Maxxis Minion DHR both 29 and 27.5 for £30

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/thebikeoutlet

Five Ten Trailcross Goretex for £80 at HOF… looks like they have missed the description off…

https://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/brand/five-ten/ten-trailcross-sn99-140335#colcode=14033502

I have a Transition Spire, 170mm front and rear and it’s been amazing… might also be for sale in the classifieds if you are interested 🙄😂

What runs are you hitting and what’s the concern, the proframe will take a good hit from all accounts, i’ve been up BPW with my D4 on uplifts, and dropframe on bike pass days, it’s all about risk, and that for me comes down to the trails and how much you’re pushing on the day, which at BPW tends to be quite a bit.

The reality is that the difference between your rampage and proframe in terms of taking a hit will be a small percentage, the probability of having a hit that is above the proframe limit will be pretty small, but not zero of course.

Ahh sorry I meant Bike Parks in Wales, not BPW 😂 I’m off to Revs and Dyfi so they are on the more gnar side! I think I’ll just stump up for a new DH lid, even if it’s just for the piece of mind when hitting the bigger stuff…

I have some Fox Flexair Lite shorts and they are a really nice slim fit and a really good length for my 5ft 8 frame! The ‘lite’ version usually seems to be on sale as opposed to the regular Flexair version, picked mine up for £60ish. The Chamois is actually pretty good too as a bonus!

I’m looking for two Enduro or Sprint tickets if anyone else is looking to sell? 🙏🏻

In! Tough year for choices this year…

Try Nathan at https://www.enduromalaga.com/

Thanks I did come across these, I’ll pop them a message!

https://switch-backs.com/

Are you seeing the same page as me? Winter at the top and summer at the bottom?

Yeah that’s the page I was looking at however the summer riding looks like its based in Bubion which is a good 2 hours drive from Malaga… I was hoping for something a bit closer to where I’m staying

On a dt350 the freehub is supposed to be removed by hand without having to remove the end caps or undo anything. So nothing to worry about there 👍

Do the bearings still squeak if you spin it free of the chain?

Ahh that’s okay then haha!

Yes the freehub bearings are squeaking when I spin the cassette and freehub free of the chain, I have just done one final pack of grease (really got in there with my finger) and it seems to have improved it, I think I’ll take it to the local LBS to have a look in the new year as I don’t have the tool to remove the cassette from the freehub or bearing puller.

I have just bought these and used them at Revolution Bike Park yesterday… it wasn’t raining but there was a lot of standing water on the trails. I have had the same issue, my arse was soaked by the end of the day, it wasn’t sweat as it was the outside of my chamois pad that was wet plus the inside seam of the pants was also wringing! Pretty annoyed as everyone seems to be saying how good they are? Have I got a faulty pair?

I managed to find a medium carbon XT build from Quench Cycles, it was an ex demo only ridden a couple of times so managed to get it for £5500! Should be delivered next week 🙌🏻

I’ve tried quite a few dealers but most are saying spring ‘22 or not idea when stock will be available 😒

Hmm building one up from a frame could be an option but in my head a Fox 38, full XT groupset, a nice set of wheels, headset and cockpit etc would be more than the £6.5k XT build? Plus labour as I’m not the best as spannering. Maybe I’ll price it up though and have a look, thanks 😊

Alight thread hijack but I’m desperately searching for a Spire XT build in medium… anyone come across one?!

I have a half shell for XC/trail and a full DH certified full face for big uplift days, but like you I wanted something light but with a bit more protection for faster/jump trail type stuff.

I went with a Fox Proframe which I find works well! Well ventilated and nice and light. The only slight complaint I would have is at first the MIPS liner was super squeaky, it did settle down after it bedded in (plus a little bit of silicone spray helped).

I have the exact same issues with my SLX 12sp mech!! It literally drives me insane but I can’t seem to find a fix for it…

I just received mine this morning… really impressed! They are better fit and quality than my Fox Flexair’s which are my usual go-to. Definitely size up though, I am a 30″ waist and got both a small and a medium, could barely fasten the small round my waist

Thought I’d take a punt on one of these as they have a bit of stock! Ordered both a small and a medium as I’ve never tried anything from Decathlon before… thanks for the heads up!

They’re 27.5” & out of stock 😬

Was just an example, I just mean for a bit more cash than upgrading your old worn forks you can get a brand new set! 😊

Start fitness have them for £999 and you can get 10% off using EXTRA10

I’ve looked into upgrading my Fox 36 Grip to the Grip2 damper and all together it would be over £500 from Silverfish UK. Seem a little steep – few hundred more and you could get a brand new 36 Performance Elite (albeit last years model), Bike Park Wales has them for £799 – https://www.bikeparkwales.com/2020-fox-36-performance-elite-170-27-5-boost.

I haven’t tried the 38 or Zeb but I have heard good things about both however!

I reckon you may just notice a slacker HA, not the travel. A good service is noticeable, as is fiddling with tyre pressure, but 10mm travel – I don’t think so.

To be honest I would welcome the slacker HA as at 66 degrees its on the fairly steep side of an ‘All Mountain’ type bike… think I will go for it!

Yep I’ve got one and love it, comfiest lid I’ve had. Good coverage on the back of the head and its very well vented. I alternate between that for trail stuff and a Rampage Comp for the scarier stuff. Would recommend!

Cool thanks for all your help guys!

I bought these from Amazon for about a tenner and they have served me well! I always lose/break sunglasses so its pointless me buying expensive ones!

A 160/150mm front 140mm – rear 29er would be better as a do-it-all bike.

Are you hitting big jump lines, and really rocky smashy descents – like Swiss alps stuff?

Yeah so that what I already own, but I do like to hit the big stuff (my backround is racing downhill many moons ago) during trips to Revolution, Danny Harts Descent, Morzine etc…

I’m just going to have to accept I need two different bikes!

Yeah to be honest I thinkI know the answer to this in my head… the enduro just isn’t going to be suitable for the majority of my riding.

Looks like I am just going to have to keep the trail bike and explain to the fiancé why I need to have another bike… haha!

I do very similar riding to you and also wanted a bike that could handle a few enduros each year. Budget was limited so I went for the 2020 spectral AL5 , it now has 160 upfront but still 150 at the rear. All the events I had booked for this year were cancelled so not really ridden in anger yet but am happy with it.

Edit – I may have misread and you already have a current spectral… ignore my useless advice

Ahh yep I have a 2020 Spectral AL.6 currently and I absolutely love it! It handles most things perfectly however I just feel I would be pushing it taking it to Morzine/Les Gets etc

More Calderdale stuff. Hebden is the default location people head to in Calderdale but theres arguably better and certainly less crowded stuff between Sowerby Bridge and Brighouse. The whole valley between those two towns is like one epic trail centre!

I stayed in Brighouse the other week and seemed like there would be some good riding! Do you have any examples of routes etc? Thanks a lot!

I really like Fox Rangers, they don’t last forever (i usually replace after around 6 months) but you can ofter pick them up for £15/20 if you have a good look around.

I didn’t see any fallen trees, as I don’t know the area I couldn’t tell you for sure though.

I am heading back there this Friday for more exploring, it’s looking like a scorcher!

Just an update, I did the route suggested by Chuck yesterday – WOW! Amazing day out in the saddle!

I probably was a bit over-biked on my 160mm/150mm trail bike for a lot of it, made the descents a LOT of fun though (hit 39.5mph at one point according to Strava). Weather was perfect, and my ribs just about held up too.

Lots of variety, some stunning views, couple of cheeky half pints at a few pubs along the way, but the best bit was the descent from Stoodley Pike – one of the best natural downhill sections I’ve ridden.

Highly recommend!

This is the Hebden descents route with Stoodley pike lumped on.

I might give this a bash at the weekend.

This looks perfect I think I’ll give this a go!

Thanks everyone for the help, I’ve just joined here and is a breath of fresh air to find helpful people unlike the toxic FB MTB groups.

Hmm I managed a few steep/rocky descents yesterday without too much pain so I think I should be OK, its mainly when I twist suddenly so fingers crossed I should be ok with a couple of Ibruprofen! I know I really should be resting but it’s my last few weeks of being part-time part furlough so trying to make the most of it.

Also silly question maybe, but which way should I be riding this route, clockwise or anti clockwise? I cant seem to work it out from the instructions!

Thanks for the help!

I have found this and I think it sounds pretty good, fairly short with some decent descents – https://www.cyclecalderdale.co.uk/route/view/mtb-great-descents

Anyone tried this route?