What pdw said. I re-bled my rear today with the wheels off the bike and the bike hung over my work stand, the crook of the down tube and fork resting over the arm on the stand. Secured it with a strap 😉 Did it this way as I couldn’t be arsed to take the caliper and hose off the frame. I also used the Shimano funnel, with a Jagwire bleed kit. The shimano funnel enables better control of the level of oil in the lever when you remove it. Much more solid feel at the lever; we’ll see how it lasts.

Mine are the same (M8000). Recently bled them and got the front up to scratch but the rear was still a bit crap. So I opened the rear brake lever bleed port and dropped a few drops of mineral oil into the reservoir until the oil formed a meniscus, then screwed the cover back on. The bleed procedure guides talk about this bulge of oil after the syringe/funel is removed but suggest it will result from taking the funnel/syringe off, but it doesn’t. Without this ‘bulge’ of oil you will always trap a bit of air in the system which will exacerbate any issues. In my experience it’s virtually impossible to get the oil to match or exceed the level of the bleed port, which it needs to, without a bit of assistance in the form of a few extra drops.

I’ve always wondered if this really is a problem with these brakes or whether they’re just extremely sensitive to bleeding procedure. Personally I suspect the latter. I’ll see how mine go and if they don’t improve I’m going to Hope. Life’s too short. Love Shimano and especially mineral oil systems but can’t put up with not being able to rely on my stoppers.

Luket is absolutely right – helmet shape is the key for us large brained people.

Yesterday happened on a Troy Lee A1 MIPS in XL/XXL which fits better than anything I’ve found so far, so I bought it. Think I must have tried the L/XL previously as this one was great.

I’m a narrow long head shape and this fits better along the sides than the Super 2. Feels plusher too.

Recently in the same dilemma.mwas about to sell my Stumpy and keep the Whyte 905 but did the opposite. The Stumpy is just the better bike more of the time.

I have exactly the same problem; I’m about a 62 and long-headed… Giro were initially my only option. Here’s what I’ve foundation lids I have owned:

Giro Hex and Xen – good fit size L. Hex a tiny bit looser than Xen.
Specialized Ambush – bit baggy in size L – wobbled on descents – and I wrote off two. One in a crash (no visible damage but didn’t want to chance it), the second had an unexplained dent in the shell two months later with no crashes. A bit fragile?
Bell Super 2 MIPS – size L. Lovely fit, secure-as and feels bombproof.

Others I have tried (all in the biggest size available):

POC Trabec – too tight in length.
Troy Lee A1 – too tight in length.
Mavic – fits length wise but way too round so fits like a bowl.
Fox Flux – fits at a push. Just a bit too tight all round.
Giro Montaro MIPS – snug but very nice fit. This would be my choice if I didn’t have the Super.

Hope that helps – I feel your pain.

Got the MIPS one. Due to the size and shape of my head I only fit Giro, Specialized and Bell lids. Trashed 2 Spesh Ambush lids which seem a bit fragile and got the Bell. Bombproof and a nice fit – a little more secure than the Spesh which used to wobble a bit. Yes it’s a bit hot and in my case as the non-MIPS one was a bit baggy the MIPS one fits more snugly. Definitely recommend if it fits. And if you can physically pay for the MIPS one why wouldn’t you?

I’m rather a ‘big’ lad, and ride the South Downs, Stanmer, Surrey too.
Never ridden the Camber however, but do own the Stumpy Evo 650.

If i only EVER rode the SDW type stuff, i’d be happy with the Cambers lower travel, but i find that running the STumpy set-up slightly softer means it never feels like too much bike for the trails i ride it on, but does feel grippy, fast and capable. I’d want more than a camber for Surrey, or BPW, or even areas of Stanmer and the downs.

I swapped my stumpy’s Rev’ for A Pike and run 2 tokens in them, to get the fork set-up nice and soft, without blowing right through the travel. The stumpy rocks when set-up like this. I’m 18st tho, so that might be different for him.

@lardman what year is your Stumpy and what travel is your Pike? I run a ’15 650b Evo and am about to upgrade from the 150mm Rev to a Pike or Lyrik. I’m debating on whether to go 160mm and bin the headset spacer and keep geo the same or keep the spacer, go 160mm and slacken the HA a touch. BB won’t hurt being raised a tiny bit too… 8)

Thanks

If you’re talking a DSLR then yes FF is in another league from cropped sensors. Had a D7100 and traded it for a D600 and will never go back to a DX/APS-C DSLR body.

But I also got a used Fujifilm X-Pro 1. Which, frankly, makes me wonder whether (apart from for fast action) I will ever need a DSLR again. You have been warned…

I’m in exactly the same dilemma, only not as a result of health issues, so sympathy to allan23.

I have a Stumpy 650b Evo and a Whyte 905. Both very nice but after a crash on it last autumn I don’t use the FS that much – generally going faster when I run out of talent… Bike unharmed luckily!

So trying to decide whether to sell the Stumpy and use parts from the Whyte to put on a been-meaning-to-for-years steel HT; either a Cotic Soul or a Pace RC127.

I seem to go through the ‘need FS, buy, get bored, sell’ cycle endlessly, but as I get older I’m slowing down and identifying with a HT ever more. Decisions.

Got a Whyte 905. Lovely bit of kit. Geo is awesome.

So anyone seen the 650b/27.5 Baron yet? Keep hearing rumours that it’s ‘nearly’…

I asked Conti when a 650b Baron would be available and they said ‘before Christmas’. That’s brilliant except I asked the question in November 2014. Seriously.

Like some others here IMHO there is no substitute for the Baron in winter, for a mix of light mud and roots/rocks. The Butcher doesn’t come close and I’m curently running a Maxxis Shorty Exo 3c up front and a HRII out back and the Shorty is sketchy on anything other than soft ground (obviously – but I can’t get a Baron which isn’t sketchy).

I ride quite a bit at QECP which is lethal in winter (wet chalk and roots) and the Baron has no equal there. Also ran Barons F&R year-round on my 26 HT last year and they’re simply the best I think.

Just get on with it Conti. Please.

We’ll done jack-muttley for posting this. Steve’s death is truly shocking. I had a cholesterol check last year after another minor scare, my bad cholesterol was a bit high but my good cholesterol (the doctor’s words not mine!) was good. Still room for improvement. This has been a real soberer and I’m going to look at my diet again. I’m fit and hardly drink at all but I could probably eat a bit more healthily.

What a brilliant thread. Thank you all. Very useful and extremely amusing. Never knew Henry vacuum cleaners were so disliked!! Now where’s the dyson…

Wow – that’s some ordeal and I’m so happy that you’re all out of the other side. Such good news. Many, many congratulations and best wishes. 😀

Public sector pension. Am 41 (been in the same job since 21) and could retire now (with immediate pension, static until 55). Current compulsory retirement age 53 (or 55 if I get promoted again). Really good pension too but being changed in 2015 to something clearly cheaper and less good.

I had this issue on my old Floats. If I stood the bike on its back wheel and bounced it, I felt a clunking from the front wheel which made me wonder if my headset was loose. Turned out to be the front wheel QR (9mm) not quite tight enough allowing the wheel to move a tiny bit. Not sure if yours are QR15 but that could also be the case. Try the front wheel hub for play also.

It’s a job for the professionals until you’re comfortable with what to do and have the right tools. As you got it second hand I’d take it to a Ghost dealer so they can properly check the whole bike over for you, while you get a pivot service done.

If you don’t know the bike’s history might be worth getting the shock serviced too – I had one that made a cracking sound at the top of its travel and a service cured it. Your bike shop should be able to send the shock off for servicing at Mojo (if it’s a Fox) or TF Tuned (if it’s a Rockshox). The fork might be worth being serviced at the same time. Once that lot’s done (could be quite expensive but neglecting FS servicing costs more in the long run) it should be silent.

I’ve not read it but I think it’s great. More bike mags means more people thinking about bikes more of the time, which has to be a good thing. So: the more bike mags the better, and this one gives superior types something to sneer about, double win.

Actually that’s a fair point.

Ahhhh! So what you’re actually ranting about here is the quality of the bearing used within the press fit, not the actual design principal?

Nickc I never rant… 😉 Whether it’s the bearing quality or design principle that makes PF BBs currently rubbish is a moot point; the result is not – in my experience – fit for purpose.

The design principle (quoted by most mfrs who spec them) is that they’re stiffer (and Ghost claim they need less maintenance which just isn’t yet true). I can’t notice increased stiffness over a HT2-type BB and I have to replace bearings a lot more often so it’s a lose-lose situation IMO.

As I said however if press fit BBs improve enough to be fit for purpose on MTBs, then fine. But at the moment they’re not.

OK so a few people not going to buy another PF BB fitted bike. Unless the standard of sealing improves drastically I won’t. Is it worth compiling a list of MTB manufacturers (inc frame-only mfrs) that have not adopted the PF/BB30 standard on their ‘average’ XC/trail bikes? I’ve got:

Canyon
Cotic
Genesis
Ibis
Norco
Nukeproof
Orange
Ragley
Saracen
Santa Cruz
Yeti

The real big hitters (Specialized, Giant) seem to have gone PF across their ‘normal’ (XC/trail) mountain bike ranges however.

I was amused that Ghost claim the PF BB ‘improves stability and reduces maintenance’. Ho ho ho.

The question is why are they so bad??

The bearings are the same size as HTII and they are inside the frame so you would assume they are more protected. Also you don’t have to worry about frame facing issues.

Know what you mean but they must – de facto – be more poorly sealed than other bearings. My non-engineer’s brain thinks it’s something to do with the fact that when laid flat on a table and viewed from above they are wide in circumference but the actual bearing is narrow ie the outer and inner circumferences are quite similar. In my opinion that gives a small area in which to put an effective seal and it is therefore too difficult to engineer an effective one?

Could of course be that PF BBs were just brought across from road bikes without modification (ie expense), or is that being cynical?

Edit: the Hope system looks ok but still puzzles me why we have to buy aftermarket systems to get any longevity from a standard that is supposed to improve our lot.

Yeah, but it’s not a commuter magazine. And do commuters read magazines about commuting. On that basis you’d expect, oh I dunno, Extreme Tube Traveller to be doing well in London. Or Practical Motorway Driver to be selling like hotcakes. Sure, commuters read but they don’t read about commuting.

What would a commuter bike magazine read like? Ten Great Traffic Light Tips? Ride Like A Death Courier – We Tell You How? Cargo Bag Of The Year? ‘Commuter Route Guide – Five Great London Rat-Runs To Glory with maps and GPX files’? ”High Viz Shoot-Out’?

You might buy one copy out of interest, but you’re not likely to subscribe. Or maybe you are. And I guess if Urban Cyclist exists, Extreme Commuter might have a shot at glory too.

I like the idea of Urbane Cyclist – grooming tips for the urban fashionista, ten top leg razors tested, 30-minute makeover sponsored by Rapha. Post-ride Ceansing Tips – How To Get Mud Out of Your Ears etc. Please Future, I would buy it and so would millions of other dishevelled bikers… probably.

Now that made me laugh. Loudly. I’d even say it made me ‘LOL’…

Anyway, bought issue 1 as was intrigued. Left it in Costa for someone else.

Just my Chameleon now.

Hope BB is very easy to fit if you have the tools, I’m sure swapping bearings isn’t difficult or expensive.

Correct. The job is straightforward (I should know I did it often enough) and you can change bearings ghetto style without much in the way of special tools. However the right tools make it way easier and lower the risk of damage to the bearings and your frame. I used:

– Park Tool PF BB30 ‘drift’ tool http://www.parktool.com/product/bottom-bracket-tool-set-for-bb30-bbt-30-3
– Circlip pliers (right angle ones to remove/fit the circlips that sit inside the BB shell stopping the bearings being pushed too far into the shell)
– Whatever size large allen key you need for your cranks and
– Potentially depending on model – crank extractor

So about £100 worth of tools over the other BB/crank tools I had 🙁

However a headset press is recommended for fitting the bearings to avoid damaging them and/or the frame. It would have made the job much easier in my experience (The Park tool is great for getting bearings out but getting them in isn’t as easy) but I bet not many people have them, and they are not cheap.

So, given the frequency with which PF bearings need replacing you either have to buy some quite specialised workshop tools or risk creating problems. Or book your bike into your LBS every couple of weeks. Helpful!

Or can we just go back to external BBs that last a lot longer and don’t need you to fit out your toolbox like a World Cup pits? Too revolutionary?

I strip and clean it now every other ride,and replace after a few months.

How exactly is the press fit BB advancing our sport? Having to strip and clean a BB after every other ride is evolution? Seriously?

I loved my old Stumpy FSR but it had to go. Specialized have been awesome to me over the years, sending me free stuff and all sorts just for being a fan of the brand, but I can’t spend my hard earned on another of their bikes when this is how the ownership experience will pan out. I rode my 07 Stumpy on its Truvativ external BB until this year and it was still on its original (and sound) BB. I rode my BB30 bike twice before I needed to replace the bearings. Not acceptable in my book.

Hoping to have my first bike ride next week after I get the results of my mri scan on Tuesday.

Best of luck. In those circumstances you’ll be happy on any bike. I really hope you get out on that ride next week and have a blast.

Fake glasses? Great if they look like the real thing (apart from being illegal) but if tinted they will fool your eye into thinking the iris can open up more to let more light in and if the lenses don’t do UV protection properly you risk eye damage. Or should I say damage to your son’s eyes.

Personally I’d steer clear.

You might need to try FS and either love it or get it out of your system.

I like FS but got rid of my 07 Stumpy recently and have a SC Chameleon with 120mm forks at present. Love that and still would probably ride it most of the time over a FS but doesn’t stop me wanting another FS…

pressfit should be fine if they last like that, or like ye olde worlde cup+cone BB. Unfortunately external BB basically became a consumable item. If pressfit is also consumable for what we do, then it’s c**p design.

What he said.

and how many do you think just wear stuff out out and the bike gets scraped, then add to that 2nd category all the bikes that never get ridden the 5000 miles or so it takes to wear out a BB?

That’s my point. This rule of thumb can’t apply with PF BB. I’d be stunned if anyone got 5000 miles out of a PF BB on a mountain bike ridden off road. In my case this adage would have meant a new bike after less than 100 miles when the BB first died, or riding it less than 100 miles over the period when I’d normally have done 5000.

Just not fit for purpose IMHO.

Andytherocketeer – most of what you say makes perfect sense but..

And 99% of bikes in the world will probably never see a replacement drivetrain component ever.

Why? Not sure what you mean. Bikes seen as disposable?

Was yours a Lapierre?

No, a Boardman hardtail that was actually a great bike (BB30 excepted) but I sold it as I couldn’t stand changing the BB every 4 rides. Now have 1 HT without a PF BB and want a new FS bike but nervous about getting PF again.

Hope your Trek stays ok!

Green. Black and white parts.

Bumps, I wouldn’t either, but if you had done it that way in your case you mentioned above, you wouldn’t have had to refund and lose money. You could have told him to do one

That’s a fair point! 😯 I didn’t think about it like that but will next time – good tip!

White. No contest.

At least 2 inner tubes (maybe 1 if tubeless)
Small plastic sheet (for tyre gash – tube is for reinflation if you were tubeless)
Cable ties
Mech hanger
More than 1 tyre lever (they also snap)

Used all the above on rides but only thing stopped me riding was when I broke myself (dislocated shoulder).

Just sold a couple of bikes on ebay. The whole range of buyers from paypal honest and pleased with their purchase to won and then decided after payment they didn’t want it (cost me the refund fee – nob) and all in between.

Personally I wouldn’t do what he suggests. I hold people to the sale policy quoted in the item. I let people collect from home but made sure the bike was not where I keep them normally, and I ensured they paid paypal before collection. Him not coming to your address is a moot point – if you hit buyer details its all there anyway so not much to be gained from meeting elsewhere. However…

One guy asked to pay cash so I said I’d meet him at the bank, bank the cash so I knew it wasn’t dodgy and then give him the bike out of the back of the car. He didn’t have an issue with it and your guy shouldn’t if he’s honest.

Paranoid? Maybe but better that way than ripped off.

Without trying to be glib, I would replace with adaptors and a ‘normal’ BB and if you ever change your frame/bike make sure you never buy another one with a PF BB. They are just a rubbish design for MTBs IMHO. Mine was never right.

Old thread I know but recently been round this conundrum with my garage of bikes (2007 Spesh Stumpy FSR 07, 2000 ‘Dale F1000SL and 2011 Boardman HT). Spesh not enough fun for me and too many pivots needing maintenance, Dale F1000SL was too XC for me and the Boardman was OK (apart from having a BB30). Wanted something a bit more fun though but didn’t really get the use out of FS like the OP. Always had a weak spot for a good HT.

So I took the parts off the Boardman and put them on a Santa Cruz Chameleon.

My skills are less than my ability to pick up speed so a 26 HT is excellent for me (riding in the South): fewer crashes… Despite not being a 29er or carbon or FS (or all of the above) like most bikes I see on rides, I always have – shock horror – loads of fun on it. Just needs a type 2 rear mech now and potentially lighter wheels.

If you’re going to travel anyway I’m with Stiggy. Surrey Hills were pretty dry last week – way drier than anywhere else in the locale. It’s obviously rained since but they may be a good bet on a drier-than-the-rest-average basis. And top tea and grub at Peaslake village stores too. 🙂