*trade off between suppleness and mid stroke support being trying (sometimes a lot) more air

On the pedally side (I’ve only ridden the tail with the bombholes) but how long would it take to get to Thetford?

“There are also MTB trails at the Olympic park in Stratford.
Never been myself. Can’t imagine they are up to much, but they would be your closest ‘mtb’ trails”

I’m not going to claim they are anything special but there’s some nice bits in it. Some half decent black XC options to throw in but largely red and blue XC
I’m not sure it was ‘worth’ the entry fee but [cough] you could join into it from the roads and paths to the sides for most of its length [/cough]. This was late 2014
Of the two Olympic legacy options, Hadleigh is the better but Stratford is worth riding if you happen to be in the area

Some things I’d not considered in the above so thank you.
I’ll try and answer a few questions, some of the answers were in my OP ..
Direct to Consumer brand, UK
Offering a 2019 frame from a 2018 which I believe was unchanged, I know they changed from normal SRAM to DUB SRAM cranks, did BB shells have to alter to fit DUB BBs?
Quoted parts at SRAM RRP (brake pads £46, rotors £95 etc), BUT they’ve said I can source my own parts. I’ve got some bits at home
I would never expect a complete new bike. If I’d known they’d wanted it in faultless condition I’d have sorted most of it out before sending
I actually swapped some nice replacement parts for some old ones just so I wasn’t running the risk of postal loss/damage .. whoops
I’ve been a serial frame swapper/rebuilder over the years so faff aside, mechanicing isn’t an issue, though I see the point above about headset/BB misfitting by unknown customers or refitting pressfit BBs for eg.
Only the dropper is internally routed, this could be the £7 for cables so thats not to worry about
They actually said the rotors have life left in them so could be reused. Brake pads I have stock of
Drivetrain is worn yes, I hadn’t anticipated it being an issue for rebolting onto the frame

“either that or you have legs of Iron”
Lots of people make a point of pointing out my calves?

“mainly ridden on fireroads”
Brunt of the pedalling on (steady) fireroad climbs. That bike mostly does free-wheely descents

I can see a strong consensus in this thread so I’ve had my query answered thoroughly thank you
I’m left wondering how people get through 4/5/6 chains over the life of a cassette when thats had two to 0.5%

I’ll finish with a shimano cassette I once wore WAY further than I have any other ..
IMG_20180909_150139 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr

I was unlikely to get round to bringing up the shifter. Its only because I had to get the frame sent in that I mentioned the shifter let alone the cassette. Just a bummer as casettes aren’t exactly £30 anymore ..

“To be fair, your flickr feed is full of broken bits and wrecked gear…”
I largely only ever use it for hotlinking onto here ..

“It’s worn out anyway”
Thats nothing on the amount of wear I’ve got out of shimano cassettes over the years

I can’t show its a manufacturing fault no, I just don’t think teeth snapping like this is normal?
Yes it has had to endure some dodgy shifting. Its never shifted perfectly from new despite trying swapping hangers/rear mechs. (yes i use the red plastic mech setup guide)

How do you maintain a cassette exactly? Does mud contact snap teeth clean off?
And no it has never seen a rock.

“doesn’t look like you maintain your bike very well”
In what respect?

“Not normal wear and tear but no way is that a warranty issue at two years”
Which is it?

A quick google suggests it does happen, but as you say but those I’ve seen said to have been warrantied have been much newer. I’ve never seen this on a cassette before and I’ve ridden a lot of cassettes all the way to very worn out before. Its the completely missing teeth that have me baffled?

*I had to buy another shifter at short notice over a year ago, that broke a couple of months ago and that got swapped out there and then in the shop I bought it from. (Both of them the shifter internals have just gone bang and won’t upshift (big paddle)
***SRAM officially claims a two year warranty on it
****on a park tool tool, yes I know sheldon brown says they are completely inaccurate. When you measure ‘correctly’ over the number of pins, I find a park tool style overreads by about twice, so really I changed the first at and am nearly at 0.25% chain stretch on the second chain

CassetteBentTooth10 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr
CassetteBentTooth7 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr
CassetteBentTeeth45 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr
CassetteMissingTeeth5 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr
CasetteBentTeeth2 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr

Not me, but on one of Pooks peaks pootles ten years ago. An iced up Jacobs ladder on rigid fixed 26″ with one brake ..

P2135595 by james74747474[/url], on Flickr

Plop pants ygm

The cable cover off doesn’t show any more than you can already feel. You’d need to remove the bottom frame but you’ve got to remove the big shift lever to do so and I’m not sure I want to go down the road of risking it all dropping to bits when it’s still in warranty?

I’m tempted by Shimano throughout, I was under the impression you needed a Shimano mech and shifter together? Even then they won’t mate 100% to the sram cassette?

Tempted by your unused one? (Though no warranty at that?)
How quickly could you have it posted to me though?

Reading this thread as a reference at 5 months old. There’s potential for confusion in here:

“I think the standard guides have one shape of pad, the new codes another – but the guide re has previous generation code pads. The caliper definitely looks different for old Code va new code but not sure if they changed the pads too”
“So are new and old Code pads the same shape?”

You’re both referring to MY2011-2017 Codes vs MY2018+. They both use the same shape pad

There is another older/original code MY2007-2010 which uses a different shape entirely
It is this pad that is (commonly) referred elsewhere as an old shape code pad

In pre MY2018 speak, the MY2011-2017 code would be referred as a ‘new’ code pad. In a sense it still is as the same pad fits the latest MY2018+ code caliper

In short, while there are 3 generations of code caliper, there are only two shapes of pad
Correct me if my understanding isn’t correct

Also interested after specialized have decided to drop their vibram/chunky sole options for the UK. Bring back the rime! It still exists in the US?

“My XT M8000 cassette is too worn to accept a new chain, so this sounds like an opportunity to consider a drivetrain update”
You know you could just keep running your current chain/cassette/chainring for a long time yet before it starts to skip unbearably/the chain starts snapping regularly? Then swap all at once for new of your choosing

I already am tubeless, I still puncture semi regularly. Either a pinch of the tyre by the rim or in the treaded area of the tyre

The two topeak mountain morphs (nor the lezyne) never broke structurally. Despite swapping the main piston seal they all failed to pump after quite a bit of use. They all got very hot after pumping for a while, I’d put it down to wearing the main pump body out internally

“is something else happening and the pumps being broken”
The last two (the structural failures) were down to not perfectly even ground (that’s mountain biking isn’t it?) to pump off and ill thought out structural design

The base (/front) fell off

“Can’t you get a service kit for the pump that’s just failed?”
No its snapped in half

Sorry, confusion, I’ve never had a Leyzyne Alloy Drive
It was a Micro Floor (with gauge) I had. It wore out and leaked air internally

And before tubeless (I still puncture) and reinforced tyres (punctured more) when I was on maxxis freeride and specialized downhill tubes, I wouldn’t be surprised to puncture twice a ride. Didn’t always happen, but wasn’t uncommon by any means

I don’t think they are 350 hubs
I think they’re 370 hubs
Certainly the rear’s are. (pawls rather than ratchet rings)

[Just in case this of any use for anyone searching back in future]
Bought a new EX1 chain as a 0.75% wear replacement.
Turns out it uses a TEN speed powerLOCK (its a ten speed width chain). Despite it being an eight speed groupset ..

I use the one in Strava. So long as you’re not too off piste it usually can auto follow where other people have been so you’re not having to plot every slight corner/turn

It’ll only be 5mm more clearance, not 10mm

I should probably play about with 170mm cranks, I just happen to have always had 175mm’s
When I tried a bike with 165mm’s it felt like I couldn’t generate any power/torque, especially on climbs. It was a 1×8? spd freeride full susser though

Anyone used the Fibrax/Bird SRAM Guide specific pads as per the OP? I’ve also been eyeing them up

When I’ve tried reading up on uberbike race matrii ? before, I’ve come across quite polarised reviews, either you love them or really hate them?

“Any reason you can’t lower the stem instead? Either by changing the stem or flipping the one you already have?”

Stem flipped and slammed already. Its on a just that bit too tall head-tubed bike. I’d like to up the forks travel (internally) by 10mm too ..
Its compounded by an upper headset that has a conical top cap/spacer that is designed as part of the sealing. I’ve yet to have a proper look of whats out there (44mm), but there ought to be scope to lose 10mm stack height by swapping the upper headset assembly. In any case this might be an option in tandem with lower handlbebars
My options are swap of handlebars, though I’m already on 800 x 20mm, and if I’m forking out I want a touch wider. The options are somewhat limited. The Answer Pro Taper 810mm 0mm rise/flats look nice, but as above I’m worried about no upsweep
Reverse do a similar bar for cheap, but its heavier
Funn do a 7mm rise but with only 5deg backsweep and 2deg upsweep. It might appear to effectively be as the others but designed as rolled forward
Else its the Spank 800 x 5mm. No more width though, (no option of vibrocore) and I never quite got on with my 8/4deg angled 777 spanks. 9/5deg bontrager/shimano I get on with

What was I doing? Steep stuff
Admitedly no I didn’t bed in the uberbikes or Gorillas. I was on ‘olidays ..
I have previously got good wear rates from uberbike and had become my ‘standard’ choice. I must’ve been getting away with it in the UK
The Uk riding probably acted as a bedding period for the avid/srams I’m guessing

I didn’t know about the chainstay issue, I’m worried now. Mine haven’t gone/shown any issues despite having done a week in the alps

I do have an issue with the 170mm headtube on my XL yes. Its not within reason to remedy it and I haven’t tried everything yet, but I like to try to setup a bike ‘too low’ before/so I know where I actually want my cockpit height to be.
As stock it was quite high and noticeably so coming from my old bike (160mm fork, spacers under stem, 20mm rise bars, though 26″ x 2.35″ .. )
– Obviously slam the stem (spacers on top)
– Switching onto my old 800mm bars (same rise) helped to stretch out (and lower) my torso (but this effectively lengthens the cockpit too)
– I’ve swapped for a 40mm stem with 6deg rise that I’m running upside down
– Not only has it the 170mm headtube, which is workable, its not helped by the tall top cap on the headset. Due to the way this seals the headset, really this wants swapping for a lower stack upper cup to gain another 10mm. Its a 44mm, so shouldn’t be a sourcing issue. I’ve yet to have a proper look
– I’m looking a slightly wider handlebar (810-820). The trouble being at this width (you can get 825, and 840mm if you look hard enough), is (a) generally they’re made with lots of rise to offset the arm stretching of wider bars, but even the low ones are limited by the width coupled with the upsweep. You can’t have upsweep and zero rise
I’ve never ridden flat bars so don’t know how I’d get on with no upsweep. I know I notice the difference between 8/4 and 9/5 back/upsweep bars so am unsure about dropping £50+ on the ones I’d like, I could get some cheap heavy to try but then I might end buying twice

I’m about there as I am, but I’d like to run or at least try the fork as a 160mm for steeper stuff some of the time. (canyon have emailed this is fine)

Don’t actually know, but probably f/r 15/20 at the softest and 25/35 at the hardest, maybe even harder in the rear. In a 2.6″ that’s a lot of air to sqaush

Could just be too lower pressure. I’ve probably overcompensated with going to bigger tyres. Its comfier for seated technical climbing (in the UK) though ..
After running a bit harder (alps) to try to stave off burps, I was struggling with a pinch flat issue on both Schwalbe apex and Maxxis EXO. Think I’ll have to try bontragers SE casing and Spesh GRID and see how they fare. Not sure a double down or supergravity is going to be ever so pedal friendly weight wise especially in a 2.6″

“What sort of ride-ability are Miners and Pyg as a Descent ?”
Given the national park are threatening to pull ALL bike access from Snowdon at the moment, I’d suggest totally not worth it. Walker’s ‘getting in the way’ or not.

Ok thank you. I’ll have a quick look about for negative air ports if/when I get it in bits.

I converted the measurements (back) to imperial; my rp23 is a 8.5×2.5″, the spesh brain is 7⅝x1⅝”. So a ⅞” spacer would reduce exactly. But as mentioned, other issues could arise

“all you need to do is ensure that the valve core is done up tightly”
+1
Pliers are your friend here, unless you have the proper, miniature spanner for valve cores, then all the better
Obviously don’t go stupid tight, it only needs a good nip

Its not they need a bottle, its that they want one …

Having been dismissive of mounting a cage to a frame tube where there are no bosses (all I’d come across previously were of the metal strap/jubilee clip kind of idea) I’ve come across the SKS anywhere cage. It uses a strap to mount the cage and the cage would sit against the (bottom edge of the top) tube with rubberised mounts? Anyone used one?

I think they were troy lee moto shorts with a removable thigh side pads. the newer revamped moto short doesn’t mention padding on the TLD website description?

Am I limited to separate undershort type thigh/hip pads and go for one with a proper chamois pad in? Thereby removing the need for my usual bibshorts, though at the risk of a lesser chamois?

though more limited in padding than a TLD, the endura MT500 one might have a better chamois? Or am I making massive assumptions there?

Thank you for the clarification

@mark90