I’m 5′ 8″ and ride a small. Probably could have got away with a medium but would dropper post collar would have been hard down on the seatube.

If you want something a bit more offroad see the Urban Ride from Duthie Park. Given teh amount of rain some of it will be a bit muddy though.

http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue_Map_TrailViewer.aspx?VenueNumber=20

Theoretically you can convert 20mm to 15mm front hub, but I am not sure if you can get the part. I converted a QR to 15mm by ordering a part from the States (Cambria Bike). I don’t think the rear is convertable though as the internal dimensions of the hub are different.

I have a Trance X 29er, only ridden it 3 times so still getting used to it. Haven’t consciously being trying to manual it but I managed a climb with ease that requires lifting the front wheel up rock steps that I usually stall on a 26er. Generally very impressed and the frames are currently going cheap at JE James.

Pretty sure it’s the same as the 800, which doesn’t.

I have had the 5.7 carbon for a year. I ride it with 160mm forks rather than the recommended 150mm but I prefer that setup. It is a great do anything sort of bike, light enough to ride all day but pretty good on the descents as well. I have ridden it in the alps, not quite as good as the Nomad I used to have but pedals considerably better and is significantly lighter. The only thing I don’t like is the cable routing around the seattube – the cables tend to bow out and hit your legs, but I have managed to fix that with additional stick-on cable guides.

If you are wanting to combine with an older set of brakes the B mount still work, there’s an extra bit or you leave a bit off, I can’t remember which. I got mine from bikediscount.de

Germany is closing gas power stations not because they can’t compete but because they are not allowed to compete. Power companies have to buy all the energy generated by solar panels from private individuals at subsidised prices. During the summer this means other sources of power stand idle making them inefficient and uneconomic. The irony is that the only power source that can compete against subsidised renewables is coal and Gemany’s CO2 emmisions have actually risen. Shale gas in the US has displced coal and their emmissions have gone down. It’s all to do with unintended consequences.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23127175%5Dnull

I think there’s a love child involved somewhere. It is a shame some cream wasn’t thrown as well, then he would have got custardy.

A few ideas here

http://www.mtbtrails.info

Yes it’s worth it but the Annat descent isn’t even the best one – the descent to Achnashellach from Drochaid Coire Lair (I think) is even better. It’s the one that Steve Peat is riding in the Santa Cruz Solo video.

There was a problem with the rear hub bearings being over-tightened and failing prematurely, but that is now fixed with a spacer. The cheap ones are probably the older stock but ChainReaction will provide the spacer free of charge on request. There are videos and how to instal the upgrade on Easton’s website.

I used the Jag-wire stick on guides on my Yeti. Seem to work fine. They are stuck to the helicopter taped areas rather than the frame itself so I don’t know if that helps.

All the routes are discussed here:
http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue.aspx?VenueNumber=27%5Dnull

The classic loop is the Alternative Torridon.

I used to fly out to the Brent platforms in them in the 80’s – 3 hours of cramped shaking and knowing that if they went down you were never going to get out. I hated them. Then one did go down, 50 people dead and they were never used again in the North Sea.

Yes, you had to push the seat down hard and you could feel the bump on the rebound. But I swapped the shock from my other bike and it disappeared, so it was obvious then.

The merits of the various routes are discussed here:

http://www.mtbtrails.info/

On the map above, the section of trail around Maol Chean Dearg isn’t really worth it, it is a hard climb for very little extra descent, better to keep going straight to Bealach na Lice.

I had this on a new Fox CTD shock, every little bump results in a clunk. I think it is gas leaking past one of the internal seals, so the shock rapidly moves the first 5mm then slows down as the oil starts to move. I got mine repaired under warranty and it has been fine since.

If you are anywhere near Aberdeen I am selling my 2004 3.0R model, which I think is a newer shape than the 2001. It will also be cheaper than £3.5K. Electric everything, seats, sunroof etc and gets about 25mpg.

The Neeps (ecurieneep.co.uk) come out your way regularly in the summer, though less so in the winter. We were at Scolty today though, which wouldn’t be too far.

We went to Canazei last year after many years going to the Alps and was pleasantly surprised. The pistes marked as reds are more like blues so I wouldn’t worry about them being too hard. There isn’t a lot of off-piste, but that doesn’t sound as though that would be too much of a problem. You have the challenge of doing the Sella Ronda by the end of the week – should be doable by most intermediate skiers, anti-clockwise is easier. Oh and prices are cheaper than the Alps, which is nice.

I have an ASR5 with Revelations. I also have a Santa Cruz Nomad with Deville 160’s. I think the 140 Devilles are just spaced down 160’s though I am not too sure. The Devilles are fantastic forks but I would say a tad too much for the ASR5. The Revelations are already probably more than enough for the ASR5, if you are looking at Devilles you should probably be considering a burlier bike.

Do a search on Chamonix bike blog, they did it a couple of months ago.

They have a lot of obscure stuff – I got a 12x142mm DT swiss conversion kit off them a couple of years ago. I can’t remember how long it took to arrive but I don’t remember having any problems.

Yes, the citation says you can apply for deferral if you have a holiday booked or similar but they don’t guarantee that they can accept all requests.

I am 5′ 8″ and ride a medium but I have also owned a small Yeti 575 and that fitted as well. Yeti’s tend to come in a bit big so the medium would be too big. I would think a small would be ideal.

See here for more details and many more rides beside.

http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_Venue.aspx?VenueNumber=29

You can find most of these descents here:

http://www.mtbtrails.info/

Thanks for the advice Andyl, I’ll give that a try.

The braided hose is coming off, but there is helicopter tape on most of the frame anyway.

Bit late to this post, but I am considering the same change. No one has suggested the BOS Deville , almost as light as Revelations, but supposedly more like the Lyriks. Anyone made the change?

I cut the helitape with a little notch. Those edges are fine but the ones on the headtube and seat tube do collect dirt, but I’m not to bothered.

I have been running a set of non-UST’s 2.2’s on one bike and 2.4’s on another all year. I run them tubeless with Stan’s without any problems. I prefer the non-UST as they are lighter and the sidewalls have a Snakeskin finish so haven’t had a problem there either.

I am 5′ 8″ but with a 30″ inside leg. I have a medium ASR5c. I ride with the reverb post fully into the seatube and that gives the correct riding position at full extension. It does mean I can’t fit a mudguard which is a bit annoying. I have had both a medium and small 575 before and both fitted, though again there was little seatpost left on the medium. I would think that a small ASR5 might be a better fit but both would probably work.

I have one on my Nomad. Feels exactly the same as the steel one I took off but 1/2 lb lighter. Haven’t used any other ti spring so can’t help you there.

Same thing happened to me last week. The connector does seem very flimsy for what is a fairly vulnerable position. Do you know which Goodrich connector fits?

It works with any brakes or shifters as you can remove the mount and just attach the clamp. I don’t know whether you can do away with your Elixir clamps though as I have Hopes.

I broke a chain stay on my Yeti 575. I repaired with a kit from Carbonology – it come with instructions. It wasn’t pretty but I rode it for 3 months with no problem – I reckon the repair was probably stronger than the original. As long as there is room and you aren’t too concerned about looks I would say you can alwasys make a repair as strong as the original – you are just adding extra layers after all.

I replaced the axle on my Traversee’s with the new 142 x 12 standard. The internals are the same as a DT Swiss 240. Do a search on MTBR for changing the bearings on the DT Swiss. It is relatively easy and you don’t need special tools.

I saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon in about 1982. They were so loud that the only place you could actually make out the tune was in the toilets!

I put the battery pack in a sealable plastic bag and it lasted last winter fine. The handlebar mount (the o-ring version) broke on about the 2nd ride, but I have epoxyed the light to a old Joystick mount I had which seems to work OK. The light is fine but I would willingly spent a few pounds more for better quality fittings.