Did anyone manage to hunt down any availability in stock?

Upgrade bikes have been saying 4wks+ for a while now.

Is there any suggestion that they’re improving the design (e.g lever throw) before the next run?

No, it’s Santa Cruz’s N.America website. They explicitly won’t sell or ship anywhere outside USA and Canada.

Perhaps a brand management thing.

I’ve done a bit more digging and it seems SC are clearing their stock only in USA and Canada, not here.

https://shop.santacruzbicycles.com/sale/frames/superlight-3-2-with-float-ctd-evolution-1434.html

$550 is £339 for a new Superlight 26er frame inc. fox shock. That’s what I was looking for, but alas wrong continent.

I saw that on Bikeradar. It’s a stunner. Because the stem is such an eye catching feature, it does look much better in the inverted position (as per second snap).

I’ve taken the plunge, 21″ in blue ordered.

My previous chat on the angles was total bollocks. I hadn’t twigged that Cotic quote their angles sagged and Cove quote them static. When compared properly, the angles of the Soul and the Handjob are nigh on identical.

wait4me – Member
I’m rather tempted by one of those. Pardon my newbie ignorance, but at 6ft 3, could I get away with the 19.5? I’ve got a 21 Gary Fisher Big Sur and would prefer something a little bit more compact.

I’m 6’2 with a 35″ inside leg and my 19″ Soul is right on the limit of ok. But being right on the limit means I have loads of exposed post (30cm) and experience “seat post bounce” whenever I fail to keep a steady rhythm.

I know it’s been 8 months, but this thread is again relevant as another batch of HJs seem to have hit the market. (£300 at CRC).

The reason I didn’t get one last time is that with my 120mm forks the seat angle would be only 70.5 degrees, which is a full 2 degrees slacker than the Soul. This would make climbing the very steep stuff a wheelie-fest. Some of the stuff I ride in the Pentlands on the Soul I’m right on the nose of the saddle (if anything I think the Soul is slightly on the slack SA side).

Cant say I’m not tempted though!

I second the question.

34″ waist 35″ leg, I’d want them to be long enough to cover the ankles of my winter boots. With bended knees that’s pretty long. Are there any with stirrups?

mooman – Member
The Ridley I recently bought had disk or canti brake options for not much difference.
I chose canti option.

Was that the X-Ride? How do you find it? As light as they boast? Is the aluminium frame uber-stiff to eke out every last watt of efficiency whilst CX racing, or it there a bit of give in there for the recreationsl/adventure crowd?

BigRich – my Soul has a 120mm HT plus 3cm spacers, up-angled stem and high rise bars. The Cove has a 152mm HT so it’d be fine. As for forks, it’s 120mm I’ve got.

TimC – I think big bikes look a bit freaky, but so do normal bikes with bars/stem/post at max extension. I can’t see the TT of the Cove getting tangled up in one’s legs though.

Rickos – where do you get a 425mm dropper?

OP – It’s a Specialized thing. They fit small as well as having international size conversions slightly out of kilter with the “norm”.

I’ve got three pairs of Spesh all UK 11, when in every other pair of shoes I’m 9.5.

This is exactly why you should try before you buy. Where fit is so important (shoes, lids) you should always buy in a shop.

EDIT: yes I see they are also womens which might be the technicality that allows you to return them. Point being, even if they were mens there’s still a good chance they wouldn’t fit.

remeber to dial down your rebound damping

Start a “just giving” page and nominate a truly heartbreaking charity to legitimise your cause.

I pledge a fiver.

When at college I racked up about £300 on a Visa card which sounds pathetic by today’s standards, but was a student’s upper limit in 1995. I watched in horror as it rose inexorably for a year before I could pay it off. I look back on that as a cheap lesson learned!

As such I’m very debt averse (aside from mortgage), but strangely not pro-savings? If my wife hadn’t made me automatically funnel money off into pensions/savings it would never have occured to me.

PS; Job security (in the private sector at least) is an oxymoron, if you think you’ve got it you’re deluding yourself.

I prefer to catergorise the family’s bikes by the colour of the rainbow:

1. Red: Kona Honky Tonk (winter road bike, me)
2. Red/White: Colnago Asso (summer road bike, Mrs)
3. Red/White: Colnago Primavera(summer road bike, me)
4. Orange: Cotic Soul (HT, me)
5. Yellow: Genesis IO-ID (commuter, Mrs)
6. Green: Brompton (getting about, shared)
7. Blue: Isla Bikes Beinn 20 (#1 son)
8. Indigo: Ridgeback MX 16 (#2 son)
9. Violet: Nothing! I do however have a grey Stumpy FSR which I now realise I clearly need to get resprayed violet!

The new mag reviews the Mukluk pretty favorably, BUT, report that the bike didn’t like it at all when the going got muddy.

That’s a big “but” given that many UKites will see a fat-bike precisely for muddy, boggy, off piste conditions.

The reviewed bike had an Endomorph rear.

Aaargh,..

Merlin selling HJ’s for £405 for the next few days.

21″ apple green massively tempting, but mrs would have my balls.

The reason I ask the question is that the Hummer seems to have been given an extra couple of degrees in the seattube dept in the last couple of years. A nod to the competition? HJ to follow?

By “climb properly”, I presume you mean seated (for traction and energy efficiency), spinning out an even cadence?

How do the Handjob Massive feel about the very slack seat tube angle? Do you pull wheelies all the time going up steep hills, or does it have long stays to offset?

I briefly a layback post on my Soul which would have made it roughly equivalant to an in-line on a HJ (on the basis that 2cm = 2 degrees?), and my front wheel felt extremely light.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dialled-Alpine-Mountain-Bike-Full-Build-/120772568642?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1c1e9b2642

This is an ex-demo Dialled Alpine the Bike Chain in Edinburgh are selling on ebay. With the burgundy frame and silver fox forks I think it’s one of the most attractive bikes I’v eever seen, the photo doesn’t do it justice.

I once witnessed a lady customer in a HiFi shop get a right bollocking from a sales assistant; “STOP, NOOOOO, DON’T TOUCH IT!!!!!” as she reached for the record player.

Needless to say the shop emptied pretty quickly thereafter!

Anyone know if a Moonlander is reviewed next issue in the “attention seekers” grouptest?

Forgive the daft question, but what temp do hydro lines freeze at that cable operated brakes are required?

I’m 6’2.5″ and my Large Soul is right on the limit of being too small. I have a 410mm inline seatpost with 300mm showing, and 3cm of spacers on the headtube (+ high rise bars).

Edit: Stem is 100mm so lengthwise it’s fine, I’d just prefer it to be slightly taller.

Property :cry: …

For a supermarket :D !!!

If in 1st class don’t whatever you do wash your face in the sink. They’re de facto urinals.

martymac – Member

would anyone care to remind me what size of wheels are ridden in paris roubaix?

Ruscle’s point proven: P-R features a veritable bonanza of exploding 29er wheels!

And in case you 29erist forget where it all started, Johann “the Lion of Flanders” Museuw piloted the worlds first 29er full susser at P-R in the 94 edition. Alas, and all too predictably, his wheel exploded.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5800

EDIT: p.s. Don’t know how “the hell of the north” compares to the Quantocks. Does the latter have a pithy nickname by which we could judge its notoriety?

To be fair it’s the sort of thing that you wouldn’t think twice about if your bike was a couple of years old, it’s just that your sensitivity is way up because your bike is fresh out the wrapper.

I have recently developed a bit o’ judder due, I think, to getting fork lube on the pads/rotors. Doesn’t bother me though, just roll with it.

From facebook…

Oakley Europe
OCP Pricing Error – We confirm that Oakley will honour the custom orders placed between Tues 26th-Fri 29th July, and include free shipping. Our Customer Service team will contact individuals concerned from Mon 1st Aug. We apologise again for the pricing error. We listen to our fans and value your loyalty to our brand. To reiterate we do not delete or censor comments on Facebook, we welcome all consumer feedback
11 minutes ago

Has anyone gone for crazy colours? Show us your wacky combo!

Everything ive ridden on the suw is boggy

disappointing to hear that. Every time I go to Inners the SUW tempts me.

The hill at orchy is a wee bit more fun than the steps!

Ah yes, is that the rocky descent to the underpass? I remember thinking that a dropper seatpost would have paid for itself there, but that’s another thread altogether.

Seriously though the WHW way has a bit of a weird character, in that it’s essentially one long trail centre for ramblers. As such, no concessions have been designed into it for bikes. Uphill effort is often not rewarded with equal downhill speed/fun, which is where it quickly gets knackering. i.e every mile has to be earned.

As for the Devil’s staircase chat, I’ve walked up and down it loads of times and couldn’t imagine riding it, but I know guys who have. It’s more about the rider than the parcours.

FWIW I’m looking at the Southern Upland Way but will be launching into a few investigative forays just to gauge its character. The guide book is next to useless, as it’s from a walker’s POV.

I’d suggest a shorter reccie before committing to the full stretch in a oner. The two bits I’ve ridden were pretty physical.

FW to KLL (N to S) is teh Awesome (I enjoyed it much more than the FW trail centre loops).

Tynedrum to Kingshouse (S to N) v. picturesque, but not exactly a thrill a minute. Battering down the steps at the BOO railway station was about the highlight!

I did that route about an hour before you guys (on hols tomorrow needed to be back early), never ridden through so much sheepsh@ in my life! It was a serious dung-fest.

Loads of branches along by the memorial, good fun hopping over them but I can’t help but feel they were put there to discourage cyclists?

Mine wore like that after a couple of years relatively heavy use. I was quoted £275 for repair/new uppers, but instead I bought a brand new set for £300 from CRC.

Stocker,

you a “colleague” by chance?

Happy to help!!

Live as close to your work as possible/practical.

Loads of people in Leeds commute for miles, which seems a bit perverse. One of the great advantages of not being a Londoner should be the very short commute.

PS, there’s an Evans right next to the train station in the city centre.

To the OP:

I think you’ve got it all ass backwards, it’s the bad-chat merchant that should be feeling sheepish, not you!

Just pipe up with a bit of Louis Theroux type light-hearted logical demolition of his world view (easily done). Just approach it as you would do any other bollox that gets spouted in a boozer, whether it be about football or anything else. No reason to get all heated about it.

The issue here is not the subject matter, but the fact that you feel bad that you didn’t engage in the discussion.