.. and the fact you can get the same frame and fork for £400.
That’s some expensive paint & decals (and I suppose CS/warranty).

100% catalog, with what looks to be no change at all.
Alibaba and Aliexpress is littered with these. The geometry is identical and all of the cable routing exists is the same. These have been available for a few years too. Nothing new or exciting, let alone innovative.
Appears to be zero thought and effort gone into this.

Gosh, how the mighty have fallen..
Shand was, to me, a frame builder creating beautiful steel frames in the UK to customers spec. Now he’s just ordering Chinese frames, slapping some ‘Shand’ stickers on it and trebling the price. Just capitalizing on the Shand name. Like a glorified On-One.

Yes, 11-46t is the new cassette they are releasing in the Xt11 Mk2 range.
Little more for you HERE in a PB article

T129 here- a year of abuse and whilst I’ve had to replace wheel bearings, drive train and other bits, the frame is solid. Bearings and linkage is still tight with no play. Paint is wearing well with minimal markings. Really impressed given the rubbish weather and hard riding it’s been exposed to.

More widely, Whytes the most popular bike locally. No horror stories or issues to mention!

My 100 mile road ride with more elevation was far easier than the 100km offroad endurance race I did. That almost broke me- only time I’ve ever been emotional from riding 🙄

Same fitness level, but offraod left me with cramps, burning shoulders, chest & arms.

Funny one from the Mean and Dirty events guys.
I did their XC winter series- the races at Ebworth park had a fair bit of tech. I loved it- tech is were I fair well. Lots of riders pushing and falling off. Huge bottlenecks.

I came back to do the Mad Enduro at Ebworth and they made a big song and dance about all new course. Low and behold half of it was the same descents. Some people still struggling on the same tech bits with their 160mm carbon bling machines.

Makes you appreciate what a good rider with a 100mm of travel can get away with.

Really good events by the way- well priced, good course and nice staff.

Singlespeed is perfect for the Ridgeway out from where you live. Once you get up the main hill it’s just gradual slopes. None of the climbs are bad, you can even sit and spin most of them . I’ve got a 20 mile loop with only 1200ft ascent round our way. Plus the winter grinding paste is pretty grim round here.

Edit: Big_n_daft- round here there is nothing you can’t get up on SS. It’s very undulating and flowy, not harsh.

Davey- 20” I’m afraid. More info

Frame looks nice- long, low & slack.

That rear mech looks awfully close to the ground 😯
It’s like a 36t cassette on a kids bike.

This thread just reiterates why I (& all riding friends) won’t be buying an Evil. People seem to be buying the frame on their well earned platform, geometry and handling, in the hope that their CS is ‘getting better’ only to be stung again. I really feel for them. Some of the most expensive frames out there with none of the support network which should be part of paying the premium.

Cracking bikes! If you get the size right, you’ll never sell it.
Pretty much all the local riders are on the T130. Not heard a bad word.

I love my T129- how come you’re not looking for 29” with your height?

Any news on fixing your issue? Have you got a new build date or are they sourcing one from with in the UK?

On a side note, it’s possible I got your incorrect car.. spec sounds similar. Was it DSG or manual? Picking it up this week at some point.

He’s lost a bit of weight, eh! Looking very trim.
Looks to be having fun, so he’s doing it right.

Join the Sustrans route 4 locally and see how far I can get. Not sure how clear the route is marked mind. Bad weather means the canal should be quiet.

Not a clue.
My best chances are to visit the closed down US WW2/Coldwar airbase in the woods and go digging. They left trucks and other bits to rot. Might be something lurking around. Probably need to get a metal detector.

Jameso & others- whats the largest tyres I can fit with some mud clearance?

Running big fat tyres at stupidly low pressures on huge rims just seems to be a step in the wrong direction. Personally I don’t get it and believe it’s a fad that will soon die out

Not tried one then 😆

It’s not a ‘one-fits-all’ solution. It’s an option that works for certain applications, hence the various wheelsizes. In the same way that I wouldn’t expect you to use a dropper and 800mm bars with 180mm travel if you’re competing in a 24hr endurance race.

It’s ridiculous to state that it’s a step in the wrong direction. What it does is offer you a choice. One which may, or may not, apply to your use.

For my Stooge it’s perfect. I use that bike for messing around in the (fairly) flat woods, taking in long rides on the ridgeway and long days out on the downs. The tyres offer great grip and take sting out of the local bits without any additional maintenance. I wouldn’t use the Stooge to ride trail centres, bikeparks or Enduros. Likewise, I wouldn’t use an enduro bike to try and ride the stooge trails.

apparently the newer hope hubs are quieter ?

😆 Nope! My Pro4 is noisy. Doesn’t seem to sound any different to the Pro2. The sealing is better though- so I’d say go for Pro4 if you go the Hope route.

Plus tyres on an e-bike will need completely different pressure to a normal plus bike. The additional weight it something you might not be used to.I find the plus tyres sensitive to pressure changes.

Now that I have mine setup right, I find all the benefits you listed that you apparently lack, apart from being a attention whore- no one seems to notice and that suits me. It is on a rigid bike that I use on flowy trails and long XC days.

Love bitcoins. It paid for my masters a few years back.
I bought a fair few around $100/bitcoin and sold when the market spiked a few months later for over (IIRC) $800/bitcoin. Lucky I did, a few months later Mtgox collapsed (who where essentially my bank).

I would guess some people made a heck of a lot of money from this a couple years ago. Looks like it’s spiking again, so your friend could be selling some off- maybe that’s what he means by ‘trading’.

Hmm, when you mean too long- does the wheel sit in the dropouts with the skewer fitted and there’s play? If so, how much?
Or are you fitting the axle without the wheel and it appears too long? Sometimes the wheel will stretch it out to the actual 100mm spacing.

On an unrelated note, whats the largest tyres I can fit with some clearance?

Who do you use to do this? I’d love to give this ago.

My German side is mixed up and my South African side is too.
Would love to see where they are actually from.

Love the colour- the purple goes well too!

What’s all this hate for Slam69? Keep hearing it from riders and online. Anyway, ignore it op. Doesn’t take anything away from that bike 8)

Remove salt from dishwasher
Put any non-moving parts in
Run on a cycle
Cool
Refit

Nice! These look like fun bikes. Good all rounder. Great price too. Enjoy.

Thanks all! Will order a few from above and try them on, then return the ones that don’t fit.

Stooge with Moto bar
Could build something up in your budget.

Yup, Stooge & Whyte T129
Very different bikes and both get used lots.
Toying with the idea of a long travel bike, not sure if to go 650b or 29”

– When your wheels are off the ground
– Nature being very quiet on a winter ride, expect for the odd bird or owl.
– The pitter patter of rain on your kit on a winter rider during a steady climb
– Tyre noise when it digs in on a fast berm
– “Rider left/right” coming up to an overtake during an Enduro 8)
– Sound of the stream cascading down a steep hill during a rest

I’m interested by this too.
Fancy a van to sleep in and just throw stuff in, but then my commute is winding A-roads, which could be pretty grim in something that handles like a van.

Chris Harris nailed it! I love his presenting style. Shame that TG have chaved it up with ridiculous CGI. So happy that he’s getting the recognition he deserves. Hopefully he’ll still make the odd YT video.

Spesh Ground control 3.0″ is awesome (for hardpack & dusty trails 😉 ). I’ve not ridden anything else yet. I was impressed by sidewall thickness and it’s been lovely on some of the big days out recently, including a couple detours through rock gardens.

Great fun in the rain. Never ridden it in the dry actually.
I’ve had no problems on any of the trails. They drain well and there’s plenty of grip.

As above, just keep warm between uplifts. Pickup is exposed and it’s been windy.

Maybe I should film the reaction when they see the thread.. 😀

That’s that settled then 😆 . I shall feedback.

I do! I just pack it with grease. Tends to silence it for a good while. I also find that I’m freewheeling less on the singlspeed.

Yup, there’s something strangely satisfying about singlespeed (& rigid) bikes. I think it’s the silence and simplicity. I love my Stooge (singlespeed and rigid). I’ve been grabbing it more despite the weather being so nice and having N+lots to pick from.

Great value for money! Makes you wonder what the mark up is on bikes like the Aidrop Edit. The frame is a generic catalog frame with some geometry tweeks, yet it’s £750 without a shock. This reminds me of a 2016 version of the Spec Pitch. This could be a great winter FS.

YES! Always make sure to crack the windows so it doesn’t over heat.
If it’s 650b it’s especially important, as you want to make sure it still keeps the trails alive.