Rog is a great bloke and very handy on a bike too. Have often dropped a bike in to have brakes bled, hoses shortened, on a Saturday and they've done it within an hour or so.

Funnily enough I posted again recently as am off again end of May. The road riding is very good and much more accessible than the offroad, but the offroad is very good when you find it.
We're in Soller this time so I'm going to hire a road bike for the two weeks and then do the odd offroad with Andy at Tramontana Tours.

Second the 853 Evil Sov – simply awesome!

I have a Slopestyle which I absolutely love. The way it slings you out of berms and pings you off jumps is awesome, and hugely confidence-inspiring. I'm also looking at getting a Socom for more full-on downhill.

I've heard stuff about frame alignment, and have to admit mine looks a bit off, and there is flex in the rear, but the way it rides is awesome.

Just asked a similar question over on Southerndownhill Forum as am looking at getting some POC stuff. I guess this can't be described as "good value" but someone suggested the new Oneil stuff which uses the same technology but is a lot cheaper.

Sram mechs work fine – have an X9 on mine no problems.

convert – have a DW Spot with 160mm Floats and a Ti456 with 150mm Floats (32's) and don't have any problems switching between the two.

Build your own. That way you can start with something that's just a fraction out of your comfort zone and keep getting bigger. Worked for me for both kickers and drops.

Smacked into that in my car the other night – thought I would have trashed the tyre and dented the rim as didn't see it until the last minute. Thankfully all seems ok. Drove past it again on Saturday and my wife commented on how dangerous it was and how the council should be more on top of these things.
Get well soon, then sue the lazy gits!

Rode Pitch, Holmbury etc today, and whilst brilliant fun, it was quite depressing how many of the trails have suffered straight lining. Part of the problem is people insist on riding stuff like Xmas Pudding all year round, and then bypass the muddy puddles which when dry create the character of the trail but instead straitline them. T1 is a case in point. Given the number of riders now regularly turning up I guess there's nothing that can be done but depressing nonetheless.

geetee – just bought an evil sovereign off Ebay. Awesome bike around the Surrey Hills. Never ridden a BFe so can't really compare, but wonder if you need the slack angles / ability to run 160mm forks around here?
You're welcome to try mine if you like.

I think people get carried away with the weight thing – done in by weights that appear in brochures that are achieved by weighing without pedals (why do they do this ffs – the only bike designed to be used without pedals is my 3yr old's Scoot), skinny tyres, short seatposts etc.

In the real world, I've found bikes always end up weighing more than I think they would – my Titus Titanium Exogrid is fully blinged up with XTR, Roval wheels, R1 brakes etc and still weighs about 26lbs. That said, it has riser bars, chunky tyres, a sturdy fork, and as such can take a hammering through the Lakes no problem.

OP – looks great – enjoy! Like the fact that Foes are doing something different still.

I'm 5'10" and had the same dilema when I got my 456 Ti last year. I spoke to Brant who said for all-day stuff get the 18" but for larking about for a few hours get the 16". I went with the 16" and run it with 150mm Floats, 70mm stem, and a 410mm layback Thomson and reckon it's spot-on.

I rarely look at new bike threads, but glad I did on this one. Awesome bike! I just built up my 853 Sov I got off Ebay (sub £300 including Thomson post and Hope clamp) and absolutely love it – it is a real hooligan bike encouraging really leary riding.
I'm not one for trick riding, but it is the only bike I can wheelie to any great extent, and can slide the back end around with feet still on the pedals at will. It also does two wheel drifts very nicely despite the short wheelbase, and it loves to change direction by lifting the front wheel rather than steering, which is fun!
I think these are destined to become cult classics as I suspect given the original cost there aren't that many around.
Only thing I've found is with a relatively steep HA it gets a bit twitchy on the realy steep stuff. Otherwise totally brilliant. I'd get some flat pedals mind!

Puttenham Common – it's Surrey Hills with fewer bikers, and quiet enough I can build some cheeky stuff hidden away!! Oh – and it's right outside my front door!

Not a fan of the headsets. They are a pain to fit (even with a headset press), and then went rusty.
At least 2pure seem good on the service & warrantee side.

I bought a green 853 frame off Ebay recently and finally got to build it up a couple of weeks ago, and haven't ridden anything else since! It is an awesome frame!! It encourages hooligan riding that only my Intense Slopestyle gets close to! For once, the reviews in MBUK are spot-on regarding the wheels rarely being on the ground at the same time or pointing in the same direction. It makes me laugh outloud, and lets me drop my riding buddy on twisty singletrack. Just brilliant!

The only downside being quite heavy made me wonder about a Ti version too.

I love this bike!!!!!

Ride a Spot with a Float 36 and never wind it down. The DW link props the back of the bike up when climbing so you don't get the same need to reduce fork travel as with some other designs.

I love it coz it smells of cake!!

Could well be WMB, although that too has rolled over to May so not in the shops anymore.

agent – rode with Andy last year and top bloke – definitely intend to hook up with him again.

Any pics flatlander? Am thinking of some for my 5 spot.

Do it! The DW Spot is warranteed for 160mm forks and IMHO rides all the better with them. The relaxed head angle gives a bit more confidence for drops, jumps, etc and the higher bb isn't really noticable.

When I first built mine I ran Lyrics before swapping to 36 Floats to lose a bit of weight. Otherwise they were awesome.

I spent a day there a few months' back and loved it. As a first visit, there was plenty there for 3-4 hours riding, although it is definately ride down / push back up, so is a case of taking the "biggest" bike you've got.
I hope the meeting tonight results in some sensible conclusions, because it's a cracking venue. Whilst I'm a bit closer than the OP, I'd still be hard pressed to justify £70/year as I can't see me using it that often.

PS Video clip on youtube (user 5spotty) from our visit.

Even the UST ones aren't the best at holding air!

Pedalhead ……. was it this one……

Agreed – cracking day!!

Do a search on here…mate of mine JPCapel has a proto frame and posted a few thoughts vs Mk1 a month or so ago.

Was going to limit myself to just 3, then 4, then 5….now just bought No. 8!!

It's great for kids on bikes with no gears!!

Got one. As per reviews, power and spread of light are good, as is the colour. Head unit is nice and light for helmet use, although mine is usually on the bars. Good quality switch / connectors / battery pack etc. Only criticism is the bar mounting can move sometimes on drops etc.

Gary_C – don't worry about getting the large. My mate and I are both 5'10 ish. I've got the large (on the recommendation of DT himself) and my mate has the medium. In terms of riding positon you can't tell the difference – he has a 70mm stem I have a 50mm stem. Both use Joplin posts. He has hi-rise bars I have low-rise. The result is an almost identical positioning on the bike.

Got 09 Floats on the 5-Spot and 09 Vans on the Intense SS. I love both forks but for me the key is to match whats on the rear. 5-Spot has an RP3 whilst the SS has a Coil DHX.

We're going to be there with our 2, along with another family. Making a weekend of it in Ludlow. Can't wait!

I'm assuming they've done a deal with the importers to clear out all the 09 frames so they don't have them hanging around with in the dealer network. Would explain why they're waiting on delivery.

a 456 with 150mm fox floats comes out slack enough.

Got to be white……..

Mike – yes one and the same! He's loving it. I'll try and get him on here to post more detailed thoughts.

Mate of mine (JPCapel on here) is currently riding a proto of the new frames, having swapped it from his 1yr old PA. He's loving the new frame – it's lighter, more springy, and generally an all-round more involving ride.
I've had a quick blast on it back-to-back with my Ti 456 and agree it's a very nice bike.

Head for the Hills in Dorking expect to have the demo Ibis HD passing through their shop some time in April. Have asked Roger to let me know so I can have a go. Used to have an Ibis Mojo but was a bit too small and I cracked 2 rear triangles! Rode brilliantly though.

Despite the Canfield looking great and having some good reviews, it's never taken off in the UK and consequently there is no brand recognition as such and therefore no second hand market. A guy has been trying to sell a downhill Canfield recently with no luck at all.
For me would be the Ibis, although worth noting the old-style Intense Slopestyle can be built up into an XC-able bike (just) and can be had cheap from CRC.

As a follow on from my earlier post, I removed mine from my bike yesterday and was v unimpressed. Surfaces heavily rusted, bearing seal popped out, was as difficult to uninstall as it was to install, and the pinch collar had corroded so was difficult to get out. Won't be buying another one thats for sure.

Anyone happen to know if the original 853 frame is supposed to have a shimmed seatpost? Frame arrived today and am well pleased, but comes with a shimmed Thomson post and wondering if that was original spec.

Don't think so. But if it helps, I run the 2.35" single ply with wire rims as a tubeless set-up and works v well.