Still chasing up my refund that has not materialised yet…..

I will give it a few more days then its over to VISA for them to persue it!

BEWARE – fellow STW’ers….

I have had to resort to a small compressor to get some of my tighter tyres to locate & inflate. Co2 cartridges just wouldn’t do it.

I have had to pump them right up to to locate & have also managed to blow them off the rim! An almighty deafening bang (that leaves you temporarily deaf) and covered in splurge…..

I have also bought some new tougher Park tools tyre levers for on the fly emergencies….

Hi Garth’

We discovered Neilsons (part of Thomas Cooks) a bit late as our children were pretty grown up…

But check out their Beach Club Holidays – There are not particularly cheap BUT they have excellent kids clubs with good staff ratios and different clubs for different ages. The Kids do a full range of activities too. The food (club board) is inluded & there is plenty of it.

Sun – plenty of it & water sports (windsurfing & dinghy sailing) or just veging out by the pool!

And mountain biking? Some excellent biking – particularly in Greece – up mountains; down switchbacks on pretty rough & challenging terrain. Rides are led & they have a morning ride of between 2-4hours and easier evening rides for beginners. The bikes were getting a bit tired last year & a few took their own. Some people just went for the biking & were out by themselves day after day.

Hi – rear tyre Q.
2.25 Racing Ralph on mike front & back. About 10mm clearance at back – see my pics….

BEWARE – don’t use these these as other members are reporting similar problems…..

If anyone knows the name of the manager / owner – or how to obtain it as I am going to have to get VISA to recover my money…..

Hi Nickirwin

I started this thread when I became concerned about Bike Outlet – unfortunately my worst fear shave been realised….

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anyone-rate-bike-outlet-york-ltdk

I ordered from them, ironically, as CRC were out of stock for what I wanted & BO were showing them cheaper and available in 1-5 days.

I have been waiting for a refund now for nearly 2 weeks and as I payed by VISA will probably have to get them involved. Does anyone the name of the manager / owner??

Forum mods- this needs to be a prominent PSA!

Hi Al
I have a cheapo digital caliper….& my seatpost is a 31.6mm carbon Easton one. On measuring the seat tube it’s 31.63 31.64 depending on where measured. I don’t think it was completely concentric – even allowing for the split – as I had to force the loosened clamp over the the seat tube on fitting.

It may be now be a little squashed in as I have had to use a Hope QR clamp done up extremely tightly. I also used carbon paste which does have a little molecule in it which increases friction. You could use this (probably)on non-carbon parts too.

It hasn’t moved so far – but would be a pain if I had to raise & lower it on a regular basis. You would probably need a dropper…

My saga is still on-going and getting more concerning by the day re my cash…..

I Called 2 days ago to see where my refund was as I cancelled my order over a week ago after waiting for 2 weeks for it.

I was told that my shuff is now in (mainly Hope kit) because of difficulties with Hope supplies. The person I spoke to seemed unaware that I had cancelled my order as there seems to be someone else answering the emails and they clearly don’t communicate with each other……alegedly.

Assuming he really didn’t know my order was cancelled – why after 3 weeks was my order not sent out when they had it is clearly another question…. As is the fact that I had already been told it was sent out when I phoned a week earlier. Their own T&Cs clearly state between 1-5 days and that they would phone / email if there was a problem which they didn’t do.

Neither have they acknowledged the 2 emails I have sent enquiring after my order (after 10 days); and then cancelling it.

Needless to say they took my money (about £180) immediately and now after 2 weeks of waiting for the order plus 8 days of cancelling it – I am still waiting for my refund. To add insult to injury I also had to re-order from CRC on next-day postage to get my build done in the holiday time I had booked over 1/2 term – so I am severely out of pocket…

When I first posted up the reviews were mixed for this company but now they do seem to be turning very damming.

I hate to think how many other peoples money they are sitting on..

Were getting faster……Hit the same 12.4mi loop & did it in 55.36 mins which is 1.5mins faster than my maiden run with the Fireline and only 30secs outside my best time – done last summer.

Everything must be settling in – so maybe next time I’ll smash my record – & the 29er will be faster – well see….

If you have ‘O’ rings in the fittings ensure you have one on either side of the banjos – there may be a little recess for them to seat into. The copper washers can be re-used as they are but can also be re-anealed to soften them. Heat them up by a flame (gas ring) to they are blood red & then quench in water.

Compression fittings do also need to be reasonably tight – best done with little spanners so not to over tighten them.

Yep looks fine.
You will probably be able to use some of your present connectors & have some spare ones left over. Make sure you get some instructions on how to re-make the connections.

Ver, very nice!!
I was waiting for the 20″ carbon Dirty Harry – but they have been out of stock for a long time so after buying lots of the 29er kit in the xmas sales I weakened & went for the Fireline Ti 29er….
19.5lbs XTR vs 25lbs XT though I’m jealous.

Hi
I use schwalbe inner tubes with removable valves & stans fluid in in my winter mud tyres.

I have also just done another set of tubeless on my 29er crests with a set of Racing Ralphs. The Hope/crests come with a polystyrene type of rim strip. I leave this on & seal the rim with electricians PVC tape – wound around about 3 times to cover the width. They were a nightmare to seal as the tyres were so tight I couldn’t shift them over to the rim – despite using 4 Co2 canisters & soapy water. In the end I had to resort to my compressor! So good luck…

Right – more ‘normal’ XC ride out this morning appart from the mud being frozen & the deep horse hoof divits along the tracks being like a bomb scene…

However it rolls really well. You do notice the bigger wheel & it does seem to carry momentum better. The cornering is very sharp & direct & the bike feels much shorted than my Titus carbon FTM. It’s a strange feeing but it all feels very quite – which maybe the XT shaddow rear mech with the clutch. With the 3×10 I was only able to use the highest few gears on a long downhill on the road – probably because of the higher gearing with the 29″ wheel.

If air gets past the rim strip / tape it tends to get into the hollow section of the rim & comes out through the valve stem. I tend to use several layers of electricians PVC tape wound tightly onto a clean rim to seal it. I have tried to use yellow tape but it was too wide for my rim & did not seem very flexible. I also use some mastic on the inside of the valve stem as it goes through the tape for surity.

I’ve just put a new set of Racing Ralphs on a new set of Crests which were incredibly tight – wrecking a set of tyre levers. After using up 4 Co2 cartridges with soapy water I had to resort to my compressor to get them to ‘snap’ into place.

Gave the Fireline Ti its first real ride this morning.
I’ve now got Hope floating rotors on (albeit the front is blue at the mo) and went tubeless yesterday – with the help of my compressor after going through 4 Co2 cartridges – but that’s another story…….It weighs a tad over 25lbs now (25.06).

It’s pretty cold out with a light flurry of snow falling but the tracks are hard with no mud or puddles & very few people out – dog walkers etc to ride around. For the test I used Letchworth’s Greenway – which is a reasonably flat track around the town that is 12.4mi with a few small hills (elev gain 576ft); is about 2m wide & has a compacted & gravelled surface.

I have ridden it several times, as a training loop, and have about a dozen records of the rides on my Garmin Connect. I pushed it all the way round & the gears changed smoothly & indexed well it felt plush & sharp with excellent grip from the Ralphs. I usually have a lay back seat post & slightly longer stem (110) so I felt a bit more upright & cramped than I’m used to.

Is it faster? I hoped the answer would be YES – but at 57.01mins it was pretty average. My fastest lap is 55.06, done in July 2012 on my Titus Carbon FTM, and the range of rides I’ve done goes up to about 59.00 depending on conditions & how I felt – I guess. Looking at the stats my average speed was 13mph (compared to 13.8 on my fastest); with a max of 22.7mph compared to 25.4mph. Looking at my HR the av was 138bpm and on my fastest lap in July 144bpm – so maybe I was working harder in June. Perhaps the warmer conditions were more conducive to pushing it…..

As it all needs running in & I’m sure the bearings will bed down a bit and the brakes settle in, & give a bit more clearance, it will become quicker so this is not a conclusive test. So at present the jury is still out on the 29er vs the 26er debate. I do know that I love my Titus Carbon FTM – it’s just so light & plush. The Titus Rockstar 29er carbon might be interesting….. Now I have all the 29er kit this may be a build for nex year. On-OneC hristmas sale frame discounts in the sale?

Should be out tomorrow to test it further on more ‘normal’ twisting & hilly singletrack XC…….

Hi Nd
Just put one of the Hope Pick-Mix headsets in with a 1.5″ to 1 1/8 step down 49.57 in the bottom. It’s a tapered head with a standard 1 1/8 fork.

The CRC listing you have posted is for the complete bottom bearing assembly which will do the job. However if you already have the bearing all you need is a converter. Hope have one in the pic but CRC do not list it in its priced items – HS136 reducer.

I have used one of these on a different bike. I think I got it from Biketart. I think but this is the thing: http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/hope-tapered-headset-item171193.html?gclid=CIOJ9tXD5rACFQQhtAodbG3ymw

Hi
I’ve listed some of the specs 2 postings, or so above. It’s a Shimano XT M781 Dual pull x3 with the rear arm removed (botton pull) to give clearance for the tyre.

I’m used to a 3×9 and do use the big ring for some XC downhills & getting there on the road so I’ll see how it goes & might change to x2 and a bash. Al least I have that option..

I would like another 10mm clearance on the rear tyre as its pretty muddy around here (Herts)and the junction of the rear stays/seat tube/front mech tends to pick most of it up.

John

Finally got there & finished my build this evening after sitting on my hands for the best part of a week waiting for components from Bike Outlet (York) for 2 weeks!!

I’ve had to cancel that order and order from CRC (which is what I should have done) on next-day postage to get the job done……

I have only driven it around the garden at the moment to test the gear indexing, the suspension & the brakes. The Hope Tec M4s are a bit overkill – but I had them so they are on there. I’ve got some floating rotors coming courtesy of STW classifieds.

I’ve also got to sort out the stem height but I’ll ride it around a bit first before I decide what to do. It’s a 20” frame & weighs in at 25.7lbs / 11.66kg at the moment but should be able to shave a bit more off that when I go tubeless as it’s tubed at present.

Here are some pics (hopefully!)….

About 10mm wheel clearance with 2.25 Racing Ralphs…

yes – I have ordered £100s from them over the years & used them over Wiggle & Evans because they are normally much cheaper. However I recently made the mistake of ordering from The Bike Outlet (York) because they were cheaper still…

2 weeks later (not the 1-5 days as stated) I am still waiting & have just re-ordered from CRC & paid next-day-delivery to get on with my stalled build.

In future I will stick with what I know works – even with the big boxes….

Dahab – up the coast from Sharmel Sheik was a fantastic holiday with Neilson Activity Holidays (part of Thomas Cook) – BUT unfortunately Neilson have stopped doing Egypt…..

However – their beach club activity holidays ARE excellent – lots of food & excellent child care (inclusive). Have been doing Windsurfing & MTBing for a few years. Their Greece B’club holidays has some excellent MTBing!!

Yep – got a 10speed front mech 3×10 (XT M781 34.9) Dual pull in black that I have removed the rear (bottom pull) arm off. It goes with my XT M786 Shadow rear mech.

I sometimes use by big ring (3×9) for down hills & bits of road to the off-road bits so didn’t want to loose this. If I can get by with the middle & inner I will replace the outer with a bash. I’ve got the XT tripple crank to complete the set-up (XT M780).

I’m still building (waiting for headset!!) but the transmission is assembled but needs cabling up yet.

As for tyre rear clearance – I’ve got a set of Racing Ralphs 2.25 on (cheap fron one-one – £19.99) and there is about 10mm between tyre & seat tube.

Hi Ivan
Mine is a large & I’m in North Herts – if thats any good. I am hoping to have it built up by this weekend as have had problems with getting parts I ordered in a timely fashion…

Phoned up this morning & got through after about 2 hours of calling intermittently…..

‘It was sent out last Friday’ was the response – which is reassuring on one hand but sounds a bit convenient on the other. Everything I ordered showed up as being in stock with an expected delivery time of 1-5 days. Its now been 12 days and counting…..

I have told them verbally & put it in email that if its not delivered tomorrow I will cancel the order.

I’m very tempted to cancel now & re-order from a more reliable supplier on ‘next-day’ delivery & get on with my build which has been stalled for over a week. Its pretty hard to work around no BB, Headset& seat clamp!

Saving a few ££s has cost me a great deal in time ….lets hope my stuff comes tomorrow…. 🙁

Well peed off at present as I now have most bits to start the build except some key components – Hope BB & Hope headset! Made the mistake of ordering them from Bike Discount (York) as they were cheaper than CRC. That was 11 days ago & still no sign of them…..I’m now chasing them up!

Googling them & posting up here the reviews look very very mixed So I’ve got my 1/2 holiday & have been looking forward to getting on with the build & the most I can do is to put my tyres on the wheels…..Grrr

I’ve just googled them after posting up: shttp://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bike-outlet-york-avoid

Reviews are very mixed…….I should have searched on here first or stuck with: CRC / Merlin / Winstanlys / etc.

Hi Karl – TBH all of our rides are pretty easy at the moment – John

Hi – recently replaced the battery in my Garmin 705 as it too was only lasting 1 hour. I googled & bought 1 (2 actually) from China or somewhere similar.
On youtube there is an excellent film showing how to do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbS4QKi48TM

There are several films on there and one I am sure for a 303. The only bit of specialist kit was a small torx screwdriver – and it now works perfectly….

Hi Karl – your welcome.
We were out this morning in rain (drizzle?) & did about 22mi. The mud is a bit of a pain at the moment but I guess we’ll just have to get used to it…

Am I too late to patent this?
1. Wash bike off with low pessure hose to remove mud & grit. DONT rub into frame. Let the water rinse it off..
2. When mud / grit free wash with bucket of water with some car shampoo in it (kinder to paintwork than fairy liquid).
3. Hose off to rinse & bounce bike to get rid of excess water.
4. Dry bike with microfibre cloths (car detailing practice).
5. Spray mechanical parts (mechs & pedals etc) with Gt85 to displace water.
6. re-lube chain & fork stanchions when dry….
Job done ride clean bike…

And yes very Sexist!

As mentioned – Hitchin Sunday riders are out every Sunday leaving from outside Pine Hills hospital, Benslow Lane at 8.30am. There is free parking along the road. Check out the Bikeradar website – MTB rides – Hitchin. Sunday rides. Give us a shout if you are coming!

I echo what has been said about the Titus FTM carbon. I built mine up from a frame to XTR spec with 2nd hand bits mainly off here. Wheels were new (Hope / Crest) as was a Ritchey carbon finishing kit off ebay; and Hope BB & Headset. It cost about &1200 – but does weigh only 26lbs… They were selling the frame before Chrismas in their sale for £599 – which I think I paid for mine last year.

I have been looking at the Titus Rockstar 29er carbon – but £999 is too much so I will wait for a sale sometime next Chrismas probably.

However I have bought one of their Fireline Ti LTD for £599 (£200 of for fome fettling) so I have a 29er XT build on the go…..

Mine arrived yesterday too – & it looks pretty cool!

I measured it to be sure (yes a 20″) and it weighs in at 3.68lbs. I weighed it several times and give or take a bit – thats what it comes in at. I checked the frame size against my large Titus FTM carbon & it comes up about the same in top tube & seat tube – although the rear stays are angled up more for the bigger rear wheel so the stand over height may be a bit different.

I’ve got some bits already bought (hope/crest) wheels; XT 10 speed transmission; & Reba forks & spent some time last night chasing the best prices between CRC; Winstanleys; Merlins & Bike Discount – for a range of other bits.

I’m going for black hope BB; headset & seat clamp & hopefully a carbon finishing set – which I may have to steal off one of my other bikes… I have front hope mono M4 & rear mono brake (black & gold ones) that I think I can pull together from my build box.

My Titus badge didn’t come in the box so I will have to chase this up with One-One. I have seen a metal one they also seem to do but haven’t seen this listed anywhere bit it looks much better.

I am hopefull of having a building session in the next week or two – the question is – Is there any need to helicopter tape a Ti frame??

Yes – I’m looking to spend about £150 on some bits for a 29er build & both Winstanleys & Bike outlet are about 5% cheaper than CRC….

A 10% code would seal the deal though from CRC! C’mon CRC otherwise I shall have to go elsewhere…..

Hi – I have been tempted by the posts (and the set of 29er wheels & Reba Forks I bought in the Jan Sales) and pulled the trigger on a 20″ Ltd version. Just waiting for my box now…..

I would appreciate some help with the headset. I like your build happybiker & fancy a Hope headset too. I read your info wwaswas which is helpful.

I have a set of standard forks 1.1/8″ not tapered so this is the question for a Hope pick-&-mix set up:

Top = 1.1/8″ Integral 43.95mm – is this correct?

Bottom = 1.5″ – 1.1/8″ step down (part no 26985 from CRC) – is this correct?

Do I need any converter for the fork crown or does all the bits come with the bottom bearing kit?

Many thanks – John

a 2.5mm zip tie. Get the tension right & cut off the end. I have seen them on forks & they look OK. You could even get a red on – like the O ring.

I have put an O ring on in the past to replace lost ones on a rear shock but the one I used (gen purpose one?) tended to disolve a bit with the fork lube I put on my stanchion (shaft).

Hi Happybiker – nice build!

I have bought a set of 29er Rebas & 29er wheels as well as some 10 speed XT transmission stuff & was waiting for a 19″ Dirty Harry 29er raw carbon frame to come back into stock……but I am very tempted by the fireline Ti. Particularly the LTD as I am OK at fettling.

The Hope headset looks the business & the rear wheel clearance not too bad.

You say yours is a large (20″) & how tall are you / what is your inside leg? I am just ovet 6ft (32″ i/Leg) & am leaning towards the 20″ too.

Yep – same problem with my Edge 705. The run time was down to less than 2hrs & it was running out of power partway through a ride.

I googled it; watched the u-Tube clips on how to replace the battery; & bought 2 from the web – pos from China – I think..

I needed a v small torx screwdriver to get into the unit (which luckily I had) and it was all straight forward. Turned it back on and all works well and it now lasts much longer. I haven’t tested how long yet but certainly 3.5hrs+. I have ran mine for 6+hrs on the original battery & hope it will do the same although I think re-chargeables are less good in the cold! Change the battery – its easy!

Hi Flux…

How is the sizing for you? I’m 6ft with a 32″ inseam & the 19″ looks about right & I know its a long frame & I like that. How is yours sized?

Hi fluxhutchinson
Your right – they do have the grey / black one in my size but I thought the carbon might look a bit more ‘stealth’. I was hoping to see one at the boke show, in London, on Saturday – BUT On-One don’t do bike shows…