The fact remains that there is now a Large Rocket being proffered for sale, which according to the mighty lords of inches n angles is just what the OP was after!!

He’ll be gutted that he can’t do flat tables, can cans n tailwhips when he gets it though 😀

I knew my perseverance would bear fruit in some form!!

Damn, that means the temptation for me to buy the rocket remains!!

All the enduro’s I’ve done, uphill pedalling is at your leisure and non technical (its the DH bits that are timed :wink:)~ its only on the steep climbs that having a very slightly shorter bike (honestly, it’s 1/2 an inch we’re dealing with here, REACH being the important dimension) might require a small adjustment to technique, but you won’t come to a grinding halt, or loose any tangible time.

Unless you have flamingo legs, a giraffe neck or orangutan arms, you will thank me for my dogged pursuit of trying to improve your life… I had a quick shot on my friends medium rocket and it was bang on (I’m 6’1″)… obviously, that is personal preference, as is all bike sizing to some degree, but coming from such a tiny bike (about 2.5″ difference in reach) going to a large may be too much of a shock to the system!!

Nah, you can always fit a long seatpost but there’s no way to deal with a frame that’s too short for you without screwing it up in other ways.

Beyond a certain point that’s very true, but all told, worst case scenario we have an inch to gain, which a layback post will easily accommodate without any loss in handling.

Or maybe I’m just a midget lover (frames that is)

😮 When you said 14″, I imagined a jump bike that had a longish top tube!!

I can assure you that you’d be fine with a medium rocket and it would be countless worlds better than your previous tiddler!!

Also, a new El Guapo will only lose value, whereas if you get the 2nd hand rocket, the value will stay the same and you can swap it when a large comes along. Trust me, I’m the angel on your shoulder, not the devil (I would say that though (mwahahaha))

Last chance to try and save you… what is your current bike?

Seems to me all this talk of a large relates to saddle up pedalling for all out XC… in my experience, the most fun is had on a bike when the saddle is down 😉

For the riding you describe, presumably in order of priority (Enduro, DH, Trail), a more chuckable bike is the order of the day~ you can upsize a smaller bike with a longer layback post and wider/higher rise bars, but you can’t downsize a bigger bike (except with a hacksaw).

But anyway, back to my question, what is your current bike?

With a 66.5deg head angle and a 73deg seat angle the reverse is true – assuming bars and stem stay at the same relative height

Damn, the old relative/absolute conundrum… I was of course using a fixed bar position as a datum

Unless you’re a lucky so n so, it’s likely to be a huge wait…

I’d plump with the medium whilst its available; remember that the more seatpost you have showing, the longer the top tube gets anyhow; if you’re still cramped, you could pop a layback post on there which would redress the balance

Generally, by the time the front wheel is popping up on climbs, you’re having to hover over the saddle to dynamically adjust your weight anyhow and less than an inch isn’t going to make that much real world difference.

I might be talking guff, but I’m 6’1″ and the only time I’ve had a bike that supposedly fits (18″), I found it hugely restrictive when the time came to drop the saddle and lay down some flatties, whereas the 16″ I have now gives me all of the benefits of the larger bike (along with being a tad more comfortable at pedalling height due to additional seatpost flex) with the added bonus of chuckability when I wanna get rad and to be fair, it sounds like you prefer getting rad 8)

I’m happy to take full responsibility if you don’t love it to bits and even happier to take responsibility if you do (though Cy is probably the man for that)

I’d personally avoid an LG1+… the taco fell off mine, taking the pulley with it, all without me even knowing, so it was lost forever.

If it was my money, I’d look at the Blackspire offering… also has the advantage of no moving parts, so no bearings to replace:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=81181

Cranks wise, SLX with the steel inserts is a no brainer really.

Bontrager Rhythm Pro stem is a beaut and weighs nothing, or for a proper bargain, Funnduro:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=80880

Steel is far from flexy… for a given volume, steel is about 3 times as stiff as aluminium, although it is also approx 3x heavier… however, it’s harder to form into individual and unique shapes for design flair and more importantly marketing purposes, so is left to rust.

(to be fair, I have 3 full suspension steel bikes and whilst the ride characteristics are schweet, and the frames strong the weights are not competitive within the Trail/AM Market, although once you start getting a bit more hardcore (something like a transition bottlerocket) they become more competitive… the DH bike is ahead of it’s time and still a respectable weight today (keewee cromo8)

If you send it to me, I’ll do it for £25… Though depending on my mood, I’ll either be using a bit of plastic milk carton or inner tube… for just £12, I could give you the instructions to do it yourself…

Payment by Paypal Gift is Fine

The answer to all your dreams 55 RC3 Ti with Firm Spring[/url]

11mm

By all accounts same as new HT AE01, but easier to find…

1st time I rode Nessie was with 8″ of snow~ was hairy, but with commitment and some braaapy foot out action, made it down with some degree of style, even if I do say so myself. There is loads of unofficial trails dotted all around Fort William (and Glencoe + Kinlochleven), but short of having a well trained local, you’d need a guide.

Also worth considering is the new trail at Glencoe, also lift served~ I rode it a couple of months back just after it opened and it was good, but at the time, lacking in features, though apparently they had a dig day last weekend and it’s much improved… if you’re in that neck of the woods anyway, it’d be well worth a visit

Lift access?

I’m 6’1″ and generally prefer mediums as they’re more chuckable, but it depends on what bike it is…

I’d stick with 2.5s~ if you want more traction, go tubeless and say goodbye to pinch flats.

If you’re headed up to Fort Bill, you’d be silly not to squeeze in Glencoe as well~ the 2 tracks there are great fun.

Is this not just a stop-gap for those too repressed to get a tattoo on their Johnson?

Seems like the trail is open for real now~ those guys don’t mess about!!

Glencoe Mountain

Toying with the idea of getting a season pass, weather permitting.

Spent an amazing day there yesterday;

At the start of the day, trail was a tad tricky due to loose surface and no defined line; there was also a couple of dodgy drain crossings: however as day went on, thanks to hard work by the trailbuilders (who were all smiles and encouragement), things improved immensely with tidy drain transitions, rock gardens and fun little kickers, but best of all, a sizeable berm that appeared from nowhere within an hour~ the surface sorted itself out well after a few runs.

All in all one of the best days I’ve had in a long time; great riding and views to die for (I kept my eye on the trail thankfully) well worth 3 hours drive.

Pennies may be limited, but you can’t buy braincells~ please try and use the ones you have left and realise this is not the greatest idea~ surely if you can accept that a dodgy head angle will affect your riding, you can also grasp that a BB height requiring a ladder to mount the bike might not do you any favours, combine that with the additional leverage on the headtube and you’re well on your way to a Darwin award… nonetheless, please post pics when you prove us all wrong and have a wealth of happy customers for your aftermarket upgrade kit.

SWD 6 Gun
Keewee Cromo eight
Fat Chance Yo Eddy

Non production descendence custom cromo full suss

More Kudos for TSOhost~ speedy, reliable, good support and prices

What with the price of cassettes, chains and whatnot these days, riding uphill is not viable, roll on adult pushbikes (pun incidental, but claimed!! (rushes to patent office))

I’ve seen one of these in the flesh and really quite liked it~ bet some folk on here are harking back to the days of watching snooker in black and white.

Good luck with warranty, sure it’ll get sorted.

Maybe someone is trying to make up for a lack elsewhere? Or maybe the bike gets ahem ‘ridden’

I’ve often bought into the horrors of contaminated pads and filled the pockets of many a friction material maker; however, of late, I’ve decided to stubbornly ride to the top of the nearest steep hill and repeatedly drag the offending brake on the way down to vapourise whatever filth is causing the problem~ so far this cooking the pads in situ has been totally successful~ bonus is you get some quality training in to boot~ not often I’m motivated to beast uphill.

Though tip top is nice, entropy is always going to win in the end~ todays bike is tomorrows mineral deposit~ I battle where I can, but the war is not for winning.

Still owes me £15 for the brakes he had advertised at £200!! Even after persistent badgering, no payment.

Bumrat

Hopefully this will help:

http://www.petracycles.co.uk/shimano.php

EX721 is the exact same rim, with new fangled marketing sprinkled on it!

Can anyone explain the science of fun to me?

Although this is only partially relevant (as previously mentioned, roadies tend to maintain a more constant pace, what with not having to deal with a plethora of gnar, switchbacks, locked wheels and localized rock and root shaped undulation) despite all your claims to the contrary, this evidence will do me, all the more so since you referenced it in your defence earlier:

Duh!! Heavy Wheels Make You Slow [/url]

Lighter wheels accelerate better, deccelerate better and reduce unsprung weight; cry myth to the moon, but facts is facts, whatever bulbous brained streamlined roadies choose to claim this week.

I’d sooner get lighter wheels and feel an appreciable performance advantage than debate over what shape tyre knobs are suited to the trail conditions over the coming hour/week/month.

Might be worth heading to Nant Gwrtheyrn; with a bit of creative freeriding, there should be another POD around there somewhere:

Azonic Double walls, though not carbon, have a vibration reducing design~ after a world of arm pump pain, they have given me respite.

flow – Member

Opposing sides of an argument contradicting each other? Who’d have thought, eh?

AGAINST 29ers
Flow – not possible to pump terrain, flow corners especially tighter ones

FOR 29ers
Better flow, less nervy
Cornering

Plus traction and grip (both in the for section)are the same thing, leaving not many reasons to buy one.

Is this some flow vanity occuring, squeezing as many flows into one post as possible, maybe it was just a means of making the article flow, or a random flow of consciouness that escaped the editors eye.

I’m not negative about promoting MTB in general, I just don’t like the way it all gets thrown over the border.

Why is there never any money for MTB’ing in England?

8 million people in Greater london
8 million people in the South East
2 million in Essex
1 Million in Herts.

Thats about 19 million people, all within an hours drive of London.

I reckon maybe the mountains play a part in it 😛 … well worth the drive!