Yes but as above, with a neoguard or similar…

Djaustin, both of those are far from the first SP design, but the Patriot certainly underpins everything Orange do now and for me it sits alongside the older Spesh Enduros for just being amazing bikes that ride beyond their age and design.

James, would love to meet up for a Cotswolds ride, would need some good notice though. Planning on riding the HONC if I can get in also…

Personally I’d say the Patriot over the Five…

CountZero but there’s no grammatical meaning to them, it’s just a typographical feature.

Dammit James, I already wanted one of those, now moving towards ‘need’. Would have to be ti with the truss fork.

Was up thre yesterday, recognise your bike from the cafe, are you avec beard?

Did a few laps yesterday, nice trail!

Why do people always think “theory” means spontaneous wild guess when it comes to science?

Getting full travel on most rides so wouldn’t say it was over sprung. Just find ABP pedals so well anyway that I rarely feel the need to flick the lever.

Conversely I leave my Superfly’s pro pedal off al the time, also an ABP rear…

Something red out of the box of umbrians I’ve got out back 🙂

Dunno about London, I have issues with people on rural somerset A-roads flashing past at 50mph-60mph leaving me barely an arms width. Even more frustrating when there’s nothing coming the other way so the opposite lane is empty even. I also particularly love the slipstream style overtake where they whip by and back in barely metres clear of you, I don’t see how any amount of taking up the lane and riding assertively is going to solve that.

I actually feel quite safe (realtively speaking) in the centre of Bristol as you can maintain pace with the traffic, take up a lane and generally be a bit bossy. It’s out of town I hate cycling now.

Perhaps I’m being paranoid but it’s hard not to think that someone is going to kill me in the next 10 years if I keep cycling on the roads just outside of town. I’ve all but given up riding a road bike.

I was on my 29er, it’s OK to ride them at this time of year as the wheels won’t overheat enough to explode.

Pics or it didn’t happen.

Yet to ride them, I went to get my 29er out of the garage, looked at the wheels and they exploded 🙁

I’m actually giving them money ‘cos they’ve got a new token that they can sell on to somebody else

😯

You understand how it works right?

of late

❓

M.A.S.K.

Jayce and the WHeeled Warriors

Doing the driest ever and possibly last ever TransWales was pretty special, as was the bone dry Black Mountains 3 day!

I’m sorry but walking to my local post office to collect a parcel, versus a 1hr round trip driving to some god forsaken industrial estate in some out of city shit arse end of town, is far better IMO.

I despair when I see a card from a courier, I’m mildly inconvenienced when I see a card from Royal Mail.

Trek/GF for combing slack-ish ha (which I know is taken care of by G2 geo) with long-ish chainstays.

They’ve shortened the chainstays up on the full sussers at least.

To be honest, I’d imagine walking that on carbon soled shoes is a bigger injury risk…

Give it a rest with the niche bashing, OP is quite clear that he means slightly slacker but still relatively shorter travel, which is what people typically mean when they say ‘trail’.

Yeah it’s all XC at the end of the day but if he’d asked for an XC bike he’s be inundated with suggestions of light-weight carbon whippets.

Back to the point, don’t get carried away with slack on a 29er. 69deg feels pretty damned slack on a 29er. The Whyte does look interesting and if it rides anywhere near as nice as their 19 series, should be a winner!

The Trek Superfly hardtails aren’t that steep to be honest (69 – 69.6 depending on size), I’ve got a full susser Superfly and ride it as a “Trail” bike.

Know someone who knows someone +1

But also, it’s not nearly as glam and fun as you expect and will ultimately be a disappointment vs what you’re probably hoping for.

Sorry but no.

metalheart: yeah, that’s a AL Superfly 100 in my pic.

I think when the GF fit started advocating short stems, I think 100mm+ was normal around then, so it’s all relative.

Now see the Rumblefish is quite a bit shorter than the Superfly and I reckon I’d go for 19.5″ if the standover was ok and run a 50mm stem for that sort of bike.

Wow, someone just point out that the headset one is actually over a year old now…

Probably a stupid headset question

Mines a 17.5″ and it seems quite long actually. 600mm ETT is pretty long for that size of bike but maybe they don’t scale up at the same rate.

Totally an aside, but I know a 6’6″ chap and recommended him a 23″ Rumblefish, I’ve not seen the beast yet but apparently he’s beyond smitten with it and feels like it’s the first thing in life (not just bikes) that’s ever felt like it really fitted him – that’s nice! Must go for a ride with him…

Not frame only though…

ZC, are you from bristol, also Cheesy Riders? Might be interested in some of that kit but hard to tell what you’ve got from those pics, happy to collect…

Go on then… I’m doing the Welsh Coast to Coast for charity next year so it’s a platform for harping on about it and begging for sponsorship…

http://wc2c.cyclistno1.co.uk

I’m raising money for the Cots for Tots appeal which is part of the bigger Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal. The campaign is to raise a million for the Neo natal intensive care unit which basically has to serve the whole of the south west including south wales, performing incredible life saving operations and care. My cousin and an old school friend have both had premature babies on that ward since I started fundraising, scary!

http://www.justgiving.co.uk/garyrideswc2c
http://www.http://cotsfortots.org.uk/

Drop a bucket of cold water off in the garage before I head out. Quick sponge wash the second I get in (5 mins tops), GT85 the chain/cassette. Dry quickly with a rag, lube, done. Looks a bit mucky next time out but it’s only superficially dirty and the important bits are clean.

Can’t believe I used to a) not wash my bike after ever ride, and b) it used to be such a ball ache all because I left it all the time… freshly dirty bikes are so easy to clean!

Bontrager Evoke and SDG Bel Air.

Both are a 9 for up to 2 hours. Slowly gets down to a 6 or 7 for 6 hrs plus. But I think that’s more about sitting on a bicycle saddle for a long time rather than any critique of said saddle.

Do you want to try my Sultan now you are a 29er man? The bars might be a bit wide for you tho

Bars will probably be alright, I rode 780s the toher day and I kinda liked it. I’ll give the Sultan a spin if you bring the step ladder 😛

Obviously my 17.5″ Trek would look like a ladies step through to you!

That must be tough to admit

What my height? 😉

The height thing is a bit of a myth too. 5’8″ here on a medium Trek 29er and it works just fine…

You’re over thinking it IMO

Bristol police have already arrested a chap who confessed to basically hanging out at trail centres only to follow the pretty bikes home and nab them later.

Don’t know about the DVLA stuff but bike crime is getting more organised.

because I was quite anti-29er for a long time

Yeah, it’s quite embarrassing now after all the anti-29er fuss I made.

Alloy Tallboy was what really changed my mind, Superfly 100 was what converted/convinced me.

It wasn’t so much the first few rides, it was the riding a 26er and it feeling odd, and then getting back on the 29er after that and it feeling right.

I do stand by the fact that a bad 29er has so much more scope to be truly awful, but when they’re good, by god they’re good!

@garylake – I flit between Bikes, Graphic Design and Tech. Also plugging my charity attempt at the non-stop, offroad Wales Coast 2 Coast ride next year: http://wc2c.cyclistno1.co.uk

I tend to MTFU and ride through it until I get proper ill and then end up out of sorts for 3 times longer than I would have been if I’d rested.

It’s the bloke way, don’t fight it.

If I had a quid for everytime my wife shouted “stop picking!”…

How about that, half way through pulling the thing off & knowing that you cannot stop, even though you know its going to hurt like hell to get the last part off!

It’s when you’re certain it’s ready, you get halfway and you get that quick ‘shit’ moment when it stings and you realise it’s not. No backing out after that though.

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