Chakaping – I think that was (and still is) a Specialized Airforce. I say still is because mine is still in the garage at my Dads! They also did them with ayellow fabric/mesh cover. The only pics I can find on the web are of more recent helmets with the same name(Bikepro seems to be down). Typical of Specialized recycling names of products – how many items called Ground Control have they had?

Californication.

Thomson storage bags anyone?

Seems people collect old E2’s – I have 3 in the shed! 1st ones ancient, 2nd one is badly dented and the 3rd is cracked in half. They all got written off in the space of a year and that is the reason I now dont have top of the range helmets. I think I am just holding onto them just so that I can say that I used to buy the best.

Betd call that Hanger No 101 and it fits:

* the Muddy Fox DH Team bike from 2002 and 2003
* the Coyote DH3
* plus some Azonic frames

……some OEM forks are speccced with a reducer by the manufacturer to balance a full sussers front and rear suspension. This was certainly the case with the 2007 Stumpjumper 120, the Fox fork matched the rear of the bike in travel but was infact a 140mm Float with a 20mm reducer fitted – it was removed by many people come the first service.
We are talking 32’s and not 36’s right? 150mm 32 Floats are a more recent fork but if your Floats came on your bike (or were an OEM fork you picked up somewhere else) and your bike is a full susser and they are quite a new model year fork then they may be reduced 150mm forks but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
If not then I think longer internals and stanchions will be required so for 10mm it’s probably not worth it.

I’d say it’s the frame. Although I dont know what year yours is you have pretty much the same spec as my 2007 Stumpy FSR in their M5 tubeset. My mate had a very similar spec to me on his Yeti ASR and his bike was nearly 2kg lighter. I have mirroered the same spec on my HT, a 2005 S-Works again in M5 and the Hardtail is way lighter but that obvious isn’t it?!?

Tyres are the only cheap win, after that it’s always the big expensive things like the wheela and the frame.

Martin, Yes – just do it.

I replaced the original shock on my 2007 Stumpy with a 200mm (7.87″) eye-eye 50mm (2″) stroke RP23 and there are no clearance issues.

It gives you another 15mm more travel at the back, you can see the linkage sits slightly flatter – this is the best thing you can do to what was already a great design. Rather than the original 120mm fork I have been running a 130mm float up front anyway but will soon be swapping to a 140mm which has come my way just to even things up a bit.

Check out this link: http://forums.mtbr.com/specialized/mounting-rp23-2007-stumpjumper-491501.html (you need to be a member to view the pics) They talk of the original 120mm fork being a spacered down 140mm anyway.

Saturdays is for drop in mechanicals, people don’t wannna hear “we cant do anything until next week” like that Donkey at West End says. We’ll pay a premium and RRP on parts if you offer that just to get rolling later that day. This is particularly true if you are just visiting and area.

Consumables at decent prices.

Warm(er) wet and windy in Conwy.

Piss and cattle drinking trough or stream dunking – Gears, brakes, spds they dont work without it! In snow it is softer crashing though but it doesn’t ever last too long.

1kg = 2.2lbs
75kg = 165lb
90kg = 198lb
In our survey of just 2 people we can conclude that:
With an RP23 on an Orange 5 the nature of the design means you run a little higher psi than your weight in lbs.
Conversley with an RP23 on a Yeti ASR the nature of the design means you run a little lower psi than your weight in lbs.
(Depending on riding style)

Usually a good starting point is your weight in lbs in psi. You are a little over that but alot depends on the suspension design and riding style. Have a look at the manual for your specific RP23 or download it from the fox website. The propedal settings for my 2008 RP23 are:

• (1) PROPEDAL Light
• (2) PROPEDAL Medium
• (3) PROPEDAL Firm

Having moved from a shock with a full lockout I found 1 & 2 to be too bouncy pedalling uphill but pp3 is just about right. It is a dream of a shock once bedded in.

I have all my serial no’s off my Hope and Thomson bits too and everything is dabbed with smartwater.

front mech

Yes I think those ultralights have replaced/improved the ones with the yellow cuff which were always marketed at us cyclists. Still using mine with no problems but what is it they say about progress……..

Snaked? Trying to guess what happened, if someone beat you in the last few seconds then they they are using an auction sniper. Google auction sniper and sign up to one and beat them at their own game. Anyone that doesnt use one is loosing auctions and/or money (when they do win)

Tried them twice and not been impressed:

Cheap fox shock but when it didn’t arrive after a week I called and was told it was out of stock and discontinued. Got a refund.

Cheapest Hope spare part I could find but when it arrived it was the wrong part. Sent it back and got a refund.

I wont be giving them a 3rd chance. If they are your lbs then fine otherwise if you must use them because the deal is too good to miss then speak to a real person to check they have the item in stock.

I’m 6ft and 36 waist and large DHB tights for me too. I’d say they are pretty ‘British’ with their sizing.

You want to use some of the lycras stretch – I have other (Endura) tights in XL and they move around and chaffe on longer rides becaus they are not tight enough.

Like I said before the Goodridge fittings are why I bought Goodridge not so much the hose. I have 4 brakes all with their stainless steel fittings and stainless steel hose. No problems since fitting any of them over 5 years ago.

Zangolin sorry for my mistake but steel vs kevlar braids – I doubt anyone has any lab results for that!

M1lh0use’s issue was down to the Superstar fittings. Compression fittings use olives and even Hopes comprssion fittings leak into the braid of their cables after a few years. Goodridge fittings screw in with no need for an olive.

The Goodridge fittings are why I buy Goodridge not so much the hose – Goodridge make Hope braided hose. IMO braided hose is braided hose.

Conwy Mtn (247m) is very quaggy at the moment but I seriously doubt you just intended that for a day trip. The rest of the trails to the west of it to Llanfairfechan are grassy muddy slop at present too – Ffridd Wanc certainly is that!
If you meant Drum (770m) and/or the Roman Road over Bwlch Ddeufaen (430m) then it is pretty much all rocky landrover doubletrack if you hit it from above Aber or from the Conwy Valley side above Rowen. There will be plenty of standing water though and there will be no protection from the elements.

I have only been in Macc Forest once but other posts suggest weatherproofness.

Apache Cymru say “Shop staff speak with fork tongue” (again).

If it aint broke don’t fix it.

My mate does most of his biking down south and runs them and they are fine. Thing is when he comes up to Snowdonia to ride with me they pump up on big descents. If you head to big hills then the trick is to set them up so that you have the adjustment to slacken them off when they get hot. Obviously you loose the ability to tighten them up as the pads wear but you just top up the fluid level.

Dont expect any lads to be on roadies.
A roadie is a road bike rider, a road bike is not a roadie, ok?
Carry on with your workout (at the gym)

MBR has just done 29ers and didn’t really like them.

2012 will be the year of the 29er with the Olympic course being a great course for a 29er HT but once the summer is over it will all die down. And all those cheap Suntour 29er forks that are popping up will decorate supermarket 29er bargains that will have olympic banding on them because the Olympic XC was won on a 29er.

The dont make good full sussers or DH rigs.

The yellow bits in gear and brake cable kits (not hydraulic hose) are a bit hit and miss. One was fine the next required me to use some electrical tape round the ferrule to make the yellow piece stay inplace. Yes they are the most important bits!

Those marks up that high wont usually be too much of a problem since i doubt that the fork compresses that far much. You wont get top dollar but a defect like that woudl certainly attract me as a buyer if I needed such a piece of kit.

Buy/look at a newer OS 1:25,000 explorer map and a permissive path has appeared ont the track under/alongside that huge pipeline.

Yes Rhyd Ddu is worth doing as is your bit in the forest but be careful if you venture up and over to the mine – there is a great looking incline descent but it contains a mahusive gap jump that you will not clear.

Go up the forestry tracks past Llyn Llewellyn almost to the top but not necessarily into the mine and then bear right down the bridlepath back to Rhyd Ddu, it is however a short spin up the road to get to the Snowdon Ranger Path. The forestry tracks on the map as always bare little resemblance to what you find on the ground but it’s quite straightforward, they have logged the top section in the last few years so it is hard to miss.
The route is documented in the Pete Bursnall North Wales guide as part of his Cwm Llan ride (The Cwm Llan bit is on the Snowdon side).

Well done, a busy weekend. With Cadair under your belt it sounds like you have the legs, lungs and determination to get up Rhyd Ddu but it is better as a down. Perhaps if you will be alone mid-week then the hike would be a good idea but otherwise with your knowledge of the Llanberis start and Maesgwm finish of the suggested route you really could enjoy the Rhyd Ddu descent in the middle. I just didn’t want to recommend something that would for many people would be their worst 6 hours with (not on) a bike! Go for it, being the South ridge it gets the sun even in the winter so is not too gloomy.
Jimm

You wont ride much of it as an uphill, there are lots of steps, slabs, loose boulders and a bit of bog.
As a DH it’s great apart from a bit of a walk/carry through the very uppermost section. You can get through those aforementioned features with applications of speed, weight back off the saddle and the odd dab. It is tougher than the Ranger Path and much tougher than the Llanberis Path.
I’d go up the Llanberis Path (with a bit of railway line action this time of year), down Rhyd Ddu and then back up the Ranger Path until the righthander to get you up, over and down Maesgwm (aka Telegraph Valley) and back to Llanberis.
This time of year it is a proper mountain so take the right emergency backup kit.

I have seen some brand new ‘raw’ Intense frames recently and they look great, particularly around weld ons like cable guides – you get a slight colour change. Real working mans industrial p0rn. I’d be interested to see how you get on (pics). I think a commercial chemical dip would be the best way, having Nitromorsed some ice axes you just cannot get all the paint out of the nooks and crannies and I would think on a frame that would be the welds. Good luck.

What can you achieve with a lower profile tyre on the back and a bigger volume tyre on the front? Although I cannot recommend what tyres are higher or lower I can say that it is not always just dependant on their width and running pressure.

Hey Sue, I have been lost plenty of times as a walker in Snowdonia. MTB navigation is a piece of pish compared to walking.

For 1 you are usually following a linear path.
and 2 you have the chance to use a cycle computer to give you an idea of the distance travelled which has got to be so much better than pacing. Most bike leader courses require you to turn up to training with a computer.

James

Unless you are a complete nutjob you wont bust an SX Trail up with anything from 160mm-180mm.

You cannot pick a lock without the big gold ring right?

Oh, I thought this must have been a joke. Didn’t RaceFace go t!ts up, or was that another crazy dream? Did someone bail them out or some asian manufacturer buy the name?