Ignoring the brake aspect as it looks like that’s covered.

I looked at converting my first proper MTB frame from the 90’s into a 700c singlespeed (top tube is too short for me now but perfect for drops). Measuring wheels\tyres I have 700×25 and 26×2.3 were the same overall diameter so if you’re not going too wild with the width you should have plenty of clearance (frame\fork and toe clearance) and also not affect the geometry.

Unless you’re attached to the Kinesis it’s probably cheaper and easier to sell it and get a road\hybrid frame though.

I’m sure most people would go 1×11 if it was cheaper, and most new bikes are 10 speed so it’s minimal cost and bother.

I’m going 1×10 on my new hardtail, I’ll be using the hope T-rex to get 11-40 cassette with 34 ring. I decided to geek out on Excel and make simple gear chart to get an idea of the range going from 2x to 1x, I’ve also added in a 3×9 11-32 to give an idea of the difference (if anyone’s interested).

I’m happy being able to simplify my gearing, get a quieter cleaner setup, have less parts to fail, lower maintenance and running costs long term and loose about 250-300g off the current 2×10 I have. The negatives don’t bother me, I don’t need a large chainring as I’m not racing XC and if I’m planning on grinding roads or rough tracks I’ll take the CX bike out.

Bigger pic > http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb10684686/p5pb10684686.jpg

Sent my CX70’s back due to the recall, and what did I replace them with?… Spyres.
Bugger.

Swapped from Hope floaters to Shimano Ice Tech for the same reason, stick out about as much as an all steel rotor and improved the braking in my opinion.

I’ve got these for sale :) http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1464240

The rims have threads in for their nipples which are specific to their spokes (and captive on the spoke) which will only fit their hubs.

Makes more sense if you look at the pics below

Pro2 on H+Son Archetype for me, no the lightest but ride really nicely, look great and are bomb proof. Still true within a mm after 500miles of ragging it like an MTB, had a few high speed offroad cringe moments, wack! stop check wheel isn’t buggered and carry on :)

Had Shimano CX75 and now TRP Spyre. Both work really well, tons of power in all conditions and plenty of modulation… Total opposite of all my mates CX bikes running cantis :P. Trying out a bmx linear cable at the mo to get rid of some outer cable compression, seems to work well.

Spyres> CX77> Hayes CX> BB7. My order of preference after trying all those.

Because there’s no evidence of someone else being there it must be an “accident”, hmmmmmm. In film and real life when someone needs to be shut up it generally involves damaging someone’s credibility or reputation, and killing them in strange ways so it doesn’t look like murder. It just seems too odd to me.

I wonder what he knew\said that he shouldn’t have.

They probably confronted him an gave him two options:
Option 1: death, in the form of a pervy accident.
Option 2: you can live, but to damage your reputation we “find” pictures of kids on your laptop and out you as a paedo.

One thing that bugs me about new standards, “x” brand is saying after extensive testing the new size is better than the older ones, then a year later they have another new size that’s slightly larger or smaller and better than all of the previous ones (including the one that’s not long been out)… Surely all that testing they did with the previous revision should have included the new size they’ve just released!.

I can understand when improved technologies or materials open up change to improve something, but when it’s slightly different why didn’t they come to that conclusion the first or second time round, not the tenth.

Obviously we all know why it works that way, but it still annoys me. I’m happy with newer and shinyer until something is worth changing for an improvement, wheel size choices are fair enough as people can make their own mind up, but to say something is dead after an industry having an overnight revelation then preaching it like some extremist bike based cult is irritating.

I’ve ordered a 29er, simply because I want something different to my 26 hardtail and full sus. I’ll ride whichever bike is going to be most fun for where i’m riding.

Love my Caadx (ultegra disc), found it fine off road with 40-45psi until it gets really rough then it’s out the saddle. Did a 65mile ride a couple of weeks back 60% off-road and felt fine comfort wise. I found it’s damn quick to be honest, running 35mm small blocks for a CX\road mix. My mate was using his with 25mm Conti 4seasons and happily knocking out 20mph average speed road rides of a decent length and was happy acceleration wise. Even said going to his new Super Six Evo there’s still a greater difference in his legs on the day than there is between the two bikes.

Give it another try to be honest, i’d definitely buy another. I’ve fitted some Pro 2 on H+Son Archetype rims so don’t know how the standard wheels effect it, but I’ve always found wheels make a big difference to the feel of a bike. Id say Genesis over Charge, generally better finished frames and nicer looking.

Have you tried the CAADX yet?. I’m loving my Caadx Disc Ultegra so far :-) (also a CX newbie).

My local stuff doesn’t really need an MTB so I’ve mostly been using the CX since I started riding it about a month ago, a lot quicker than the MTB over smoother trails until it gets to rutty rooty ground then you have to be a lot more picky about lines, it does make the tamer trails a lot more interesting. I’m enjoying linking stuff with road segments, even with 35mm Small Blocks it rolls well on tarmac, and it’s great for spicing up the commute. It has the usual eyelets and tons of tyre clearance, about 16mm either side on the rear and 8mm either side on the front. Great all rounder and loads of fun :)

I upgraded brakes, wheels, tyres, saddle\post so cant comment on those.

Some lovely Ti bikes on here :)
My Flame before I stripped it down, thought i’d never sell it but it’s for sale at the moment :(

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1409850/

Go for a ride, or better still ride to a pub!

There’s a few threads on here discussing it. I’ve done about 1200 miles with no issues, loving the lack of maintenance\cleaning, it’s quiet, has enough range if you gear it right and it’s nice and quiet. Downside is 2lb extra weight but it feels balanced with my front end.

groove containing the gear cable on the hub got gunged up and affected the indexing

That’s only issue I’ve had (2 or 3 times), but you recognize it after the first time and it’s only been in horrendous slop where everyone else with a normaly geared setup has had to clear the crap from there mechs etc.

The first batch were bad, but long gone now. From what I’ve been told.

It has a micro adjust dial at the front, if I’m talking about the same post. Undo the allen bolt then you can adjust the dial at the front, takes a couple of goes to get the angle right.

What do you run then scruff?

As mentioned already… Try lower pressures and higher volume tyres if lower pressure isn’t enough, I run 25psi in a 2.3 and 30psi in a 2.1 (with tubes) and i’m not that light (14stone with kit). Worth checking pressure if you have air forks, if they are too firm or rebound too high you will be fighting them on the return stroke. Have a play with riding positions as well, I find it’s a fine balance, you don’t want too much weight at either end, too upright and you will have less weight on the front so climbing and control on cornering wont be as good and most of the impacts are going through you backside\back and less through the forks.

If like you said you are new to it all you will find with time you will feel a bit more at one with the bike, as cheesy as that sounds. I find I hover a couple of inches above the saddle when it gets rough, just the brief moment of the impact whilst still turning over on the cranks, as mentioned you can always ride out the saddle if it’s that bad.

Fair enough Brant, well I like them :-). Sounds like you’re having a hectic time, some beer over the weekend will fix that :D

Have you considered pre-cut helitape kits for the different On-one\PX frames?, I think there’s a few quid to be made there. I use it on all my bikes, top\down\head tube and rub spots.

Kuntoilija – As I mentioned above I find my C456 comfortable but obviously don’t expect too much from a hardtail compared to a full sus. If you want more comfort then large volume tyres at lower pressures will make a huge difference (2.3-2.4″), I run 2.1 at 30psi or 2.35 at about 25psi. Saddles and seatposts will make a big difference to, as well as riding position. Always worth spending some time getting riding position and tyre pressures right.

Mavic spares come from europe and they sell them by the packet not individually (enough for one side normally), they may only fit one year of a certain model. So it wasn’t unreasonable, but they probably should have let you know before ordering.

Mavic wheels are nice but specs change too often and spares are Mavic specific for my liking. Also alloy spokes and nipples are more prone to breaking or seizing. Personally I like “standard” wheels with J-bend DT spokes and hubs with easy to get hold of spares.

If you have the time it’s worth learning to do your own repairs, it’s really satisfying and saves a lot of money. I taught myself when I had a crap bike that kept on breaking and no money to take it to a shop, I didn’t have a choice then :-)

Still loving my C456. In reference to comfort I find it’s pretty good, i’m about 14stone kitted up with about 30psi on the rear with Thomson layback and Fizik Gobi saddle.

The new lower toptube should hopefully give the option of the longer TT of the 20″ with more standover. I have an 80mm stem and layback post on an 18″ and it doesn’t feel *that* long (6ft), but the old 20″ would be a bit high.

I would prefer bolt on cable routing (bottle cage type rivnuts). With the option of top or downtube mounted guides with full length housing and stops, with a cable guide on the chainstay (like the disc side has) for Alfine users.

If it’s the latest Deores they are the easiest brakes I’ve ever had to bleed (in 13 years or so of having disc brakes). By far the best brakes for the money at the moment if weight isn’t an issue (feel as good as my XTR’s).

You shouldn’t need to bleed them, but when you do I would buy the bleed funnel (on it’s own for about £3, not the kit)

-Bleed funnel into the lever, fill with oil
-Piece of tubing at the caliper end in to something to catch the oil
-open the bleed nipple with a spanner at caliper whilst pulling the lever to push oil through
-close bleed port whilst lever is down
-pump lever a couple of times
-repeat until you’ve got fresh oil out the tubing end

You can do it on your own but with a person at each end its a few minutes at a leisurely pace and a perfect bleed every time. I’ve got the XT’s on one bike and XTR on the other and I’ve bled a couple of pairs of Deores, all been spot on.

Three speed Sturmey-Archers were good for at least 50,000 miles 100 years ago.

I’ve seen a few pre 50s ones still going strong in the past year. The date is on the hub if anyone is curious of the age of one. They did buy the contents of the factory and move it to Asia in recent years so they aren’t quite the same as they used to be, at least its still going though.

I know the first batch of 11’s were bad, mine was a later batch and I’ve had no problems. The cable tension has to be spot on when setting up and you have to learn to ease off at the right moment while shifting (milliseconds), but once I got used to it I was actually pulling away a lot quicker and harder than my 1×9 XT setup (and my riding mates). I found the gear ratios were fine once I got used to it, same as going 1×9 or 10. I might be sticking on my 1×10 to see the difference during whatever summer we get.

The idea of the 3 speed I suggested would be like a singlespeed plus 2, designed from the ground up for hard use but lightweight, simple gears for speed> tech(direct drive)> climbing. I think a lot of people like me have tried singlespeed and liked it but felt like they needed another gear or two. I missed the speed on the flat and it is hard on your knees and legs on longer\steeper climbs. I have friends who only ride SS and are still quicker, but they are whippets.

Still getting on fine with my 11, also on a C456. Doesn’t stop me keeping up with my riding mates (fitness does), it’s about a 2lb heavier than my previous setup (26.7lbs with Alfine) but feels balanced with the front end weight, it’s also been trouble free and cut the post ride cleaning\maintenance right down (especially through the winter), and also doesn’t degrade in performance over the same time period as my previous setup would.

Bad
Weight
Some resistance on steep climbs
Ugly, like the C456 :P

Good
A lot Less maintaining and cleaning – and chain lasts a lot longer
Quiet
Changing gears without pedaling is handy – sudden change in speed for example on technical trail sections

It still needs improving on but that’s just a case of time. I’m curious by the idea of a lightweight 3 speed hubgear, with a gear for higher speed, one for technical (direct drive) and bailout for steep climbs.

I find out weights online or weigh bits I already have to avoid disappointment. If something is surprisingly heavy then I know what to change. It’s worth the effort if your bothered about the bike weight and want to make sure the moneys spent in the right way. My bikes are never *that* light though, as I use slightly more durable parts. Remedy 2×9 with a dropper – 29lb, 456c with Alfine and Pikes – 26.6lb.

Thompson 90mm Stem 155g > Various at 130g
Race face Dues 700mm 300g > Haven Cabons 175g
Renthal Kevlar grips 100g > Esi 60g
Shimano 520 pedals 380g > Shimano XT M780 340g

Just a quick look (some aprrox weights), you could spend more but that’s any easy half pound there.

I was wondering who the culprit was!

Just leave them on all year, I found them great fun when we had the snow :D (about 10-15psi)

That’s horrible Taz, really hope you get them back. The invasion of your space is bad enough let alone getting your prized possessions taken :(. I think a bike security thread would be a good idea, targeted bike theft seems to be on the up all the time so a one stop resource would be helpful.

I’ve got mine locked with Gold standard heavy duty chains, but i’m looking to go a bit further.

I’m going to get an auto dial alarm, which as well as being noisy as **** will ring any telephone numbers stored in it. I’m also going to use a cable alarm, which if cut or tampered with will go off.

If someone gets to the bike they will first be deafened, I’ll get a phone call to say so, they will have to cut a heavy duty gold standard chain as well as trying to get away with the bike (not a quick job).

After trying everything over the years I’ve found KMC to be the best all rounders, haven’t had any issues with them at all. As mentioned, KMC is the factory’s brand and they make a lot of big name brands, Shimano, Sram and Campag (if I remember right).

I’d definitely use the quick link over the Shimano snap off pins.

After not having a serious injury in the 15 years I’ve been riding (on or off the bike), last year I decided to go over the bars in the local woods dislocated my shoulder and my pulled the ligaments of my collar bone which ended up on my back instead of on my shoulder (same as scaled I think). Was a small over the bars through lack of concentration because I wasn’t on a “proper” trail, only landed on my shoulder and not even a mark anywhere else. Now i’m back to being unfit and lacking in confidence, but slowly getting both back and it’s nice to be able to ride again.

Bit of a reality check but it happens to most of us at some point. Get your wrist checked out so you don’t do any permanent damage (ignore any MTFU comments if people say not to bother).

I know what you mean about the smoothness, prefer some roots\ruts\rocks thrown in there. I used my HT over the full sus after a few rides there, might have to go rigid next after the smoothing down. I guess they wouldn’t be willing to set any rocks in place in case of injury.

This topic sounds like the start of a kickstarter.com project to me. Or atleast a STW project if you don’t want to take it that far :-)

Taco or Bash
Rollers or sliders
Ring size options
Mounting options
Materials

Discuss…

Went the other day and everything I rode last year was still there, with added packed down kitty litter. The new reservoir trail was fun, just needs to dry out lower down, the top is quite quick already. I don’t know the locals secret stuff so cant comment on that. I normally take a weekday of work to ride it, so I’m not going to worry about traffic as there isn’t any then :).

After the guy I spoke to said he had moved to Spain I told him I was looking for somewhere to go on a riding holiday, “maybe we could meet up and go riding together?”. Just to see what he said.

String him along for a bit with incresingly awkard questions :P

I wouldn’t bother with Gumtree for high end bikes, at the very least be extra cautious. Full of fake adds and stolen bikes. Collect and ask for proof of ownership.

I contacted one out of curiosity as it was too good to be true. They wanted payment up front and although it was advertised in the UK (and available to collect) they had just moved to Spain but didn’t mind posting it at no extra cost. It was £800 on a £5k bike, the pictures were taken from an old Ebay listing.

Your link is using images from ebay, I couldn’t find the listing though. They have probably waited for it to be removed from the completed listings.
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/$T2eC16hHJF0E9nmFTL6RBRRGiqLt,Q~~48_80.JPG

I’ve had enough of derailleurs for crap weather use, I’m perfectly capable of keeping it running fine but I’m fed up with the time spent cleaning and fettling. With an Alfine my chain doesn’t pickup as much crud to start with and is a lot easier and quicker to clean, and the chain\ring\cog lasts a lot longer. Quite nice having a next to silent bike when you’re riding too. It could do with it being lighter (but I could do with being 2 stone lighter) and loosing the drag at very low speeds, i’m still the limiting factor on the bike either way.

I don’t think any of the solutions are there just yet but it just needs time and the early adopters to buy it and fund the next step of development. I think the gearbox will get there one day, it just doesn’t have enough people putting the time and money into it. The limiting factor is\will be the big players not being interested as it’s not a very consumable product if it works properly and getting the big bike brands on board wont be easy. It will probably just be another option as it is now.

I’m curious as to where derailleur setups will go as well to be honest, 1×11 or 12 should be enough for anyone, they’ll push electronic, and obviously lower and lower weights. Then what?

Enough rambling…

After the feedback I ordered the 32 hole Iron Cross rims in the end, building them on to Pro 2 Evo hubs using DT Comps. The Kenda Small Blocks should be here soon, hopefully on time as it’s the first drop of 35mm “SCT” sealant ready versions in the UK.

I’ll see how it goes.

Looks nice Candodavid :)

See what you mean andybloomer, this will look nuts when it’s fisnished. Polar opposite of a raw steel frame :P http://www.skunkx.net/siteimages/18/9/1/189130/4308306.jpg

I’ve done it on BMX forks back in the day, looked okay but went a bit dull after a while. Nitromors to strip, fine sand paper to key the surface so the paint sticks well and a few coats of clear lacquer (light rub in between coats). You might want to here from someone who knows what they’re doing as I don’t :P

I like the look of this clear powder coat…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25671211@N02/2480107305/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25671211@N02/2480106777/in/photostream/

If I did it again I would make decals by masking the frame with pre cut adhesive vinyl and letting it rust the decals :)

CAADX Ultegra, turned up last week :)
I’ve stuck a Fizik post and Tundra 2 on, and some CX70\Ultegra brakes.

I’ve haven’t even tried a CX bike before but I thought I’d give it a bash, it should make the local offroad more interesting as well as being able to link them up with some road sections.