Thanks people, a day in the woods with the pump is inevitable but it’s good to hear what other riders do to set up their forks.

I’ve gone for 80-, 90+ to give more cush, but keep the bob out (maybe) and will tweak and add from there. They seem more lively than my 100-, 105+ ratio but only riding will tell.

I tried 100-, 85+ and they seemed less responsive than the 100/105. Reading about progressive vs linear makes me think I can run softer and still have some jump absorbency in reserve.

Just to clear it up, what happens when you bottom out? I imagine some kind of damage occurs internally, or does the force just transfer through the bars?

Mine are firm on the rooty climbs, track nicely when there’s some momentum and a clumsy landing will suck through 70% and then recover. When I say clumsy I mean too nosed and unbalanced.

Maybe I should have more faith in the fork, but I like uphill too so want it fairly firm without the need for lockout.

Any other’s experiences? I know it’s trial and error but the anecdotes help contextualise the adjustments.

Stanmer+1, also Wild Park if you fancy some descending. If you are local and don’t know the trails in Stanmer there are many for you to unearth. Some of the trees have tiny reflective markers on for some night time fun!

Ditchling=open terrain xc,
Stanmer=paths, windy singletrack (also leads to Ditchling Beacon), some jumps, technical singletrack
Wild Park=mild DH (steep in parts but not fully DH bike worthy), jumps, little bit of north shore, berms etc.

It’s no Glentress, but we’re pretty lucky to have a diverse range to choose from round ‘ere.

Risspeck!

I have found that being on the whippety end of weight the extra faffy bits on my revs let me have a fork that suit me. I think it depends on how close you are to the average weight/style of rider the fork would be built around. If you are Joe average, then the settings will deviate little from factory preset. If you are a little eccentric in your riding/physique then the tuning will be noticeable.

I never use lockout on the trail (good bob defense should eliminate this unless you’re competing), but I do think height adjustment (like u turn) could be welcome. I’ve found a fairly all round setting for my dual air which still has enough absorption for bigger hits.

I don’t claim to be an expert, these are just my experiences!

Yes, but I’d make use of my lack of reality to get 2! One for looksies, one for ridesies.

Come up with your own thing, it’s a respray so get something else going on it. It means square one again but will be properly unique instead of a limited edition.

4 is so bad it’s good but I like clashing.

I’d chrome it, with my birthday digits in an inconspicuous place like the back of the seattube.

Graphene frame (look it up, it’s the shizzle), which would also have the capacity to house computer magic bits in the fabric of the frame. Therefore computer display in the toptube. It lights up too, with the capacity for internal battery holding in the tubing for night duty.

Non stick mud ejecting coating, vast tyre clearance and a gizmo which adjusts the BB height without adjusting the travel front or back.

Half rear end like a lefty (it’s graphene, so 200 times stronger than steel) with adjustable geometry allowing different wheel sizes to be used without needing wasted frame; longer travel 26″ or shorter 29″. Twinned with an adjustable height fork you’ve got a lot of options. Nothing clamping around the frame, everything integrated. Cables/hoses internally routed (but easy to replace/adjust).

Well, while I’m inventing: my name on the inside of the chainstay (in that safe but slightly radioactive glow in the dark stuff). Concealed drivetrain and flared tubing to function as mudguards, it would be a crime to attach them to such a beast.

Pure adjustable stealth :twisted:

It’s great that they’re being skilled constructively, but not so great that the secret veil of dismantling has been lifted. We all know 5 minutes+multitool=most of the bits off of your bike. Now they do too!

Then again anyone can find this out with some interest or motivation to do so as we have. Also the number of thieves who may also be riders could be quite high for the above reason.

People who feel like have-nots will try and become haves one way or another. Teaching them a skill may help use their time, improve self esteem and sense of achievement.

As said in Spiderman “with great power comes great responsibility.”

:lol: Great vid

The above is sound advice, I have a double omelette (2 sets of eggs) and read this with reluctant attention. I take it the warranty has passed? 6 pairs of pedals 8O you have quite the habit!

http://www.sram.com/_media/techdocs/95-4015-022-000%20print.pdf

Positive air:

high pressure makes the fork harder to bottom out and reduces sag, low pressure=more sag, easier to bottom out. Set this based on your weight (table in link/on your fork)

Negative air:

works against the positive (which is why it shouldn’t be more than 15 psi more inflated). Higher negative air makes your fork easier to compress (good for small bumps) higher positive air makes it less prone to pedal bob but less sensitive to the small stuff.

Set the positive relative to your weight, then the negative relative to that value with your terrain in mind. I think I’ve got my negative air 5psi higher than my positive.

Happy pumping!

Anyone looking at your knees long enough to then dislike them is going to criticise something else about you anyway. It’s the nature of the heckling tw*t. I reckon there are more efficient/comfy ways of insulating yourself and I personally don’t think XC warrants pads due to the low risk. But if you are riding where there are frequent bail opportunities it probably isn’t XC!

If you’re likely to leak, lag the pipes. Base layer tights+knee warmers may do the job in a faster drying and less chafy way.

Bang. And the questionnaire is complete.

I’m not Barry Scott.

I’d also include pics of pro riders with helmets on. That way the “you wear one cos your crap at riding” thing doesn’t wash. Any DH rider looks like a power ranger, many DJ lads have lids on and most XC chaps have a typical vented sculpture on their noggins. Danny Mcaskill rocks the helm, Berrecloth, Athertons, Gracia etc.

Raleigh Mustang+1. Blue and white, single speed (way ahead of the game), riser bars, 16″ wheels. My first bike! :mrgreen:

Awesome!

knobby bits on the outside?! I expected this level of useful hintage. Thanks guys!

Thanks, I’ll stick my flats on and find some grass. I think once I know how to jump out of it (like skateboarding) it’ll be far easier to commit.

Can’t do either, feel like a **** practising and mainly ride trails so rarely need to anyhow. Or do I? Is there some kind of embarrassed men’s one wheel club?

Oh, and I have eggbeaters which is not helping me want to try!

Just to add to the mix, prior to going for the Meta (the better choice for me with hindsight), I did consider the Commencal Skin. It’s a sexy XC race bike worth a peek too. I’m more of a clumsy trail rider so didn’t want the stress every time I have a ding!

I have a Meta, I can’t help but think the climbing ability would be compromised be keeping the travel the same. Is there a U-turn 29er fork you could set to 80mm for up? Excuse me for not following, but why would you need the coil shock? Is it to give you more travel in the back to match the front?

I used a bit of road bar tape to get the catcher off the cables. Until I gave up and got a bender fender front and back, far better :wink:

Is the chubby rubber to aid the rigid cutlery up front? Looks pretty trippy, I think I like it. Also the towel rail, structural or aesthetic? I can’t tell whether you’ve a 29 or a 26 out back, it’s dwarfed by that house squasher on the front!

Ewe must get the odd double take on that :mrgreen:

Chopped my bars to make room for myself among the trees/brambles/barbed wire etc and now miss the width! My levers/shifter/GD switch feel a little crowded but I reckon going back to big bars will make me feel like a barge in the woods. Bloody fettling!

So what’s the consensus about climbing; wide or narrow better? Out of the saddle wide feels nice, but I don’t know so much about the sat down equivalent. Mikey reckons his breathing is aided, others agree?

I read some guys were doing this to their deep Vs on the fixed gear forum. Patience, wet & dry glasspaper (sandpaper to your man on the street) and progression through the coarseness grades. When you start getting into the really high number grades it just needs finishing with a buffer.

Does require a fair bit of elbow grease and commitment!

Sandblasting may be an option as this should get into the nooks and crannies that glasspaper may not.

Thanks again z1ppy! Once more you have shed light on the situation :mrgreen:

Maybe (I think what you’re doing fits the bill anyway) get insured and as long as your locking procedure follows their rules, they can do what they will and you’ll get your compensation.

There is no real answer, but that shotgun thing looks good!Oops, spilled the Saxa :lol:

Those on-one carbon hardtails look quite fetching, don’t know whether they live up to their fetchingness though!

When I said weight the fork, I meant – don’t lean away from the hazard and lean back so your front wheel skitters!

“Bit of weight on the fork” Jesus, anyone riding with their hands on the bars will have a bit weight on the fork! If you have a stigma to an obstacle your body language will put your balance and bike off. A more committed stance will see you through. Hence me also describing the unweighting of the bike. It’s contradictory when taken literally, as it has been. Hit the thing with conviction and you’ll probably make it, a rearward hesitant stance will reduce the tyre’s ability to track. Maybe it’s because where I ride it’s more of a drdrdrdrdr sequence of roots than a donk…donk…donk so the lifty method doesn’t work. Hence the agreed with; unweight balanced approach.

I should have just said MTFU :twisted:

Bit of weight on the fork, “chin up!” and expect to slide. Don’t pretend it won’t happen but if you expect badness, badness will abound. Unweighting the bike evenly will also help you roll over instead of into them. Once your fronts over, the back can do what it likes really!

But yes, they bother me too :D

At least they have helmets on.

Well presented argument there z1ppy, I may well have a punt.

Always ride with a condom on. You just never know.

It’s interesting to consider the whole attitude to safety. I’m talking the lights used, hi-vis/reflectives, road conduct (running reds, etc) as it’s a whole issue.

You could have a helmet on and ride like a ****, or be super cautious with a hi-vis and lights without a helmet.

I am not saying we all need to hi-vis, but it’s a moral argument about a component of behaviour. We can preach our plastic hats to the unwitting vain pedaler, but how safe is your own bonce-protected riding?

Oh, and riding like you’re incapable is just inviting it to happen. I think the motorist will see you and think “bloody cyclists” regardless of your trousers, swerving, helmet or impeccable cadence. Ride confidently, with a strong presence in a safe manner.

Just to add that to the conversational soup :mrgreen:

I am stumped by the sea of lumen emitting shiny things! The prospect of a hazardous charger freaks me out, can the 18650s be removed from the battery case, charged in a UK intended charger and re-installed? If not, is there something like that about? I’ve been considering a 2×18650 (double battery) Trustfire on a bike mount.

Recommended :wink:

+1 Bender fender, they’ve improved it too! Keeps my stanchions and shock clean-ish, the rest I just wipe off as you would anyway.

Depends on whether it’s mud or water you need shielding from?

I used to love the mudguard, but the MTFU set in when my Rear guard snapped off-the bouncer compressed on landing and divorced the mudguard forthwith.

I quite like the look of the Magicshine (assuming it’s the same), but don’t fancy the fire hazard of the charger. Has this been addressed or are you just taking the gamble?

You wear one on the trail (I assume…) but there are far more uncontrollable variables on the road. I didn’t used to wear one before I “got into” cycling, but now it’s up there with having a saddle. You don’t have to have one but a lot of bad things can be prevented by keeping it involved. Unless you trials (but they generally have helmets on!)

By not protecting yourself you are creating a burden to the emergency services who have enough on their plate! Get over the vanity, you are perceived for such a short duration when pedalling that the presence of a lid won’t really sway the approval/disapproval of that oh-so-important stranger.

Last time I looked the Sun was the most popular source of info on a daily basis, ergo random stranger is likely to be fairly simple anyway and probably dislike you for something else! (I am exaggerating, but you get my point)