Wow – but then he checked out for the rest of the run?!

Brandon Fairclaw!!! 🙂

So finally decision made – I got one the last 2013 Orange Patriots in the clearance sale, bargain! I thought long and hard and decided I may as well get something pretty different from my Enduro bike which is a long fast four bar thing. This bike should be an out and out fun hooligan bike so a really long top tube not such a big requirement as I an not going to be trying to go as fast as possible, just trying to jump off everything I can find 🙂

Got some Marzocchi 66 RC3 Ti’s to go on the front, should be fun!

Oh yes come on now… I am so impressed with the way they ride the ridge lines up the top never mind any of the bonkers drops and jumps at the bottom, the whole thing is just so impressive – fingers crossed no-one gets hurt. This event worries me a bit….

I amazed anyone cares about the England football team anymore. Not me.

Long stems and wide bars = crap handling.

Cheers all. Maybe if I ask cane creek nicely…

So if Peaty had some was that pro-only or could I get some?

Yeah wide bars check, slightly longer stem check (but don’t want to go longer than 50mm) and every little helps when it comes to the headset 🙂

Oh yes fire is on. 1 deg outside and first snow of the season on the tops of the mountains opposite. I am still in shorts and a t-shirt 🙂

Good point, life is rarely silly enough for my liking.

+11000000 🙂

Interesting – what is the El Guapo good at? An all-rounder?

Yes partly that, but how it was made and by who plays a part for me as well. The bike I own is a Specialized, I bought it because of the fit and it is brilliant, but I now feel a bit of a corporate sell out. Silly really.

I think the quality of the suspension these days has a lot to do with it, I mean how many of us can actually ride a modern DH bike to anywhere near it limits, or would even want to for that matter? I’m not athletic, skilled or brave enough, which means that riding a DH bike these days is less fun than a really sorted 160mm travel bike. I can go pretty quick still and have more fun and have a more versatile bike. I used to own a DH bike but I don’t any more.

Go for the longer reach with a shorter stem. Way better IMHO.

Someone selling some nice looking 55 RC3 Ti’s on here at the moment, I doubt you could go far wrong with them.

+1 for the Specialized, in particular the Hotrock 24 Disc, got one for my 8 year old and it is very good. I ditched the bars and stem as they were heavy lumps and fitted some nice adult XC bars and a short stem and some proper high volume tyres and he rides all sorts of stuff in the Alps on it, its holding up very well indeed but is nice and light as well. Looks like a little 4x race bike with the short stem and low rise XC bars 🙂

Ah no I disagree with you there – its not about form over function, or how much it cost. Anyway I am wierd I wouldn’t prefer the Ferrari, perhaps that is more why I can’t love my highly performing and developed bike and long for something more simple and indiosynchratic.

Funny things people eh? Its all about perception, its all in my mind but it matters to me.

Its the Orange marmite thing, you love em or hate them, or maybe both at the same time 🙂

I think the message is clear – it my patriotic duty to invest my money in Orange, Renthal and Hope stuff asap before I lose it. I’ll tell the missus, should go down well.

Ah OK! 🙂

Interesting that people seem to be so dismissive of the points made in this article. You may think that the conclusions are a bit exagerated in terms of the impacts but the big facts are basically true? Debt growing unsustainably, can’t go on forever?

Yes it is a custom build, all the bits are good but its the frame that is the issue. I look at the bike and think what a great bike but….

“Good public speaker though”

So was Hitler.

A new one. Or an Orange Alpine 160?

Makes sense I think, they probably can’t get the new Five and Alpine out the door fast enough and the DH and freeride designs were a little old hat compared to the top bikes on the WC poiums these days. Playing to their strengths makes sense – fun mid travel bikes. I still want one 🙂

I have got a lot more sensible since my early days, but I’m still properly obsessed so can help but buy something eventually. I’m hoping that a re-jig for my 40th b’day might be my last for a very long time, after that I think buying bikes for the kids will be the main priority!

Huge problem – no easy answer – +1 for commuting to keep fit and then grab a chance to ride for fun when I can. Its not easy I hadly ever get to do an all day type ride any more, its usually a few hours or an afternoon at best.

For me riding bikes is an itch I can never properly scratch – I want to be riding MTB for as long as I possibly can and bikes in general til I die 🙂

No risk of disappointment!

Yes I have a pair of 55 RC3 Ti – the best fork I have ever used. If you can afford them get them.

I think you’ll find Mr Barel has got it covered in that vid – outside foot and in particular heel down, lean the bike not your body, outside elbow high. The flatter the corner the more you need to exagerate the action to acheive the turning effect. Bermed corners need less effort to turn the bike for a given speed but hit them faster and you will need to hold the body position to control the bike and hold the exact line you want through the corner. Don’t touch the brakes once you are 1/3 of the way through the corner and the bike will accelerate out as it unloads. Mr Barel would also say think more about flow and less about getting on the pedals ASAP.

I know someone who uses an Ali SB66 as his only bike in the Alps, he is pretty happy with it does all sorts of riding on it.

He he Avids very funny 😆 I tend to like my brakes quite grabby so I suppose I’ll get used to it quite quickly, glad I swapped down from a 203mm rotor on the front to a 180mm rotor otherwise it would be ridiculous.

RIP – it never ceases to amaze me how someone can be here one moment and gone the next doing something they love doing.

Really?

Seems like they don’t make the knolly delirium any more, but it would have been good in the XL size. The new burly trail bike the chicolitin looks good too but only 160mm travel. Sadly I think the Patriot is too short, so it looks like I’ll have to wait a while yet and see what comes up. Ho hum, orange please could you make a 180mm travel frame like the Alpine 160?

Why do you think I’m on here?