a concerted effort to pump the brakes in short blips to get a bit of heat into them as part of the bedding in process.

I’ve done over 1300 miles so far on my Roval Controle XC SL’s, touch wood no problems yet. I’ve also done about 250 miles on my Roval Traversee, again touch wood, no problems to date.

However… a mate of mine has got some Controle XC SL’s and his front bearings went after about 150 miles…

Will this year’s Bikefest have a larger injury list than last year??!!

The Saturday last year included: 1 lost finger (due to disk – hand interface), 1 broken pelvis, and 2 collorbone’s…

I had an 06 SX Trail up until November 08, certainly one of the most (if not THE most) enjoyable bike I’ve ever owned. During the time I owned the SX Trail there was a 15 month period where my other bike was a Demo 8 so the Sx Trail was my ‘XC’ bike! Had it built to about 35-36lbs and over the 18 months or so just got used to riding it like that as an ‘every day’ bike.

My riding has changed quite drastically in the past year or so though (much more xc and enduro’s) and now have a 25lb 120mm full sus and 28lbs 150mm full sus. I have to admit that I find the new bikes are much more suitable as every day bikes.

****Bump**** ;-)

Gary_M – c’mon… a 14lb road bike, skinnies, all tucked up – i reckon that would make the same ride at least 6 or 7mph quicker over 54km compared to my 5inch travel full sus on the road…

Thanks for the virtual medal by the way, the wind and rain last night all seem worth it now… :wink:

Well, I managed to complete the ride last night, 1st half of the ride was certainly challenging with the headwind and heavy driving rain but managed to do the 54km on my 5inch travel full sus with knobblies at an average speed of 17.74mph!

The tailwind certainly had me zipping along on the way back home.

If I had a decent roadbike i reckon that would have been at least a 23-24mph average speed…

Ha ha!

LOL @ BB and mmw. I’m v worried about ‘that’ law, have often planned routes whilst looking at wind direction with the assumption that sections would have a nice tailwind to enjoy… end up being thoroughly confused by the fact that whichever direction i cycle there only appears to be a headwind! Most frustrating!

[Does this not mess up your disc brakes though?]

Not with an elastic band round the bar pulling the brake lever in. The Magura Marta’s I have don’t seem to be affected by being stored upside down. My old Shimano Saint’s didn’t like it though…

I had a pair of 07 Van 36 RC2’s, certainly lovely forks and I didn’t have any problems with them… However, I now have a pair of 09 RS Lyrik U-Turn Coils and I have to say that I prefer the Lyriks.

The Lyriks are more controlled over rocky, v bumpy terrain although don’t quite have the small bump sensivity of the 36’s. I prefer the big hit performance of the Lyriks though, once you get up to speed the damping deals with things superbly. I also find the ability to lock them out with the flood gate really useful for road miles and climbing, makes things much less bobby than with the 36’s.

My 09 Coil Lyriks must have needed 25 hours of riding before the bushings loosened up and I replaced the oil in the legs as there didn’t appear to be much in there – this has certainly improved performance. I’m now going to make a conscious effort to top up the oil in the legs every 2-3 months or so.

Also, it’s well worth storing them upside down as this seems to improve the small bump performance – presumably because the bushings and foam rings stay nicely lubed. I always do this with my Fox forx and it also appears to help the Lyriks.

Hope you find this useful!

I’ve got an Enduro SL and have been pretty chuffed with it to be honest. Have put a pair of Roval Traversee wheels on it and have replaced the e150SL forks with some 09 RS Lyrik U-Turns. Was happy with how it rode before but imo the new wheels and the Lyriks have seriously improved the ride. The Coil 09 Lyriks are much better than the Spesh forks in terms of small bump performance and also don’t dive through the travel like the e150’s.

The rebound circuit on my first AFR rear shock died but was replaced and fitted under warranty within 2 working days. The current rear shock has now been fine for over 6 months.

One thing worth mentioning is the absolutely stupid DESIGN FAULT of the AFR rear shock though… When you come to do an aircan service (I do one every 2-3 months) you obviously have to unscrew the aircan, doing so lets air into the negative chamber. When it comes to screwing the aircan back on you trap negative air and it pulls the shock down so that you end up having a 130mm ish travel bike and lower BB height… To get around this you have to do a bodge job involving a drinking straw to release all the trapped negative air and achieve the full 150mm…

The AFR shock works fairly well imo but the negative air issue is a basic mistake – couldn’t Spesh have just paid some money to Fox to be able to use their patented dual chamber??!! Anyway…

I had an 06 SX Trail which I sold back in November. Had it built with Fox 36 Van RC2’s, DHX5, Saint, XTR, Mavic 729’s. Probably weighed 35-36lbs i suppose. Was an amazing bike and for 2 years I used it for abit of everything, however, my riding’s become more xc / trail orientated over the past 18 months or so and it wasn’t being ridden so much so I sold it before xmas.

I’ve replaced it with an Enduro SL Pro, put some Roval Traversee wheels on it and have replaced the e150 forks with some 09 RS Lyrik U Turn Coils. It weighs approx 27.5lbs. Am very, very happy with the SL, replacing the forks has made a big difference, the coil Lyriks are much better imo.

It’s not quite as settled downhills as the SX Trail but I can certainly hammer it without any concerns. I’ve found the frame nice and stiff but not sure I’d want to be doing larger drops and some dh stuff like on the SX tho. My SL certainly climbs much more quickly than the SX Trail!!

Wowzers…. I bought some 09 RS Lyrik Coil U Turns in the 1st week of January, glad I got them when I did, they’ve now gone from £548 to £770 on CRC!!

26 miles on Wednesday and 60 miles last weekend, hoping to get out this Sunday if poss. Was hoping to do the Trailbreak Chilterns ride tommorrow but it’s been cancelled. :(

Got a 2007 pair on my 6 inch travel bike and a 2008 pair on my xc bike, both set up with 203mm rotors front, 185mm rear. Best brakes I’ve ever owned, superb power, great modulation and the Magura pads seem to last forever!

I’ve just changed forks on my 6 inch travel bike and gone from IS to post mount and the front brake has started to squeal alot but I think I’ll just have to fiddle around with the caliper postioning slightly… More powerful than my old Saints and LOADS lighter!

Specialized Roval Traversee – technically an ‘All Mountain’ wheelset but at 1580g per set they’re easily light enough for xc racing.

According to the latest What MTB magazine (i think) their review of the 09 Stumpy HT Comp weighed in at 23.2 lbs without pedals.

xc / trail bike – 09 Specialized Controle XC SL – 1380g – am biased, but these are the sweetest wheels I’ve ever seen!

All Mountain / freeride bike – 09 Specialized Traversee – 1580g – awesomely light (& strong considering their weenie weight) 20mm bolt through wheelset, as light as alot of very good xc wheelsets.