Ski boots are very large very inflexible lumps of plastic that go on your feet. If they don't fit right they will cause you a world of hurt. OK taking that one step further everyone's feet are different shapes e.g. narrower heels, wider forefoots, etc. Most different manufactures will have different lasts (shapes) they make their boots too. So what's good for one person will not necessarily be good for you. With that in mind you should ignore all recommendations for specific models that read online & get yourself to a good boot fitter (very different to just a shop selling boots) who will measure you up & then start recommending boots that should suit the shape of your feet. I know it's easier said than done but price should be almost irrelevant as they're something that should last at least 10+ years if you're only using them for a couple of weeks a year. They'll also make a massive difference in both your skiing & your enjoyment of your skiing.

You're making a critical error in your reasoning there. Even though the additional 50mm of travel on the forks only raise the length by an overall 10% they increase the angle, relatively speaking, substantially. Thus generating a greater load on the head tube, not just the 10% you've calculated. Another factor would be with the increased suspension length you're likely to be hitting much bigger drops & obstacles which will also be generating much larger loads on the frame.

Proflex's pre-dated the Raleigh activators by about 3-5 years. Activator was a band wagon bike for the masses once raleigh saw that suspension was becoming popular with the then hardcore mtb set.

If my memory serves me correctly they were one of the first mass produced fully bouncy bikes. Hence the still developmental/early tech elastomer on the frame & forks.

Still preferred my hardtail with manitou 1's though.

400quid for a new boiler is dirt cheap. I'd echo sentiments above between 1 & 2 grand depending on size of the house & what other work is required to make it fit.

Used mine to cut my carbon bars. Never had a problem just need to be very careful doing it. Quarter of a turn adjustment per revolution of the post works fine.

Failing that get your hands on a plumbers pipe cutters & use them. Will give you a perfect cut once you use them carefully.

Hope's are relatively speaking heavy, if you're to go by the weights they post on their site.

Personally i'm on my third set of Mavic's only major problem i ever had with them was getting hit by a van. Make of that what you will.

I suspect a 29er may be too big for a 6 year old http://www.surlybikes.com/frames/karate_monkey_frame/

Last bike i had came with a set of gore cables on it. For the lifespan of the bike when i had it (about 5 years) they gave me near perfect shifting with a minimum of maintenance, you're not supposed to lube them. When i killed that bike i got a set for rebuilding my bike. Only had it for about 3/4 months but they've performed flawlessly so far.

Basically they get the thumbs up from me.

how having 2×10 is ANY better than having 8×3 i fail to see.

-Lighter
-More usable gear combinations
-Better chainline
-Reduced Q-Factor[/quote]

However it also means narrower cassette sprockets & chains which will invariably wear significantly faster & be more likely to fail in the off-road context.