Oh, and we’re still running with Stainbur, ta ;-) I just wish we could get loads of cash to have Norwood done by contractors (to our designs, natch ;-)

Quite often things get lost in translation between riders/designers and it being built. Then again, a lot of riders couldn’t design a trail if they tried. It isn’t complicated but it’s really, really easy to get wrong.

IMO 8-)

Huw Clixby of http://www.clixbys.co.uk/mountain_biking_trails.html

Built a lot of the Forestry Commission stuff in Yorkshire (Dalby, Stainburn (parts) and Whinlatter). Huw’s a lovely fella and well worth talking to if you want a skilled and knowledgeable contractor. Not sure if he does the over-arching design but he certainly designs / makes sure the features and sections work. It’s pointless having a contractor just blindly following a plan, you need someone who understands how trails work and get ridden.

There are always constraints in a project (money, materials, clients, stakeholders, topography, ecology, archaeology). You’ve got to be careful how you judge people and their work (because quite often it isn’t only “their” work.

SingletrAction designed most of Dalby (not the skills park that was Adrian at Pace) and all of Stainburn. We planned and flagged Wharncliffe but there’s loads of problems there (not of our making). We’ve done or been involved in other stuff as well e.g. the Skills Spot at Buck Woods in Thackley.

MBR did an interview with Phil Saxena about a JV between him, Capita Symonds and Dinsdale Moorland Services (Dinsdale did some of the trails at Kielder) offering (I imagine) the full service. I worked for Capita and don’t like them but have only ever heard good stuff of Phil and know Gareth who seems a top chap.

SingletrAction also do quite a bit of building in Yorkshire or try and help other volunteer groups out to do it themselves.

Forestry Commission / Enterprise also have in house engineers and employ people like Huw and Gareth to do work to their designs. FE engineer is a guy called Martin O’Vaster. Usually running around with his ass on fire ;-)

Lee Quarry was built in two stages so far (IIRC). Stage 1 by a contractor who I can’t remember (but from what I understand cost a lot of money – Terra something) and Stage 2 designed (and built?) by Rowan Sorrell.

… and need to riding the same bike or with the same suspension design.

I wonder whether the Alpine guides who helped Mike develop / test the frame bothered with that? I can’t see Ash with one TBH ;-S

I’ve never used one, I do like gadgets, but that just *looks* like a waste of time and effort. Why not just get a stem that’s mid point between the two VRO positions and avoid the *apparent* faff / get on with riding?

Still, sounds like a good ride 8-)

Personally, Kona WahWahs

…surely if they have been abused they’d be even more intolerant of it than most…

Having had my brother work on a sex offenders wing in a large UK prison (seconded probation officer) and having talked to him about it: People that abuse are often in positions of trust and intimacy with the abused e.g. parents or relatives of the child. Being abused at a young age leads to an association of the abusing behaviour with love and affection in certain relationships. Basically, they can end up “wired” a bit wrong.

Then they repeat the cycle. I don’t think it’s as simple as that, I don’t agree with it, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for people that do it. However, the observation was made to me that most abusers were themselves abused. It wasn’t by an apologist or a sympathiser.

Yeah- cos every single STW/CF member buys one frame, rides the said-only frame for a couple of years min yeah? High-horse?

LOL, you bloody drama queen. CF was better whenever you started this nonsense. You could call a spade a spade, although the word wasn’t actually “spade” ;-)

Haven’t seen a “what bike thread” from thora for a while.

For those of you that have forgotten I think you’ll soon find that offering advice is entirely pointless. Everyone’s advice will be irrelevant and largely ignored. A bunch of people will throw abuse at him because he’s doing it all over again (and it’s standard to abuse thora). He’ll buy something, wax lyrical about it briefly, sell it and then buy something else.

I thought the Blur 4x or whatever was supposed to be the last-bike-bees-knees-never-swap purchase?

Thora’s affliction is like some sort of weird MTB related Munchausen syndrome.

Rag and mole grips was enough IME. Go easy when clamping the moles to avoid buggering the adapters up.

5’9″ and had a 16″. It was fine using a 70mm, 15 degree stem and XY post but to be comfy/fit on the pedally bits I ran the saddle right back on its rails.

If I were you I’d get / try an 18″.

That saddle height was for general plodding along with a 32″ inside leg.

Cool

left one of the roof rails in the car park as no point taking it home

Here’s hoping that was in a bin / skip ;-)

Might be interested as well. Pics and info to timsellors@googlemail.com.

Ta

I don’t understand why running a double or single would give you more problems dropping the chain either. Remember to shorten the chain anyway, you can loose a few links once there’s no 44t ring to wrap round. You Can also run a short cage rear mech although there’s no *need*.

Personally I like 22/36 for my mix of riding. Found Stainburn was hard on big rings and rarely ever miss it.

I wish Hope would do a bash ring, for no other reason than I’d like them to ;-)

Like Jamie, Salsa flip lock with an old Race Face XY post. All fine.

Hey Andy. You did me a photomontage of ours (SingletrAction / Stainburn) years ago.

Not been up for a while but it’s been a continual tweak-fest to improve and develop. Some photos in this thread …..

Have coils and airs. Airs been back on warranty twice. Still haven’t got the airs set up right which I freely admit is partly down to me not being great with manual reading, incremental changes etc

Would get the coils if I had my time again.

Interesting link to the MTBR info, ta.

And TJ, jesus h christ :roll:

Howies T’s are over-rated IMO. The sizing / cut is a bit random and their quality / durability is hit and miss. I’ve got ones that have shrunk, others that stretched.

Dunno how much you’d get them for but I’ve had better ones for what I suspect would be less.

Always reckon Gil at thecycleshed.co.uk is good. Our STA ones get dug in, ridden in etc and they’re still fine. Good Ts and well priced

T or 2 please. Whatever style and colour (probably ;-)

I can’t be arsed to post pics (and don’t have many) but I’ve had lots of Mike’s bikes and they’re all sweet. I’ve kept every one of them except the Mk1 PA that got replaced with Bubba’s MG, all the way from Canuckia.

Still better bikes than I’ll ever be a rider ;-)

…and what angers me is that most of that will be people who simply can’t be bothered to learn how to set up their gears correctly

Really, you get angry about that?

Wow

Mods, if thats true (multiple logins)- could you link up the IP(s) and block?

Oh the irony of this being suggested by one of the worst ever trolls on this forum. And by worst I mean sh1te, unamusing, dull, transparent ……

No offence like.

Good to see you’re not detracting from the pressure on IWH there Hora.

shit happens, bikes break the important thing is how its handled afterwards.

Nah, sorry don’t agree with the first bit of that at all.

Bikes break and sometimes it’s just shit happening. Sometimes though it’s because there’s a problem (design, manufacture etc). At which point it isn’t just “shit happening” but a real issue that needs sorting out, IMO.

Although this site and a lot of the posting is a great demonstration of how people really analise about issues. Sometimes. No offence like ;-)

Fair play to the OP and most of the other posters they seem very balanced and pragmatic about it.

PLus it’s always easier to be laisez faire about £200 of steel frame, not so much for £1000 worth of Ti ;-)

8-)

Just looked at SS site. Not sure who sells them for £90? Certainly not the Konas.

Might be picking up on insignificant stuff but the Kona’s *appear* to have thinner pins, whether you care or if it’s significant …..

Personally I’d get the Konas, but then I haven’t ridden the SS ones.

Yes, through pins.

Available here for £44 (plus £3 or 4 for p+p): http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/111995.html

Really good pedals IMO, nice and thin. Large but not huge. Much preferred to a pair of V12s with standard pins.

TBH I’ve taken some pins out to try and reduce the grip to be able to shuffle my feet a little easier.

Do a search, there’s been a few threads about the Alpine and at least one about sizing (IIRC).

5’10”, 15.5/22, 140 Pikes, 70mm stem, layback post (old RF XY).

Like it. Not ridden it enough to say anything much more. No pics :-(

Dunno how much those Superstar ones are but I use Kona Wah Wahs. They look just like those but with a few more pins (certainly around the axle / outside edge).

Sticky as a sticky thing with the obligatory 5.10s.

About £40/50 (know All Terrain used to stock them).

In the words of Lee McCormack:

“Heavy feet, light hands”

D’oh!

15.5

I was tired, it was late ………

And personally I wouldn’t say they felt long for their “given TT length” a) because they aren’t physically, b) the ST is a little steeper than average and c) the HA is a little slacker.

But I think they ride well for their spec / geometry / size / whatever and I guess it depends on your body shape as well (maybe if you had short arms and torso).

8-)

Running a 25.5/22 with 140 Pikes (I’m 5’10”). Not ridden it a lot but have liked it when I have.

Just looking at the spec’ sheets (for all that I’d be able to tell from them) but the Blue Pig and 456 Slacker seem quite similar (maybe a degree steeper HA?).

How does the ride compare between the two? Are there any other significant differences (is Blue Pig double butted rather than plain gauge?).

Cheers

As someone else said but you obviously missed, several pages of wibble about penguins and ostriches doesn’t seem to have done any harm, does it?

Are you having trouble accepting my point? Trying to deflect the (tiny) bit of attention you’re receiving by getting all high-horse is rather disingenuous too.

People in glass houses and all that ;-)

LOL. Hora you plonker ;-) I don’t mind that you didn’t buy the bloody thing but you coming along acting all smart about this bloke and spouting about internet etiquette is just laughable.

A case of the pot calling the kettle black, IMO.

No offence like 8-)

A typical example of dealing with tHora (because I find his preachings on this thread a bit pot / kettle / black):

10 March 2009
Mark

I have this:

Spot Brand Rear Disc Hub, Black 32′ handbuilt onto new Black Mavic X321 rim with Black spokes, hub has had brief use, no wear or marks, rim is brand new and wheel has just been built, selling due to ENO purchase ~ £70 + £5 towards carriage

Bought it off Gil at the Cycleshed after he’d rebuilt it. Was for a project but never happened. Never used by me.

You can have it for what I paid or collect it (from Leeds) for £65. Often up at the woods (Stainburn) and live near-ish so you can always get a ride in, which makes the driving less of a chore.

Let me know.

Mark Horacek to me (11 March 2009)

Hi Tim, sounds good. Any movement on price though? Or…… do I have anything that I could sweeten the deal with?

I’ve fitted a new CNT monkey riser bar recently but dont like its length (too short)- 25.4 660 length.

Tim Sellors to markhoracekuk
show details 11 Mar Reply

Mark

Not fussed about the bars but ta for asking. Unless you’ve got a set of 36s or coil Pike 454s then there’s not much else I’m after ;-)

It’s a pretty good price already, basically passing it on for what I paid. However, packing it up, posting etc is a PITA I could do with[out] so if you want to collect it I’ll knock another £5 off so £60.

Let me know.

18 March 2009)
Mark

Do you want this? I assume not so will put it back up for sale in near future unless hear otherwise.

Cheers

T

Guess what, never heard back. I won’t lose any sleep over it and will sell eventually but it’s always nice when you ask someone a polite question if they can be bothered to reply 8-)

Hora giving lessons on dealing with people over the internet is just funny.

Share?

:roll:

I bought an RP23 from TFT and got it PUSHed immediately (it was cheap and I was chancing that all the positive reviews were right). It was to replace a shitty DHX5 Air on a 5 Spot that got stuck down.

Given I never ran it in stock Fox form I can’t compare but I really like the way it rides with the PUSH upgrade. TFT said 170psi and PP2, which is entirely specific to me and the bike, like others have said. But it’s schweet.

The alternative to finding your sweet spot by incremental adjustment is to bracket it. See this article and links therein: http://www.leelikesbikes.com/setting-rebound-the-curb-test.html. I tried it a bit and thought it made sense, the logic being you start by differentiating between extremes where even the ham-fisted can tell the difference and then refine that. It appealed to me, although with TFT saying max 4 clicks rebound there wasn’t much scope to **** up ;-)

Always thought sag first, rebound second, PP third (not that you can change much wrt the PP).

I like short runs which I know well to try and set up a fork / shock e.g. Descent Line at Stainburn. That way you can do lots of runs, in fairly quick succession to compare potential affects.

Wonder when (if?) a bike mag will ever test (i.e. clamp, big weight, accurately measure deflection) a set of 9mm QR and 15mm axle Fox forks (or any others for that matter)?

Be interesting* to see if a vaguely scientific test showed a marked increase in stiffness.

(*: this might be a stretching the definition of interesting).

Sorry for the hijack – what Pikes and what do you think to them now they’re Pushed? Worth it?

Ta