this is the fork for version 3 – again, made by Whit – the tubes Thom uses are essentially at their limit in terms of usable length on these frames – v3 has a ‘reach’ north of 540mm.  in order to make it all work and keep tube profiles sweet we dropped the front of the bike. because it is rigid specific, with a shorter fork, the top and downtube can be made shorter, and so reach the head tube!  the fork is a ti unicorn also by Meriwether. 40mm offset, 450 a-c – it does mean ill need to use 40mm of headset spacers, but I can live with it….I was out on v2 today. you cant quite describe what it is like to ride an old school xc front end geo on a looooong f-c bike. wicked fast and agile but so forgiving on the down. the thing about Thom is he gets this. fundamentally understands what im wanting to do and hits the nail on the head with really sweet skills on the build.

errrr. yeah, but to hand I have the bar stem for the next Dawley – it has a longer front centre and steeper head angle…and the bar has a single backwards bend so keeps the xyz of me on the bike in the same place – less flop, less trail…. same idea but the version on the bike in the article has a double bend in the bar so it has slightly more reach built into it…

hi there – the bar stem was made by Whit at Meriwether cycles in the USA – it is a titanium double bend bar with a 19 degree sweep, notched to the radius of the bar and welded to a paragon titanium steerer clamp – pretty nifty!

Thanks for the nudge @kelvin – yep – exactly what strap decks were designed for! @Mowgli – it is 3d printed (in the UK) but I accept it is not cheap! moulding would be considerably cheaper, but you need to have a mould made and that is really expensive in the UK (perhaps less if you can look to the Far East). It is an economy of scale thing – If I start selling hundreds, it would be possible to invest in a mould. we’ll see – id certainly like to go down that path.

They are, however, strong, light and versatile. With the Gfunk clamps they can be mounted in various orientations to the handlebars and used on forks or frames. They dont take up much real estate when not in use either, so are pretty clean looking.

These pics are Fairlight Cycles.

Probably about a month out at the moment.

Hi there! You can order via shapeways if you are in a rush- I’ll have more stock with andy at backcountry.scot before too long though?

just a bit of an update on the #DeWidget – Andy at https://backcountry.scot is going to start stocking them just as soon as i get the next batch in the post to him. Price should be a little under the Shapeways cost – and you can always browse his excellent webstore for some other goodies!

As a bonus, you get a sticker in the bag…but you have to supply your own doublesided velcro or shock cord.

nuts! i just noticed my post says ‘does’ affect – just to clear that up – it doesnt. id bet i got a bit of autocorrect there….ugh!

i now have several months use on the shapeways version and it is fantastic. Brand ambassador Shaggy has one on the go too and the others out in the wild are doing juuuuust fine.

You can follow the #DeWidget instagram account too and feel free to hashtag me your pics! i’d be excited to see them in use!

thanks for that! – i’ll look into it,,,, hope your enjoying your DeWidget :-)~

the material of the black from shapeways is slightly rougher in texture than the material Mark @ Bentley was using. Basically, the amount of time and work for Mark to hand turn down and finish the parts was making them non viable for selling. In use, the 3D printed versions are absolutely fine – the rougher texture does seem to affect the resistance to rotation.

And yes – I’m a bit of a Henry ‘T’ Ford type of man, too… :-)~

well, this is on shapeways now – so …. colours!

looks good!

rene59 – if nedrapier’s advice doesnt work just google drj0nswanderings wordpress….

you can buy from me – or will be able to when another batch arrives – fire me an email at velopest@yahoo.com if you want to be added to the list?

thanks dude!

i posted on my blog how i mount top tube bags if its of any use to anyone . see here…

https://drj0nswanderings.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/how-to-fit-a-dewidget/%5B/url%5D

;-)~

Sorry-

velopest@yahoo.com

id posted in classifieds but i think it contravenes the forum rules, so fire me an email if you are interested in one of these. i have a few on hand, ta! jon velopest at yahoo dot com

hmmm. i should probably have looked that up before using the term….when i was a nipper my mate and i used it as a term for a little, usually moving, bike part. like a diminutive widget i guess….goes to show…

:-)~

thanks guys. stack height is right around 10mm. will keep this updated.

well, with a couple strips of double sided velcro it will work with most that have a daisy chain for the front strap attachment. if your front attachment strap is sewn to the bag, you might have a bit more hassle…

hopefully soon. we need to check on durability – so some more time on the bikes at present.

it will be *relatively* expensive to produce but as more are made the price would come down. gauging interest is very helpful.

oops – think the vimeo link was wrong…here you go.

i cant seem to get it to link…cut and paste i guess…

so this is prototype mk 2. its been in use for a little while, a bit simpler in that it works as a bushing rather than having a bearing inside. as a result it would be a little less complex to produce.

Andy Toop at Backcountry.scot is acting as test pilot – and i am hoping to have another ambassador :-)~ on board soon. once it has gone through a thorough test we’ll work out where to go with it.

So far, it works superbly…

thanks!
its a hodag 27.5×3.8 (~90mm ish wide) on a nextie junglefox 2 45mm internal rim. the rear is the same rim, and an Ikon plus. its a great combo for this bike….though my eye is on the Minion FBF 27.5×3.8…

if it helps anyone who is pondering trying a demo out, if you like messing around in the woods on a bike, a Jones may well be the perfect bike.

it can, of course, be ridden anywhere to do anything – just like any bike. no, it wont let you conquer an enduro or get the most out of the fall line trail at ski hills, but if you want to wind yourself round woodsy trails, Jeff knows a thing or two about getting your weight balanced between the wheels in such a way that you are relaxed and poised, primed to try and take those twists and turns and ups and downs with confidence.

Yes, it is rigid, and that is a *good* thing in certain scenarios. You have to be going at a fair rate to get the adrenalin flowing with 5+ inches of travel on demand, but the sh!t eating grin that is produced when you make a simple bike fly through a tight trail is attainable without going to a trail centre or the back country.

Truss forks are stiffer fore-aft. the thing about that is later braking (as long as you have traction) and more precision in higher amplitude rocky or rooty trail.

The Jones bars, if you suit the 45 degree sweep (and it can take a little time to adapt) feed into the ability to move your weight around with an 80-90mm stem you can have your hands in line with the steerer or much further forward with ease. on steeps that helps a bunch.

Ok…my thoughts, or some of them at least….

boost fox 34 will take up to a hodag in 27.5. they will take a 29+ as well. the rockshox yari and pike can fit 27.5+ i believe for the 29 version but there are 29+ versions of both as well.

HTH.

me? nope.

my understanding was that the root system extends far from the plant ‘bush’ and spread is possible from soil containing rhizome. i’m not too concerned about it being where it is (i was aware of the railways) my concern is bringing it home with me!

the more there is where i ride, i guess the more likely that is.

or is that too paranoid?

found some more in Mugdock today. near Drumclog and (i think) on the westie – the rangers are going to have a look and commence treatment, if confirmed.

thanks Sandwich. I’ll do that.

updates…the trace suits this sort of bike well…

ok, did a bit more poking around on line and found this:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cgg120-4-piece-grease-gun?da=1&TC=SRC-grease+gun

which i suspect may well be the same as the phil wood grease gun and it threads into the king adapter no probs.

should fit the 3 oz phil cartridges as well..

@sam_underhill where did you order an adaptor for the king tool to screw onto the dualco gun? many thanks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drj0n/sets/72157629300974978/with/7014726625/

and a brief write up…
http://drj0nswanderings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bespoked.html

good times…

the whw has been done in 11 ish hours one way – typically it seems faster top to bottom. the double in 24 is conceivable but would be very tough. doing it minimally or unsupported would be cool…for those who have never ridden it, some sections are extremely slow and involve significant hike-a-bike. some of it is also PAINFULLY dull.

was it rob lee who popularised the concept of doubling long distance walking paths? something to do with the south downs way? whatever, its simply an abstract concept that seems to have stuck. Rob had a well publicised attempt ( i met his support crew that day as i passed by doing part of the ‘way but i was heading east over ben lomond – again, they were very organised ) Shaggy attempted it in insanely bad conditions a couple years ago and aidan harding has had a couple goes as well both with little or no support and both have been thwarted by mechanical and sheep collision issues iirc.

The terrain is often very rocky and unforgiving…nothing too dramatic but cumulatively, with added tiredness, a significant undertaking. If you know it well it holds nothing to fear but you need to have your game face on for sure…the south downs it is not. rich rothwell was on-sighting part of the route – and imo a significant part. the support was delayed and this seemed to lead to issues.

Good on the guy for achieving a first…my preferences are more for the ‘alpine’ style (disaster style?) approach, but that is personal.

dt bends: you may find it is about construction ease…and clearance. if you have a muckle downtube, where it intersects the bb shell and seat tube (st bent as it is, coming in here nearer vertical) would potentially be a complex compound miter with a dt that will wrap a fair way around the bb shell and seat tube. if its bent to approach the bb shell at nearer horizontal, you get less chance of a difficult join. at the head tube end, you’re probably looking at fork knob clearance. even with a gusset and fair bit of head tube extension, due to the relatively steep angle a dt makes on a hard tail 29er/long travel fork, you will find the fork crown gets mighty close to the dt sometimes. and again, it may help the miter…

just a thought.

im all for 29er ti am hardtails :-)~

yes boss. up from bridge of tilt, along ridge and down to glen tilt back to b o t….good times – even got buzzed by a comedy gyrocoptor :-)~

i was up there this weekend. a good day…

http://drj0nswanderings.blogspot.com/2011/04/ghlo.html

Interesting thread…for the most part.

I enjoyed sanny’s article. Good pics, interesting area etc. For what its worth, i’ve ridden up there a bit. i know the routes sanny was on well. i’ve been up on bike in atrocious conditions (yes, i had the correct ‘mtn craft’ /clothing/equipment and was a’ok and wasnt about to call out mtn rescue!) buuut even with appalling visibility and driving snow the path was barn door obvious. It would have to be entirely snow bound not to be, and believe me you wouldnt be up there on a bike if it was. Or if you were, you’d probably be staying awhile…

I cant think where folk think it is possible to venture off the clearly established and wide paths up there, and from what i understand it is venturing off the paths that is likely to cause damage to the ecosystem. You would have to be entirely incompetent to not ride on the path, even in a group, there is little if any possibility of cutting corners or extending rain/meltwater erosion etc. Infact, i cant think that i saw any part of the route that would do anything but erode the rider. I hope that might give some folk some perspective of this particular route. Or if i am missing a part in my minds eye, please enlighten me.

i think this debate is actually about 2 things.
a) access by bike in general to areas that may have paths but are not mtb specific/trail centres
and
b) access by bike to areas that are either fragile or particularly sensitive politically because they are perceived to be fragile in some way.

There are lots of interesting and strong thoughts on this thread. Good stuff. But i adhere to the ‘thin end of the wedge and responsible behaviour’ crowd. As far as i am concerned the clock is already ticking down on the sub-arctic up there due to the changes in weather over the last 10 years.

The other thing to say is that although the route is near road access, it is far, far from what most mountain bikers would be inclined to tackle. To get past the first few hundred meters you will have needed to do some map time and some prep and you will need to have an understanding of what you are getting into. The Am Monadh Ruadh are not the local hills.

In so doing it is almost impossible not to become aware of the sensitivity of the area.

Anyway, as an out and back to macdui summit it would be challenging. High risk of injury and bike damage with lots of portage both up and down. Big sharp rocks: high risk of significant weather. Several hours of significant effort. As soon as you cut south east from the summit you are entering multi hour/major issue ride territory. Strath nethy (one way back) for example is almost entirely unrideable if it is even vaguely wet. This is scotland. You are looking at a 3 hour carry in heavy peat or down a river in order to get out that way. Not easy.

I’m not trying to make this sound overly epic, but the readership of singletrack is a relatively select and narrow cohort, and it is this cohort who will read the article. Of them, precious few have the desire, ability and stamina to ride that trail. But! *many* would appreciate the article.

Due to it being the micro-select group that demographically it is, the odds are that there will be precious little idiocy if any in that group wanted to ride it. As such i see no issue at all in writing an article about it – it is a beautiful, challenging ride in a beautiful challenging environment: sanny knows this well. No one and no part of the environment was harmed.

(infact, i am struggling to imagine an idiot or poor rider having the wherewithal to get up there, but if they did, they certainly wouldnt have many mates with them).

In addition to all this background info: i have met many walkers on those specific trails. and none whatsoever have had any issue with me being there. You might say ‘so what?’ and it is after all anecdotal but i take it as a heartening step forward. Further, no walkers displayed any behaviour i thought was an issue either – i suspect its just as tough a walk as it is ride and so a certain amount of sense comes with the territory. Again, this isnt the lake district.

In a free world (ha!) there will always be those who dont use common sense (or mountain craft?). There are also those, like the neds who abide on loch lomond side any time the sun comes out, that seem to relish in abusing the environment. You can do nothing about this but try and do *your* best to behave well.

I wonder if any of that may fill in some of the blanks i saw developing in this thread?

the bike with BA on the headtube on the bikeradar/CN coverage is mine….i got it about a year ago and it has been a rad bike to ride…it was the first bike made with a 44 external headset (sean’s innovation) allowing use of a tapered fork in a more reasonably sized aesthetically and lighter 44mm./inset style headtube. My bike has 426mm (SHORT!) stays and started life with 6 speeds and has now moved to 9 speeds. i’ll be battering around Austin on it to get the new wheels dusty… :-)~

i’ll admit to having another one coming from sean too. it’ll be different though…

the bike with the internal routing for the hydro (the process to do that is off the dial precision frame building – the line is put in during building and there is 0.5mm clearance around the pressfit 30/cannondale hollowgram bb axle in the shell for the hydro line….best not get it wrong or thats a lot of ti piping for the scrap heap) highlights sean’s skills. that bike is seans own 29er/120 forked 12 speed beast. it is beautiful!….the cross bike is also sean’s own….if it wasnt i might well have offered him cash for it there and then…

pity i cant spell ireland isnt it? doh!

ti forks are not crap. crap (ti or anything) forks are crap.

if you want a nice ti fork, check darren crisp.

black sheep are pretty flexy, but for certain weights of rider and types of riding thats good.

chi ti, the metal itself is actually crap. so put crap IN get crap OUT.