Fit and set up probably most important, I rode Josh Bryceland’s TRC setup for him (albeit I am 2 ” shorter but same weight) and it could have been a fully rigid bike!! He rides faster higher and bigger than I could dream of, hence the stiff set up, they also run the front stiff to maintain the geometry when hammering downhill, or big landings.
However with some fettling of the forks and shock, i could make it suitable for my speed and type of riding.
If you had ridden the bike unwittingly, without adjustment most would have said the VPP2 TRC was crap!!

All are dependent on good shock set up!!!

Long wheel base, low bottom bracket.
in fact longer cockpit bikes are considered to give a better weight balance on to the tyre contact patches without having to move around the bike too much, rather than dramatic weight shifts a sorter cockpit requires, upsetting rear end grip or front end turn in grip, contrary to popular belief.
Rachel Atherton rides a GT DH bike that is longer than Quinn’s specialized DH bike.

Basically take an attached thin flap of the membrane covering the white ( scleral part) of eye, rotate it and suture it over the ulcer, it supports the damaged part and “heals” into the cornea. It is either left in situ or the bridging tissue can be removed later under local anaesthetic
Hope that helps!!

Needs a drop down pedicle flap, tricky but not too difficult with good light and ophthalmic instruments
Referral would be expensive, GP Vet would be £300 – 500

I think the Alpine has slightly better angles than either the bfe or the Slackline for climbing, when used with a 140 fork, and therefore probably makes it a better all round bike.
sagged 25% with 140 fork (from manu web sites)
alpine 68 74
bfe 68.4 71.4
slackline 68 72

Brand new 650b Pace frame out 853 tubeset

cos its more in keeping with a Soul than an Alpine. problem?

Cotic Soul 69.4 HA 72.4SA, Dialled bikes PA 70 HA 73 SA both sagged

steeper HA but has better SA if going to put a longer fork on it.

Alpine angles are better than both IMHO

FS
Cotic Soul Mk 2 frameset 17.5″ medium in black, Hope seat clamp,used as second bike ,only as a 9 speed, therefore has never had a front mech attached.
Can add in FSA cartridge headset if required @ £15.
£ 200 posted
phwill77atgmaildotcom

Perhaps ahwiles to save the posts getting very silly you could post up your state of the art innovative fully suspended ground breaking bike?
So everyone can see the comparisons with a humble Orange Five.

Long slack and low, three parameters that make them ride rather well!!!

Meeeee
I have a Topper Magno tri sail dingy for sale, come with all bits road trailer/ launching trailers, covers etc.
indestructible as a polypropylene 3 laminate hull, can sail it single handed or with 2 or 3 up.
Has a Jenika as well if you want to fly downwind as well

phwill77atgmaildotcom

If you look through some of the enduro footage of the last few years there are quite a lot of chainstay, seatstay fractures on carbon framed bikes,admittedly bikes ridden hard by top racers, may be one offs not sure but even so frames knackered!!

New 650 Five, longer slacker and lower, weight equal or less than previous due to different tube specs.

650 five will rip, 67 degree head angle on it and slightly larger wheels, slicker fitter and quicker, providing the overall weights of these 650 bikes remain reasonable.
All the major manufacturers will go 650 within 3-5 years.
Always staggers me how I manage to ride a 26er at all these days, let alone keep up on the trails with the new wheel sizes!!!

There will be no 26 ers soon just as Orange have ditched the Five 26 er, all companies will go the same way, save up and buy into one of the 2 new wheel sizes 27.5 or 29, game over.

Sharkattack
I had an alternator pack up on my 05 T5, the only way to get at it is to pull the front forward, means ditching the fluids to rads ect,not an easy job for a car park!!
Have a look on the Brickyard site and or post an enquiry.

3.4 lbs for 17 inch version

Anyone know what size the frame is in the video please?

Probably the best angled steel framed hard tail in the UK, only Chromag matches the angles across the pond ! But much much more expensive!!

2010 maxle frame ( older frame is lighter), revelations RLT Ti thompson 50 mm stem, thompson seat post, flite saddle , xt and x9 dual mix, Hope BB, Hope brakes 160 rotors, very light but suprisingly bomb proof Stans on Goldtec hubs, light spokes, single ply tyres,carbon bar, just under 27lbs with pedals (Medical scales). Second set of wheels tyres for Alpine entertainment.
Like Nike ” just does it” !!

not sure there are that many true 140mm 67 degree head angle trail bikes, most have 150 forks and 67 head angles.

Stout frame, have a www search beautiful handmade USA frame

I too would go back, amazing time great trails.
Ady, hope Jo is back to full form
All best
Hugo

Steff
Look at some super enduro video to get a feel of the trails, if you ride clipped take some flats as albeit a switchback is a switchback when you have exposure to 500 m vertical drop if you get it wrong… I swopped to flats the first morning!!
As in an earlier post I rode a 140 trail bike and used single ply tyres. No punctures but higher pressures than I would use in the UK.
Dropper post not essential ( leant mine to my wife) but makes life’s lot easier.
Scenery and views are amazing, as is some of the street riding. Coastal rides are stunning for the views

We were lucky for 2 of the days , we were the only guests and so had undivided attention !! Ady was great one coastal ride day. Jo, well she is just a gem!!
I have met them in the uk as well, and it is all the infrastructure that is the tricky part. The pink bike correspondent Matt Wragg was guiding as well when we were out there and he was great fun.
Would I go again, in a heart beat, the problem is that it has become very popular and is difficult to get the weeks required.

We went out there 2 years ago, on 140 trail bikes and really enjoyed it, put my wife through 6 weeks of training before hand, and for her ( not a regular bike rider) she found some of the trails tough( but we are mid 50s) I thought they were great, poss slightly under biked, but you just have
To use better skills!!
Very ad hoc and slightly disorganised, but that seemed part of the charm of it.
Possibly some of the best natural gravity single track trails I have ever ridden. Lets face it many of them are used for the Italian super enduro series so they are going to be challenging!!

Josh Bryceland and some of his mates, So fast, so smooth, commitment in corners ,outrageous skills.
Inspiring and depressing as some one said earlier!
But a real privilege to ride with such talent.

Dirt this months has a review of the Orange FS29 er

Maybe 29 ers give people more confidence for a variety of reasons that putting a bigger wheel in a frame gives
Eg increased wheel base = more stability , longer top tube = possbetter bike fit with short stem, better angle of attack as head angle is relatively slacker than on a comparable 26 er.
Lower bottom bracket relatively = better stability ALL may give more confidence and therefore speed
So maybe 26 ers will be redesigned lower slacker and longer to give same confidence levels

BTR Belter super slack low and v fast

BTR Ranger very slack (64 with a 120 mm fork!!), low and able to pedal uphill as steep Seat angle, 456 Evo again similar but not as slack HA.
Trouble with Cotic (as picture previously ) is with a big travel fork the seat angle goes too slack, which is why most people reckon the sweet spot for the Cotic Soul or BFE (same HA and SA) is a 120 mm fork

I think the angles are better on the 456 especially the Evo version, big forks on the BFE slackens the seat angle too much for. Gen riding, downhill only makes less difference!!

richieokeefe1
I am pretty sure Santa Cruz are looking at 650b in a variety of formats, they will be out there pretty soon, if only to offer an alternative to the Intense range of bikes

orange clockwork 29 er £350 ridden one in 120mm format, very capable

26/650b compatible?

Taipei bike show, considered by some to lead the market place by about 2 years, no 26 ers on show.
poss the limiting factor will be tyres rather than frames per se.
Sadly I think we will be pressed into 650b (the new 26er) and 29 ers by lack of choice rather than more choice.

bit like the 2 snow boarders one is capable and does a 30 foot cliff drop, the other a novice and does a 1 foot drop, who has the biggest rush?
so riding the same trails on a 29 er v a 26 at different speeds may provide the same rush ? who knows

Chromag bikes just have to be one of the best, if a little expensive over here the Kamui is just a beautiful slightly more rad Cotic Soul but is £1100 frame only!!!