Personally I'd go for Shimano SLX or Avid Elixir 5's
(Elixir Rs seem like a pointless 'upgrade' IMO, who 'needs' tool-less reach adjusters over allen key ones?)

Else if you were to spend over £150, I'd be looking at Magura Louises, Shimano XTs or Avid Elixir CRs

Avid Juicy 3s and Magura Julies are alright, just not as good as Elixirs or SLX

Personally I haven't got on with Hayes Stroker (Ryde or Trail). Way too grabby and on/off. I like some kind of in between what feels like fully on and fully off (okay, so I'd probably get used to them if I had them for more than one ride)

"clear the mud from a very small area by the field entrance, if necessary lay some hardcore down. Then place a trough near the entrance – how you fill it with water is up to you – hose, rainwater, water in containers transported over, whatever. Next drive the tractor to the mud free area, dip a stiff broom in the water"

The longest trailers towable behind tractors are about 44ft plus drawbar(an artic lorry trailer), stick a tractor on the front and you're looking at about 20metres in length. Once you've handbrushed the 4-16 wheels of tractor plus implement/trailer of 0-12 wheels (which will take how long?) the mud is going to build up after a few repeats of that. So hardcore is out of the question. It pretty much has to be concrete or tarmac (which will need to cleaned each time too)?
Now to let other tractors into the field while you laboriously spend your day cleaning, you could well be needing space for another 20m tractor/trailer length to get in the field, put that 3x20m pad upto 3x40m, there'll probably be some king of queue building up so at least a 3x60m concrete pad in each and every field.
With grass, okay so you wouldn't have an artic trailer, but around 12-15m tractor/trailer (8 wheels) with a round trip of around 10mins (maybe 3 tractors/trailers on). You'd be needing maybe 3 times as many tractors/trailers/men to keep up with the 'harvester' in order to clean them each trip

"you could always invest in tractor mounted brushes"
They'd block up, and would never be stiff enough to 'sweep' the mud off, especially clay like mud. Plus the vast majority builds up in between the tread anyway so wouldn't make much difference

Okay, so not typical (nor my picture), but how do you get this much mud off with a brush? And how long would it take?

"Dirtworker FTW…. "
I don't think so ..

I'm not saying its not farmers responsibility to clean up their mess, but trying to have no muck on the road whatsoever is completely unworkable as far as I can work out. Signage is one short term compromise (not a brilliant one), but is at least 'workable'

Building sites typically have more traffic and all day every day, rather than a 'freak' intensive harvest period a field may get for an hour or two (as outlined above), not that it makes any difference in law

Horses get to crap on the road and the riders don't have to pick it up (yet dog walkers are supposed to)?

Superstar do one for £10, with more narrow spacers so you can set the chainline up better
They do a similar 'doofer' type tensioner for £10 too

Depends on the bike, but yes on some

Theres a few things on that list that don't appear to 'fit' IMO with what the bike appears to supposed to be (some kind of ££££ XC/trail bike?)

"Race Face bash guard (removed big ring)"
I'd have thought a big chainring would be good for fast pedally downs, especially given it only has a 32T now

"Fox Talas 32 140mm fork"
Any reason why QR over 15mm? Given the nature of the rest of the components, did you consider carbon DT Swiss forks?

"Ritchey WCS foam grips"
There are much less noticable places to loose weight IMO, ie not contact points

"Thompson 90mm stem"
Given the rest of the build, why not follow suit and go for something lightweight?

Whats the rubber thing on the seat QR for?

Saddle angle appears a touch backwards, just not my personal preference

Otherwise, I like it lots

"Orange make a lot (but not all) of their frames in Halifax. I think it's the hardtails they make in Taiwan"

I think (or am under the impression from somewhere) that the P7 and R8 steel hardtail frames are UK made, hence the high prices/low value (frame only) compared to the competition

Magura Thor is 100-140mm (but nowhere in between), 20mm axle and about 1750g, will be about 5mm taller than a QR15 Fox 32 @ 140mm

I think you can get Revelations in 110-140mm, just it might be harder to find deals on them as there seem to be less advertised

Whose 2.3" tyre?

A 2.3" Continental (smaller than some 2.1") is a very different sized tyre to a 2.3" Specialized (bigger than some 2.5") for eg

I didn't build it, so its not really mine to tell ..
Read the whole thread, there are (deliberate) clues

Like this big?:

I think I've said it before (to you?), get involved with the cycling club. They can dispense their years of collective 'knowledge'

Sauserwinds are very similar (visually) from Hutchinson Pythons*, or not too far off Maxxis High Roller XC 2.1"/1.95"

*I think I'm thinking of Pythons, I'm pretty sure Hutchinson do something visually similar anyhow

Could you try stocking up? How do you know they're being discontinued?

"I was thinking of investing in a set of High Rollers (2.35"
IMO they're slower than 2.1" Kenda Nevegal DTCs front and rear
Both are faster than 2.25" Advantage 60a's though

"Specialized Eskar Controls, similar tread to the HR, cheaper, not too heavy"
Visually much closer tread to Advantages IMO (though sort of similar to HRs also)
CRC have folding 2.35" 60a HRs for £23 atm. Eskars are also £23 but are sual compond (55/65a) unlike a single (60a) compound HR. Wire HRs are £19 but more like 800g
folding 60a HRs are 646*/695g. Eskars are 700g (claimed)

I've not ridden an eskar so I've no idea how fast they roll or how they handle (they're on my mental 'would like to buy' list though, along with minions and many many more .. )

2.1" Nevegal DTC folding**/2.35" High Roller 60a folding**/etc and a 2.1" Crossmark (62a or 70a, wire or folding) ought to make a decent summer compromise I reckon

*according to JustRidingAlongs actual tyre weights pags
**Just to keep the wieght down. Plus DTC (50/60a) is only available on folding versions

i 'lol'ed @ uplinks post

MBR movie or MTB movie?

My favourite MBR video (I've not seen many) is the helvelyn one on youtube, mostly for the bonnie tyler soundtrack ..

MTB movie, I quite like NWD 8, just because I've seen it more than once because I have a copy. I can't really remember many others. Some of the opening commentary on Seasons can come across as a bit pretenious (though a very minor part), though there are plenty of good bits in it
I remember NWD9 looking a bit OTT, though if I remember rightly it was focussing on how much the riders were being pushed to ever bigger

"middle aged couple sell tea coffee soup, sarnies, cake etc"
don't forget the scones and the ice cream ..

"seems a shame to spend half the day eating in a cafe"
You could spend 20 minutes eating out in the sun instead?

If its the same as a couple of weeks ago then one part of mbr (which dragons back uses) is closed. It just means you do the bit before you cross the footbridge over the river/ravine for the second time twice instead of once (And miss the closed bit out)

(I've not read most of above, just your last reworked plan btw, so apologies)

"Day 3/4 Coed y brenin MBR, dragons back, tarw"
Do 'the beast' @ CyB instead of MBR and dragons back. I takes in 95% of the singletrack sections (excludes dreamtime) but the distance is a fair bit less. Get a map of the loops, and then on the dragons back/beast you want to cut out the big out/back loop (at the far away end) just after the (non FC) cafe and bomb up the road/(3rd) fireroad (on RHS) instead (the short bit of singletrack on that bit is supposed* to be a dull loose gravelly up anyway). It'll make it more doable in a day
Then the next day fitting Tarw and Penmachno (at least loop 1**) should be more doable

*or so I'm told

**IMO (and I'm sure many will disagree) loop 2 isn't that great (when compared to loop 1) so if you're pushed for time (and packing up/driving/unpacking in between 2 forests will take a little while) then IMO you could leave out loop2 @ penmachno

You'll want to do Nant-y-arian before Cli-mach X so you're not having to drive south (but defo do ClimachX, its brilliant, one of my favourites, made better by adding in the steep/loose hidden DH just after the last singletrack section .. )

Coed Llandegla won't take all day, but it'll let you get home I assume. Its a bit different to the others, but probably worth going (so long as you go with an open mind) just to try it to see if you like it if you've not been before

Stanage Edge / Houndkirk Moor / Blackamoor?

The V Graphics Dark Peak Book (as pictured above) is well worth buying, not just for the set routes, but can be useful for the descriptions so you can get an idea as to what odd bits might be/are like if you're trying to make something up of your own

"I've heard drs gate is dull, or at least not worth the tarmac to get you there"
I wouln't say it was dull, but there is a lot there are a few too many 'unrideable' or just tight/techy enough that you can't seem to ride it all (or at least I couldn't). If you look at a map, most of the good bits have finished by the time you get to the footbridge
I had a go in mid march, there was still some snow drifts on it so I wasn't able to see/ride it all

I rode it as part of:
(Barber Booth Start)
up Jaggers Clough
down Blackley Hey
Up A57 (with a walked* detour into the woods just past the pub for a spot of lunch by the river, and to avoid riding on the A57 as much):




up the b.way from the A57

Down Doctors Gate:

Up the f.path (walked*) past shire hill
Along the road that follows the circular peak park boundary (through moorfield)
Up A624
Down A624
Up b.way onto middlemoor
Down b.way to kinder res.:

Up b.way across broad clough
Up Oaken Clough to Edale Cross

Down Jacobs Ladder

*Its not sheffield council so not explicitly not allowed

I don't 'run' a frame, I ride/own/have a frame

How exactly can't mud/water get to the ball bearings because of the presence of a cage? The cage surely seperates the ball bearings, not seal them?

When the cage collapses, the ball bearings end up on one side of the bearing though, something that happens all of a sudden, often mid-ride. At least a full complement will hold itself together when worn, it may have noticable play due to worn ball bearings/races but it'll take more hammer before it fails like a 'caged' will?
IME, the (worn) full complements seize up, with the (worn) 'caged' type, the cage collapses

I find that bar ends on 'work' for me with narrow bars. Wider bars spread your arms out more and having bar ends dragging you further forward/out more would make it even more difficult to get any decent leverage (out the saddle pedalling) and make it harder to maintain posture when resting on bar ends on wider bars

Or so I reckon

"If you like uppy-downy seatposts then the Soul's 27.2mm seat tube restricts you to the Gravity Dropper"
plus KindShock do/are shortly releasing a 27.2mm i950 (0-5" drop and anywhere in between)

Aren't chameleons and souls massively different bikes? Almost complete opposites of that type of bike
The soul being a flexy/forgiving, steep/nimble, 140mm capable/better at 100mm all round XC bike
The Chameleon being a stiff/direct, slack/DH confident, 80/100mm capable/better at 6" all round 'trail' bike
(All just little things I've picked up on on here and random browsing, rather than having ridden either very much)

I'd reckon you should really think about the Cotic BFe if the Chameleon and Soul seem to fit the bill

"tell me there's no difference"
No difference in what? Torsional resistance?
Why do you have to take them apart to do this 'test', if you tried it with the forks assembled (you would ride them assembled?) is there no difference?
I'm interested as to the actual differences (and how to tell) rather than trying to disagree that there can be no difference as well as why fork manufacturers would seemingly go to such 'effort' to make OEM forks so much worse without any hint that if you buy 'aftermarket' models then they'll be better than ones you can buy supplied as part of a complete bike?

"What happens when you get dirt into a full complement bearing?"
Given that it is filled with ball bearings, I'd reckon it'd fill the gaps, just as it would fill the (albeit bigger) gaps in a 'caged' type cartridge bearing

The 'caged' type bearings on my frame have failed much sooner than the full complement ones. So as a result of that, I thought I'd try a full complement ones all round and see what happened. My premature collapsed 'caged' bearing issue is gone and I can leave it way longer between bearing changes, approxiametely twice as long
Being full comlement, when they do wear out, they don't fail like 'caged' types do and force all the ball bearings to one side resulting in loads of play in the bearing and thus the suspension as a whole. I can live with a worn full complement bearing while I get round to replacing them for a bit when the full set of (worn) ball bearings hold it all together without a significant amount of play

The boardman did seem to do well in ST mag, and the component spec is ridiculous for £1k

KHS (a mail order only brand I think) has some very well specced bikes for the money, so it may be that they may do something suitable. No idea how they ride though

"'well it doesn't say it does come with one either' "
They haven't advertised them as coming with them, so why should they come with them?

"that the ad should probably say OEM"
Who says they are OEM? (Original Equipment) Surely that implies they have been split off a new bike? I would have thought they just bought them (as other bike manufacturers do) to build into new bikes and as they also sell components online, are selling seperately as well?

"dont get it – they're the same fork not in a box?"
"I'm also intrigued how an OEM Fox fork is 'inferior'. "
+1

"could find you have a very limited warranty or none"
No you don't get a Fox (2 year?) warranty (which they seem* to blame you for not servicing, even if you have), but as with everything else On-one (the retailer) have to give you (presumably 1 year on forks?) a warranty of their own by law. I'd guess they'd just refund rather than replace if it came to that (assuming they'd run out)?

Try to get your saddle further forward (on the rails, or perhaps an inline post?), even if you aren't sat down, you (at least I do) end up using it as a kind of 'reference' point for legs as to where my body position is in relation to the bike

Longer stem would put more weight to the front
Is it possible to get the stem lower/slightly more forward by flipping it upside down?

Do you have any lower rise bars, or even some wider ones to make it feel less tall, partly as they'll drag your weight forward a little, but the extra leverage/width in relation to height can make it feel less tall too

You could also put a bigger tyre on the back than the front

Nope, just read the shimano instruction sheet and its a doddle (so long as your cables/outers aren't bunged up)

980 is much more comparable to SLX, both having spiders on the 3 biggest rings and being of similar weight, whereas XT and 990 both have more like 5 (and being of similar weight)

SLX (hg80) can often be found for less than 980 and I think its lighter, so its my current 'choice' to stay away from 1lb weights of non-spider 11-34T casettes, not pay XT prices, and have something that won't eat my freehub body

that leaves hg61 (non spider, '10 deore) or older LX about equivalent to 970 and hg50 to 950 (older deore) perhaps?

This may appear to be a bit of a screendump, but here goes:
Les Gets:

Les Arcs:

La Clusaz:

Courchevel/3 vallees:



spot the trails:

Specialized BG Sport (£70, more for staying on the bike uphill) or Tahoe (£65, a bit more for walking unridable stuff) aren't at the most budget end of things, but I've found pairs I ridden good, and fit my wide(ish) feet comfortably

Shimano M520s can be bought for £20 (sometimes £18) including cleats. Theres no cage to rest your foot on, but without one you'll perhaps more quickly 'learn' to use SPDs

You probably also need to ask why yourself why you want/need SPDs?
I ended up getting them being the only one in one main group of riders without them, and needing some new flat pedals, so thought it was an oppurtunity to try them

Being able to jump onto someone elses SPD 'pedalled' bike can be pretty good though

Although I like not having to think about keeping my feet in place in the rough stuff, I have ended up not being able to go off drops without my feet falling off (having 'learnt' drops clipped in). I don't really use the extra spinning ability that well anymore either
In hindsight I probably should have invested in some decent flat pedals and some shoes actually intended for MTBing

How long have you had the spesh BGs?

I've found specialized shoes will give a little in time and so stop 'pinching' the sides of your feet

Maybe start sprinting out the saddle toward them?

Nah, a road bike would be more appropriate than a DH bike. I can't see why a cross bike couldn't handle dalby red just fine, so on a dry enough day, a road bike ought to be alright?

What, this has got to be a troll?
Where on earth did you hear it was the most technical riding in the country?
On the simplest (graded groomed trail centre) level, dalby has red and black trails, with some low level north shore

There are at least 3 double black graded routes at forestry commision sites I can think of, off the top of my head (Laggan Black, Stainburn Warren boulder trail, Mabie Kona Dark Side), let alone freeride trails/features and downhill trails
Oh and then theres everything thats not fully signposted as well ..

XT is around 30g lighter than SLX. XT has (soft) aluminium 'lowers', ie the jockey wheel cage. SLX has steel. I've seen a couple of bent XT ones
I've no idea what the difference between SLX and deore are though

Merlin have XT Shadow for £50, SLX for £35, Deore Shadow for £28 as a guide
In the good ol' days (mid 2008) I got an XT one for £30 ..
I've not bent mine though, only one on a one day alpine hire bike

"an expensive imitation of an Iron Horse Bootleg"
How on earth have you come to that?
Isn't a bootleg a 100mm single pivot steep angled XC (race) bike?
Or are you just going on what it sort of looks like?

Superstar do a 'full'(ie upper guide plus lower roller) chain device for £35, okay so its not DH race bike weight but its pretty cheap compared to pretty much everything else
The bike will need ISCG/ISCG03, ISCG05 or a Bottom Bracket mounting though
So if the frame doesn't have 3 bolt mountings, or an external type bottom bracket bearing cups, then you'll have to get a special chain device type bottom bracket, or if the frame has a 68mm bottom bracket shell you can use a 73mm bottom bracket, stick the chain device on one side and add an external bottom bracket 2.5mm spacer on the other

There are loads of other ways, but if the bike is for jumping etc then it maybe that a full chain device maybe best

Other solutions include:
Front mech with low limit screw wound out and clamped so it sits low to chainring
Bash guard + inner bash ring (~£16* + ~£28**)
Bash guard + N gear jump stop (~£16* + ~£10)
Pauls components Chain Keeper (I think its called that) (~£50?)
Rohloff Chain Guide (~£50)
MRP 1x/e13 XCX top guides (~£40)
there must be more

*eg FSA polycarbonate on CRC
**eg blackspire on CRC

You have got the correct length chain haven't you? round the biggest 2 rings (only got the one at the front) plus one pair of links overlap

Yes and yes

If you don't need the tool-free lever reach adjustment (who really does?) then the avid elixir 5 may well be a better bet (its probably slightly lighter having allen key lever reach adjustment)
Merlin are usually pretty good on brake prices, even if the rotor sizes available can be a bit limited

Marzocchi MX's are about the only ones I think

Merlin have them in atm:
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/marzocchi-and-rockshox-suspension-forks/marzocchi-suspension-forks/marzocchi-mx-pro-lo-1.html

I was just thinking given so many of the sections run parallel to the open red run that someone may have sampled or seen at least some of the black loop sections?