The Libya story today has certainly helped solidify Dave’s legacy! 8O

It’s not steel but I have a fairly light weight build 2015 Whyte 29-C carbon 29er HT and whilst it’s marketed as an xc race bike and excels at that it’s also a massively underrated and fairly rapid trail bike.

Might be worth your son at least taking a look at the Whyte 29-C geometry in terms of the more xc end of the ‘trail’ spectrum.

2 years ago I had a brake sensor warning pop up on the dashboard of our Civic. This was a month before it’s MOT and when I popped it into the local garage to get diagnostics I asked whether it would fail MOT on this basis and they said yes.

In my case I had the work done – it turned out to be a faulty ABS sensor on one of the front wheels.

FYI – Gabba 2 L/S jersey is no more, it has been discontinued for 2017.

The Gabba S/S jersey will remain however the L/S jersey has been redesigned and instead of being Gabba 3 L/S is instead called the Perfetto L/S jersey.

Namibian rider with a pair of Gatorskin tyres FTW! :-)

Take your pick!

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/magura-vyron-yay-or-nay

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/magura-vyron-remote-dropper-seatpost

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/magura-vyron-dropper-any-users-yet

8)

I’m hoping that one day I manage to get hold of a Hightower Carbon C 29 but these seem to have gone up by around £300 overnight for 2016-17 so whilst slightly annoying I was expecting some sort of future price hike with £-$ currency changing.

Eid Mubarak! Just caught back up with this thread and sorry to hear about the infection Gonzy. My wife made it through the month fasting and like the previous couple of years I’m still in awe of her perserverance- 3hrs commuting each day whilst holding down a very senior role at work. I fasted with her for 5 days on my lite version!

I have a 2015 Whyte 29-C HT, it gets ridden in all weathers. The FSA PF30 BB lasted approx 2800km before giving up the ghost. The Praxis Works BB adaptor I replaced it with is now on 6000km and no sign of any issues yet so I would recommend thoroughly.

Haha! :D

Renton – I’ve just checked the Specialized bike archive section of the website because I had a hunch that the 2014 Stumpy Evo Hi-Lo hubbed wheels you mention were 142mm+ spacing not regular 142x12mm and my hunch seems correct. In other words your 29’er wheels won’t fit any other non Specialized frames so be aware of that if this is a key element of your plans.

3-4 guys in our club have these on order, none yet recieved though. The first chap to get his order in early (back in November) is still waiting for his so possibly don’t expect to get hold of one in a hurry as stock is still non existant and the pre orders will get theirs first.

Fatmax- Ive currently got a 2015 Genesis High Latitude 29 frame listed in the classifieds. Its a 16″ frame in lime green, brand new and still bubble wrapped if you’d be interested. Sorry to drop in with a shameless plug!

I’m running 1×11 on my 29’er xc race bike – 36T front with 40-11 on the rear and seems fine so far. The 36T provides decent speed downhill and on the flat and the 40T rear is enough bale out gear for grinds.

As for Kryton’s Afan acid test – I did just this a few weeks back and happened to set the 19th fastest time out the 9000+ on Strava up the entire Whites Level climb so that sort of gearing is fine round there. (Yeah, yeah swoon away!). 8)

Sounds like the classic Lefty bearing migration issue to me. In the fork instructions there should be a guide on resetting the bearings – it’s something that needs to be done every 20hrs of riding isn’t it?

Here’s a Youtube guide:

A mate took delivery of a top bling Capra CF Pro Race last week. It was declared in stock on their website when he placed the order and took 4-5 working days to arrive I think so surprinsingly speedy.

I was there for an annual Spring Break visit with mates 2 weeks ago. Rode Penhydd on the first afternoon. Whites Level + The Wall (not as W2) + Blue Scar on the Saturday. Blade on the Sunday morning.

This nicely covered all bases. It might be a blue but I have to say that Blue Scar never fails to provide a serious giggle on the way down so worth including for a laugh.

Like I said *cough* Tallboy 3 *cough*! :wink:

That’s fantastic, I wasn’t expecting to hear directly from the manufacturers, thanks for the message! :D

I’ve made a note of both 18 Bikes as UK importers and Ruchti Bikes in Switzerland. As and when I need to purchase a required Boostinator I’ll make contact.

Thanks again!

Enjoy! I’ve been lusting after a Hightower since they were released and happened to see my first one at the Afan trail centre workshop over the weekend, it looked incredible.

My purchasing plans have been somewhat scrambled by the release of the TB3 this week though as the TB3 29er with a 140mm fork would likely better suit my local riding.

Really sad news, Little Red Corvette was the first tune I actually recall any memory of hearing from way back when I was 3 and my parents had it on endless rewind! I did’t mind though, one of so many truely classic songs of his.

It’s your money but I’m with the majority on here, if I was you I’d go for something slightly different – maybe the Tallboy and then a 100mm xc 29’er hardtail?

Also be aware that there will be a new Tallboy 3 released later this year so consider that for a new purchase if you’re happy to wait a few months. :idea:

As the long term Utah fan who started this thread I’m still feeling somewhat sick following the Harlem Globetrotter style stitch up against the Lakers last night. Ridiculous to basically allow Kobe Bryant’s testimonial game to occur during the regular season, taking the most shots by an NBA player in one game in 30 years just so he can run a score up!!

Muslim death in the news and Jambalaya all over it like a pig in shit… Surprise, surprise…

I had plans for returning to the Southern XC Series this year after finishing 5th in my category previously, however, 2 weeks of riding my new road bike has left me with some sort of knee tendinitis so Southern Round 1 in 10 days is sadly looking iffy. :-~

Best of luck to everyone racing this year.

The Pyschoactive Substances Bill is still going through Parliament. It’s a massacred opportunity to provide some useful legislation though, in it’s current state it’s going to be a completely unforceable waste of paper.

Having worked with local drug rehabilitation providers and seen the nerve damage consequences of over usage of Nitrous Oxide by some of their clients I’d say the dangers are very real.

The litter problem is also a pain in the ass.

On a related note I’m currently about 80% of the way through reading ‘The Big Show’ by Pierre Clostermann (Frenchman who flew for RAF during WW2). I’ve read loads and loads of aviation history books over the years but this is quite possibly the most engrossing read of them all.

His detailed accounts of flying from late 1942 – 1945 on Spitfire V / VII (Strato-Spits) / IX, Typhoon IIB, Tempest V and comparisons against Focke Wulf 190A8 / 190D9 / TA152 / Messerschmitt BF109G / K / Me262 is really fascinating and honest. It’s also made me completely reassess the many read views in the past about the waning of the Luftwaffe in France and Germany from Summer 1944 – Spring 1945. Judging by the extremely high number of RAF losses versus the crack 15-20% 109 / 190 pilots I’d say the air war over France, Belgium, Holland and Germany during that period was at least equally as important and deadly as the Battle of Britain.

Also pretty cringeworthy reading his reported hatred for US P47’s and P51’s on the basis of their trigger happy nature and the fact they had form for shooting down a decent number of RAF Spitfires, Typhoons and a selection of Tempests! :-O

Judging by the trickle down effect of Shimano 105 now being 11 speed for the road then you can probably expect SLX to be 11 speed for 2017 I’d say.

thepodge – why not fabricate your own 59 degree headangle gnarr machine if that’s what you think you need? Clearly the bike industry is moving too slowly for you…! :wink:

Nice one Barney, really, really like the look of that matte black / mint version. Going to be putting a few extra pennies in my bike fund jar…! ;-)

Stumpy01 – glad that I’m not the only skyward swearer on here when it comes to prolonged headwinds!

Well, had a good night’s sleep and don’t feel sore thankfully, just lightly bruised elbow.

Really interested to read through the comments. I’ll take on the chin that a vehicle / bike behind another should manage and has responsibility for braking distance. I will add that I still have no idea why the car decided to stop on a dime / emergency stop to the complete standstill though – no oncoming traffic, clear road, no cats or worms crossing the road (!).

Just to clarify, it was dark, I had my Exposure light on the front, maybe that shining in his rear view mirror meant he was not quite sure the distance back to me? The section of road is a suburban minor road heading into a housing estate. As mentioned but worth reiterating – I was not in confrontation with the driver, we had no communication at all.

It is a truely strange incident, partly why I posted, not experienced something quite like it before. I will also add that I regard myself as a reasonably veteran cyclist (cycled just shy of 13000km last year for example). Being a daily cycle commuter I also ride with the assumption that vehicles will pull out on me so I attempt to ride with this level of anticipation (although I do find it rather depressing that I have to ride assuming the worst from drivers).

Anyway, I’m not going to dwell on it too much more although will keep in mind road bike braking distances for the future and will try to better anticipate vehicle emergency stops for no reason! :-)

A good number of pics doing the rounds now, looks very much like a 29 / 27.5+ frame (pics of the bikes with both wheel sizes), very low standover, long TT and single front ring only rear triangle (a la Nomad).

Still not sure of travel although it would appear that the 29’ers look like they’re running 140mm 29 Pikes. Not keen on the gloss red colour scheme but the alternative matte carbon / orange & sky blue looks not dissimilar to the current Nomad colour scheme.

Looking forward to the official details on 2nd Feb (& I presume STW Barney’s write up)! :wink:

4 pairs of Time ATACs here (3 carbon, 1 non carbon), good for my creaky knees and one set has done over 20000km in all weathers with no maintenance! Would heartily recommend.

I would’t worry about the linkages wearing, I’d be more concerned about the rear triangles cracking and Evil not being very helpful honoring warranties! Use the search function on here, plenty of comments about them. QC seems to be woefully lacking sadly.

Edit – here you go: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/evil-bikes-frame-failures

I do find it amusing that every Winter there are the dudes on Strava bashing out so called ‘calibrated’ TrainerRoad efforts of 34-40kmh ave and as soon as they get outside riding their bikes proper they’ll struggle to maintain 29-30kmh averages! What’s that all about?

It all seems like a big Winter ego boost – akin to a Premierleague footy team playing non-league opposition in the preseason and feeling good about 4-0 wins yet when it comes to real season they’re surprised they’re not winning games…

4 pairs of Time ATACs currently here (2 XC8 Carbons, 1 ATAC XS Carbon, and one regular ATAC XS). The best pedals out there imo (not least because I have dodgy knees).

My longest running are the set of 4 year old ATAC XS pedals (non carbon) that have done around 25000km through all weathers with no servicing and although the fibre glass pedal platform is well, well worn as are the cleat retaining cages, the pedals are still going strong!

Racing Ralphs or Rocket Rons are fine round Checkendon. What might be worth thinking about though is running Snakeskin sidewall versions if you have them – many racers efforts have been dashed round there as the Chiltern flints are razor sharp and pretty much throughout the woodland singletrack sections.

Thread resurrection for laughs!

‘Adam’s Spaffy Rim Dinger’ – A flinty descent in the Chilterns.

‘What’s Didcot been eating?’ – A particularly smelly section of NCN5 round the back of Didcot power station and landfill site.

:D

Haha, nice answers so far! :D

I should have said that all the mates I ride with aren’t bothered (mainly because they mostly ride mtb anyway). I’ve just had some funny looks from some other chain gangs and even comments from roadies that I’ve overtaken whilst wearing the back pack!

I finished in the top 5 in my category at last year’s Southern xc series so have a semi decent motor to push the road bike along with, I just quite like the security of knowing that I’ve got all my spares (and a spot of lunch!) packed in my camelbak. 8)