None of my 26″ers are dead
and I’d like to nominate each and every one of them in the best 26″er category:

456 EVO Ti
Liteville 301 Mk11 (although admittedly it does have a 27.5″ front wheel and fork)
Orange Patriot (2012 model)

My application for membership of the pansy club is in the post.
22/34 on a 2×9 26″ is probably the gear ratio in which I spend the most time (NB time, not miles).

Not the same frame but should be the same headtube config…
My 456 EVO Ti is definately those Andy suggests:
Top cup – 2 – ZS44
Bottom cup – F – EC49

Does this validate you then?

Eh?
You suggested that the “range” was interesting.
I suggested that the weighting of the distribution within that range was significant too.

The range of attitudes on here is very interesting

Yes, there is a polarisation, but the vast majority are saying “charge board” and I’d completely agree.

My eldest is an apprentice, he gets charged £140 per month to live at home.
Mrs E-T and I are both in good jobs, so we certainly don’t NEED the money but he certainly NEEDED to take responsibility for his own cash flow, savings and general budget management.
If he wants a car or mobile, then that’s for him to fund. Bank of dad does make interest free loans to help him avoid interest charges on car insurance or big purchases, but he needs to explain his business case for each, demonstrating that he’s considered how much interest he’s avoiding paying and that he can afford the repayments he proposes.

He might get some or all of his “board” back as a lump sum when he buys a house, and for which he is thankfully starting to plan… But he doesn’t know that yet and it’ll be entirely dependent on how far he cooperates with the smooth running of the household between now and then.

look both ways before you cross the road

Numerous contributory factors for me:

1. My riding is tending more towards big mountains and tech descents, so flats suit me for both the hike-a-bike climbs and the tech descents. Good all-round compromise.

2. Getting clipped into spds was sometimes an issue when there was no easy run-in to an obstacle.

3. More feedback and less float. First thing that I noticed on first day on flats was that there was slight wear in the swingarm bearing. Never felt it on SPDs.

4. Consistancy. I have a few bikes, ranging from 180 F/S to 140 H/T. Flats work for all of them.

5. Wear. SPD pedals and cleats both wore out pretty quickly for me, and with a few bikes/shoes wearing at different rates, interchangability between which pairs of SPD shoes on which bikes was just overcomplicating things.

Can’t wait for the snow.

I bought some Scott Mayas for Mrs E-T last year and was really quite impressed with them.
I also borrowed some Scott Crusades whilst my skis were away under warranty. They were heaps of fun 😀 , so Scott will be high on my list next time I treat myself.

Found a belter at the weekend, cutting original route short due to overenthusiastic planning so just looking on the map for a more direct detour from the route than we’d started.
Turned out to be three quarters of a mile of tech at an average 31% decline 😀

I’d like to see a return to clear and unambiguous foreign policy based on political expediency and national self interest.
Pick the side that you can do business with and provide (preferably sell) them sufficient apparatus to remove the inconvenient little oiks who won’t play nice. Served us well in the past.

….. and ducks back down below the parapet.

I’ve recently had Chunkey Monkey burp when tubeless on Flow (pre -EX version) at about 25psi. Seems fine at higher psi though.

Saturday epic: From ODG, up Rossett Gill, then a modified uber-cheeky 4 Passes variant and back down Rossett Gill.
25 miles and 7150 feet of ascent/descent.
Big day out on the new bike and loved every minute of it 😀

*still disagree with the concept of downhill KOMs tho.

What! Those are the best bits aren’t they?

Completely agree with DONK that San Marino is one of the few really wide-open and safe descents to do this on though from a cycle-walker-interface avoidance perspective.

I’m convinced tubeless is an answer to a problem that never existed.

hate em. but equally had two in 4 years.

Then tubeless is maybe not the answer for you.

My pre-tubeless record for punctures was three in a single descent. All pinchflats on Garburn Pass.
I now run all three MTBs tubeless with dual plys on the rear. Problem solved. 😀

All good last night. Everything nice and dry.
San Marino absolutely flying too. Well at least it was right up to the point where I put a 2″ slash in the dual ply rear and sent a wad of Stans over the trail 🙁

for the sake of saving £16.50 and with next day delivery
is it really worth trying to bodge something as critical as your front brake?

CRC spare lever assy here

Done it clockwise (up Rossett, down Stake) in December but all the hike-a-bike way up Rossett I was thinking “This is the wrong way around!”.
But once past that, down Styhead is good, as is down Stake. Neither are overly technical, just rocky/steppy.
Rossett on the other hand… I still really fancy a crack at that as a descent.

Very impressed with mine (only two rides in so far)
BUT… my initial findings were exactly the opposite of Veero’s. I thought they were super stiff and tracked really well but took a lot to get them moving and had very little small bump sensitivity. I found that running them well below the recommended pressure helped, but might yet need to fit some tokens to counteract this if I start to bottom them out.
[edit]When compared with 44RC3Ti and 66 RC3Ti that I have on my other bikes [/edit]

I think I’ll drop the lowers and give them a good lube up, see if that resolves things.

ill haggle on a car privately if i feel its not worth the asking price – and give reasons , but some folk just haggle for the sake of haggling to feel like they got a deal even if it was already a good deal. , ive been with folk like that and its downright embarrassing, they quite often need to have a word with themselves.

Cars are absolute must haggle items. REgardless of the asking price.
I’m after a new Mondeo Estate but I’m not paying the ticket price on principle.
I need to move the dealer £500 on his £11k motor or I’m not buying, simple as that. I expect he’s got a grand of margin in it. I don’t mind him making a living but…

most places where I think there is any chance that the person I’m talking to may have some leeway to adjust prices.

I’m putting MM in the same category as Minion and CM. The “very good” category.
Entirely coincidentally, those are the three tyres currently fitted to my fleet 😀 :
Patriot = 2.5 dual ply 42a Minion
LV 301 = MM (27.5 wheel)
456evoTi = CM

I’ve got one on the front of my new bike.
Running tubeless on Syntace w35 rim.
Quite impressed so far.
Even the lightweight EVO snakeskin casing seems fine, though I’d have gone heavier given option.
I’ve got the Trailstar compound which would be ideal for you, but would ideally have taken the softer vertstar personally.
[edit] but then my 100mm XC hardtail used to have a 42a Minion on the front [/edit]

Any update on the 650b chunky monkey?

Lowey, only the Strava track for Black Coombe.
Not got a separate GPS so never bothered trying to download a route but I believe this will do the job:
http://strava-tools.raceshape.com/vpu/%5B/url%5D

broken road = icecream run
I seldom bother with it now TBH, as there are way better descents in the Japanese Gardens.

Please Lord Lowey, by your leave, may I have permission to ride on your land this Wednesday night?
The requisite forms have of course been submitted, in triplicate.

all correct.
the Hope adaptor part number is HS136

If you do come around to Mondeos, mine will likely be for sale some time soon and well within your budget.
I’ll just be looking for a bit more than what I’d get to trade it in. (Don’t know how much that is yet).

54 plate TDCI 130ps, zetec estate. Had it since 40k, now on 158k
New (genuine) turbo at 90k. Regular oil changes throughout (mostly documented)
Two sets of alloy wheels, one set with Winter tyres.
Preston area. email in profile.

probably.

I’d be assuming something like
Half RRP in first year.
Minus another 10% of RRP for every year beyond that.
ie reducing to almost zero at 6 years old.

A bit more for something that’s popular (Orange 5 say)
A bit less for no-name stuff

Isn’t the 2 litre a chain?

My old 54 plate 2.0 (130ps) is a chain but I’ve just been looking at an 11 plate 2.0 (163ps) and asked about this. The 163 is definately a belt with a 120k replacement interval. This is the only think I could find to dislike.

Unless anything’s changed recently, there’s never been any tubeless stuff supplied with Hope Hoops Flow.

You’d need to take off the existing strip, fit some stans 25mm tape and a stans valve, plus the fluid.

moto g
Has got to be the default answer to “what cheap smartphone?”
Buy from Tesco as PAYG. UNlock code via ebay for ~£2

Another negative experience re the shoes here.
I had a pair a couple of years ago, they lasted 1 ride before the cleat section came away (just as dannyh said).

On the other hand, their lycra shorts (as liners) are about the best I’ve had. Comfortable and lasted longer than other stuff too.

+3 for the ‘zocchi 44RC3ti if you can find one.
Have had mine for 3 years, been on three bikes so far… Meta 5, then Orange 5, now on 456evoTi.
I like them best on the 456. It’s doing everything the Five did, only faster 🙂
They just work… all the time… smoothly… plushly… flawlessly…

In fact the only thing that I’ve tried that I like even more is the 66RC3ti that I have on my Patriot.

+1 for Liteville 301

moonboy, you’ve got mail re a set of Crests on Pro2Evos that I’ll be selling.

The superstar £18 one is actually really nice. The chain tool is better than my separate toolkit one.

Superstar multitool here

they’ve dropped the ISCG mounts

‘cos everyone goes 1x with thick/thin rings now?

Presumably. Everyone except me that is. 2×10 double and bash for me. There’s some big hills round here and I don’t have the legs for 1×10.

[edit] they were pretty much redundant when used with their proprietary chainstay mounted chainguide. It’s very good. [/edit]

not much. they’ve dropped the ISCG mounts

No longer waiting…. it’s here and build is well underway.
Liteville 301 MK11.2 8)
Pike
Syntace w35 wheelset
150mm stealth reverb
Getting that tingly feeling already 😀