It made very little difference to head angle and BB height once sag is taken into account. I’d challenge anyone to be able to tell the difference.

I don’t run any tokens as the Yari is very progressive towards the end of its travel in 170mm guise and I’m not massively heavy. I’m not sure if it feels any more progressive now.

The Rockshox app gives me the same psi for my weight on the 170 and 180mm fork, which is why I ran it at the same pressure initially. It seems, however, that you need to run about 5 – 10 psi less.

JP

Look, 10mm more travel will make very little difference – I changed some old Marzocchis by 20mm years ago and the results were barely noticeable. It’s pretty obvious that the new Debonair spring makes the fork more supple, especially over multiple bumps.

I know that some of you on here won’t believe this until I’ve conducted empirical tests and published them in a peer-reviewed academic journal, but for the more normal people on here I can confirm that the upgrade is worth it.

JP

mikewsmith

Subscriber

Effectiveness of speed cameras
There is overwhelming evidence that speed cameras are effective in reducing speeds and preventing crashes and casualties. For example:

A four-year national evaluation of more than 4,000 speed camera sites across the UK found a 70% reduction in speeding at fixed sites, a fall of 6% in average speeds and a 42% reduction in deaths and serious injuries [3].
Researchers at Liverpool University developed a mathematical model which proves that speed cameras substantially reduce crashes, even when accounting for random fluctuations in crash levels (known as ‘regression to the mean’) [4].
Analysis of data from 551 fixed speed cameras across England found that fatal and serious collisions dropped by an average of 27% in their vicinity following installation [5].
Annual deaths and serious injuries dropped 68% at all 408 speed camera sites in Scotland, when comparing the three-year average post-installation with the three-year average prior to installation [6].
A review of 35 international studies into the effectiveness of speed cameras found that speed cameras reduce average speeds by 1-15% and serious and fatal crashes by 11-44%

[7].

From Brake
http://www.brake.org.uk/facts-resources/15-facts/463-speed-enforcement

Clear enough?

You’re quoting research published by an organisation that is as partisan as they come. You’re also selectively quoting data that support your viewpoint and not mentioning instances where accidents in the vicinity of speed cameras increased since their installation (a small, but significant number).

I won’t continue to argue with you as it’s pointless to conduct a conversation with someone who holds a viewpoint with a relgious level of zeal.

Some of us value our freedom and think that proper driver education and selecting appropriate speed for the conditions is the best way to drive, not to have some sort of nannying big brother presence constantly dictating what we can and cannot do. But hey ho, if that’s what you want go and knock yourself out.

JP

I just don’t understand this mentality. You think that a driver with their eye constantly on the speedo is safe?

JP

The occasional glance at the speedo as you’re doing regular mirror checks isn’t ‘eyes constantly on the speedo’ is it? Are you one of the Spider-Man types I mentioned earlier?

No, I’m just not a car-hating eco-warrior like some on here.

Please do share clear evidence that shows how speed cameras demonstrably decrease accidents.

JP

molgrips

Subscriber

I still don’t get the policy of appeasing the idiots, how about we punish them more, problem is that needs more policing and more effort.

It’s not my policy. If I had my way there’d be speed cameras every mile. There are roads in Somerset like that, there are so many that people just give up and do the speed limit. Nice and relaxing it is.

I just don’t understand this mentality. You think that a driver with their eye constantly on the speedo is safe?

JP

Things don’t really give you long term utility (economics speak for pleasure) unless they are a means to an end. So, a new bike will initially give you some utility just for being a new thing, but this will soon fade, and its ultimate utility will come from the access it gives you to doing things that make you happy.

I’m not sure how much long term utility you can derive from a new bathroom, but for me it would be very little. Each to their own, though.

JP

Right – let’s address a few of these points:

The lower leg service didn’t make any difference – the forks were absolutely fine when I opened them up.

The extra 10 mm of travel doesn’t explain the difference – it might have done had I used full travel but I haven’t since I changed the spring. Furthermore an extra 10mm travel makes very little difference to the spring curve.

The question of ‘why didn’t they do this before/’ is a bit daft. You may as well ask why they didn’t use a 35mm chassis on Mag 21s, or why they didn’t have a Charger type damper in the original RS1 fork. It’s called progress.

JP

Surely it’s about time we weaned ourselves off personal transport and embraced public transport. With a bit of thought and political will, we could have a fully integrated public transport system that can deliver goods and occupants anywhere in the UK? And then we could wizz up motorways at 150mph in safety and comfort.

Anywhere? Really? Don’t tell me, let me guess, you live in, or near, a major urban centre. Am I right?

Exactly. I really hate this sort of sanctimonious nonsense that also ignores the general crapness of public transport anywhere other than major cities.

Let’s take an example – my current workplace isn’t even accessible by public transport, at least not without walking for about 3 miles each way from the nearest bus stop and making a bus journey that involves multiple changes and takes 2 hours, instead of the 30 minutes it takes to drive.

Personal transport will never go away – it will just take different forms.

JP

You’ll lose more than the cost of a good asian or Mexican guitar when you carry your new custom shop out of the shop, Mooman. Check out the price of the Custom shops in jjprestidge’s link. (There are some nice guitars in there – it seems your partner sells second-hand guitars that have hardly been played with next to no fret wear)

If you play a guitar regularly the frets will soon be worn down however much you paid (unless it’s a Warmoth neck with stainless frets) A perfect refret on a Maple neck is about 400e. My Mexican Strat will need a new neck before long, a refret would be what I paid for the guitar and a new neck about 2/3.

Yeah – the typical person who my partner buys guitars from is someone who buys a custom shop on a whim on credit, then hardly plays it, realises they need the money a few years down the line and sell it to him.

I’ve played most of them and they’re all really nice guitars – he gets them set up by a very good technician as soon as he buys them.

JP

It’s drizzling, 12C and a tiny bit windy here. The Met Office has, therefore, issued a weather warning.

JP

so dropping pressure makes a fork sorfter and use moar travel?

handy to know

I was wondering whether I needed to phrase that differently for the hard of thinking, but I obviously overestimated some of my readership.

Let me rephrase: the fork is now more supple than it was before. Because the spring is different I needed to lower the pressure to use the same proportion of my travel as I was using with my old fork. This is not the same as just dropping the pressure and using more travel with the existing spring.

God – does it really have to be this difficult to avoid stupid snarky comments?

JP

Vibrocores don’t feel that different. What damper are you running? That makes a much bigger difference.

JP

Buy the Tokai Les Paul copy my business partner has for sale – it plays and sounds better than many of the real Les Pauls I’ve played and it’s within your budget:

Tokai Love Rock LS75Q Cherry Burst – Les Paul Copy – Japanese Pre Owned

JP

You’d have to go for something like the Vitus above to get something better than your current bike.

The forks are probably the weakest point on the Bossnut, but there are some bargains out there – I think Manitou Mattocs can be had for sensible money, especially as they’d be non-boost, and the decent models have a great damper and would be much stiffer than your current forks.

JP

Much lighter e-bikes – mainly through reduced battery weight.
E-bikes with removable motor/battery so two bikes in one.
XC bikes with better geometry.

JP

Can’t see any messages – are you sure it sent?

JP

I think a lot of the trails have been ruined by forestry work. Have you checked out the current status there?

JP

I owned and ran a specialty coffee shop in Bath for several years.

It’s very hard to make money. Decent coffee isn’t very scalable – as you get bigger costs still increase dramatically.

Gross margins look good on paper, but once you factor in rent and rates (enormous in Bath, probably not as bad elsewhere) and staff costs, the margins become much slimmer.

Equipment and the aesthetics of the shop are crucial, but don’t go mad. An EK43 grinder is expensive, but you can easily cope with up top 1200 coffees a week on a single one. Because you single dose with them you can run multiple coffees without the need for multiple grinders. I’d go for a used espresso machine that’s in good nick – La Marzocco, Kees Van der Western and Victoria Arduino would be my top choices. Slayer and Synesso are also good but troublesome.

Water filtration is important – buy the water for coffee book by Colonna/Hendon and source the correct filtration system for your area. I wouldn’t recommend RO.

You can offer quite a bit of food at an A1 location without needing to change it to A3.

Best locations are generally away from the high street, but not too far away, or, alternatively, near to a large number of businesses. Lawyers and IT types seem to be the best customers in terms of proportion who regularly drink coffee and will pay for a premium product. If you take a look on Google Maps, the most successful coffee shops are Small St (next to law courts) Baristas (near to lots of businesses, and FCP, which is right in the independent part of town.

It’s not easy, and I chose not to renew my lease at the end of it, but I made some long lasting friends and really enjoyed it when things were going well (less so when it wasn’t, but that’s life).

JP

They’re located about 20 yards from our warehouse – might wander over next week and find out what’s going on.

JP

jjp – “little bike park near Cockington” – Scadson? I might be able to squeeze in a little play there!

Yep – that’s the one.

JP

Undo the top cap on the air spring side and you should be able to see some or one plastic spacers. These create more ramp up at the end of the stroke, so can stop you reaching full travel if you’re light.

JP

If you’re riding HotStepper or Roots Manoeuvre at BPW you should be hitting 90% travel at least once, so let some air out.

JP

If you’re hitting things that should be big enough to give you close to full travel and you’re not hitting full travel or close, then you’re running too much pressure.

At BPW, I’d say that if you’re doing any of the blacks or either of the red ‘blend’ trails then you should be hitting close to full travel at at least one point in the ride.

JP

Blackpool Sands is the nicest beach in the area. If you like coastal walks, the section between Mansands and Kingswear is beautiful (where I did most of my riding as a teenager).

Totnes is a nice town. Curator Cafe at the bottom is good. Dartington Hall has attractive grounds and is nearby – you can ride there along a cycle path by the river. The Almond Thief is a bakery on the edge of the Dartington Estate and serves the best coffee in the area by far.

There’s a little bike park near Cockington that’s got some decent jumps and drops if you like that sort of thing.

Brixham (my home town) is good on a nice day – have some fish and chips at Rockfish by the harbour. The Curious Kitchen and Port Espresso serve the best coffee and brunch/lunch.

Steam railway from Paignton to Kingswear, then boat up the Dart is a good combo.

Loads of other stuff – let me know what you’re interested in an I can make some more pertinent suggestions.

JP

Tidworth is closed for 10 days more or so. It’s also awful in the wet, as it’s a chalk soil. Wind Hill is probably the best place to go, as it’s got quite a range of jumps and drop, but is a bit of a trek for you, I imagine.

JP

I reckon the travel must make a difference, then – mine are 180mm on a Nukeproof Mega. They’d feel awful at halfway on my bike.

They feel fine on the bigger stuff at Wind Hill, where you’d get bounced off the trail on some of the landings if they weren’t set up well, so I don’t think they’re running too fast.

JP

1 click of rebound ? Do you ride on a pogo stick ? 🙂

I’m pretty light and the rebound feels perfect on one click – no pogoing at all. Even my riding mate who is 105kgs only runs 4 clicks from full fast on his Lyriks. What do you run?

JP

Cheers! Spoke to TF today and they think it’s just seized fully open. I’m going to put a Fast damper in anyway so I’ll probably see if I can sort it when I do that. I generally run only 1 click of rebound anyway, so it’s not a big problem.

I have a hardly used Yari damper going spare if required

Is it a rebound dampe, though? I only ask as it’s not unusual to have a spare compression damper, as many people upgrade this, but it’s unusual to have a spare rebound damper.

If it is a rebound damper, how much do you want for it?

Cheers,

JP

So, two rides in and it feels ok. Rode all the blacks a few times at Wind Hill on Sunday, and a load of natural, rocky stuff on the Mendips this afternoon. Rebound feels fine, but is still not adjustable.

Any more ideas?

Cheers,

JP

I have always been a one bike person with the exception where I owned a road bike and a BMX at same time about 15 years ago. I just ride the one bike for everything road, gravel, off road and I prefer to have one bike to maintain, never wondering whether I should have brought my other bike etc,.
I also only have one guitar so I am clearly not normal.

You’re not alone: I have one bike (a Nukeproof Mega) and one guitar (a Telecaster). My business partner has over 40 guitars – mainly vintage and custom shop Strats and the odd Les Paul, but I’ve never felt the need for more than one.

I sometimes ponder getting other bikes, but I only really like riding techie stuff and jumps and the Mega is great on that stuff. I’m not interested in riding on the road or anything XC, where the Mega doesn’t feel so good.

I am, of course, discounting the multiple bikes from various eras that are sitting in my parents’ garage – the anicent Dawes tourer that I bought for getting to uni and back in the 90s, my old Merlin titanium that’s so steep and short it’s a wonder I’m still here, a mid-90s Cannondale and an old Rockhopper with a Specialized suspension fork (a rebadged Rockshox I believe).

JP

JP

I don’t know if I’ve broken something or just rounded off the bolt. I’m not really sure what’s going on inside the damper when you turn the adjuster – I’m guessing it’s opening a port?

The rebound damping seems fairly fast now, but I ran it fully open before I did this anyway, so not sure whether it’s going to be a problem.

Rode it down a steepish flight of steps earlier and it felt OK. Off to Wind Hill first thing tomorrow, so hoping it’s not going to do something weird on the big jumps!

JP

You sure the bolt is attached to the shaft?

The bolt that the adjuster knob slides over? Pretty sure it is – it’s tightened up fine. We did a Lyrik just before we did this one, so we’d got used to how to do it.

The problem I think is that I thought the knob would come off in the same way as the Lyrik’s (by loosening the grub screw). When I couldn’t find a grub screw I assumed that I just had to keep loosening after I’d reached the fastest damping point. I’m worried that I’ve broken something by doing that.

JP

lost the wee ball bearing in the red cap? That makes the clicks

The Lyrik knob looks like that (we did 2 forks in one go) but the Yari one is different – it doesn’t have the grub screw. It also won’t push on the whole way now.

Cheers,

JP

Yes – I can keep turning the Allen key and it doesn’t stop, either way.It does seem to be all the way in. I don’t know if I’ve rounded off the bolt inside or broken something.

Cheers,

JP

Anyone?

Cheers,

JP

To add: if I remove the adjuster knob and use a hex key to turn the rebound adjuster it still doesn’t click and still turns without stopping.

Cheers,

JP

BPW on a hardtail is hard work unless you only want to ride the blues and easier/more flowy reds. The blacks are awful on a hardtail.

Wind Hill is different – the blue and Emperu (red jump line) are OK on a hardtail. Pass the Duchy – the techie red – is OK on a hardtail but much more enjoyable on a full sus bike. The blacks – Feed Em, Rootiful South and Ark At Ee have some reasonable sized features on them – I wouldn’t fancy doing the big jump at the end of the harder Ark At Ee line on a hardtail, for example.

This said, I know people who regularly ride the whole Pro Line on their DJ bikes.

As an aside, only Emperu and the blue run slow in the winter – all the blacks run pretty fast as they’re fairly steep and drain well.

JP

No, and neither is Brexit.

JP

Deore 4 pots are pretty good – better when you put Saint sintered pads in. I run these with 203mm discs.

If you want the next level up then try Zees.

JP