Epic – Yeh It’ll be good to have the safety net around me. I’ll likely still do the winter cairngorms route but keep it to a sensible level, mileage etc. I’ll make sure Scotroutes is on standby as well!

The Puffer will be mint for pushing it though and seeing how i react and the warning signs for when I really should stop!

You might become a fan of big ugly mudguards too.

My brain’s been trying to convince me for years. The tart in me remains defiant though!

Looks great Simon. Wanting to this myself in August. I’m thinking 3 days at the mo but to be honest the biggest unknown at the moment is what pace i’ll be hitting on a fatbike!
Its hard to see over how many days i’ll be doing these longer routes but I reckon the Feb – May rides will be a lot of experimenting and see how I get on. Should be able to set some definitive schedules up after that!

How about doing the StrathPuffer 24 hrs in January?

This actually looks like a really good option. Gear testing, snow, ice, -0 zero tempretures and I could even set a bivvy up next to my car to test sleeping etc with really easy bail out options!

Good call fella. Think I’ll push Cairngorms winter and Pennine Bridal way back a month to squeeze this in.

What’s the WRT?

scotroutes – yeh that’s the aim. I know how bad it could be but that’s the best chance I’ll have of trying the environment t.
I’ll use the earlier full loop to scout out a suitable route. Something not to far from civilisation and I’ll not do a massive mileage. I’ll use it as a last chance to test gear, tyres, gear ratios, setting up bivvy’s in crap conditions etc.

Good shout Vorlich. I’ll hunt them out tonight!

Matt.. 340k in a day?!?!
Please tell me you did it over a more sensible amount of time!!

You got a route / log of the route you took?

Pete – quite fancy 24/12. Only wanted to do mayhem as a few mates normally do it and I could Ming in with there camp to grab food / water / clothes and a bit of banter.

Live in Manchester. Want to be totally off road with little or no road use if poss. I’ll be doing all this on a fatbike!

Right so I’ve started to get some plans together about what to hit and potentially when as it stands I’m looking at the following:-

Feb –
Mar –
Apr –
May –
June – Mountain Mayhem (24 Hour)
July – Lakeland Loop (200k)
Aug – Cairngorms Loop (300k)
Sept –
Oct – Bear Bones 200 (200k)
Nov –
Dec – Pennine Bridal Way section (100k)
Jan – Cairngorms Winter Loop (160k)
Feb – Rovaniemi 150 (150k)

Now there are still a couple of contenders but I thought I’d see if there’s any obvious faults in the plan so far.
ie are some things better / worse at certain times of the year?

Any feedback would be tops. as well as more route recommendations!

Want to something Wales way as well. Sarn Helen for 4 – 5 days maybe…

Your mum is the best. Free and easy.

Good skills Cougar. That reminded me i haven’t spoken to m Mum in weeks so gave her a buzz whilst I walked the dog. Back in her good books!

MMmmm I actually have my own domain name (use it for webmail) do I have to pay to host a web page though?
Would be mintballs to have my blog on http://www.gravitysucks.co.uk 🙂

I actually have two servers at work thats used for network storage. Both on static IP’s and I really should figure out how to put the work websites on them instead of paying for hosting.

If I figure it out I could host my blog on there???

http://www.rovaniemi150.com/

150km of snow fun in potentially -30 temperatures in the Arctic circle. Whats not to like!

It’s my 35th the weekend of the race so wanting to do something memorable.

Cheers for all the info guys. Loads to mull over. Ideally I want to have 12 trips / rides planned out for the next month so I’ve continuously got a new target coming up. Building up in time, distance and severity.

Quite fancy doing a mass participation thing in the mix as well so I’m not trudging about on my own all the time, equally when I’ve got the routes planned out I’ll see who I can drag out with me!

Stills8tannorm – that look mint. Not sure if I’ll be fixed to do the Oct ride so a gpx of a previous route would be top!

Yep exactly that kind of thing!! Cheers fella

Cheers peeps

Fully comp should cover his own vehicle.
He should also not accept the fault being his citing the illegal manoeuvre of the other driver. He needs to dig his heels in quite frankly.

It would only be negligent on his behalf if he didn’t check and hit a bus! I would argue that point that I was aware of my surroundings and knew there wasn’t a bus in the bus lane.

This is all assuming that the bus lane is either all the time or it was within the restricted hours. If it was outside of the restricted hours then its classed as a normal lane in which its your mates fault.

Either way at fully comp I’d be expecting my car to be repaired

Just had an email back from Scott at Silverfish who has very nicely trotted into the workshop and is sending me a guide 🙂
So I’ll have one to experiment with and then a final one to get right if I decide to to go for it.

He also advised against drilling the frame if I was the gravitysucks from this thread.
Careful out there peeps. They’re watching you!!!!

#waves at Scott before putting his tinfoil hat on.

you aren’t kidding

And slightly OCD which is a nice combination!

Am I right in thinking the reverb can use goodridge fitments and thus goodridge cable?

I could take of the plastic outer of the goodridge feed it through the guide then use electrical tape to re tape it. Should save me 1mm or two and the tape will be inside the frame…

To be fair I could probably take the metal weave of the cable as well. Its not like you have to worry about the compression factor like you do when using it for brakes.

Well when I get the spare part I can have a look at what I can get away with.

I’ll see what I can file of the guide to make it a smaller hole. Even if it makes the angle bigger it’ll be a lot better than 90 degrees.

I’ll mess with the guide and test fit on a piece of alloy before I drill the frame out to see what I can get away with and what I can’t. If its a no go I won’t have drilled the frame and lost out on anything.

Nothing ventured n all that!

Love you long time leku!!!

Yeh I know what you mean Gee. I need to pull the guide off and see how small a hole I can get away with. I could file down the back of the guide a bit if it would help as it’ll be sikaflex’d on but will see how it goes.

Need to get hold of one first!!

Just emailed Silverfish to see if they can help!

I was planning on sikaflex the guide in place. It would avoid the need for a further hole and would seal the metal edge against water ingress around the hole.

Also the hole in the guide is angled so the cable comes out of it running closer to parallel to the frame rather than at 90 degrees like a grommit would.

I would like to point out I am a tart and even though it will be largely unseen it would satisfy me muchly knowing it was so clean 🙂

I’m only using a rear mech as well so theres space for another cable in the remaining cable guides…

All this aside if you don’t want to use any screw, bolts etc then the safest and easiest course of action is to just open the back door for her when she want to play in the garden then shut the gate into the back garden. Voila problem solved.

You could even play with her or drink tea whilst she plays pirates/ballerina etc

I don’t fancy the sheet of ply option as it would look a bit crap really.

Get her to paint rainbows, sunshines and unicorns on it?

How wide is the width? judging by the width of the car i’d say less than 8 foot.
If that’s the case get a sheet of 8′ x 4′ 18mm ply for £30 and cut to the width of the drive.
When you need it lean it against the back of you car (can put some pipe lagging on the ply to protect car if you want).
When you don’t need it lean it up the side of your house next to the car (under port so protected from rain).

Very simple, easy to move and when you no longer need it in a years time you can re use the wood to make a rabbit hutch / bike jump / wendy house etc.

Get it from a timber merchants that can cut it to the width you need.
Zero work involved!!!

Signed up as a supporter.

Cheers for all the hard work

I would hate for it to go quiet and just dissapear.

I can’t see this thread disappearing anytime soon!!

I hadn’t seen this thread before but cast my eyes over it last night as I got in bed then lost an hours sleep reading it all…. I blame you lot!

I can honestly say that what is going on behind closed doors just beggars belief. I can understand they have a duty of care but their actions, attitude and reason seem on another planet.

I will keep an eye on this thread, hope the OP all the luck for a reasonable outcome and hope that common sense may prevail. I doubt it very much though.

Just like to say a big “GOOD SKILLS” to the people over at Mojo. There generosity and good spirit helps to balance out the sheer vulgarness of companies like the RM.

In the future I will be voting with my feet and will never use royal mail or the post office again to send a parcel.
Its reason like this why I support and buy from companies like hope and avoid amazon like the plaque.

Ok, would love to get on this but health has been a mare dealing with the arse end of meningitis

Reckon I could potentially do it if I could Include static miles like turbo, gym bike or spinning classes.
I’ve just joined the gym to try and regulate my excercise more. Up to now I struggled to get out as my immune system is pants and it’s been to cold and dark (used to do loads of night riding 🙁 ). It’s been a hard winter and I’m massively off the pace and put on a stone +.

Having a goal like this will help to motivate me to keep the exercise up even when I feel too rubbish to be outside on a proper bike.

So what you reckon lads. Room for a bit of nesh lad in your 500 club?

Pair of E4’s ordered with 183/160 combo.

Cheers for all your help guys 😀

Do me a favour would you… Go back and actually read my posts? Honestly at a loss where you could get this from.

Well to be honest the thread title of “WHAT HOPE BRAKE” left little confusion to what type of brake I wanted but that didn’t really stop you chuntering on about their comparisons to shimano.

Sorry if I was short with you but I get bored having to explain things that are irrelevant to the question I actually asked. Being STW I should have known people would have started going on about their weakness / expense compared to Shimano.

You’re not coming over too well OP here and your initial post didn’t give much info, or even the impression that you knew as much about Hopes as you obviously do. My Shimano post was tongue in cheek as recognised by some subsequent posters and not meant as a distraction from your quest for Hopes. I hope you find the ones that do what you want from them. Cheers

Iainc – I knew you were tounge cheek, it was more pointed at Northwind with his superiority of you’ve chosen brand first, hope are rubbish diatribe.

I know what brand I want which is why I titled the thread “What HOPE brake” lol 😀

To be honest I was also getting wound up typing responses on my phone whilst defending my choice to buy Hope!

Anyways back to the OP.

I’m upgrading from X0 which I’ve never really been sold on. Don’t overly rate their performance and bugger all modulation. I only got them so shifters, mech, cranks etc all matched up.
Which is another reason I want hope as I can use the matchmaker and keep the clutter free bars I have now.

In the interests of balance, one of the mags (?MBR) put a load of brakes on a dyno with constant wheel speed/lever force. IIRC the (pre-Evo) Tech & Race levers were noticeably less powerful than a lot of other options, hence the Evo lever redesign.

This was kinda my point of the thread. I had pre Tech, race and evo hope brakes so if I’d based my choice on that experience I’d have gone straight for E4’s with 203/183 rotor combo. As the new breed of brakes are likely more powerful by comparison to that it’d prob be overkill for what I want now.

Think your right IGM about the same caliper same pads reason.

From what most of you are saying it sounds like I’d be better going for a pair of E4’s with say a 180 front 160 rear combo. That should give me enough power but with the option to put bigger rotors on if I want more. Make sense?

Now do we go for Tech or race levers?? AAARRRGHGHGHGH!!

edit: just seen the price difference. Think it’ll be the tech! 🙂

No your right oh wise one. When I said what HOPE brakes I actually meant please recommend me an alternative brand.

The people offering advice up there seem to have taken on board the OP.

I don’t have to justify buying hope to you or anyone else. I’m asking for advice on buying hope. Nothing more if you can’t help with that then please jog on.

Is there a reason why you feel the need to open a thread specific about Hope products purely to stamp your authority on why other brands are better?? You’ve got too much time on your hands fella.

But then we have no idea how you like brakes to feel because you’ve not shared any helpful info…

But that’s because that’s not question I asked is it?? Jesus guys please just base this on the OP not what you think I may have meant!!!

Northwind just for you…
I’ve had many many brakes over the years on many different type of bikes.
I’ve used numerous different models from Hope, Shimano, Avid etc over varying different disciplines covering probably 20+ bikes.

Now. For the bike I want to attach these to, the feel I want, the serviceability I want, and the look I want (yes, I’m a tart)
I’ve decided to go for hope on this occasion.
Bearing in mind I’ve not ran Hope since the silver M4’s on a play bike and Ti 2 caliper (I forget the name) on a race bike I’d like the opinion of some one who actually uses the new brakes I’m talking about (the new X2 and E4’s) and can offer me an opinion on them.

Not an opinion of someone who can’t read the OP and then try’s to tell me what I actually want!!

Just a though guys; With the recommendations of small rotor at the back for better modulation / less power at the back etc (which makes perfect sense) would you not get the same result from having smaller calliper at the rear??
For instance if I had E4 180 up front and 180/160 X2 at the back would I not get the same result??
Just thinking an X2 in the mix would make it cheaper (cheaper pads too I presume) and also give me better rock clearance than having larger rotors ( smaller rotors to get bashed. Also lighter rotors)

Thanks for those that actually answered the OP.

I’m guessing the rest of you have too much time on your hands.

Lol had to happen?!

What do you mean by more effective?
Cost, serviceable??

Stunt scooters to wrap. I’ll just leave them in the box though and let them help me build them up tomorrow.
Disguises them better and it’s half the fun ain’t it!

Wanna sell it Scotia?!?!

Haha is it that bad Mike??

Might have to think about the 3 instead

Search is indeed your friend fbk. I used that friend before the OP and saw that thread which showed a good offer which has seance finished. Thus my reasoning for staring this thread…

So back to the OP, anyone know any good deals

Sikaflex a big dildo to the windscreen. Shouldn’t leave permanent damage and it will cheer you up watching as he tries to “Tug” the phallus off

I’d report. Its one of my true pet hates in the morning when I see fat women who turn up late. Can’t be bothered to walk the extra 50 meters so they park on top of the corner of the road so kids crossing the road are nearly in the middle of the road by the time they can see past the car. Going to be accident one day.

Come the revolution they’re the first people I’ll behead.