*sigh* you had to say that didn’t you!

Dunno, I’m only 26 but trying to take up marathon racing feels like what I imagine a MLC to feel like – I’m just too young for it to actually be that :)

Yawn!

(I actually own a rigid ss bike btw)

No, bone dry, hazy highish level cloud – about 1/2 mile south of Ashton Court.

Definitely grey over since this morning a fair amount…

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/sw/bristol_forecast_weather.html

Better still!

I never feel the need to run pro pedal on anything other than fire road climbs – I think it feels horrible! I just think the Mojo custom tune on the Five is so spot on…

Well BBC reckon it should have been pissing down for the last hour and a half but it hasn’t – fingers crossed chaps!

Are there no shark infested pits to jump over?

Sharks with frikkin lazer beams on their heads or GTFO

Fools Gold is great as those very light mud days, you just brush the splatters off and they don’t even show up when they dry!

It also seems to be the most hard wearing colour I’ve seen on the trails. Clouding of the top tube is less of an issue and it is reluctant to chip or scratch at all. I’ve got scuffs from really big hits but all the paint is still there.

Aside from cable rub, watch it on that folded down tube – helicopter tape it well up before riding the first time.

Sounds like we got ourselves a REAL race on now!

I’d worry about chicken wire going down :'(

Killed an SV2000 and the San Andreas I had only really felt good at 20mph+

Dragging up some dinosaurs there aren’t you!

I’m sure this is telling everyone reading this to suck eggs, but you need to give people a bit of space on a difficult bit like that ramp and not come barging through. Works out a lot faster than getting into a snarl and gives you a chance to have a cheeky rest.

Sure, but not entirely practical – you’d be waiting all day as every one just barges on through if you try and back off.

I confess it’s the only time on the course I actually shout rider coming through (as politely as poss with a huge thanks afterwards)

It’s not the system, it’s what you do with it, the build and the geometry that counts.

Being Horst-link, DW, VPP whatever doesn’t automatically = good.

Those Focus horst-link bikes are good value kit wise but they’re meant to ride a bit turdy… granted, my wife’s almost identical looking Spesh is great! Mate demoed a Bionicon Golden Willow (horst-link if I’m not mistaken) and it was a total turd!

Also, too many awesome SP bikes about as well which are certainly an inconvenient truth for advocates of more modern designs…

As an SP owner, I admit I’d love a go on a Turner 5 Spot!

The ramp was a liability last year not through a lack of ability on my part but because people giving up and dismounting without looking – had a couple of very close spd-related incidents.

Like el_creedo, I use mine for everything, currently has bar ends, skinnies and mudguards on it the Bristol 12 hour solo – next week it would have had fatties on for the Kona mashup (I’m not doing it now, I can’t be arsed to do the probable required maintenance in time for next weekend).

But being more impartial. Get on a 16″ Five at some point, ride the Yeti and buy the most comfortable and enjoyable one.

If there’s nothing in it…

Buy the Five if you want stiffer harder hitting hooligan fun.
Buy the Yeti if you want lighter more sophisticated ride.

The Five is very much like hammering in tacks with a sledge hammer and boy is it fun!

I bought one of the Fat Cyclist jerseys which are made by Twin Six – it’s lovely stuff if you can hold of it.

I don’t fancy riding up upper quarry, especially in the wet but it might not be a bad idea in terms of safety if it’s wet…

MM: Yeah, SMB8 2.1 and Blue Groove 2.35. I like the back end a little drifty and loose with the front end proper pinned down. I found a rip in the SMB8 so I’ve got a 2.1 High Roller on the back for now.

Ignore the spacers, I’d literally just fitted the forks and I don’t have any facilities for cutting the steerer down. It’s no longer like that :)

Two words…

HOLY

SHIT

(GL – you seemed to do well freebies and tyres & saddle, etc!)

I was buying a Specialized Myka FSR Expert for my wife at the exact same time – and I’m quite chummy with the guys there. :) Including my own purchases, and then referring mates, I’ve probably put £10k through that shop in 2008 alone :)

It’s 6mm below the Axle height so about 3mm lower than a Meta.

No pedal strikes here and that was even on the Skyline descent with all those lovely steps and all. A few on the techy bits of the climbs.

Very easy to forget about those Recons when they a) don’t do anything wrong and b) you’re going so dam fast! :) I agree though, I’d take maxle Reba or Float on the Orange upgrade scheme…

Rob – I had the ST4 set up perfectly and the BB is 3mm lower than a Meta’s – it’s technique mate ;) :D

(Tongue firmly in cheek)

Orange is one of those brands that is hard to get a discount on, it’s not like they’ve got millions knocking around, aren’t a tough sell and they’re rarely in the sale end of season.

I managed to blag 10% worth in freebies and then a couple of upspecced things (Braided hoses, different tyres and saddle at their cost)

I saw a poweder blue on the other day with white fox forks! Lush!

I’d still go with desert five though!

Yeah, I do love mine, Fools Gold w/black forks, ’08 one here.

I wouldn’t call a Five chilled out though, this talk is all relative to it’s hyperactive little brother!

Which means it must be scraping the ground at times.

I didn’t pedal strike all that often but then I didn’t on the Meta either.

Did it for the first time at the CLIC – bloody lifesaver!

Good idea about zip tying to stop crap going up the steerer too!

And also, I don’t know if it just feels faster because there is less travel.

I’ll have to go back soon on my Five and see! :D

The Five is ultimately much stiffer, more capable and more comfortable (ride position is identical but the extra travel helps on long rides).

The ST4 is a pound lighter. I think the thing the ST4 has going for it is really that bottom bracket height. It’s lower than a Meta and I think the weight distribution is just really spot on too. It’s just so dam fast and balanced!

That said, if I’m really honest, I’d get a Five again purely because I do like the big all dayers and the ST4 was quite tiring by the time I was coming down the Wall descent after nearly 84km of Afan in 27 deg heat! It’s a very much “scream if you want to go faster kind of bike” and the problem is, clattering down the Afan type descents all day eventually catches up with you…

I’d buy a Five again but always lust for an ST4…

Finish line wet lube here. Seemed to do the job on my recently serviced fox floats as the stanchions were pristine after 18 months.

Holy sh*t! I’ve had a couple of rides on one of these now (chummy with an LBS who has a demo in my size). Thought it was merely good at the Quantocks the first time I rode it.

Did an 84km all dayer at Afan and I swear to god this is the fastest thing alive! It’s pure singletrack weaponary! It deffo feels like 5″ not 4″ (it is actually 5″ up front).

I lost count the number of times I’d thought I’d gone too fast into something and then been amazed and slightly terrified when the bike has just zipped through – it’s almost arrogant in it’s capabilities!

I’d scared myself stupid far too many times on this thing over the course of the day!

Backend was a little bit flexy but it usually just serves as reminder that you’re starting to be a bit of a dick on a pretty short travel bike considering :)

Probably not a bike for the beginner or faint hearted – it’s not that it’s twitchy or nervous, far from it! It’s just that it’ll ride the likes of Afan on the total ragged edge far faster than any bike out there but there’s literally zero left in reserve for mistakes. You always seem to end up riding it on the cusp of it’s ability and you end up leaving nothing in reserve!

*swoon* (Yes even with that Recon fork! Christ knows what a maxle reba or 15QR Fox would do for it!)

Anyone want to buy a Five?

I bought a 3 year AA warranty. £300 2 years for price of 3.

2 Months after purchase my C-Max had the Diesel Particulate filter go (well, change and recharge whatever it is they do) £400 odd and not covered (a consumable apparently). EGR valve went at the same time, £300 odd and was covered.

The way I see it, the DPF was always going to go eventually and there’s no way I could have researched that and known about it anyway, put it down to expeirence (avoid a 3 year old ford diesel with a DPF unless it’s been sorted already)

The EGR valve cost the same as the warranty did so from now on it’ll hopefully pay for itself. The AA one does exclude a lot of things by default so check what you’re getting – it won’t inclucde things like turbo and aircon unless you pay extra (which I did).

Is the Bristol mud slimy, slippy, horrible goo or is it and heavy, claggy stuff that blocks up your wheels, drive train etc?

Fixed. and Yes.

12 hour solo – riding a Gold Orange Five which now looks like a halfords special with bar ends on risers and mudguards all round :oops:

Don’t judge me! I just want to be comfortable!

Looking at that photo I dont’ reckon that’s too far off what we can expect!

Agree with Antony, you’ll find bugger all of interest in LW unless you know where you’re looking. I’m a local of many years and I STILL need to be shown half the time…

I’d probably not worry too much about that postage and just be relieved that I wasn’t shafted in the end with a dodgy frame…

How will a longer fork slacken the head angle?

As you raise the headtube of the bike from the fork, the bike rotates around the rear wheel as it’s axis. Thus the headtube angle gets slacker.

Hehehe, I binned on my first lap there last year, and it was dry!

For the record, there isn’t a particularly great line down the centre and it’s definitely not a clever overtaking spot.

Shortcut – nevs will be a good bet – the wet roots will be more of an issue than the mud IMO.

Psyclewerx in Bristol were trying to convince me that Maxxis Medusas would be the way to go…

Thought I’d bump an old thread…

I thought my 18 month old ’08 32 Floats had given up the ghost at the HONC in April. Pissing out oil at an alarming rate and starting to click a bit. They’ve been used a lot, in all conditions, and haven’t been touched in that time, very occasionally I’d drop some wet lube on the stanchions, pump the forks and wipe. But mostly I’d put them away wet and then ride them the next day with crusty mud all over the stanchions.

Replaced them for some vanillas from CRC and left them in the garage assuming them dead.

I took them to one of my LBSs – Psyclewerx (Bristol) btw – as I’d heard they do fork servicing at a good price. I figured Mojo would end up charging me for new stanchions on top of the full service etc and really didn’t want to pay for all that only to chuck them on my SS.

What can I say, the stanchions were “like new” according to the mechanic and they serviced them, replaced the seals and supplied spacers/dropped the travel to 100mm (for the SS) all for the very reasonable sum of £54.

I love my new vanillas but honestly, they weren’t needed afterall and my Singlespeed has got it’s self a rather bling little upgrade!

I’ve heard all the bad stories about the Foxes but perhaps I just got a good pair…