I just bought a non-iSpec shifter, problem solved.

Maybe it is just a gimmick, thought I’d go for it if there was a cheap old adapter I could bolt on but i can’t say I’ve ever looked at my bars and though “uhh, if only i had more space!”.

You can get a pretty nice Deore EV dropper remote for not too much money.

If I’m honest, it’s not about the cost so much as laziness and me not wanting the change the shifter over as it’ll mean changing the cable, setting everything up etc.

I went the other way, went from 35mm to 50mm and felt the bike responded much better. Generally stems aren’t too expensive and hold their value so they’re great for testing out to see what works for each person.

I found my bike felt a little too ‘short’ for want of a better word, when i was off my saddle. 1.5cm is nothing but the change it makes to the feel of the bike is ridiculous.

they are great to whack over my rear disk and give the cassette & chain a squirt of something to deal with the moisture. Lazy? Yes. Better than doing nothing? Also yes.

This is what I was getting at with my original post. If I clean my bike in winter and put it in the garage I don’t want it rusting from trapped water so I clear the water with bike protect. I’d rather be safe than sorry 👍

As for the brake shield thingy, the description said it only goes up to 40t rear cassettes or something so I ruled it out.

Alternatively you could use a shower cap, at about £1.99. £18 cheaper.

A few people have suggested shower caps. Personally, I don’t think I’d want to use something that’ll end up at a landfill every time I clean my bike.
But I agree the price is ridiculous though.

A tenner for something that works better than my own bodges is fine my me. There will always be people who’d rather make their own headset press than buy one etc. Take whichever path you prefer, and be a dick about it. Like everything else.

Same for me. But for every “do it right” person there will also be two “bodge it” people.

@bikerevivesheffield

When you say one do you mean a pair? Sounds like I only need the one if you’d split?
Could you PM me with details/price etc? Thanks

I run my chain on the opposite side of the bike to the discs, works well

Sounds like you need to work on your bike cleaning/maintenance 🤷‍♂️

I just don’t spray my brake discs with lube. Find that works pretty well.

If you ask me it’s the answer to a problem I didn’t know I had.

Easier said than done when you’re outdoors and the wind picks up unexpectedly?

Thanks for the suggestions. Some great ideas. Morvelo are looking like my style at the moment!

$1.15 ones off Aliexpress can be OK too.

After my AliExpress ‘Fox’ jersey I’m steering clear for a while! 😂

Thanks. So by that do you mean the adapter sits in the countersunk gap on the rotor just not flush? I only need one for the back wheel so it should be mostly covered by the frame.

Seem to be having issues with posting… Can anyone see this?

I’m running 2.6 on 38mm rims with no issues and I’ve pushed it pretty hard. I wouldn’t advise going narrower than 2.6 though.

For me its more about sustainability and uk manufacturing than it is about marginal differences in braking performance.

Thanks, I do prefer that way of thinking. I suppose it’s making saving in the long run for not having to buy shimano SLX brakes 2-3 times.

Quick feedback, I went all in and dropped the tyre pressure to 20psi front 23psi rear (In for a penny in for a pound). It’s like a completely different bike, better grip, better traction and better over roots.

Having done that I don’t really think I’d gain much from a full suspension. Maybe a few more likes ‘on the gram’ but who rides for that? 😂

Tubeless is definitely on the card in future.

The only place I’ve found a HT to be less fun in absolute terms was the Peak District.

I’m in Ashbourne so on the edge of the peak district.

Thanks all for the input. I’ll drop down to 25 front/27 rear and go from there I think.

As for suspension I did have too little sag but I’ve since adjusted to around 25-30%.

Have you tried dropping tyre pressures etc?

Tyre pressure is currently 30psi so half way between the guide for the tyres (20-40psi) but I could try going lower? I worried any lower would cause higher rolling resistance.

Store the bike upside down for a bit, see if the click disappears on first ride (due to oil reaching the important bits) if it starts again ‘half way’ through ride then it’s a lower service/inspection/oil top up.
Either way, keep an eye on stanchions for wear, especially before the warranty is finished.

At the same time, contact the shop for their advice, by email as it’s a record of a possible IN-warranty problem.

Thanks, I’ll give that a try. Not having much luck with the shop I bought it from (despite being a Specialized concept store!). I contacted them about another issue with the bike caused when they put it together, and they just said “take it to your local bike shop”.

Are you sure it’s the fork? Could be headset or a few things. CSU being a bad fit from the crown to stanchion can cause the noise you describe..

Pretty sure, they’re silent with the lockout on.

Looks as though it’s mainly the flangeless thick grips that are having stocking issues. I imagine because they’re the most popular configuration.

There is some stock on the DMR website here, but it looks like there is just a lot of demand. They also list when all the out of stock styles are due back in stock. Snow camo is one of only two styles with no restock date which might suggest that it is not being made any more.
There is an actual phone number for enquiries at the bottom of the site as well so maybe give them a call to find out.

Edit. There is snow camo stock in flangeless on the DMR site

DMR website show them in stock until you add them to your cart, at which point they show as on back order with an unspecified date.

Amazon has black, Merlin has red.

That’s what i was classing as the rubbish colours (sorry).
It was grey or snow camo i was after but they just seem unavailable and the retailers I’ve spoken to don’t seem to know when they’ll be restocked.

I ordered a load of different pads pre-xmas and straddled the med/large size guides. I tried the Fox Enduro in Medium and found it tight on the thigh. Didn’t try a Large Fox but for reference a Dakine Slayer in Large was a little loose. A POC Air sleeve in Med fitted OK but wasn’t as comfy… Decided I preferred a velcro adjustment rather than a sleeve type. In the end it was a toss up between POC VPD Air (Medium fit well) and IXS Flows (tried Med + Large) – settled on the IXS Flows in Medium.

Ah, that’s a great reply as the IXS flow and the POC VPD were the two others i had my eye on. Out of curiosity, what’s your tight measurement? Thanks

My bliss pads are almost identical to my old Kyle Strait pads if it helps.

Thanks, what’s the model name of your pads?

I guess i’ll have to stop living in the past at move to a different brand for knee pads then!
Not that great when most reviews suggest “try on for size before buying”. Most shops don’t want you putting your potentially Covid infested knees anywhere near their stock!

Or maybe it’s because they ran an advert with an attractive female model a few years ago, STW got very upset about it and ‘cancelled’ them, I don’t know.

I did see that when i did some google investigation. Seems a bit of and extreme reaction though.

It just seems a little weak. A few years ago they were dominant in the market, and now they just make a small handful of products?

One of my main concern was bleeding as I’ve heard people suggesting that the first time you try bleeding them they mess up and never work again. Or something to that effect.
Any experience with this?

Be aware hope brakes have a 6 week lead time at the moment unless you can find somewhere with stock.

True but i’d rather have the right brakes than the ones i can get right away. Having read reviews the magura seem to be very much ON or OFF when it comes to stopping power rather than the progressive brake you can get out of hopes.

But I bought them because they are good rather than because they are British

Don’t worry, im not suggesting I’d buy them over superior parts because of where they’re made. Sometimes it’s just nice knowing the actual place something was made.

The only thing left to sort is getting rid of the rear mech

Only if the alternative is neither singlespeed nor Röhlhoff. For the former I’m too fragile of knee and would like to ride into my 70’s, the latter is just a hefty counterweight that upsets the bike balance.

I had singlespeed on one of my previous bikes but only because it was just for dirt jumps. You’d have to drag me back kicking and screaming though…

All of the colour matching, new grips/bars etc would be very low on my priorities list. Mine would be this:

Dropper
Tubeless/tyres
Fork

…..then a distant priority after that.
Brakes
Trick/lighter wheels
Pedals
Grips
Bar/stem.

I’d have to strongly disagree with you on that one.
the best forks and a dropper post are no good at all if you’ve fallen off the bike. Your grips and pedals are your main points of contact with the bike and affects how you feel where the grip is.

Hope only make ‘imperial’ 183mm/185mm/203mm discs and mounts for backward compatibility now. They recommend metric sizes. You should be able to keep your existing mounts and discs.

Thanks, i’ll give it a go. Worst case scenario i have to switch out the mounts but that’s cheap enough compared to discs.

. Also, shoes

I’ve seen a lot of talk on shoes. Ive always ridden flats and probably always will as I ride for the enjoyment rather than setting times etc.

Before, I just wore a pair of Vans or etnies. I’ve seen a lot of people talking about five ten shoes but the £100+ price puts me off for something I’ll only wear while I’m riding.

What are good options for flat pedals?

that will inspire you to ride even if your bike squeaks and has components that are made of cheese

I had a bike that squeaked and had cheap components 10 years ago, which is probably why I want something I’m not constantly having to fix now. And don’t worry, it’ll get plenty of use.
With global supply delays it won’t be delivered until next month though. So I’m probably just killing time!

Ah great, the only reason I was into the grips is because they match the colour of the pedals. Now I’m back to square one.

I’m leaning towards DMR death grips atm but wanted something a little nicer than just a set of v12’s to go with.

Any recommendations on pedal/grip combos in matching colours?
Burgtec seem to have some good kit, not one I’d heard of before?

maybe get lock on grips with a single collar.

Any reason you say a single collar rather than the sets with two?

assuming you have a Judy with turnkey damping that’s the weakest spec on the bike – not the brakes.

The forks aren’t something i’d want to swap out right away with it being one of the most expensive parts of a bike to upgrade. I’ll probably see how i get on with the Judy and upgrade to Pikes or revelations if i find them at a good price in the future.

Tubeless. Apart from avoiding flats, it lets you run lower pressures, which means more grip.

It’s pretty easy to do and doesn’t cost much.

The bike comes with tubeless ready tyres so I figured it’s worth a go.

I’m in the peak district (UK) so mainly trails.
I plan on testing the bike out before changing anything but it’s just worth knowing the new tech.