I didnt know it, off to look at the map ..

“do drops (on carbon steerer 100mm SIDs”
warranty void?
Ive no idea

Saddle fully up dropping caddon bank?!

Ae in 2007 for me slightly ignoring the half the trail fireroad diversion (no felling or trail work) was good
Ae in 2009, even with one or two new sections, was a let down. A load of sections had been felled and the trail patched up with the end result pretty poor, rubbley surfaces and/or wide open path widths rather than flowy trail. Some good (untouched) bits remained
3 years on Ive no idea whats new or whats bedded in now?

Might not have been rockshox

you can’t get 9mm thru-bolt rear wheels, nor quick release 9mm rear wheels

10mm thru-bolt and 10mm quick release you can get. I dont know why but QR open dropouts are 9mm front and 10mm rear

If the hub you choose has thru-bolt compatibility then why not go for it? Unless you’re wanting it slightly lighter, though wanting 23mm wide rims and a steel frame suggests not?

If the claimed* wieght on the SSC AM490’s is to be believed, then a build on Switch Evo’s should be a good budget-ish build?

*the eyeletted am490s are claimed only 30g or so off non eyeletted Stans ZTR Flows. I believe SSC rims are made by mavic who quote weights without eyelets. I read on here the other day the am490 might be more like 550g, which could be a with eyelets weight?
Still a better weight/width combo than mavic EN521/321 for eg

If its a carbon steerered fork, I believe you can need at least 5mm of spacers between stem and headset and at least 5mm of spacers above the stem/below the top cap. I think I read that for rockshox carbon steerers at least?

to the south of Buxton you have the area from Wildboarclough over to Hollinsclough has a load of ‘dark-peak-esque/level’ trails. easy get 2 day rides or try linking bits of both areas together via Flash
Its not got the same ‘big’-hill-feel as Ladybower res./edale area, but if you’re nearby in buxton then Id definetly give it a go. Depends how much you like quiet trails?

The V Graphics white and dark books have routes that use some great bits, but IIRC seem to veer off to macclesfield forest, goyt valley or longnor (though Ive not ridden those bits .. was going by the route descriptions in the V graphics books)
The ‘good mountain biking guide’ shows some permissive b.way stuff and b.ways from gradbach via danebridge and over the roaches that make up part of a good rocky loop

“Bar end plugs”
Lock on grips can sometimes help a bit IME
tbf, bars (Should?) will be same external diameter to fit the grips, but the internal must vary depending on what wall thickness used? So not all bars will be the same?
“Hope bar end thingies are great”
But heavier and as they’re made of metal my thought is I dont want to crash on them? granted most plastic ones will probably fail before Im finished falling onto my bars (Ive yet to do so). more BMX ‘style’ ones that are as fat as the grips maybe stand a better chance of working?

“front mech adjustment”
Follow fitting instructions, dont bend the cage and I dont think Ive had problems?
“on a mountain bike there position means they are guaranteed to fail”
Ive found ‘conventional’ bottom swing front mechs collect less mud/crud on them/around the pivots and dont develop slop as quickly as top swing types seeminly found most often on MTBs

“cables that don’t fray”
Is that fixable? If you tried to ‘stick’ them all together along the whole length, then it wouldnt bend the same to go around corners.
If there were an easy DIY at home way (not everyone is going to invest in a welder) to put another spot of something once youve trimmed the cable down could be good? Though it’d be better if this ‘spot’ would fit down the cable outers too

“bearings that just come out “
But then they wouldnt fit properly? When/if the bearing seizes or gets a bit sticky it’d all spin causing wear on where its fitted?

“Suspension linkage bearings”
Not a fix all, but I found my worst ones were non-full-compliment type, meaning when the cage collapsed, the ball bearings went to one side causing a lot of play. Switching to full-compliment (no cage, just ball bearings) meant when worn they cant all bunch up on one side?

“Adjustable seatposts”, forks, shocks
Might be better if they were fully sealed (better than some velcro-ed on neoprene), and maybe oil immersed? though much heavier?

“drivetrain. Why use material that will rust when it gets wet?”
Aluminium Rings IME die very quickly by comparison to steel, and take the steel chain and casette with it. What else isnt going to be a lot more expensive?

“I can never find the size I actually need”
You need a toolbox and to remember to put all the tools back in it?

“Lock on grip bolts which round”
2.5mm headed ODIs are a bit crap
3mm WTBs are meant to be a bit better?

“Hub widths – 135mm Maxle works for me”
150mm will give a better spoke angle? I guess will give a better/proper chainline for 83mm BBs (which give more weld space for burly chainstays and downtubes?)
142 IIRC is measured funny and is still sort of 135mm in width? Maybe not, cant remember

“can it be a standardized system of frame sizing?”
I believe ‘front centre’ is to one to go for, though it doesnt crop up all that much

“Tyres for all surfaces”
I think there must be tyres for every surface i think intense even do one to go on north shore planks ..
Oh, I see what you mean ..

“advantage of external bottom brackets”
the bigger axle (For stiffness), with bearings that last (a bit) longer than ISIS

“Non clicky **** loudly rear hubs that are not cup and cone or the same price as my bike”
+1
And more like 32/36 (or more) ‘click’s per revolution (rather than 24 of many) would be nice. I like my SLX freehubed XT 6bolt, but its heavy, cup/cone and the freehub can die a bit quick

“Torx disc bolts that have a deeper head”
+1
A torx headed tool that doesnt have rounded edges helps. A ‘Y’ tool (3 torx sized thing) and/or a socket/ratchet help it not slip out so much too

There must be loads more, but I cant think of them atm

Having only watched it once and not in HD, and also its a video, so not real life and Im sat in front of a computer and so on .. it doesnt look thaaat bad. Granted there is a lot of exposure but the trail doesnt look overly narrow nor are are loads of massively commital bits where you cant stop on a whim/moments notice?
Nor is it like you couldnt steer yourself into the mountainside?
Ill watch it again

If I was there with a bike then maybe my thoughts might be rocked a bit, but as I saw it I think Id give it a go, though maybe Id unclip at least one foot for at least some of it ..

“hones were just lx cranks painted black “
They weren’t
though largely the same, hone had a steel axle (maybe stiffer?) and pedal thread inserts which the lighter LX did not
IIRC SLX double/bash (~1000g) similarly has steel pedal thread inserts and steel axle, whereas SLX triple cranksets do not (889g?)

Yes its a layback post

An inline looks like this:

You can probably get a layback post with a little more layback, but as youve already got the saddle right back on the rails, you’re going to be right off the back of the bike
How longer stem have you got, Id be tempted to go longer there or consider a longer frame

That is if the lower back thing is solely the cockpit being too short?

In the middle, they’re riding down a stream/drainage channel aren’t they?

you might, it depends
a 60mm stem and 740mm bars might not perfect for an (xc?) race, but might be a hoot on a decent trail centre descent?

What fork are you building it with?
How tall are you?

80mm stem, 685mm bars are a good middleground for ups and downs and not being really tall or not tall. Depending on whether the frame is a bit big or small for you you could choose a stem to compensate a bit

The adapter didnt come with bolts?

Which (make/brand) adapter did you go for (the 203 one)
(am also going to go from avid 185 post-post adapter to a 203 post-post sometime soon)

That NS surge doesnt seem like it fits what you’re after? Low/short with 130mm DirtJump forks doesnt strike me as great for ‘just for bridleways’* .
*by which i assume you mean ‘farm’ tracks and stuff and not mountain passes in the lake district?

What do genesis do for that sort of money?
On One 456 good for lee quarry/gisburn etc, ‘just for bridleways’ maybe something a little less travel/slack angled would be better, though a 456 should still be a decent pedaller, more so than the NS?

As above, doesnt sound like youd be gaining all that mucg by changing, unless you reeeeally want 180mm forks?

More gravity orientated?
What headtube size has the maverick got?
Chances are there’ll be a works components headset to slacken it at least a bit?
What rear hub axle type have you got? What will the frame take? If its standard 10mm QR only, then you might still be able to go 10mm thru-bolt or 10mm nutted axle of some sort if you havent already. Might make it feel a little more ‘burly’
Wider bars, shorter stem (you have got oversize/31.8mm ones havent you)?
Wider rimmed wheels, unless you’re already on Flows/EX500/EX5.1D etc

“Put a spacer in.”

Where?
On the chainring and your chainring gap wont be right for shifting?
an extra spacer on the BB shell and you’ll not have enough axle showing for the LH crank arm?

Alright then nolongertitusrider
not shore in back garden, but in a field to the back
Cant find all I thought there were but a few:

How dont you notice you’ve done that, I mean maaaaybe when you were reassembling you might not, but you must notice when you came to take pics?

Be ‘fun’ to ride those, more so if you tried anything that would bottom them ..

South Pennines
extreme MTBing?

Mary Townley loop would seem countryfiley. Not extreme, if only epic
Lee quarry?

Ive no idea

Its bottled up, just seem to have building it up for a while, though when its 3/4 of a 20ml or so syringe at a time, Im not exactly overrun with old DOT fluid

You’ve levered them out, as pushed the pads/pistons away from one another?
Then applied the brake so them come together?

To reset the pistons pads you need to push them apart
You’re not supposed to push against the pads as this can cause the pad material to fall off the backplate
You’re not supposed to push against the piston in case you damage it
Apparantly you’re supposed to have some old pads to lever against

In practice if you’re careful youll probably get away with a flat screwdriver on the pistons or pads to push them apart
Ive seen at least one tool somewhere specifically for pushign them apart but my current favourite is probably the end of a flat file on the pistons, lots of leverage/contact to the piston

“i measured my sit bones and a 145 was supposed to be right but the brookes is 170 wide”

I dont think the 130/143/155 spesh saddle size is the sit bone measurement though is it? just the width of the saddle. Id have thought the narrow part of the saddle is more to do with your sit bone measurement?
Though I dont know

I see

I usually unscrew an intact spoke of the same length from the wheel for a bike shop to measure against, they cant get it wrong then

Sounds like they have air in them, when you pump them they air goes to the top of the reservior, much like many other brakes. Guessing you air got in when you let fluid out?
Given they’re a closed system (you have to adjust for pad wear, theyre fairly easy to overheat) youll want them to bled up properly, wheres most auto adjust open systems youll mostly get away with them having air in them in the UK, and just avoid turnign the bike upside down

I couldnt find my giant bleed kit last time I wanted to bleed them (was suppsed to come with the bike, was supplied when enquired about how to bleed).
Turns out the avid bleed kit (IIRC the formula one might also work?) has the same reservior fitting, then you just want a pipe (ideally clear) to fit onto the caliper bleed screw and into your waste fluid container

EDIT: your pics are showing to me now, your lever looks identical to my MPH3s (off a 2006 XTC), but your caliper completely different (mine are IS mount not post mount)
I know they updated them to MPH root, but I thought they were supposed to be an open system so they wouldn’t be able to use the older levers with the adjuster wheel?

Also it doesnt look like the pads of the caliper line up with the rotor? Is the rotor a giant one or not?
I know my brakes used a giant 164mm (not 160mm) rotor, though the braking surface was really wide such that a 160mm rotor would ‘work’ but not with rotor to spare on the inside like yours do?

awesum!

Which is better though, bike on a motorbike or that he’s riding his motorbike is race SPD style shoes (or so it looks)?

“Mary’s was a favourite. Made more fun by the fact you had to be fast and not crash as you didn’t want to be caught”
I think every other club ride when I was there must have started through marys without a hitch, though as you say we didnt hang about ..
It was Josephone Butlers Mound (down the side) we got chased off for, and dropping off the garden borders in Hild Bede we got told to move on

If its really wide ranging then it won’t be quite so accurate at the extremes of the torque range?

“If you overtorque alloy bars damage would be caused also?? “
IIRC I remember reading seomthing to do with easton and bars dying/snapping early due to overtightened stems

What does your stem say on it? What does their website say? No luck with either, as above I think mine come in mostly 4.5-6Nm (mostly 31.8mm clamp) though I have a couple of 25.4mm clamps which say 9-10Nm on them?

“I think I’d want to spend more on a full face than you have budgeted”
Not so much a fixed budget, just I had seen a middling 661 helmet heavily discounted at £50 (XL, Ive tried a L and a touch small) and a spesh deviant2 for £85 (have a L open face spesh helmet atm). Need to try a few on rly

Didnt really want to say, but have been invited to go to courchevel/3vallees (using the lifts/busses), the perception/reputation is hardly amazing. Though I found loads of great stuff not marked up as official bike trails when I was there 3 years ago. Plus theres now supposed to be a DH track in merible used for a french national DH race

“don’t need lighter rims”
More of a UK thought, if Im bought wider rims (And paying £££) then goign lighter would make it more justifiable, sort of

Mech hanger to buy, front tyre (thinking 2.5″ HR 60a on the rear with ‘freeride’ tubes as I have them about), Im confident in my brake bleeding abiliy, confident I am not of any LBS tbh. Wheel true (by local roadie shop maybe),
Ive knee pads, on 22-32-bash, 70mm stem/710mm bars on bike atm, but dont feel meag wide to me? 203/185 waiting around

Because my frame had about 3″ of saddle drop even with the post sawn off such that it was on the maximum mark for the frame/post at full pedalling height. I was okay on stuff I was comfortable with, but for pushing myself on ‘new to me’ stuff I wanted more drop or another frame (but didnt want the faff of a multi clamp drop post [Titec El N-something], a 5″ dropper post [can drop it 2.” into the frame as well as the internal drop] was cheaper than a new FS frame
I used it every ride until it stopped staying down (out of warranty, not got round to seeing how pricey it would be to fix, everything is very worn too). Spents ~7 months back with 3″ drop normal post, could ride everytyhing I could with the dropper
Got a new frame since, previous one was getting beaten up, wanted to make more of my fork as old frame wasnt warrianted upto my full fork travel, and didnt handle that well at the length it would go to

Ride Peak District, sometimes North York Moors/Dales,Lakes,Calderdale,Snowdonia,Mid Wales,been a while since alps.Also most of the trail centres from 7stanes down to Cannock/Nant-y-arian

Considering another dropper, when Im riding something new to me I think its most useful, If I know it then I know how higher saddle will suit already and can at least drop the saddle roughly with QR while riding tame bits in advance of needing to drop

Knollys are certainly not cheap. IIRC the Chilcotin (160mm ish) was about £2k frame only?

” issue with the shock .. should get it back this week”
lol. Hopefully will be better for you than for me, I did get sorted in the end, its much better now, but seems quite easy to bottom even with little sag/in max floodgate setting, though I never feel it bottom out?

Ive boiled (badly bled) brakes before, but that was coming into the back of coniston in the lakes. Managed to weave my way to a flatter bit of road luckily

Tis a Titus El Guapo, so 155mm rear. 150mm fork with fat lower cup h/set atm, Works components now look to do a similarly fat lower cup h/set to fit in 1 or 1.5deg adjust
Ive taken the XM719s on a Spesh SJer FSR before to Morzine/Les Gets (wasnt ideal for sodden 6″ braking bumped DH trails), Les Arcs, 3valleys
I ran 2.5″ Maxxis on them, so pushing it a bit in terms of rim/tyre width, but not sure I want to go smaller (normally on 2.25″ schwalbe @ least up front for northern england) ? Id like to go bigger but

OnOne have told me the EG is 185mm max rear rotor, so as before with my SJer Ill only be upping the front to 203mm (from 185/185)

I can see it might be possible. They are as you say thin tubes. But thats what is needed to give better ride comfort. Ill be giving it a twist next time its out of the garage roof

Ive a life frame, I cant say Ive noticed anything like this, though Ive not been looking for it?

I remember there being a load of stair and alley (with bits of woodland) all over durham. I quite liked the stairs all over the park behind the station, then dropping from the station to the riverside.
Cheeky stuff through between the uni resisdence buildings was good too.

North Shore in the back garden?
Field at the back count?
Got a 5-ish metre drop mini ‘bike park’ of sorts with a load of lines to choose which seem to be always evolving. Berms, wallride, drops, floor-level skinnies, ladder drops, drops, kickers, hips, gaps, rock slabs and roll downs, all quite small scale as originally built (with digger help) around XC/trail bikes. Seems to gettign bigger as bikes have got bigger
Got pics somewhere?

No idea on what they’re like (nor price) but the weights vs. widths of WTB rims dont look too bad? (23mm 470g, 21mm 500/500g) Frequency 123, Speed Disc 121, Laser Disc 121

I assumed they were interchangeable
The only one I can remember that comes in 35.0 are the salsa clamps (flip lock and lip lock?), so had guessed it was them measuring differently or something rather than it being a completely different size
Either way the reviews I could find suggested the salsa QR skewer is way better than the hope ones. I can confirm the salsa QR skewer is very good. My default choice now I reckon. Not mega cheap but not chromag/crank brothers money either

Kona TC, that sounds like the bit two sections after the really steep rock wall

I dont know the names, so pics to come:
Which of these is medusas drop officially?
Which of these is the OP asking about?


the 2nd pic is a black option near the bottom of a zigzag red descent?

First one, Ive done a few times but with the saddle dropped ~3″ (the limit on my last FS frame) I was still tapping my chest on the saddle as I went over the top
Not quite sure how OTB it feels with a saddle fully up and low narrow bars a long TT away from you

“the chain coming off far too often. This is because the ring is very worn”
You make it sound like you dont have any form of chain device up front?
Unless you commuting or riding smooth stuff all the time, then IME you’ll need something to keep the chain on the chainring, even if its unramped