Very nice. Indeed.

At first it looks nice and bling and shiny, then literally as soon as it’s muddy and dusty…

… goes for any piece of MTB kit.

Or indeed any of the shiny stuff that we spend our lives slaving away in meaningless jobs to earn money to buy.

Man.

Very nice. I would.

My mate and I have SS 456s. Mine’s got a sus fork but his is rigid (and 650b). It’s a great frame and rides well with a rigid fork. It won’t be that slack with a 440mm A to C rigid and can be built v. light.

I assume you’re talking about the 26er Scandal but I’d also consider the 29er. I have a rigid 29er Inbred, which is heavier but has same geo and is v. good. 29in suits rigid SS especially well IMO.

You’ll have to factor in either a tensioner or swapouts. Last time I looked, On-one were out of horizontal swapouts.

I bought a Giant Reign from Paul’s a few years back. It was half price – a total bargain – and I had great customer service from them. When the rear hub imploded after a couple of months they be t over backwards to sort it out quickly as I had a trip away planned . Very impressed.

Buying more and more bikes does not make you happier. Riding the ones you have more probably will.

I have 6 bikes.

Best Forgotten Art is a good watch too.

You can get it from his site

There’s tales about Peaty’s brother in there too.

Yep, I’ve been re watching vids of him climbing. The way he moves is unique – and he makes the impossible look easy.

That looks fun, buzz_lightyear!

I’ve got 130mm Revs on my Buzzard. Reckon it would be fine with 120 or 140

Meh

Get a Buzzard. You won’t regret it. Front mech is completely doable.

You have lost your mind

There are essentially different markets for high end and ‘budget’ carbon bikes. Some people want great finish, brand kudos and to believe that they have bought The Best. Then there’s people like me who think: it’s a hardtail mountain bike, it’s going to live a hard life, give me something tough and lightish that rides well at a good price and sod the rest of it. It’s possible that those high end frames give a marginally better ride but I don’t care.

Take a road bike. Then leave it at your tent/cottage/caravan and go surfing.

I know there was some pedalling to do but it seems amazing that everyone ride with their saddles at full XC height. That high centre of gravity really shows in the riding.

I wonder if today’s riding and kit will look similarly quaint in another 20 years.

The Gap’s a nice enough ride. Nice scenery but fairly dull riding IMO. Not done the other one.

There is much better riding in the Beacons and Black Mountains, especially if you’re prepared to go cheeky. Just look at a map and see what looks interesting. You might want to consider the Hay Bluff / Twmpa area.

It’s a combination of big tyres and super-wide rims. I really like the idea and would love to give it a whirl

Lordy.

Had a nostalgic evening on snakebite last night. Can’t think what possessed me. Although it might have been the early evening tequila and cocktails. 🙄
Beer? I’ve given the filthy stuff up for good. Till tomorrow.

Yup, I reckon your chain may be too long.

FWIW I had problems with chain drop using the SS BB-mounted top guide but I was using a non-clutch long cage mech. A switch to short cage mech and top and bottom guide did the trick.

Thanks maico. What about the Tigger factor? I thought the Whyte was quite bouncy, hoppy and playful when I had a go

If 650B is the new 26 then I’m putting my money on a new niche wheel size that’s slightly bigger than 29. just need to chew over sizes with my marketing friends. I’ll be on Kickstarter if anyone needs me

Maico – can you expand on ‘agile’ for me please? And how does the geometry compare with the Whyte?

C456

“Enemy” – gotta love spellcheck

Mate has a C456 with 650 bs on it. It doesn’t handle odd at all. Another mate ran 29in wheels on his C456. – enemy that was OK. I won’t be buying a new frame to try 650 b but then I already have 26 and 29 bikes so I’m not buying the hype

I was out on my own a year to two back, feeling a bit down and not really enjoying the ride. Then the heavens opened and I was instantly saturated and the trails were running rivers.. All of a sudden the ride became an event and an adventure. It lifted my spirits no end and I stayed out playing till I started shivering. Unforgettable.

An owl, about a foot tall, stood stock still in the road staring me out as I approached at about 40mph down a v steep hill. It wasn’t going to move so I had to swerve.

As I passed it, it’s head turned slowly through 180 degrees and twin beams of light from its eyes projected a message on the sky above me: Ur bik s Sarcin*

* this last part isn’t true. It’s a Focus Cayo.

I like a big tyre up front whether rigid or not. No smaller than an average 2.3

Exotic are excellent value and v good for the price. Swift fork has a nicer feel IME but not light.

Everyone seems to rave about the Niner carbon but jeez it’s pricey.

Heard iffy reports re Hylix, etc. The Kinesis ones look a bit ugly IMO and the On-One carbon one is a monstrosity.

I traded lightness for aceness and got a Swift fork

This is genius. Suddenly I’m interested in 650b forks

OP, have you tried riding a rigid 29er?

I have a swimming pool full of old engine oil in the back garden. I tie a rope to the bike and chuck it in the deep end . Pull it out when I want to ride and it’s lubed and ready to go. Brakes are a bit shit though.

Sell the Mojo. Buy a fatbike.

+1 for the Wheelpro book.

Fatty.
Or Krampus build kit.

Eh? I’ve got the same frame and I use a QR with no issues. You shouldn’t need to file gouges in your dropouts