@smokey_jo There are spares listed for the M3 M3 spares

I never did get an email back from them.

I’ve never used the M2 or M3 but Clarks claim that the M3 is lighter and 25% more powerful, so I was going to buy the M3 before I saw the M4s.

You can use a Shimano 12 speed mech that’ll cope with the 51t cassette with an 11 speed shifter.

I’m only running an 11-42 but I’m running an SLX 12 speed rear mech, Sunrace 11 speed cassette, KMC 11 speed chain and XT 11 speed shifter. It all works together nicely and gives me the option of using a wider range cassette in the future.

@drewd – my M3’s did that despite bleeding over and over again. I suspect it’s the seals in the lever as there was no sign of any leakage at the caliper. I’d had them sat in a box for a while so warranty wasn’t really an option. It was easier and cheaper to buy another brake than bugger about with it.

Hmm, that doesn’t sound great. I did email Clarks to ask their advice but they never replied. I’ll try a bleed anyway but if they don’t improve I’ll look into the warranty as they are only a couple of weeks old.

I believe they take standard Shimano 4 pot pads. I’ve read you can’t use finned pads but I’m not sure if that’s true.

I ordered a set a couple of weeks ago from the seller listed above. They were dispatched from Hinkley which is also where the Clarks UK distribution centre is, so I wondered if they came from Clarks direct.

I’ve noticed on my set that when I initially pull the lever it travels close to the bars, when pumping the brakes the travel is significantly reduced. Releasing the brake for a few seconds and re applying results in a lot of lever travel again. It looks like the pads are quite a way from the disc and are slow to return back to their original position after releasing the brake. It’s the same for the front and rear but they don’t rub.

I need to shorten the hoses so I’ll try giving them a decent bleed at the same time to see if it makes a difference.

Aside from that though they seem ok, great for the money. The included discs seem a little flimsy and the mounting brackets have a machined pocket so you need to use the supplied concave washers to ensure the caliper stays level but they include all the required hardware. Clarks list spares for their other brake models, so hopefully they will for these too.

I think the Kona Unit is standard spacing qr front and rear. My brother has a 2017 version and that isn’t boost.

The Bootzipper sounds like a good option if you need boost.

I’ve just built up a 27.5+ rigid singlespeed. I’ve not ventured far on it but I’m enjoying it so far. I went with 32t and an 18t sprocket for gearing which seems ok on the few hills I’ve ridden on it.

If you’re not in a rush have a look at the Stooge Scrambler frameset for a new MTB.

Or a used Genesis Day One for drop bar fun?

Cheers OP, ordered a pair of the plus versions. I’ve never used them but am willing to try for this price.

From what I’ve read the plus compound is harder, less tacky and longer lasting. The Race coumpound is stickier and softer.

My wife and I went out around 11:30 on Saturday night to look for it, it was visible to the naked eye but very faint. It looked good through binoculars though.

I went out to a local hillside on Sunday night at around 11pm with the camera but it was too light. I finally managed to find it at about 11:30, but it seemed much fainter than the night before. I did manage to get a photo but I’ve not shared it online as it’s rubbish compared to what’s already online.

As already mentioned the planets look great, I saw Jupiter and 3 or 4 of it’s moons through the binoculars.

Cheers DrP. If you’re able to add them to your order drop me a PM and I’ll forward the money to you.

Re weight, I’m sub 60kg and it’s made the fork better for my weight. With the medium negative spring the fork wasn’t returning to full travel when the positive chamber was pressurised to give me 25% sag. It’s returning to full travel now, responds well enough on the trail and isn’t bottoming out.

They ARE the CRC ones!

I’ve just emailed SR Suntour USA to see if I can add a few more spacers to my order for you drewd…

IF they haven’t packed/shipped it yet, how many would you want?

DrP

Oh, that’s very kind of you. I’d like two please if you’re able to add to your order.

I bought mine in the same offer and I’m very pleased with them for what they cost.

A bit late now but I’ll post anyway incase anyone else is interested.

I emailed Suntour Europe a couple of weeks back, who told me to contact Greyville. A guy named Pete emailed me from Greyville and was really helpful. He posted a negative spring to me £10 +£2 p+p, the spacers weren’t in stock but they were due to get some in a week or so.

I presume these are the Suntour Aion forks CRC were selling cheap? If so IMHO they’re a bit nicer than the Recon RL I had, they dive less under braking and seem to track the ground better.

I’d still like to get some travel reducing spacers for mine.

I’ve tried the garden pump spray and it was ok but not perfect. I’ve now got s Worx Hydroshot and it’s much more powerful so better for getting mud out of tyre treads etc.

I noticed in Lidl this weekend that they were selling off their version of the Hydroshot but cant comment on how it Works

If I didn’t have the Worx version I’d be trying the Lidl one as it’s cheaper and although it doesn’t come with a battery or charger Lidl were selling 4AH batteries for not a lot. I can’t remember the exact price but the washer, battery and charger came to less than the Worx version.

I’ve these circlip pliers from Screwfix

I think I bought them when they were on sale once, not sure how much I paid but they’ve been fine when I’ve used them on a circlip in my forks. If I was using them daily I’d probably spend more but for occasional use these seem fine.

Edit: I can’t recall if they were too big for the circlip in a Hope brake lever. I recall struggling with a pick but I’m not certain if that was due to the above pliers not fitting or me trying to clean up the remains of a rusty circlip stuck in the groove.

I’ve also got a 2014 Plug 3 which I’m still happy with. I changed the wheels earlier this year and upgraded the brakes a few years back but it’s been a great bike.

I bought a Duster from eBay based on how much I liked the Plug, which was great to ride on singletrack and bridleways.

I’m not in the market for an e bike but wish them luck in reviving the brand.

They’re nothing to do with me, but there’s a pair of 27.5+ wheels with 45mm ID rims on QR hubs in the classifieds over here

Had to do a double take on that. Read it as ” In fact head tube and mech hanger weren’t attached to frame” !!!

Taking the Planet X build it yourself offer to a whole new level!

My Planet X experiences have been positive too, generally arriving when they should. My Big Dog came very well packaged, no head tube or mech manger poking through the box as others have mentioned. In fact the mech hanger and thru axle weren’t attached to the frame, they came in their own plastic bags wrapped up inside the box. The dropouts had a cardboard spacer tube fitted too.

My latest order for some tyres is on it’s way back to Planet X as the beads distorted on the first ride. Frustrating but not Planet X’s fault. I contacted them using their online form and was asked for pictures, then they sent me a returns label. The process took a week, but it’s a busy time to I can tolerate that. The parcel is still on it’s way to them so I’m not sure how smoothly the refund process will go, but I’ll at least let them try and sort it before worrying about it.

I know others have had bad experiences from them, but based on my personal experiences I’m happy to continue using them.

I’m pleased to hear you’re still enjoying the BMX, sorry to hear about the bottom bracket though.

I think it is a mid bottom bracket, I’ve never taken the cranks off though.

I ride left foot forward and used to find it easier to hop up to the left, so pegs on the right makes sense if you ride right foot forward.

That looks great, have fun riding it.

IIRC it was £200 before PX lockdown inflation.

Was that the 29er or 650b version?

I remember seeing the 650b version going cheap but I’m not certain whether the 29er version was £200.

Aside from wheel size I think the 29er is boost spacing while the 650b version is non boost.

Regarding the Scandal, if I remember correctly it was £150 pre order but should have been £250 or £275 at regular price. With the state of the economy I don’t think £300 seems unreasonable. I know it was £150 with headset for a bit but it was stupidly cheap at that price. I considered it myself but went for a Big Dog instead. Heavier than the Scandal and with more limited tyre clearance but I really like it.

Depending on what’s affordable Panaracer Gravel King in either slick or SK. I’ve some 28mm slicks and some 35mm SKs and like them both, they roll well and grip well.

As someone with a 2014 Charge Plug 3 disc braked road/all road/gravel thing, a miniature poodle and a toy poodle I say go for it if you have the time to dedicate to a dog.

My bike is heavy for what it is, but it’s a versatile bike and I like it.

My dogs are great pets, but would make terrible trail dogs as the undergrowth gets caught in their hair and their paws are so small they sink in soft ground. As such my cycling and dog walking are kept seperate.

We’ve had border collies in the past and aside from grooming poodles are much easier to live with as pets. They’ve less energy and ours are very happy with a couple of shortish walks and a lot of cuddles. They also have a fantastic temperament, are great with people and raise a smile from people on walks.

There was a QR code on the back of one of the fork legs on my forks, which I think suggested the forks were AION35 Boost RC PCS 150LC 27.5+. The image on that page has a different compression dial to my forks though, the image for the EVO Boost looks like a closer match.

I did let all the air out the forks to check tyre clearance as per the manual recommendations, and the o-ring suggests mine are set at 140mm travel.

Mine came with a generic Suntour manual with a basic air pressure chart, but no other information relating to fork settings. The latest Singletrack podcast has a feature where Andi mentions that he’s testing the Suntour Durolux fork and he mentions that there’s no information regarding fork setup so I get the impression Suntour are lacking in this area across their product range.

I’m only 55kg, which the manual suggests running 50-60 psi. I’m currently running 60 psi according to my shock pump with 4 clicks of compression dampening and 6 clicks of rebound. I’ve only done one 20 mile ride on them so far so not sure if these settings are what I’ll stick with, but they’re a good starting point for me.

I’m fairly sure I’m not the youngest here at 34 (for another month). I joined in 2011, don’t post much but often read the forums.

There’s a few come on the market in my area but they don’t seem any cheaper than they were pre covid.

I bought my Big Dog as a frame and headset bundle. My size small weighs 2.8KGs, so it’s a bit heavier than quoted but not massively so.

I originally built it up with 120mm Rockshox Recon RLs and used the lockout on the roads, as it’s 4 miles up hill to my local trails but it doesn’t feel like too much of a slog. I’ve built it up with a lightish wheelset using Superstar hubs and RaceFace Ar24 24mm internal rims which probably helps it feel spritely. I’m currently running 2.25″ Maxxis Ardents and it feels fast on and off road. I did run some Continental Trail King 2.4″ briefly and although they added loads of grip and a bit of squish they did dull the ride somewhat.

The point I’m trying to make is that it doesn’t ride like a heavy bike, even though my build is fairly heavy, and component choice will also effect how it rides and what it weighs. If weight is your main concern it might not be the frame for you, but I’m not sure you’ll find a steel frame that’s significantly lighter for similar money. Lighter wheels and tyres would make more difference than frame weight IMHO.

I’d expect it to be built round a 29er 120mm fork with short stem geometry.

Taken from the Planet X description for the Big Dog I mentioned above…

“Designed for 120-130mm suspension, but works ok with 490-500mm rigid forks.
Intended to be used with a 35-50mm stem (if using riser bars) – other bars may need a longer stem.”

Frame details here

I’ve got the Acor ones that are the same as Juin Tech. I’ve had them for a few years and there’s no complaints from me, they’re much better than the Promax Render Rs and Avid BB5S I’ve used.

I’ve never used any of the TRP offerings so can’t compare. My brother has the Zoom Xtech brakes and seems happy with them

Now… AM I (my OH/kid)
a – going to notice a difference here? Are they lighter for example?
b – able to reduce them to 120mm??

The Recons I have are 29er boost Recon Silver RL, fitted to a 2017 model bike so I presume 2017 model. Motion Control damper and silver stanchions.

A – My experience is yes, but to get the best out of them they need a bit of work. I’ve only had 1 ride out of mine and they’re as they came.

The Recon is lighter but I think it was only 75 grams or so. It also has substantially more tyre clearance. Bags of room for a 29×2.4 Trail King and mudguard. I wouldn’t feel comfortable running that tyre on the Aions.

However the Aions have a lot of adjustment for compression and rebound whereas the compression and rebound adjustment is limited on the Recon.

Having ridden both I think the Aions do ride nicer, they track better over rough ground and offer more support when braking. They feel more composed but I can’t say whether it’s the damper or beefier stanchions that help. I’d happily ride either though.

B – You can adjust the travel. There are videos on YouTube and the Suntour website. They use plastic spacers that clip in to place to reduce travel.

Regarding getting the most out of them, from what I’ve read they ship with a firm negative spring, which isn’t great for lighter riders. The soft spring is recommended for lighter riders and is supposed to make the fork more responsive. It can be changed when reducing travel as it’s all the same assembly that’s designed to be tweaked to suit the rider. I’ll look into this for my forks as I’m no heavyweight.

Drewd had one show up with a race still attached, he removed it, but wasn’t happy about it.

This. The crown race was the most stubborn one I’ve removed so far, and my fork crown ended up looking similar to the above.

Aside from that though it’s ok. It still had the tag on the thru axle, a star nut was fitted and the steerer was about 180mm. I opted for next day delivery as I’m impatient and wanted to try the forks over the weekend. Fitted on Saturday and ridden on Sunday for a 20 miler with around 2400ft evelavtion. They track rocks and roots better than my Rockshox Recon RL and ride well enough for the price paid.

There’s loads of room for a 27.5×3.0 Nobby Nic, barely any room for a Continental Trail King 29×2.4 (although they’re a massive 2.4) and reasonable clearance with an Ardent 29×2.25.

The QR code on the fork leg suggests they’re a 27.5+ boost Aion 35.

First impressions are positive, thanks OP.

I’d be looking at a Bootzipper for rigid or a Big Dog hardtail from the current On One lineup.

I bought a Big Dog frame when they were on sale a month ago and am really enjoying it so far.

I’ve only had mine fitted for a week but it’s been effective and is easy to use. I do feel a bit daft with it ringing, but that goes for all bells.

I bought the clamp mount version and the only negative I have is that you have to open the band up to fit the bar. It doesn’t feel fragile but it does feel cheap. For the price it’d be nice if the clamp was hinged.

Early days but so far I’d recommend it. It does what it is supposed to and does it well.

In your position I’d sell. If you’ve not used it in 2 years and are keeping your gravel bike you’re unlikely to miss it.

You can always buy another more modern bike at a later date if you do miss it.

Can you really fit 2.4 29er tyres in these? If so they might suit a Hello Dave (which I keep having to stop myself from buying).

I hope so as I’ve ordered one this evening and am hoping it’ll clear either a 29 x 2.4 or 27.5 x 3.0

Out of stock.

Not surprising at that price

I’m slightly confused about the Rockshox 35, I thought it was a step up from the Recon RL?

The Rockshox 35 is a step up from the Recon RL, however Planet X havee changed the spec of their builds and are not currently supplying the Scandal with the 35s. It currently comes with Rockshox Judy Silver TK.

Timber Bell and T Shirt ordered this morning. It’s not much but hopefully it helps.

Mark can you get me some of those dte trousers in large for 43 quid!

This but in small. I tried adding the trousers and shorts to my basket but they’re coming up at full price. Am I missing something?

Bumpity bump.

Apparently need 135mm non-disk. Which no-one seems to make any more.

Anyone got any suggestions? Novatec seem to have stopped…

So long as it’s a 135mm I’d have thought you could use a disc hub without attaching a disc.

Someone above recommend their 791 & 792s, so I’d be inclined to go with those.

Merlin were doing the SLX gear set for £250. The XT set was on offer too but I can’t remember how much it was.

I think I saw the new Deore on CRC for about £240 last week too.

I can’t offer any upgrade advice, I’m still running SLX 11 speed and happy enough with it for the time being.