I go down there all the time and tend to ride along the edge to avoid the cobbles/mud… Maybe I’ll rethink my line choice.

Cleaning my bike today I noticed this:

Wondering (hoping!) it’d be covered under warranty? Already emailed TF Tuned…

Definitely 5’10”, though people always think I’m 6ft for some reason… 😀 I’m a bit of a lump rather than a skinny racing snake, so maybe that’s why the large looks alright for me – don’t have any problems flinging it around and feels nice and stable when it gets fast and rough.

Like chief says, probably depends on what kind of bike you feel best on… You’d most likely be alright on either, but large was definitely the one for me. Don’t forget a stem length can be the difference between two sizes too – a medium with a 50mm stem is only 5mm shorter than my large with a 35mm – at least as far as ETT.

Dingleberry.. any pics of you on a large? Again a 5ft10 visual comparison would be handy.

Lots of photos of the bike itself, but surprisingly few with it being ridden! About the best I can find:

5′ 10″ on a 2015 large with a 35mm stem here. Medium felt tiny in comparison. 2016 geometry doesn’t look much different to me… I’d go large again.

I usually love Hope stuff, but don’t like the idea of half a cassette made from aluminium… SRAM GX 10-42 is just about perfect for me.

The black stays aren’t available in the UK, as advised by sks. I got them from a shop in Germany called hibike, they had to order from sks which took about a week. Cost inc delivery was 24euro, which was a lot less in £ than it is now!

Any chance of a link? Used Hibike plenty of times but don’t seem to be able to find them on the site…

Make sure you pull the end cap off the hub so the cassette tool sits in the splines properly. Shouldn’t need anything particularly special.

And I can confirm the Pedros whips are brilliant – I have one – no chance of it slipping!

Thanks everyone, very helpful! Only ever used MTB style mudguards before so haven’t got a clue with this stuff! 😀

I’m fitting a set of sks guards as replacements today, mat black with black stays

Which ones are those? I’ve seen the Bluemels Matt but they still have silver stays – all black would be preferable!

Could of photos would help, if you have any?

Occasionally bike through Wigan so will keep an eye out too.

Either Superstar or Uberbike sintered for me. Uberbike race matrix if I’m feeling fancy, but Superstar’s kevlar are cack.

They both have fairly regular discount codes too.

singletrackmind, I’ll take it off your hands if you don’t want it?

Cheers. Decided to order a selection of sizes and I’ll just return what doesn’t fit. 😀

How’s the sizing on the Planet X ones? They look worth a go for a tenner!

Thanks for the replies, that’s given me a few things to look at. Might give the skin suit a miss though…

It’s mostly rocky so shouldn’t be tooooo bad… If you’re doing San Marino just go up the access road as any routes across the moors tend to be slop unless it’s been bone dry for weeks.

HD/RR is what I’m running at the moment – Great combo for the not tooooo muddy conditions we’ve had recently.

I got a gravel/cx bike a couple of months ago and am loving it! Faster than my MTB off road unless it’s really rough, and not too much slower on road than my road bike. Even towpaths and bridleways are quite fun!

As for suggestions, I’d look more towards gravel than cx bikes, especially if you’re not racing. Not loads different, but slightly more relaxed with clearance for bigger tyres and mudguards. I went for an On-One Bish Bash Bosh – nothing came close on the price for the specs I was after. For something half the price, Boardmans are worth a look and Halfords always seem to have some sort of offer on.

How does the size compare to 2.35″ Schwalbes?

I’ve had one a couple of months, and in that time I’ve been caught out in a few of huge downpours as well as light rain and it’s worked flawlessly. Almost too well for a Garmin… 😆 Also using a screen protector if that makes a difference.

Battery life’s been fine too. 3 hours today, with all the sensors and everything on, following a route and it’s down to 70%. I guess maybe some people are setting the backlight to stay on constantly – that’d kill the battery on anything.

Like the look of the P&K keys! But are they available anywhere? Google doesn’t turn up much…

If I’m not comfortable with something it’s usually just “…Nah.” . I value my teeth more than impressing someone I don’t even know. 😀

Had mine about 2 weeks now and am loving it! Faster than my MTB almost everywhere off road apart from the really rough stuff (up Rivington today and you notice the skinny tyres and lack of suspension!) and not too much slower than my road bike on the road either.

Not going to get rid of my other bikes as they definitely both have their place, but for an all round bike it’s surprisingly capable.

I have the MIPS with the chin bar and it came with those pads in. Friend has just got the non-MIPS without the chin bar and it also has the pads.

Both removed and fit so much better without!

I’m intrigued by yours @dingleberry!

HongFu FM079 with LB wheels. Couple of years old now and I still love it – A lot of bike for the money! Have some better photos somewhere…

I’m really liking the look of these Giants!

My chinese special:

Don’t bother with a tube cos the tyres are such a struggle to get on and off I’d never manage/bother with it at the side of the road.

If you do get a puncture the tyre will lose a bit of pressure before it seals itself, so always worth carrying a small pump to top it up.

How does a Maxxis 2.3″ compare to a Schwalbe 2.35″?

Got a Rock Razor on at the moment, but getting a little worn so thinking of replacing with an SS. I like fat tyres though and remember hearing Maxxis come up pretty small a while ago – still the case?

Kona Process 134 comes in XS – 13.6″ seat tube. No frilly bits either, which might be a plus for a young lad!

Good to hear about the HT pedals! I’ve got some X2’s on the way – like the look of the T1 but wanted something with a bit more of a platform.

As for CB, I had some Candies a few years ago – no problems with the reliability of the pedal itself, but the soft cleats wear out in no time compared to Shimano. I much prefer the defined click of Shimano too, CB are quite vague feeling, but if you want float and don’t mind replacing cleats every so often they’re the ones to go for. Just make sure you fit their Shoe Shields too!

Ah, I’m not much of a mag reader… – Were the X2 reviewed too? Might pick it up if so. T1 doesn’t look to have any more of a platform than my current pedals.

3 1/2 hours in the suuuuun!

I find the Prizm Trail is brilliant off road, really brightens everything and makes things stand out – taking them off everything is suddenly dull and flat. 😀

Got a Prizm Road lens for on the road bike, but isn’t as great – Quite dark in anything other than really sunny conditions. Not bad, just doesn’t stand out like the Trail, don’t think I’d recommend it over a standard black lens.

Edit: Jawbreakers are massive, but that’s what so good about them, almost like goggles! 😆

Another Pedros Vice Whip here, loads less faffy than a normal chain whip. Looks like the price has gone up a bit though – mine was only about £35! Which I admit is still quite a lot…

Decathlon idea looks good for 12 quid though!

As I’ve just replaced one of the bearings myself, I can tell you that these are the same as the Pro 2 Evo bearings. Works out slightly cheaper than buying them single.

There’s 3% Quidco/TopCashback, but haven’t seen any discount codes for a while…

His bike’s not gonna last long being left outside pubs like that…

Lee Quarry should be alright as it’s mostly rocky. Read something about Gisburn the other day – trails are apparantly alright, few puddles, but you might have a bit of trouble actually getting there with the flooding.

Looks like it’ll just fit! Thanks!

Not had any problems with the zips on my Charge, it’s even survived an OTB where it slid me to safety :D, so hopefully the Skyline will be just as tough…

Helps if you can get me a measurement once it arrives! 😆