Dartmoor primal 29 is not a million miles from the parkwood.

http://m.pinkbike.com/news/dartmoor-gravity-hardtails-hornet-vs-primal-video-2014.html

Oops, oh god yeah. I meant this one… http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do?method=view&n=3282&g=685254&p=685255&c=215

So I guess for the cost of rs1 you could get SIDs and have better weight saving elsewhere, and less limited front wheel choice?

This is more of a question than a suggestion, but how does the cube elite slt 29 with the rs1 compare at £2200 (and 9.1kg)? Seems good value considering how much the rs1 is retailed at, and the rest of the kit that is included.

http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/mtb-hardtail/elite/cube-elite-c68-slt-29-zeroblack-2015/

I’ve seen a few headset removal tools that say they would remove a PF bb, and whilst allowing you to knock either the bearings out the cup, or the cups out the frame (depending on which the tool is pressed into), what it won’t do is ensure that the tool is exactly centred when you strike it to tap it out. Which is what the Park Tool one does.

So I guess my tip is exactly that – make sure you hit the tool when it is exactly perpendicular to the frame and BB, otherwise you may risk damaging your frame. I’ve had to really hammer the bollocks out of a couple of PF BBs to get them out.
No doubt someone will say you’d need super-human force to bend a bb shell, but if park tool have designed a tool that ensures a direct hit, it seems commonsense to follow that approach to prevent damage. However a direct hit is the path of least resistance, so it could be for that reason.

Apart from the cabling on the down tube, I think this is also pretty lovely:

This was posted at another forum, I’ve not seen as a nice looking bike since.
http://www.titchmarshcycles.com/portfolio/brandons-29-5/

Lovely lines, I think being lazy I would prefer external hoses/cables but looks very tidy.

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jaymoid- I put my rigid chainstays in a box full of straw over winter until spring. Oh, no, hang on… that’s a tortoise.

The main thing to remember about maintaining a HT is, in the spring, let all that heavy winter air out of the tyres and put in some lighter warmer new season air.

Good tips.

When I am out riding my retro council bike, I sometimes pretend I am rich enough to afford a full suss by bending my legs at the knee to absorb bumps in the terrian.

Also if I’ve not ridden for a while, I’ll pass by a building site and get a friendly worker to jackhammer my undercarriage for half an hour to build up those much needed hardtail calluses.

I was hoping for articles about how to care for rigid chainstays.

I would expect the Whyte to be faster uphill and the bird faster down the trickier stuff, so given your XC statement the geo of the whyte may be better suited. I’ve not ridden the bird but have ridden a crush and imagine it similiar, I have a 905, ablbeit pre-650b. The 905 is quite harsh but precise.

Awesome, the tits looks so tits!

Thanks all – I shall hunt them out 🙂

There was a vid of him sparring Froch and he looked good.

I thought that too, it’s hard to really know the context of that sparring, it only lasts a few minutes, and it was edited and uploaded to Eubanks’ Youtube Channel. I agree though, he is impressive and lands well in that footage.

All the bookies have it in Saunders’ favour, but I guess that is based on his more proven record.

I can’t help but like Eubank jr, it’s an interesting approach to call out BJS like this, we’ll see if it works.

If you like your hip hop with more poetic/concious/witty/politcal/angry bent, or fancy something a bit leftfield for a change, try Sage Francis – A Healthy Distrust is the best of his albums IMHO.

Conforms to your list of stuff you don’t like.

‘When I say “hip”‘ ‘what do I say?’ -‘You say shut the f*ck up and I’ll respect it.’

Check “Gunz Yo” – a good satire of gangsta hip hop culture:

Better video, still shit though.

[edit]Just found out it’s 6k. You could buy a lot of real bike for 6k.[/edit]

I occassionally have to work in Hatfield, and use the Herfordshire university gym – they have these weird Xdreams mountain bike exercise bike, with a screen where you race other AI players, you could tilt the bike and rock it from side to side, etc. Found a video from saturday kitchen:

It was shit.

The bike is crying out for a dropper and most people that buy one would be looking for one as they are ideal bikes for ragging about.

I have the 2011 905 and don’t want to put a dropper on it, manly as I don’t want to add 700g to it and most rides I get away with minor seat tweaks if I need to (but enjoy ragging it round places like lee quarry). I’ve ridden few bikes with them on, nice addition but wouldn’t say these are cyring out for them.

Hmm seems there’s always been a lot of love of the Whyte 90x bikes (especially from MBUK/Bikeradar lot). Lightweight Alu UK-specific designed frame, racey xc geometry with slack headangle (that’s now even slacker) and decent forks. Makes it a pretty good all rounder. Granted you get better groupset/brakes if you got a cube or a canyon, but you wouldn’t get the whyte frame. I’m biased as I have a 905, but really like it, playful, light, and fast – although would swap for a 909 🙂

No idea what they are like, but Stanton Sherpa might be worth a look.

Just woken up . what is the issue does it effect Leeds . ?

Do not go near bridgewater place.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-29695273

Sounds like your wife is a lot like my girlfriend (in stature and riding style). I’ve had to change the coil in her forks but still they don’t compress enough. Recently someone described her as someone who has to take care on a windy day (awww!)

I’m still keeping my eye out for something cheap and light, there’s some good options in here that may help:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-xs-26er-ht-frame-for-the-smaller-lady-please

Photo not taken exactly perpendicular to the velicpede.

Car park not gnarcore enough, and contains weeds.

Nice bike though. 😀

*I meant to say: “the SS frame’s fork seems a lot shorter, maybe suspension adjusted 80mm-ish – if it does indeed take a suspension fork”.

Ah just noticed, you’re the same guy that was looking out for a Whyte 905 for the same purpose! If you felt the medium 905 was cramped I think a medium cooker may be perfect! I expect could get away with a small I’m 5’10.

I got a 2012 charge cooker hi, and changed the fork to the rigid one from ebay (proper charge one though), and have put XT brakes on it and it’s pretty awesome now, maybe new wheels might lighten it otherwise pretty chuffed.

I live in Leeds, and have a medium frame, so you can have a try if you like? It’s not a SS and the frame built for a sus fork, so my fork is a 100mm suspension adjusted fork (the SS frame’s fork seems a lot shorter, 100mm). Bad blurry pic here but you can see what I mean:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/684070/cooker.jpg

Apparently it has a high bottom bracket (never had any issues with this). The frames seem like they are sized on the large side (or at least mine does!). I personally would be very tempted by the SS, but I know I don’t have the legs for it.

How about a Whyte 905. Winstanley Bikes have some on offer at the moment. Not as much travel (120mm) but a nice bike.

Or the 909[/url]? (130mm) Although doesn’t do a 15″ frame model, the small looks like a 16″.

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas and suggestions, really appreciate it.

I think Quantocks is definitely on the cards, we’re just discussing the other options now. Cheers!

I’ve seen fixie riders in Leeds use these a lot, although they never seem to have them tight, just jump on and ride.

If you are bothered about the safety issue you should ride flats. I guess it depends on how much you want to utilise the commute as training and correct push/pull pdealing technique vs getting there safely or whilst feeling a bit safer.

I probably should have said, I personally would be a bit keener to explore the south west whilst we’re down there (we’re generally from the North or the midlands) rather than head down to Bristol to go upwards again into wales, if that makes sense!?! However we didn’t know about Cwm Carn, and didn’t realise it was so close so could be perfect for one of the days.

Also it’s worth noting that the tool does ensure that when you remove the cups and insert the new cups, you are doing it in a way exactly perpendicular to the BB Facing. I imagine this would help prevent damage to the frame.

Post the video url if you don’t mind, if it can remove bearings that’d be ace!

I remember there being a newer version of the park tool which was specially made for the PF30 BB, it has an extra ledge on the blue mount things that come with it (three ridges instead of two) – called BBT-30.3 rather than BBT-30. HTH!

Hmmm, just had a little look on youtube, and it looks like the Park tool does take the complete cup out as well as the bearing. Suppose I should just go for it.

I have the park tool and don’t see how it can take the bearing and the cups out. As per my usage it can:
a) remove the cups from the frame
b) be used to install the new BB cups if you have a headset press (or DIY equivalent)

The “lips” of the tool edge line up perfectly with the cups and not the bearings so don’t see how it could remove the bearings from the cups.

I have considered what would be good to remove the bearings but currently the price of good bearings is the same price as the entire unit so I’m not too concerned.

Also, agreed. Large hammer/mallet and weetabix for breakfast required.

I avoided the forum in case anyone spoiled last nights boxing. After watching it, I kinda wish someone had spoiled it.

You girls crack me up !.. Pmsl

At least we didn’t piss ourselves.

*Pats self on head*

http://www.dx.com/c/sports-outdoors-1699/cycling-1607/bike-accessories-1642
^ check the roswheel bags on here, could be crap but for a tenner thought they were worth a punt.

Forgot to say with oruxmaps you can download/create maps so you don’t need a data signal, only gps. There’s a free computer app called Mobile Atlas Creator which lets you create mahoosive maps, although you can do it with the phone app itself. I’d imagine viewranger can do this too, but I have played with it less. Forgot to mention, both are free.

I’ve got a z2 which has a higher waterproof standard than most other phones, and a good battery life.

Best two mapping apps (for android) are oruxmaps and viewranger.

I’d still like a dedicated gps though, and don’t ever ride with it mounted on the bars. I’ve seen some cheap looking fuel type top tube bags that double as a phone mount /case over at dealextreme for about a tenner which I’ve been tempted by.

Ah wow, thanks for the feedback Stumpy, that’s really interesting. I had seen a few kata bags in the flesh (although not 3N1), and was always impressed but never had the money – I would have considered/assumed all their stuff to be pro quality by default – especially at the price! The 3N1 looked to tick all the boxes for me but couldn’t justify the cost. I wonder if Manfrotto will improve matters now, I love their kit and always seems quality.

Agree with you on the LowePro Sling (I put I had a fastpack earlier but meant sling! too late to edit), it’s great – very well thought out and tough, and has much better pockets and options than my DaKine Mission (I even migrated the excess velcro bits from my lowepro as the da kine didnt have enough). I was struggling with it loaded up and just on one shoulder for any length of time though, considered the fastpack ones, but they just look really fugly.

Dakine mission photo here.

+1, and a lowepro fastpack 100AW for lighter trips

Check out the Kata 3N1 bags (now owned by Manfrotto) they’re awesome. Some have decent weather protection. Very expensive mind.

I cycled to work today, but was going to anyway, didn’t really see more than the usual, I think I saw two cyclists.

Got handed this flyer too.

So if I cycle to work 5 for days a week, I get a £1 voucher and a peice of fruit!
For me that works out at 0.8p a kilometer. Hmm they’re not really incentivising this very well.

But I do get to get my helmet out for the ladies in the cafe!

mashiehood – Yeah I had that with my first SRAM one, finally got it out with a combination of soaking with GT85 leaving it a few hours, and then hitting it harder, (using park tool press fit tool and mallet). Can’t really say which one did the trick but may have been a combination effort.

I’m on my 2nd wheels mfg one. Seem to last about a year for me. On-one were doing them for about £18 the other week which is a bargain. Would recommend.

How about an old Whyte 905 or 19?

Something like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-Whyte-19c-18-frame-pendulum-single-speedable-dropouts-2011-frame-/161403099832

The steel 19 does look awesome:

I’ve a whyte 905 and a reba and it’s a lot of fun.