Oxalic acid will do it …
http://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/Item/oxalic_acid?gclid=CK7cqYyYnL0CFSfmwgod7lcAIg

I understand that it is the Boost Valve in the Fox shock that contributes to the harsh feeling over fast repeated hits, TFTuned take it out when they do the PUSH tune. Which is a little strange when you consider that SC designed the linkage around the BV shock! @njee20 I agree that you should expect better at that price but it’s still a great bike IMO even without changes to the shock.

The Bronson is a great bike and I would hazard a guess that *most* people who have ridden one would agree. It attracted a lot of hype early on because it was the first 650b bike released by a high-profile brand (please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong here!) …and it had great geometry! I think the hype is probably less deserved now with other brands releasing comparable bikes. I bought one because of the bomber stiff carbon frame, great warranty, ease of maintenance and great fit/geo (for me). I also got a good discount from my LBS on the frame and sourced other components elsewhere. I agree with others that the standard shock is the weakest link but that can be improved dramatically (according to others and TF Tuned) with a relatively inexpensive PUSH tune (about £40 on top of a standard service cost). I can testify that there is a dramatic improvement with a CCDB Air bolted to the back …but that does come at a cost :-/ …TF Tuned reckon that the PUSH tuned Factory shock is almost as good!

Be careful when pulling the lowers off – mine took some force to shift and then came off suddenly (I’m a bit ham-fisted mind!). In the process the rebound shaft got knocked and it damaged the seals in the seal-head (where it enters the damper assembly) so that oil leaked out of the damper! :-/ …on the up-side my LBS sent them back to SRAM and they turned them around in 1 day …all done under warranty (new seal-head) :-)

I would recommend against having a wooden worktop surrounding a kitchen sink. Particularly overhangs around a Belfast sink which are constantly getting wet …our beech top has turned black here and it looks ugly!

Santa Cruz seem to be adamant that the Float CTD is the best shock for the bike and that they will not be offering a piggy-back shock with the Bronson in future …My guess is that’s because the new Nomad will be sold with a Float X and to offer that with the Bronson would confuse the model line-up. All opinions on the forums seem to be that the CCDB Air works great with the Bronson though!

Not sure how well it would work on other VPP bikes but I doubt you’ll have a problem selling it – just expect a bit less for it. Alternatively keep it as a backup and for times when your CCDB Air is being serviced. You may also want to put it back on the frame when you eventually sell it.

You’re right tomhoward, I was told that the frame couldn’t be supplied without a shock (by the importer Jungle) and my LBS was reluctant to take it off and deduct the price because it has a custom tune for the Bronson and would be difficult to resell.

Enjoy your ride on Saturday! I understand that carbon floats better than alu too ;-)

Having done a custom Bronson C build I would second most (if not all) of tomhoward’s advice (never considered a Lapierre though). I spent the extra on the Factory CTD shock and am now toying with the idea of upgrading to the CCDB Air, so in retrospect I might have saved my money on that. Pikes are a no brainer IMO. Carbon vs. alu …well I rode a demo alu (briefly) before buying a carbon and it was also very good; I think you’d be happy with either but the carbon frame is exceptionally stiff …arguably you may be better off spending the money on carbon wheels but that’s a whole other discussion! :-)

Not sure if all councils have the same policy but we had a claim rejected recently by Herefordshire council because they had complied with their inspection and repair schedule. The pothole my wife hit had been picked up on a prior inspection but they were still within their 28 day window to fix it. Pot(hole) luck then whether you get compo or not :-/

Thanks neallyman. Like you I’d forgive the extra weight for great performance. I find the Fox shock makes the rear end quite rowdy/harsh on faster, rocky descents – though if you drive the bike hard (heels down) then it still feels composed but not particularly plush. I guess I would see a significant improvement with the CC DB Air in this scenario? I’m a little concerned that it might make the bike feel less playful/poppy on smoother single track terrain though. Do you find the CS works well in this type of terrain including descending (where you might have otherwise used the Trail setting on the Fox shock), or just for climbing? Or perhaps it just feels great in all types of terrain in the open setting?

I’d be tempted to buy from TF for their customer service (if ever I need it) + I understand that they throw in the mounting hardware for free.

@neallyman – I’m thinking of doing the same on my Bronson, so very interested in your experiences. Has the switch been worth the extra weight and cost? Any downsides? …or is it a little too early draw conclusions? Have you tweaked much beyond the recommended base tune?

Enve do a tubeless kit which includes the valves. Contact the distributor…
http://www.saddleback.co.uk/contact-us

I had a 3 week honeymoon in NZ back in 2005. I would also suggest you reconsider leaving your bikes at home and flying around NZ – you can include a number of internal flights on a Round-The-World ticket pretty inexpensively and hire bikes when needed. We crammed in the following; beach break on the Coromandel, racing yacht trip from Auckland to Bay of Islands, kayaking/camping trip on the Abel Tasman, some tame MTB on the Otago rail trail, kayaking trip on Doubtful Sound, tramping (hiking!) the Hump Ridge Track and an adrenaline fix in Queenstown. It was all great but out of it all I would second trail_rat’s recommendation to do the kayak trip in Abel Tasman NP …the beaches are incredible!

I like my Fox DOSS dropper – I’ve been using it about twice a week for the last 8 months in all conditions with no real issues and no service. Very occasionally it slips back down to the next stop after extending it – that happens usually in wet conditions when it hasn’t properly engaged in the up position. It only happens rarely and doesn’t really bother me. Otherwise it works very well and the “clunkiness” I see as “positive engagement”! I like the 3 fixed positions but think that the intermediate position is a little too high (at 40mm from top) for my liking. The vast majority of the time I use it in the fully up or fully down positions. The lever is also great if run with a 1x setup underneath the bar on the left – it is a little awkward if run on top of the bar but still usable. I primarily chose the DOSS based on the mechanical (rather than hydraulic) internals and am optimistic that it’s going to remain reliable.

Use a piece of wire coat hanger to start cleaning the carbon deposits out of the feed pipe and then once you’ve cleaned out as much as you can use a 3mm drill bit to finish the job.

I think I just saw the same convoy on the A4103 in Bransford just outside Worcester at about 4pm coming from Hereford direction. Lots of unmarked Sprinter vans, a couple of Landies with sat dishes on the roof, two all black, big American pickup trucks pulling matching black trailers (with mysterious cargo under tarp) all with a liberal helping of marked police cars and outriders. Cue conspiracy theories…

The new Tech 3 lever with E4 caliper, available from Hope now… :-)

http://www.hopetech.com/page.aspx?itemID=SPG533

http://www.sicklines.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/24987/title/2014-hope-tech-3-disc-brake-calipersx2e4v2/cat/1069

+ another 1 for iRideAfrica crew! Tokai Forest and Stellenbosch both worth a trip – although you may need to find your own way to Stellenbosch (about an hour away). It’s mostly XC oriented around Cape Town – 26 inch bikes are a bit of a rarity!

Saris Bones RS is very good. Very quick to put on / take off and very good customer service from the importer when I recently needed a couple of replacement parts – they come with a lifetime warranty. The only downside is that you will probably need one of those false cross-bars for most full sus MTB frames.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/car-racks/product/review-saris-cycling-group-bones-rs-bike-rack-17507

I was told last weekend by the nice man from Jungle that the next shipment was just leaving the US and would be available in about 2 weeks. He also said that they will be starting to use air freight to speed things up and that if you ordered one today you would get it in November. So it seems that supply may be finally catching up with demand.

@robbonzo – the demo bike I rode at Skyline was a large alu bike and it felt great …not what I ordered though! :?

I placed an order after a short demo ride at Skyline. It does everything my 575 does only better and feels totally planted giving loads of confidence …and yes it does climb very well. It’s going to have to be my “do it all bike” after spending that much!

I have had many knee problems over the years ever since I tore my ACL (undiagnosed) when I was 18 …and have had a number of operations since. My advice is to listen to the specialists and have the surgery if that’s what they advise. I think if a tear in the meniscus is repaired quickly enough then it can be successful. Hopefully, if your ligaments are ok then you won’t have any instability – if you do then it’s important to address it and not wait and hope. Instability will eventually lead to tearing in the cartilage/meniscus, premature wear on the joint surfaces, then arthritis and potentially a part or full knee replacement (my last prognosis!). Sorry I don’t mean to scaremonger but I’m sure my knee would be in much better shape if I had had the correct treatment after the original injury. You should definitely push for an MRI and if you have the option to go private then you should do so to speed up the process – the treatment you will get on the NHS will be good but will take much longer. The good news is that cycling is good for your knee! I have had virtually no problems since I stepped up my riding and built the muscles up around my knee.