173cm with 30″ inseam- run 175mm for the last few years.
Most recently on the SolarisMax LS- it’s been fine at trail centers. Haven’t hit them, even on some nasty rocky bits.

Is the whole ad not just common sense? Why the outrage? Sad that there’s a need for an ad like this at all really.

i see that, somewhat prophetically, Doughnuts have been delivered to downing street. By an armed police officer..

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/armed-police-officer-delivers-two-huge-boxes-of-krispy-kremes-to-number-10-a4039266.html

That’s not a patch on Trumps McD’s delivery.
It would be very fitting if they’d order a load of Tobby Carveries in.

I run a none boost crank with a boost hub- general consensus is that the chainline is fine, it’s more the chainring clearance. If you can squeeze the 32t in, you’ll be fine.

Even cheaper for me then!
Second hand prices of cranks stay pretty high.
Heel rubbed SLX/XT previous gen ones are over £50, so this is a no brainer.

Needed a set for the new Stooge- thanks.
Don’t these need a new funny BB, or will my old SLX BB work?

Some lovely quotes, by lovely I mean effin retarded, from Gove on R4:

we face either a no-deal Brexit, with the short-term economic damage that would bring, or worse: no Brexit at all

He really is an unctuous little speccy toad. I hate him so much. Out of all the line up of loathsome creatures from the brexit saga he definitely stands out. Hang on though what about leadsom, Johnson, Raab, Davies, may etc. Spoilt for choice really

I was listening to this on my way to work.
There was so much drivel in that interview, but I couldn’t stop listening. It was like some morbid obsession.
The icing on the cake was the stroppy ‘No, no, no, no, nooo’ when he was being challenged, and the blatant time wasting.

It was at around 8:30- you can find it in here somewhere

Perfect, thanks all.

@jjprestidge really helpful- thanks. Sounds like ideal HT trails. If it’s smooth I don’t mind bigger jumps/drops.

The Swinley comment was a joke, hence the ;) . I’ve done BPW reds, 417 red & black and some other trail centres. Sounds like I’ll be alright :)

Cheers guys!
Yes, W1ndhill near Longleat.
All the videos seem to be pros doing hero level stuff.
I’ll take it easy. I’m not travelling just for that, so won’t feel wasted if I don’t do it all.

Why do people watch these promo videos at all?. Even if you’re a YT fanboy.Not interested. I’ll watch some riding vids but no glossy attempts at being funny or crappy teaser vids thanks. Just add to the pile of 3 minute /average attention span media content please

But what about Rocketman!

SolarisMAX Longshot- love mine.

Wonder how the Stooge Mk4 will feel.
That will be running 80mm offset rigids with 66′ headangle.
Look forward to trying it!

One of the E Thirteen ratchets to convert my XX1 shifter from 11 speed to 12 speed.

That’s rather cool! Didn’t know these existed.
I’m a Shimano man. Shame there’s no aftermarket equivalent for other shifters. Could mean one shifter and you upgrade/change as you go..

Stooge Mk4 & Stooge Klunker bars.
Now for the 5 month wait..

I get it on really cold or windy days when walking and also on quick descents.
Also never knew there was a medical word for it!
I just wear goggles/glasses when riding which has made a massive difference.

@supersessions9-2 early bird deal running until end of Feb latest 👍

Fingers crossed they are still around.
I love what they did and seemed reasonably priced consider what you got (compared to Evil & Yeti).
It was niche though and I’ve never seen one in the wild. Massive press release push a couple years ago and since then they’ve just got quieter.

@restlessshawn Second hand values on the Stooge are strong, it’s almost not worth it when the early bird is £450 and you get all the added benefits! This will be my third and i didn’t lose much when selling them.

@supersessions9-2 I’ve asked Mr Stooge (Andy)- I’ll update the thread when he responds.

Our Dyson V10 is awesome and no cordless I’ve tried comes close to it.
It’ll pick up the dog hair no bother and use about 2/3 battery when cleaning the whole house thoroughly or 1/4 when running through daily. Easy to empty, charge & handle. It’s really not worth looking elsewhere. John Lewis will price match with some of the bargain online retailers. We got ours half price through price matching with JL.

If you love riding it, why change?
Unless you have the money burning a whole in your pocket, or you’re looking at racing competitively, I wouldn’t bother.
As long as the bike makes you happy and it’s keeping you fit, keep it.

You could build up a nice Stooge Mk3 or MK4 (if he can wait).
Does everything you want and has a classic look to it.
He can even run a 29+ in the front.

Cracking thread!
Looks like a great end result too.
It’s giving me the inspiration to try it, but not sure I have adequate space.

My Stooge was really playful and would happily pop off everything.
On smooth run-ins and landings you could go pretty big.
Anything rough and you’d struggle though. You’d lose speed on the run up, and then land too slow to roll obstacles.

With both of the cars, we drove to VW and dropped them off at the same time as collecting the new car. The damage was assessed by VW when the new car was ordered. No BCA assessor present when initialed assessed at VW or subsequently dropped off.

I went for a curry recently.
Did my thing, turned around to wash my hands, and there’s a 25kg bag of rice underneath the sink and some other bits stored.

I definitively judge on toilets. Nothing worse than going into a filthy toilet, and then the staff coming in to use them too (and not washing with soap when they leave).

How much drop are you looking for? Presume around 80-100mm if it’s for a child?
What;s the seatpost size & budget? Do you need stealth or external routing?

The only change for the Mk4 for me would be a choice of a Truss or Biplane fork.

780-800 is comfortable for me.
The new Stooge Klunker bars I’ve got coming are 820mm :D ( I know these will be too wide but want to try them)
It’s all personal preference. I know riders far taller than me riding 740mm MAX after trying wider.

Ordered mine with the Klunker bars.
> Old school through axles (100 & 142)
> 1 1/8th headtube
> 30.9 post so you can run conventional droppers
> Longer (624 ETT) & slacker (66′)
> Massive clearance (29er+ front & 29×2.6″ rear)
> 80mm offset biplane forks with everything mounts.
> Lighter than previous iterations
> £450 if you order now

Sounds like a winner to me! I’ll start amassing parts ready for delivery in May/June. Mine will be 29er+ front & 29er rear. Think I’ll get the bars or steel stem painted in the same colour as the frame.
Not sure if i’ll go SS or geared. Biggest question is.. what colour! Has to be between Green & Blue.

Who else is in for the early bird order?

A couple a hadn’t considered, thanks.
The Vitus is about half the price of the Early Riders, with similar weights. Hard to compare quality with mailorder bikes.

Great, thanks for all info all!

When my other half traded in the PCP’d VW for a new one, they ignored all the damage with no charges. Damage included curbed wheels, scratched and lightly dented front, rear bumper and a wheel arch, plus scratches to the interior plastic. I couldn’t believe it! Went well beyond reasonable ware and tare.

Similar situation for the mother in law. She drove her VW into the house (literally into the living room..) and then a few months later got rear ended at quite some speed. The car was fixed by VW, but there was was still signs of damage and scratches. That’s also been traded in for a new one with no charges.

Ps: Neither of them get to drive my car.

I’ve had two on different bikes and it’s worked very well.
As TR says, there’s a small amount of play out the box which got a little worse in the following months, but a year on and it hasn’t changed. I don’t notice it when riding, just when moving the bike around.

I really rate them. I picked up a nasty scuff to the stantion on the 120mm and a year later, it’s still working. No service done to either, other than a clean and silicon spray on the seals. I recommend them. In the sales they were around £100.

The 120mm came with a horrible leaver; difficult to set up, limited adjustability & horrible feel.

The 150mm came with a different leaver that is much nicer; better ergonomics, easier to fit, nice actuation and aesthetics.

I keep missing these!
Working sadly.

Thanks all! Lots of food for thought.
Think I’ll arange a demo for the S150 and possibly g170. I had a T130 for a couple years. Thanks again 🙂

Andy’s new bars look rather nice!
I’m enjoying his crazy concoctions he’s come up with in the last year.

They messed me around with my order, so I’ve cancelled.
Strongly worded response to the email chain and I got my refund within minutes.
I’d like to support them, but zero communication, no updates and when asked I just got woolly responses.

Yes, it certainly does.
Done a fair bit of mileage on mine now on various riding.
I’ve had a Whyte 529, Chuma HX2, Canfield YS, Zealous, Trek Superfly & Charge Duster, and the Solaris is on a par with the Trek but better than the others.

To me it’s a different approach to climbing versus the others. The Trek, you would dance up a climb, but the Solaris is a sit and spin.

I’m South Xxfordshire with a Medium, if you fancy a go.

Hmm, I might give Hope a call then.
Ubyk took my money straight away.

Have you seen the TrustPilot reviews? Says it all really..

My brakes that were marked as ‘In Stock’ are still at Hope. Unsurprisingly they have a huge backlog at Hope due to various Black Friday deals. I wouldn’t mind if they where communicating any updates with me, but I’ve been the one that’s had to chase. Originally they said dispatch would be last week, then this week, and now next week. Only found out about the changes because I chased.