"You've not really though it through have you"
No, I already vaguely outlined this to begin with ..

" By which time it'll be too late"
Under less severe gradient changes the person at the rear would be able to tell when to change gear from the pedalling load. Typically being the weaker rider they're more likely to be more determined/interested/think it important/something along these lines to changing gear to suit the gradient?
If it really was going to be too late, the front rider would still have a degree of sudden gear changing ability from having control of the front mech? The communication issue would need fine tuning of course ..
The rear rider may feel better if they have the option to drag the rear brake on the rougher stuff. Though yes it'd be annoying for the person up front to have the rear person dragging the rear brake when not needed

"With your cavalier attitude to safety"
I'm not that bad, other forks have had replacable steerers in the past, and I can't find any damage to the rest of the fork at all? The steerer tube bashed out easily enough to push it from its press fit, a stem is merely clamped up with not loads of force and that works?

I'm just wondering if theres any explicit warning/reason not to?

Cynic-al, you're not quite living up to your name? ..

I think some people are getting confised here
Hopefully I won't confuse anyone further ..

The 'normal' QR and QR hub uses a 5mm QR skewer into a 5mm hollow axle with a 9mm outer diameter to fit a 9mm front QR fork dropout (rear QR axle size is 10mm)

A 9mm QR acts as the axle for the hub, but still sits in 9mm fork dropouts"

I don't think you can convert a QR XT hub to take a 9mm QR. Where would the threaded cup/cone nuts sit?

I'm not riding the frame, my brother is, so I don't have to worry about that bit ..

If I was to try to use the fork (with a new steerer tube) then I'd have something to worry about. Just trying to find some sort absolute reasoning not to
Its not exactly impossible for the steerer tube to have been deliberatley designed to be the weakest 'link'?

"Why doesn't the passenger in a car have control of the clutch and be indicating left?"
tbh though its much more of a brake for each rider (like a driving instructors car) and a gear lever for each rider? okay so they don't control the same things but divies up the controls between the riders a bit and gives the 'stoker' something to do?

The lower end of the headtube is ovalized to be fair (the bend in the head tube forces the headset cups to be at funny angles. The headset cup has been bashed forward again and the gap to the rear has been filled with liquid metal. ie a complete bodge. Under rider wieght the headset cup will be pushing against the intact front edge anyway
A fair few areas around the headtube have got flaking paintwork as a result of it too though, presumably the frame was able to flex/stress more than the brittle paint?

I'm not confident RS will do replacement steerer tubes, but theres an offchance I might be able to get one off another bent RS fork (steerer tube intact) from a friend

Maybe 2.1" or 1.95"(probably about the same volume as 2.1" Fire XCs) Kenda Nevegal DTC folding (or DTC-lite for the 1.95"). Still a knobbly and will cope with mud about as well, but the ramps help it a little, not loads but okay. The ramps do mean they won't climb quite as well in slop though (unless reversed)

Or the visually identical Panaracer Rampage 2.1". About £8 more per tyre though

Singlespeed it, adapt into a commuter, adapt into a pub bike, adapt/give to wife/gf/dad/brother/mum/sister/friend/etc?

If you kept it as a 'normal' MTB, would you use it over your other bike(s)?

"faff to change the pads "
If you ditch the pad retention clip on the back of the caliper (relying on the pad seperation spring/spider and the pad retention raised tabs on the pistons to keep the pads in) then they're a doddle to change the pads

The bleed procedure is more fiddly than other brakes and the bleed kit is pricey, but isn't too bad once you've done it a couple of times. Not something to be done in a hurry though
The (order of) the procedure in the bleed kits instructions seems to work much better than the (order of) the procedure in the instructions for my ('07) Juicy 3s

They are on the spongey side, but I prefer them like that over the uncontrolled/unmodulated grabbiness of hayes or bled up hopes (I quite like my hopes with air in the system for XC pootling, horrendous on anything with any brake dragging though). You get used to the longer lever throw too. Just make sure to wind the levers out so the bite point isn't at the bars and don't do anything stupid like set them up to use with your middle finger. The shorter levers that most mean they're easier to set inboard a bit (For one finger braking) too without pushing the shifters in that far, or having to resort to running them outside of the brakes, and/or having to remove the shifter windows

I've had 1 piston rod snap, one piston rod nut lose its thread, and have had to bleed one brake twice after gradually losing fluid every time I push the pads back. I probably push them back too in fairness

I know 3 people (of 3 people) with newer Juicy 5s (The ones with black resevior caps) who have loads of problems with bleeding them to work properly though

"Their heavy "
They're not that heavy, especially when they can be had for £50 per end all in. They're an older generation of brake so newer stuff does look a bit lighter.

Do you know that whoever 'built' the kicker felled the tree. It could have been some 'do-gooder' (dog) walker

Some Specialized '10 Dexter wind/water resistant gloves

The Specialized concept shop in harrogate had pretty much every other glove they do except for that glove in my size. Evans (even online) only seem to do the summer specialized golves

They haven't satisfied my urges to buy bike stuff though. Must .. buy .. something ..

""Yes – but not life changing"
In fairness the bonty Mud X was designed as a predictable (24hr?) mud race tyre, so they aren't all out grippy everywhere, just suitable enough for mud, sort of as a result roll reasonably well and still work on roots, rocks and tarmac unlike some draggy sparsely spread tall flexy treaded mud specific tyres

"the Fire XC Pros I had on before "
2.1" Fire XCs to 2.35" 42a high rollers? Thats some jump in tyre performance. Theres a wealth of tyres sitting in between those 2 with a more middleground compromise of grip/rolling resistance/etc..
I hope you don't have supertacky HRs front AND rear? That'd be murder ..

excelent, I shall have to remember that, also to look in the most logical location myself (ie srams site)

"admittedly missing off the Honnister pass part – we did Rosthwaite to Grange on the road"
I reckon thats the other good bit of the loop. Some nice techy bits to try along there
The sfb/bogtrotters fp option alongside the road upto watenllath is pretty good too, a bit slow going but nicely testing if you have the time

Easton have a 5 year warranty?

As they get older just don't abuse them so much, maybe move them 'down' the bikes? (FS > XC HT > XC SS > Commuter) if you have that many bikes of course

Do you mean this bit has been gravelled?

Could they not gravel half of it, for the sake of making it passable for horses/unskilled cyclists and leave the good bit as something for MTBers?
Surely it would cost less money to do, and by not destroying the 'good' bits not keep MTBers away from the area?

I've pulled a lockikg grip off before that the bolt rounded off, it was the outer clamp though

Drilling the bolt head off will work also

As DezB said the steerer tube is very very short. I'd be wanting at least about 220mm

Don't forget the 1×9 thread

"What tyre questions should result in a week ban. It's the most inane query ever"
If you can't noticably tell the differences between tyres you surely aren't riding hard enough? Having a half decent idea how different tyres will perform can only be a good thing?
What tyre for trail centre 'x' tend to be a bit vague and pointless though. Theres too many variables to consider(/that are rarely considered)

What miesko said If I recall correctly .R and ETA versions were fine, but ata (and perhaps TST?) versions were the problematic ones in 2008 (and 2007 xc700s). I think marzocchi were changing the internals to 2009 ones once you broke the 2008 internals under warranty though?

"Cut gate- starting from the other side (not the res"
There are reseviors at both ends of cut gate?
Errr, yes!
Langsett at the north end, Derwent at the South…."

Thats what I was trying to say, questioning hora saying saying the non-resevior side
On re-reading what I wrote though (the question mark) it does read as if I didn't know there were

"That drop down stanage is key!"
the descent on the cobbles/pavement stone through the plantation is one of my favourites, trying not to veer off the stones can be a real challenge, especially nearer the bottom

In ST issue 55, I think Cy mentioned it was a bridleway in his bit of the route guide. Not sure though, a quick re-read may show I've misinterpretted something somewhere

Not endura humvees

Endura Singletracks are very good, no inner though, but you wouldn't be getting very good ones at that price anyway?

"Blacka/Houndkirk/Totley/Sheffield route"
Is it easy to add the Stanage Edge descent into it?

"Cut gate- starting from the other side (not the res"
There are reseviors at both ends of cut gate?
I prefer starting at the Langsett end, although you have to add on for eg Derwent Edge and Gores Farm to make it worthwhile going further down the valley than slippery stones/the packhorse bridge

I'm guessing they're 2.25" Maxxis? So as big as some 2.5"s

You really shouldn't need* 721s to run that size tyres
*though they'll be stronger

I run my 2.25" maxxis on XM719 disc rims, though sometimes feel they're a bit on the limit. The round(ish) profile of advantages don't help

an EN521 (or EN321) should be lighter for the same internal rim width as the 721, but there are lighter rims for the same width

I believe I'm passing at about 3:55, just because you said you could/would on the vimeo description, is there nay chance I could somehow see a non-cut up (I appreciate it makes it better like that in the full video) version?
Don't feel you have to though

Whats the idea for the next one then? Cut gate? it was doable early april last year so perhaps? ..
I'd like to throw in Hollinsclough/3 shires head or stanage/blackamoor/totley moor as slightly different suggestions

"Mary Townley Loop"
I thought that was Calderdale way? ie nowhere near being in the peak?

Sometimes. Don't so much now though. With a new fork/bike/frame/shock then its worth taking so you can tweak the pressures to work out what works for you though

"HTs have no give in the rear "
tyre + give in the wheel + give in the frame = 'some' give, rather than none. though obviously less than an active* (under braking) suspension design)

*do any actually become fully unactive under braking?

"Not sure what you're getting at here"
our 'enemies' would be the ramblers assciation, if there was more trail damage on non-man-made-specifically-for-bikes trails of this nature it would/could be used as further 'evidence' to ban MTBs from more of the rights of way network

Mines done the same here too
Allen bolt? not the 5mm on the bottom, but the one internally (or did you mean that (2.5mm) one?

One of the biggest hastles people have with avid juicys is getting the pads in and out. Theres a pad retention type clip on the back of the caliper. Get rid of it (and rely on the pad separation spring and the raised parts of the pistons to hold the pads in) and the pads will be dead easy to take in/out

"Any idea who the rider is? .. it could be anyone of the 31 of us!"
Apart from it can't be me, I have no idea who it was, I wasn't paying attention

"No pics of me going down Jacobs"
I was repositioning the camera as you went past

I love how this thread just keeps on getting dug back out

Probably very pedantic, but "Bailer" is spelt baler

Stick your bikes dimensions into this and you'll find out[/url]
Its on the old side, so QR15 140mm Fox forks aren't in there (try to find something in there with the same A-C) which I believe are 515mm

160mm lyriks and Fox 36s are 545mm (Wotans = 540mm) so assuming your 5 has a 140mm Fox 32 QR or QR15 (511mm or 515mm) then you're looking at an A-C lenth increase of 30-34mm, which is very roughly upto 1.5 degrees slacker from your 67? degree HA. Which sticks it further into the realms of silly slack (for normal riding, though I guess that isn't the point)

EDIT: beaten to it

Although it would have been better without the snow I quite liked the change. Had none of the highlights been snowless then it would've have been a different matter for me I think. A slither of the bedrock gulley/track off of rushop edge, roych and the top of the ladder was probably worth the while

I've some pics here[/url], but I'm pretty miffed so many are so blurry and I overjudged my 'flatness compensation' a little too much

Some not (quite) so terrible ones:

"the best compromise is the VPP suspension that stiffens up under pedal pressure but is supple enough to achieve the grip required"

I would have thought something with anti squat would be better? ie whereas an FSR sits into its travel to achieve the traction (unlike a single pivot which stiffens under pedalling) a DW link will cause the suspension to extend (lifting the back end, steepening the angles) and digging in to give traction?

A Kona magic link should be half decent as it steepens up under pedalling
Else a bionicon in steep mode shouldn't be bad either?

I should be making this, so long as I (or rather the car) don't have some sort of break down
Hopefully Ill remember to bring (and charge) my camera, so If I'm not too cold and miserable then I ought to be able to take and get some pics up on here

Anybody any idea on what the riding conditions are likely to be?
Granted the grassy bits upto HollinsX/mam tor/rushop edge will be sloppy, but snow?
Fell Marvins link to the snow drift is worrying me somewhat

" always have difficulty with my xt hub. Is it loose as mine comes loose no matter how much I tighten it. I just tighten the cone up to about where it's need, tighten the lock ut by fingers and the the QR do it's job. Worked for past couple of years fine"

Its coming loose because you haven't tightened it up properly, you've just used your fingers

You can get away with 1 cone spanner and one adjustable spanner
Merlin do a pair or multisized cone spanners for £5 (though you'll need to pay postage if the order is under £10). CRC have a pair for £6 somewhere in the tools section

"I'd say 3.5-4hrs v.max"

How big is the group though? In a group of 4 (so less of a group faffage factor, but probably stopped a little more and a little more often), admitedly not that fit riders, but okay, have taken 6 hours before
It was a nice day though, maybe we weren't cold enough to want to get round fast enough

Have a look on the woolly hat shop
Disc wheelsets from £45 posted
V-brake wheelsets from £38 posted