Edited again. As bored as I am today, getting involved in this nonsense is about as productive as painting a cat. I’ll leave you to it.

.

Awaits, the “well, Blair started the move” which I will simply say, bollocks did he.

But he did. That’s why we are where we are right now. The tories simply carried on what he’d started. Even Thatcher, when asked what was her greatest legacy, replied ‘Tony Blair’.

Yabbering on about Labour is waste of time unless you’re centre-right.
Corbyn or Starmer – it doesn’t matter.
Neither of them would or will make any radical changes to UK society.

This is pretty much spot on.

Edited. There’s no point getting into this argument. It’s utterly pointless.

As far as I’m aware the “rules” apply to all ways, not just carriageways, so keeping left is the technically correct approach even in bridleways etc.

Obviously that doesn’t really happen consistently in reality so you need to be pragmatic, but it makes sense to default to keeping left.

But where are these ‘rules’? I’m not sure they exist in any concrete form. And that’s the problem. Another issue is people from overseas, where everyone drives on the right, so they have got used to cycling on the right. Takes a while to adjust. I’ve almost come a cropper in several other countries! :D

I bought a Robert Welch Signature cook’s knife from John Lewis about a year ago, and I’ve been very impressed with it so far. Holds an edge really well, seldom needs actual sharpening, just a quick hone with a steel, and will glide through even squashy tomatoes with ease. Nice handle for my small-ish hands, nice balanced weight to it. Maybe a little more than your budget, but they do a range of different sizes. I plan to buy a few more.

https://www.johnlewis.com/robert-welch-knives/p89024766

What about etiquette regarding what side of a cycle path or similar, do you stick to? I always stay left, as we would on roads, and most people seem to get this, but you get the odd spanner, such as one bloke yesterday, who don’t seem to understand this. It’s common sense, in my mind.

I dip into this thread every now and again and there appears to be some need of some serious counselling help, or there’s some weapons grade internet hardman one-upmanship going on…

Yep. Any proper discussion has been lost because of one particular person’s need for affirmation and validation. Which is a shame.

Yadda yadda. In other news, I have managed to ride over 100 miles in the last 7 days* since I started this thread. Which is more than I’ve managed,in the same amount of time, in many years. So I’m really happy about that. Might not seem a lot for some folk, and I’ve managed that and more in a day before, but it’s a big milestone for me right now, and a sign that hopefully, those dark years of depressing injuries etc, are behind me. So it’s a big step towards ‘deserving’ a new bike. Gonna spend the next few months getting fitter and stronger, and thinking about some nice trips abroad and that. It’s quite exciting.

*I proudly announced this to my wife yesterday, to which she replied ‘so why are you still here?’ :D

If I was your neighbour I was be annoyed at having to find my debit card, head into town and use a cash point. It only dispenses notes in increments of £10 so I would need to buy something with cash to get the right change for you.

It’s a fair point. I’m so not bothered about the money though; it’s such a small amount (to me at least), that I’m quite happy to write it off against any future ‘reciprocation’. We get on really well, so a few quid on something he needs, is fine to me really. But yeah; it’s a bit of a pain in the bum, finding cash when you don’t really use it day to day. We always keep a bit in in case of ’emergencies’, but seldom use it these days, especially what with Covid and that. One particular annoyance is our plumber/heating engineer, who has done loads of work for us over the past couple of years, but is really shit at keeping tabs on things like payments (he has a bit of an issue with organisation of admin etc). His wife fortunately does his accounts etc, so will send us a gentle email reminder, but if it were left to him, he’d forget to charge us. Paying someone like that in cash, would be much easier for him. And what about tips for delivery people etc? I’m loathe to ever include it on a restaurant bill, for fear it goes straight to the business owner rather than the staff I want it to (was it Giraffe, that didn’t pay their workers their rightful tips?). Cash still definitely has its uses.

I had to write a cheque yesterday. I checked the stubs, it was the first time I had written a cheque in over three years!

My mum insists paying for large purchases etc by cheque. She won’t do any online banking, ever. I’ve had to step in quite a few times to sort things. She probably owes me a few quid. I’ll let her off cos she raised me though.

Our court system is full of people defending themselves for acts such as failing to secure a ladder so a thief can’t use it to break into their house… determining if the granny being beaten required someone to physically touch the mugger… chasing people who have say iplayer coererced onto their TV into buying TV licences even though they don’t use it etc.

What a load of absolute rubbish.

A neighbour owes me about £24 for some sanding sheets I ordered in bulk for both of us. He’s wanting bank details etc to pay me back. I can’t even be bothered digging them out. Some cash would actually be quite useful; all those little shops with ‘£5 minimum card charge’ etc. I might actually request in in gold. I think that’s about 0.58g at current prices. Still cheaper than Cocaine.

What would you have him do?

Parachute in ex-councillors from places like Hackney, to stand as Mayor?

https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2021/01/04/jon-burke-stands-down-hackney-council-with-eye-run-liverpool-mayor/

I know Jon Burke. He’s a ****.

Having been to Barmouth, I’m struggling to understand why anyone would consider it a ‘shithole’. Anyway; stayed in a bunkhouse place in Dollgellau some years ago now. We shared it with another group up from London at the same time. Proper MTB friendly place. We all went to a local pub, where some of the local lads took umbrage with the amount of attention two black lads in our group were getting from the local women, and got a bit racist. Word of caution; don’t be a racist prick, then pick a fight with a group of firefighters. Suffice to say, it don’t end well for the locals. The racist lads, that is. A couple of the women seemed to do ok out of it… ;)

I think the frame boss screw holes are M10? And the fork ones M8? So I’m wondering if something like this might be good?

https://www.accu.co.uk/en/socket-button-screws/8391-SSB-M10-12-A4

Obviously I’m wrong too, but I do wonder why you are all so defensive about your boat anchors.

Lol! Some on here would make terrible salespeople, that’s for sure.

THE OP isn’t interested in faster

Oh I most definitely am. Well, faster than a heavy bike, hence why I want a lighter bike. Heavier = more energy required to propel it. It’s simple physics. The aim is to have a bike that’s as light as possible, whilst still being capable. See Spekkie’s description of his Specialized Epic above; that’s exactly the kind of riding I’d be wanting to do, and that bike seems to suit him perfectly for the vast majority of it. So that’s very good to know, that such a bike will be capable. It’s apparently that a sub-20lb bike is out of the question unless I go completely mad, but something around 22/23lbs is more than possible, perhaps even lighter. This is what I’m interested in.

The question now of course, is if the OP already knows what they want, why did they ask for advice in the first place?

I had a rough idea. I now have a much clearer idea. This thread has definitely served its purpose, so I’m grateful to all those who’ve actually bothered to ‘listen’ to me, and understand me. From this thread alone, I’d be much more confident about ordering a Specialized Epic Evo online (if there were any stock anywhere), I’m sure I wouldn’t be disappointed. I will wait and try some though, as I think that’s a much better course of action.

The OP seems to want what used to be a ‘trail’ bike which has now been tentatively branded ‘Downcountry’. This means a bike that’s for cross-country but isn’t an XC race bike. So it’s got a bit more travel, and is a bit slacker but a lot more comfortable and better to handle on whatever tech you might find. Probably available for under the ‘magic’ 25lb mark if you have enough money.

Molgrips seems to understand me very well. Be more like Molgrips. :)

Keep the suggestions coming though. The more the merrier.

Bloody hell fellas… he gave you a clue in his user name!

It’s literally my surname. Whereas your only contribution to this thread has been…?

An issue with things like noisy neighbours, is that it’s very difficult to ascertain what constitutes a ‘nuisance’, and how someone might be liable for causing that. I think in new builds, there may be certain requirements regarding sound insulation, but in an older property, I don’t know how this applies. In order to have any action taken, or to force someone to make any changes/works to rectify the issue, you need evidence that the noise is of an ‘excessive’ level, and proof that it is negatively affecting your life. So, someone doing drilling at 3am is ‘unreasonable’, but screaming kids in daytime probably won’t cut it. As someone who has been on both sides of (minor) disputes over noise, I’d say that unless you want to enter a whole world of pain, it’s probably better to suck it up and seek your own noise reduction solutions, than trying to ensure someone else does. It’s far, far easier and less stressful. A friend of ours has a similar issue with a very noisy family beneath her; they are nice enough people just noisy. It’s bad for her mental health though. but the simple steps she could take (fitting carpets and sound insulation etc), she won’t take. Stupid. We have a neighbour who moans a bit about our music, but having been in her place to hear how ‘loud’ it actually is, it’s really not at all ‘offensive’, just about audible, and nowhere near the level of outside sounds including birdsong, traffic noise, even people outside talking. And the irony is that we can hear her music occasionally, but it’s never something that bothers us. She’s just a bit of a princess. So I’ve done nothing about it. :D If you live in close proximity to others, you have to expect a bit of noise. That’s life.

Some friends of ours have an old farm house in Cumbria; stone built. It’s always cold, even in the height of summer. They’ve become used to it, but you need the fire on in the evenings in summer, and pretty much on constantly, from autumn through to spring, if you’re in the place. As others have said above; you have to just get used to it and put more layers on. It’ll never be warm.

Ok. I can’t be bothered responding to trols any longer. But to get an idea of what I’m after, have a look at Spekkie’s thread here:

Buying and renovating a rural property on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees

I found this far more helpful and informative, than any of the waffle about how people think I’m ‘wrong’:

Having been here for a while now, I’ve learned what I can do and what I can’t do on my Specialized Epic. It generally copes with everything I want to ride here, including the “easier” Enduro trails. I avoid the descents on the Black routes – the geometery of an XC bike just makes them too tricky – but pretty much everything else is do-able. If I come across a section I can’t do, I’m happy to jump off for a few secs. I’d rather do that and still ride most of a route than not ride the route at all. One day I’ll fit a dropper-post and that will help me along I’m sure. Also, I’m one of those people who enjoys climbing, and the XC bike is great to ride on the climbs

If that’s not possible, then the dispute won’t be resolved.

So then what?

Really quite jealous. Been thinking about buying a place in Spain for a few years now. We were all set to start looking ‘properly’ (ie a nice holiday travelling around various places), but our Spanish friend became ill, so we had no translator. And obviously Covid has shelved things for a while longer too, and I dread to think what Brexit has done for things.

Having been here for a while now, I’ve learned what I can do and what I can’t do on my Specialized Epic. It generally copes with everything I want to ride here, including the “easier” Enduro trails. I avoid the descents on the Black routes – the geometery of an XC bike just makes them too tricky – but pretty much everything else is do-able. If I come across a section I can’t do, I’m happy to jump off for a few secs. I’d rather do that and still ride most of a route than not ride the route at all. One day I’ll fit a dropper-post and that will help me along I’m sure. Also, I’m one of those people who enjoys climbing, and the XC bike is great to ride on the climbs

Spekkie that’s spookily so relevant to my own search for a new bike (see my wonderful thread regarding the matter ;) )! Yours is the kind of lifestyle I’d really quite like myself, for at least part of the year. Nice.

My advice would be for them to find an adult

So how does that help them find their own way in life, if they feel they have to have their hands held at every turn?

Alternative view on things:

http://libcom.org/news/what-actually-happened-bristol-how-narrative-built-22032021?fbclid=IwAR3EoJgrh3gghsNYYWhfwf70tm3UZS-6yIjXH5rKt4pRJQNAW1XqHuq0CQQ

Because of all the dirt jumps? 😈

Ha ha! Yeah, totally. It’s all the kids’ fault. ;)

Do you have any constructive advice about how the dispute can be resolved?

Actually, given that ‘official’ avenues seem to have been tried, and exhausted, then perhaps a bit of civil disobedience is in fact in order. I’ve seen BMX tracks built, where kids have tried for years to get the local council to help them build one, and have been turned down, so they build their own jumps anyway, until the council gives in and properly funds one. If you want something enough, keep hammering away until you get it.

What advice would you give?

It takes actually TRYING it to change (I know it did for me)

I totally get that. As I’ve said several times already; it’s not the best time to be trying stuff out right now. I have tried a few other bikes in the intervening years, I really don’t know how many more times I can say this. I just haven’t ridden regularly, or any bikes for any prolonged periods. I won’t pretend to know how every single bike will ride, but I have enough experience to know that a lightweight bike will be a better bike for me, thqn heavier one. It’s simple physics. I’m not going to be doing EWS/Megavalance type stuff, so I don’t need an ‘enduro’ bike. So; something like the Specialized Epic Evo, would be a better fit than say the Stumpjumper.

I started MTBing in 1988.

So did I. I have no idea or interest in whose dad’s the biggest.

Ok soz for the ‘gammon’ comment, but really, get some perspective. It’s a few pretty small jumps (even I’d happily jump them), kids have tried to get ‘permission’, the local council have been obstructive, so what do you expect to happen? Kids are kids.

Well, the decoration might be dog shit in little bags hung on any available handle, crude graffiti, empty cans, bags and other crap, and you won’t mind if I do the garden over with a mini digger to avoid putting my back out, and any structural features I’ll just shove into a pile against the back of the house out of the way.

As I said; get some perspective. In the grand scheme of things, how ‘bad’ is this, really? Has anyone actually been harmed? Has nature suffered in any major way? Have some kids had fun over the years? It’s really not that big a deal.

Sometimes rules are shit. They’re often in place for the benefit of people who would eat crayons unless they said “do not eat” down the sides. Yet sometimes they’re there to try and safeguard against you accidentally destroy a red squirrel habitat.

There aren’t any red squirrels in London.

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/cannondale-scalpel-se-vs-specialized-epic-evo-test/

Cannondale scalpel SE? Above article compares it to a more reasonably priced version of the Epic Evo.

That’s great, thanks. Seems they found the Cannondale better at climbing, but the Specialized to be the better all round bike. It also shows MTB ‘journalism’ hasn’t changed much in all this time! :D But on the basis of that review, I think I’d probably go for the Specialized (the Epic Evo is currently top of my list so far from what I’ve seen).

You missed the context – I said if you couldn’t get over the 29er thing and wanted something 27.5 you may have to move a bit more towards trail than down-country. The Blur is a 29er

No that’s fair enough; my initial misgivings regarding larger wheels seem to be a bit misguided. The early ones I saw and tried, were dreadful. So I’m more than happy to be enlightened about them. Seems all ‘XC’ type bikes now have ’29er’ wheels.

There’s nothing quite so irritating as someone who thinks they’re still an expert, asks for advice from people who know what the current state of whatever it is is, and then ignores any advice that doesn’t match with their outdated views.

Without wishing to continue this pointless argument any further, I’ll just say that regardless of whatever you or anyone else might think, this is actually about me choosing a new bike, not affirming other people’s egos. So if you think you’ve been ‘ignored’, then whatever. Not really my problem. I was MTBing before this forum existed, and probably way before a lot of people on this forum were even riding bikes. I have, as I’ve stated, ridden other bikes during the meantime as well. So, I’m not a totally ignorant newbie. I do have some idea of what I want, and this thread has so far been mostly very helpful. This is about me getting back into riding off road regularly, getting fitter, having fun, exploring and enjoying. My injuries have led to lengthy spells off any bikes, and mean I’m never going to be as fit or strong as I once was. Hence, I want a nice lightweight bike.

Welcome back to mountain biking. Update us next year when you realise you were wrong. Cheers.

You can bask in the warmth of being ‘right’, and I’ll doubtless be enjoying riding a great bike, and having loads of fun, thanks.

See what I’m getting at here?

Other than trying to explain something in a very bad way, no, not really.

the bikes that are intended for the sort of riding you want to do (general trail) don’t weigh sub-25lbs any more! To get that sort of weight, you’re looking at much more race-focused bikes, which won’t be as suited for general trail riding.

A bike with around 100-120mm travel is exactly the kind of bike I’m after. Just because they are ‘race focussed’, as you say, doesn’t mean I can’t just ride them on gentle trails, or in Alpine type areas, or indeed anywhere really. I don’t have to race on one. And it appears there are bikes that weigh sub-25lbs; I’ve had several suggestions so far. Those are very close to what I’m after.

insist on some arbitrary number that isn’t relevant

To you. It’s relevant to me. Because it’s about a bike for me. If I’m after something like a Lotus Exige, why recommend a Ford Fiasco or whatever they’re called these days? If I’m in a restaurant, and fancy something with chicken, why suggest something with beef? See what I’m getting at here? ;)

At least respect our advice enough to listen, eh?

I am. But when yet another person comes along and suggests something that isn’t what I’ve specified, it gets a bit tiresome. Remember; this isn’t a bike for you, it’s a bike for me. With my money. Quite a lot of my money, it appears. I’ve specified ‘around 25lbs or below’, to try to steer things away from ‘oh what about this nice 30+lb bike?’ type responses. To little avail, it seems. It isn’t ‘advice’, as much as ‘this is the bike I would buy’. Which isn’t what I’m asking. I’d quite like my request to be ‘respected’.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/yt-izzo-review-trail-bike-2020.html

26 and a half pounds without pedals. various levels of spec for different prices.

Starting to creep up above my ideal ‘zone’, but I’ll give it some consideration, thanks.

OP – watch this and see if this is the sort of thing you’re after:

Well, apart from the looking scary in lycra bit, yes, pretty much. The Spur is perhaps a little slacker than some other ‘XC’ bikes, no? But it’s in the right area, roughly. This is about getting an idea of what to be looking for; sorry to anyone who thinks’ I’m being a bit dismissive of your suggestions, but there’s literally thousands of different bikes out there, and the choice is utterly bewildering. I remember the days where you got a Raleigh, a Peugeot and that was about it! :D So if I can narrow the field down even a bit, it’s very helpful.

if you’re happy to pay £6k

I’m not happy to pay £6k at all! It just seems that that is around the price the kind of bike I’d like, will cost. That does look quite nice though, so thanks. The frame is a little heavier than some others, but not too bad. The X01 appears to be 25.2lbs on Transition’s website, but we’ll not quibble over a few ounces. ;) Can’t find a price on the XX1 version though; that has the lighter wheelset. Of course, another option is a frame only build, might be a little more than a complete bike, but perhaps more suited to what I want.

That seems entirely inconsistent with all the weight-weenying.

My idea of ‘having fun’ is not

Hauling a heavy bike with big draggy tyres around.

So change the tyres?

A light bike, with light tyres, is still going to be a little more preferable to me than a heavy bike with light tyres.

The original riding you described (Flat XC all the way up to ‘proper’ mountains), to me suggests

I want a nice light bike. Yes I know, thanks.

If I’m wrong and your tale is genuine then I sincerely apologise. But you are very much an outlier should that be the case.

No worries. I’m a narky **** at the best of times. I mean no-one any malice though, so I hope it’s all good.

No. I didn’t. What I said was..

All due respect; what you said was:

“you sound like the sort of person who looks for an excuse as to why you shouldn’t get involved”

Your exact words. In my mind, that’s a judgment. I never said ‘don’t get involved’ clearly, there are times when you need to, to protect yourself or others. But again; there’s a difference between that, and using threats and intimidation to counter other threats and intimidation, in a manner which could escalate matters way beyond anything reasonable. See what I’m getting at? So; someone thinks it’s ok to take matters into their own hands, but then if you do so, and fall foul of the law, you have no redress, do you? You can’t just say ‘oh well he started it’. I actually think Stevextc’s approach to getting the stolen bike back was probably ‘proportionate’, and it’s good it worked out ok; I’m just pointing out that such actions can, and often do, have very negative consequences. It’s that, which we must think about before acting at all.

As a previous poster wrote, all they hear is “who do you think you are?” That isn’t what they mean, what they mean is “do you think you’re better than me?”

Now this, is something I’m happy to engage with. With so much in society, it’s all about power relationships. The kind of people who throw litter on the floor are invariably those lacking self-respect; the ones that do it to get a reaction, are those who feel unempowered in their lives. It’s worth examining that aspect, in order to understand, and find ways to lessen/prevent such behaviour, that’s the best approach. Those lary little **** in the video riding their bikes through Asda; they know it’s out of order, and they’re just doing it to get a reaction, in order to be able to feel some sense of ‘power’, that’s very clear. It’s really not far removed from a bunch of hooligans in a pub, as alluded to earlier. Gang/mob/pack mentality. I know I was guilty of that as a youth, and I’d be amazed if many others weren’t as well.

So; how do we, as a society, help those who feel unempowered, feel empowered?

Cougar; get a life. Seriously. And perhaps have some input into this thread, the reason I joined this forum:

Getting back in the saddle; what’s new?!

It would be a more constructive use of your time.

Stevextc; I’m not going to continue arguing with you because a) it’s not a very constructive use of my time, and b) we’re always going to see things differently, so let’s leave it at that. Thanks. I’ll say just this, however: standing for something you believe in, is a world apart from using the same tactics of fear and intimidation as others, to get what you want. So; if you feel you have to use such, then that’s always going to be your call. These are decisions we must all make in society. I hope that clears things up.

Take a look at a Cotic

I did:

Weight – Gold Spec Bike 30.3lbs w/o pedals

I’ll say it again, because some people obviously aren’t paying attention:

I’m looking for something around 25lbs or lower

Ok. So it really is a matter of trying to filter out the marketing spiel, and looking at what people actually ride. I’m assuming a current XC type bike may be ‘better’ in some respects, than one from 15+ years ago. That, I would expect, given the amount of time technology has had to improve. I can accept a 30lb ‘trail’ bike might be ‘better’ in some respects than a 25lb XC bike from 15 years ago. It’s still heavier, although I can accept this might not be quite the downside this once was. And I would ovbiously like to try some bikes out, this is not quite the right time for that. I’d planned to travel and hire bikes this last summer, and when that didn’t happen, really thought I’d be doing that this summer. That’s not looking likely either. Such is life. So it’s probably good to enquire first, on such a forum as this. And it seems quite a number of people want something different from a bike, than what I do. We’re all different.

Orbea Oiz. Mine weighs a shade under 25.5 lbs

And we’re back on track. Thanks. They do look good; the Oiz M Pro TR looks good, but then the Oiz M Team has XTR…

Every weight adding thing above has been partly counteracted by the weight saving improvements by the manufacturer. They havent quite kept pace.

Right. But lightweight bikes are still available; the weights suggested for the Epic Evo, for example, are in the same area as ‘XC’ full suspension bikes were back when I was MTBing regularly. Perhaps a little lighter, even. 25lbs was around the mark, proper light bikes were 23/22lbs, and full on race weapons were 21lbs or lower. Hardtails were silly light. A friend had a Santa Cruz Blur (the original model) with full XTR, and that was about 23lbs I think.I know it didn’t feel noticeably heavier than my Trek hardtail, with Hope and XT parts. There were quite a few ‘freeride’ bikes around, they tended to be upwards of 30lbs, and were fun for an hour or so, but then just felt sluggish once you got tired. I’m not as fit as I was back then, not likely to be so again, so a nice light bike will be of benefit.

The new rockshox Sid has 35mm stanchions. not long ago their downhill fork had 32mm. The DH ones were obviously thicker, and heavier, but the new Sid is still going to outweigh the old Sid.

The original Rockshox Judy DH forks had 28mm stanchions, I think. And 80mm of travel! The current Sid Ultimate is 3.4lbs, so a bit heavier than the 2.8lb versions that were around then, but as you say, they have to deal with having longer travel, and for bigger wheels etc, so are going to be beefed up a bit. Those earlier ultra light ones were quite flexy though, and 63mm travel? So I accept things have got stronger and more ‘capable’ as they’ve got heavier.

If you can’t understand…

I think we’ll leave it there, because you clearly don’t.

In terms of community support, we have had quite a few people saying that they think it is cool, lots of young children think it’s impressive and even old people were encouraging. Only one or two people have complained/taken photos/threatened to call the police.

In my experience, the kind of people that complain about everything kids do, and bang on about doing everything by the rules etc, are just resentful that they’ve never really taken risks or come out of their comfort zone, so feel somewhat inadequate and need a target for their frustrations. Funny how some of the gammon on here that were harping on about legality etc, have gone quiet now the real nature of this heinous crime has been revealed! :D

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-dangerholms-insanely-light-scott-spark.html

This is the level you need to go to these days to get to a weight that was not unusual on the XC race circuit back in the 26er hardtail days.

Now we’re talking! :D The bootle cage reminds me of a prototype one I saw years ago, at a bike show I think. Made using kevlar shoelace impregnated with epoxy or something. Looked like it would snap in seconds, but apparently very strong.

The $11k sworks comes in at 22ish, but the more normal spec ones are hitting the 26-27 mark with pedals, on what is considered an exceptionally light weight bike these days.

Well there’s a couple there that are sub-25lb, so that’s encouraging.

Yeah sub 25lbs is a big ask on a full suss bike these days.

But why? People keep saying that bikes are ‘far, far better’ these days, yet many seem heavy. Whilst weight might not be a priority for others, it is for me. As I’ve said in my original post; my hiatus from MTBing was mainly due to injuries. I don’t want to be putting myself at risk of further injuries, trying to lift a heavy bike over a stile, for example, so for me at least, weight is important.

You missed off the bit about the 5010 CC where I said for your budget you could probably get it sub 30lbs.

The lightest model is just a fraction under 30lbs. You could have suggested the Blur, which is a lot lighter.