<Chemical Engineer nerd warning>

Wolfram = tungsten …?  Funny Abus would say”Our special wolfram carbide material” and leave the one word in the original German (tungsten in German is Wolfram like the old-skool use of the name) to make it sound exotic!!  Wolfram – Grrr!!!!

@matt_outandabout +1 for O’Hara’s Leann Follain – best ‘normal’ non-special brew stout we have over here IMO

Got the older, original, heavier non-‘Pro’ one back in 2019 and love it –  it’s unassumingly just there and I haven’t had arm pump in ages (maybe because of it or not). The increased comfort for me trumps any weight penalty it may incur.

Also, it was Han who said the quote about the party afaik …

Got my Wahoo Rival for 99 of our European yoyos (and free delivery) and got a work colleague in the states to go get one for only 99 of his yank dollars about a month back …  sure enough Wahoo UK says 99 GBP rather than the 199 you quote??  99 is great value, 199 is not.

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/elemnt-rival-buy

@chipps did you ever consider the potential alternative of going up to a 140 or 150mm fork?  Yeti are now saying that (even the older ’21) Arcs can run up +20mm forks from the stock 130.

Afternoon.  Be really careful about the max. payments and T&Cs of your insurance on how and where you store bikes – particularly swanky pricey ebikes.  Even locked in a garage and with the stored-in-garage extra, I found my house insurance was citing only a few grand of a max payments and big excess.

Evening.  I’m fairly sure that if it’s SRAM the BB width is standard and then you make up to the crank width (ie normal or wide (ie 55mm) with standard SRAM spacers (there’s a how to guide on the sram website somewhere).  Chainline is a whole other thing and is bike dependant – if your bike takes big 29×2.6 inch tyres then you’re probably 55, older bikes are more likely 52mm.  Shimano is a whole other kettle of fish and the cranks themselves will dictate the chainline.

Vultures are a very important part of the food chain …

“can we not find a Yeti rider to continue the comparison” – Bex Baraona.  You’re welcome 🙂

Here are mine: bulletproof and still going strong after 6 or 7 years. They’ve had a bit of a break recently (and laces washed) as I’m trying clipped for the year on the MTB as a 2023 resolution)

@Blazin-saddles that double AXS setup is very nice indeed, shows off that blingy Hope cockpit nicely.  I see your rear brake annoyingly (for me anyway) goes in the ‘wrong’ side too, did you ever investigating rerouting in the other side with no dropper or gear cable to go that way?   Also, what the tube (?) on the seatpost for?  Keeping the dropper shaft clean I presume?  Any good and why not a closed tube to protect/cover the whole way around?

From the ARC owners manual of the Yeti website: Chainline 55mm and BB: PF92

https://yeticyclescom.cdn.prismic.io/yeticyclescom/7f3bb26d-b4ed-41f3-b21f-25a8b8bab85c_YetiCycles_MY23_OwnersManual_ARC.pdf

I’m ARC owner for the last year/18 months and just bought/upgraded chainring.  Good news is that the new SRAM sexy transmission stuff is all 55mm standard but yes if you go older, normal DUB but with 0mm offset is what you need.  The 0mm offset chainring itself is really tight to the frame (and only 34 tooth max I think) so if you go +3mm or worst then I would suggest the clearance would be too tight.

Yeti – lovely (I not-recently traded all my MTBs in and got an Arc and love it) … BUT …the thing that annoys me is the left/back brake twisting back into the left hand port.

I’ve contacted LBS and they said it has to do it that way for Yank/Euro/Brit routing and brake preferences but I can’t in my limited brain work out what it can’t cross under the BB where they all come out instead of where I have to look at it.

I’m not competent enough to go dicking around for fear of ending up with a bike with front brakes only and a bill for told-you-so from a professional …

Anyone??

#bugger … I bought a set of DMR Vaults last week but would have gone for these (and saved a few quid) but had Vaults Donkeys years ago on an old bike I sold but never really found their equal since.

I use this as a bar mounted light with an old (3/4 year) Joystick as a helmet light and works a dream – I don’t go downhilling, just fire-roads and easyish trails and they work a treat. The only thing was that I had to fork out for the solid bar mount as I don’t think the plastic supplied one would be up to the job.

@heavy_rat – that is exactly what I did about 18 months ago – I sold on my Anthem and an older Giant 26er hardtail and got a nice sexy carbon ‘trail’ hardtail.  More fork, rrom for bigger tyres, slacker (not much mind), just as capable as just as fast (obviously me being the limiting factor!) as the Anthem was.  For me too there are now less bikes to look after and less deciding what bike to take out!!  Chicken dinner!!

We’re kms not miles though over here so when you leave the hotel you’ll have to run about 3 and a bit km before turning around!!!

Seriously though as above you could add a bit to the Grand Canal Dock run by going over the (east link) toll bridge, running down the docks a bit and coming back over the Millennium bridge or running up and down the docks a few bridges.

Also personally I’ld prefer to do 2 grand canal runs and mix them up instead running the other way – it’s generally a nicer area that way towards the liffey.

Also worth a mention and a look are the guys who did that video – The Contour Collective. Afaik, they’re a couple of ex-EWS riders who do some really insightful videos. I thought some of their early stuff on mental health is very good and they have some great guests

The Contour Collective

Afternoon. I won some Madison clobber earlier this year on this very channel (thanks again!) and have to say it’s incredible – that orange jacket in particular is brilliant.

My Moon Cerberus (IMO) is a great light and is USB-C.
Seat-post mount though not specifically seat mount though …
Online reviews are generally good for it too.

@Amanda, I can whole-heatedly recommend an Irish company called Rawsaol for fire pits. Not quite the smoke-free one you were looking for but amazing piece of kit and it disassembles into 4 flat pieces of steel for transport and even comes in it’s own carry case. I got one a few years back a love it. And they’re going cheap these days. (P.S. I’m not affiliated in any way with them)

https://www.rawsaol.com/fire-pits-ireland/buy-firepit-ireland

+1 on the “not calling in Eire” bandwagon; it’s the kind of thing that pulled-up white-socked American tourists would do so unless you want to be put into that catagory then it’s just Ireland when speaking in English.

As a Dub, living in Wicklow I would say to go North West to Sligo and Donegal, in particular the very north of Donegal. The south west Kerry and West Cork is a serious drive vs say getting off the ferry in Belfast and heading west for 90 minutes .

Ditto here – got mine last August and love it – traded in my FS at the time and not missing the rear suspension for where I go for spins on it. Like Chipps I got it wrapped at the time too and I went for the raw/black finish instead of the yeti turquoise – much more understated (got the yeti grips)!

Hmmm, what’s the catch??

Yeah, 245 yoyos … ouch. At least at that price the shipping is free on the website!! #graspingatstraws.

I don’t really see the unique selling point vs pedals half the price – size/shape/weight etc all not wildly amazing …

Still running my NS Radiance pedals bought after the last time you ran the pedals test (2017? They were one of the winners) and they are bullet-proof. Scratched and scuffed and not as pretty but still un-erring – winter and summer use. I tried clipless a few times in the interim but jsut never got comfortable enough so kept going back to flats. I picked up a spare set of bearings from the NS website a few years back when I thought they were squeaking but it was BB so still have them to use when needed. Fortunately I don’t need to invest in a replacement yet.

@Benji, how do you like the e-hybrid HX wheelset? I got a cheap pair of the 1501s for my winter (and spring, summer and autumn) hardtail and actually prefer the silence to the Hope Pro4 hubs I had before. Haven’t noticed the decrease in engagement angle at all (~30 points from the Hope’s 44).

I have to say I’m really impressed with the V1 (ie not the fancy new version) of the Maxxis Forekaster I have. I have it as a rear with a DHF up front. Things are still mostly/relatively dryish but for the perma-mud and general forestry trail muck that stays all year, they’re really holding up well. I got it 2nd hand online from a lad who took them off a brand new bike too for a great deal which makes them even better. Going to leave it on for as long as possible to see how it holds up in the proper muck.

Yeah – a few nice little nerdy throwaway references to Skariff and Ryloth <spelling could be sh’te here> at the ISB briefing was cool too!! And the kyber crystal necklace thing pointing at Rogue One.

I got the older original Redshift stem through Kickstarter about x years ago (no idea how many actually …) and swear by it. I have it on my drop-bar/CX/gravel/whatever bike and I find it’s movement almost unnoticeable except that my wrists have been thanking me since I got it. Wouldn’t pay for the extra-sexy Pro one but would defo recommend the cheaper version.

Hi all, just wanted to say thanks a million as I won all this loot and it was delivered today – #newclothesday, nearly as exciting as new bike day!

@Gribs: you beat me to it!

“He’s still the only Canadian to win on home soil.” – Finn Iles won 2 weeks ago there too

Interesting post and some really relatable responses. From my POV, for years i rarely looked at the mag like a lot of people it seems. But then during lockdown I started spending a few hours the week the mag arrived sitting reading through the articles with a beer/tea (!) and thoroughly enjoy it. I don’t know what prompted the chance (maybe the growing pile of untouched magazines in the TV room) but I’m a convert to old-skool physical magazone reading like I would have decades ago. I’m not Brit-based so most of the cycling route articles aren’t necessarily relevant but I’ve found a renewed joy getting through the mag every time it drops.

Ah, so I didn’t win the DMR stuff then? Bugger.

But it says now that I won the Madison kit? Did I?

(hmmm, I thought I was a red, fully-paid-up member …)

Wahoo – winner, winner!!!! Thanks guys!

Ah Glasgees West End in the sun, is there a better place to be??!!! And doubly nice early in the morning before the ‘sun’s out, guns out, cans out and tops off’ of Kelvingrove park!!!

Got a bargain Forekaster/Reckon (front/rear) 2nd hand from a lad who took them unused off his oEM Orbea- delighted to have them and only 40 quid or so. Was going to use them as a summer set now that it looks like summers is here for a few weeks! Swapping out a DHF/Dissector but intrigued about the potential of having a potential ‘shoulder’ season combo of Dissector/forekaster!!!!!!!!
@honourablegeorge I reckon it would be Dissector up front, no?

Update: Ordered and received and set up with tyres and sealant. They’re coming in about 150g lighter a wheel than the same setup that i had with DTswiss MX481 and Hope Pro4 hubs. Haven’t been out on them yet but nice hub sound, much quieter than the Hopes. Nice quality from initial impressions as expected and valce cap comes with core remover built in which saved me faffing looking for an old one (it’s all about small wins!).

Here’s the rear hub – it’s the new 240 Ratchet all right with the inner ring screwed into the hub instead of having both free
https://www.dtswiss.com/en/wheels/wheels-technology/ratchet-exp-os-technology