what about this

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=12527

there are lots of sizes available.

Or this one…

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=12529

£99 if you get the 16'' shop soiled one

sounds like a job for merlin malt 1. Ask merlincycles if they have an sintesi's left too

tend to ride all day (9 til dark) on sunday, and atleast one full afternoon (til dark) during the week. If i had lights, i'd be out longer!

make a stencil and gently sand blast it. Or use sand paper

sram970 again! Heavy but tough. If you want light (and good value) go 990. Easy peasy.

the location seems perfect as a hub to see the western borders of germany, and get to belgium too. Plan it to ride to belgium on the way home, sampling a few of the local brews!….. (last estimated to be in the region of 8000 per annum?)

building up a road bike too. Btw, do dutch riders use a different typical gear range to what roadies in the UK use? As seen as it's flatter than kerry katona's EEG…

Don't confuse the two languages. Seriously, don't! Especially if there's any bicycles involved in the discussion.

is there a big cycling rivalry!? I'm pretty good at picking up european languages, so dutch shouldn't be too problematic. Weird pronunciation tho.

I wish i was as good the real Hans Rey!

cheers, i've just finished building a marin quake, which going to be oh so overkill…

starting to learn dutch today, but i speak good french and ok with german so it's not too bad.

HFX9s are a doddle to bleed. I'd understand somebody paying to bleed any avids however. I avoid LBS mechanics if possible, ask a friend/bike club mate for help. Best thing is that you can learn from them over a few beers and then next time, you have a better understanding of what to do (including checking for faults in the brake system)… providing you don't have too many beers of course!

been trying to keep it static for a year now, and i only lower it for ranmoor singletrack now.

yeah, i'd like to invest my money now at an early stage, to save time on maintenance. For example, whatever came with my merlin are a p.i.t.a due to stretching (i guess i should stop changing gears!)

it will be going on a marin quake, so i'm a little wary about buying a kit now. I'll re-measure tonight. So for, it's still the gore kit, although the shimano is close behind.

i'm appreciating the help so far everyone,

HR

i have a malt 1, and that's fantastic. I'd give merlin a call, they will be more than happy to give you some advice. They've always been good to me

if you're still having fun on your bike, then you don't need to get a new one. If your riding style changes (i.e. light XC to DH), then a bike change may be a good idea just to save destroying your rockhopper.

rockhoppers are still awesome

i got those xtr levers cheaper elsewhere, but they're now gone. Hoses may have gone too, but i'm glad i bought in bulk. The levers seem fine for me, seem pretty solid. you may have higher standards than myself, all hail the King.

and these too,deadcheap. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=37330

there are some really cheap xtr calipers, £30 on crc. Come with pads too. And the smbh63 hoses are a pair for £10, so you could build new xtr brakes for less than £60.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=21306

superstar have always been the fastest for me (And you get sweets), then merlin and crc. Always avoid JEJ, the online prices are way too steep.

i'd stay as close to the tree as i'd dare. Stay loose and neutral.

came back after a heavy session at the pub whilst in halls. Jumped in the shower, then the fire alarm goes off. Run outside in dressing gown, it's very windy and i'm like marylyn monroe flashing my danglers.

another, downed half a bottle of rum and booked a holiday to dublin, with the intent of carrying on drinking. (This was actually good!)

fell down pyla dune after 2L of wine, that was epic.

plug has some decent nights. Also, check out fuzz club and hopskotch at the true union. You may need to be a student tho.

222, yeah, that's enormous! Thank you for the help guys. I'll have two different chains (seen as there'll be different chain rings), and another cassette too. Not ideal, but minimal fuss.

I'd like to keep a double throughout, but when i'm racing i'd rather not have the extra weight, and a less secure chain.

btw, i've a 11-32 sram 970 cassette

we're taught to pass the exams, not to appreciate the subject and develop a solid understanding. So, if their failure was to base their answers on previous examples it is more to do with the pressures of teaching given by politicians, over demanding parents and clueless examining boards. It is the quickest and easiest way to get a good grade.

But, yes, the paper was unfair. It's the same story with my degree course at the moment, and i guess for any post-doc work i take too. And, i'll make a big general assumption that this was done in the 50s when the British education system was the force de rigeur that it obviously is not today…

look at what's reliable and popular, and with in your price bracket. I've just got a marin quake, which will be a bit much for your purposes. The lower travel models are worth looking at however.

sorry to hear about your purchase. But i can confirm that the vast majority of STWers are much better than that. I don't think i could afford to keep biking if it wasn't for the generosity shown in this forum.

for stw, orange 5 and on-one inbreds seem to be very popular.

I'd like the merlin malt to be nominated too. They were (until recently) great value and constantly well rated by the magazines. I'd love it to be the zaskar, but if it's not from the 90's it doesnt cut my cheese.

i like scapin, alot! Might warrant a holiday to italy, once i'm a high flying exec or bailed out b(w)anker…

ride down snowdon, in under 25minutes, down the bridleway

i meant for MTB, seeing as this is a mtb forum. just seems that reynolds have the bigger share of the market; trying to find out why.

i'd like a steel HT, would like it to be a columbus steel HT even more so. So long as it isn't a cove…

you're right, handjobs are! are there any other frames?

would not consider paying to test a bike, unless it was comparable to a full days hire. I'd rather put that extra money on upgrades, as i would want to try out other bikes to gain some perspective. Regardless, i only buy second hand and rarely exdemo, there are too many bargains on STW classifieds.

It would be a good idea to meet up with someone local who has the bike you want, and to swap bikes for a day. STW would be a good forum for that.

my mate's girlfriend goes on trips to edinburgh, milan and paris with her wealthy parent's card. He said she spent more in a day than he had in his bank account, including overdraft. Eek.

even microalloying makes a massive difference to the final properties

GT Hans 'No Way' Rey

Hopefully this worked. I still need to shorten and re-route the hoses, and cut the steerer (way too many spacers on atm) otherwise it's finished.

i have a 661 MX helmet. Kevlar/ carbon composite layered for low weight and controlled compression and fracture. Very nice, very comfy.

I found it difficult to get XXL mtb full face helmets, so MX was the only option. Came with d-ring fastening too, which i feel is more secure.

marin quakes are pretty cheap 2nd hand

chucking it down in goathland. not much snow left

course i'm not hans rey! though i try to be.