Like alot of Menai find Maesteg-y goop is good at sealing leaky Rhiwbina.

Keep yer Aberaeron boys, this poor chap is Tywyn the line, there’s no need to treat him like a Ffostrasol… best to be nice for the sake of Carmarthen good things will happen.

Progress ain’t always pretty… or progress? Truth be told I like it cos its a renegade.

You want a punch or dowel that is a bit smaller than the diameter of the snapped bolt, then use it on the snapped bolt and thwack until the bolt comes out of the other end.

DON’T hit the bearing, else you’ll be adding to you woes.

I like DMR motos on the rear, coupled with Maxxis Holy Roller up front~ perfect for the majority of trail centres, work well in the skatepark and even held their own for a week in the alps including mud and snow.

Cheers… in a fitting tribute to MC Hammer, my jeans destroyed themselves around the crotch during filming.

Building the trail has taken 2 of us about 6 weeks all told~ probably about a weeks actual work.

Filming took about 6 hours, including loads of unused footage, which may yet see the light of day… most shots were done in 1 take, with a gopro, strapped to whatever adjoining shrubbery I could find. Editing took maybe 4 hours.

Blimey, reading that back thats alot of work.

It is an ickle corner of Wales 😀 … fair comment on the sun, though it is such rarity I forgot just how badass nuclear fusion can be.

170g a pair

You can get them in other colours too, though depending on your shoe size they might feel a bit small.

I’m going with 150 ~ travel is going to be =<the exposed section of the stanchion above the seal and the superimposed axle is taking the seal into account too.

Waterbottle gives more centralized mass on the bike, improving handling.

I daresay when compressed, the summum was no longer than a 24″ cruiser 🙂 not to mention the improved life of shoes when not being rubbed to death by ferris wheels

29ers have to have a longer wheelbase, unless you want mad toe rub… as soon as things get tight and technical, you’re bummed.

Once a 29er wins at Champery, Glencoe or a Slopestyle contest, then maybe I’ll believe the hype, but in the meantime, I’ll protest that the gullible amongst you are unwittingly pushing up the price of all bikes as they create a false panic and thus exclusivity to the different sizes, which justifies niche tax.

I’ve been having great results from Parcelmonkey… cheap and reliable in my experience.

Is this how they clear new trails?

Sorry to say that although it is undoubtedly a beautiful part of the world, the continued encroachment of the illegal settlements and destruction of Palestinian homes doesn’t really do much to sell Israel as an ethical tourist destination.

Should be fairly snow free~ I can see the hills in question out of my window!!

I’d imagine now would be as good a time as any~ alot of the soil around here has turned from quagmire to dust.

I like it, but it is but a reprint of a past master:

http://ewrbikes.com/owb_specs

I know of a brand new, custom chain device for less than £1…

http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=58086

Although I don’t ride a 5 spot, I’ve done the same mod on my DHX air using some detergent bottle for the shim (bit thicker than plastic milk carton) and can sing it’s praises~ the shock remains supple for the small stuff, yet provides good support and ramps up nicely~ given the problems you’re having, I’d heartily recommend it.

I bought one of these…

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Roofing%20&%20Drainage/Roof%20Compound%20&%20Waterseals/Latex%20Liquid/d250/sd2809/p27583

one of these…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GOOP-Inner-Tube-Tubed-Tubeless-Tyre-Sealant-Puncture-Repair-BMX-500ml-Bottle-/200847272881?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item2ec36e2bb1

and some cheapo windscreen washer fluid from tesco and mixed it all up in a plastic milk bottle which is handy to shake around cos of the handle.

Can’t remember my exact ratios, but something like 4 parts latex 1 part goop, 1 part windscreen fluid.

Does a grand job and doesn’t dry up like stans.

Currently minimal snow around Tregaron; what there is is above 400m and diminishing by the hour… Elan valley may be a fair bit worse as the tops in that direction look alot whiter.

Brechfa and Nant Yr Arian wil be fine.

See yoU Next Tuesday if I get banned

The coke is the best bet… it’s some kind of chemical electro madness which means alu and steel get too possessive with one another, but the phosphoric acid in the coke will free things up, with the bonus of treating any rust.

My bike in 2009

Could it be that the IFP has moved?

Good on you for working the system to your advantage~ sounds like you got a bargain and made some folk jealous.

Surely U.S. RRPs include distribution and warranty, with staff and premises to pay for, so how is it that an additional 40% is dolloped on top to add to the insult of the weather we have to endure.

Aside from stimulating the market for the sale of bikes, 29ers provide the double whammy of increased maintenance, with additional leverage acting on fork bushings, pivot + hub bearings, frame fatigue from flex and the increased need for wheel maintenance.

Of course, to prevent this from being too obvious from the word go, manufacturers introduce XC bikes to start with, before ramping up the abuse bikes with 29″ wheels will take to really reap the profits as bikes and components have to be replaced with greater frequency.

And yes, I am the marketing guru who devised this scheme, but my conscience is getting the better of me after reading this thread.

In my experience of MTB rims before the late 90s, even 26ers were struggling to have the strength required to get rad and I certainly wasn’t giving them nearly the abuse I would these days… 29ers would’ve crumpled and died if you just looked at them from a funny angle.

Besides that, the geometry of 29ers will forever be compromised by clearance around the junction of the chainstays and BB, not to mention toe clearance for the front wheel… (st)roll on.

As for the future of road bikes, say goodbye to the complexities of designing around larger wheels and say hello to a world of fun:

http://minivelo.co.uk/#1

Hipper that a hippy hippos hip:

Democracy is well and truly getting a kicking:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2276327/Last-week-MPs-revived-corpse-Secret-Justice-Bill–debating-gay-marriage-time-noticed-Here-spell-terrifying-implications-life–Secret-Britain.html#axzz2KUQUBQxz

The House of Commons have already approved the Justice and Security bill and only the House of Lords now stand in the way of secret courts…

Now it could just be coincidence, but the timing coincides quite well with the ongoing investigation into the 80s Establishment Paedophile ring which included members of the Cabinet, The Royal Household and a famous pop star…

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-failings-put-dozens-of-children-at-risk-from-notorious-paedophile-ring-8518522.html

Could it be that national security procedures revolve around blackmail as witnessed in the Kincora Scandal and they want to make sure the dark truth is never exposed?

Keeping with the rebel theme:

With 29ers the extra bottom bracket drop below axle height is going to mean that to get the front wheel up, short chainstays are well worth any small deficit to barge like stability. Not only that, but generally 29ers will have a significantly longer wheelbase, and due to the need for foot clearance for the front wheel, the only place to lose that excess lankiness for nimble turning is in the rump.

In my eyes, short chainstays rock in general and give rise to all sorts of manuals, drifts and when courage allows, 180s/360s.

So in summary…

long chainstays= boring and sensible (your Gran)

short chainstays= Rock n Roll (your 1st tattoo)

In many instances alu works fine, albeit with the limitations of fatigue life; however, SB66s still crack, whilst Rockets, fittingly, Rock.

What about the glue used to hold the shock mount on?

Dreamliner aside, glue does pretty well in planes, not to mention ALL carbon EVER!!

Rocket all the way… steel has a far better fatigue life and is easier to repair (though unlikely to need it) on the flipside, SB66s are known for cracking

I’ll take the taste test and go with the pepsi, yummy foetuses n all.

One of these must be worth a punt… that way he can spec it nice too:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FRSLFTMTB/slingshot_fold_tech_mtb_frame

I’m not sure how many days you’ve conducted your evil experiments over, but could it be something as simple as differences in temperature which could affect both your performance and the ground conditions~ humidity may also have similar effects.

That said, you mention that the majority of segments were climbs, where the added fork travel and differing suspension characteristics would have a marked effect.

I’m jonesing for one of these

By some strange fate, I was out on the trail this morning and came across a fella on a Jones (Ti to boot)… we got chatting and he suggested I have a little pootle to see how it felt~ I must say, despite all my previous jest (see, I’m a nice man really and have no intention of hate) I was pleasantly surprised and could see there is some unique qualities to the ride which set it apart from anything I’ve ever ridden.

Whilst I had a pop on his bike, I returned the favor and he had a trundle on mine (NS surge with an Alfine for that non-Amish Niche feel).

Our final conclusions (from an admittedly short trial):

Despite the pleasant and unique feel of the Jones, I couldn’t see that it offered any major benefit over my own steed, though that may have been due to cockpit setup and my limited experience of 29ers.

On the other hand, Mr Jones as we shall call him sang the praises of my bike and said he hadn’t had so much fun in ages. He even mentioned he would consider selling his Jones to buy a similar bike to mine, as this would leave him with sufficient funds to try a full suss as well!!

Just to make sure everyone is aware, I would NOT sell all my bikes for this:

awaits pitchforks and angry men with beards and dubious homebrew bubbling away in their attics

Floats are where it’s at~ you just pop spacers on the spring shaft and hey presto, you have a stumpy fork that doesn’t noodle doodle all about the town.

Vans are a no no and to my knowledge Talas are out too

In many respects, I think it’s great that Mr Jones is thinking outside the box and it’s nice to see innovation, but the mere suggestion of swapping my exotic hareem of talented beauties for a lifetime of commitment to a misshapen beast intent on snobbish individuality, who inevitably has a beard tucked away somewhere is just silliness.

This is all speculation~ perhaps if I swung a leg over one, and got the truss damp, my affections would get the better of me.