Don’t know if it helps on the brake front but I’ve got an old Dawes Galaxy sitting around that I’ve been idly experimenting on from time to time.
It came with regular V brakes/deore levers, they stop fairly well.

Smart looking Swift!

I really enjoyed taking the Peregrine on long trips with full panniers. Bit heavy, annoyingly flaky paint but rode really nice. Good off-road too but didn’t enjoy it in the mud.

Find the Surly a bit springy under load but it has been through so many incarnations singlespeed, commuter, winter race bike, mud plugger and is so damn useful that it doesn’t make sense to sell it. Does everything pretty well.

Tripster is very different. It’s a great bridleway, off/on-road bike and pretty. Nice tourer as well assuming it’s loaded right. Obviously it has a lot of competition now and it’s definitely not a road bike.

Definitely found it’s seasonal but I’m also just plus at the front as it were.

29 Chronicles and 2.4 on the back Summer (sometimes 650 2.8)
and mud tyres (Beaver EXO) in the Winter. All tyres EXO which have held up well puncture-wise.

Plenty of clearance on a Jones with mud tyres. The mud tyres are for the mud.

I’d already discounted the Surly straggler as it’s only got basic dropouts, so the Tripster and Sutra end up in that pile too

Got a Cross Check and a Tripster. Prefer the drop outs on the Cross Check, much more versatile.

Both not the best under load but the Trispter is better off-road and fun to ride.

The Wolverine looks the business though!

Lovely bike but I sold mine when the downtube got ‘kinked’ from the over zealous fitting of a front mech at my LBS. I was assured it was fine but lost confidence in it after that and the toe-overlap was always annoying. Would never sell the Gryphon though…….

I know it’s not as pretty and more utility but I’ll throw in the Straggler. Surly Cross Check has done everything as well as the Peregrine did for me except fully-loaded touring.

Sympathise with that. Injury and flipping cold from hell on top of a heavy work load. Keep walking into the garage looking at the bikes and muttering.

Like it. Looks nicely proportioned to me. Don’t really get all the ‘too short’ comments but then I don’t really get the Jones Plus unless you’re over 6ft.

Appreciate your dilemma. Besides the severed cruciate (whole different issue), I’ve got a kind of reverse trigger finger which I’ve put down to years of guitar and rigid bike riding. In the absence of any NHS solution so far I’ve kind of accepted that the Jones is the most comfortable rigid I’ve tried and when I can’t take it any more I’ll think about a hard tail and then a full sus in increasing degrees of decrepitude.

Getting older and everything hurts now. The day will come when I’m dribbling and barely able to shamble out of bed. When this day comes I’ll be riding a full sus e-bike.

If you’re looking for an 18 tooth I’ve got a spare but dirty Surly!
£7. Email in profile.

Would be interested in the bars if you sell them. Sorry to hear about your ongoing wrist problems. I’ve got a kind of ‘reverse’ trigger finger that I put down to riding rigid and generally feel more beaten up than I used to! Still can’t quite bring myself to try suspension though. If it starts taking me longer than a week to recover than who knows!? As has been mentioned core strength and a looser grip makes a lot of difference. Oh yes and picking a good line.

Nice. I remember one of the guys from Nerve Bikes totally slating my Tripster so slightly ironic.

Very tidy! Bike that is.

I’ve always found that admin are worried about a perceived extra burden before the scheme comes in but when it’s up and running it’s fine. Increasing uptake has always been my challenge. We’re just bringing one in that has an upper limit of £1500, more independent bike shop choice and an optional 18 months salary sacrifice so hoping this might encourage more buy in.

IMG_20160624_173719882 by Matthew Bird[/url], on Flickr

Another p29er, now sporting 2nd hand Ti seat post and H bars.
Beautiful frame, shame the paintwork is so fragile….

2.4 Ardent on a 40mm rim here. Also tried a 2.35 Hans D. Works for me. Got the rim from Ridewell in Italy, about £30 delivered. Recommended.

Got an unused RAD cage in green if any use. £23. Thought it’d be of use for a 10 speed STI/cassette and 9 speed xtr mech combo. Don’t think it would. Also got a Goatlink…..

Why is that bike shop always closed?

Got a couple of pairs I’ll be advertising soon if anyone is interested.
£45 or thereabouts. One pair a bit narrower for Stanmer tree steering duties!

Rare day off today. Did my back in by 10.20am and been in bed ever since unable to move….

I’m always the petulant one on the weird bike. Only time it’s less than fun is when they decide on what is essentially a 30 mile road trip and I’m on the SS MTB

I feel safer not having to drive into petrol stations.
I feel less safe plugging in when it’s raining.
There’s no magic bullet. Yet.

Had a Swift with drops a size smaller than I could have got away with and imo it’s not as good as the Gryphon. Obviously stems and seatposts make a difference but the Gryphon just feels right and suits me better in drop form. Peregrine was also nearly there but too heavy and too much toe overlap.

TINAS has it. Also battling against the mud on a SS warms you up!

I like it and not even going to say anything about your fence. Are the forks tapered or straight? Are they the Travers ones?

Thanks, that Gorilla clip might be the way to go and only need one side. Already have the Anything cage but not the forks they used to go on!

My name’s Bird and yes most women find me offensive. Probably best to change it…

Haven’t yet found the tyre to rule all tyres so won’t go tubeless yet. More of a revelation for me has been EXO, Snakeskin etc. Any extra weight no issue in the context of fewer punctures.

Haha. Good choice………

I don’t ride it as often as I’d like and have other more ‘fashionable’ bikes but I don’t plan on selling the Cross Check. Springy and infinitely versatile. Otherwise I’d go second hand and prioritise a nice steel frame if you’re looking value for money. Slightly leftfield but there’s a nice Singular Gryphon on ebay, works well shod for the roads.

Had these for a few years and put them through all kinds of punishing hell and they’re still flawless, plenty of clearance for a Chronicle too. Always been a good experience with Exotic stuff. So far….

Cold, frosty icy = off-road and low tyre pressures for me. Trying not to fall off on purpose now cause getting older = longer recovery times.

Tried a burt on my Gryphon. It was great up until a flint shredded the sidewall and a bugger to get it off. Have thought about getting a snakeskin version as it worked well in a lot of local conditions but concerned it might not be strong enough.

More cushions?

Suffered this for a while on the tricross and as mentioned crown-mounted cable hanger solved it instantly.
Got at least one knocking around I think if anyone wants it for postage.
Email in profile.

Tends to be a lot of bridleways where I am which can be tricky in the mud and worse when they freeze over! It’s all just riding though and fun whatever. Narrower tyres help, good mud clearance kept me going when mates have ground to a stop. I won’t ride Stanmer or other popular trails in the winter because sheer numbers are ruining them. Hopefully more people offended by weather conditions will stick to turbo trainers, Zwift or whatever’s hot.

I took a 2.8 NN off and put on a Beaver on as they work so well on the 29er. Sidewall is thin though, stupidly didn’t get the EXO version. Going to put the NN back on at the first puncture after reading this thread. It sort of looks like a mud tyre in a way that they narrow width ones don’t and it went fine through the only bit of mud it dealt with.

Hi llf I’d be interested in your beaver if it’s EXO and you can send a photo. Email in profile

As above seen 10 speed mech mistaken for 9 speed a few times. Seems a bit pointless though to have a long cage mtb mech for an 11-25 cassette. If you’re going to use 11-30 or below a 10 speed road mech might be better?