I’ve done exactly the same recently OP.
He’s certainly a unique and eclectic chap. I’d say he takes his art form to the extreme. Recent interview are certainly a bit sad. He seems to have lost his way a bit. He comes across as enlightened, but i’m not sure if that’s in a positive way.

Nice build! Really like that Mark.
Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this against the Evil.
Looks like you’ve just moved the components across (?) so should be a fairly even comparison.

I like the Orange frame & Silver/Pink frame, but hate the ‘Soul’ sticker on the TT. It looks out of place. Like a kids MBUK free sticker.

Not keen on the demo build either. Gold accents don’t tie together. Should have gone Hope black or orange to match the decals.

Really like Cy’s explanation.

&

Earlier this year we hacked the front end off a Soul275 and our friends at 18 Bikes welded on a radically different geometry front end. We increased the length to the point where most riders would need a 35mm stem, and then used anglesets to find the balance point on the head angle where you would get the confidence you need in the front end, with nice crisp turn in for the singletrack, without making it over responsive and nervous.

I like this approach to R&D. Down to earth & humble.

Blimey.. Richard Benyon voted No! That’s actually surprising 😕

Swinley!
Seems to be two types of riders there;
1. 2018 Gnarduro riders
2. 2000+ Mtbs in Retro jerseys and kit.

Well, at least you’ve got a set of working forks back. Sounds like a good turn around too.

I’d stick with what feels better, then sell the others.

want a toughrer tum out back

Is that for all your casing? 😛

You’ve reminded me to go see the nurse!
I’m always bad in Autumn (Hayfever) and cold winters.
I forgot my blue on a ride the other day and was in a bad place.
Had to get off the bike and control myself. Took a good 10 minutes and then a very gentle ride home. Won’t be doing that again.

No-one uses the same width wheels front and rear

..that was also not the OP’s questions.. 🙄

The question was, why don’t bikes come specced with a wider front rim..

For what it’s worth, most bikes are certainly coming specd with larger rims now than they did before. I guess the majority wouldn’t even know the difference if you added 2-3mm to the rim at the front.

Also, there is a practical limit to rim width and it’s effect on Tyre profile in my experience. Some wide rim/tyre combos create horrible profiles that don’t feel right (too square?).

Pudding!

Yeah, bodywork repair, some **** in a tractor wouldn’t wait for me to finish my morning constitutional.

I thought that was your F-tpype.. he should have really waited.

I also really like it!
Looks almost factory (..bar the HYENA IT aspect)

Just tallying it up..

Weekdays:
Breakfast- Musli/porridge= £0.30*5 > £1.50/week
Lunch- Salad, leftovers, humus & Pitta= £1.25*5 > £6.25/week
Dinner- Bulk Curry= £10 week
Snacks- nuts/coke/fruit/other= £5
Total weekdays= £22.75
(free milk, coffee/tea & fruit at work)

Weekends:
Breakfast- Eggs, toast, beans or musli = £1.50
Lunch- varies as I’m out lots = £5
Dinner- varies = £5
Total weekends= £11.50

Total spend a week on food= £ 34.25
I think I eat well. I save a lot since turning vegetarian too.

+10% this weekend SAVE10 code

This is still working by the way 😀

Thanks for the PSA Tracey. I bought a set of flats a while back to play around on, but haven’t found an equally cheap shoe to test with. This should be a good combo to play around with.

I was at a clinic recently and when I was getting fresh air, I saw a few different delivery companies turning up. Standard procedure seemed to be a family member waiting in reception/outside for it.

I asked this a a while ago, overwhelming support for the MudHugger.
I went with it and love it. Not a drop of mud on my bike despite some good mudplugging. Not cheap, but appears durable and works.

Love a happy ending! Enjoy the trails.

^ Love that Stooge. Spot on.
(I’d only swap the silver for black components).
I really want to build up another 29er+ front/ 29er rear. Loved that thing.

2 sets of wheels for the HT, although more a ‘trails’ (Hope Enduro) set and a ‘xc’ (Hope XC) set. Invariably though that translates into a a winter (trail) set and summer (xc) set as I ride the bike much more on local trails (Ridgeway) that doesn’t warrant nobly rubber. Trail set to get fitted on bigger days out.

In short, sort of..

I love them, but your opinion might vary.
I’d go for the CRC one and try it. Really easy to return if you don’t like it.

I wear mine mostly in Spring and Autumn, so sounds like it would suit your nicely. In deep winter I tend to add 2 layers, the jersey and a waterproof over the top.

I’m 5’9” with 0 ape index and slim/normal build. Medium fits nicely with room for layers in the body and enough in the arms to pull an inch over my gloves without riding up when riding.

I’ve got one and it’s my favorite jersey.
Lots of pockets placed in good locations and usefully large.
Good thickness to be useful year round with different layer combinations. The arms and shoulders are windproof and body semi-windproof. I was out riding yesterday in it with a thermal full length top and wasn’t too bad in 2’C. Hasn’t ripped or snagged yet through the brambles. I’d have another couple if it wasn’t so expensive.

I’ve got a few for my iPhone.
The biggest issue is that it doesn’t play ball with my phone case- Otterbox. Ok shots if you take the case off, but I don’t often want to do that in locations where I’m taking these photos. Quality certainly not on par with an SLR, but ok for social media.
I now mainly use cheapo fisheye clip-on lenses for some novelty photos.

It’s a nice looking bike, have Whyte stuck with external BB’s then?…

They have 😀

he company are “interesting” so I’d be wary of buying anything significant from them.

That was my concern when I saw them on Kickstarter.
A hipster brand coming out of no where with an ill detailed Kickstarter campaign that failed to secure funding. They then come out with a more complex frame concept (those full susers) and graduated to value Ti pinion frames. Seems a confused brand with no real direction or pedigree.
I do like the geometries and effort, but I feel they need to start simple, i.e. their initial steel HT frame offerings, before diversifying.

Anwyay, rant over. Bike looks cool on paper with a good price. Hope it materialises for you and look forward to your build and reviews.

Sorry to hear that! Rubbish thing to happen.
I’m South of Oxford so shall keep an eye out.
Are there any distinguishable bits on it- Different grips? What pedals?

Sounds like a fast working LBS!
Will be interesting to hear what you make of the 140mm, though I think being different forks will have a larger impact on feel.
Also, I like the orange and also agree with getting an orange saddle!

I’ve had a few 29ers that marketing and reviewers describe as ‘playful’, as per your requirements. Very few have reached and exceed my expectations.
1. Stooge- Lovely bike. Despite being rigid (and fairly heavy), I found it super engaging and it egged you on. With the Mk3 now accepting sus forks, it’s almost spot on.
2. Canfiled YelliScreamy Mk1- Had all the right angles and was the first 29er I really got on with. It really showed me that wheel size is just a number and geometry is key. At really fast speeds it could feeling twitchy, but I put this down to Mk1 geometry.
3. Whyte 529- Budget frame, but has all the right angles. It’s very competent on the trails, especially when pressing on. It’s definitley a grower and isn’t fantastic at skate park type rides.

Biggest disappointments?
1. Chumba HX2- just felt wrong and didn’t have playful geometry. Really hard work to get it to ‘move’.
2. Zealous Division Mk2- Disaster. It was great fun down the skate park and few jumps, but proper trails and singletrack it was awful. I think the wheelbase was too short so it felt scary almost..

Football, Reality TV, Soaps, Sports Betting, Horse Racing, Drugs..
Couldn’t care less about these things.
Isn’t it for the most part just that? We have no interest and so don’t participate in it. Much like Cycling, the majority of the public know you can ride bikes, but that’s it, it passes them by.
Thread should just be called ‘Things that don’t interest me but are popular’.

Rode the Whyte yesterday and guess what…. it still makes a noise ! Seriously ! WTF is that all about now.

I’m honestly confused by what the noise is now as it’s got no cable routing in the frame

Told you so 😛 !

Did you try the original fork again after the 29er? Must be weird noise to sound like cable movement. Could have been something odd with cable placement or headset related?

Also, try the fork at 140mm. I really enjoyed my T130 at 140mm. Didn’t find climbing an issue and you get a little more travel for descending. After all, there isn’t a weight penalty.

Specialized, Trek and Giant.
They just seem to lack rider engagement.
No doubt great bikes, but very clinical and run as large faceless companies (who sue at any hint of infringement). Cycling is after all big kids messing about in the mud, so I want to ride a brand that I think encapsulates this.
If I was ever fortunate enough to own a supercar, I wouldn’t go for Buggati, Porsche or McLaren, but rather Lamborghini, Ferrari or Zonda. It’s the fun, theater and emotions the brand and product conveys.

Fajitas.
Fun for everyone and you can ‘customize’ it for your own preference.
Depending on the age but kids love it too. A bit more interactive than ladling xyz from casserole dish to plate.

Vegetarian here. I would like to be Vegan, but I travel a lot and eat out with clients. Incredible number of restaurants just don’t have anything for vegans and salad is often not on the menu. Plus I like to steer the discussion away from what I eat. Seems to be an immediate point of discussion as soon as I order something non-meat off the menu.

Further complicated by my fiance eating meat, so cooking at home is often compromised at vegetarian dishes.

The biggest thing I hate is when meat eaters feel they have to argue, prod and interrogate me about what I eat. Frankly, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t ram it down their throats, so I don’t expect them to ram it down mine. Live and let live.

Vegan discussions on here always remind me of the early years when it seemed a novelty and I was always having to answer questions. Doesn’t seem to happen in the real world very much these days.

Lucky! I get it for being a vegetarian, let alone when I try vegan. Common comment is ‘you don’t look like a vegetarian’.. 🙄

That looks lovely! The finish on that frame looks on point. Just £610 too. What’s the build spec? Are you running it for XC race duties or more trail bimbling?

Depends..
Is it a skew On-One TI or a bespoke Ti Blacksheep?
Either way, order in a dodgy takeway, pop on a Disney and head to the shed.

Whyte 529. I couldn’t find a better frame out there, so bought this, sold all the bits and started with frame only.
£1200 got me a full build with 1×11 XT, dropper, New Pike RCT3s & Hope Hoops.
I love it. Very competent bike with great geometry.

Damn.. originally planned a Swinley trip for Saturday but plans changed.
Enjoy!

I assume they don’t want to devalue their SLX/XT 11spd range.
Deore is entry level and I guess they would see sales fall of the other groupsets.
Plus their Deore 11spd cassette would weigh about 1kg 😛

Is there a minimum time you need to stay with a bank for these sing up bonuses? I realize this on a case by case basis, but as a general rule of thumb?
Edit- answered my own q., most require 2 months of use. That’s reasonable. If I swap 4 time’s a year, that’s an extra £1k for no extra work.. Not sure what that does to your credit score though.

I realize how rubbish Barclays has been. No rewards worth having and charges don’t make sense.