It’s a Trance X ’09. Thanks for all the info everyone. I’m not looking for a super bike as I can’t afford it but it would obviously need the right geometry and alloy would be fine. I’d be happy with something second hand I could throw some old bits on and have some fun with. I had so much fun on my hard tail today and could easily build a better bike for not much.

thejesmonddingo – Member
What year is it Giant?

I think It’s a ’07 or maybe ’08.

brooess – Member
Try and get something with similar geo to yr FS, then you should settle into it pretty quickly.
IME riding both FS and HT regularly lifts your riding, you end up riding both better

My FS has a head angle of 67.5 apparently. Would that work well on a hardtail then? I’m thinking I would probably need a fairly upright seat tube as I have long legs?

Ta.

My current hardtail is a Schwinn Mesa GS which I really like but it’s a bit small at 19″ and could do with being a bit slacker up front. Does anyone know where I can get info on it’s geometry?

Thanks. I don’t want anything really slack, just slack enough to do the job. I’m 6’3″ with 33″ legs and quite like the feel of a shortish bike with an upright riding position rather than something long I have to stretch out over.

Would these factors effect the choice of any of the above bikes or would stem length and saddle positioning sort it?

I don’t have any probs with my flats as long as I have good shoes and the pins are sharp. I’m going to try out spd’s though to see if they give me more power.

Zesty’s do not suite tall people with long legs – seat tube angle very slack.

Sorry to hijack the post here but what is a good geometry for a tall long legged freak like myself? I’m not looking to change my bike but if I did I was thinking of going for a Zesty.

Why do you need to be convinced they are the way forward? Try both and go for what suits you best.

Hmmm ive just realised that the Pitch has only 18 gears yet the Trance X2 has 27 gears…

I think this would be a selling point to a lot of people.

One of the first things I did with my Trance was to remove the big ring and replace it with a bash guard. I was bashing it on rocks and logs far more than I got to use it. I don’t know many serious off roaders that still have their big ring.

Thanks everyone that’s a great help. I’ll obviously be seeking advice from my employer also to see what their requirements would be.

OK thanks. They wouldn’t be proper mountain biking outings, more like short, local, low level trips off the roads. The cycle ways round here are pretty dull and you see folk on hire bikes just aimlessly cycling around town half the time. The plan would be to show them more interesting areas for a small fee. I have my 5 day first aid certificate and was thinking some kind of bike maintenance course might be handy too.

No prob. I think a lot of it will come down to your own skillz really. I struggle to keep up with friends who have much heavier more downhill orientated bikes because they are fitter and have been riding a lot longer than me. They all use spd’s too and I use flats which is probably a factor. On paper you might be faster on a certain bike but in reality maybe not. I suppose it’s down to what you’re going to have most fun on. The Pitch might be more fun downhill but people say it’s heavy which would be a concern for me for longer rides.

I can only talk about the Trance here as I’ve not ridden a Pitch. I have a 2009 Trance X which I’ve been upgrading over time. It came with Recon forks which didn’t feel up to the job so I replaced them with Pikes which made the bike feel twice as good at least. I can wind them out to 140mm for downhill and the bike will handle anything I’ve been able to point it down. Obviously it’s not a downhill bike but it’s very capable and very versatile.

It feels very safe, predictable and sure footed but I’m guessing it’s probably not as exciting as some bikes. I use it for everything but it’s probably most at home going down fast trails that aren’t overly rocky. One thing it doesn’t do is gobble up big rock gardens at speed but that could just be my bad riding (I don’t really have anything to compare it to).

What route are you taking? I’d be very careful. I thought that road was one of the most dangerous in Europe? Or is it a different one in Lincolnshire?

I’ve got Superstar Nano tech pedals which I’ve been pleased with apart from the paint coming off a bit too easily.

I simply dont believe the person who claims tax, mot and insurance is less than 500 a year – or is that third party only? leaving a huge uninsured cost

Why? Some cars are low tax and older drivers may have low insurance. Mine is around £650 for a car that’s not cheap to tax and I’ve been driving for about 14 years which isn’t much compared to a lot of folk.

All sounds good. Most of the Three Lochs Way is tracks but it would be a good way of looking for other stuff I reckon. You guys would like Pappert Hill if you don’t already know it. The path starts near O’Hare at the northern edge of Bonhill Estate (western edge of Kilpatricks) and snakes up through the woods to the Pappert Hill trig point then you can come back down the obvious ridge and retrace your route back down through the woods. I’m not sure many people know about it as I’ve never seen any other cyclists or their tracks but it’s a real gem. It used to be more technical through the woods but they surfaced it recently, still great fun though.

I took my (South East) kids to Glasgow at easter and they commented how everyone is much friendlier. Strangers say hello, thank you, stop to ask if we needed directions etc. Then I realised they we’re all drunk, high on cheap smack or were getting ready to mug me

‘Glasgow was named the murder capital of Europe and Britain’s friendliest city all in the same week. You might get stabbed but at least you’ll get directions to the hospital’ (Kevin Bridges)

Just got myself some Airwalk from TK’s

I might start watching it for a laugh but it really annoys me when they start using phrases like ‘blue sky thinking’ ‘joined up thinking’ and heaven forbid ‘forward planning’. When has planning been anything other than forward ffs?

now whenever i see a woman coming i hold the door shut and shout “i dont want you to think i’m sexist!” through the door

That’s class!

Peoples behaviour seems to vary from place to place. Where I live folk are generally friendly if you let them out but almost everyone has an inability to signal at roundabouts which is a right pain. I’ve found that the bigger the town/city the more people seem to hate each other.

I went to London once and it was brutal, I was getting barged about like a skittle on the pavements. I think the trick there is to not try to get out of peoples way but to aggressively stand your ground and slap anyone who gets in your way.

Well they have the right people at Number 10 to try and get something like this through.. or will “Call me Dave” try to appeal to the common man by rebuffing it..

Yeah for sure. Most of them probably spend their holidays up in the Highlands blowing animals brains out in the name of ‘sport’ anyway.

Thanks Wallace I know where that is I’ve parked there before when I went cycling in the park. I didn’t really know my way about then and I hear that some trails have gone and there are new ones now too.

You can pull with flats, not as much as SPDs, but you can pull with them no problem.

I find that pulling’s not so easy when I’m in my cycling kit.

Yeah flow that’s the one. Maybe I should have a look at it!

thisisnotaspoon

You have raised some good points there. The social life thing is the biggest draw back. I’ve been snowed/iced in for weeks on end the last couple of winters and really enjoyed either slithering into town on my bike or walking. I do most of my shopping on my way home from work so that’s not a problem. 1 mile to work really isn’t any bother regardless of the weather and not having a car will make me walk or cycle.

It would be nice to spend some of the money from the car on making my bike super duper! 😛

Thats good to hear Flow, I think I’ll try spd’s soon. One reason I’ve stuck with flats is that it’s suppose to promote good riding technique (According to Brian Lopes anyway and he’s quite handy on a bike) as you learn how to bunny hop well as you can’t just lift the bike with your legs.

I’ve been riding with flats now for my first 2 years of serious off road biking and I think almost all of my pedal related lower leg injuries have been from snagging them on the pedals whilst pushing the bike.

One thing I’m curious about is do spd’s give you much more power? I sometimes struggle to keep up with friends (who all use spd’s apart from one who’s a super fit single speeder) on longer rides so wondering if it would be worth changing? Are there any stats on how much more efficient spd’s are?

Nice one thanks. I hear that there are Mugdock rides on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings so wondering which night to attend? Where do you meet and at what time? Thanks.

I’m not a member of the bike club yet but have been meaning to go on one of the Mugdock rides soon. Do I have to join the club or can I just tag along then decide? Cheers.

I find these ‘more money than sense’ people very depressing actually. You just know they’ll end up disappointed.

Sounds great! The Three Lochs Way is right on my doorstep but I’ve not ridden all of it yet. I reckon this would be doable in a day though and would take in some awesome trails like Glen Loin. They’re still working on the alternative route over Ben Bowie (Balloch to Helenburgh section) which has already been re-routed once so don’t know what that’s like. It’s a bit of a jungle up there but I can go up and have a look at it one night this week to see what it’s like. When are you thinking of doing the route? There’s always the cycle path from Helensburgh to Balloch if needed but you’d miss out the Stoney Mollan descent which is ace.

From Balloch to Balmaha you could avoid the main road by following Sustrans route 7 to Drymen then join the WHW through Garabhan Forest and up over Conic Hill if you still have some energy left. Unfortunately there is no path along the east side of Loch Lomond from Balloch to Balmaha so route 7 would be your safest option I reckon.

http://www.threelochsway.co.uk/

Here’s my offering. This one always makes me laugh.

Ha ha. ‘Rob Warner terrorist on a bike’.

Make sure you are fully aware of the laws regarding wildlife photography. Certain species are protected by law as they are rare and very sensitive to disturbance. It’s very easy to get carried away and before you know it you’ve frightened a bird off it’s nest and the eggs have failed. You can now get into trouble for unintentional disturbance as well as intentional so be careful.

A hide sounds like a great idea. I’ve never been dedicated enough to build one but I once went on a course led by Laurie Campbell and he’s done loads of hide stuff. He built one at the high tide mark on an estuary and let the waders come to him as the tide came in and got amazing piccies. Have fun!

Yeah Kirro’s quite remote too. I’m up near Glasgow and usually travel back up the coast road if going straight back from the trail centre. It’s a nicer drive than the M74 and helps keep your mind focussed.

Towns and cities can be lonely places as you’re kind of anonymous. There’s often no sense of community and not many people know their neighbours. I would hate to live in London and would worry about meeting people more than anything, but I am a country bumpkin.

Are you able to ride your bike with your ankle? If you can, why not join a MTB club and go cycling with some folk. Try to meet some like minded people and gradually get to know them without being too needy. Have some banter and remember friendships are about give and take.

Poor guy. Sounds like he wanted to chat to someone as much as anything. I think you did the right thing and if I were you I would want to let his wife know too. It’s no secret to her that he has a drink problem.

that’s cheap carbon for you

Stick it in the skip ! It is scrap

Really helpful comments.