http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/cube-aim-26-disc-mountain-bike-grey-red-id72414.html

For an extra £50 you get a whole lot more bike.

Wonder if the stepping up of security / mail checks has anything to do with that ‘drugs-by-mail’ website the FBI bust yesterday?

Saw a sign at the post office a few months back saying that Lithium Ion batteries could only be posted if they were installed / connected to a device.

Missed it, damn!

Thanks guys. I’m torn between a medium or large 905 but the standover seems really big on the 905 (32.5″) so worried about clearance. Probably won’t get a chance to try both sizes out unfortunately.

Almax chain and a decent ground anchor should provide some extra security.

Gelert 120L

Not sure if it has wheels but its an absolute steal at that price.

Keeping the drive train pretty IME is down to regular cleaning and frequently applying a lube and then wiping away any excess

This. I religiously degrease my drivetrain after every wet ride and every two to three dry rides in the summer.

Been using the green Finish Line wet lube which is notorious for blacking up your chain and cassette if you don’t keep on top of it and the last time I took my bike into the LBS they commented on how clean it looked. :-D

Some oil streaks appearing on the shaft, still keeps air pressure fine though. I don’t want to be in a situation where if it suddenly busts there’s a long period of down-time trying to get it sorted.

Too many selfish, intolerant people on a small, overpopulated island.

Welcome to Britain. :-D

Cheers chaps.

I get this all the time. One particular chap told me to “Get a f**ing bell” to which I stopped and politely explained to him that I’d lose all street cred from my riding mates if I had one. It turns out that his dog was hit by a cyclist a few months ago and had to be taken to the vet with a broken rib. Nice chap in the end and I hope that my amicability changed his perception of mtbers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-8-inch-2-24nm-1-47-17-70lb-ft-Micrometer/dp/B000RO1ZCG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380396538&sr=8-1&keywords=sealey+torque+wrench

Can’t go wrong for £30. Decent build quality and comes with a calibration certificate.

Just a heads up. Bike-discount.de have the model above (I think it’s the LTD SL 29) for £900 that comes with massively upgraded components including Fox CTD fork and Magura brakes. Definitely worth the extra few pennies I think. Considering one myself.

Thanks all for the excellent info. I’ve narrowed down my choice to either a set of Shimano MT65’s or Fulcrum Red Power XL’s.

Both are available delivered for around £150. Pros / cons on these two?

Seems like the Shimanos get good rep for their ease of serviceability and availability of parts while the Fulcrums seem tougher / more durable?

in my experience, crossrides are poop. can you strech to these? http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/mountain-bike-wheels/sale-wheels/handbuilt-hope-pro2-evo-wheel-offer-26.html

I did look at them actually. Would the hubs be modifiable if I bought a new bike further down the road that, for example, needed a 15mm through axle instead of QR? If I splashed out that much I’d preferably want something I could reuse on a new build.

@ IA – Sorry mate, meant Crossride not Crossmax, my bad.

@ Chakaping – Must have called Tredz 20-odd times over the past few months (they don’t answer emails so gave up on that).

First they tried to fob me off by saying I needed to take the bike to a local shop. Second they said Specialized had ordered me a new rear wheel which evidently ‘went missing’ before they could send it. Thirdly they sent me out a 29er wheel with the wrong hub size instead of a standard 26″ 135mm one. Fourthly they tried to blame Specialized by saying they no longer make 26″ wheels and said they’d rebuild my existing rear wheel with the new hub. I’m currently without a rear wheel and no idea when this is going to happen.

I learnt the hard way never to buy a bike online and especially NEVER from Tredz. :-D

Yup, seen that. I’m specifically interested in the different factory ‘tunes’ that these shocks come in as opposed to the user-adjustable compression / rebound.

@Normal Man

Just received now mate, cheers. Can’t reply to you via email because there’s something wrong with my Yahoo mail.

I think I have a similar chart in the bike handbook that came with the bike. It gives the required stroke length for each bike but sadly for the Fox shocks it doesn’t say anything about which rebound / compression tuning they run. I’ll give Specialized a bell on Monday and see what they say.

That’d be great :-D
Email is in my profile.

To be honest for every idiot car driver there’s also a cyclist who needs educating in the ways of the road.

Red means stop, even if you’re on a bike.

Dark? Turn your bike lights on (or buy some if you don’t have them).

etc…

Just fitted a set of these this week (also from Merlin). Running 180/160 SLX rotors and haven’t had this issue yet. Thought it sounded like a bleed issue, factory bleeds are hit and miss.

I think its one of those things you come across time and time again when first getting into mtbing and reading the forums;

“Buy as small a bike as possible cos it’ll be more ‘chuckable’.”

A bit like “nobody rides a 29er” and “the Orange Five is old-hat”.

Tempted by one of these myself. Going to take a trip down to On-One / Planet X at some point as they’re just down the road in Rotherham.

Moral of the story – Britain is a nation of extremes;

Extremely decent people and extremely c**tish people.

Gelert stuff is pretty impressive for the price.

I’ve used this guy on ebay;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/lee3f1/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Cheapest I’ve been able to find although he doesn’t seem to have any threadless in at the moment.

@wellywheels

Cheers mate. Going to hopefully get to a few shops in the next week or so to check sizing etc.

+1 for the Humvees.

I’ve got the 3/4 length and they’re great shorts.

If you can try them on first. I usually go for medium but had to get the large in these as the fit was too snug.

Either one of the Winscar models (AL / C / 29er).

I already have a decent FS for trail riding but am looking for a light fast hardtail for training with the intention of getting into racing at some point in the near future but don’t want to fork out ££££s straight away.

Both products are great. Graingers slightly takes the lead for me though. Here’s the process I use to wash my Goretex kit;

1. Run your washing machine empty on a hot cycle (60-90 degrees) to clean out any residue. Make sure there’s no powder / softner residue in the drawer.

2. Wash jacket following the instructions on the packet. Set your machine to do an extra rinse if it has this option.

3. Allow the jacket to drip – dry.

4. Once dry, put in the tumble dryer on high for 10-15 mins. This extra heat reactivates the protective coating which stops water from soaking the material covering the Goretex membrane stopping it from working.

Hi all thanks for the opinions. Ended up buying it in the end and absolutely love it. Can’t wait to break it in over the weekend.