Rapha do a Jersey with a windproof front panel, I have one and really like it.

https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/mens-trail-windblock-jersey/product/TWI01XXAMC?

Lauf actually sell a bearing with the damping grease in already.

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/fsa-lauf-damped-headset-bearing

I tested a bearing  filled with the fancy grease for a while and it might have reduced some vibration, it was marginal at best. Certainly not effective as a steering damper, the cane creek one is better in that regard.

I stand corrected. Are many or any manufacturers testing their open face helmets to the DH standard? Maybe it’s just a design intent thing. Note that F1952 helmets are heavier than road helmets and their harder foam to meet the more severe impact requirements may affect performance in lower level impacts

There is also a Dutch speed pedelec helmet standard to muddy the waters further. https://www.serfas.com/nta-8776-e-bike-helmet-certification-and-why-its-important/

The Dropframe doesn’t have a chin bar. It was my understanding that the ASTM DH test includes impacts on the chin bar, therefore the Dropframe can’t be tested to the ASTM DH spec.

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For what it’s worth, the new conti tyres in the soft/enduro casing are lasting well for me. Lots of miles on them in the Whistler bike park and Surry hills; they look a lot better than my mates tyres (maxxis & schwalbe in similar ‘soft’ compounds) after the same amount of riding. Thanks OP for the PSA, DHR on order for the front of the trail bike.

Most pro Downhill riders don’t have their saddle slammed as low as possible. So I would say there is an optimum height for the down position on a dropper, that might not be ‘as low as possible ‘ in every case.

I am not convinced its a great idea to push the saddle back too far on a Brompton. The seat tube is already offset backwards of the BB so with the saddle clamp in the layback position and the saddle pushed back all the way, you will end up with a super slack effective seat angle. If you are riding a modern MTB (with a steep seat tube angle) its going to quite a change switching between the two. I have the saddle clamp in the forward position and the saddle midway along the rails, still feels like more layback than on my mountain bike. Also the extreme backwards saddle position puts all your weight over the rear wheel, which makes it more difficult to load the front end in turns etc.

This study seems to show an improvement in protection from a MIPS lid, though I have not had chance to read the test method fully. Could be worth a closer look.

https://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/bike-helmet-safety-ratings-virginia-tech-concussion-risk-reduction-assessment-52514/

Having ridden both for a while, I ended up with the Luftkappe as it seemed to give me more mid stroke support. Could not find a good setup with the RS shaft.

Yeah it was some scoring on the shaft.

Hopefully the igus bushes add a bit of give in the assembly, time will tell.

I have had some similar wear issues due to side loading, trying out some of these style bushes to see if they are more sympathetic to the shock https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/323091014735?chn=ps&adgroupid=53230614440&rlsatarget=pla-399663134520&abcId=1130086&adtype=pla&merchantid=115671648&poi=&googleloc=9045966&device=c&campaignid=1029029252&crdt=0

Been running the Mota front and rear through the winter slop, super happy with them. Bit iffy on wet rock, but that is to be expected from this type of tred.

Also got a barzo on the back of the other bike, it’s not been ridden much but I have no complaints so far.

I would definitely try more from their range in the future.

I have a 150mm reverb stealth on my Large v4 and it’s possible to fully insert it into the frame.

At 180mm it will ramp up a bit more through the travel than at 170mm, assuming you use the same number of volume spacers etc.

Great work OP, good to hear they will be riding tomorrow, sounds like positive progress.

I wonder if the newer 1x underbar Reverb lever could be used as a thumb brake if connected to a brake caliper instead of a seatpost. Possibly it won’t shift enough fluid but you never know.

Absolutely, I’ve definitely smashed a helmet up instead of my head before. I’ve also had a concussion from a crash where the helmet had little damage. There are many scenarios where it could be a help or a hindrance, though you might not know which it is till after the event.

As such I think it’s up to the individual to decide, there certainly isn’t a definitive argument I can find either way, hopefully people can take a bit of time to read up on the various studies and stats and make their own choice.

Certainly there isn’t a convincing case for compulsion.

For me it’s something I always wear off road and rarely on the road.

Also in relation to earlier comments in the thread about helmets always having a positive effect in a crash, this is not so clear cut. In general most traumatic brain injuries are caused by rotational motion of the brain, in some circumstances the helmet can increase the rotational force applied to the brain during the impact.

This happens in some cases by making the head physically bigger and therefore the head is more likely to be impacted and any impact results in a bigger rotational force; due to the effective bigger ‘lever’ as the force of the impact is happening further from the centre of the brain.

The helmet can also prevent the scalp from sliding relative to the skull and makes the head bounce rather than slide during impact. MIPS and other similar systems are an attempt to improve the helmets ability to absorb these rotational forces. It’s good to see helmet brands trying to address these issues, though it’s unclear how effective the various solutions are; hopefully someone will come up with a test/standard to benchmark these.

Plenty of studies etc. on rotational impacts on the interweb if anyone wants to read further, don’t take my word for it.

So it’s certainly not clear cut that helmets = better, I would not be in favour of compulsion, for the reasons already stated by others on the negative effect this is shown to have on participation etc.

if you would like an analogy as to why drivers of motor vehicles don’t wear helmets then I would guess that the space in which they are sitting in most cases has a roof over their heads ..this being the equivalent to a bike helmet ..wouldnt you say ..as in somthing that comes between them and direct contact with the road ?

I think you are perhaps misunderstanding or simplifying what the helmet is intended to do, the eps foam is designed to compress and absorb some of the energy from the impact to stop that energy/force being applied to your head. This along with the outer shell will also protect you to some degree from sharp objects etc.

So its nothing like a car roof, more comparable to the airbag or crumple zones on the car.

Spent a couple of hours up there today, at the Hutton Village end of the woods. Wasn’t exactly boggy, surprisingly dry in places. Not sure what it’s like down the other end, I imagine it’s wet up on the moor though.

Been riding locally today and at the camp site now. It’s wet, but seems like the recent wind has made the open stuff on the moors a little better than in the woods.

Also worth saying that you can’t take it out from the top on a boost Pike, or the yari/Lyrik. These have a tapered stanchion with a different topcap and the piston/seal won’t go through. As others have suggested, usually best to follow the manual.

Yep, use the same pump all the time. The digital ones do tend to have a 0.5psi reading so you can fine tune the pressure more consistantly than with a dial.

That’s pretty frustrating to hear.

Sure thing

Got a pair of these sat on my desk at work, which are now surplus to requirements due to the frame on my other bike cracking and needing replacing.

If anyone wants to take them off my hands for the £280 please get in touch andrewfinkill at hotmail dot co dot uk, can send out for an extra £5 or can be collected from West London.

They are 51mm offset for anyone wondering.

Cheers

Andrew

It was quite dry up there today, I would imagine it’s going to be a bit different tomorrow.

I would suggest something good at mud and roots.

Yep, read the dirt article for a more balanced view. Less practice and more new tracks would also be good IMHO.

9t is daft from a wear and efficiency perspective. If you use it all the time with your 32t chainring it won’t last long.

Gwinn uses an e13 DH cassette with a 9t smallest cog, along with a 32t chainring on his YT Tues. Not sure he has to worry about wear and the price of new parts though.

I would wait for the XT 11-46 to arrive later in the summer. Good range, no daft 9t sprocket and fits a standard freehub body. Ideal IMHO

Rode with a Specialized Slaughter Grid on the back for the Fox Antifreeze event there a few weeks ago and it was ace. No grip issues and a little faster rolling. Trailstar Hans Dampf on the front was also good.

Other than the good advice already posted, I would recommend getting the firm suspension block, couldn’t see this mentioned in the previous posts.

Polyester powdercoats are a bit porous so the ‘raw’ one and the painted one will rust the same. Only difference is you can see it on the ‘raw’ ones.

If you fit all the rockshox volume bands (red elastic band things, available from most bike shops or online) into the outer sleeve of the air can you will basically have the low volume air can. This also allows you to take some bands out if you wanted to make the shock less progressive, if you find it ramps up to much and won’t reach full travel.

Swinley can be great, just ride it like you used to, link up old stuff, poke down into Crowthorne, use the fire roads to connect the good bits out of order. Go ride the old bits that are still there but only a few people ride now.

Exactly!

You can get a Phillips bit to fit on a torque wrench, so you could set a torque. But i think if you want to specify a torque you have the wrong fixing, a hex or torque headed screw would be more suitable. if its a Phillips screw the user will just attack it with any old screwdriver.

Depends on your pedals really, if the flat face of the pedals is round the washer wont do much. If the spanner flats on the axle go all the way to the end, those edges will gouge into the crank as you tighten the pedal and chew up the face of the crank arm around the hole.

Had one on the back (Snakeskin version) for a few weeks and ridden Swinley, North Yorks Moors, Surrey Hills, Dartmoor and a couple of other spots without issue.

The Debonair sleeve needs much higher pressure due to the greater negative spring volume, you also need to make sure you equalize the negative spring. it sounds like maybe you have not got this.

Remove all the air and then inflate to 100psi, compress past the sag point a few times to charge the negative spring, then inflate to 150psi and compress past the sag point etc. keep doing this and increasing the pressure until you get correct sag.

Hope this helps.

Those very good reasons being in the UCI rulebook, rather than practical ones.

I think its inconsiderate to the families of the victims to call it a Great Fire.