Thanks for the quick responses, looks like I’m a bit ‘between’ sizes, small with a longer stem or medium with shorter stem. Just the standover on the medium was a little worrying…

Just after a bit of sizing advice from T-129 owners here. I’m 5ft 8 1/2 with a 31.5″ inside leg, and the medium I sat on at the shop felt huge, both height wise and length wise.

Can some of you guys let me know what frame size you ended up with, and your height/inside leg (if known) and whether you think you ended up with the correct size?

I’m thinking maybe a small size might be OK since they come up so big…

Not sure about the T-129, but ATB are quoting Dec 18th for medium M-109 and… Spring 2013 for large!

And the production T-129S won’t come with a Reverb, it has the X-Fusion HiLo instead. Still good value though and rides very well by all accounts. Will hopefully get to try out the M-109, T-129 and the new 729/929 etc in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it.

So how does a Minion compare to an Advantage (on the front)? Would it have better cornering grip on loose / gravely surfaces? Is it any lighter, or more resilient to punctures?

Can’t say I’ve even heard of the Minion or ever seen one…

I’ve just got myself a Breath frame, same design/geometry as the Life, have to say I’m really impressed with the quality of finish, welds etc – looks a much more expensive frame than it is IMO.

Planning to go 100mm forks with a 70mm stem, frame is a 16″. Looking forward to getting it finished.

And the rigid cups just went straight over the flanged lips (so to speak…)?

SS in the hills is fun

Yep, so long as you enjoy walking :lol:

Fact remains that some of the steepest parts of the UK (mainly off road I’m talking about here) are simply unsuitable for sustained SS riding / enjoyment, if like me, you enjoy staying on the bike 99% of the time. Or unless your name is Chris Hoy.

No doubt there are some super fit / strong SS’s on here who would grind up a steep, technical asscent faster than Chris himself (he is a roadie after all 8O), but SS is not the answer 100% of the time.

When I lived in Sussex I used to love riding SS, just not where I am now, hence why I said it can be location specific.

Well, I suppose it also depends to a certain extent where you live / ride?

If Lincs etc then go for it, if Devon, Midlotian etc then I suggest you stay with the granny!

Not that I’m in the market for a new bike this year, but hats off to you for offering 16/17/18″ options. It always amazes me how many (big) manufacturers expect you to compromise on frame size. Yes, I know you can’t offer a size for everybody, but one inch increments, particularly at this juncture, just seems very sensible.

No, the Ridge Trail is not that technical for an experienced rider, however, as has been said already, this is predominently a family orientated centre, where you can bring your little ones either to walk or ride in relative safety, have some coffee & cake, and be back in either Exeter / Newton etc in 15 mins. Would I drive a couple of hours to experience it? No, not by myself, but I probably would if I was coming up for a morning / afternoon with the family.

I usually come up a couple of times a month by myself, and while not technical, you can make the ridge trail a hell of a lot more challenging by going for a time, stringing two hot laps together + say a lap of the Adventure and Family Trails to warm up/down. When really pressing on, it’s surprising how ‘technical’ some of those off camber bends become… I know I’ve got the cuts & bruises to prove it.

You’re never going to be all things to all people, but on balance I think the FC have done a pretty decent job on what can’t have been a massive budget.

Does it use any of the existing Adventure Trail?

I think you’ll be fine doing that yourself. As they’re RS, there’s always loads of support material available to help you do it, both on the RS website and youtube etc.

Seal kit is £20 approx, sounds like you’ve got all the oils already – happy days. I’ll definately be doing mine when they need doing, and I’m no carlos fandango mechanic.

Thanks for the clamp sizes. Went for a Breath in the end, while I love the idea of an 853 frame like the Life, I just don’t feel the additional cost would have been justified, particularly with my fairly conservative style of riding.

Don’t have all the bits yet, some will be swapped over from my current bike, others will need to be sourced over the next few weeks, from here, ebay etc. Only new things will be the frame, brake calipers & rotors, and a new wheelset, though this may increase if certain parts prove hard to find in the right condition / price… I only have a certain amount of patience with these things.

Well, done the deed, so just need to accumulate the remaining bits and pieces for the build. Couple of questions for you Breath owners out there:

What sort of weight are we talking about built up, would be good to hear some builds / weights. Not a weight weeny, but I’m hoping it will be no more than 2 – 3lbs heavier than current ally hardtail, i.e. 28 – 29lbs would be good.

What stems are you running?

Standard or OS bars?

Whats the seat clamp size (I’m guessing post is 27.2) and front mech size (either I’m blind or its not on the website)?

Cheers

Thanks for all the pics, they all look good, thought I'd decided on the 16" having looked at the first few with corresponding heights… but then turbo posts his 18" with a fair amount of post showing and he's only an inch taller than me…!!!

Hmmm…

Looks really nice in that blue…though I do like the BRG too. Very tempted with one, but could just do with a) seeing one (unlikely) or b) hearing a few more first hand accounts from people.

Either 100 or 120mm forks ok then by the sounds of it, really just sizing I need to nail down.

I'm 5'9" on a good day, a little less first thing in the morning… do you think a 16 or 18 would be best?

Steelrider – any chance you could post a pic of yours showing how much post is showing? cheers

OK, thanks for comments, think I may just go with a pair of 317's, since if I don't go over say 2.3" (though I know some here do run wider), I'll be saving myself about 125g per wheel over a 321, and a little less over a 521, and they should be able to handle my 75kg even over the boulders of Dartmoor.

Have to get something as I'm moving to… DISCS!!! 8O , well I did say I was a luddite :D

I may be a luddite, but haven't riden rigid off-road for a good few years now… :lol:

Tora 318 Solo Air, currently at 100mm. Will be buying new wheels very shortly, so just trying to work out if the more all mountain 321/521 would be beneficial for me with current bike / type of riding, or whether its overkill, and a 317 front and back would be OK…

I know it says max width of 2.3" for the 317 on mavic website, but what do people think works best on that rim, real world riding etc.?

Some interesting views here…

This used to bother me when I was a fiery 18 year old, but now, a few years down the road, with greater responsibilities, 'life' experience etc I realise that there's an awful lot that can play on peoples minds, and often its when you're out walking or cycling that you dwell on these matters. And as such, you may not always either notice or feel like returning a beaming smile.

That's not to say that I don't appreciate it when someone does return a nod or hello, just that now I tend to leave it to the last second to say anything, that way you can usually tell if they're a 'toe watcher', or they're caught up in their own world, and don't want to be bothered, and avoid any 'uncomfortable' moments on both sides.

Oh, and having worked in Bristol for six years, I'd agree it's not the most friendly place, but what large, bussling, multi-cultural city is these days?

And what about the benefits or otherwise of staying in the saddle v standing up and giving it your all…???

I always thought that it was better for your fitness to stay seated and grind it out, but thinking about it a little more just recently, I suppose they are both beneficial just in different ways (slightly different muscles used etc).

Vortex – how tall are you? Did you consider the 17.5" before plumping for the 16?

From glancing at the tech pages on Shimano web, it appears the XT hub has two seals as opposed to just one on the M525 Deore, other than that they look very similar.

Having only had cup & cone, currently M563 LX (15 yrs old) and M750 XT (8 yrs old), I suppose I just wonder if cartridge bearing hubs are any better? I mean, will Shimano still be doing C&C in 10 years time?

Not sure about the 2:1 spoke ratio on the Fulcrums either… apparently makes them stronger, but whether thats just compared to other 24 spoke wheels or in general I don't know.

Yeah, the sensible me just says go shimano/mavic you won't be disappointed, but the more adventurous me says heck, try the SS or Fulcrums…

I really like the sound of the SS's too, but can't find one owners review/comments on them… a little wary as a result.

Forgot to list these too, just to cloud the debate:

Deore XT M756 / DT Swiss XR400 – £135

OK, sounds like the guy on mtbr may not know what a cup & cone is…

Could it be he/she was referring to a locknut that pre-loads the bearing? Does it have these?

£135 was cheapest I found in Germany, delivered, can't see it being an issue as I'd imagine any warranty (2 yrs I think) would be honoured by the Fulcrum distributor in the UK.

Thinking of getting these, seem to have some good reviews. I was a little confused by the 20mm axle thing, but it seems this is just the axle and they are normal QR.

Also read on another forum here (last post) that they are cup & cone, yet all descriptions state sealed cartridge – anybody else shed any light on this?

For £135 delivered they seem good value.

Trailmonkey – moved to South Devon from Wiltshire, I'd appreciate any nice XC routes you could send me on East or South Dartmoor. I don't have any trail software, just use an OS map, so just a starting point / ref with any major / obvious waymarks would be good. Thanks

I'll look into the Maxxis range… Anyone tried a Specialized The Captain 2.2?

bumpus mumpus

Would certainly like to see some of those mentioned above.

How does the axle to crown height differ with a rigid 456 compared to one running say 130mm Revs?

Yunki & Bassspine – when would be the best times for you for me to pop over?

FMH – are you able to bring your Inbred to work with you? If so I'm in Torquay, so that would work well.

Cheers

bump…

My two penny's worth… 456 & Soul are not really poles apart, they're both long travel steel HT's, one certified to 140mm the other intended for up to 150mm. Taking a 16" frame for example, even geometry is very similar – 0.25" in the TT and 0.5 degree in the head angle, similar chainstays, so really very close in concept, until that is you come to price…

And £300 difference is a fair old whack in anybody's book, but then as somebody else said on another thread… "strong / light / cheap – pick two…" Not sure where the 600g came from either, as going from their websites, it appears the difference is more like 1100g (not exact as on-one don't specify a size for their 2495g frame).

But… you appear to be prepared to pay a reasonable amount for your new HT, by that I mean you don't appear to be working to a really strict (lowish) budget, so why not go for the Soul? You certainly wouldn't regret it, but equally if your total budget was less than half of what it probably is, then I'm sure you'd be delighted with the 456.

Another way of looking at it is Soul with average forks & wheels or 456 with mega forks & wheels, then if after 12 months you really must lose that kilo, then sell 456 frame for 1/2 to 2/3 what you paid for it and buy a soul, transfering everything else over… or if you've fallen in love with 456, well then, happy days.

And finally (sorry for the novel) since you have a nice FS already for the big stuff, how about a 100mm travel HT, since riding on the Ridgeway, beautiful as it can be, perhaps doesn't warrant 5 to 6" of full on steel butchness…???

Not sure where you are, but think Bike Shed in Exeter had a 19" Soul frame, give em a call on 01392 426191.

Good to read some additional thoughts on this – thanks for those. I'm leaning towards the Soul at the moment, mainly based on the sheer number of positive reviews / owners comments, I think I've only read one negative about the way it rides.

OCB, I'd like to take you up on that – can't see an email in your profile – can you ping me so we can arrange? Thanks

OK, thanks, if you can't tell whilst riding it, doesn't sound like anything to be worried about…!!!

ally, interesting that you went for a 19" Soul, albeit you found it a little stretched, but that the 17.5 Altitude is OK…can I ask what height you are, and inside leg… (suits you sir, wink wink)??? Cheers

There's ally and ally, in the same way that some steel frames will be more compliant than others…

My current ally HT is VERY unforgiving, you feel every bump, of course it climbs like a billy goat on heat, but whereas instant acceleration (on the flat and uphill) was important to me when I lived by the South Downs – lots of longer shallower gradiants, since I moved to Devon the ability to hold a line through rocky terrain, and overall trail comfort are now more important to me.

Highclimber, thanks for offer, if you were you just a little closer…

Woody, thats the kind of advice I'm looking for – somebody who's ridden both. I know they've both had good reviews in their own right, and probably wouldn't go wrong with either, but if you have only one or the other, you're bound to enthuse about your product over something similar, that's human nature…

OK, so Solo Airs a possability, though perhaps I should look into some Pikes? For those of you with adjustable travel, what seems to work best – I've read that 130 seems pretty good?

As a matter of interest, what other forks are peeps running here?

And I seem to have read a fair bit about bad chain suck on both standard Inbreds & 456's – did it affect a particular build year / batch, or is it pretty much accepted on these on any age frame?

Cheers