Go on rockshoxs website. In the fork descriptions they usually have a little note saying what upgrades each model gets over the previous one

Apparantly, the race and team models have an external (hand adjustment instead of an allen key on the SL) floodgate adjustment (how locked out the lock out is once engaged)
The team has uprated damping circuitary, and is available in a 90-120mm air U-turn, whereas the others are not

rift zone frame for £310

Rift Zone (with coil shock? and chainset) went for £350
So just over £300 with seatpost then

Depends if the potential buyer read the review the mag (singletrack) gave it
Check ebay, and look in the ended items search thingi to see how much they go for

“although the rules for inclusion seem a little vague, to be honest. “

Is it not just anything and everything that could pass as a trail centre? (being waymarked)
theres a few websites about with all the welsh and scottish ones in, but its not the same as having a nice piture book you can take with you (not to ride obviously, that would be silly)

” if you understand what bridleways originally were – routes for horses – you’ll understand why they are footpaths – routes for foot travellers. “

Yes, but bikes can ride a lot more than horses, not everything a hiker could, but finding out what can/can’t be ridden is where the fun/challenge is?

this one?

“Bought a 2009 Marin Vision and was absolutely delighted with it. 4 months later after wearing out forks,chain set and rear hub started to think this was getting too expensive”

Which one was that! Thats disgusting. How much had you ridden it? A freehub should last a lot longer than that. The forks want sending back for warranty replacement (/refund) if they’ve not lasted 4 months

“how’s the mtb club at Durham James? – it was crap 10 years ago”
If you’re being clever/nosey enough to look where the pic was hosted, you could have gone and had a nosey round the site? have a look in the MTB pics
Its picked up from about 5 active members in 2005/2006 to maybe 50* now as a guess, though not per ride
*roadies plus MTBers

SLX bash-36-22T is about 1kg (with steel axle and pedal threads)
SLX triple 44-32-22T is 889g

If you only ever use the 32T on your HT, then the 36T on the double one should be enough of a range for you. Having a 36T instead of a 32T may annoy you though if you rarely use the inner ring either though, as you’ll find middle ring-big rear sprocket harder to turn

The triple has a steel/composite middle ring (which will last a lot longer) than the double’s aluminium 36T ring though

Depends what you’re priorities are. It doesn’t sound like you’re going to be going wrong with either of them

“It can only be changed by changing your frame”
Or your fork, or the size of your tyres, (or wheel size) …

Irregularly spaced stuff gets a bit harder:

And wooden board stuff harder again, especially if the backs aren’t fully filled in

Start small, with a low angle. The more of both the more the impact will be from angle-to-flat and the more you’re likely to pick up speed
Use the rear brake as much as you like to start with.

Aren’t continental 2.3″s about the same size of normal 2.1″ tyres though?
I’ve felt my 2.1″ Kenda Nevegal squirm about a bit on XC717s now and then
I think Panaracer Rampage 2.35″s are meant to come up quite big.

“if it’s wet you’ll be needing spare brake pads”

Well somebodys not bedding their pads in properly …

2.1″ High Roller XCs will be fine. If they slide around a bit on rock, drop the pressure a little

“i’d recommend ditching it for a reba instead “
Or a tora, or recon, or Marzocchi MX pro if you don’t want to shell out that much,

” doubt you’d get full travel on a Tora either”
Quite the opposite, a coil tora U-turn (318) can have a far too soft spring supplied:

I’m not quite sure why he uses two finger braking, but this is just the braking bumps at cwm carn (2008 BUSA (inter-university) XC race)

2.5″ HR is pretty much the same volume to a 2.25″ Advantage, similar to a 2.3″ Specialized Enduro, Kenda Nevegal 2.35″ … Bigger than 2.4″ Mountain Kings. I’ve not ridden/compared much else that big.
I agree the 2.35″ HR is tiny. Not a lot more volume than the already small 2.1″ HR XC

“You can sometimes get away with mixing and matching rotors between brands.”
what?
Its a piece of flat metal with holes in? So long as its the right radius, or the brake doesn’t use oversize pads (though will still work) any rotor/capiler combination should work.
The rotor size doesn’t neccessirly have to be exact. I’ve got a 164mm rotor running in a 160mm hope caliper at the moment to save buying a 160mm.

“Drill out the rivets and use the center of the old rotor as a centerlock to six bolt adapter”
Aren’t they on completely different radii?

What frame is it? A lot of bike manufacturers publish seatpost sizes on their websites, especially it was available frame only

“Them buggers go like **** off a shovel”

Which high rollers are these then? 2.1″ High Roller XCs? or 2.35″/2.5″ High Roller FR/DH (the tread is different, XC ones have lower side lugs, and less middle lugs – though still very grippy)
Oh, and what compound are they? 70a? 62a? 60a? 42a?

Just curious as my 2.5″ single ply (880g) 60As are the slowest tyres I’ve ridden. Slill find them slow at 40psi. Horrendously grippy though. My only tyre that doesn’t lock up at all on flights of stairs. Bought for an alps trip that ended up raining all week, and they were still really good. Can’t complain really

For £1100! Whats going on. Yes, its good. If they after a 4 or 5″ travel full as opposed to a 5″ one (which may imply a more hefty bike) then it should be spot on.

Ok, so the window is now twice the size of the OS get a map thing, but is there any way to turn any of the adverts off on multimap (I’m fine with them on here) as I can’t seem to focus properly on it to pan around due to the silly amount of ads hemming it in

If its the £1300 one, for £1000 then apart from the questionable colour scheme, then yes its good. The only issue might be the 100mm travel. Though the suspension design is very effective and the fork very good (a lot of hardtails last year didn’t have forks that good for £1000 RRP), the rider may want more travel, even if they just think they do, when they may not be getting any more than they would out of a 100mm one.

Penmachno loops 1 and 2 if you didn’t do them together? Penmachno is awesome, I want to go back (for the fourth time)
Could try Coed Llandegla black, Its like penmachno with some of the speed, but not as nicer place to be and not as imaginative or fun, the corners all feel the same, and the Red (to get on/off the black) was pants. All my own opinion obviously

Else have a look in the bikefax Snowdonia book.
Theres a ride in there that does a loop N/NEerly of capel curig. Another favourite of mine. After going through a farm/house early on on the first proper climb, and along the top wall after that, the Bway heads across a bog. If you head up the track instead, you can get onto the waterchannel (theres a path next to it) that feeds the resevior you’re heading to. Then take it from there. Really nice uppy/downy techy (but good fun) singletrack alongside the reservior, a hairy road descent (Bizarrely its rly good for a road, loads of tight corners, nice and steep, then back up another valley, with a really good descent back into capel curig. About 17 miles. I did this ride with my mum, and she really enjoyed it, so it can’t be too hard.
Not really like penmachno though. If you rode mbr? at brenin then it should be fine.

If snowdons not snowy, snowdon? Probably is though. I’m not local so don’t really know a lot else.

Doesn’t titanium stretch anyway? Thats what it says in the description for SSC’s Hollow steel QR skewers.

How is a towbar mounted rack MORE impractical than a trailer?
You have to go 50mph everyhere, hook it on, have somewhere to store it, will make finding parking space more difficult (making shops, pubs, (accomadation) while on a biking (day)trip all the more difficult to park for), pay more on tolls (should there be any), is an AA van allowed to tow the car AND trailer? When you take the wrong turning on that back lane can you reverse half a mile to find a suitable turning round point? And as this thread is showing can be/are expensive and/or require building up from a trailer and seperate bike rack

Theres a fair few towbar mounted bike racks that tilt out of the way of the bootlid if thats one of your needs/concerns/issues:

What was with the camera looking left all the time? I want to see where you going/what you’re riding, not what the scenery is like.

Theres far too many clips riding uphill, especially on tarmac/smooth gravel too, its quite boring to watch. Filming others upto derwent edge on the rocky section would’ve been good

I wanted full clips of the DHs, crashes, foot downs and all.

I never realised how sloppy derwent edge – cutthroat bridge could get at this time of year. That looked nasty

Also, how did you get from the bottom of ‘the beast of hope cross’ to rowlee farm? The footpath through the nature reserve? Or along the A57?

“but I’d want a LUST one (they don’t make them sadly)”
They do according to their website?

“which High Rollers? – there seem to be 1000’s of the things!! look a bit heavy?? “
“The single ply 60A High Rollers aren’t too heavy and work fine for me in most conditions”

Not a Dual Ply, probably not even a single ply
The kevlar folding 2.35″ 60As are up as 695g on maxxis’ website. Just Riding Along have them listed as 646g. The 2.35″ isn’t particularly big though. Not much more volumous than a Kenda Nevagal 2.1″, and only a bit bigger than the High Roller XC 2.1″. The tread is masses more chunky than either though (but with rolling ramps all over)

Advantage 2.25″s are massive, about the size of 2.5″ High Rollers in volume, and don’t ride too well at 40psi. They (the 60A one I’ved used) need dropping to 35psi(-30) (on the front at least) to get it to roll properly on corners. Then they’re fine. Not so good in mud though as they seem to struggle to cut through anything
I’ve not used the 2.1″ 70As though

On the offchance you wanted a little more travel (130mm – though still adjustable down to 85mm), Genesis seem to get rated well on here

Genesis Core 30 = £831.91:

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bike/core_30

The Altitude is a steel framed version (looks like the same spec) but for another £100

Else an orange P7S is steel and £800ish, though the tora forks aren’t as good

"Might not strictly be a tractor"
By being something providing tractive effort I think it probably is
Its far from useful as an agricultural tractor though, having started life designed as a dumper? A slightly odd choice of vehicle to adapt

What matthew H said, but get some high rollers to run on the wheels. Nevegals did grip when I was in morzine last year, but High rollers were better in the wet (and it was VERY sloppy all week)

"Sounds like a 5in to 6in full-susser could be just what you need."
"Go buy an Orange 5 and get stuck in. Sorted"

I’m not so sure. You’re used to riding a 4"? travel hardtail with fire XC 2.1"s on.
Do demo some full-sussers to give you an idea about what you’d be getting, but diving straight into the mid weight ones isn’t going to give you the best impression.

100mm full sussers seem to have been marketted at XC racing in very recent years, though maybe they’d be more suitable if you don’t want to suddenly find climbs being a lot more of a drag, and they’ll still be very capable bikes downhill, just less so than higher travel bikes
(e.g. Santa Cruz Superlight, Trek top fuel, specialized epic, giant anthem X, marin (can’t remember its name), scott spark, cannondale scalpel/rush, Kona Four)

Trying something with 120-130mm travel that has a sigificant increase in travel without losing too much climbing ability or gaining masses more weight would be sensible I reckon.
[e.g. spesh stumpjumper FSR, trek fuel EX, Gary Fisher Hifi, marin mount vision, giant trance X, cannondale rize, Kona One20]

Diving straight into 140-150mm bikes from a 100mm hardtail could well be a bit of a let down. Typically a lot more weight (than your merlin), shorter top tubes and slacker angles will compromise climbing and while they will descend incredibly well, you have to really want that to be able to live with the extra burden on the ups I think. Though they will still climb well, they won’t by comparison to your merlin.
[e.g. Spesh Pitch/Enduro, Trek Remedy, Gary Fisher Roscoe, Marin RAGE, Giant Reign, Cannondale Prophet, Scott Genious, Kona Dawg, Orange 5, Commencal meta 5.5, Lapierre Zesty, Santa Cruz Blur LT/Heckler, Yeti 575 …]

——————-

Having said all of that, a nicer fork and some tyres with a bit more volume may be all the change you need? Swalbe Nobby Nic 2.25", Panaracer Cinder 2.25", Maxxis Advantage 2.1" eXception 62a folding, Kenda Nevegal DTC 2.1", … some suggestions

"In a shop at Weston Super Mare

Good God I lernt how to drive on one of those…
A MF I think"

Thats not an MF. Its a Ferguson

"never had anything more than a 160mm … Any bigger and you just lock the wheel"
"I’ve know a guide in the Alps who rides on 160/140 with no problems. It just depends on how good a rider you are and how good your brake set-up is"

… and how heavy you are

Grippier tyres will let you put down more braking force before locking up

Currently got 185/185 on the FS after cooking 185/160mm in the lakes, 160/160 on the HT just because the 140mm doesn’t put any power down.
I ran 203/185mm in the alps just because I could get a Shimano 203mm much cheaper than an avid 185mm. I still managed to cook the rear 185mm once

On the flip side I know a couple of light riders insisting on 8" rotors F&R really struggling to get their pads to bed in, having the pad fall off the rotor. Theres not many places most people ride regularly enough to bed in new pads with excessively sized rotors.

"160 FR and RR on the BLT"
You fitted brakes to a sandwich? I’d like to see that

Just use normal outer cable with normal end caps AND middleburn cable oilers, full lenght outer or using the frame stops
Behind the O-ring is a hole the size of the red pipe that comes with WD40 spray cans. You use the WD40 to push out the crud and lubricate the cable.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3318
(4mm is for gear cable, 5mm for brake cable)

If you cut the outer by the head tube in the right place, the O-ring keeps the gear cable off of the frame, so theres no cable rub

Mud X’s clear well. Supposidly not as grippy as trailrakers, but roll a lot faster. I really like them, apart from only going upto a 2" (similar volume to a fire XC)

"I don’t really do the big prairie arable kit"
Theres not really been any so far

Maybe this sort of stuff is:

I reckon I’d get one of these:

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bike/altitude_10

Or the next one up:
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bike/altitude_20
The main difference being, the 20 uses a lighter weight set of tubes.

"I think it was announced about a week ago that internal US flights have gone a year without an incident..

Spent 24 hours at Seattle airport because of US airways, watched them try to fix the first aircraft (hydraulic problems) including a random moment when someone walked up with a big ball of blue roll to clean up whatever was leaking.. Then was put on another flight which was cancelled after a few hours wait as they had electrical problems… "

Maybe they’re really picky with little faults, and stop the flights?

at what exactly?