wouldn’t mix well with the regular hit’n’spray on the local dog walker trails though
similar colour spectrum mind

Rubharb & custard special…..lickable.

The custard being the overlap between Cotic and Singular colour schemes…
…though thinking of it I can see builders-tea coloured Swift and an espresso Buzzard, no?!

Specialized ‘The Captain’ S-Works 2.0 running with tubes and not a problem.
…but come to think of it I didn’t have to touch the tyres yet (came on wheels, no puncture yet)

Sorry not helpful… take it as a bumper!

Not singlespeedable?

if it’s not singlespeedable enough for you there’s always the Cotic Simple !?

if I read the mtbr thread correctly it will get a shorter stem and wider bars.

Somebody (Sam111) has posted up a link to theirs on Pinkbike on bol’s thread over there >>>>> (mtbr)

Link to Solaris pics on pinkbike.com[/url]

Beautiful pictures of a stunning bike.
Like it even more now!

If PP doesn’t pop up soon, drop him an email.. IIRC it wasn’t a cheap repair but get this info and make your own choice as to whether it worth it to you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/sets/72157606218858424/

😯 worth it !

Hi oldgit,

indeed! It was a MGB GT that made me look for a suitable Pantone paint code, must have been Florentine Blue then. Thanks for the colour chart! 🙂

– a Cotic can do Kawasaki-green all day
– a Singular (as we know them) works better in a slightly more staid tone

I like them both! 🙂

It sure did! Not sure though if it would work on a Singular.

though you might have difficulties justifying another blue-ish hue…

In this case a really strong warm yellow (but not orangy yet) would be an alternative.

Or an ivory should you feel less adventurous… 🙂

Hi brooess,

thanks for your reply but don’t quite get it:
– weight is important for me
– I’m a CC type rider
– I didn’t like 120mm travel (or more) on my bike (geometry, riding position)
– I believe after some testing and research that 100mm must be the perfect travel for my bike and riding
– I just bought a new fork based on this

I will try my new fork now and hope to ride happily ever after.
If the forks turn out to be crap it’s got to be 100mm Rebas. Or back to rigids.

Or do you suggest we swap forks? 😉

By the way: no stem spacers under stem here

Is this one of any help: Front Mech Video Tutorial[/url] ?

Not sure if they deal with trapped mechs though… 😐

Not much of a bike mechanic myself. The front mech on my old bike was set-up 15 years ago, I never touched it and it stills work fine while my current main bike is singlespeed… but… if you could explain in a little more detail how/why they are trapped… I’m happy to give it some thought! 🙂

Got new Magura Durin SLs MY 2011 for a good price. 🙂

Fix compression damping with optimum, self adjusting race setup.
-> the ‘self’ in adjusting sounds a little scary and let’s hope their optimum is my optimum
No lockout, no remote to save weight.
-> ‘low feature excuse’ a little flimsy but does work for me
Only rebound and air pressure preload to adjust.
-> more would probably overwhelm me anyway
“The SL is the ideal fork for those who are fed up by the “war of the buttons”, our word!”
-> wasn’t aware of a war but do like simplicity
Double Arch Design (see above) for torsional stiffness and steering precision, drop outs with perfect hub engagement,
-> sells it to me and sealed the deal in combination with the
1,370grms weight (will weigh before fitting)

Marketing text reads promising so far, will let you know how they work!

prefer tris shorts these days with less of a pad

🙂 to find helpful information in this kind of thread! Bliss!

And apart from that proofs my point that entertaining nonsense attracts many readers and more readers increases chances of getting 1 or 2 reasonable posts. Forum fishing so to speak. Nonsense bait for the catch of the day.

Sorry, got distracted, will google “tri shorts” now… 🙂

You could just wear baggies without lycra/padding/undershorts and sit down less. I do and I’m awesome…

Tell me about it! 🙂 Though I do sit down a lot.
Briefs for the tackle, baggies for cover, un-padded lycra tights for when it’s cold.

The latter sometimes under baggies, but only with disdain and despite the fact that it looks utterly daft.
I mean, come on! Shorts with black tights showing underneath…?!! 🙄

Future fashion police will shake heads in disbelieve, future forum threads will share pictures of those days with the same mesmerised shiver, hidden awe and open ridicule that we indulge in when looking at early 90s pictures with multi-neon-colour tights and bib shorts over T-Shirts -> popular current 90s pic thread

I’m sure they will! And rightly so.

P.S.:

The whole skill compensator discussion is ridiculous (as always) because it’s all relative:
– not so skilled people might be better with a skill compensator
– skilled people might be even better with a skill compensator
– those who don’t use them – skilled or not – feel better about themselves for not “needing” them

What’s not to like? 😛

Concerning the dropper/riser-posts on those pro bike pics above:
– do those pros actually use them during a DH race??
– if not (shouldn’t have time and need) are these their training bikes?
– if not it might – just an idea – be part of their sponsoring deal?!

Apart from that I am not a hater: while I don’t need the things for my own type/terrain of riding
I can totally see the appeal for those who have to winch themselves up steep gradients (or cycle cross-country to get there!) and then go down technical stuff etc.

Surly 1×1 with track ends + tuggnut. NEVER slipped. No bother. Job done

running with disc brakes?
I had disc brake misalignment in horizontal track ends despite tugnut (one sided though).

I’m still curious what’s the issue (if there is one) with those sliding vertical dropouts like Nimble9 above.
They and arguably the Salsa solution should be perfect as long as they don’t slide’n’creak, no?!

Specialized BG soles come with wedges and BG qualified shops (not every Spesh dealer) should be able to assess your body and recommend the right sole wedge/number of wedges
BUT your case might be a little more delicate (knee op etc.) so you might want to see a proper ortho specialist

If you don’t know one company’s like these might be able to help and/or name a specialist:
Scientific Coaching[/url]

got it! 😉

OK, OK, wait a minute, this is an idea:
– keep the custard Soul and get a Bird’s sticker
(I might have finally found a reason to like the colour, jambalaya! 🙂 )
– get a project like the OP and paint it petrol
– run one suspended and geared, the other SS and rigid

Puts on a determined look and goes CTRL+T -> ebay …

Thanks to the OP and pdw for the interesting topic and links!
Not all understood but still interesting.

Cheers!

I think the fact that lot’s of people – who might wear baggies for their normal rides – prefer Lycras for their CC races implies that Lycras are more functional for the actual act of cycling: less drag, less flap, less chuff, less soak, less less.

I do though meanwhile see the: crash protection-, rain shield-, handy pockets-argument.

Still a lot comes down to being afraid of the fashion police.
Or the vice squad… 8)

Still find it stupid though to wear 2 shorts at the same time. 🙄
Then again I don’t like these sewn-in diaper-patches anyway.
Who needs additional bulk in that area?

Seeing Cotics in different-than-standard colours always makes me smile!

Seeing your bike makes the whole “you could have gotten a neat 2nd hand one for the same money”-talking obsolete, doesn’t it?! Your project, your colour choice – good job! 🙂

So Cotic can still supply the complete decal kit then?!
Do they have a choice of ‘period’ ‘Soul’ decals? White letters vs. black letters etc?

I’m thinking of petrol-izing my custard Soul (see colour patch below).

It’s a greenish blue.

I know, I know it’s a sacrilege to give-up on this original iconic colour and some seem to love it.
But… I really don’t like it! And I have tried hard to like it! Still do. 😐
The best thing about the custard colour – as my other half suggested – is that it doesn’t look fancy… 😆

not mine but same colour

back to the drop-out question:
While I appreciate the Salsa solution: what’s – in practice – wrong with this style of drop-outs?
Lynskey
Canfield Nimble9

they look sleek and non-fussy, you can run SS or geared…
Do they creak, come lose? is the brake-alignement an issue?
.
.

wwaswas – Member
EBB has been the best method I’ve used for chain tension adjustment, particularly when it comes to trailside puncture repairs.

Why do you need to adjust the chain tension after fixing a puncture? Isn’t it just wheel out, wheel in without any changes to chain tension/wheel position/brake alignment? I wouldn’t want to fiddle with my BB trailside anyway, would I? 😕
.
.
niche:

should lend itself to drifting (not much else though, I suppose)

Two of my friends and my LBS have seconded the positive votes for Maguras (stiff, light, good performance, reliable, lowish maintenance).

So despite the fact that Rebas seem to be such an obvious choice I will try to get hold of a Magura Durin. For the sake of the weight advantage mainly, but also because of the high praise from engineering-type friends and maybe a little bit for being different. 😉

I can always be sensible and go back to the good old Reba when it all goes a little bouncy.

In any case thanks for the feedback here and I let you know how I get on.

Cheers!

Reba still on top of the list, but these 2 offers make my ‘light weight want’ itch:
MY12 Durins at Merlin for GBP399
MY11 Durins at Magura for GBP350

– are the Maguras worth GBP100 to 150 extra? (quite like the 200-300grms weight advantage)
– what about Magura maintenance? reliability? any experience here?
– what’s the difference between MY11 and MY12?

I keep researching meanwhile…

Many thanks so far!
– checked upon the DT Swiss – really good, light, stiff, low maintenance, but tricky to get hold of
– similar if not as bad to get hold of for the Maguras – anymore experience with them around here?

do like both, will keep eyes open, scarcity makes me wonder how easy it is to get them serviced etc.

——————————————————————–//————————————————————————–

Which puts the Rebas on top of the list for the moment. I still get confused though with the variants on offer and Rock Shox’s own homepage is not helpful either (2 versions only? lack of detailed info).

Q: where can I get the best overview on the Reba versions and technologies available? I would love to understand the benefits of Black Box, RL vs. RLT(i) etc.

For my price point these Reba RL Dual Air from On-One seem to be spot on. Is this the version I want? Are these the most basic ones? OEM?

Other fork suggestions still very welcome!

Cheers!

(getting excited about new forks being on the horizon :D)

Depends on what you want from a Camera really.
But into the blue I second the Canon S90 or newer, better S95 version.

Square (nothing protruding when off), fair price and compact for its high degree of over-riding automatic functions. You might want the later to show speed (long shutter aperture) or freeze movement (short shutter aperture, fill-in flash). or when taking photos against sunsets etc..
It’s got a nice wide angle and useful tele. It’s got good lenses so that you can make decent pics without flash even in lowly light conditions.
I carry mine around in the back pocket of Endura Singletrack shorts and they are not too heavy.

For bike photography you might also want quick reaction times and a focus that is good in “following” the chosen object. The S90/S95 is good in this area, too. A good allrounder. But there will be better alternatives. Some more expensive, other maybe not so good in other areas.

There are smaller and cheaper cameras about. But they will probably have less functionality.
Ixus is a route if you want this.

In general I find Canons easy and intuitive to use.

(sorry for lack of technical photographic terms but I hope you get what I mean)

nice!

Radio 4 here, too. But then again I do read STW with almost a passion… 🙂

Hi deanfbm,

while I agree with you I am afraid that’s not the way forums (or for that matter the human race) work.

A good old rant keeps people interested, a ghastly reply spices up a boring afternoon in someone’s office (or a sleepless night in someone’s kitchen).

Look at the positive side of things: if more people are kept interested and visit the forum regularly – and even if it is just out of curiosity and/or seeking entertainment – the more likely you are to get an answer from different people if you have a question.

If it would be all peace and cupcakes, it would be boring and people would only come along when they themselves had a question. I reckon we would see a third of traffic very soon. And then none.

By the way: it helps to ignore the dumb stuff and not take things too personal, too.

I do absolutely appreciate though that you stated what a lot of people think and it would be definitely time for a group hug.

Love you all! 😳 🙂

“both have their place.”
i agree with this person.

I agree with this person that agrees with that person. 🙂

And as mentioned before it is sad in a funny way or funny in a sad way that some people seriously consider one or the other wrong or right. If they are serious about it.

But what I get out of this thread – apart from some amusement – is that there may be a few more reasons for flats than I thought. And that’s a good thing. I mean, broaden your horizon, consider things you didn’t before etc.

…Now, tell me, how do you bunny hop on flats again? Pedals 45° tilted forward, feet pressed into the pedal?! How do you keep the pressure up/the feet connected to the pedal when in the air?

enfht – Member
Aren’t spd’s inherited from road riding, much like triple rings?

Yeah, right! These damn triple rings, another burden of the road bike! 😆
Like…

Between the lines and posts everything has been said:
– SPD is good for efficiency and control if you’re not tremendously skilled and don’t really do gnarly stuff but confident enough with the normal technical stuff you do
– flats are good for beginners and those who do really gnarly stuff (that’s a broad target group then, isn’t it?!)

Personally without SPDs I would fear to be shaken from my bike or loose it mid-air and I couldn’t lift it properly attempting bunny hops. So it’s a skill compensator for me!

The only time I thought about flats was recently in the snow.
Maybe I give them a go. For the fun of it! 😀

Thanks nedrapier! U-Turn for on the fly travel adjustment.

Can someone explain the difference between current RL and RLT Rebas?
The only difference I can spot from the SRAM hp is Motion Control RL vs Motion Control RLT (very helpful..).
Weight and rest seems to be the same. RLT is mentioned as only RS fork with u-turn but it doesn’t say in the Reba RLT specs but on the u-turn technology page…

I like the Charge Duster a lot, but it has a terribly short top tube, doesn’t it?

Anybody experience with X-Fusion Velvet forks?

– update and back to square one question –

History so far:
did run my Soul with a Talas that were stuck in 120mm or + position, didn’t like it for my flat tight’n’twisty singletrack riding, couldn’t achieve/enjoy the recommended “aggressive over the front” style; 100mm stem and a lot of sag helped but had obvious unwanted side-effects (bobbing, geometry change through long available travel, tucking-under when compressed in tight turns)

So I switched to 440mm rigid carbon forks (Kinesis?!) and love it! In combination with 70mm stem they provide the agile, nimble, nippy steering that I want from a bike – great!

But… well.. the Soul is too good to be limited to a fully rigid existence. I want to get a suspension fork for it to make it more versatile.

Question:
– which suspension travel and which forks would you recommend in my case?
– forum wisdom suggests that sagged 100mm travel suspension handling comes closest to 440mm rigid while 80mm suspension would be too short under compression and “tuck under” as a result
– I’m not afraid of steep headangles (it’s flat around here, I don’t do anything gnarly) and wouldn’t mind to run my forks pretty stiff to avoid too much travel induced geometry changes while riding – so maybe 80mm would still work for me?!
– I thought about a 80/100/120 Rebas as a do it all solution which would be nimble in 80mm lock-out and 100mm suspended form while having a spare 20mm should I ever venture into “gnarlier” territory
– if Rebas, which should I get, I want them light, stiff, cheap and ideally travel adjust available on the run w/o tools – the different R/RL/RLT… versions available confuse me big time!
– or are there better forks for my case? SIDs, Magura, X-Fusion…
– on a slightly different note: are there 26″ suspension fork around which have more/less trail than standard, maybe that’s a different route to find suspension for my bike that doesn’t ruin the nimbleness

I know, I know, it’s all horses for courses and some will say 100mm is fine, while others say 120mm is sweet (not for me, thanks!), but maybe someone here did the step from 440mm rigid to 80mm or 100mm suspended and can share their experience.

Many thanks!

Respect! Very inspirational!

if you are being taken over (overtaken? owned?) by someone on a Singlespeed on a hill please consider:
– he might not want to show off or – for that matter – “own” you
– he might not even be faster or fitter than you
– BUT he quite possibly would stall if he would go your perfectly adequate geared (and seated) pace
– so he canes it up the hill beyond his fitness/competitive level to avoid walking

The later though might make him fitter over time.
Which is one of the great things of SSing!

😀

Your positioning of “good value, high quality” might not be enough to set you apart as that’s what many offer and almost everyone claims. So it’s more of a basis, something that people expect anyway.

As mentioned above it will help you sell, be remembered, get word-of-mouth, be mentioned (and pictured) in magazines and blogs (!) etc. when you have a strong identity, technically interesting/good AND unique solutions, maybe visually specific cues. And don’t underestimate: it will be more fun if people think you are cool and really admire your frames rather than thinking of you as reliable provider of good quality/value (but ultimately boring) custom frames.
You should know (and stick to) what you stand for. Even if this limits your market you will be more easy to identify (and identify with) for those who like your niche.
I know this all sounds terribly marketing babble but I’m afraid it’s probably human. Everyone (who’s after a custom frame at least) want’s to be individual and niche etc. but not that niche that you go “Look, this is my new Simon Cycles frame!” and everybody in the car park goes “Oh really? Never heard about it. Looks nice.”.
No, even the least vain wouldn’t probably mind to hear “Ah, yeah! Heard about them! But haven’t actually seen one yet! Cool! Weren’t they featured in so-and-so recently? They must really be *light, springy, stiff, ingenious, whatever you want*! And is it true that the frames are made in the cellar of an old mill? And I’ve heard that Mr Simon is a bike legend himself. Wasn’t he racing “Fat Fells Fever” in 1987?/doesn’t he always wear his welders mask, even on the bike… ” and your customer can then say “Well, yes, I went over and his workshop is really in an old mill in the midst of perfect trails. No wonder he’s got such a good understanding of geometry. What impressed me most though is that he used to be an engineer on an oil platform/in a nuclear plant and that he learned a lot of his skills there. That’s also the story behind the little petrol can/radiation symbol sticker on the seat tube…” …you get the idea!

It must still be authentic though. You don’t have to go wild for the sake of it. But recognizability helps. Special and specific in some way. Your way!

For me it’s strong flood on bar and a spot on helmet. If I’d have to choose only one I’d rather have bar mounted than helmet mounted.

The lower bar position makes the view more 3D in terms of casting shadows of undulations etc.
Too strong a helmet light can “outshine” the bar mounted light and everything looks “flat”. I guess the same happens when you’ve got only a helmet light!?

By the way: have to get new helmet light, my LED Lenser B7 is too heavy on helmet and gradually fades away during 2h ride. Any recommendations for a helmet light/helmet mount that doesn’t get ripped off and/or destroyed by the first low hanging branch?

Wouldn’t mind a lower lumen Magicshine for the helmet. But they seem to be mounted very high and look like they would either snap off or break all the time. Or is there a way of mounting lights more to the front of the helmet so that they are out of branches’ ways?