It’s an awesome bike that encourages hooligan behaviour only usually found on full-suss bikes. I recently sold mine and got a 456 Ti, and whilst I love the On-One and it is an all-round better bike, there are occaisions I miss the Stiffee.
Yes it’s pretty brutal for anything longer than a couple of hours thrashing but you’ll either have a huge smile on your face or be nursing a few injuries after it’s encouraged you to do something stupid!!

Toons – which wingnut pack do you have? Tested the 2.5 this weekend but want one for all-day rides so am thinking enduro or adventure.

Second Morvern – go “round the back” up the landrover track and “down the front” on some awesome rocky singletrack.

Try the Wingnut packs – best of both worlds??

Cheers v10. Have sent an email to Mojo to ask. Would it be possible to chop one of the spacers up, to give say 10-15mm of reduction?

Cheers for the replies. Can you adjust by anything other than 30mm incremenets, and does it drop the a-c height?

Just tested the 3.0 this weekend and reckon same size as camelbak mule but much more comfy. Will prob order one of the larger ones from Head for the Hills (no stock though).

Pikes here too @ 140mm but am tempted to try something longer. I have some coil U-Turn Lyrics on another bike that I might try which will allow experimentation between 115mm and 160mm.

Good to know. I need to order a new head tube badge and some decals so good to know they’ll deliver promptly.

Considered a Turner? Bushings seem to last forever even in UK conditions. My 4yr old 5-Spot is just having a new set but only because I’m having the frame resprayed.

456 with Pikes rocks. Not ridden a Soul but find it difficult to believe it could be as much fun. Try the longer forks first.

I heard the next delivery is due in at the end of this month.

I’ve recently bought a Ti frame (On One) and I have to say I’m loving it. In fact just got back from a cracking night ride and still buzzing.

I also have a couple of full suss bikes (4-6″ travel) and when I’ve ridden them recently have wished I was out on the hardtail instead, but then again the Surrey Hills aren’t the rockiest place in the world!

Have an LOCT – it’s awesome. Amazing what you can ride offroad with confidence. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

For what you describe, the Ibis Mojo would be the best bike I’ve ridden that would fit the bill, closely followed by a Titus Motolite. New DW 5-Spot would be too heavy (great bike though) and the old versions a bit lighter but not as snappy under acceleration. Never been a fan of VPP designs (although admit I’ve not ridden the 2nd generation), and whilst think the Yeti is a great-looking bike, prefer other designs over single-pivot.

I had this problem with one specific set of wheels where the hub seems very slightly too short. I solved this problem by inserting a nylon washer from b&q between the hub and fork. Not elegent but worked. Using the same set of wheels (Rovals) I had the same issue with Magura Thors but not with Pikes. My conclusion is that the way the Maxle works on the Pikes takes in this “slack” that other forks don’t.

Check out On-One – should be able to pick one up in their sale.

Freeborn sold out of Roval Traversee with no new deliveries expected until June so that narrows it down a bit!

Thanks Ian. They certainly fulfil the pimp factor!

I have both the ML and a HL 5-Spot. As already noted, the ML has steeper angles, and is less plush over the small stuff, but the upside of this is it feels more efficient, accelerating better. In comparison, the 5-Spot is plusher, more laid back, but a bit slower in acceleration. I don’t think either is “better” – just depends on your preference.
I would say, however, that the DW design does give the best of both worlds, being both efficient and plush. This is based on having ridden both an Ibis Mojo and the new 5-Spot.

Cheers for the input. Fair point re: custom wheels – my current wheels are C K hubs with Stans Flow rims on DT Supercomp which come in at around the same weight as the DT 1750’s and the 09 SX’s, but not as light as the Rovals. C K and Pro II’s are about the same weight but obviously cheaper. Having a couple of sets means whilst the availability of parts for factory wheels is a good point, I’ll always have a second set to fall back on.

My original aim was to learn to build my own, but got really annoyed that it would cost more to buy the parts and build myself than to buy a pair custom-built! I’m still keen to learn, so am keeping an eye out for 2nd hand bits.

i9’s could be interesting, problem is that limited distributors (think it’s just riding along that are the only stockists) means limited discounting, making them pretty expensive compared to other options.

Looks like vote is for Roval or Mavic SX’s.

I’ve got an exogrid Ti one I picked up off ebay a year or so ago. It’s a cracking bike for general trail duties. It feels very efficient for a 4-Bar compared to say a Turner, but the trade-off is it is not super-plush over the small stuff. Feels very controlled on the bigger hits though.

nukeproof – I bought a bashring this week (paid full price – d’oh) and the black one that states it covers a 34t chainring doesn’t. So it’s going back. Light though.

I can spend hours looking at maps and find that after a while you can build up a great mental picture of an area you’ve never been to, which can help on the ground. However, I do understand those who hate the stop-start of reading a map and biking. The trick is to build up your “map memory” – again something that grows over time.

I did 2 night rides in the Lakes over New Year in an area I’d never ridden before. We got lost a couple of times, but navigating and working out the correct route just added to the huge satisfaction of night riding in such an awesome area.

I do ride regularly with someone who can’t read a map for toffee, and even after riding the same trails over and over still doesn’t know where he is!!

BTW Women CAN read maps, they just have to keep turning them round to face the direction of travel!!

Apparently has the bond girl from quantum of solace in it. Russell Crowe filming a bit further west in Surrey at the moment (Puttenham).

You may find the 120’s too short. I prefered my 05 Spot with slacker angles so ran a Pike @ 130mm with the stock rockers and a Z1 Light with the 5.5″ rockers.

Having ridden both, Pikes are stiffer than 20mm Revs.

Surprised you have problems. Have them on my new DW Spot (and previously a load of other bikes) and love them. They are sensitive to the pre-load air pressure, and I found they need a bit more than Marz recommends. From memory I tend to run 30-40psi on mine and I weigh ~175lbs.

Not tried black sharks but have ridden trailrakers which look to have a similar profile. I much prefer medusa / swampthing, mainly because I find them much more predictable on firmer trails. Whilst they aren’t as good as the more aggressive mud tyres in pure mud, they are just as good on wet roots, loose stuff etc, and much better on drier surfaces. It means I don’t find myself changing tyres as soon as it dries out, as I did with trailrakers.

I’ve got a Ti full suss – an exogrid Titus Motolite. It’s a stunning bike – almost a work of art. It rides very well too, but can’t say it’s any better than ali. I bought it as it was a bit of a bargain on Ebay! Very happy with it, and despite becoming more of a serial bike swapper recently, it’s a keeper. Not sure I’d pay full retail for one though!

Got one on a 5-Spot – it’s replaced a C K as I needed a lower stack height. As you say, looks nice, is light, uses a proper split ring unlike C K so shouldn’t score your steerer. Too early to tell re: how long it lasts!

Get a map – much better stuff outside the trail centres (IMHO of course :D)

Not as stiff as Pikes imho but obviously a bit lighter.

Agreed dealing with Magura is a mixed experience. Only after hassling the UK sales rep did I get any joy on replacement.

Mine didn’t like a week of freezing conditions in the lakes and feel like they need a service. Seem more reliable than the Wotans they replaced though! Performance-wise, the reviews are spot-on – light and stiff, but blow through the travel unless you use the Albert platform. Travel adjust lever is ugly too.

Very nice indeed. A couple of frames appeared on ebay recently and was mighty tempted but don’t think it would have flown at home so to speak!

One q – surely given the type of bike, 2-ring + bash would suit better?

Might find running a 36 with the standard 22 would be a big jump. I’m running a 24t with a middleburn 36 on mine with a straitline bash. Take care with the inners though as the XTR ones are a bit funny with spacers. I got an XTR 960 from CRC which does the trick nicely.

Although it may sound like marketing bollocks, the_lecht_rocks is spot on when it comes to the ti456. Having had 3 rides on mine I know exactly what he means, and the bike is an absolute riot to ride; on certain sections of singletrack, it really was hairs on the back of the neck stuff.

Got mine to work ok on Mavic UST rims + sealant.

No problems with mine and NN 2.25 UST’s. Love em.