I had a quick demo earlier this year. I found it a bit on the heavy side for all day epic rides but it did pedal OK. But its an absolute hooligan as soon as you point it downwards. Really good fun!

If you’re a downhill rider looking for something that you can pedal around on too or if you are biased towards going down the hill then its probably a very good choice.

But if you’re looking for a 140mm bike that can do a bit of everything, ie go up, across and down then it might be slightly on the heavy side.

As long as the geo still fits in with your riding style you’ll prob be fine. You might not be as fast through the rough or not be able to just hold on and straight line your way through the rock gardens.

But I’m sure it won;t too bad. try out a few demo bikes first see if you get on.

**** me that drop looks WAY beyond my skills!

But then again I’ve been told you can simply roll over more things on a 29er!

Leaking seals don’t often end up in catastrophic failure, it’ll get gradually worse and you’ll notice it happen. So I wouldn’t worry too much.

But of course if it happens multiple times I;d probably ask the shop to put a different set of brakes on.

If it’s a going to be used as a true all round machine, ie taken to a proper DH track as well as XC tracks then I would recommend a 456.

The slack head angle and its stable manners make it very good descender. But the low front end and long front centre enables to you get back up the hill without too much trouble either.

If it going to be mainly used for XC and trail centre stuff then I’d probably say there are better frames about.

The C456 is good at everything but is not amazing at anything. Something like a Soul would prob be better trough some single track but then a Soul wouldn’t be as light and let you descend a well as the C456.

I love my C456 but it does get used for a bit of everything and I don’t think many other frames can match that ability. Other frames may beat it in their own niche’s but not across the whole range of riding.

Agree with the guys above. 120mm is supposed to be the sweet spot, I’d stick to that, 130mm max but heard of plenty people running the old one at 140mm.

I have two pairs of Shimano shoes one AM type shoe and one normal XC type shoe (sorry can’t remember model numbers). I find my normal shoe size works fine with them.

But Shimano shoes are built with a narrow last. So people often recommend going up a size to get more width. I personally think this is an incorrect thing to do as the shoe is now longer too but, it seems to work for others … ?

The SLX style ones are supposed to be stiffer and cope better with warping, I think they might also be lighter.

I have used both types and I’ve never felt any difference in braking performance. Just buy the cheaper one.

I just sent some for £12 via the post office they were massivly over packed in a flat screen tv box and weight just shy of 5kg

Am I doing something wrong? just tried that parcel2go website. tied a parcel 30″ long x 30″ high x 12″ wide weighting 3kg and got quoted £35

:(

Maplin

I contacted trek about this. They said as long as the A-C length was the same they are happy with whatever I fork I put on it.

But they do not recommend and will not warranty anything with a bigger A-C length.

chances are if its still sealing fine then it’ll be OK but either post pictures or take to a bike shop for advice.

I had a ding in my Crest 26″ rims bad enough so that the tyre would not seal and was told bend it out carefully with a adjustable spanner and it’ll be fine.

I’ve ridden a Trek Fuel and a Bandit, both are amazing bikes.

The Trek had very good manners and was a very composed ride. The Bandit was a very fun feeling bike, I wanted to hop and pop of every little bump in the trail.

Both will get you up a big hill and down some technical terrain but in slightly different ways.

I would talk to Mojo see what they advise. They are the Fox service centre and work quite a lot with Orange. Seems like they would have the perfect knowledge base for your needs.

ON your second ride when you noticed the brake were rubbish again, did you notice if the lever felt soft and needed pumping up?

If so this is a sign that air is getting into the system so something is leaking.

From reading about on the web I think a common problem with Shimano brakes are leaking at the seals. Give the calliper and pads a very very good clean and then reassemble. Give the brake a few hard presses. Reinspect the pads and callipers so you notice even the slightest amount fluid? If so, you have a leaking calliper. Try cleaning the pistons and see if that helps or failing that replace the calliper.

If the lever felt stiff and did not need pumping up then suggests you have contaminated your pads somehow. Did you clean your bike? might be using some no bike safe detergents? Do you use a aerosol type lubricant which could have sprayed onto your brakes?

I don’t get why every one is asking for measurements etc..

Is the wheel properly in the drop out? if yes, is the wheel still off centre? If yes, send it back to get a replacement.

was there last weekend in the rain and it was fine. the surface doesn’t get boggy but its made up of pebbles which can feel a bit slippery sometimes.

Kenisis, Pipedream or On-one Whippet ??

Andy – Assuming all Oakley goggles share a similar system, they are very easy to change, they just snap into the frame and out. Its a bit fiddly but easy enough to do. I usually take a couple lenses with me and change it in the morning depending on the weather.

If you’re using a triple crank set and removing one ring then yes it’ll work. As footflaps says, just set the high limit screw to stop it shifting into the 3rd position.

Is this really worth the hassle? Its not much cheaper than the ready made stuff or does it work much better?

I’ve got one of these.

LED light

Its very bright, one is more than enough to light up your personal space and maybe 2 or 3 to light up the whole garage. Its very durable and well made, never used the battery till flat so not sure how long they last but managed to get 2 hours of it no problem. Also seen very similar ones in hardware and DIY stores

cool thought so. I assume the same method as headset bearings applies? ie Fill up the cup and take a couple out.

thanks Jai

anyone?

So have you guys actually ordered anything from that DigitalRev website?

They seem to be based in Hong Kong. Did you guys get stung with any import duty or any hidden extras? Also what happens if a fault occurs is the warranty still valid?

Oh and Superstar have some in stock if you don’t mind paying mega bucks!

Go to google.de, click on the shopping tab and search for KS Lev should come up with a few options.

Try the German websites was having a gander the other day and a few showed they had them in stock.

While I like to think I ride fairly quickly I’m not going to be doing any 6ft drops any time soon!!

What would you get and why?

I’ve ridden both the 2012 Fuel Ex and the Remedy, both are great bikes. But if you’re not going to do 6ft drops or have no ambition to do that. Then I would recommend the 2012 Fuel EX instead. Nice slack angles and long frame that copes with far more aggro than any 120mm bike should do. Its also lighter than Remedy.

would having a session on a 80mm 29er race bike be out of place on a jedi course?

Not at all! Learning to ride better doesn’t have to mean jumps and hardcore trails.

They are pretty different bikes.

If you’re slightly on the gnar core side of the fence go for the Meta.

If you’re more of a general everyday XC rider who wants a bit more travel go for the Yeti. The equivalent Yeti to the Meta would be the SB-66.

The new Meta looks good but Commencial have too many horror stories and poor after sales support. I haven’t heard anything recently about them they could be better or the they could be worse? I’ll wait till this new Meta is tried and tested by others.

A 2 speed specific mech will cope with shifting larger jump in ring size. eg shifting from 22T -> 38T

if just xc / trail riding you get a Rock shox Reba or for more aggressive riding try a Pike.

as said u-turn for external on the fly adjustment.

otherwise check the forks are an all travel model meaning you can add/remove internal spacers to reduce the travel.

do you want external adjust? eg rock shox u-turn or fox talas?

Or internally adjust by added spacers? most forks have this option.

also what kind of bike and riding is it for?

If you’re a wheels on the ground kinda guy go for Crests.

otherwise if you like a bit of air time get the Arch EX.

Or just use some epoxy or jb weld stuff to glue a tab onto it.

If the return spring is **** then there shouldn’t be much force required to adjust the compression and the glue should hold fine.

Have a chat to TF Tuned about the shock tune.

yep did this on my mates Fox Vanilla’s a few weeks back. The seal service really is that easy. Just make sure you have a suitable measuring cylinder to measure the correct amount of fluids etc.

Pump the lever a few times.

Does the lever feel stiffen up and stay firm? If so could just be the brake adjusting the piston position.

If the leaver pumps up hard then after some time goes soft again and requires pumping again. This usually means you have air in the system. try a re-bleed. Also check the pistons are not leaking.

Also depends if they are OEM or After-market models. I think all after market models are whats called "All travel" so max travel for the Revs is 150mm and can be reduced by adding the spacers. If they are OEM models they could be anything so could possibly be fixed at 140mm.

The addition / removal of spacers is described in the service manual for the fork and can be downloaded from the SRAM website.