@b r:

All good!

As I said: I know exactly what you mean! German bikers tend to be either pure “CrossCountry-low and log stretched out”-racy types or hardcore downhillers. Less of the “fun-trail-long-travel hardtail”-variety.

So I am on a mission here! 🙂

Thanks, b r ! I do actually consider coming back. 🙂

Regarding the fireroads: I know exactly what you mean! And I am German.
I can only assume that they think of fireroads as being the more efficient and practical way to ride your bike… 🙄 😉

Just in case anybody cares for 1st-hand “longterm” experience with Magura Durin SLs:
– still very happy after 8 months
– moved back to South Germany: fork (and bike) proove to be very capable
– went for a 4 day trip to the alps: fork (and bike) coped well
– never serviced
– never adjusted set-up

2.4 Ardents must be the upper limit for clearance though and them rubbing on the bridge in more hefty “turning-and-compressing”-situations shows they are stiff but not über-stiff.

Wednesday night ride tonight. Half-way through helicopter seems to hover above us, flying circles, back with us for at least 10 minutes. We start joking about us wood vandals now being chased by the troops.

Towards the end of the ride on a narrow lane police car approaching, flashing lights.
“‘Evening.”
“Good evening officer.”
“Where does you lot come from at this time of day?”
“Uhm… the woods. Over there. Anything wrong with…”
“Did you see 2 young guys, black and olive clothes, eastern-european accent.”
“No…”
“Alright then.”
“Wait a minute, is that why the helicopter…?”
“Yep.”
“OK…”

How about this one?

Anyway, maybe…

…but there is no need to become…
!

😉

@bigrich: one picture can say more than 72,567 threads! 😉

If you feel the itch and these threads make you more itchy: scratch the itch! Easy.

If you don’t feel the itch don’t buy it and ignore all Soul titled threads. Easy.

🙂

… because

it’s everything they all say it is.

It may be boring. But true. And after reading umpteenth threads like this I bought one and never looked back.
A cliché? Well, if all clichés rode that well…

Difficult to make up one’s mind based on these kind of threads.

There are just too many variables:
people 1) ride differently on 2) different terrain with actually 3) different tyres even if it’s the same model (compound, width), on 4) different width rims and 5) pressure can make a huge difference, too AND nobody ever has the complete picture, because if they say “this the best tyre ever” you never know which tyre they have ridden in comparison etc. see the 5 variables above.

BUT you can try to get a rough picture and it’s always nice to read something that exactly corresponds with own experiences ! ->

If you have a smooth riding style you’ll like them, if you prefer to hit the corner hard and drop it on its ear they are not the tyre for you. They respond very well to controlled riding

So here’s my piece of variables
– had a pair of Nobby Nics evo 2.1 on hardtail
– in addition to what has been said: found them surprisingly good at sticking to humid sticky-clay-y soil
– never liked their “grips-better-than-you-think-but-you-can-never-be-completely-sure-about-it”-feel
– but again: it depends on how you ride!
– I ride mostly forest singletracks, packed to loose, sometimes sandy, few stones, some roots
– like to ride aggressive into corners, also like to thread like a needle through tight twitchy stuff, not very technical riding though
– run much lower pressure (below 2 bar) recently as new tyres (below) like that more than Nobby Nics

I have tested a few tyres recently and found 2.2 Purgatorys and especially 2.4 Ardent on the front much more to my liking.

So as I said: Difficult to make up one’s mind based on these kind of threads ’cause I can’t compare either as the Nics were 2.1, new tyres are wider and I (can) ride them with lower pressure… 🙄

Hope you get a picture nevertheless! Cheers! 🙂

A friend who knows my riding style and the terrain seconded the Rampage so I guess it will be that one.

Many thanks for all the good advise! One should have a library of tyres in the shed to choose from. 🙂

Cheers!

hock

😡 Oh no! It was meant to get easier not more confusing! 🙂

But I guess it’s in the nature of this kind of question that there is more than one answer.
So I will do some more research on the Panaracer and the Advantage which I didn’t have on my list yet.

More voices still appreciated!

Many thanks!

hock

Billys has Salsa, Surly, BMX… sold! 😀

Many thanks!

OK… maybe someone did a rigid build yet?
Apart from Cotic’s own Simple:

Pictures or impressions worth sharing?

bumpdibump… 😉

I think this one is medium

Hm, cycling apparel with attitude?!

Nope, I just want a casual looking shirt. For the moment.
Strg plus T, google “knee-high socks merino…” 😉

Thanks again for the links’n’hints!

Both excellent!

Many thanks – much appreciated!

hock

Wow! Thanks for the quantity and quality of replies!

And it’s kind of nice that it supports my initial idea of it:
– singlespeeding feels good (for anything really but also for your knee)
– I can see what’s meant with the “straightening up”-effect
– low cadence seated feels not good for your knees at all (you can feel it “working” the knee “apart”)
– dismounting is not a shame (but might be a hint to try another ratio)
– stretching is always a good idea, especially for cyclists

The bottom line is that you’re going to notice if the SS is hurting your knees, so stop and change things. It’s not something that’s going to jump out and mug you in 10 years time.

Ahh, that’s what I wanted to hear really! 😀

Main reason I asked is that I might move to a hillier area. But I might just be fine with adjusting the ratio. Better do that now to get used to the spinning then.

Many thanks to all!

hock

Hi bobalong,

very valuable information – many thanks!
5’10 and a Soul with fairly narrow bars here.
(Though no a dog. Yet.)

So should fit perfectly! 😉

Cheers!

Good point actually about being able to store the bike away from sight!
Might not be crucial every day but certainly doesn’t harm.

@bobalong:

so you say
1. medium cotic fits in current 3series touring with both wheels on without a problem

AND

2. if you take both wheels off it’ll fit in the boot with the luggage cover over it. And rear seats up? Seat post out?

I’m amazed but definitely like to believe it because 3-Series is a favourite! 🙂

Saw MK1 Focus 3-door and current Ka today in action – interesting!
Focus no problem with 1 wheel out. Ka took 2 bikes all wheels out.
But it also depends on how much you (have to) care about your interior.

Thanks for all the shared experience! Keep it coming!

hock

Many thanks so far!

And yes, Mondeo and 406 are certainly real estates with lots of useful boot space, much more sensible for this specific task then my compact live-style selection.

But I want some agility and fun handling, too.

So if I will default to taking out at least one wheel anyway: how does a Golf 5-door hatch cope with accommodating a bike with just the front wheel taken out, rear and seatpost in place? I don’t even dare to ask how the Clio 3-door hatch copes. BMW 1-Series anyone? Old or new style?

Many thanks!

Good point in favour of 3×10 from Cy from Cotic here.

(…) I’m a long time triple chainring user. It seems somewhat unfashionable these days, but I’ve never run into trouble with wrecking outer chainrings, so a bashring hasn’t really been necessary. When I’ve used double/bash set ups before I’ve either found them noisy and unreliable (32t largest chainring, constantly bouncing out of gear on the 11 or 12t sprockets at the back, noisy chain slapping on the chainstay despite being very tight for the setup), or I’ve not at all got on with the big jump between front ratios (on a 22/38 where I found it very hard to deal with the big gap when dropping from 38 to 22). So, I’ve always come back to a triple, usually 22/32/42. It suits my spinny pedalling style, and I HATE pushing my bike up anything, I like the challenge of a techy climb, and sometimes (whisper it) I’m so tired from a long ride I can’t push a gear any bigger than that, so 22/34 is lovely thanks.

At the other end, as soon as the trail points downwards, I like running in the big ring/middle of the cassette which keeps the chain nice and tight and quiet and out of the way of the frame. I prefer this. On my hardtail I can push an even bigger gear really slowly to help calm the bike down over rocky sections (it’s one of the keys to going quick on a hardtail in my experience), and on a full sus you get much less pedal kickback effects in the big ring so your suspension actually works better. It’s a minor thing, but doing what I do, I like knowing that.

In between I like small jumps between chainrings which make managing gears on climbs easier, and whilst lots of gears means lots of duplication, it also means much closer ratios by-and-large, and I like that too.

and also worthwhile mentioning in this context

However, I’m not trying to win you over to my way of thinking at all. Most of the guys I ride with use double/bash. Yet another group I know have a lot of singlespeeders. My point is that I don’t go around pointing and sneering at them for their drivetrain choices, and neither should anyone else sneer at mine.

Apropos brown suede shoes:

I had these in their days. Really good shoe, helpful heel velcro fastener, but didn’t last long. Have to admit that suede is better for the cafe than being covered in mud and soaked in sweat on a regular basis…

Same here! Vintage brown suede Louis Garneau shoes based on the old Shimano SH-M110 sole.

Sadly died recently, so now have half-white Specialized Rimes (all black version only available outside UK…). Good shoe and white starts to “fade” away now, so will be dirty and okay soon.

Look what they have/had abroad:

Exactly! The Mavic shoes! What were they thinking? Next iPod yellow?!

In any case the marketing dude responsible for GB must be especially trend-happy.
Or think of Britain as being the land of fashionistas. Or fashion victims. 🙂
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Then again it can get worse…
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EDIT: at least IMHO 😳

very white though! 😉

Funny thing about Specialized and GB really.
What must they be thinking about British taste? 😉

Because they do absolutely positively offer non-white alternatives of most shoes outside these greener shores. US, EU, you name it.

Just choose different country in the top right of the Specialized HP and – magic – you’ve got the choice!

BG Pro

Funny enough they offer different, newer shoes, too.
E.g. these lovely BOA-endowed S-Works Evo MTB shoes.

Again in two colours.

Have a look at their US country version shoe section. And for ordering purposes the German or French version etc. have more or less the same diversity of choices. So continental retailers should be able to help.

A bit of a pitty for UK retailers, though. 😕

zat kant be fine, kan it?! it mite be ze vrong moment… 😕 🙂

I’ve got 975 XTRs. It’s been two times now that they were “suddenly” up against the bars between rides. Just as you describe.

2nd time it happened I noticed an oily lever. There must be a leak in the lever area, oil gets out, air gets in when I put the bike upside-down for a repair/clean.

Maybe same with yours?

I’ve got 975 XTRs. It’s been two times now that they were “suddenly” up against the bars between rides. Just as you describe.

2nd time it happened I noticed an oily lever. There must be a leak in the lever area, oil gets out, air gets in when I put the bike upside-down for a repair/clean.

Maybe same with yours?

Thanks for the link!

Funny enough my M975 XTR brakes have a blueish-grey coating similar to Hope’s gunsmoke… 😕
But they will go anyway. No good travel or bite point adjust.

yep, XTRs very stealthy! maybe I’ve got to look 2nd hand to:
– find finishing kit from suppliers that tried to jump on the XTR-grey bandwagon in those years
– or abrased former black components

🙂

While Hope’s blue-ish gunsmoke might work with the tbc later blue-green colour of the frame it’s not going to match well with either the current custard nor the stealthy grey rims AND the seatpost comes in black only…

So let’s google anodisersteve and if he can due a true gunmetal colour or such like and how costly it is because if it starts to get a little more complicated/silly I will just default to good old black and happily live with some minor miss-matching of some sort…

Looking for a stiff, yet light and reasonably priced suspension fork that lends itself to be run stiffly sprung: 100mm travel, around £250, sub 3.5lbs, stiff, low maintenance

First of all THANK YOU for giving feedback in this thread and especially to those who suggested to consider Magura’s Durin! After extracting your input I thought I’d give you quick feedback on the result and what a RESULT it is.

First ride with my MY11 Durin SL yesterday:
– stiff ——————————– yep! subjectively not less than my rigid carbons 🙂
– light/sub 3.5lbs —————- 3.04lbs/1380grms! 😛
– around £250 ——————- incl. shipping 8)
– 100mm travel —————— absolutely 😉
– can be run stiffly sprung —- perfect with 20% sag 😈

I’m not saying that this is the best fork or anything because I do not have much comparison (and it might still wee oil on my feet next week or fall apart next month) BUT for me and as far as I know after my first loop through my local woods it is just great! does everything I want it to, love the looks, easy set-up (only rebound and spring load 😳 ) -> very happy customer!

And it makes me love my Soul even more. Which is interesting because I was quite apprehensive if 100mm suspension would ruin the ride again (didn’t like 120mm for my riding, got on well with 440mm rigids). But it doesn’t! The Soul is now as good as everybody is always saying! It gained some elasticity when thrown into bends, springs out of them, is even more confidence inspiring. It feels like you can sling it into anything and the give from the forks combined with the flex from the frame will sort you out, provides more grip and some more leeway. It’s a truly great ride! All I hoped for!

The bike will eventually get the gears from my old bike and be my do-all-go-anywhere bike!
THANKS again for your input! Happy hock here! 😀

P.S.: Breaking news (for those who – like me – lived in a cave last 5 MTB years 😉 ) – short stem myths verified! -> running 70mm, thought higher fork would make me want longer stem, but works fine, still feel enough over the front to get positive turn-in and traction. 🙂

P.P.S.: If you tell me the easiest and quickest way to upload pictures (somewhere save, without sacrifying more privacy than necessary, i.e. making it easy to separate the family, lawn etc. pics from the bike pics so that you don’t comment on my whole life) I might even share one of the current build. 😉
Googling “My Soul picture page” …

Hm, I see myseld defaulting to carbon stem, post, bars.
Not really grey but at least not pitch black either.

Bumpdibump…

Stealth grey seems to have it’s heyday then, hey?! 😐
Cranks could be older XTRs. 😀

Bumpdibump…

This edgy bad beast of a stem on my luvly slim and round steel frame? 😯

No way! 😉

bacon roll and the tea in a blender

😆

he may be asking why your limiting yourself to CYB (and possibly a trail centre)

Yes, may be. Well, I only have limited time and want to focus on one area (or two) rather than superficially nipping into several (and spending more time driving between places than riding).

But thanks for pointing out more in the direct CYB area. Staying in one place for two nights is also less hassle.

🙂

Can I just check something, do people actually wear baggies without padded lycra shorts underneath??? That seriously makes no sense to me. Why would you do that to yourself?

Why anyone would ride around without padded shorts on is a mystery to me.

Baggies over sport briefs in summer, tights over sport briefs when cold. No pads whatsoever.

Why?

1) I don’t want some kind of bulging nappy between me and the saddle
Ever noticed these godsend saddles with that pressure relieve groove along the middle?
Why would you want to fill that groove with foam from your shorts?
Same applies to those “comfortable” saddles with soft padding by the way. Terribly uncomfortable they are!
Luckily I don’t have any chaffing issues, well padded natural leather skin I suppose.

2) these pads provide no control of your private parts at all
They don’t! It’s either in the way on the left or on the right. Or both. While good anatomic briefs merge everything in one central somewhat elevated position. If you know what I mean.

Anatomy seems to be a very individual thing! 😕 😉

What I still don’t get: why would you want to wear 2 shorts over each other (lycra shorts plus baggies). But I sense it’s the need for the padding… Why not try padded liners or padded boxers..?

If you don’t need the pad, just private bits-control and moisture management, then this might be an option: Falke Underwear

And half the price of the padded merino Raphas.