Aye, I just don’t know why there doesn’t seem to be anything comparable at that price point. Just have to wait until they take CycleScheme vouchers again I guess

Chakaping – something as lightweight as possible that’ll still be usable for the odd 20 mile round commute (seeing as it’s C2W) but could take light trails. That’s why the XC element appealed.

I’m not fearless and I don’t have many spare weekends so the odds of me becoming a full trail rider at the minute are limited.

I wanted FS as I’ve got a gravel bike for roads and canal paths, and it seems my era of weight penalty bouncy FS bikes that made climbing a chore, died off along with 26″ wheels. So I don’t feel bound to a HT as i would have done in the past.

I’ve not bought myself an MTB in 11 years so this thread has been really useful.

I wasn’t aware of the Ripley AF before the post above. It seems like CRC/Wiggle are in no hurry to accept Cyclescheme vouchers again, the Ripley (2022) is £2.5k at Merlin which would clear me out and I imagine I’d have to pay some kind of CycleScheme charge, based on Google.

Is it a better bike than the Vitus Rapide FS CRS? The Vitus seems to win on the weight front (if the figures are accurate) but with the Ripley you’re gaining a dropper post and a little more travel (Fox fork)

CRC were out of stock of the grinder resistant Hiplok, but via a kind PSA on here, I snagged a cheaper Sold Secure Gold one for £40, from Paul Smith of all places

It should be enough to satisfy the insurance, which frankly, is all I can do.

https://www.paulsmith.com/uk/hiplok-x-paul-smith-dx-lock?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3Lb3roP6_AIVisftCh3tKQ8XEAQYASABEgKo8vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It’s an excellent means of being tax efficient, paying for something without incurring interest, and keeping fit and healthy.

I get some of the complaints re: self employed, but then again, Class 2+4 NICs are lower rates than class 1, and are based on profit rather than income. They also have their self assessment and their tax deductible expenses.

Equally, our taxation system has many cliff edges and biases so I don’t think attacking fellow cyclists is the way to go. Take child benefit as an example – a family with one adult working, with an income over £50k starts to lose it, with it disappearing entirely at £60k. A family with two people working, earning £49k each, get to keep it all.

CycleScheme usually allows you to pay fair market value after 4 years, at 7% of package price.

I’m buying the Rapide soon, can’t find anything similar to the spec and importantly for me, weight, for the same price

Thank you :)

Sorry it’s another dropper post query. The specs say it’ll take a 31.6 diameter seatpost, would this 100mm dropper that’s currently on offer fit within the frame? The online reviews suggest that there’s a spare cable port for an internally routed one?

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brand-x-ascend-dropper-seatpost-100-125-150

(I’ve not got the bike yet, I’m intending buy Size L, at 6 foot 2). I’m not fussed about being able to drop it massively, I just want to make sure the highest height, is sufficient (if that makes sense)

Piggybacking on thread – CRC’s stock in certain sizes seems a bit limited and they don’t do the Raphas. I’ve got a little bit of overhead room on a C2W voucher, does anyone have any specific suggestions for a matching knee/elbow set?

There’s a few IXS ones as mentioned here (flow evo+) which I’d shortlisted at the £35 mark

Haven’t seen any love for the Fox Racing? And Leatt’s sizing may be off (I’m 6′ 2″ and 90kg)?

Thx

I converted my 2010 Hardrock from 3×8 to Shimano Zee 1×10. Was well worth doing, though parts prices are much higher than when I did it 6 years ago. Just sold it this week as I wasn’t really using it much, but can’t believe how a lot of lower end bikes are still 3×8 etc.

As others have said, some really interesting SRAM options that’ll work on the same HG hub.

I reused the original cranks (octalink) and bought a new narrow/wide chainring.

Velosamba still makes substantial floor contact with the cleats. I’ve ended up buying a spare pair of shoes to keep at work if I’m cycling in

Don’t like to leave a thread half-finished so just to confirm, having fitted the replacement XT 11t and 13t, and reindexing, it’s working great again now even under heavy load. A couple of teeth on the 11t had worn down, must have just been more use in those gears.

He’s a big cycling enthusiast. Just had a look on the online store and they’ve got a Hiplok for a decent price too

To make room I reckon. My old Hardrock will be going when I get my XC bike, as it’s either that or it ends up living unloved in our outbuilding. That said, seems the bottom has dropped out of the second hand market unless it’s something special.

Thanks again Martin, I stuck those details into eBay.

If it helps anyone else in the future, a helpful seller on eBay advised that if it’s stamped bj/bl it will still work. I guess because the 11 and 13t have an inbuilt spacer, they’ll work across a variety of cassette tiers.

For £12.99 managed to get a brand new Shimano 11t and 13t – https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194174848564?var=494266399422

Was an SLX cassette so on paper slightly better than Deore, but to put into context, my email from Evans at the time shows the SLX cassette was only £23.99 brand new!

But didn’t realise the 11ts were available separately anyway. Happy days, thank you for the links

Thanks all, I tried the suggestion to remove the cable, which then gave me an opportunity to adjust the H screw with a chain fitted to ensure there was no interference.

Same issue with the clunk.

I’ve then chucked on the 10 speed SRAM cassette from my spare/road wheels for my CX bike, and the issue goes away, so sadly, as Bax + Andrew diagnosed seems it’s a simple worn 11t.

Unfortunately it looks like cassette prices are through the roof. If I ‘downgrade’ to Deore, it looks like I can get a 10 speed 11-36 one for £40, but was hoping to sell the bike so that’s going to massively eat into it. Could put the old chain back on but then I’m making it someone else’s problem in a couple of hundred miles aren’t I? Are the microSHIFT ones good enough?

Thanks for all the help

I’ve just undone and redone the casette to be sure, it’s seated properly on the HG hub, and the lockring done up to 40nm.

When I backed off the H screw earlier, in 10th gear, it was already at the point of applying no resistance (if that makes sense). Which would then suggest the chainline isn’t great, but as I said above, I’m sure I’ve had this bike up under heavy pedalling in the top gear before.

Simon – will try that before fiddling with the deraileur again.

Reporting back – Deraileur hanger has a flat edge on the rear, which when offered up to a straight edge, is absolutely flat. I know that’s not a cast iron guarantee but with 9 of 10 gears being fine, it seems OK.

I’ll try and re-set up the deraileur and cable again first, but assuming that yields nothing, will try the old chain at that exact point to see if it resolves the issue. Annoyingly the Shimano chain didn’t come with a quick link so will have to break that off and source another pin.

Just to try and expand on my explanation, it seemed to be wanting to jump back to gear 9, every full rotation, but only under heavy load. That does sort of suggest an issue with one of the teeth on the 11t doesn’t it?

Thanks for all the replies. The pinch bolt was loosened but not twisted; I replaced the gear cable a couple of years ago but didn’t go through the rigmarole of adjusting L and H screws and the like again, at the time. Whereas this time, I did.

Gear 10 is the smallest but I’m 99% sure it pedalled fine in the top gear before, and I’ve got a small handful of Strava rides where I’d hit the (not so) dizzying heights of 25mph on it. Equally, Strava suggests I’ve only done ~500 miles since the conversion, so you’d hope an SLX cassette would last at least that long, but will have a go with the previous chain as well for comparison first.

I’ll have a look at the mech hanger too, thank you.

Agree with Hooli, you’re probably time poor at the minute and it’s a phase. Mine are now 5 and 8 so things are getting a bit easier, but for the past few years, if I’ve wanted to go to the gym or swim, I have to be up for 6:00am so that I can be there for opening, and home in time to help get the kids ready/be ready to start work at 9am.

Was training for a sprint tri, so the bike part of the training had to be commuting to work on the bike instead.

Things like my XBOX, guitars, drums see occasional use these days, it’s easier than it was when they were younger, but taking the XBOX as an example, I’ve done 8 hours on the latest ‘Call of Duty’. My colleague at work, without kids, is up to 8 days.

Working on the same basis as a child seat in the car (7 years I think), I’d probably bin it.

I used the Specialized trade in scheme last year to take the decision out of my hands.

Ah, with you now. Shame they don’t just do the Vitus frame, though I guess it might be available from that Carbonda manufacturer? Will look into it and the ebay route

I’m getting myself a more modern bike next month and with the bairn moving up to something bigger, I’m out of room in the garage.

This way (in theory) she gets something better than what’s available off the shelf, and my old frame can be resold or given to Recyke y Bike.

Thanks for the quick reply, was that frame available separately from CRC? I can only see the Nukeproof 26 on there at the moment, the Vitus Nucleus 26″ is £440 for a full bike.

You’re in a similar position to me, I’m finally ditching my trusty old 2010 Hardrock 26″ (albeit much upgraded) for something XC and more modern.

Equally, I do my commuting on a gravel bike.

I’ve spent hours trying to compare geometry on websites and the like, unfortunately the bikes I want are online only so difficult to get a comparison. My missus has a Liv Tempt so a quick blast of that has at least shown up some of the points above about climbing and rolling

Got 1 x SteadyRack and 2 x Clugs. If I find the SteadyRacks on offer, will be looking to upgrade.

The clug keeps the bikes in place but it’s an absolute chore to click in and out if your tyres are on the boundaries of their width guidance.

One of our kids got an LED headtorch that wouldn’t switch on. Found myself at 7:30 this morning with multimeter in one hand and soldering iron in the other. Fixed now at least

Brill, thanks all, this has all been really helpful. Sounds like as a forum, there’s very few paths left untrodden!

I’ll have a wander round some some chain stores to get a sense of reach on similar bikes

I don’t have the lack of regard for my personal safety that I think’s probably necessary to tackle more difficult/technical trails :) so flat and uphill gains sound like the order of the day. Perhaps I’m zoning in on the wrong thing but with some of the other bikes linked (thanks again to all), is the weight penalty genuinely not that noticeable? Most of the others that aren’t carbon seem to be 14kg+?

Think I’m just at the mercy of them having stock when the time to buy comes then, they really weren’t willing to commit to how long the price point would stay and how long the ‘2022’ model would remain in place.

Kryton – can feel your pain, we bought our daughter a 20″ Kona as it seemed to be the lowest standover height of its class (she was a tall 5 year old) but she couldn’t quite get on it at the time. Ended up with a Halfords steel BSO to tide her over as an interim measure, and then due to lockdowns/crap weather and all the rest, she’s barely got two years out of the Kona in the end.

Jonba – I think size L makes sense for me, I know it’s apples and oranges but the closest comparison I’ve got beyond my current bikes is my partner’s Liv Tempt 1 Medium, which is blatantly too small for me. My Brompton only has the standard seat post and at full extension that’s perfect for me. I went XL on the Arkose but that’s the first time I’ve ever gone for the largest option on a bike in my adult life, think Specialized offered a 23″ frame at the time in 2010 and I went 21″.

Thanks that’s really useful, I’m 6′ 2″ but my height is in my torso.

The HardRock (26″ wheels, 21″ frame) is apparently:

Reach: 444
Stack: 609

The Arkose (obviously different form factor but still)

Reach: 407
Stack: 616

So the reach of the Vitus is significantly longer then?

Thanks both. I’m too tall for an M frame Kryton but thanks for the tip.

Orbea looks interesting, is the Vitus’ weight saving worth the difference? Like I said a couple of posts up I’m several years removed from the scene so everything is bigger and potentially heavier than I’m used to

I’m a bit bewildered by how everything has moved on since I bought the HardRock in 2010, to be honest. Back then I’m sure 29ers were only just starting to become mainstream, and full sus (at my 2010 price range), was heavy and to be avoided.

I’ve got a gravel bike (and a spare wheelset with 28c road tyres on), and a Brompton for London. I read this article and it seemed XC was right for me – https://bikefaff.com/xc-bike-vs-a-trail-bike/

So this is to replace the HardRock – I’m not a hardcore rider by any means so just fancied something a bit different, keeping it lightweight (ish) and it seemed that 100mm travel was a sensible compromise and a dabble into FS.

Even if it’s just confirmation that the Rapide is decent value for money is helpful. That Element looks a really nice bit of kit

—

Re self-build, I’m on the fence to be honest, I did the upgrades to the Hardrock (cable > hydraulic, cheapo Shimano 3×8 > Zee 1×10) and had the original supplying LBS change the fork out for me.

But while I’m a decent DIY car mechanic, I find bike adjustment a bit of an unknown/fiddly in comparison! I have a nagging doubt that if something doesn’t feel right, I won’t know if it’s my assembly/adjustment or a component mis match (appreciate the help from these forums means the latter shouldn’t be an issue). E.g. last night I fully cleaned up the HardRock, stripped out the cranks and bottom bracket and cassette, and did the rear cup/cones as I wasn’t happy with a noise they were making. Took me far longer than it should have done. Trying to draw a parallel but changing the wheel bearing on my old MR2 was just four bolts and an impact gun, then a torque wrench to reassemble.

Been out to Halfords to let my eldest sit on a few bikes and gauge size.

She’s at the top of their 24″ bike height list, there was a boardman 26″ but the reach looked a bit awkward. Not sure how much the geometry changes between the two, one lad at the till had no clue and the other said it’s likely all top tube length (which would explain the reach)

Curious to see how you get on alchiltern as I think we’re going to try and wait until March to see if she is big enough for the 26″ bikes.

I moved to BitWarden when LastPass started charging. Genuinely hopeful that I deleted my LastPass folder when I stopped using it, but going to have to investigate

Nice price!

When we had this house rewired in 2017 I specced 17 Cat6 outlets dotted around the house, returning to a “node 0” (aka the cupboard under the stairs, which houses a 24 port switch).

One of the best decisions I’ve ever made, certainly one that’s aged better than having 6 underused TV aerial outlets put in!

Only thing I can add to other replies is that if you’re going to have to chase plaster or pull up floorboards, run at least couple of cables/outlets to each of those rooms. Keystones are cheap, a single sized plate can house two anyway and they’re not particularly difficult to terminate. Make sure you’re using decent solid core cable too.

Prices have risen since the rebrand of the model range. I was very fortunate to get a great deal on a 2021 model through Evans of all places (I got a M6L with front bag and Brooks saddle for less than current 3 speed C line money)

There are good pictoral guides online as to where to put helicopter tape, sorry haven’t got one to hand but sure it was just a Google search or Reddit.

Yes the folding pedal will scratch the bike if you do it in the “wrong” order.

Make sure you buy some clear “helicopter” tape if you’re practicing the fold.

I do like mine, I’ve only put about 250 miles on so the leather saddle is still hideous after two or three days commuting in a row, but as a means of avoiding zone 1 and 2 tube fares it’s been superb. Had an hour on it through Epping Forest after I’d done a Tough Mudder earlier that day, and it coped well there too.

Look on places like HotUKDeals to see what’s on offer. Last year I’ve paid £60ish a corner for Michelin PS4s (18″) and Goodyear Eagle F1 5 (17″) after taking into account some Halifax account cashback at ATS. I know you’ve said it’s not a sporty number but tyres are the only contact you have with the road.

Side note but avoid the ZV7s, cracks develop within the tread within comparatively little time at all.

I’ve never investigated winter/all season tyres, guess it depends where you live, how you drive and how often you drive.