I sell the Tifosi bikes and they are fine. I only stock the veloce spec as I think it very good value for money. You should not have to pay anymore than £810 for a velcoe spec bike as I reently had to price match.

There are some things though that need upgrades or changes in my opinion so for the next CK7 order I will be building a different spec and selling that.

1) I think the X1 saddle is too uncomfortable for many so I will offer a different Sella Italia saddle, the XO or if the customer wishes a C2 gel flow. Ot any saddle they wish quite frankly.

2) The tyres are cheap ones Vittorio Zaffiro (I won’t tell you the trade price it silly cheap) so these will be subsituted for Conti Gator skins as the zaffiro’s in my experience puncture to easily. In fact the last one I sold I did an exchnage on the Vittorio’s against a pair of new gatorksins as the ustomer was also oncerned.

3) The other change will be the wheels. The Miche Reflex wheels are 24F and 28Rear with bladed spokes. This is fine on a small frame with a light rider but I do worry about these on a heavier rider on a large frame. Also they are very heavy. Therefore I will be fititng 32H front 2x and 32H rear 3x wheel using a rigida chrina rim, Sapim race spokes and Miche RC2 hubs. These are alot lighter and on poor roads stand up very well. Infact the rear wheel I am planning to use, with the gator skin tyre, Conti Race28 tube, cassette and velox rim tape is nearly 500g lighter than the complete rear wheel on the CK7.

4) The stem length needs to be shorter for many ridersI am thinking the Cinelli Vai.

5) I am comtemplating fitting a Miche 12-27 cassette in plae of the Miche 12-25 for hill climbing.

I do think the CK7 is a decent bike in veloce spec (the sora spec use even lower end and heavier Miche wheels) but with a little thought and hardly any extra cash it can be made so much better and bring the coat to about £850.

The Cycle Clinic

I only use KMC or Campag chains in my shop. Campag gets used beause some campophiles won’t have anything else unless they are desperate.

Never had an issue with a KMC 10-93 (silver) chain. Cheap too.

I would use the Ambrosio Zenith hubs (same a nova tech) hole count will depend on weight. If you are my weight 85kg then 28F and 32Rear will be durable with Stans alpha rims and sapim lasers or X-rays spokes front (2x) and lasers NDS rear (3x) and Spaim race DS rear (3x). Alu nipples can be used if the if coppaslip is applied to prevent siezing.
The weight for the build above will be c. ~ 1395g for the pair. Cost ~ £320 (depending on who builds them) with sapaim lasers/race spokes. More for X-rays

A build like this that weighs 1250g is only goin to happen with lower spoke counts.

The use of Velocity Helios hubs 24H (2x) front and 28 Rear (2x) will change the weight to 1263g. Cost of these will be about £400 depnding on who builds them. Use of Sapim X-rays again will add a bit of cost.

Lighter can be built with sapim laser DS rear but you will only save ~20g and get a less stiff wheel. Using X-rays will actually add a little weight (a few grams)but have areo benefits. A 1000g build is only possible wil even lighter rims and lighter hubs but you best be light for that and deeper pockets and be durability will suffer.

The Cycle Clinic

I should work. Cable pull is the same I believe which is the most important thing.

speed wobble will be caused by a resoance effect. You will have to check everything and change on thing at time and retest.

Fitting a valve stem or moving a speed sensor amy balance the wheel better. Your tyre may not be seated proeprely.

Oh by the way the gyroscopic effect of the wheels on bicycle stability is longer considered important as several studies using bike with a counter rotating wheel have shown stability remains. There have been a couple of recent papers by the guy at Cornell on this.

It may be a copmrimise but it looks neater and given how cheap chains are the “chain growth” does not worry me. Also you chain “grows” with a tensioner also but as it takes up the slack you do not notice. Ultimatley chains should be changed at 0.75% to preserve chainrings and cogs. I have found 0.75% wear is when a magic gear starts to give slipping problems so I have two reaosns to change the chain.

When I am out locally no has ever said anything when I am on footpath although I don’t use them that often. There is a general acceptance from most folk that bikes use them and most have no problem with it.

To me a right of way is a right of way and it should not make any difference if you use it on a bike or on foot.

I also have 721’s on Hope’s and they have done me 7 years of general abuse. If you are getting them built make sure the builder does not cheap out on the spokes or nipples. Plenty of the online builders say what they use though.

I am sure the superstar rims are good as well.

I always think it better to build or get built the bike you want frome the frame upwards with the kit you need for the riding you do. I don’t see the point in doing what I used to do and buy a complete bike and end up upgrading various bits when various important parts got trashed as they where not up to the job.

TA make good rings, never tried the superstar but good Al rings last a very long time. Not all rings are created equal.

This is why I talk to my customers about the bike they have brought in and show them how to check things if they are interested in listening so there are less surprises in the future.

It is always worth getting to know your bike even if you don’t do the work yourself.

Well every rim can crack at the eyelets if 1) the tension is high enough or 2) if the rim suffers big impacts. Given the 721 is meant for free riding/ some down hill action big impacts are a likely cause for 721 failure. After all we do abuse our rims. If we didn’t we they would not fsil. MTB’s are not meant to be a cheap hobby.

I donlt have a problem with a lack eylets either it just means you have to choose the right hub to make those low tesnions work.

I don’t the 30lb weight of this bike is a big issue unless you are 8 stone and are climbing alot of hills. The tallboy will probably be not a XC racers favourite but I think it more made for fun than for racing.

The main advantage of flows is that they are lighter than EN521’s or 721’s but unlike mavic rims they have no eyelets. Lack of eyelets should not a problem if the wheel is not over tensioned but these rims have a max tension of 950N which is quite low. Given the is the rear drive side (DS) will be under that tension then the NDS will be under lower tension, so when jumping or riding of drops e.t.c the NDS spokes may loose tension and flex may therefore be an issue. Choosing the right hub will help here.

I have 721’s as well and would use them again as they the most robust rim I have ever had. I want a lighter set of wheels but I am still waiting for the 721 to fail me after 7 years. I think I will be waiting for several more years yet.

USt is mavics tubless system anyway so Stans won’t use it. they have there own method – rim strips. Also the EN521/721 is cheaper than a Stan’s flow.

Welcome to the SS fold.

Well a tifosi CK3 weight in at 18.7lbs with heavy weight Miche Reflex wheels. If the bike was ordered without wheels and different wheels fitted/built along with lighter tyres then sub 18lbs would be possible.

I am sure this can be achieved on many bikes for £1000 or less.

That’s wehy I like my Marzocchi Marathon’s. They may draw small rocks into orbit around them but they are very durable.

Hopton woods m,akes me want to live back in Shropshire were I grew up.

ISIS BB’s is whjat made go to external cups. SKF do make/made good BB’s. can’t help you to find one though and you know you will have the same porblem again. ISIS is a format that will go the way of the cotter pin before to long.

KMC 10-93. Campag record 10x is also a very good chain.

My wife has a nickel plated P7 and I am quite jealous. Lovely bikes and good cross country.

Orange Evo2 is a great frame. Given the price of a whole bike will a lot of change to spent on brakes, drive train, wheels (the stock ones are hopeless) and skinny mud tyres. I have single speeded mine 34:16T or 36:18T works tensionerless of course other ratios would work with a tensioner. On that point it has the mounts for a BB mounted tensioner which is what I ran for several years. Maybe an P7 would more your style or perhaps an clockwork new or old.

For a mud bike though have you thought about old steel retro frames. My mud bike is an old (89) marin pallisades with new wheels and skinny 1.7″ tyres. It also is a single speed and is a brilliant XC mud bike. All in including paint I spent less than £300 on it including a Thomson post. After all in mud you need something simple.

You need a cycle socket set or park tools crank nut remover. You will have to measure.

Well those are light. They would save another 100g. I might give thoise a go. I did think these spokes wqould be expensive but £3 a spokes is very expensive. At least a 28 hole build would save £24! This is a pipe dream build you know though.

I am now thinking about a build using Stan Alpha 340 rims, these super spokes and campag record hubs and that would be ~1310g with 32 spokes per wheel. I few more grams if lasers were used rear drive side. I want to build a set oif those now and see how they run. Not everyday wheels for sure.

Unfortunatley #sapim are selling there spokes faster than they can supply them or at least that what chicklens say, which leads to stocking problems.

Macavity wins. I have a chrome set of forks on my road bike and they are not 1 year old and a pitting and begining to rust. Never again. I am going to have to buy a new fork now.

I wonder can a chromed fork be stripped easily? I kind of wonder if they be blasted and painted or would that not work.

I have two single speeds and I race on both. I don’t do very well but that is more my fitness than the gearing. I find fire road sections a problem. Doing the mud sweat and gears tommorrow, I hope there is not alot of fire road because on the trails I am no slower than many folk.

I went single for the same reaosn the OP is considering it. My drive trinaq wore out and it went from 3×9 to 2×9 toi 1×9 to single speed. Never loocked back or wanted gears since. I live in suffolk though.

Do it!

For deeo mud I find the Geax barro mud 1.7″ works quite well.

It books up early so enter early. Mud sweat and gears is on now and the next race is at thetford this sunday.

Don’t worry about weight too much as above. Ride 8 speed drive trains or single speed. Use a KMC z82 chain on you 8/SS speed drive train. Use second hand components were possible. This means you can use a square taper BB and S/h shimano STX/Exage crankset (cheap and robust). Both will last.

My last MTB cost me about £300 including powder coating. I used a mix of second hand and new parts. It is great ride as well and all it requires every few months is a new chain and that cost a fiver. I run it single speed.

In sort choose durable kit and keep the bike simple and built it for the riding you do and not for the riding you don’t do.

I ceretainly would not pay to ride. Trails are best built by volunteers or aere based on motorcross trails like nearly all of thetford forests single track. I mostly right of way and bridleways for XC rides anyway. The only rides I drive now are races, petrol has become too expensive to keep driving to trail centres.

I have seen someone pull a road bike out of one those. It seemed to fit fine. The back seats are not for adults anyway. m

this is why visitng a good shop and getting a bike built up from the frame is always a good way to go as it will probably save you money in the long run.

I would also start with tyres there are plenty in the 450g region. Conti X king supersonics would be one but these are an XC tyre. But it has all been suggested. I would look at second hand saddles and cranks to keep the cost down. SDG bell air with Ti rails is pretty light and still comfortable. If you can find a second hand thomson masterpiece seatpost then one of these is a light a some carbon posts then get one.

Forks again can be had second hand, Your forks weigh ~ 4.5lbs or 2.04kg but you may save 200-300g but it could cost you your entire/most of your budget.

I would start with tyres, then seat post and saddle. Change the cassette for SLX or XT when yours wears out. Wheels if you can get some mavic 319 rims on and XT hubs build with spaim race spokes (cheaper than DT swiss comps) then that would eat up the rest of your budget. If the 319’s are to XC you could try the EN521 rim (it weighs 40g more than a 319). You could save a 1kg that way.

this is why visitng a good shop and getting a bike built up from the frame is always a good way to go as it will probably save you money in the long run.

I would also start with tyres there are plenty in the 450g region. Conti X king supersonics would be one but these are an XC tyre. But it has all been suggested. I would look at second hand saddles and cranks to keep the cost down. SDG bell air with Ti rails is pretty light and still comfortable. If you can find a second hand thomson masterpiece seatpost then one of these is a light a some carbon posts then get one.

Forks again can be had second hand, Your forks weigh ~ 4.5lbs or 2.04kg but you may save 200-300g but it could cost you your entire/most of your budget.

I would start with tyres, then seat post and saddle. Change the cassette for SLX or XT when yours wears out. Wheels if you can get some mavic 319 rims on and XT hubs build with spaim race spokes (cheaper than DT swiss comps) then that would eat up the rest of your budget. If the 319’s are to XC you could try the EN521 rim (it weighs 40g more than a 319). You could save a 1kg that way.

The geax barromud 26×1.7″ is still be available in some places. RJ chcikens the distributor have 27 left unallocated. They would be £15 each as well (I just called them as I have an account so I can buy them).

I run these and they are great through the mud, over slimey wood they are hopless – oh they roll really well and they also work on singletrack like that found in Thetford Forest. I son’t think they would be good over rocky ground especially in the wet.

I would also go with 717 on XT hub after seeing a cross ride that came into the shop for work after a race. Many spokes at the rear has lost tension and unless you local shop is mavic dealer then they cannot buy spares.

Unfortunatley it not the only cross ride that has gone wrong. If your XT + 717 rims break a spoke then it will be cheap and quick to fix.

I have a older combined pump. no idea who made it as the is no branding. Pump gets to a rideable pressure but that as it the CO2 inflator which works flawlessly I never have to pump. However I use tyres that punture easily so I rarely use CO2 either. They are a good idea as who CO2 cartidges do you carry and on a long ride you can get unlucky more than once. Also pressing a button and gettin 100 psi beats pumping especially in events.

Hop hubs and hope mono mini brakes both have given suffered many years of abuse. Mavic 721 rims these seem boombproof and so does any shimano crankset.