Looks really nice!

Do you have any idea of the frame weight? 23lbs complete seems heavy for all those nice parts hanging on it

Toronto Cycles

Pro Bolt

Any bolt shop really :D

You might like to look at the 2.25 Onza Ibex Am. Great compound makes it very grippy over wet rocks and roots and plenty of tread for any condition. Nice rolling too. I’d suggest the 60TPI version for slightly more robust sidewalls but I use the lighter 120TPI version of the front where it takes less of a beating. Evans are the only UK stockists.

I might be wrong but I think all rotors are the same thickness besides Hayes which are a fraction thicker.

Balzin, you are quite right with the Hope Hoops but they are something of an exception to most factory built wheels with regards to value. Nevertheless changing a few things like spokes and nipples on a handbuilt pair (even the Hope Hoops) still saves a lot of weight for not much extra cash, hence improves value.

If I was looking for new wheels I’d be very tempted by Njee’s suggestion!

A much cheaper suggestion is the absolute lightest weight isn’t important to you would be the Pro-Lite Allein wheelset. This is another exception to the factory built is bad value rule… I got mine for about £150 on Ribble (£189 on CRC at the moment) and they have been very reliable and durable and, amazingly for the price, only 1600g. I contacted Pro-Lite about converting to 15mm front hub and they offered to sort it all for me despite these not yet being available on their complete wheel builds- amazing customer service.

Take a look at justridingalong or Clee Cycles.

Spokes and nipples count for a lot of weight and can cheaply be upgraded for example. The Hope wheels you mention above also have a low number of spokes (24) which I wouldn’t be completely happy with. I’d much rather have a well built wheel with 32 lighter spokes and Alu nipples for minimal (if any) extra cost, greater durability and lighter weight.

Plus factory built wheels never offer the same value as handbuilts (despite the Hope Hoops above having all parts that are available aftermarket).

What is your budget? What riding do you do? What is “light”?

Based on the wheels you already have I would suggest:
Stans Alpine rims
DT Supercomp spokes (heavier but sturdier) or DT Revolution (lighter but potentially harder to hold tension
Alu Nipples
Stans ZTR hubs (light, perhaps unknown durability) or Hope Pro II hubs (heavy, UK for parts, mine haven’t been reliable)

Stans Alpine, No Tubes Hubs, Revolution spokes are 1372g for £360 on JRA.

Stans Crest, No Tubes Hubs, Butted spokes are 1420g for £385.

Just 2 examples but getting in touch with JRA or Clee will be able to find the right wheel for you. As I said, I would much prefer to go down this route for value rather than buy factory wheels.

Hope this helps, DanW

The SC superlight I tried was pretty lossy climbing compared to a 5 spot and a Trance X I was trying at the same time.

Can’t let SC Superlight bashing go on :wink: What I would say is that a single pivot is more sensitive to correct shock set up. Also I am a strong believer that test riding bikes is largely pointless since the feel of the frame/ bike is highly influenced component spec/ cockpit setup/ suspension set up etc.. basically lots of personal things that are hard to replicate in a one off ride.

Without intending to troll, aren’t all XC (or is it AM, I can’t tell anymore) full sussers about the same these days as long as you stick an RP23 on it and don’t get something tooo rad-sick?

My thoughts exactly!

One thing I found really helpful was to ease the pistons out by pulling the lever a few times without the rotor in between then lube the pistons a little and push them back in. Doing this a few times until they became really easy to push back in seems to have done the trick for me. Don’t ask me how this works to reduce the lever travel but it does

Sounds like someone wants a new bike :wink:

I would echo what others have said to say that your Rush is highly unlikely to be holding your climbing back. I was so desperate to buy a good condition Rush before settling for a Santa Cruz Superlight.

I tried many other bikes and to be honest they were all much of a muchness. The all have slightly different riding style biases but the biggest deciding factor for me was geometry (getting the weight distribution right to be nicely balanced between climbing and descending) and practicality (such as mud clearance, reliability, etc).

I would say spend the time setting up your shock or send it off to someone like Loco… then it’s up to you to improve the rest of the 99% of your climbing :D

P.S. Rush pics please! :lol:

I ride plenty of natural trails around South Wales, the majority of which are far more up my street :wink: My feeling of The Wall was probably “awkward”… the only way to sum it up. Maybe my spirits were just dampened by the weather :D

We did The Wall in the end as time was tight and the weather was a little damp. It was good but not a trail I’d be super desperate to ride regularly. It felt like a XC trail for downhillers- much less balance between challenging climbs and fun descents than say Cwm-Carn. Also, very little of the trail was memorable- only “zig zags” sticks in my mind as having any real flow. I’ll have to get Skyline done when I have more time :D

Failing that I guess Maesteg is the closest train station roughly 5.5 miles away :?

Another question for future reference:

Is there a quick way to join Skyline from Treherbet?

There only looks to be 1-2km between Skyline and Treherbet train station and if there was a path/ road/ fireroad linking the two that would be great. This looks like the only feasible way to ride Afan using the train (all other stations are quite a distance away).

Any pointers or gps maps from the locals between Treherbet and Skyline would be very much appreciated!

If I was not local to Wales then I’d be very happy for advice of better riding in the vicinity- not everyone always knows what they want despite what they ask for :D So Andrew and argoose’s replies are both valid :wink:

I’d like quite a chilled longer ride so Skyline still seems like the best option. Chilled = fun for a longer weekend :D

Thanks all!

I am lucky to be in Wales so Brechfa and the other suggestions can happily be done another day.

As far as Afan goes it sounds like Skyline could be the better bet for me at the weekend- I like the idea of quiet and remote. Slogging fireroads is no problem as I’d like to get some more time legs for some of the events coming up. Descents are never bad though :wink:

Are there any descents at Afan that make you think “Sh1t what on earth am I doing here”? The only trail centre I ride regulalry is Cwm Carn for comparison.

Thanks again, DanW

Best bet is to get in touch with some shops/ clubs in the area and start exploring with them. Most are very friendly and accommodating. All of the previously suggested areas should be good for you. Enjoy!

Really enjoyed the event- my first ever organised event and hopefully not my last :) Really well organised and suberb views. Could do with more climbing in next years route though :wink:

Does anyone know if there are any more pictures knocking around?

Sorry AA, didn’t see how old the thread is! For some reason it popped up on the first page in the chat forum for me :?

Good to here that treatment is conservative for the time being. If you aren’t already then get as much much physiotherapy/ rehab advice as possible- surgery only does so much and a decent physio may well do wonders for your pain and activity levels. It is a bit of a lottery as to the help and advice you will get but the trick with the NHS is to be persistent if you feel you could be doing more. All the best!

This is a very difficult topic to explain thoroughly and your surgeon is best placed to advise you. I would expand on what Jet26 said and say the whole field of joint replacement is poorly understood and a complete minefield!

What I would say is:

– As far as artificial joint replacements go hips are pretty much as good as it gets right now (compared to knees for example). So at least you picked the right joint to damage! The inherent stability of the joint and relatively simple motion eases the task of Engineers and Surgeons.

– That said they are still unsophisticated devices and the most successful implant design has changed little since it’s introduction 40 years ago. Newer designs struggle to match the clinical outcome of this original device (mentioned above).

– It is very difficult to gauge the advantages of different devices/ surgeon/ surgical techniques. “Clinical outcome” usually means how many devices had to be revised (done again). This information is published online at the National Joint Registry. There are a huge number of people with painful artificial joints who struggle through the pain to avoid a second major surgery or maybe even have no pain but terribly aligned joint and secondary problems in other areas of the body such as the knee and back- hence revision rates tell very little of the overall picture of success. I would say it is important to realise it is not a quick fix, is not a painless process and there is no guarantee you will be better off afterwards (although the vast majority are).

– Also as mentioned, it is a major surgery with a lot of disruption to the surrounding soft tissues- some surgical approaches are better than others but this is something you have no control over. Equally, you are unlikely to have any say in which brand/ model/ etc implant you get- this is down to surgeon and NHS Trust preference.

– Finally, a little information in the wrong hands is a bad thing as shown in this thread! Do not start worrying yourself too much over metal on metal implants or the Depuy ASR. I have sat through hours of meetings with Surgeons/ Manufacturers/ Researchers and the arguments go round and round for days. I would personally not pay too much attention to the scare stories above or in the media. These are something of a scapegoat for issues extending beyond specific implants. This is a whole can of worms best avoided. For example the Depuy ASR has nothing to do with the bearing surfaces (i.e. between ball and cup) as Gasman Jim suggests but actually the interface between the ball part and the neck part (not one piece as you might think)… arggghh couldn’t help myself getting involved in this!

What I would say is:

1) Be very clear with your surgeon what your problems are, the magnitude of your problems and your expectations following surgery. This helps both you and the surgeons make as good an informed choice as possible about the best way forward for you. An artificial joint is largely a last resort treatment for pain at the moment and not really a treatment for improving joint function. As others have said- get the full picture and make sure you are fully aware of best case, average case and worst case scenarios.

2) The one factor in hip resurfacing to not be ignored is the surgeon. A good surgeon makes a massive difference and unfortunately the experience and approach taken by different surgeons varies greatly (and isn’t something Joe Public can get information about or has any real control over). The best I think you can do is request an experienced hip surgeon dedicated to hip surgeries. I would certainly not want a new hip put in by a guy who does 2 or 3 a year.

Sorry to sound so negative but I couldn’t help trying to clear a few things up. Ultimately, make sure you trust your surgeon. Best of luck!

Thank you for the help everyone and thanks for the offer Northwind. I will be entering in a team so should hopefully make my first event and first night ride more manageable!

I had expected to spend £100-150 to get something half decent and would rather have something that will last well. I guess so long as battery life is 3 hours or greater I should be ok.

I stumbled across the Magicshine and it certainly looks a good option. Would you really want it on your helmet though?

Really excited about the 24/12! :)

Ok, one to really lower the tone:

What’s brown and sticky?

My poster of Beyonce

All the best

I would recommend the Pro-Lite Allein. 1600g which is much lighter than most budget wheels and super stiff and robust for XC in South Wales. They have lasted very well and I am very happy with them. I got them for about £130 when RibbleCycles had a sale on- not sure of the current price.

Mine are exactly the same and still not sorted despite being sent back to Hope. I am told it is “normal” although I am not entirely happy with them…

Thanks Steve, I think I’ll pop them along to you. I was hoping they would come back from Hope absolutely perfect but I’m not convinced that they actually are.

No idea Juan! Mine were great for a few weeks but have never spun smoothly since, despite being returned to Hope under warranty.

I have heard stories of inaccurate machining on some batches and all sorts of other things which may at least partly explain the problems.

Anyone else have stiff rear hub axles even with new bearings?

Hubs are back from Hope having had the hub shells replaced but they still only spin about 2 or 3 revolutions before coming to a halt. This stiffness occurs when rotation is around the axle so it is not pawl drag :|

Is this normal for hub rear hubs? Is this the best I can expect them to be?

I am not quite sure what you are looking for size-wise as other have already commented on… are you suggesting you want to drop the saddle as much as possible? No real need in my opinion- run the saddle at the proper height are get technique sorted. Standover I can see being more important, especially for smaller riders.

However:

I would suggest looking at the Santa Cruz Superlight and Juliana as they have very short seat tubes and loads of standover height for a given size. Check out their website for geometry comparisons.

I have a SantaCruz Superlight and love it :D

How about the compounds and 2.25 width on Alpines Njee?

I’ve read your posts in the past about tyre choice (which have been very helpful) and am inclined agree and go for the Ralphs over Nics also.

The service video on the Mojo website says to use float fluid which is what I have been using. Never considered using the 10wt fluid but it has now got me thinking! The float fluid does tend to stay on the foam rings pretty well within the 15hr service interval period but disappears with time after that (hence the 15hr interval I guess!)

If I go down the Schwalbe route which version of the NN or RaRa is the one I want for sidewall durability, grip and volume on a ZTR Alpine rim?

2.25, Triple Nano compound,with Snakeskin protection?

These ones?
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCRALFSS/schwalbe_racing_ralph_evo_snake_skin_folding_tyre

What about the “Pacestar” compunds? Just newer version of “Triple Nano”? Should I be looking for “double defence” sidewalls over the “snakeskin” sidewalls? Any hope of running any of them tubeless on the ZTR Alpine rim? Would a 2.25 be too wide for the ZTR Alpine?

The Schwalbe line of tyres is very confusing for my tiny brain!

To be honest the Bontrager or Specialized tyres are the most tempting from my list- I just don’t know anyone who rides them! Good to hear about the XR4 experiences, ta!

I keep coming back to Nobby Nic’s but the sidewall stories, cost and short wear life put me off…

Tyres are to fit ZTR Alpine rims by the way if that changes anything (i.e. nothing super big)

My FIT RLC 100’s with 100mm travel have just under 110mm of stancion showing. I didn’t notice this until I took them apart for the first time to re-lube the foam rings and worried I’d put them back together wrong somehow! Seems to be the norm for fox… maybe to stop the crown bottoming out on the seals???

Loco :D

Hard, older style strap seems to be doing the trick (touch wood)!

Definite Yay!

The SC superlight is a fantastically balanced little bike- I love mine! Bob isn’t an issue as some suggest- the basic shock is more than fine. Pedal strikes are also a non-issue. I would imagine that those who suggest otherwise could have taken more time to set up the shock (took me a week or two to dial in).

In my opinion the thing that really sets the SL apart is the geometry. There is no other way to describe it apart from perfectly balanced both up and down, on tight singletrack and on fast open rocky descents. I love to climb super steep rocky, rooty trails and have always been frustrated by other bikes- needless to say the SC delivers. The other advantages of a nice clean, simple suspension design were exactly what I was after.

As for disadvantages, I would say that the paint isn’t the best- it tends to look scratched a little easily but being completely biased about this bike it just means that I can look forward to a pimp respray in a year or so :D

The only other bikes that came near to my demands were the Giant Anthem and Specialized Epic. I wasn’t such a fan of the suspension feel on the Epic and could never justify the cost. I loved how the Anthem pedalled on flat smooth surfaces but couldn’t get to grips with the geometry (think it must be the longer top tube). I never quite got the balance of climbing and descending I was looking for- ultimately the SL is just as fast but far, far more fun. I didn’t understand what reviewers meant by a ‘fun’ bike until riding the SL. Also the frame weight for the Anthem and SL are the same so don’t listen to anyone who tells you it is heavy!

You can see a picture of mine at the end of this thread (now upgraded to be more practical plus sub 22lbs)

Enjoy! :D

Get that thar road bike on the road where it belongs… pfft how dare you suggest waiting for 15 degree heat before a ride on a MTB forum :D

Oh and tidy bike

“Almost no longer possible to build something interesting” made me chuckle plus the 6 inch full sussers that are apparently less than 4lb :wink: Probably a typo but the overall impression from the “interview”… don’t want him touching my forks! :D

Seems the soft strap warranty replacement is out of stock at Garmin (only just found out after emailing them) so hopefully they will be sending the older hard strap (what I’d prefer anyway :D ) Fingers crossed it turns up soon. Can’t fault Garmin warranty beside the delay

No nasty spray or pressure washing. Just soapy water and a brush for the regular post-ride clean.