I cannot see any difference – perhaps they are different materials. This is where a friendly local bike shop can help out. Do you have one? Or some mates that have been cycling for ages and accumulated loads of spares? A bloke at work who cycles in lots?

Go to the dump/tip/CA site with your allen key and ask if you can have one off a bike in a skip? There is a flytipped bike in a hedge up the road from me!

I have loads of old ‘spare’ chainring bolts that you could have one of if you lived around the corner from me. Where are you?

Sorry Gent but the 2007 Stumpy didn’t have a lower shock bushing since the 2005 and 2006 design had that reputation you talk of.

If there is no slop when you lift the saddle then the cartridge bearings in the linkage are ok. Check the main pivot axle behind the BB is tight too – an 8mm allen key for the tubular bolt and 19mm socket for the nut.

Find your FSR Manual here:

http://www.specialized.com/ca/en/bc/SBCGlobalPages.jsp?pageName=downloads

yours is a 120

Ha Ha – my wifes bike is exactly where I sourced an XT rear mech from last weekend!

It’s just a collection of my old parts hung on a small frame anyway.

1994 Specialized Stumpjumper M2 – just riding along at CyB I thought I had a very loose headset and noticed that the noise was coming from the fact that toptube/seattube weld had failed. Had to ride back on the road holding it all together with ‘core upper body strength’!

Contacted SBC and they sent a 2003 Stumpjumper M4 through to my local dealer and picked up the broken frame.

This is what devolution actually does:

http://www.keepwalestidy.org/campaigns/dogfouling

(It has nothing to do with devolution really) they are almost the same organisation (autonomous?) and run some campaigns the same and some campaigns that the other doesn’t.

And for those over the other borders there is KeeptScotlandTidy and TidyNorthernIreland too.

You say you have drained all the fluid, unlike Bikeradar I think are keeping all theirs in the uppers since their fork is upside down. I’d do it the way you are doing it. When you have refitted the lowers turn your fork upsidedown and put the fluid in through the holes in the bottom of each lower before you replace the crush washers, base nuts and rebound adjuster.

I buy the larger bottles of 5.1 from Halfords. I only use about half of it for a full bleed of F&R brakes so then I squeeze the bottle until the fluid is level with the top and then screw the top back on. I don’t know if this stops it from ‘going off’ but i don’t have any trouble with my brakes.

What is the lever reach like? I find that with older worn Mini/Mono levers they retract over time as the grub screw vibrates in the brass barrel, this reduces the amount of mechanical advantage. Check the reach and wind the blades out a bit if you can.

A bleed wil often work wonders, or even just top up the fluid level.

I always seem to be riding it in the wet. As a trail centre goes it is the dirtiest, I don’t mean real mud ruins it but for a long weekend take spare brake pads and all the spare riding gear you can (unless your accomodation has a drying room).

I love this.

I think the income I get from my 2 student house rents will keep the financial bods happy. I may just buy them outright but like with most other things I own I look at finance first – keeps my credit rating healthy too!

Looked at Sunset, now looking at Tredz. Thought I may be able to pick up a 2010 set cheaper…..

Thanks for the advice whilst I was in bed.

To any financial advisers out there – I paid off the mortgage last year so gave up my sensible job. I am now 6 months into a 12-18 month career break so I have forgotten how to stress out over such financial matters but I thank you for your concern.

Scrub my comment about the M-frame being discontinued. I have just found them alive and kicking on their site. Wahey.

From recollection the ‘handling fee’ for my replacement 5 years ago was £14.

What happened then? Any response yet? I had a Mumbo frame replaced with an M frame 5 years ago. However now that the M frame is no more the last thing I heard was that they give you a decent discount voucher for a new pair of current Oakleys. I have another broken Mumbo frame and want to ‘cash it in’. I expect I can loose all my len’s on ebay.

…….. the paper recycling skip, right?

Please recycle if they don’t find a home (reuse).

Gus,

They are not particularly exiting video’s really are they?

Re: Pen Sychnant – You’re in Conwy, right? I live in Dwygyfylchi and ride up on Conwy Mountain too. Apart from one linear public right of way for bikes the rest of what you ride are what’s known as ‘cheeky trails’. I ride cheeky trails too as do many people on here but I employ a little bit of stealth, perhaps at night or mid-week or in a small group. I think what you and your NWMBA cronies do up there in big groups and on weekends is a little irresponsible. Particularly given that you post video evidence of it on here and pictures and track logs on your own website (as they did a few summers ago).

Now there are more of you that me, so I am not going to meet up for a duel but can I ask you to please think about it?

(I’m going out now so won’t hear any abuse). Good night.

This chap seems to be selling the entire small parts catologue on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SRAM-Barrel-Adjuster-X0-X9-Trigger-07-09-M6-SLPS915-/110616853813?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item19c1473d35

Check that the last cable ferrule on the end of the cable outer is fully stuffed into the cable stop in the rear mech.

It’s all about the connectors for me. I expect the worlds braided hose is all made in the same factory, Hope hose is Goodridge hose afterall.

I bought a Goodridge kit because of their connectors. Hopes connecters still use olives and can leak, Goodridge screw in and don’t leak. I don’t know what Superstars are like. I also use the stainless steel connectors not the coloured alu ones.

Goodridge are guaranteed for life – although I don’t know of the terms of this and whether they honour it.

They dont have that sandfinished grey frame paintjob and dayglo forks/stem combo any more. You have to be able to read (a downtube sticker) to spot a Marin nowadays! I think that there are plenty about, particularly since a few years back when MBR awarded the Mount Vision trail bike of the year or somethinglike that. That basically turned Marin back into Specialized over night!

Probably crawling with Old Bill

PACE do their own King type external BB at less the cost of King. When I say King type I mean that they do the BB (£70) and they do a tool (£15) that plugs onto a compatible grease gun (£15) to enable you to squirt grease through the bearing.

I have no idea if they are any good though. CRC have them at the moment with a small discount.

Yoiu mention expense twice in your OP. What you fail to factor in is the price of a new wheel build that would be required if you bought the new hub (unless you are going to DIY and reuse the rim and spokes). I would bite the bullet and buy the replacement axle. In so far as cup and cone hubs go XT is about as good as it gets, sure their is plenty of bling out their but they don’t really need to be upgraded. Not at this time of year at least.

I reckon the frame is the heavy bit there. See if you can find out what it weighs compared to a similar travel Yeti or Santa Cruz

Waterproof shorts are usually work over big longs or 3/4’s.

I was mulling over this last night and came up with this:

Shave ankles, apply electrical tape to ankles a few strips wide and at the height of your boots, put the boot on and then tape around your ankle tape and the boot cuff thus sealing it.

After reading other posts I think I’m gunna try the heavy duty marigolds gasket idea – I have a set of blue ones in the shed in SID blue for a retro look!

I have a pair of waterproof Endura 3/4’s. They are great for keping me dry and comfy on longer wet rides. They are in fact some cut down overtrousers which I never wore. Endura, Altura and Gore do them but all those brands differ in terms of sizing so try before you buy.

I usually get down to selling on ebay when I have 10 bits and bobs to sell and each time 1 (out of 10) buyers wil have a go this*. Tell them that you are a firm believer in the customer always being right so if they return them to you that you will give them a full refund including the postage. They’ll probably give up although if they are a hardcore blagger they may then ask for a partial refund (discount) just reply that you made your original offer and it still stands.

If he is able to provide photos then unless he has performed a ‘switch’ with a damaged pair of his own then you may need to go to Specsavers!

* It’s a complete hassle isn’t it. Good luck.

What year is that frame 2003ish? Those blue c/stays – are they aftermarket discmount upgrades or are they just newer Specialized ones or someone else’s? If so where from?

Looks nice.

Based on my experience of this last year I will say some are different.

Because I could not get the collapsed bearings out myself I took the whole thing along with my newly purchased bolt kit (labeled as 2006 130mm) to the Chester Specialized concept store. After a two days faffing with the linkage and calls to SBC they sorted it but I had to shell out for a new bolt kit.

If you are doing it yourself call SBC and tell them your frame number. My frame was a US import and the 'hourglass' spacer (1H on the schematic 'shock link frame pivot spacer') that sits in the middle of the two sides of the linkage was different. There was talk of filing down the shoulders of said hourglass in my original bolt kit before I agreed to wait for another bolt kit to come via courier the next day.

The whole thing cost me £105 (£40 labour, £25 bolt kit and £40 bearings) but I was very happy with the guys at Chester. I do like to do my own maintenance but without a torque wrench those alloy bolts scare me. I have snapped 2 before when putting the shock back in after services!

Talk to SBC on 020 8391 3500

In the cheaper pads wars A2Z won it here. Had a issues with a few from SSC and Disco but A2Z all work fine and last as long as Hopes's.

The SSC BB I had lasted as long as I'd expect an external BB to last.

Regarding "same business model" how many bike component brands actually try to carry out half of their customer care on an mtb forum? (I don't really need answers to this) I originally thought it a nice approach but with hindsight it was brave/stupid.

My Endura Baa Baa is the first of my Merino tops to start to bobble ( I also have 2 Smartwool and 1 Icebreaker). Not tried Decathlon but if the price is right… I have only paid sale prices for my Merino.

Our mortgange is with The Abbey/Santander and so is our buildings and contents insurance. Last year I added a £2600 mtb to teh policy for just £50 extra/year. I thought that was pretty good but I may just be reaping the rewards from having one of Abbeys 'products' off the back of another.

I am no financial guru though, my mortgage on the other hand is pretty rubbish – we are tied in to a fixed rate from back in the days when things were much higher!

Oh there is also no crime here (bike gets nicked tonight I bet you).

If the map is right then it's usually a result of the right of way crossing old or existing parish/county/authority/council/district boundaries with one one authority classing it as bridlepath and the other saying footpath. One or more of the authorities may not even be in existance any more but if that is what they recorded on the definative map says at 'County Hall' then that is what we are left with on the ground unless someone interveens.

Often the footpath gets upgraded in favour of bridlepath or at least a permissive bridlepath but this is not always the case. If you have a real issue with it then get in touch with the public rights of way officer at the council. You may find that someonbe has already sorted it and the mapping has not been updated.

Yawn – sometimes I even begin to bore myself.

If you mean the preload cap on a Shimano HT2 BB, then so long as it's the original one then it is plastic so pliers and/or screwdriver butchering should sort it.

I think I'll give the KMC ones a go for a while since I have also had my chain come apart at the quicklink a few times. I also found them tricky to undo when you want to take your chain off although I saved that problem by buying some of those special pliers. Looking at reviews on the web these seem to be reasonably common occurances.

Why is it we cannot use a chain breaker to join our chains anymore?

I hate to say this but my 6yo Hope XC rear hub slipped into stealth mode about 4 years ago. I has never worried me… until now……