Sintered Superstar ones for the slop. Normal front, sintered rear for 'normal' conditions and normal ones for dry alpine riding for me mostly. Though only change once the last ones have worn out

They do take a little while to bed in (as do their 'normal' ones) unlike say original avid ones which bed in almost straight away and offer a little more in terms of performance imo.

Some people have problems bedding superstar pads in
It may be that if you run oversized rotors without actually riding any worthwhile descents to build up sufficient heat to bed them in and if you aren't a particularly bulky individual you may end up with the pads falling to bits. This is my theory/experience anyhow

"Better than MT500s? "

Singletrack reckoned they are (the 1/2 length bib ones anyway). There was a shorts grouptest a few years ago (I went to reread it the other day)

I've not used one, but on-one do them too

"SAS in Boats "

That would be the SAS' boat troop surely?

You need a specific length, to the nearest 2mm (I think). Bike shops sell them singularly

"but when you come to where the trailhead restarts dont follow it, look to your right, between you and the road is another little used trail.This winds along the edge of the road"
Isn't that the end of the black, but going the other way?

here, on singletraction

Just a quick thread hijack:
"Is the fluid straw coloured like Stella or darker like bitter?"
What if it happened to come out a dark gray colour?

I can't find it leaking anywhere, though I've just had to bleed it again after about 4 months of working fine before pulling closer and closer to the bar over the course of about 3 rides

"does the freehub require a spacer behind the cassette?"
Or is a SRAM one with a carrier where you've forgotten to put the spacer in between some of the middle sprockets?

Flew the year before last on easyjet (east midlands – geneva)
Got a cardboard bike box, prepped the bike as per I think the trailaddiction site (wasn't going with them) plus tiewrapped the bike bits + riding bag toegther, then agritaped (like duct tape, only gray .. ) all the edges/corners for durability, then wrapped the box in clign film (if it rains while your box is on the tarmac, the bottom of your box could drop out ..), then more tape on the edges

This year I took the train (actually one to london, another to the otherside of london and another to where I wanted to get to) down to a friends to meet up and car-share (via a ferry) to the alps
Aside from having to move a bike, 70L rucksak, camelbak + helmet between trains etc I think thats the best way
Some parts of france can get really dull to drive through though. Just gently rolling big fields with the odd generic settlement for 100's km

"Are there any nasty little suprises that I am likely to aproach at inapropriate speeds ? "
this?

thats the 3rd of the opening caddon bank drops (the biggest). Decide if you want to do the first and take it from there. The take offs are made up rock slabs so are quite obvious

Some do, some don't
27 instead of 24 gears isn't really that important. So long as the 8 speed casette is an 11-32T (okay so you can get 11-34T 9spd), and an even spread then its not that biiger deal?

I'd rather worry about having a half decent fork and ideally some basic hydraulic brakes at that price (I know very few do)

The Edinburgh Bicycle Coops own brand £480 bike has juicy 3s and a tora up front though, which even before prices went through the roof was a bargain

"I think you need to expand your horizons a little. What about the Simpsons"
What?!

I liked the mr blobby bit in the last episode, and the phone call with the bloke on coronation street.
The only problem I really have with it is that I've never seen any of the programs they're talking the mick of

"whilst also removing some finger/nail"
You don't hold stuff in moldgrips/pliers when grinding stuff?

Stumpys don't look that bad with a conventional crudcatcher (~8" above the tyre):

When you say custom route, do you mean custom frame or custom components?

Cotic Soul fits the bill (I think) and should actually work out cheaper frame only, though I get the feeling you're after a complete bike. Have a look at the genesis altitude (the 853 ones)?

"I found the minion a little more predictable!! But not obviously mud specific!"
I used 2.35" (60a) HRs a fair bit last winter so I could have a little volume, they grip well and clear quite well, just that they're too bigger volume to cut through slop having to rely on the tall(ish) tread to try to grip through slop

"are medusas terrible? "
I've read that they're very good in slop, but the tall tread squirms on tarmac and hard surfaces including rock. Not great on roots either
Panaracer Trailrakers apparantly grip everywhere very well, but don't roll well
Mud X's are supposed to grip well everywhere but don't have the supreme grip of trailrakers and roll better.

I bought Mud X's after seeing pretty much that a few times. I didn't use them much last winter though as they were on the HT and stayed off the FS

You don't have to worry about snake bites (as much)

Make sure you get to grips(/obsess over it a bit and know what pressures and how many rebound clicks you want to run at) with setting up the rear shock. Pressures and rebound speeds can make all the difference between a choppy/sloppy/energy sapping ride and a well behaved/well controlled ride that doens't dive through its travel (up or down) at every given oppurtunity.

You sound like you desperately don't want big heavy slow tyres.

Personally I wouldn't jump into the bigger 700g ish tyres unless you consistently ride in rocky areas (peaks/lakes etc etc) or sessioning DH courses and want all the cushionining you can fit

Something like:
2.1" Kenda Blue Groove(slightly chunkier) or Nevegal(still chunky) DTC folding is 609g (I'm running Nev's front/rear atm). They are near as makes little difference as big as a Maxxis 2.35" High Roller/Minion/Ignitor/Larsen TT and bigger than continental 2.3"s (SK's) and have coped no problems with lakes(borrowdale/walna scar)/peaks(j.ladder)
2.2" Bontrager ACX folding is about 565g and bigger than a 2.1" Kenda. They are a little hard though

re: tyre sizes
IME/IMO

IRC 2.1" ~= 2.1" Maxxis Ignitor/HR = 2.1" Continental < 2.1" Panaracer << 2.3" Continental (SK's) = 2.1" Maxxis Advantage/Crossmark < 2.1" Kenda < 2.35" Maxxis = 2.2" Specialized < 2.2" Bontrager << 2.25" Maxxis = 2.5" Maxxis = 2.3" Specialized = 2.35" Kenda

(Open to discussion .. especially as to where 2.2"/2.4" Continental and 2.35" Panaracer fit into there)

I've just had to do the same.
Given the 13.5 litre HAWG has been changed to the (£100) 18 litre HAWG NV and still has the flimsy zips (mine broke after 2 years) I opted to get one of the 'freeride' type ones
I got the 11.5 litre (3L bladder) Camelbak Mayham as I wanted something slightly smaller (and longer on my back), though I can actually get more in it than my old HAWG
They also do the 13L (3L bladder) Camelbak Havoc
Both come with really beefy looking zips (unlike the HAWG)

Just clicked onto the link. If their weight claim of 4.9lbs (2.2kg) is right of the 160mm forks out there only a Fox 36 Float is lighter. Is lighter than coil pikes too (I think the 454 ones, definetly the 426/409s)

"if a component fails after 9 days seems like a reasonable case to argue not fit for purpose?"

Go look it up (bacause I don't know), but I thought after a short period of time you could essentially refuse the contract/sale

The warranty is with the shop, manufacturers warranties can often go beyond that and the shop will very often try to claim on any manufacturers warranty so that they don't end up with a warranty fixed s/h item having given you a brand new one, which if done in a 'reasonable time'

Awaits correction ..

"then i slid the crank in, and set it as accuratly as i could get it.

then, being careful to not let the plate move, i nipped up the BB to clamp the plate, "

What tool have you got to do this? An open ended type HT BB spanner (eg Shimano, Pedros) ? The closed park one and socket type ones won't let you do this
Do you slide the BB tool over the HT axle and then onto the BB cup, or can you get it straight onto the BB cup with the crank flush to the BB cup?

Also, who is the roller/tensioner made by?
And that XTC would look better with the mech hanger removed I reckon

"get the poor mans alternative an Orange P7 "
The RRP is £450 this year! A Cotic Soul is £470 inc. seat collar, chainstay protector and delivery, and I think lighter? I'd say a P7 was more expensive

Also, despite reading this thread yesterday, I've only just seen the Cotic sidebars ..

I'd stick it up front. It might 'only' be 60a/70a (dual compound, harder 70a in the middle to roll, softer 60a for cornering grip on the edges), but It should be a lot softer/grippier than a continental. The chunkyness will help too
I'd stick it up front with a vertical out back (definetly not the other way around). I assume the vertical is a 2.3" (by continentals measurement) and the spesh a 2.2" (by spesh's measurement) so you'll have the bigger spesh up front
The thing is I think you may realise how much grippier the spesh is and want to 'upgrade' the continental as a result?

[1" = 25.4mm]
40mm travel difference (and appropriate angle/length changes for 100 F/R or 140mm F/R travel) Meta frame is approx. 7.3lbs, super is more like 6.3lbs

Merlin have the meta 55 frame for £630 atm (+£250 for 2010 150?mm RS Revs)

Washers are the (cheapo) answer. You may need to file one side down to fit LX cranks depending on the dimensions of the washers. An electric 'grindstone' makes it a quick job. Make sure you hold the washer with something other than your fingers ..
Else take a hand file to them

Make sure the tension is on the minimum setting

Make sure the cleat on you shoe is positioned comfortably (help should be somewhere in the pedal or shoe instructions)

Make yourself ride on stuff you know you can do. If you know you can do it, then you won't need to unclip?
Try to push yourself with what you do with them. I found I couldn't ride a lot of what was on the fringe on what I was comfortable with for a while, but trying to make myself ride as much as I could (technically) helped to get used to them.

"would be shit all bearing that you could fit in that gap… "
you could try to find some bushings to fit .. what could go wrong?!

Fair enough
There's a 130-90mm sherman (there are some 170mm versions too) that are I think sub 2kg. A friend of mine got some off of ebay recently for about £80 (okay so there were probably 3-4 years old) but seem pretty good

I didn't know 145mm nixons were as low as that, same as pikes at 140mm.

"Nixons are 145mm so that shouldn't be an issue"
Really? Trances came with 100mm forks. I know a lot of people ran them 130mm forks, but could 145mm be pushing it into horrible handling for eg an even higher BB height?
What about 130(-90)mm shermans with a 20mm axle? They should be a bit lighter than Nixons. Though just for the U-turn I'd be tempted to get s/h coil pikes? Or 130mm dual air Revelations given its a trance

"as light as the air Pikes or Revs,"
Dual-air ('06-'08 QR) Revs were sub 4lbs?

1 degree is quite a lot in terms of head angle. Between full on XC race bike to full on DH race bike the range is something like 72/71 to 64ish degrees

I don't think a soul is a benchmark long travel hardtail at all. I thought cotic reckoned they run best with 100mm forks. The new ones have only just been 'okayed' to run 140mm forks too

"pic taken by an amateur photographer at the race"
that looks far better than the bought one personally

A problem with some forward facing mudguards can be that they block your sight of the front wheel entirely (theres a topeak one that does at least)

I prefer one of these to keep mud/crap out of my face/eyes:

One thign to bear in mind would be that a 2.25" ardent will be a lot bigger than a 2.35" Minion or High roller. (a 2.5" Minion/HR is about the same)[Minion/HR/LarsenTT/Ignitor = old tread)(Advantage/Crossmark/Ardent = new tread which come up far bigger]. Depends if you're bothered about tipping the bike forward a touch with the difference or not

"2009 revs are very lighter (as light if not lighter than the floats)"
The 20mm (pike lowers) ones certainly aren't

A Fox 32 Float QR 140mm '09 was something like 1630g (RLC is heavier, QR15 is heavier)
A RS Revelation QR 140mm '09 was 1750g ('06-'08 130mm ones were 1740g)
Given the 20mm axle '09 revs used pike lowers they were a fair bit heavier than QR15 '09 32 Floats I should think

If you thought pikes were overweight, but desperatly wanted coil, you could try and get a Fox 32 Van QR15? They're about 2kg

"XT is cheaper at Parker International "
But are they in stock?

"SLX or XTR weight"
SLX triple is 889g (so 36g difference for £40) which isn't terrible £ vs. g, but it may be you can ditch weight elsewhere for less. eg tyres, saddle .. )
(SLX double is about 1000g)
XTR is 770g

"those 150mm revs sound nice- where have you seen them at that price??"
Merlin have them for £330, but they're QR only ..

"Cove Sanchez"
What? I thought that was a dirt jump frame?

If you're starting from scratch your best bet for decent value might be going for complete bike for eg like:
Marin Rocky Ridge (top of the range):

Kona Five-O (2 models):

Genesis Abyss (or the steel Alptitude):

NS bikes Core (1 or 2):

Those £13 ignitors have £4 P&P on top. 2.1" Ignitors come up really quite small to0

CRC have conti race king 2.0/2.2" for £14 ea. posted, speed king 2.1"(again quite small)/2.3" Speed Kings for £13 ea. posted?