The Cat Empire

The M8000 look like the XTR M980 brakes but in a different colour.
There’s a circular threaded cap on the end of the leaver reservoir.

Rode my 29er at BPW for the first time this weekend, it’s a 120mm FS- it was much faster on the blues but on the reds it was slower than the five. Not sure if this was down to wheelsize or amount of travel. Either way, loved it!

Edit- didn’t read the OP properly.
My N+1 bike would have to be an XC 29er FS race bike.
Something like the Anthem or Epic or Scalpel.
I really want a super light carbon bike for the longer endurance races and local 3 hour loops. My other bike do it okay but I know the weight and travel are a hindrance.

3 days in South Wales-
1 day will be BPW and the other 2 will be a mixture of riding, plus maybe some hiking.

I left when the ride.io rebrand killed it.

Aye, I was on there for years until the re-brand.
I was Ska-49. I recognize quite a few people here from the old days..

This is pure opinion but… If there was a 29er boxxer or 40, and a selection of 29er dh rubber, and some big hitter teams with a desire to win on a 29er dh bike, I reckon world cups would have been won on 29. But it’s always meant second rate kit being played with by smaller companies. Even then you get your occasional mitch gruffalo, or gwin at sea otter. Or Graves on his enduro bike at champs.

I’m not sure! The Manitou Doraro takes 29er wheels and they are regarded as good forks. There’s plenty of suitable 29er DH rubber available from Maxxis and Schwalbe (etc.) and some of the big guys have/had suitable frames- Foes, specialized, Intense & Niner (?).

I supposed that if everyone wash pushing 29er for DH (and winning) too then 26”/650b would be obsolete as 29” would cover all riding disciplines (from a marketing/racing perspective).

carbon handle bars made in-house

Good stuff! If they’ve got the equipment we will see the bars in the wild. It’s too expensive to just mess about with prototypes and not go into production.

Got these two at home. Dogs are awesome!

Business Systems Analyst.
Also about to launch 2 small businesses.
Looking to escape the corporate slave world.

I like that! Looks better than the Richey.
I think it’ll cost more than £1600. Halfords (and others) have similar spec without the dropper for £1500. An orange has so be at least 25% more expensive than competitors.

I’m also interested in this!
Not sure whether to get a van, estate or possibly just a roof rack (but not a fan of exposed bikes).

Edit: Just re-read the OP. I’m in exactly the same situation. 70 mile motorway commute and no kids.

I’ll ride anything on any of the bikes.
How fast or how competently is a different matter though..

Hm, still showing stock on all Medium except ‘steel’.

Savings. I never use credit. I only buy things I can afford outright. It’s a bit of OCD I have.

I know I’ll end up with a mortgage soon at which point I’ll be even more OCD about money.

That does not look nice :? .
The bash, colour, big wheels and the odd looking geometry make it look like a kids bike. I much preferred the look of the P series bikes.

Quick question for owners how do they climb?

Very well! Mines setup singlespeed so on some steep climbs I have to stand and mash. With the long TT its comfortable to do that and you don’t feel to far over the front of the bike. Sitting and spinning is also easy enough. I think the front is more stable than my Whyte T129 on the climbs when sitting.

Didn’t know these existed.
They look like a perfect substitute for a saddle bag.
Is the small large enough for; 29” tube, multitool, tyre leavers, gels and maybe a phone?

Wow, that is a very good looking bike. Looks like a tank.
Enjoy!

Congrats! That’s a great effort. Donated.
Not sure which is harder.. the ride or the run. I imagine the ride.

Lots of people with dangley things hanging off the back of their bikes.. You’re doing it wrong ! :wink:

This is the first year I’ll have to embrace the dark winter nights!
Is there anything wrong with the Lezyne lights? Seem good value and there’ll be good support.

I noticed a big difference going from 32mm Revs at 140mm to 140mm 35mm Pikes. The front is very solid and just feels more confident when pushing the front into corners and riding through rough stuff. Can’t imagine going back to 32mm for anything more than 120mm.

A couple of mine after the winter referb. All I’ve spent in a year on it is a new drivetrain! I thought I’d put on some new brakes & carbon bars on though.

Evil Following (or Carbon Transition Smuggler, if it existed) with some XTR Di2, XTR brakes and pedals, Pikes, Enve wheels on King hubs, Reverb, Easton bar & stem and RF Next SL cranks…

Just do it man!

You can but you need to budget in a new freehub body as Sram uses the XD freehub body and Shimano use the conventional ones. This is what I’ve done.

Mr Northwind nails it..

+1

That’s my experience. I did an MSc and ended up in a role that wasn’t graduate specific but the skills and knowledge I developed made me an ideal candidate for the role.

Fast forward a few years, I’m now in a new job and my Graduate & Postgraduate degrees are irrelevant as the skills, knowledge and reputation I’ve built up has got me the job. It’s a very good career path but not one that requires a degree.

I use mine for road and bridleway/woods rides.
I live near the Ridgeway so it’s nice to take in a bit of road and offroad.
The CX bike lets me cover ground quickly on road and reasonably quickly offroad (depending on ruts/mud/plowing).

8.3333% for my favourite bike. I’m glad they don’t make a carbon version!

Excellent! Cheers. I’ll give that a go.

I’ve lost 12kg in the last 6 months- 84kg down to 72kg. I had a bit to lose but managed to drop down to around 18% body fat. It’s made the biggest change to my riding. Feel like I have more endurance and less fatigue/arm pump. It’s easier to move around on the bike too!

What are they? DT Swiss or maybe Rock Shox?
If they felt great and the seals are working I’d continue using them.
I’ve seen forks with worse wear last for over 3 years with worse marks.

Just heard this. It’s worth a listen! He makes some good points.
On a side note, I never realized how humble he is.

Interested in this too.
I’ve just ordered a ringmaster and Xt M8000 setup. Fingers crossed!

I think that frame looks lovely! The chain guide is a nice touch too. I think it makes everything look more integrated. Also the purple looks great. Funnily enough I saw the 26” trail bike in the wild yesterday. The guy looked like he was having great fun!

‘s a race, unless you’re winning by miles why ‘spice it up’?

We clearly want very different things from an event. I want to have fun with like minded people and push myself a bit. I don’t actually care where I come.