get the mudguards, bottle cage and steerer tube extender off, and put the bike on a flat surface and it’d not be so bad. As it is, its not doing it any favours

“ArcH ex rim”
For me I was deliberating double butted Sapims(2.0-1.8-2.0) or triple butted DT SuperComps (2.0-1.7-1.8) on these rims.

If you can I’d price up Sapim double butted (I think they’re the ‘Race’ model) as more so in silver they’re much cheaper than DT Comps.

“Personally I wouldn’t dream of building up a Notubes rim with PG “
+1. You’re paying all the extra for the ZTR rim, to scrimp on spokes?

“You should wait until after 5pm before riding anything”
Perfect excuse to push/carry it all the way up then.

I’ve found a mention to Sapim D-lights being available in silver before. No idea who’d stock them. JRA only have black

Not the same, but 2.0-1.65-2.0 D-ights aren’t far off 2.0-1.7-1.8 SsuperComps:
D-lights at JRA, black only

“this v2 go into the brant clangers file? “
I thought it was V3’s that were problematic?
My V2 wrong as well then?

“converted to 9mmQR”
Do you mean 9mm QR thru axle or ‘traditional’ 5mm QR skewer/9mm hub axle?
As above, it’ll depend on the hub. What hub have you?

“whoever thinks its a good idea to throw knackered inner tubes into the trees, well you’re morons. There were 9 at the bottom of hully gully”
Not been since autumn so can’t remmeber every turn, but where on Hully Gully is there to puncture?

Wow
So much denial in this thread

“down to Brides Les Bains which is an excellent steep, shutey, rocky ride”
missed this
“up to the Croix Jean Claude, then on to the Col de La Lune. From there it’s rooty, flowy, rocky, jumpy, occasionally steep, singletrack heaven through the woods back to La Villard “
and this

Yesm my IGN is 3534OT as per the pictured one on amazon
ISBN: 978-2-7585-1066-6

apologies, but not sure hwy they’re coming up so big

anyway, quite enjoying trawling through holiday snaps:

EDIT: Whoops, didn’t realise quite how many I’ve just screendumped onto here …

Also, if you’re willing to put in say 30m climb here and there it’ll open up a few more options. If you put in the odd 100-150m climb/push it’ll open up some excellent stuff. I put in a 265m which paid off. If you’ll put in more I’m sure you’ll find more but I wasn’t up for that

Anyway some pics, some of which may take some finding, (some which aren’t to pleisures tastes):






I fell off here

that DH track I mentioned …

forks had collapsed by this point hence riding a little low

One thing to point out with Pleisure and anywhere courchevel lower than 1850. The free busses (every 30mins in 2009) around each hour in 2012 have 8 bike spaces on the rack, so if people get on lower down thatn you, or pleisure has a load of guests can cause issues

If you don’t mind my asking when in july (and how mnay of you) are booked into pleisure as I was thinking of making a return this year with a decent (for the bus) group? Not got round to it yet but maybe

“Lift network works great once you sue out what open and what’s not”
Thats a good point. Check all the lift time openings and work out what is possible and on what days. The courchevel and meribel/mottaret lifts are open sunday-friday? there are some only open every other day (la tania, st martin de belleville) others only the monday (bruyeres) and others open in the les menuires/val thorens (‘3rd’ valley) that open on other days but you’ll find you can’t get back onto the top of the ridge to drop back into the middle/meribel valley

“correct in the assumption it is less DH motorways and storm troopers, and more XC/AM pedally singletrack?”
DH motorways, can’t think of any off the top of my head, though I can think of stupidly fast staight line stuff. Its just not had the (ab)use to widen it I guess
re: pedalling. Buy an IGN (OS map equivalent) and check those contours. There’s pedalling to be had certainly but put some effort into checking out the map and it can be minimised quite a bit

Pleisure can*(/has?) give some showing you around trails if you wish though you’ll not neccesserily get the most from the area, at least not all week as I guess your unlikley to get the most experienced guy all the time, some mountain boarders/others at other times?
They’ll not neccessirly show you the stupid stuff either perhaps?

I’d highly recomend buying an IGN, learning the key (I got caught out with differing solid black lines and black bordered yellow lines both being fireroads on the ground), but if its a dashed black line it’ll be singletrack and chances are pretty good. Just make sure you don’t misread the contours and give yourslef a (massive) climb back upto a lift

Manmade trail network is up and down. in 2009 courchevel appeared to have more going for it. when i went in 2012 (both times with pleisure) the courchevel track into 1850 had had the ladder drops, wallride and wooden tables removed, though the top and lower berms were better. There was a manmade trail dropping from the courchevel/meribel ridge into courchevel but it was closed in 2012 (you could still get to and ride 95% of it) though there was a newly constructed ski run runnign trhoguh it. As with a few other points from lifts, it was the only singletrack way to drop into one valley, same goes for the drop into merible on the other side. the upper section I think we rode every morning getting into the second valley

Whereas merible had almost nothing in 2009 and now boasts a couple of ‘red’ downhills and a couple of blues with some building (unfinsihed) what looks more ‘black’ downhill stuff leading toward the very steep downhill track as used in the 2010/2011 french DH nationals. The jumps in it are bonkers, though I’ve never ridden down a proper Dh track before so. This one is off the beaten track a bit, took some finding and I guess they’d prefer peoeple didn’t know about. The 4X track was at least partially taped off and I never worked out a decent way to get to it without a load of fireroad descending
The 3rd valley has an amazing bermed trail into St martin, well the top section is. Bottom section is okay in betwen the cow fields with some small gaps. Another high wall bermed trail drops into les menuires though this takes quite a bit of fireroad to countour roudn the hillside to

*How does the french ski chalet showing guests roudn court case thing with the french ski school/guiding people affect chalets and mountain bike guiding?

In some ways meribel valley might make more sense as it gives you the option not to have to make full days riding all the time and still ride some of the more remote stuff. Styaing in courchevel means you have to get up the mountain drop into meribel before perhaps going up again and dropping into the 3rd valley before getting out of that and back to courchevel before the 4.30/4.45 last lift entry cut off point to make it back to the chalet. It can be done with ease IF you’re the sort of person/group that can get yourself onto the 9.30 bus each day (and not say the 11.30 … ) Having a bus to stick to will help get you out the door though, not thinking ill just lay in another 10 mins, the lift will still be there kind of thing

“Have to be the Control casing though, the normal ones are paper thin in my experience”
Control casing are the normal one?
S-works can be hit and miss though. (only used the older 55/65a storms)
My first S-works storm I’ve had on problem with. My recent one has been awful. Curretnly got 6 patches in the tyre. Thats runnign with tubes. Not popping tubes but blobbing through the tyre sidewall. This one doesn’t like peak district rocks at all, whereas the older ones is absolutely fine

I too need to get roudn to sorting tubless. Have has Stans taped up Arch EX rims on the main bike, tubelessable tyres, valves and sealand in the garage. Not got roudn to it yet …

fair do’s. hadn’t considered how the tag along attaches

“Commen-chal (as in loch)”
but aren’t they from Andorra?

“my personal favourite Cannondale”
lol. Beats my old favourite of commonfail

“It was a question that I was expecting a proper answer too “
Probably because you asked specifically about Llandegla

If you’d asked what psi for mountain bike trails or something you might have got more useful replies
Also if you’d said what you currently use

“its for my HT that I often change the seat/seatpost for the one on my lads tagalong”
I’m not getting mu head past this bit. Why?
You like a choice of two saddle setups for the hardtail or you want a dropper post on the tag along?

“can you still read the dodgy threads before he got banned?”
I think they’ll just be pre-hack, so no

as above re: wear/crimping

Assumibng you have backed off the tension from the seatpost clamp/collar (including the wheel/allen key bolt on a quick release lever type)

try inserting the KS post into the frame but with the seatclamp removed from the frame. If it’ll go try with the loosened off seatclamp around the KS post, put the KS post into the frame first and then slide the seatclamp onto the frame second.

Unless the carbon post has partially delaminated and there is a layer stuck to the inside of the frame or something?

Calipers would be a good idea

“Maxxis tyres with the Exo compound instead of dual play?
Costs more,”

If Exo would do it, then the (maxxis made?) Eckso on-one ones for less ££ might be worth a look if you’re stuggling. Not exactly semi-slick’s though

Not really sure how reinforced they are but Michelin Dry2 in 2.3″ (the 2.15″ come up as big as a 2.25/2.5″ maxxis) have reinforeced walls as standard? They might be called Wild Race’R now?
There’s a review up there from the mag ^^^ from issue 35 with a load of big/’bald’ tyres.

They did it in the magazine not thaaaat log ago. Can’t remember quite what they said but as above some walking, some techy some not so?

re: my earlier post. New drivetrain fitted, no drive slip issues under pedalling. What I do have is a partially snapped mech …

Reads like its made up of all quality parts?
Wouldnt it make more sold as parts?

“latest 2013 quad 3 designs are a rocker-link design somewhat similar to the Old Trek design aren’t they?”

No
Quad link 3’s are quad links, just in a different position to quad link 1’s or 2’s:

“with pike shocks”
pike forks?

Noise isn’t excessive, probably Hope XC ballpark, a lot quieter than Pro2’s
Some use since late december and they quietened down a bit. Went to have a look and the freehub slid off (17mm nuts were loose). Similar to hope you can see/get at the ratchetting mechanism. Rebuilt with 17mm nuts lightly done up to compromise to keep the bearings spinning smooth
A few more rides in and I’m not sure whether the freehub is slipping under medium-high pedalling pressure (lightish flattish use okay), or my drivetrain is knacked. Came on a bit suddenly (though bent chain link could have bent my mech or something). What threw my assumptions were later on in my ride is that it started to work under medium pedalling pressures, didn’t get chance to try a steppy steep uphill or anythign
I’ll probably try swapping for new drivetrain (it is due) and see what it does then

While annoying i cant say its making me think I should have got anythign else because I don’t know what I’d get
The 60point pickup speed is noticable (over a 32 SLX)
Chris King is too much £££ for me and on here on the whole doesn’t read all that well

“i tend to find it harder to hit the cleat first time with the caged version as opposed to the uncaged version. With both shoes the cage gives no support when clipped in. You would need really flexy shoes to get that”

+1
With ‘race’/xc stylee SPD shoes I find caged M530’s harder to locate/clip into than ‘cageless’ M520 or M540
With ‘hike-a-bike’ shoes (Spesh Tahoe’s) that do have a flexyish sole, to the point that using with M520 orM540 over alpine/big lakes descents they make for ‘hot spots’ on your feet around the cleat.
Using Tahoe’s with M530’s they don’t do this. There is a small amount more of ‘platform’ just around the cleat inself. The ‘bars/bumper’s out front/back are too low to do anything bar smash into things, thouhg ime M520’s/M540’s will take loads of rock smashes and things no problem at all

I’d be getting some verniers out on the cut can if it were me. 0.1mm has me doubtful?
A 30.9-31.6mm shim looks thin enough

“1) 28/36 low gear is pretty low.”
24/36 (or 22/34) on a 26″ wheel bike over 28/36* on a 29″er is around 2 gears lower?

*or the less costly 32/36 on a 29″er around another gear again?

Fair enough its a compromise to allow some other things, but what other ‘trail’ bikes are single ring only?

Kind of annoying the stays on this 29″er are the same length as my 26″ EG .. it does climb pretty well tbf

“don’t understand bike in picture.. Guapo29 isn’t even out yet, isn’t this pretty similar?”
apart from this is a single pivot?

as above afaik there are 3 (common?) front mech clamp sizes (and 4 seat clamp sizes?). So differing wall/strength seat tube specs/what not in different materials/different alloys of result in so many seatpost sizes

“But .4 of a mm though!”
There is a 27.0mm standard too in between your 26.8mm and 27.2mm

Giant (used to?) do a 30.8mm, where there are loads of 30.9mm out there

Just look down the options of a thomson elite or a brand x seatpost on crc for how many similar sizes there are

V front, disc rear, I’ve done this before. But only on a real scrap parts bin special for local XC SS. Had a (cracked) disc only frame with V or disc mount fork (bushes had it, replacements n/a), and hadn’t a usable front disc brake. Only a V.
Worked alright for waht I wanted it for, ie not much. It then got nicked

“How far is llandegla from Cannock 30mins?”
google maps says no
around 65-70 miles and 1h40-1h45m depending

I thought they were marginally lighter? though could be imagining I read that somewhere
Stainless bearings as above I thought also

“fox houses to stanage and back “

Wasn’t bad today, dry going, even devils elbow/pipers hause in blackamoor were mostly dry

There were people out all over but nothing to think about trying to get past/etc
Only properly busy bit was stanage edge/plantation. Made it there a bit earlier than I thought I would/have done in the past. Waited 5 minutes for some ‘congestion’ to die down and got a fairly clear run

am interested in this also. May have my mums 2008 Medium Saphire Comp?(womens SJer FSR) to sell come spring

Almost original spec bar saddle, tyres, rings/chain/casette
[F120 RL (just had new stantions/bushes/etc), Fox Triad(propedal/lockout), juicy5’s,DT 420SL rims on spesh/deore, Deore HT2 chainset/casette, X7 shifting, spesh finishing kit, WTB speed she,nevegal foldings]

“Mine must have worked slightly loose and as a result has scored my stanchions”
How?

You’ve not fitted it on top of the brace/arch?
Does yours ‘finish’ fairly close to the fork seals and has ridden up?

Am interested that I don’t let mine do something like this. I bought mine to keep mud away from the stantions/seals as my RRP neoguard was collecting it there

how does a clutch mech make a pro2 quiet? Surely freewheeling will let it make that earcracking jarr?

Or is it broken in some way?

“The Avid adapter is for Avid callipers and uses the tri-align cup/cone washer things to space it out. So if you stick an non-Avid calliper on there it won’t be in the right place.”

If that were true, how come you can bolt any ‘normal’ PM caliper straight onto (avid with tri-align conical washers) onto a ‘normal’ 160mm PM fork or frame?

My superstar PM 160-203mm adapter works with my avid elixir caliper (with tri-align conical washers) on a 203mm rotor?
As do my juicys (with tri-align conical washers) on shimano 180mm adapters on 180mm rotors?

“I guess the rrp must reflect the R&D costs and the ongoing product updates/branding etc”
On the face of it, it would appear fox RRPs are based on Rockshox/everyone elses and then add £100, being more expensive ‘must’ make them betterer (Fox Doss?)
It would appear everyone else then has to up their RRP so they don’t look devalued compared to fox (KS Lev?)

Or that could be tosh

“-83kg rider weight and will be used for trail. Heaviest use probably CYB or similar…”
Based on that, I’d say drop Flow EX from your shortlist, keep arch ex and consider crests which are just as wide as arch ex, just lighter again

What bike are they to go on? What axle/hub standards?