Did people get dispatch emails on their orders?

Waiting on a set of Hope E4s, but the status hasn’t changed in over a week..

Another epic video.
Love his riding. The natural lines he finds and then tackles is amazing. He’s such a smooth rider. Can’t get my head around the way he picks some of those lines through the uphill boulder footpath.
I put him on another level to Danny Mac. He does all this on some BSO mongoose frame too.

Reasonable build that most of us would use year round as our hardtail, no special stuff there. That frame too, straight from early 2000s; high stand over, QR, front mech mount, long HT, steep HT & high BB. Most of us probably couldn’t manual that.

That was entertaining. She is faasssttt!

Lahar Bikes is another one. The owner, Aaron, ended up unable to meet demand and kept a load of riders money. Sad end to an exciting company. Yes, that is an interanl geared hub. Essentially a Carbon Zeroed before they even existed.

How about Tomac Bikes. When I started MTB as a kid I used to dream of having a Tomac DH bike. Now it exists as nothing more than a On-One marketing exercise of chinses BSOs, and even that is scaling down.

Dialled have 2 frames on the website? trail bike (Alpine) and a DJ/Slalom/mess about bike (hotrod)? Not hideous money either.

$900 (£693) for a Reynolds 631 frame with little to no R&D, plus you’ll need to pay import tax & fees. That’s damn expensive. Makes a Cotic look good value. Where’s the added value over any other bike brand? It’s not brand tax, it’s not a race team, it’s not R&D, it’s not paint and it’s not the website..

That is fantastic! I love the visual aspect, it really helps to add some context to the numbers and spreadsheet. Good catalogue of bikes, but there are some brands and specific bikes missing. Would also be great to have regional pricing, i.e- UK price in £.

It’s a better site and step up from Geomtry Geeks.

Mongoose, as a maker of decent bikes. For a few years they has a weird dual existence with two completely separate ranges – “proper” bikes, and BSOs sold, I believe, exclusively in Walmart. They’ve not been distributed in the UK for a while and having just looked on their website, certainly on the MTB side, it looks like BSOs only these days. Not sure if their BMX range is any different (I don’t really know my BMXs).

It’s odd that Chris Akrigg still rides for them.. He’s a phenomenal rider and most of his riding videos are viewed by the MTB community I imagine, yet they don’t have a serious MTB for sale. Half the bikes he rides aren’t even available to buy.

I know Stanton recently started making their frames in the UK whilst some are still made in Taiwan and painted in the UK if that sort of thing bothers you. Not sure which camp the Switch9er falls into.

It’s only the FS bikes that are made in the UK, Switchback FS & Switch9er FS. They’ve added the little ‘Designed & Manufactures in the Derbershyre Dales, UK’ logo to those frames. I do like that they’ve brought some of the manufacturing in house.

Love the look of this! I may have even gone for one over my SolarisMax..

I just worry a little about back up support. They are a fairly small outfit I think.

Dialled Bikes– they used to be pretty revered on STW. They disapeared for a few years, around the advent of 650b. Mike focused on BMX and then moved to the US.

Now they are back but making one expensive frame, with a barely legible website and lots of info missing. Shame really. Feels half baded, like he’s just capitlising on the days of old. No real media, and social media only being updated once a month. Still, wish Dialled & Mike all the best.

I’ve got a SolarisMAX LS and love it. It’s a fantastic bike. It’s my first Cotic. The geomtry just works. Happy enough messing around in the woods as well as long days in the saddle doing XC or uplift days. The short ST means you can put in a long dropper and have plenty of room to move around on the bike. I bit of a revelation over my old 529. Mines a medium setup with 130mm. If you’re local to Abingdon, come and have a go.

The Stanton looks interesting. It’s more expensive, yet made from ‘only’ Reynolds 631. I do like the sliding/interchangable dropouts and custom paint options though. That said, £100 for paint is steep. You can get a frame powdercoated to a very high standard for far less, and that includes prep. They also need a better way of displaying paint finish rather than a 5mm square.

The heatmat incident:

After cooking up a big batch of curry in a huge cast iron pot, I took it off the hob and placed it on a heat mat. Few hours later it when in the fridge. Next day I took it out the fridge and onto the hob to reheat the whole thing.

I checked on it half an hour later and it didnt really heat up but there was an odd smell, so turned up the heat and left it. I came back another 20 minutes later to smoke and burning plastic smell coming from under the pot. Took it off the hob and into the sink. Turns out that some of the curry juice had caused the heat mat to weld itself to the pot whilst cooling. I then lifted the whole thing as a one into the firdge and then onto the hob. Oops!

Eggsploding eggs:

I was lodging at the time and decided to patch boil some hard boiled eggs. 6 go in the pan, then onto the gas hob. I go upstairs for 5 minutes to do some admin, except I got disrtacted by the xbox.. I played a few games and then I smell burning and the dog barking. I forgot the bloddy eggs! I ran downstairs and the water had completly gone and eggs had exploded and started burning. Open all the windows and scrub the pot before landlady arrives back. That was pretty close.

Drunk pasta:
After a night out decided to make pasta whilst working a summer job in Cornwall. Pasta in pan and onto a small camping hob in a tiny 10ft caravan. Collapse on bed only to be woken a couple hours later by about a foot of black smoke in the roof of the caravan and burning pasta. Also a close call.

Tuna cunundrum:

As a lad I wanted to make tuna pasta. We were in the cornish caravana agin and didn’t have a tin opener, so got the pocketknife and started making an absolute mess of opening the tin. I ended up deeply slicing two fingers but got the can open finished making the tuna pasta with a big helping of blood. Fingers ducktaped up and still bleeding. Still have the deep scars 15 years later.

Inky floor:

A mate bought a Squid from the local fisherman when we lived in cornwall. He wasn’t sure what to do with it so left it on the counter until he sourced a recipe. It was a hot day and the squid started to go off and the thing leaked ink everywhere, including the new cream carpet they’d just fitted. Ink stain never came out.

If we had a 5 figure bill turn up, we’d be a bit screwed.

This has been mentioned a few times, but what bill could possibly end up at 5 figures!

Home insurance, contents insurance & car insurance will cover the big things. I can’t think of much reaching 5 figures after immediately after this? Critical illness would be a progressive cost, as would a death of partner with no life insurance.

We’ve got some savings that equals about 9 months salary, but only equivalent to one of us. Had various business ventures, some doing okay but many have lost a lot. I’d have a fair bit more if I was risk adverse. Wedding coming up so that’s probably all the savings, and a bit more, gone.

If you have the luxury of a spare bottle cage mounts, then the Wolf Tooth B-rad system is pretty cool.
It keeps things off the frame. Clean and tidy.

Sorry about the poor picks. It’s the only ones I have.

Ah, Greenham Common!
That place attracts some idiots. People up there ride far too fast & far too close.
I rode up there with a local group once and was appauled with how they rode. Flat out through the single track wooded bits &r ound blind corners. They didn’t slow for any one. People forget it’s a shared use space. Not helped by the Strava routes running through the whole area. This behaviour from riders up there seems the norm saddly. Not sure why.

You’re right though, the renovated control tower is great. The views out the top are lovely.

I made a conscious effort to only use it a while back, but found the search results varied  and it lacks certain aspect and details that Google provide. Sadly back on Google now… I did contribute to planting like 25 trees whilst using it though.

Until it essentially mirrors Google, it won’t work for me.

That is very Metalhead :O !  Charlie Brooker predicitng the future again..

Sounds interesting Alex! What forks are your unning to clear that sort of tyre (Pike or Fox 34)?
Definitley interested in trying something like that.

Mudguards have gone on my Solaris and I’ve been out mudplugging. Best thing so far is the tyre clearance. Haven’t had to stop to clear the back out.

That scenery looks amazing!

I see they offer volunteering posititions.. think I’ll apply.

FYI, Mboy of this parish has a S120 demo bike at The Missing Link, Droitwich.

Friendly & knowledge chap. I’ve had a few Whytes from him.

Under an old railway bridge on the closed Didcot, Newbury & Southmapton train line.

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Alex, when you say swapping from 2.8 to 2.6, is the 2.6 still 650b+? Seems a fairly small tyre. Wouldn’t that in essence make the bike a 650b?

I’m going to keep my eyes out for some Plus wheels and run them as spares. Problem is my front fork is a 29er, not the boost variant, so a little less clearance.

I fancy competing a bit more next year too.
Anyone have any experience in the Hardtail category? Is it as serious?

Feel free to have a go on mine if you’re local- I’m near Didcot. It’s a medium.

Is that budget for frame only or complete bike?
I see your comment about some bikes having geometry thats too progressive, but you really need to test some of these new bikes to understand that it’s not all about the numbers.

Have a look at the last 3 pages of SolarisMAX Longshot thread. I’ve got one and it’s an awesome bike. I’ve done everything from long XC day rides to uplift days.

@jivehoneyjive that looks really interesting!
Any more details, or do you have an old thread?
Single pivot, steel.. similar to a Murmur!

Damn, I’ve been rumbled.

I’m Eikoc, Seeker of the sun & Order of the Twin Adder (apparently..)

I see a few of you have swapped between 29eer & 650b+..
I’ve got 29ers 2.3” on Hope Enduro rims. It’s been great, but wondering about trying 650b+ on this bike.
Only ever ridden ‘+’ wheels on a rigid, so not sure what it would be like on a hardtail, especially this one..

Any comparison would be interesting to hear!

Sat 6th

Weeksy

Kilo and Mrs Kilo (depending on how her Achilles injury clears up)

Kryton/Steve

theotherjonv

Cokie

DezB & DezB Jr.

Giles

kelron (Stephen)

jimdubleyou (getting train that arrives 1017)

NathRB

Crosshair

Can’t make it anymore :( ! Good thing really as my asthma is bad at the moment.

Thanks everyone!

Plan is to walk/sit/lie down, like a wierdo, in all the vans recommended above from small to large.

Smallest is Caddy/Berlingo

Biggest is Transit Custom/SWB.

I want to commend Cotic on their build in the photos too! Lots of british brands there.

> Hope (obvious one)

> Hunt wheels

> Rust Ti Bars

> Ride Works robot stem

(BTW, yes joking about selling my Solaris. Would love one of these, but a FS to join the Solaris is more of a priority).

I’ve got an itinerary I put together recently for someone vistitng oxford.

There’s enough there for 3 days.

If you give me your email I’ll share it with you.

See below:

I’ve put together an itinerary for you using Google Maps (you’ll receive a link separately).
You’ve got all the points numbered- 1>14.
If you click on each point, you will get some of my comments and a website link for the location.
It’s hard to give you an exact itinerary or timings as I don’t know what day or time you’re going or how you’re getting there.
I would recommend 5-6 hours if you visit 3-4 colleges and other sites on the list.
Note that the colleges opening times are quite sporadic, depending on what functions they have on, hence the large numbers of colleges.
Our favorites are New College & Magdalen College, so definitely try and see these.
The ‘High Street’ has lots of food and coffee spots- none worth recommending as tend to take packed lunch or opt for a budget cafe.
Pitt Rivers & Ashmoleum Museum are added in case the weather turns biblical.
There is also a large new shopping center ‘Westgate’ if you need some retail therapy (huge John Lewis). Though it’s generic and really busy this time of year.

sulfate uses

Nice looking van Golfchick- I’ll have a think! Need to work out if 2 seats would work too.

Those Peugeot Expert size vans look interesting. Look to be medium size between Berlingo & Transit w. 3 seats in the front..

There is so much choice!

Thanks all!
Lots of food for thought. I need to decide on the size I want really.
Anything is a luxury vs a single man tent in the middle of winter with a Fiesta though.
Keep thoughts and suggestions coming please.

The other aspect is fuel, I think with my mileage a diesel will be fine.
I imagine i’d cover 15-20k/yr with a proper camper.

That is a good effort! Assume he did the popup roof conversion himself, otherwise that could easily cost more than the value of the car.

I’m half tempted to get a cheap van for £2-3k and then do the conversion. Call it £4k all in.

The attractive bit of van based cars is that I can return them to stock for the times I don’t need all the gubins in there. Kids are on the horizon in about 1-2yrs so a more versile option would be nice.

I enjoy building the bike, so with taking my time and ensuring everything is how I want it between half and a full day.
This inculdes internal cable routing, tubless setup, cutting the steerer, etc.

Thanks all.
I did drive a Transit SWB recently and it was nice, apart from the single track country roads and the dodgy countryside junctions.

How often do you guys use them to justify a full camper conversion? I think I’ll probably get away once a month over night, and a few times a year for 4+ nights..

Well presumably they rode other places with Reds and Blues…. and have an expectation of what that means?

I imagine a fair few have actually only every ridden Swinley (being one of the closest trail centres to high population dense areas), therefore their expectations will be somewhat skewed. A red at Swinley doesn’t compare to anything at BPW, let alone A417 or FOD. Possibly only the pushup trail..

I was at A417 at the weekend, and the number of people with absolutly zero clue ready to launch into the Red and Black was scary. I followed a couple guys that crashed infront of me on what appeared to be notthing wearing just a helmet. I also saw 4 people pushing up the trails at various points. I’ve had the same experience at the other trail centres.

I know people need to start somewhere and it must be really difficult for the uplift centres to vet the riders, but there must be some way of educating riders.

Let’s have a list and see if we can round up numbers:

Sat 10:30

Weeksy

Kilo and Mrs Kilo (depending on how her Achilles injury clears up)

Kryton/Steve

theotherjonv

Cokie (hopefully)

————-

Sun 10:30

Weeksy

Root-n-5th/Sam