+ 1 for Decathlon

I’ve also bought some kit from here http://www.cycle-clothes.co.uk/shorts/?gender=mens&type=mountain-biking

Since RM became even more expensive I’m using MyHermes more and more.

Probably shipped about 50 parcels with them in the last 18 months – yet to have an issue.

Likewise Collect + which is fairly similar – sent about 50 parcels with them in the last 18 months – yet to have an issue – even had somebody claim an item sent via Collect + hadn’t arrived. I supplied the details of the shipment to PP & they favoured me, not the buyer!

I have 760mm wide Easton Havoc bars, which I’ll ship for £27

About 25mm rise, the only marks are where the brakes/shifters have been fitted.

If you’re heading for Beaumaris chances are you’ll pass one of my favourite pubs.

http://www.thegazellehotel.com/

Last went on the same day I rode Snowdon (4 years ago) – went up early, then headed to the Gazelle for lunch – great views across the Menai Straits

I would go for whatever is the most fun!

I’ve had proper demos of 29″ & 650b (not just a spin round the car park)

For me 26″ is still the most fun – isn’t that what its all about?

Sat my bike at the top of the Glacier I genuinely questioned my sanity.

The waiting around for the race to get going with the pumping techno beats certainly builds the tension.

You need a good slice of luck – I definitely had my share of luck – no crashes on qualifier, no crashes on the main race, didn’t get hit by any other riders & the only damage I did to my bike on either run was one broken spoke.

Once I got down to the finish I wanted to go straight back up & do it again.

I did it first time last year.

My advice….

The qualifier is the key part to get right.

Your race number defines where you start in your group of 200.

So if you’re say 923, then you start 123 people back from the front of the grid (well it’s done in lines, but you get the idea).

The only points to pass people are on the fire road or the wide ‘moonscape’ – a couple of people let me past on the singletrack, but I found I did get held up by other riders.

I managed to make up about 50 places based upon my start position.

Odd as it may sound – practice walking some of the more technical sections – there was one section last year which quite a number of people walked (it was perfectly ridable) – once one person was off & walking pretty much everyone else had to follow suit (this happened on my quali, so I was forced to walk)

Qualifier decides which main race you go off in, if you qualify: –

1-35 = Megavalanche
35-70 = Mega Challengers
70-105 = Mega Amateurs

After that it’s the Mega Affinity 1 & 2 (but you don’t get the mass start in these groups).

I made the Mega Amateurs, but was towards the start of the grid (this turned out to be good luck). I got a much cleaner run down than one of my mates who qualified better than me & made the challengers race at the back of the grid.

Ideally the best places to be (if you’re not Dan Atherton etc.) are at the front of the challengers race or the front of the amateurs race.

Don’t be tempted to take a DH rig – 160mm travel full suspension is most suitable. Quite a number of people were pushing DH rigs uphill on the fireroad sections, which is when I passed them.

I don’t own one myself, but do know there is the transition bikes owners group on facebook – someone there might be able to help

I remember being in Switzerland a couple of years back & encountering the Thömus brand

They had some decent looking bikes, but fairly pricey for the spec

Tried googling them but couldn’t find anything much, so maybe they don’t exist any more

I always slow down to ask cyclist who’s stopped on the side of the road/trail.

Most people I encounter are pleased somebody has stopped to ask if they’re OK.

On the odd occasion they will actually require assistance, loaned my pump out a couple of times & gave somebody a spare tube who was walking down a descent of the Wall trail at Afan a couple of weeks ago.

I agree that it’s best to be prepared – I usually carry mech hanger(s), tubes, pump, puncture kit, leatherman, multitool, chain tool, brake pads, tyre levers etc.

Even allowing for this I’ve come close to needing assistance to get home a couple of times – mostly due to broken spokes – had one go on my roadie last year & the wheel only just cleared the frame – had to disconnect the rear brake & ride 15 miles home very carefully

I own a KS i900R (31.6mm) & X-Fusion Hi-Lo (27.2)

I’ve had the KS for about 9 months, the X-Fusion is just one ride old

The X-Fusion doesn’t feel as well made as the KS & has more side to side waggle (not loads, but some)

It’s probably too early to judge the performance of the X-Fusion

The only issue I’ve had with the KS was when it was really cold the actuation lever seemed to get stuck open when pressed (post returned up but would not stay up) – this disappeared once it warmed up a bit

Other than that it’s been great – minimal side to side waggle, good consistent return speed and it feels like a quality product

I was put off the Reverb for two reasons – the delicate push button to actuate it (seen a mate break his when he had an off – we were on a holiday so it couldn’t be fixed) and the attachment below the saddle (seen a different mate break this off by accident – again we were on holiday & it couldn’t be fixed) – I prefer a simple cable actuated system

On one have some good deals on Reverbs at the moment, while Superstar were clearing out all KS posts cheaply

I’ve previously owned a Joplin, which was a pretty poor product – I’d avoid anything Crank Brothers

I’m all out of postcards so this post will have to do

Box it up & put the details into parcel2go, you’ll get a number of options

When I’ve shipped frames in the past Yodel has usually come out as the cheapest

I’ve read/heard a few bad reports, but personally I’ve never had a problem (probably shipped 20 – 30 items using them)

Thanks for the replies everyone

Seems most people are getting much better life out of their Hope BB’s than me, so I’ll give it a second chance & get some new bearings fitted.

To answer somafunks questions…

Do you wash your bike? – Yes every ride if it’s been muddy, otherwise every 3-4 rides

Do you ride in wet weather? – Well I don’t go out when its actually raining, but I do still ride almost every weekend

Is water getting down past the seatpost? – Don’t know – there hasn’t been any water in the BB shell whenever I’ve removed the BB

Do you have a hole drilled in the BB shell to let the water out – No I don’t – as the frame is still within warranty I’d be a bit worried about taking a drill to it

If not do you remove your seatpost after washing/riding in wet conditions and tip the bike upside down to drain the seattube? – No, but I will be from now on – the bike lives indoors so it’s in a heated room in the winter

Is your BB reamed/faced correctly? – Don’t know – I suspect it might not be – I bought the frame brand new & built the bike myself – will get my LBS to check this for me

Hopefully your advice will mean you get to spend a bit more time watching rad mtb vids on the internet :-)

Nirvana Cycles in Westcott have one available for demo – looks like you’re based that way so give them a call to book a demo

Had 3 sets of Juicy 7’s – never had any problems with those.

Currently running 4 sets of Elixirs: –

1. Elixir 1’s – nearly new – bled rear once no issues since – front no issues
2. Elixir 5’s – 2 year old front & nearly new rear – had to bleed the rear on receipt – no issues since – front never bled
3. Elixir R’s – 2 year old front & rear – never bled – the sharpest of the ones I own
4. Elixir R rear & CR front – never bled the front – had to bleed the rear recently (twice) – I didn’t do a great job first time, but got it spot on second time

Followed the SRAM tech video to get the bleed process correct – just make sure I take my time nowerdays to get all of the air out

I’m happy with them & the only ones I’d think about swapping for is the latest Shimano ones

I’ve bought plenty of their kit for cycling, tennis, gym etc.

For cycling I’ve had (& am still using) XC/road jerseys, lycra cycle shorts, lycra cycle tights, baggy shorts, waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers.

All have been treated to plenty of use, summer and winter, sun and mud.

The only issue I’ve ever had was the stitching came undone on one pair of cycle shorts, but they had seen alot of use by that point.

Comfortable fit at (usually) a cheap price – I’ll certainly buy more in the future.

I found I need to go up a size in the shorts though (I usually wear medium, but get large in shorts)

Seen it happen previously – a mate crashed in the Alps & had precisely the same thing happen – he had to ride most of the week with a fixed height post.

Couple that with the other thing I’ve seen go wrong with the Reverb (snapped off cable under the saddle when removing from a workstand) are the main reasons why I’m not running this dropper post.

It can take longer than 4 days. I recently sent something from where I live (Kent) to South Wales – sent on Wednesday didn’t arrive until the following Thursday (i.e. 8 days).

Where is the item being sent from/to?

I’ve had plenty of Rockshox forks over the years, Dukes, Pikes (2 sets), Rebas (2 sets) & Domains.

Most have been run for 2 years + and I have had some go wrong (Pikes blew a seal on an alpine holiday), but they had had a good few years use before they went wrong.

I do service my forks about twice a year (myself) depending on how often they get used.

Personally never had any of the problems which seem to plague fox forks (i.e. stanchion wear).

I now have a couple of sets of Marzocchis (2009 66’s & 2012 55’s) – not had any notable issues with these yet.

If I bought a new bike with a set of Fox forks then I’d sell them immediately. Sure they feel great to ride but the servicing needed to keep them running well is too frequent. I’ve seen plenty of people who’ve had stanchion wear issues with Fox, some after very short periods of ownership. Not known anyone who has actually managed to get them replaced on warranty – usually they are refused on the grounds of not meeting the service intervals.

In my bike collection I have three 26″ wheeled bikes & have built up a collection of about a dozen spare tyres. I switch tyres according to conditions & the bike I’m riding at the time. I have no desire to change this setup.

I have tried a 29er, but not a 650b yet. 29ers weren’t for me, but I can see the point of them. I can’t see the point of 650b – for me the potential gains are only marginal & not worth the expense.

Been using TCB for approx 3 years now.

Had £600 in cashback during that time.

Had to use their claim service a few times – most of the time it works, but I did miss out on cashback I was meant to get from Legal & General and More Than.

I once got £48 cashback on an £11 purchase which was only meant to give cashback of about 50p.

Was surprised recently when a claim I put in for T-Mobile finally paid out about 18 months after I purchased.

Don’t refund yet

I had somebody make a claim against me a couple of years back for something I sent by courier (not Parcelforce) – I think it was Collect+

I co-operated fully with the dispute resolution system and Paypal found in my favour – do this & you should be fine.

I have the 2012 55 Micro Ti’s

4 clicks for me from closed to open

Complete agreement with Tom B. Apologise lots & say you dropped it & broke it when packing it.

EBay will only allow you to block people with below zero feedback.

If the buyer opens a dispute on the grounds that the item is not as described, then Paypal will almost always favour them.

Bought plenty of Decathlon gear over the years…

Waterproof trousers & jacket, couple of cycling jerseys, several pairs of lycra shorts, couple of pairs of baggy MTB shorts, gym/running tops (several), tracksuit bottoms, running trainers and even a pair of wellies.

Agree about the sizing – I find I need to go a size up in shorts.

Everything I’ve bought has proven very durable (only had one pair of MTB baggies wear out – this was after about 3 years regular use), all fitted well & cheap too.

The 2013 NP Mega frame will be around £1100 when it arrives (seems to be due January 2013).

Theres very few 2012 frames about – I did a quick google search & found a couple of small frames under £800.

The only other place I know that’s got one is Nirvana Cycles in Westcott (Surrey Hills) – yellow in Medium & under £800.

Great thread – well done to the OP for starting this one.

Here’s my ones….

Our former MD was known for having a penchant for younger ladies, he was in his 50’s, they were in their 20’s – it was well known round the office – one of my colleagues even managed to find his profile on sugardaddy dating.

At a works Christmas do one of my colleagues was chatting to the MD’s daughter (who also happened to be a director of the company) and asked her when the baby was due. She had been expecting, but had given birth about 9 months earlier, still hanging onto a bit of a post pregancy belly. Strangely enough she actually left the company before my colleague did.

Finally we were asked by a customer of ours to test/review a new product from a supplier. We wrote a less than favourable review about the product, which lost the supplier some sales. A while later our MD and the MD of the supplier were at a sales conference. The supplier MD had a heated discussion with our MD at the end of which he was invited outside to “sort this out properly” – some careful work managed to prevent this happening.

Nasher – yes I did ride with you in Molini.

My RP2 has a medium compression & medium rebound tune.

I use the propedal frequently when climbing & really notice the difference between on and off.

For the benefit of the OP I’d pay more attention to what Nasher has to say than me – he’s got alot more experience riding than me.

BTW – I have just switched my fork to a Marzocchi 55 Micro Ti – wanted a RC3 Ti, but a good deal came up.

I have tried…

The standard shock for approx 6 months.

A high volume Fox RP2 for about 3 months.

A Fox Van RC with a 450lb spring.

I currently run the RP2 most of the time & have sold the standard Monarch.

I’ve fitted the Van RC on a few occasions now, both locally & I took it out to the Megavalanche & also for an Italian uplift holiday.

I ended up putting the RP2 back on the bike for the later stages of both trips.

None of these has been custom tuned for the bike & I suspect that I need to do this for the Van RC.

The RP2 felt much better for me than the standard Monarch.

I’m now running bender fenders from Mucky Nutz http://www.muckynutz.com/

Simple idea – well executed

seems to be a thread to this effect every 1-2 weeks….

I have a a set of Thule roof bars & 3 Thule carriers (the 530 model) & I’ve had these for a couple of years now.

My brother has a towbar mounted rack also Thule.

I’ve had the rear mounted type carriers in the past (halfords own & a saris one), which I was happy to see the back of.

Here’s what I reckon are the pros & cons

Roof – pros: easy boot access, good separation between bikes (less damage potential), cheaper than a towbar (I managed to get the 3 racks & my bars all in for under £150 (bars were 2nd hand)), easy to expand capacity by buying another carrier provided there is room on your roof

Roof – cons: noticable effect on fuel economy, low barrier restrictions, mine has a tendency to whistle (only noticable with the window down), can be hard to fit certain full sus designs, can be restricted on weight your roof can support (mine is limited to 50kg including the bars), mud on the roof (doesn’t bother me – my car is cheap and old), slightly harder to fit bikes onto the rack due to height, especially DH rigs

Towbar – pros: better fuel economy than roof, no barrier restrictions, no real weight of bike restrictions, slightly quicker to fit/remove than a roof rack, easier to fit bikes in place (no lifting onto roof), no mud issues

Towbar – cons: need to be careful when reversing (my brother also had somebody reverse into his rack when it was fitted), need to be more careful about bikes touching when fitted, some designs limit boot access, expensive if you need to get a towbar fitted at the same time

I’m very pleased I did pay the little bit extra to get some Thule kit – well worth it.

I do always remove my bars when I’m not using them. I leave them fully assembled so all I need to do is pop the bars on the roof, then fit the four clamps.

http://www.anturstiniog.com/

I have tried out a 29er (about 18 months ago), which TBH did surprise me somewhat, only 100mm travel (full sus), but did feel more capable than slightly longer travel 26ers

But…. it wasn’t enough to make me want to ditch my 26″ wheels. For me 29ers seem to make most sense for taller riders, as I’m average height I’ll pass on this one.

I’m certainly in no rush to go 650b either. Until there is a good range of tyres/rims at a reasonable price for 650b then there is little point.

At no point have I been out riding & thought ‘this would be so much more fun if my wheels were slightly bigger’ – I own 3 26″ wheeled bikes & I’m more than happy with that :D

Previously owned…

Joplin 3 – had it for 2 years, broke twice – repaired under warranty – sold it after the final warranty repair

KS i850 – also had it for 2 years, eventually it decided not to stay up when you sat on it. They don’t make it any more & the design wasn’t that great in the first place so I got rid of it

Now own a KS i900R which I’ve had for 3 months – it’s probably too early to comment on reliability (no issues to date)

I know a couple of people who’ve had reverb issues – one managed to rip the hose clean off while taking a bike out of the work stand. We were on an away weekend in Wales so he had to bodge a thinner post to fit by shimming with gaffer tape. Another had a crash & it broke the push button clean off – couldn’t refit, so the post was stuck at full height.

I considered the options before buying…

Gravity dropper – seems to be the most reliable, but the appearance & sideways waggle put me off
Reverb – seem to have ironed out most of the teething problems but I wanted a non-hydraulic solution
Joplin/Kronolog – previous experience put me off
Fox Doss – very wary of any new to marked product until they’ve ironed out the issues, especially given the stanchion issues with forks
X-fusion Hi-lo – not heard anything bad but still fairly new to market

So I went for the KS – why? I spoke to my LBS & asked which post had least warranty returns – they said it was about equal between the Reverb & the KS. Quite a few of my mates have KS posts & only one has had issues. The design has been around for a while so they should have had chance to sort the bugs. It’s also a bit cheaper than the Reverb.

I used to have one, but sold it on, managed to stick with it for one winter, but no more after that. I did persist with it, getting 2-3 sessions a week in for one autumn/winter. Just found it too boring in the end.

I used this website to get training sessions http://www.turbotraining.co.uk/indoorCyclingWorkout.php?nav=search – I think you’re best off aiming to do sessions around the 40 minutes – 1 hour mark.

I had a Riva Tesla trainer, which I picked up for about £90 new (few years back now) – very happy with it.

I used to sweat loads when I used it, you could always put a fan right in front of you to help cool you down.

+1 for the Rob Penn book

Also enjoyed The Bike Snob http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bike-Snob-Systematically-Mercilessly-Realigning/dp/1742700020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348607658&sr=8-1

Looking to resurect a couple of old GXP BB’s I’ve had sat in my spares drawer.

tracknicko – how did you go about knocking the bearings out?

I’ve read they are pretty tough to shift, so is there a particular knack to it?

Nirvana are no longer a Kona dealer – the available demo bikes are…

Nukeproof Mega, Lapierre Zesty (think its a 314), Lapierre Spicy (think it’s a 516), Transition Bandit, Intense Carbine & Intense Tracer

There is a cost to take one of these out

The also do Cube hardtails as hire bikes – give them a call on 01306 740300 – you’d probably need to book one of the above demo bikes a few days in advance – could also see if they’ve got anything else you could take out

Thanks moykeyboyjc – that’s precisely what I meant – any sort of signature gives RM a reason to reject your claim.

If I flip it around the other way round – lets say you get paid by PP then ship via RM recorded – buyer claims the item hasn’t arrived – you provide the tracking to PP, but as PP has a general policy of favouring the buyer & refund them. You then go onto claim with RM, but they have to proof of signature so don’t pay up. You’re putting your faith in PP favouring you.

By sending non-recorded you guarantee RM can’t prove it was delivered so provided you stay below the maximum payout then you can always claim & have them find in your favour.