Unforgettable fire

I think it’s worth testing in 5psi increments as other factors such as rim stiffness make a difference too. You can get a feel for it then.

I try to get it so it takes the edge of the surface of the road but then if I go 5psi lower it feels slower.

75 & 80psi @ 25mm @ 80kg fwiw

To me it seems like trail / long travel hardtails got capable enough to be fun a few years back but have sailed past the sweet spot, and only fun for a minority of people in a minority of places now.

Now xc hardtails maybe have the right geometry (I have an fsi) but the frames are too lightweight to risk in peaks etc. and really stiff.

I got a pace rc529 to ride in the peaks etc. and found the same. Was too capable / sluggish on most stuff and then when I found something steep enough to get going, the back end was too harsh anyway.

The one thing that did surprise me is that despite all this the geometry was amazing for climbing.

I fancy trying a 27.5 sentier now but are any recent trail hardtails as much fun as the 26″ ones were?

I can’t understand why anyone would bother with a compressor over an airshot if it was just for tyres. Takes up space, noisy, can’t take it with you, not actually any better at tyres in my experience.

There are plenty of great in-ear that can compete with similar priced full size, eg by etymotic. But will be outperform them in some aspects eg detail and then underperform in others eg soundstage.

I’ve also used all sorts of non-tubeless rims for years but use two wraps of tape as it gets forced through the spoke holes over time at higher pressures.

I find looser tyres hard work sometimes as there isn’t enough volume in road tyres to get the valve core back in without it all escaping.

I got some farsports ones (25 x 30mm) for my supersix and it was a bit of a mixed bag compared to Askiums. Uphill, amazing. Along the flat, feel a bit faster. Downhill, bike feels less stable due to light weight and brakes are “grabby”. They are really stiff too so need about 10psi less to get the same comfort.

That’s why I got the preorder as soon as it started! I knew I’d just procrastinate and dither waiting for an inevitable sale and get massive FOMO otherwise.

Procrastinate is my middle name! The things that slightly put me off were the narrower bar and having to source and fit a dropper.

Thanks for the views everyone.

How are folk getting on with these? How do they compare to similar bikes? I nearly bought one at £999 which makes it near impossible to pay £1199…

Really happy with these, can barely tell I’m wearing them. Thanks for the psa

Thanks, I need xl, have requested demo but yet to hear back.

Think it’s the type of bike that would be a bit dull on anything less than the lakes?

I’m more interested in how it rides than looks but the only review so far is one of those where they have a cosy day out with the owner/designer…

Anyone else ridden one yet?

Think it will be sloppy? I couldn’t really tell which bits the course was on from the map.

Ah yes makes sense thanks, need to pull the lever further to compensate.

That doesn’t sound right, if the volume increases the pressure will go down. Imagine you went the other way and used a soft rubber hose, wouldn’t be much use…

Anyone tried racing on bigger volume tyres, say > 2.25?

All the tests on bikeradar etc seem to find the wider the faster (obviously within reason).

I think you can call pro ones fragile as it seems pretty easy to put a big slice in them (not ideal for tubeless).

Anything more than the odd puncture (as reported here) makes them worse than a 200g tubed tyre…

I found pro ones very fragile too, even got front punctures.

I think tyre weight for size is a pretty good scale for punctures and feel.

Delamere is great but not handed to you on a plate,  hence always gets mixed reviews (ignore the fire road ones).

Also really fancy one of these but struggling to stomach the price.

The other things that put me off are same 505 calipers all the way up to pro and people complaining about creaking bb adapters…

Yeah the 2018 ones have f&r flat mount and earlier ones have a mixture. I’ve bought a new 2016 one.

Thanks for all responses.

This looks like post mount calliper to me?

Great thanks. I have found a photo of one with post mount calliper now, think it might have been standard in one of the earlier models. Looks really tight though, like maybe only some callipers would fit.

Frame is on the way now so will try fitting it in before I get an adapter. Maybe keeping it to 140mm rotor will help. Trying to do it on the cheap so don’t want to start buying new brakes, callipers etc. if I can help it.

Always a bit of dremmel persuasion too….

Because I already have the brakes (but not the frame yet). Also the front fork is post mount so bike has a mixture of the two anyway which you need to deal with if you buy frame only…

Anyone tried this?

Saved £17 thanks

The risk of not wearing a helmet is likelihood of something happening and the consequence if it does.

The paper is a sensible study of likelihood but I don’t think you can deduce from it that you shouldn’t wear a helmet as an individual.

Removing the fixation on helmets could reduce the likelihood of getting a bang on the head in your lifetime from 5 times to 2 times. But the helmet might prevent any serious consequence all 5 times.

I’ve never been hit by anything (touch wood) but have hit my head twice due to just falling off, no one else involved. Both times I split my helmet and got concussion. So in my case a more relaxed stance on helmets could have had severe consequences.

Others will have totally different experiences but if you are going to use stats to decide whether to wear a helmet you have to see the full picture.

Definitely not 52 (tried it and 0.5mm surprising difference). There are basically 3 frames that use this as far as I can find. Nanolight, Ribble R872 and a De Rosa one.

From scouring various forums can definitely confirm lots of cheap Chinese frames use random headsets!

It’s an alu cup, would the epoxy trick work with that? I like the idea of sanding too. Thanks for this.

My question is about replacing the loose bearings within the cartridge bearing itself.

I know the dimensions 51.5x40x7 45o.

Bit of a warning really against buying Chinese catalogue frames with random headsets!

Planet X nanolight

Lower bearing is 51.5mm diameter, an odd size. I have been searching for ages.

Only “in stock” option I can find is planet X headset for £50 which is different but has common lower bearing. Ribble has another headset that will work…due back in stock March. Nothing elsewhere.

£50 is a lot of money for a cheap bearing!

Great, thanks all. Any 2.6 or are they just 27.5/29?

Any sign of these yet?

Thanks, will have a look at those

I’ve used non-tubeless rims no problem but agree need tubeless tyres.

One problem you don’t get with MTB is that low volume means difficult to inflate without the valve core – you lose all the air getting it back in. Anyone have a way around this?

I thought it pedalled well to be honest and raced it a few times. To be honest though I find soul and solaris handling a bit stable/steady rather than agile/playful.

Yeah mk2 soul 27.2 seat post/tube, must be a big part of it. The nicest feel of any frame I’ve had. Was disappointed Solaris didn’t feel similar…

I’ve had mk2 soul and have mk1 solaris and solaris feels much harsher to me. Very noticeable.