“I defy anyone to tell the difference. So confident am I in this assertion, that I will give £100 to the first person who, in a blind test, correctly identifies which was round the tyres are facing”

I’ll give it a go, an easy £100 up for grabs there. Just feel/touch the tread to work out which way round it is. It’d be dead easy

“I think I have seen Trances specced with 120mm forks as stock.Most people agree that you can run up to 20% longer forks than standard”

Nope, its the 127mm Trance X that comes with 120mm forks

for e.g.
Cotic say you can run 100-130mm forks on its sould hardtail. I’ve read many times on here (from cy) 140mm forks are not warrantied, due to the increased leverage on the headtube from the longer travel/hieght fork

Problems/Issues/changes/differences include (other than possibly ripping the headtube off):
Shortened effective top tube, less space to ‘breathe’
Higher BB hieght, less stable in corners
Slackened head angle, but will still dive to the same hieght when bottomed out, so not higher all the time.
Shortened effective chainstays and slackened seat angle, forcing weight further back, making climbs more difficult, (but steep descending probably better)
Higher handlebars, you may mind the bike tall and harder to control side-side, wider handlebars or lowering them should help out

If its travel adjust fork you’re after you can adjust to suit what you’re doing, but a frame designed around the fork should be as good(if not much better) on the steep stuff, but a lot better in the corners/singletrack/uphill

Is it a pre-2008 trance, or a 2009-
9 trance?

Boiled my 3’s (185/160 at the time) coming off of walna scar road in the lakes. Riding down the tarmac bit into coniston, though had been dragging the rear a fair bit until the wooded steep bit of the road. Speeding up and carrying on through the junction, just making it round the corner before coming to a stop was pretty scary.

Maybe I should swap to elixir R’s or SLX’s? (didn’t get on with oro k18’s or stroker trails on hire bikes in the alps – (the hayes too hard and wooden, the oros was v.difficult to not pull on full power straight away while trying to hold on through the really lumpy bits)

“Dialled Alpine + Specialized E150 fork + alfine + hammerschmidt = a fantabulous trail bike??”
I thought the E150 had **** all mud clearance?
A triple clamp fork on an alpine, that really would look gash

“but would it cost less/perform better than a Rohloff?”
I thought the hammerschimdt had loads of inherent drag/friction?
I seem to recall (though probably wrong) seeing the hammerschmidt was going to be around the £500 mark. So plus an alfine is about the same as a rohloff? Probably weighs more than a Rohloff setup as well

It would use triggers front and rear instead of a twist grip though

Its not just what all V-brakes do is it? Ie the (compressible) brake cables (which theres more of to the rear) is squashing more, hence feeling more spongy?

“I’ve had other forks (RockShox mainly) from web-sellers but I’m really glad I got these from a real shop who can sort things out for me “

Web sellers can sort them out too, and because the sale falls under distance selling laws, they should pay the postage both ways as well, whereas you have to keep going into the shop. Though if you’ve got a decent LBS, its seems less hassle to take them in rather than having to box up and post them off and whatnot

“How do you get mud build up under the top cap?? That’s something I’ve never seen at that end of the bike! “

It could/can heappen if/when you turn the bike upside down when cleaning it, filling it with water (on purpose or not), the water will drain out the gaps, whereas the soil doesn’t?

Shimano do do SLX 15mm and XT 15mm hubs but both in centrelock only, and both about 50g heavier than a pro II (probably due to the cup/cone thing they have going on. Can’t be converted to a 20mm though

Though I’ve not used either, I thought (from the numerous bits and bobs that pop up on here) that it was the ATA/TST models that had the problems, and the ETA versions were alright. Could be wrong though

“6” bike for mucking about

4″ bike for getting the miles in”

And what about those rides that call for a bit of both? What then?

409 is OE
426 is aftermarket

the only difference is whether you need an allen key or not to alter the floodgate, and maybe don’t get a shockpump with a 409. Thats it. OE means it was intended to go on a bike, nothing else. Still warrantied

Penmachno is less jumpy (though still possible if you see the oppurtunitys in time), but flows a lot better, is just generally a nicer place to be, and has far more variety in terms of corners/trail features and what not (such as switchbacks, bits of boardwalk, rocky features and some climbs interesting enough to stop you from getting bored). No massive berms though, or doubles/tabletops

409 probably maybe won’t come with a shock pump as it was intended to make it to go on new bikes, not sold seperately? Only a guess though

“2.1 XC High Roller”

In that case it’d be worth trying a high roller in a 2.35″ 60a. Either in a single ply(wire) or kevlar(Folding, which is 150-200g lighter depending on where you get the weight from)

I like my 2.35″ 60a folding ones, and my 2.5″ 60a single ply(wire) ones. The 2.5″ ones seem a lot draggier though, but more grippy

“and hope that you have enough thread”

Ah yes, I hadn’t thought about the spokes not having enough thread on them for the larger hub

“Would XO gripshift be compatible with Shimano XTR? The way to find out is to check how much cable gets pulled on each gear shift”

No, you can’t run XTR dual control levers because of the shifting issues

Why can’t/don’t you run seperate XTR brakes with SRAM twist grip (if you want twist grip?)

“Tried High Roller but didn’t inspire much confidence”

Which ones? Theres quite a few of them, and there can be a lot of difference

1.9/2.1″ High roller (XC) have more spread out tread and much lower side (cornering) tread. They come in 70a (maxxis’ hardest compound) in both the wire and standard folding versions. The eXception 62a is also available, but more pricey

2.35″/2.5″ High Roller (FR/DH) have a closer together tread and much higher side (cornering) tread. They also come in the 60a Maxxpro and 42a supertacky compounds

Hmm, so not so straightforward then

So, what about the rebuilding of the now ‘outcast’ wheel, the XT/XC717 combo? It’d be useful on my spare/second bike, given the freehub on that is almost dead (a X139-N/comp disk? wheel (off of a 2003 marin)

So would the probable 262mm spokes work with the XC717 disc and XT hub? Or will they protrude too far, poking into the rimstrip?

It looks like a nightmare to try and move behind, or hold onto with your legs
I suspect its not really for mountain biking though

PD22? They have the reflector bits in?
Not M540’s then?

Done that already. Already over the hieght rockshox reccomend

Not only that, but it would pull the handlebars further backwards

“25 degree rise though!?

I decided 6 degree isn’t enough, as having the bars lower than the saddle isn’t ideal. 15 degree didn’t seem (when worked out) to provide enough rise

“Is your face worth saving a few bucks on a decent stem? “

No, but as I’m sure I’ve said a few times already, I couldn’t find anything else to fit the bill (25.4mm clamp, 25ish degree rise)

“Don’t risk your health idiot”

I didn’t know If my logic was correct, if there was any reason in the design that meant that in-fact the clamping force would still be distributed evenly, despite a bolt at a skew angle

“What make is it?”
Bontrager

I’d assumed they’d at least be half decent.

“There are plenty of stems knocking round for not a lot of money all with a seriously high attention to detail and beautifuly crafted finishing touches so you should be spoilt for choice at any price”
If you’re after a 31.8mm clamp and 5, 6 or 8 degrees of rise there is.
But if you have 25.4mm bars, wanting to raise the (mid rise) bars cheaply in hieght, but not affect the fore-aft position (hence why a 40 degree (ie salsa) won’t do) a 25 degree one seems like the only choice, unless you can point me elsewhere?

A 15 degree thomson isn’t enough rise and is £60

“If you intend to do rufty stuff you should`ve bought a 4 bolt face plate stem in the first place! “

Who makes one in a 25 degree rise, in a 25.4mm clamp?
I reckoned(calculated) a 15 degree(thomson) wouldn’t be high enough (and cost 3/4 times as much)

“I was looking at HR’s but they seem really heavy”

The folding (not the single ply one – thats a wire bead) 2.35″ high roller (in a 60a) is published as 695g on maxxis’ website. JustRidingAlong claim them to be 646g (theres an page on weights of maxxis tyres up there)
I’ve not weighed them though. Felt light enough when I fitted them

“whatever your width is at the shoulders?”

My shoulders are about 500mm? I run 685mms? Should I cut them down?

“I’m just not convinced…yet!) “
Give it 4/5 rides, and see if you forgot about them. Well you don’t have to, but you’ve bought some wid(ish) bars, so you may as well give them a proper try

I got some 685mm bars (After having used 640mm’s for MTBing for ages)
The first ride felt really wierd, the next couple I stuck a shorter stem on, and it wasn’t completely used to it. I swapped stems back again (confusing things) but was pretty used to it. Swapping stems now I don’t notice.

Going back to the 640mm’s on rebuildig my hardtail was really wierd though. I hated it.

Having that extra room to set your brake levers more inbound (for one finger braking) is really good as well

“trying to avoid having one uncomfortable ride to confirm – that, yes, they do infact need cutting down!”
I didn’t find the first ride uncomfortable, I just wasn’t used to the slower steering

Have you ridden them?
They’re so much better for slow techy stuff, and on the DHs, and just generally more fun everywhere else

Do you have wid(ish) shoulders/long arms?

Keep them wide, set up brake levers in more than normal (for one finger braking) and try to get used to them for a bit. Give them a chance. Chances are you’ll start to really like them (though will feel odd to start with – it maybe worth sticking a shorter stem on to speed up the steering/rebalance your weight distribution at least to start with)

At least then you can always cut them down if you really ‘have’ to

As above, 180mm IS front = rear 160 IS.
Its how you can run a 140mm rotor on the rear, but only as small as a 160mm on the front

“the uni team kit still the yellow/purple vomit-splatter “
What did that look like?

Last year it went to a mainly black (so mud wasn’t such an issue), with white and (durham)purple lines, logos and writing (inc. wood n wheels/specialist cycles logo). This year the bike shop moved round the back, and ARUP went onto the front. Have a look round the site:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cycling.club/photos/php/zenphoto/index.php
I can’t find/remember any decent pictures of the kit on there

Two years before that, it was a white, with purple shoulders

“Can’t get either in Oz Don’t meet the standards, so you’re not covered by insurance”

Which ones do?

nigew, woody mentioned the location of the picture

Anything else anyone?, I know of lots in the areas mentioned, anything specific I may have missed?

“there was some ace stuff up behind the Uni science site”
Do you mean like this:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cycling.club/photos/php/zenphoto/cache/mountain-biking/Durham/n61213742_39838850_94821.jpg_595.jpg
this:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cycling.club/photos/php/zenphoto/cache/mountain-biking/Durham/Mountjoy%20steps.jpg_595.jpg
and this:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/cycling.club/photos/php/zenphoto/index.php?album=mountain-biking%2FDurham&image=P6043426.MOV

“And anyone know if i can trade down on the replacement from giro?”
Giro crash replacement policy/procedure[/url]

After the winds on skiddaw stole my Giro E2, I went into Keswick Mountain Bikes to get me a new one (so not to waste the afternoon), and after trying the fit of a few (with a very helpful member of staff) Giro apparantly didn’t fit my head.

So went over the road to their other shop (the one above the cafe) and tried/bought the much better fitting (And £50) Specialized Instinct. Very Happy with it so far, even comes with a similar crash replacement policy too

How do I email you on this new forum?

I’ve not really ventured there a lot. In and out of the coastline theres a few bits and bobs from blackhall upto seaham:
coastal stuff

Thats all I know

Been to hamster I think 10 times? Rode their twice, once in a day, once to bivvy

Do you mean this one?

Peter Ward is whos photo it is
You have to carry your bike through the tree to get up there. All there is, is that down ramp, that goes straight into a tall/long gapped double, then carries on over the crossward log the ‘stormtrooper’ is slamming his rear wheel into, round the (low-walled) berm, then down across the other crazy bits of shore
Theres 3 other runs (very XC bike friendly) in there as well

Its not exactly mine to disclose its location on here .. I could email you the location if you want?

Littletown. I’ve not had a proper look there. As in ‘behind’ the village?

The uni maybe have a large proportion of toffs and rah’s, but theres a lot of people that aren’t. The MTB club has a severe lack of them at any rate

“I’ve always used flats but decided to try a ride with SPD’s.

It was awful, my legs were killing me, felt unstable and i had no confidence on the descents.

Flats may not be quite as efficient on the climbs but it just requires time to get the right method.
“

I’ve always used SPDs but decided to try a ride with flats.

It was awful, my legs were killing me, felt unstable and i had no confidence on the descents.

SPDs may not be quite as good for messing about but it just requires time to get the right method.

ONE WHOLE RIDE with SPDs?! Why would you think you’d be able to master them straight away?

I know a lot of people who try SPDs once or a few times and assume that they’re rubbish for anything techy, and then never use them again. Ride them, and keep riding them on techy stuff. Its the only way to get them to become (almost) second nature

Eh?