Putting skill aside for one moment, using the right tyres for the job makes a huge difference. Some folk seem to think the only tyres that’ll fit MTBs are Maxxis High Rollers 😀

Tyres are the one area where I will confidently say using the right kit makes all the difference. I’m a Wharny local and an advocate of narrow mud spikes!

But that aside, I suppose you just have to learn to go with the flow a bit more. Loosen up and let the bike slide. Get comfortable with it moving around under you more. You can’t expect good traction, so you can’t ride the same way as you do when you have it. I think you have to plan ahead a great deal more too.

The better you get, the worse you think you are. Dunning Kruger innit.

Your new cassette definitely came with the correct amount of sprockets and spacers? Sounds like you’re missing a piece.

Read through all this thread. You certainly seem to fall outside the demographics I imagine most bike companies design for, which is clearly a bit of a PITA.

I think if I were in your position, to solve this problem long term I’d be having a chat with Curtis, telling him exactly what problems I’d been having, showing this thread, and going for a custom T45 build designed around my needs.

Your fairly unusual requirements from a frame mean you’re one of those rare STWers that really can justify a custom built frame :o)

Sorry to hear you’ve been having such bad luck with it all, anyway.

Being as short arse I like DH bikes that sit nice and low.

Always been quite partial to the functional lines of the Last Herb DH:

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RS WC 2010[/url] by sirob09[/url], on Flickr

And I’ve always been a sucker for the Lawwill rear setup:

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Rotec RL9[/url] by fay #2[/url], on Flickr

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Tomac Magnum 204 01[/url] by 26XL[/url], on Flickr

Xiphon – I can’t follow that link as I’m not a member of SDH, what did you mean about ‘breathing life into it’?

That should do it.

You’re not alone – I was almost blasted backwards through the door and out across the car park in shock at the price when I bought my last pair.

Not sure how accurate it was, but the chaps behind the counter at JRA reckoned the price of Maxxis had doubled in 3 years.

I’ve not ridden the MTB since I fitted the new tyres, but I’m hoping for that money they’re going pedal up the hills for me.

Like the look of the Dialled 24″ Cruiser that was posted on here the other day in the “Show me your BMX” thread.

The bike in the above picture is the coolest thing I’ve seen in ages. I want one.

Scrapped something similar last month, got £100 for it.

Still a waste, but who wants 10 year old cars that need more than £100 spending on them? Nobody that I could tell.

May I butt in here, while the regular hammock users are in one place?

I’ve been thinking about using a hammock for a while rather than my little tent but I’ve been a bit worried about how kind they are to your back? As a fan of a firm mattresses, I imagine them to be like a really soft bed, ie causes a bit of an ache the next morning?

Are they a one night only thing, do you get used to it or am I whittling about nothing?

DIIIRT! Deeeeerdldldlderrrr Der der derrrr der der der der der derrrr der der derrr derrrr…

30 years old, held licence since I was 17. Advanced driver with full, clean car and motorbike licence, no accident history, insuring an alarmed and immobilised, decade old diesel saloon worth no more than £500 on a good day, based in leafy semi rural postcode. Hardly drive it, mileage limited to 4000 per year, no commuting. Car spends 99% of time parked outside house at end of quiet dead end road.

This year’s renewal came and they’d decided to put my premium up by £200, for no reason they appeared compelled to articulate.

Rang up assuming some mistake had been made. “No” replies woman, “same for everyone”. Nothing she can do. Immediately cancelled policy, rang round and scoured online quotes for better deal, didn’t find anything that could compete with the renewal quote.

Car taken to scrap yard.

Ridiculous.

I had this frame. It was, by far, the most sturdy bit of kit I’ve ever owned.

I’ve got a pair of Wiley X CQC goggles for this sort of thing. Spendy (glad I didn’t pay for them) but effective.

Maybe I should stop watching all the DH videos on Dirt….

Do you know, I think this and all the magazines play a bigger part than most people think.

Recently on BBC news website they were saying that the current youth are the first generation to grow up with free hardcore pornography on tap, and that it’s skewing their perception of what actual, real sex is actually like, which is leading to feelings of disappointment, boredom and inadequacy.

I think the same is true of riding. At least it was for me. I used to watch all the Sprung and Earthed videos, aspiring to be able to land fifty foot doubles into manuals like Cedric. I used to read the mags religiously, trying to work out how those at the top of their game were so good. And it did nothing apart from make me feel inferior when I went out into the woods, aspiring to greatness yet only managing average.

Nowadays, with more years behind me, I’ve stopped watching the riding porn and reading about the rich, famous and talented. Instead I just go out and ride my bike, at my own pace. And it’s approximately a thousand percent more enjoyable.

Sometimes I’m the fastest in the group, sometimes by far the slowest. But I’m always having fun.

Sorry for the radio silence, been trying to sort this out with Orange. Have to say they’ve been really helpful, great customer service, particularly considering they have no liability.

Doesn’t matter – either way the PR damage is already done. The pic posted at the beginning of the thread is going to prove to every know all armchair expert on planet internet that all Orange bikes ever made snap into a thousand pieces at the first sign of a new born gnat sneezing in a neighbouring town.

If TV is allowed, and judging by the sublime Fresh Prince clip above it very much is, I’m going with

Dawn’s secret santa present from Tim.
Holmes and Watson on Mitchell and Webb.
Michael Scott answering the door to trick or treaters.
Lem and the grenade.
The Vendrell family meeting.

Flow
I joined up here to talk to some like minded people who are into bikes

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

More chance of raising the bleeding Titanic.

Brilliant advice folks, thanks. Particularly interesting to hear that going a bit bigger than 125cc might be a wise move, and potentially no more expensive. Perhaps an old 500 might be a better bet? They’re going for around the same cash, I just assumed mega bucks more to insure and fuel.

The biggy for me is it’ll have to live outside. Locked back garden, ground anchor, semi-rural location, but still outside.

Nothing makes the Five special beyond repeated discussions like this. It’s just a bike.

You can dissect axle paths, pivot placements, shock rates or whatever else on the internet all day, or you can just give one a ride and buy it if you like it, or don’t if you don’t.

Form your own considered opinion by borrowing or test riding one; not by listening to the bizarrely extreme views that shape the average internet forum discussion. This being a thread on Orange Fives means it’s probably mere posts away from becoming a flame war focussed initially on BMW’s Paralever, then switching briefly to CO2 emissions, then racism and the misappropriation of the Union Flag by football hooligans, before settling finally and firmly on Thatcher and someone getting a two day ban for circumventing the swear filter.

For what it’s worth, two of my mates’ mates’ uncle’s dogwalker’s boss’ brother’s mates have Orange Fives. One rode straight out of the showroom and instantly won every single bicycle race in the world ever and is now crowned King of All Biking, and the other one was simply unloading his from the car when it brake jacked him into a low orbit, his every limb torn spectacularly and irreparably asunder.

There seemed to be a lot of yawning and negative moaning throughout Life Cycles. It was a shame, I really enjoyed it.

stilltortoise – Member I could draw an analogy with makers of “special interest” movies but I would know nothing about that

That was exactly my perception, except I’m perhaps coming from a slightly different and more positive angle.

By the way, on the off chance he’s reading, the chap at the Sheffield showing who whooped and shouted YES! when Vast came to a close, that’s one of the funniest bit of obnoxious behaviour I’ve ever seen. Totally unacceptable of course, but totally brilliant. I could almost hear his fist hitting the air.

Thin end of the wedge indeed. Her resentment will develop as time goes on.

Either back down and let her control you, or continue doing what you want and let her know in no uncertain terms that all her moaning won't change who you are.

Unless you have kids that you never see and she actually has a point.

When I went to Llandegla and found myself stood outside in the rain with my bike, desperate to get riding again while the rest of the group sat inside eating burgers and cake and looking round the bike shop, I realised I was a serious mountain biker.

Cheers guys.

What bike? Mountain bike?

Fast rolling, skinny things I'd say. Semi slicks if it's dry. Most of it between Sheffield and Glossop is hard, smooth and gravelly with occasional tarmac sections (like the bit on road over the Woodhead). Mostly typical fire road stuff.

A sad time all round.

RIP, LR.

Play the lottery tonight, just in case.

What's monstrous about it? Looks good 🙂

I delete after posting or give up half way through typing half the stuff that would be my input as there's nothing you can say, no matter how casual or trivial a point, that won't attract the wrath of some self righteous keyboard warrior.

The deciding thing for me came a while ago when some cycle commuting chap was flamed for daring to complain that a car had rolled into him at a stop sign. The guy was hit by a car, and even that wasn't good enough to avoid him being treat like an idiot.

It made me realise that when you post something on STW you're wrong, whatever side of an argument you decide to fall on, even if it's both. And everyone will just automatically assume you're an idiot, whatever you say.

Keyboard warrior hindsight jockeying. And it's a real shame, as the people I've met in real life have all been sound. Mountain bikers in general are a lovely bunch, and I want these forums to be ace, and they can and have been at points in the previous 5 or so years I've been on, but at the moment it's just ridiculous.

I wonder who's going to be the one to hit me with the old faithful 'don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out' line.

Suffering from OA in ankle after injury 8 years ago. Still doing physio, found it seems to help if the joint is stronger. I had started relying on an ankle brace which I think was counter productive in the long run. Now working on living without, so the joint can get stronger and therefore more stable.

I'd agree with the above posts – exercise the affected area well, keep it mobile and therefore strong.

My experience of fork servicing by LBS usually entails them just sending to TFT anyway…

Two fire engines was the official word of the FB. So clearly not.

We found an abandoned camp fire (local kids I imagine) that had started to spread a bit in our local woods a few years ago. We rang the reception of the local fire station directly just for a little advice on how we should best extinguish it. They said they'd send a fire engine round straight away despite us insisting it wasn't needed.

Five minutes later two fire engines arrive and a load of blokes rush into woods. Realising it was nothing more than an abandoned campfire they all return back to fire engines looking at us like something they trod in.

Which was nice.

well this weekends game is 3pm on sunday

Ooh, nice 🙂

I've done post apocalyptic urban riding for all three matches so far, it's great.

I would love to see England V Germany in the final so I really can have the streets to myself.

If motorbike travel is your thing, Lois Pryce is worth a read.

Five in 15 years.

I like to think when i pull up in my 911 with bike rack on it gives them the motivation to better themselves!

Assuming that ownership of expensive products make a person 'better'. The prevalence of this sort of life view is pretty much why society is bollocksed.