Ah, I’m (well, my builder is) about to do a similar type of thing on my newly bricked up workshop. He reckons that you can get tougher external type plywood faced fire-doors. I think the difference is that the external doors are thicker (38mm versus 25mm??!) so they fit an external frame better, and they’re faced with marine ply, so are less likely to be affected by damp.

Good idea with the two locks – wonder if a locksmith would be able to do two on the same key? (guess it might be expensive tho?)

HTH

p.s. just seen other reply that came in while writing this – yep, Howdens is the place for ’em

Yeah, I’m wondering if dehydration was part of it. As we were only anticipating riding for a couple, or maybe three, hours max., we’d only filled the 3L camelbak reservoirs half full – but we’d both had a cuppa and bottle of water at the cafe when we finished – so, not sure :|

You have my sympathies, as I’ve had it for years. Sorry, but I haven’t found any ‘silver bullet’ cures that I can pass on. I guess the only thing I can suggest is to try and identify things that can make it worse – then try and manage or minimise effect.. As others have mentioned, booze can have an effect (makes mine worse). I’ve found that even half to two hours of moderately loud music or cinema soundtrack type stuff can make mine worse for 12 to 24 hours afterwards. Someone suggested wearing ‘medium density’ type ear plugs when in the cinema – not tried ’em, but apparently, they reduce but don’t totally block out the volume, so you can still follow dialogue easily.

p.s. just seen above replies that mention ‘plugs, I think those are the ones I was thinking of.

Looks like suggestions and your reply so far have just about covered it – the only thing I’d add is to put some spacers between your brake pads, just in case the brake lever gets squeezed in transit.

edit…oops, just seen you Xposted reply above.

Handlebars – just take stem faceplate off and bubblewrap bars complete, then tie/zip tie to frame if they’re floppin’ about.

Ta for the info. I notice they mention stencils etc., so looks promising. Cheers :-)

Just got back up off the floor after seeing the prices for the above – Gore stuff looks positively cheap in comparison.

Also formed a mental picture of the stuff abrading through the frame to leave a hollowed out skeleton of components and cables lying on the ground (cue sound of cawing crows in the background)

ta for the suggestions – hmm…a combination of XTR and heatshrink on the vulnerable sections sounds worth a go.

Gore Ride Ons. Best cables out there by a country mile! Not cheap but all the benefits of full lengths without needing to start drilling frames

Yes, my default would normally be Gore, but it’s a carbon frame and I don’t want any potential warranty issues by forcing the larger diameter outers into the dedicated cable guides/holes etc.

Very nice looking bike, love the new colours for 2012. I’ve got a 2011 514, which I like…a lot!! Sounds like the 2012 geometry changes on the Zesty’s haven’t killed thier climbing efficiency(?) – I’ve been amazed with my 514; on a recent holiday my wife borrowed my 514 and I was riding my sub-25lb Anthem X. The Zesty repeatedly dropped the Anthem X on the off-road climbs – to try and even things up I fitted Minions F&R to the Zesty, and let ’em down to 18psi :wink: , then put a Small Block 8 on the rear of the Anthem and ran my tyres at about 25 to 28psi (tubeless) – The Zesty still dropped it on climbs!! ‘Cos I couldn’t believe it, we even swapped bikes and sessioned some climbs, and the Zesty was definately easier to propel up stuff – and descending…well, I’m sure you know :D

arggh..I’l stop enthusing! Enjoy your bike :-)

Looking at the pictures on that thread, have you ever actually ridden the Zesty?

I’ve ridden it more than when those pics were taken, but (apart from tyres) its appearance hasn’t really changed.

understanding wife

haha..you ain’t met her!

or try selling it for a decent price

oo..meeoww, she’s got her claws out.

haha the very worst of singletrack, right here

there is a certain irony in that :lol:

With all the bikes available that specialise is such different terrain or to do different jobs, how did you manage to end up owning two with such an overlap (two medium/long travel full sussers) when you could have extended you riding pleasure in so many differing directions instead?

I don’t want to brag or advertise my ‘fleet’ on here, else it tempts the robbers – but err…shall we say, I do have other less overlappy bikes at my disposal. As I’d mentioned earlier, the problem of ending up with two such similar bikes is all my wifes fault :wink:

spend the money on bling 36 kashima talas forks for the five.

Oh strewth, don’t tempt me! I ran the Five with Vans on for a few months, and OMG, it felt like a complete monster truck (in a good way) – quite funny the way you could just plough through things :-) (I put the Revs back on to force myself to use a bit more technique, oh, and they took about 2lbs off the front end! TBH, the Revs that are on it are one of the blackbox damped jobs, so they’re way better than other Revs I’ve had)

From reading your posts it seems that your head says keep the zesty but your heart is having a little difficulty giving up the five.
You seem to have a lot more pro’s for keeping the zesty..so go with that ( and I’m a five owner!)

Yep, sound advice. TBH, I’ve had tons of bikes, and I never thought I’d ever get so attached to a bike. It’s bloomin’ daft, but I guess as a Five owner, you know that they really are good. For years I wouldn’t buy a Five based upon its looks, but after someone lent me one for a long weekend, I was converted – I kept sessioning the same set of bermed corners ‘cos I loved the way it kind of squatted in and railed ’em. (that ripping sound as the tyres bite into the corner…..phwoarrr!) S’pose the ‘squatiness’ is just something more common to single pivot bikes, or maybe it’s just that I haven’t had the bottle to chuck the Zesty into any berms hard and fast enough yet:wink:

The head is saying sell the Five, but I’ve just found this photo of it. I know the ‘filing cabinet haters’ won’t appreciate it, but I think it looks the business (and just for comparison, there’s a pic of the Zesty)

p.s. take no notice of the ‘lady saddle’ on the Zesty – the wife had borrowed the bike for a bit :roll: (shock horror – she’s actually bought her own bike now)

and take up hill-walking..

…..s’pose I could grow a beard and borrow my pals Marin…hmm..yeah, well, the BB is so high, I’d also need an oxygen tank, but at least I’d never get pedals strikes;)

Right, that does it, accounts can wait! – all this talk of bikes means that it’s time to sneak out of the office for a couple of hours, now…..which bike shall I take?……Doh!!

Cheers for all the advice & comments.

what DVD was it BTW?

Just the freebie one that’s with the current ‘What Mtn Bike’ magazine. All right for a freebie – much better video than I was anticipating, and quite like the way it’s shot (‘MTB Cut’ production I think).

It didn’t teach me anything I didn’t know of course……ahem…cough cough :oops:

Heehee…just watched some of the Nico Vouilloz footage :D I’ve got the feeling that someone like Steve P or Nico et al could ride an old beadstead down stuff better than me tho!

I guess when I’d said the Five is the better descender, it’s all relative – must admit, on a recent holiday in France (on the Zesty) I tried to stop at the bottom of one fast rocky descent and massively overshot the turning where my wife was waiting. When I said “I think the brakes might need bleeding”, she said “there’s nothing wrong with the brakes you idiot, it’s the freakin’ speed you were going!” 8O
The bike did feel remarkably composed on the descent…er…well, until I tried to stop :lol:

What are your strengths as a rider?

Hmm..yes, that’s a good way of looking at it that I hadn’t thought about (thanks).

I’m officially middle aged next year and am definately not as aerobically fit as I used to be, so any advantage on ascents is welcome.

Also, now you’ve made me think – after a huge off a few years ago, and now self-employed (i.e. no sick pay!), I definately take a more conservative approach to descents. Realistically, I’m not getting the potential out of the descending ability that the Five has got, and there’s only been one ‘twitch moment’ on the Zesty where I’ve though the Five would have been better.

watching a video of some other people riding 5s made you want to keep the 5?

Yes, come to think of it, I find it quite ridiculous myself :lol: I think the ‘problem’ is because the video features two skilled MTB instructors and it really shows off the full potential that the Fives have, and I’d got into that stupid thing of “wow, the bikes make tackling that terrain look really easy and fun….cor, that looks just like my Five (& by implication…me)” – rather than the more obvious thing that they’re very experienced/skilled, strong & aerobically fit riders who are 100% familiar with the terrain, AND they probably had a few takes to get it looking easy (well, I hope!)

Thanks for forcing me too analyse things more objectively.

Well if hes the same as me it was because they rode so differently and its nice to have an option of what to ride

There is also this. The bikes are different enough that it wouldn’t be completely mad to keep both – if I could, I think I’d bias the Zesty towards more XC-ey build and Five towards a more rock munching descender.

Why did you buy two similar bikes in the first place?

err…Because I could at the time :wink:

No, seriously – it’s a bit of a long story, complicated by the fact that my wife & I both fit the same sized bikes, which we occasionally swap. She had a Five, which I’d ridden & liked, so built up my own – she then bought another bike, sold her Five, then regretted it and wanted mine…..etc etc :roll: …….. Sure you get the picture.

I was originally planning to sell the Zesty, then after the back to back rides, decided on selling the Five – then I watched a DVD with a couple of the CycleActive fellas riding white Fives in the Lakes, and got all emotionally attached to my Five again……Sigh!

Which ever one you sell, you’ll regret it in a few months!

Exactly the arguement that I used to convince myself & wife that I need to keep both (bank balance means it ain’t working tho).

Painting our decking (yawn), then cleaning/lubing bikes and changing tyres after yesterdays outing. Might skive off for coffee & cake in Peak this ‘afta :-)

I’ve got a 2011 Zesty 514 and, after borrowing my 514 for a recent holiday, my wife has just bought a Zesty 214 for herself – and managed to get it for £1350!!

TBH, I didn’t really gell with my 514 at first and have been trying to work out whether to sell it, or my 2010 Orange Five (which it was meant to replace). However, after sessioning the same ride on the 214, 514 and Five, I now think I’ll keep my Zesty. Having said that, out of the three bikes, I reckon the 214 is the best….which is a bit annoying considering it cost almost half my 514 :? (I reckon the standard Float shock on the 214 is much better suited to it than the higher volume RP2 on the 514).

The 214 is obviously heavier than the 514, but if you stick some lighter wheels on, it perks it up no end.

I’ve heard a few tales of build quality related issues with the bikes, but the uber-mechanics of North West Mtn Bikes basically took my 514 apart, greased all the pivots, and put it back together properly :D and I’ve no probs with it.

I went over my wifes 214 when she got it and found some bolts over and under torqued, but other than that, it was fine. As far as headsets go, IME, I wouldn’t worry too much. The headsets on the tapered HT bikes (inc. the 214) come with cartridge bearings now, the sealing on the bottom race isn’t as good as a Hope unit, but as long as you give it a clean and regrease every now & then I reckon it’ll be fine. When the headset does die, Hope do now produce a lower cup that fits the Lapiere tapered tubes, and I have a Hope headset on my 514.

As far as BB’s go, I was a bit concerned after hearing the familiar tales of doom, but TBH I’ve had other bikes with exactly the same non-draining BB’s. As long as you’re aware that the frame can collect water, all you need to do is take the seatpost out and tip any water out after a wet ride or hose down. I know an MTB instructor who got about 2 years out of her Zesty’s BB by doing this – and her bike gets some serious year round use on gritty/muddy/rocky trails.

The bikes themselves perform as well as the glowing reviews they get. I’m a serial bike addict and regularly chop and change bikes – and have owned or had proper demos of many of the Zesty’s competitors – IMO, it’s not 100% perfect in every respect (IME, objectively, no bike is!), BUT if I was limited to one bike for all UK trail riding, then the Zesty would probably be it.

HTH, and good luck bagging a bargain!

hey there, me again :-) Being a serial bike whore (with wife constantly reminding me that I need to sell at least one bike!), I currently have an ’11 Zesty 514 and an ’11 Stumpy Carbon Comp – the latter is not the EVO model, and doesn’t have the ‘Brain’ shock. IMO, the non-EVO Stumpy descends and rails berms with a bit more confidence than the Zesty 514. Having said that, my wife recently bought a Zesty 214 in the sales, and TBH, it feels better than the 514, both descending and ascending!! I’ve done some anoraky back to back runs on both and think it’s down to shock volume & tune (boggo Float on 214, larger volume RP2 on 514)

The way my wife on the 214 can pull away from my Stumpy on climbs is pretty b****y annoying :-). I know there’s lots of variables – but – I’m normally quite a lot faster than her. I stuck her fave Minions front and back on the 214, and she runs ’em tubeless at 18psi. The sag was set at soggy ‘all mountain’ AND the 214 is about 3 to 4lbs heavier than the Stumpy. My Stumpy was in XC sag with a crossmark back tyre and Nev stick-e front, and there was no way I could catch her without Propedal or full lockout on. (overtook her her on all the descents tho….ha! :D )

Dunno what the full carbon Zesty is like, but the 514 has a slightly funny ‘plastic-ey’ sound from the carbon rear when it rattles over hard/loose rocks – there’s definately nothing wrong with it, but it does sound very different to the 214. The Carbon Stumpy doesn’t have any of that sound, but then the rear triangle is aluminium.

Forgot to mention in previous post – I was chatting someone who’d had an EVO Stumpy and had had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it, because of its climbing performance FWIR. The consensus in the bike shop seemed to be that, ridden with a modicum of skill, the non-EVO Stumpy is more than enough for British trails – and the EVO version would be better for places like the trail centres that offer the option of uplifts (I’ve not ridden the EVO though, so can’t comment from personal experience on that).

Cheers.

p.s. TBH, if I was getting a Zesty again, I’d go t’other way and get a 214 or 314 cheap, then stick some decent light wheels and fork on it – no wincing when rocks slam into the downtube then :D

Hmmm…difficult one. Is it the Spesh Stumpy Carbon EVO, or the Epic EVO? I know from experience that the current (2011) Zesty would leave the Stumpy for dead on climbs, but I much prefer my carbon Stumpy on descents. (have just come back from early evening ride on Zesty 514, over a descent that I rode Stumpy on last Sunday, and Spesh felt even faster and more planted). Can’t comment on Epic EVO, but would imagine it’s a much perkier climber than the Stumpy EVO.

IMO, it depends on your priorities, if you live for the descents – Stumpy EVO, but if the 2012 geometry changes haven’t screwed up its superb climbing ability, then I’d say the Zesty would be the better all-rounder.

Endura MT500. Yes they’re expensive but they are quite long, well made and last.

Ta for the suggestions, I’d forgotten about the MT500’s. Only thing is that I’ve lost faith with Enduras random quality at the moment – and have pretty much given up on ’em as a brand. (you must have dropped lucky and got a good pair of MT500’s)

I’m on my second pair of warranty replacement MT500 ‘spray baggies’ (which also started to leak yesterday on their second short ride). Zip has gone on my lightly used Humvee shirt – oh, and my warranty replacement Singletrack gloves went through in a hole after about 6 short rides.

The quality seemed to go off a cliff when they outsourced manufacture to China.

Unfortunately, Assos are a bit out of my price range. As far as 3/4’s go, I used to have some, but then got into using shorts and kneewarmers, just because of the versatility – the problem I have now is that I get a gap opening up between my shorts and kneewarmers…which is an interesting look :-)

Interested in the PI Quest shorts – I think the PI ones I tried must have been another model.

Why only trail centres? Maybe try some local bridleways, trails etc.

Yep, I’d agree with this. My wife reckons she can find some trail centre routes a bit like an unremitting assualt on the senses, whereas she reckons even the some of the more nadgery natural trails have longish easier ‘rest’ sections that are not as technically/mentally challenging. Also less likely to get some ignorant c**t trying to force their way past on natural trails.

I agree flyingmonkey, nonsense, I’m just gonna tell her to get a bldy move on next time!!

:lol: and shout some stuff like ‘drop yer heels, get your arse back, stay off the brakes’ at her :D …….er…then run off into the trees and take cover from incoming

Benc, you have my sympathies fella – your missus sounds virtually the same as my wife. My wife turns into a kind of perfectionist control freak on a bike (nearly as weird as some of the local male mtn bikers I know :wink: )

My c**p method of shouting instructions from the sidelines possibly doesn’t help :oops: and with me on helpful hints duties we’ve had a couple of bike thrown on ground, rock throwing tantrums – mainly because she gets super frustrated when she can’t ride descents or things she finds scary. We live in an area with similar ‘all or nothing’ terrain, so finding intemediate routes that she can progres on is difficult, and a ride that I’d normally zip round in a couple of hours can turn into what feels a marathon.

The approach we’ve found most helpful is for her to have one to one lessons with an instructor, then (on the advice of one of the instructors) I just leave her to it on some bits of a rides and let her session stuff where and when she feels comfortable. She has had several skills sessions with different instructors, with differing results. She’s now found a couple of CTC trained instructors who seem to be able to get on her wavelength, as they focus on some of the psycology of riding off-road. She has a refresher lesson about every 6 to 9 months and then works on improving her riding between lessons.

Personally, I think Herman Shakes advise above is also very good and, with patience, I’d be very surprised if you didn’t see some improvements with this approach.

Best of luck.

space ritual their finest moment ??

Yep, it is for me anyway. Difficult to have just one fave tune from that era, but Born To Go…..yeah :-)

Good to see there are a few Hawkfans on here. I am off to see if I can get the old turntable working :-)

I would love to go back to my misspent youth.

Dunno if I’d be able to cope now….as I sit here with a hot water bottle on my spassed back, and my old comfort slippers on :wink:

heehee……smiling to myself, ‘cos I remembered the time I was at one gig where the St.Johns ambulance people thought I was having a seizure – nah, I was just horizontal dancing on the floor :lol:

The bass solo in Orgone Accumulator is how you do it with style and fit the surrounding instruments perfectly!

oh yeah :-)

I really love the tracks with the driving rhythm – Terry Ollis on drums…..and when Lemmy was on bass 8)

(People look agog when my wife tells ’em we met in the bar at a Hawkwind gig that she’d blagged her way into…….oh, her mum & dads face :lol: )

Orgone Accumulator was always one of my faves :-)

I did some OU Physics stuff a few years ago. Although I found some of the ‘2nd/3rd year-type’ course-work very challenging, it was very rewarding and enjoyable.

FWIW, I have a BSc and PhD from a ‘normal’ Uni(not Physics, but materials science related). IME, the OU course content, the way it’s taught, and tutorial support of the OU was leagues ahead of the ‘proper’ redbrick Uni that I was at – even though they’d got 5 star ratings for teaching and research.

Personally, I’d go for Physics as it’ll give you great foundations for lots of other science-ey things that you might fancy studying in the future.

Best of luck :-)

Hah, DINOSAUR GHOSTS

hee heeeee, yeah :-) There’s a lotta scope for a few B-movies (ghost killer wasps….cue lots of ramblers in floppy sunhats flailing widly at ghost wasps, then falling off cliffs……..guys on bikes getting ghost wasps stuck in their helmets…phnarr :wink: All filmed in a cheapo Blair Witch stylee – strewth, where’s me video camera!