As I’m living there I thought I could offer some good advice but the chaps above have done a good job. If you can take a bike it’s well worth it, the free (20kr deposit) bikes are dotted around the city and, although they are awful bikes, you’ll get a lot from cuising through the city. I recommend walking through to the palace taking in the waterfront there.

Kødbyen is good for restaurants just away from the centre from where you’re staying. In 24hours you can’t go wrong with just taking a wander and a few expensive beers.

I admit I am blind. It’s confusing given what they told me yesterday but I’d definitely trust it given it says it there and other people’s experiences.

Odd I can’t see the 2012 bit on the listing, am I being incredibly stupid and blind? (likely)

I ask as when I wrote to Merlin yesterday they told me it was a 2011 model in the sale section.

Thanks for the feedback, interesting to hear the only person to use them was positive however it’s hard to make the numbers stack up. I’d be happier if they were a little narrower and a little heavier. £60 is a bit much just to try out.

I was just thinking of booking a trip like this, I’ll drop you a mail Steve.

I respect you for wantong to support the LBS but if you did choose to the headset and wheels I think you could possibly get better deals. This FSA headset I’ve found really reliable.

I was also really tempted by these wheels, should be light , reliable and can be easily run tubeless.

It looks like a great build, building your own is really satisfying.

Thanks Brant, I will try it without a guide and if it becomes an issue then Bionicon it is.

Thanks for looking into this Brant, though I’d prefer if possible to use ISCG mounts. Do you know if this is unique to the stinger or does it affect other chain guides like superstar for example? (E13 DRS is a bit outside of my budget!)

If the FTM were considered to lack slack would a slackset not offer the solution?

Mine arrived yesterday, changed the shock to the CCDB after reading another comment on the monarch’s reliability. Sadly won’t be able to get it built befor mid August but I’ll put up pics when it’s done.

Thanks guys the blackspire looks ideal, I’ll just see if it will fit the frame as it appears others have had issues with clearance.

*Bump* Thinking of fitting one of these on the V3 El Guapo, has anyone managed it without issue?

I bit the bullet at 11:45 last night after a weekend toing and froing between the Monarch and the CCDB. In the end I went for the Monarch, I’m not sure my skills can justify the extra. I figured I could get more by using the money saved to buy a dropper post.

Very excited, given the timing I’m almost happy my old frame gave up on life last weekend!

I’m debating the same question myself, leaning towards the Monarch. I doubt I’ll ever get the best out of the CCDB. If you haven’t seen it this is what Brant said on another thread:

“Rt3 are good shock, but if you want to smash through stuff then CCDB is better. For just riding around, a Monarch is fine.”

I was intending to use a Hope Pick ‘n’ Mix set up. Using parts 2 and D, this should work I believe with a 1-1/8″ fork.

Thanks for posting as I’m considering a similar build. Good luck to him with it in the coming weeks.

I’ve had decent experience with them, wouldn’t use them for anything urgent but things have arrived and at a good price.

If the El Guapo is too much bike how about the FTM Carbon for £700? In my opinion it looks better than the alternatives, has most of the latest technology and considerably cheaper.

It gets very good reviews as well. I’d have one if only most of the gear I have didn’t suit the El Guapo better.

Really like the look of those so I think I’ll bite the bullet on the CCDB. Brant, do you have the headtube length, preferably with the smoothie mixer, just want to be sure I wouldn’t need a new fork too.

Thanks

I’m sold on one of these I think, but struggling to work out if the CCDB is really worth 33% more than what seems a decent enough Rock Shox shock. Has anyone experience of both or sciency stuf to convince me to part with the extra?

Brant, could you let me know what the head tube length would be combined with a smootie mixer head set please. I just want to be sure my current forks will fit (190 mm steerer). Also when might you have pictures of full frames. Cheers.

I encouraged a friend to get one when CRC were doing them silly cheap a few months ago. It’s a ‘conventional’ carbon hardtail, no split top tube nonsense. I’ve had a few goes on it, very good typical euro XC bike. It was a steal too, fittied with full carbon dt swiss forks for less than a grand.

I was tempted before, having seen those pictures of those new colours both the raw and white look lovely. Now which would go best with a set of grey fox 36s?

Saw them in Copenhagen a couple of years ago in quite a small venue, I think the line up of amps was something like that.

It ranks as one of the best gigs I’ve been to, as said above you really feel the music, it’s exhilarating and feels like you’ve been pummelled in the stomach for an hour. Strangely despite the volume it didn’t feel unpleasantly loud.

I believe it was a 190 x 50. For a while I had an old manitou swinger on mine which seemed to work very well, some kind of platform shock makes a big difference. Quite often see Float RP3 for decent prices on the classifieds in that size, I’d be tempted by one of those.

Over 18 months I was running Mud X 1.8s on ZTR Olympics. Really happy with them, seem light, roll fast and stayed up with very little attention.

I got them up without sealant but then yes, plenty of sealant to fill up the small leaks, in line with Stans’ instructions. Slightly more sealant than I previously used on a ‘tubeless ready’ tyre.

Tiger6791, I’ve just mounted up those RRs in the last week on to a pair of olympics running the rim strips. Went up easy enough, needed to be sealed twice but that may be my error. Since then they’ve stayed up very well and light as a very light thing.

Cheers Darren I think you may have spotted my stupidity there but I can’t imagine that there is no oil whatsoever on that side. Certainly when I emptied the old one plenty of oil flowed out. Cheers.

Thanks everyone, I probably come closer to the 90kgs than 70kg kitted out and running pretty teeny 160mm rotors front and rear. Really appreciate the opinions particularly on the hopes which seem strangely rare at the moment.

XTR Race.

I considered these but they are a little bit more money and I have bleed kits and so on for hope/formula so that swung it.

The Formulas are on Merlin, I’m hoping they’ll do 10% off this weekend which would swing it in their favour.

Thanks for the responses everyone, it’s an 8 year old frame so given its complexity and a lack of specific tools I’d probably be best off letting the pros have a go.

There are a lot of very good deals out there! The megas I saw but not sure if the RXs aren’t the better option for roughly the same price.

How do you go about getting the FaceBook discount and can you switch the levers on the Shimano brakes without needing a bleed (and while being a bit cack handed!)?

Thanks for the input guys,budget is under £200 excluding rotors and adaptors, obviously cheaper is better. From ressarch the RX can be had for just under £150, the XTs for around £140 and the Hopes on Merlin are just under £200.

I was just looking at your site Mr Loco 🙂 That would be a bit of a no brainer for 36seals!

How does one go about placing an order? I’d also like to chat about servicing a DHX air 5.0.

I’ve been running 24/38 on an oldish 6″ all mountain bike and find it works really well. More than enough range of gears with an 11-34 on the back. Given the bike is probably a lot heavier than your whippet and I’m likely less fit you should be fine with that combination. Sorry but can’t help on the clearance issues!

I have been meaning to put one of these threads up myself. without sounding too gushing.

Just after new year my rear hub started creaking and I was due to fit a new set of bearings, for whatever reason mid rider the axle sheared in two seperating free hub from wheel itself and snapping the qr.

The hub (an old xc) was bought second hand from here about 8 years ago and I wrote to them in hope of some advice if it could be recovered. Remarkably they offered to replace the broken parts under warranty. Off the wheel went and for the cost of a new set of bearings and pawls I have a wheel which is better than ever. I thought this was pretty remarkable service and well beyond any reasonable expectations.

My father has been using the overshoes and they seem very good, pretty much teh same as a pair I paid a lot more fun. I’ve got the gloves and not really convinced, the seams are quite large and rough and sit right on the finger nail, which I find uncomfortable.

Cheers Dave, I’ll have a look into that, could be useful.

Thanks for taking the time to look into that coatesy, I’ll give them a call tomorrow, hopefully they’ll be able to help out, it can’t be more than 5grams of material that is missing.

It’s always ahrd to know just what piece of kit can handle what, I thought the Arch might be a happy balance between the Crest and the Flow.

Yes definitely thinking 26″ here, which Mavic might fit the bill?