How about Enduro 6 and Sleepless 24hr, have been held at Catton Park near Burton for the last few years.

I got one of these for my magicshine light, check the diameter of the lens it might fit the torch.
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=260892501919&index=0&nav=SEARCH&nid=62902270733

Did Whinlatter for the first time last week and really enjoyed it. As per suggestion from Cycle Wise did it in the following order, Blue, Red South, Red North. Nice and varied, a lot of the climbing is on singletrack which makes it much less boring than other trail centre climbs.

Running this combo in 29 er flavour and it doesn’t leave much gap but I’ve never had an issue as the tyres shed mud easily.

IDave…. Respect.
So does confidence with speed on the road come from experience? I’m new to road biking this year and enjoy the descents on the Leek to Buxton road but find speeds approaching 50mph pretty hairy.

I’m in the same position as you although I was converted by an Inbred 29, sold my Trance x a few months ago as it had become a very expensive garage ornament.
As Sam said the Spearfish looks good and at a sensible price. Also Giant are bringing in more Anthem x models for 2012 at various price points with a nice looking spec at £2300. Specialized are doing some Camber 29er models which should be very good given the rave reviews that the 26er versions got this year.
How about the Santa Cruz Tallboy if you have deep pockets?

This topic has been on the forum many times, so a quick search should bring up some answers.
What type of riding will you be doing with them?
Never heard of the Cole ones, I’ve got Fulcrum SL’s and can’t fault them – not the lightest but well buit and so far no problems after a year of varied use.

90mm 6 degree stem flipped with low rise monkey bars.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cane-Creek-S1-MTB-Road-Bike-Headset-1-1-8-/280676669143?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item4159a216d7

£15 for a Cane Creek with cartridge bearings.

I’ve had the Fulcrum wheels on my inbred for the last twelve months and have been very happy with them. The quality seems good and they have stayed true. I paid £150 for mine though, if £210 is the going rate now then I might agree with tk46hal – for a few dollars more you could get a wheelset which would be lighter and offer easier servicing along with the ability to change axle types.

Macc forest for an hour, just me and the dog. Lovely evening.

Looks good. I’m considering one myself,how tall are you teadrinker and how is the fit?

Thanks Boz, I’ll have a look – I’ve looked at Bike 24 and H&S which are oft mentioned on threads hereabouts, do you know of anywhere else?

2.3 wide and big with it
Yes
Yes

+1 for 29-4s. Heavy but lots of grip and nice and robust.

1) yes, less knobbly tyres like a crossmark will cope with a wide range of conditions.
2) All Terrain Cycles have a good choice. Swinnertons in Stoke keep a good range of Bonty and Maxxis in.

[Seeing as they’re clown bikes, if you own more than one would you have to refer to them as a ‘troupe’? And possibly bedeck your garage like the inside of a big top so they feel at home? ]
And the riders should wear top hats and sport waxed moustaches??

Liking these answers. Straight to the point.

Thanks for the replies. On the whole they kind of comfirm my previous idea of what a BFe is about – short stem, long forks, wheels off the ground. The main reason for my original post came from reading a WMB test from September last year where they found it to be a versatile bike and not as hardcore as something like a Blue Pig.
I know all about the Soul’s reputation and was very impressed when I had a go on one, but the WMB test did make me look at the BFe in a different light. Plus I really like the shiny blue the BFe ccomes in!

Another vote for Rothan here. Super little bike, my 2 1/2 year old wants to go everywhere on her’s now. Plus you get a rear bake which you don’t on the Spesh – once they get the hang of the bike they get moving pretty quickly and a brake is needed sooner than you might think.

No, but I have the alloy framed version of the frame and love it, that was really good value too. Just a word on sizing, ignore the size recommendations on the Felt website. I, and several others it seems found that Felt suggest sizes that are far too big.

Yep, I think large would be right for you. I’m 6’2″ and ride a large with a 100mm stem and a layback post to get the length I need.

I’ve got some Fulcrum Red Metal 29 SLs which you can get for about £150 when wiggle do 20% off wheels. Very impressed so far, nice and stiff, cartridge bearings, 9mm qr only but they have an oversize 20mm axle and as a result the front feels very solid.

Thanks for the help. I’ll get some ordered.

32/18 for me as well. But want to try a 19t to make the steeper stuff easier.

Anybody tried the Bonty 29-4?

I was faced with the same dilema a few months ago and went for the Fulcrums. So far I have been really pleased with them, they feel lightish, are nice and stiff and roll really well I’d have no problem in recommending them. To qualify these comments I’m 14st and ride a mix of woody single track and rocky Peak trails.

Cheers, will give it a try.

Sorry for the hijack – where is the best place to access Dimmingsdale? Heard some good things about it in the past and reading this thread reminded me to give it a try.
Answering the original question, I’d also say give Macc forest a try – Start from Quarnford and then 3 shires head, Wildboarclough, Macc Forest, Cat and Fiddle and back to 3 shires. Nice route with a lot of the alt gained on road.

Cleaning car, bike and a load a wet kit after doing Penmachno 1 and 2 and a bit of the Marin yesterday in monsoon conditions despite the forecast giving sunny and dry.

These
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=18736
They are 36/45 bearings like most in modern semi integrated headsets.
I got mine from LBS, I guess most Hope stockists should have them.

I’m pretty sure they are right. I replaced my stock bearings with Hope ones which have lasted well.

Tried 5 branches over the last 2 days – nothing! Are there any left out there?

very nice. How much travel do the forks have?

One year into my 29er experiment and I certainly prefer the bigger wheeled bike in my garage for most riding. The rigid Inbred 29er feels 'just right' most of the time – faster, better fit, and obviously more connected than my FS 26er.
I still enjoy taking the FS 26er on long days out in the Peak for its traction on rocky climbs and fun on the downs.
I cant help but think that if and when I demo a FS 29er (tempted by the Anthem x29)it might be wagon wheels all the way.

I've got something very similar to the FSA one StuE pointed to along with the N gear Jumpstop and it works great. Get the Jumpstop adjusted properly and your chain will stay where it should be. Simples.

That small pic does not do justice to those magnificent big wheels.
Is it your first 29er experience? Glad you like it,looks good.

Very close indeed – quite tricky to set up.

Get yourself to a Hope tech shop, they usually have boxes of just about every spare part they might need.