Do they still actually do that stupid inter branch transfer? I had assumed as there were no flame threads on STW regarding JEJ that they had changed their system for the better. It’s been 3 years since I last ordered anything from them. I have seen the odd item pop up on google shopping that almost tempted me but then I remembered the last time… and ordered from somewhere else.

I thought the 140mm was maximum 140mm but the 150mm would go to 160mm? Stanchion length determines the maximum travel.

Check out the Sony, I prefer it because the image stabilisation and quality on the lower priced model.

I saw them live on the first UK tour way back in probably late 1995. had great fun but never bought any of their albums since. They don’t really have the ‘edge’ for me.
IMHO RATM, Audioslave, Soundgarden and FNM, seem to have it. I saw Soundgarden and Faith No More at Hyde Park in July. I was blown away by Faith No More. A religious experience. Mike Patton is still as cool as ever.

Quite right. What I should have said was trails used by horse riders or from an MTB point of view, trails covered in horse s**t.

I’d rather see horsesh1t than dogsh1t. Pitfichie fireroad climb has become a dog toilet. I’m thinking of putting up signs!

I know that now… hindsight is a wonderful thing. You may only have 15 minutes of it on stw.

Still, I quite like this thread even if it was ultimately pointless! The photo is nice I think.

Dammit, I had that KOM for ages and some bugger has taken it by 1 second.

😉

I reckon in 2018, that the KOM will be taken by a roadie! The trail is parallel to the Northbound carriageway!

For anyone still wanting the location, using ‘Strava speak’ it’s at the end of ‘Gorse Prickle Singletrack’. Part of the official red (does not indicate technical grade – it’s a green) route.

EDIT: I just checked the route map of the bypass. it’s pretty much going through the area in the photo! That Strava KOM will stand forever now!

My main beef is that it’s Kirkhill. Basically the nearest ‘trail centre’ to the biggest concentration of population in the area. They also clear felled all around the Gordon Way at Bennachie. Destroying one of the most picturesque trails (multi-use) in the area. At least they didn’t drive the logging tractors along the trails there though!

I think with all the vast forests around the region, they should be more careful with the handful that they actually go to the trouble of promoting as leisure destinations with leaflets, maps and websites! “Here’s a lovely place to visit, now watch us trash it!”

I use the red cups that you used to get with Stan’s. 2 cups for any tyre up to about 2.1 width, extra cup for anything over 2.1. Extra half cup for rear tyre.

Have you considered carbon? I bought a used EC90 a few weeks ago and am very happy with it. It’s non metallic so won’t gall, seize or similar. The rail clamping is silent (no creaks). The exterior surface is not smooth and shiny so the post does not require excessive clamping force to stay put.
I bought the Ti bolt upgrade and a full length 400mm x 30.9mm inline comes in at sub 200g.

It feels like that is like one of these:

whilst modern enduro mountain bikes are more like one of these:

Au contraire! The Lancia was how mid-90s bikes rode. Modern trail bikes are like this:

I’m in my last 10 days on Match. I have resolved to leave it forever this time. I have 2 ‘meetings’ this week then if nothing comes of them I shall have to find some other way.
I left POF over a week ago after another false photo meeting then getting blocked mid conversation by someone else. I’ve never had so much as a snog out of that awful site. At least Match got me a few short relationships.
Fitness Singles? Well, if there were any female cyclists within 100 miles of me that would be great! But there aren’t, so 4rse!

What if she looks nothing like the photos and within 2 minutes you know it’s going nowhere?
I deleted my POF profile last night. It’s a total waste of time. It’s a bit like being in a budget supermarket. The products all look weird, are nothing like the actual contents and there’s no way you’d buy anything twice…
To explain the first sentence: hyped up on caffeine I talked like a machine gun for 2 hours solid until she gave in and went home. I felt it would have been too rude to end the date immediately and go home to play with my new record player. Although that’s what I actually wanted to do.

Walk round the lanes and browse the retro cycle jerseys. I found an original Nukeproof one last time! There were Volvo Cannondale and old Orange ones. I was really looking for an early 1990s Yeti one. There are hundreds of euro and USA road type jerseys for less than a tenner each.

Took mine off because I didn’t use it. Fitted an EC90 so saved a lot of weight. I didn’t use the full drop so now I just put the seat up and down manually.

No, 30 miles North of Aberdeen. In 1999 I was enjoying must faster speeds on dialup.

I got it to emulate a Galaxy tab…

I shaved a bit off my SB95:
I specced a pair of wheels from Superstar that weigh (real, I checked them myself!) 900g rear, 700g front.
Front: Switch superlight front hub, Sapim laser spokes, alloy nips, Crest rim.
Rear: Switch hub, Sapim Race spokes, alloy nips, Crest rim.
Total price £300. Saved at least 400g over my Hope Hoops Flow EX.
Carbon bars, got some 720mm Answer taperlite carbons 200g
Easton EC90 seatpost with Ti bolts 200g
My SLX crankarms weigh the same as XT for a lot less money. The older MK1 version looks nicer as well. I’d only swap them for XTR M980s and then I’d only save about 40g.
I got a 65mm stem from Exotic Components 140g
Front tyre is a 2.25 Geax Goma 850g. rear is a 2.25 Geax Saguaro 820g(or AKA at 650g depending on terrain and conditions).
I may go for a lighter saddle in the future but I’m stopping there for now.
I’m running a 24/38 front ring combo in steel and a fairly heavy rear cassette so I know there’s some weight savings to be had there. Front fork is a 2014 Pike.
I weighed the whole bike on some proper scales and it came to just over 31 lbs.
The wheels were the best ‘swapout’! The day I fitted them I set several PRs on fire road and technical uphills at my usual rides on Strava. And I hadn’t been for a ride for about a week due to illness.

I had trouble selling my large SB95 alu frame for more than £600. How much are you thinking for your frame on it’s own?

(I decided to keep my Yeti btw)

The advantage of Merino for me is it doesn’t smell even after more than one ride! I have stopped using a backpack now and find that it’s the ideal garment to wear under a jersey for all but the warmest days. I wear a Paramo over the head jacket with my merino top for all but the wettest and coldest of days. Add a Buff for more flexibility. Good even for Scottish mountain use.

You left your wife? Bet you still hear about that one.

Er, yes. We split up last year. Funnily enough the final ‘row’ happened after a mountain bike ride…

I use Strava to check my progress against myself. I fitted lighter wheels and tyres recently and was interested to find I set a PR on a local technical climb of about 1.2 miles.
I discovered that I did a downhill trail a bit faster after fitting wider bars.
I created a segment on part of a popular local downhill trail specifically to find out if the ride I crashed on was a ‘good run’ (from the start to the place just before I slammed into the ground!). It was a good run and faster than any run I’ve ever done up to that point (and since), so I want to ride faster and equal or better my previous best time without crashing.

Some people like the geeky self-analysis of Strava. And some people (like myself) find themselves single with a lot of time on their hands…

When I lose a KOM by a few seconds I try to retake it. If I lose a KOM by a large margin I just concentrate on PRs until I get nearer to the KOM again.

After using Strava for the last 2 years I find that I’m tons fitter which can only be a good thing. And I think I’m fitter than I would have been just riding for ‘fun’ because I’ve pushed my limits, especially on the climbs. The endorphins you get after completing a gruelling climb or challenging downhill are multiplied when you do the upload and discover you’ve done better than before.

I got a roll neck (neck zip) version from TK Maxx for £20. Not sure if there’s any left now but it’s brilliant!

Yep, split it. Everything will sell well separately. You’ll get at least £100 for the Reverb, £45 for the bars etc (I recently sold some).

Alternatively, sell all the good bits (bars, seatpost, wheels, drivetrain, brakes) and buy some cheap replacements to make up a ‘poverty spec’ bike to sell at £750 or so. More work but you’ll make a lot more and it’ll be easier to get rid of the frame that way. The frame will be the most difficult thing to sell for decent money.

The only useful thing about e-trailbikes is that they would help a slower rider keep up with a faster rider to sort of ‘equalise’ the speeds. That way, hubby don’t freeze his whatsits off while waiting for wifey somewhere on Cutgate, a bit like the ride I went on, on the Royal Wedding Bank Holiday a few years ago…

Small packet of tissues in left, single car key in right. Used tissues go in back pockets.

Get some M530s. I’ve got a set on each bike. ideal for off road, enduro, road, commuting. At £20 including cleats, just throw them away when the bearings go (although they seem to go on forever. I’ve got at least 1,000 miles each on 2 pairs and still they turn smooth and tight)

(touch wood) I’ve not had any really bad mail order experiences since 2007 when I mistakenly ordered some Hope hubs from Dave Hinde… (they made the mistake. I ordered blue pair, they sent blue rear, black front. Oh, the humanity! Thankfully it was in the days when they were still allowed to trade on Ebay. Sent front hub back, went through the usual rigmarole of getting ignored by returns/refunds. Quick dispute opened and presto! refund!)
Mind you, I never order anything from a certain South Yorkshire based family-owned internet cycle retailer no matter how cheap they advertise stuff at!

I’ve got a Topeak Master Blaster floor pump with the valve adaptor removed so it’s just a bare rubber tube. With the core removed from a presta tubeless valve, the air volume is quite massive and I’ve not had any tyres not pop on to the bead. I do have Notubes rims though which seem to be very easy to ‘pop’.

Welcome brother.

From memory, my ’07 575 with alu rear. I cured the following creaks:

1. greased the seatpost and tightened the seatpost/tube clamp
2. changed chainstay pivot bearings. They were a little rough.

My SLX MK1 chainset has always creaked a little bit. Still going after 4 years!

This thread was quite nice and supportive, a bit like Samaritans crossed with STW. Now it’s gone all Jeremy Kyle!

I had a Oneup ring and it was reasonably ok but on steep technical climbs I found 30t too high and then on the long shallow descents I spun out too easily. I could save a lot of weight on my chainrings and front mech/shifter etc, I may consider it…
I ride mainly on Pitfichie/Bennachie massif so my tyres and gearing have to be suited to the local terrain. I tend to spin while seated on climbs as well.
I have Pikes, how much heavier than Revs are they? I really love the Pikes so if I’m not giving too much weight away I’d rather keep them.

Excellent! thanks for that. Are you able to tell me the weight split between your wheels? Front/Rear? and the exact spec of your hubs/rims/spokes/nipples etc? I have just built a 700g front wheel using Crest/Sapim Laser/Alloy nipples/Superstar 140g hub. I’m awaiting the rear wheel but I have gone for Sapim Race spokes instead (due to the risk from chain and stone strikes)and the claimed hub weight is 295g. Still built with alloy nips so hoping for a big saving from my old Hope Hoops with Flow EX.
I am about to fit Geax Goma 2.4 front (1150g) and Geax Goma 2.25 rear (exact weight to be determined). The tyres are my only departure from lightweight. They’re sticky and grippy. I have been using Geax Saguaro front/AKA rear and find that the front is a bit skittish and the rear spins out quite often when climbing.

I’m doing a full winter stripdown, refurb and weighing ready for next Spring. My SB95a is getting a professional respray as well!

back on the chain gang (sigh), gonna try real life, can’t be any worse than online dating. Well, might try FS as a maximum.

It only has one cable. So if you remotely release it, what tightens it up again? Or do you have to get off and retighten it?

Aberdeen to Glasgow or Edinburgh is a 3 hour journey so unless there is a framebuilder in Aberdeen it’s going to be a mail order job so anywhere in the country will do.

I can’t quite see how it closes again. There must be a huge return spring in the cam lever. Looks very interesting though! I might have a go!

I’m going to get paint rather than powder and probably get Dave Yates or similar framebuilder to do the job. The difficult thing is getting replacement stickers for a Yeti SB type bike. Hannah Barnes’ bike has pink stickers over the top of the original turquoise on her team bike so that’s my line of enquiry being followed.