Anyone been round that way today? i’m hoping the respite from the wet, and the sunshine predicted tomorrow will do the trick!

Haven’t entered, but if the dryer weather we’re supposed to have from Thursday afternoon onwards becomes a reality, I will enter on the day!
A bit weedy I know, but I’m not at my fittest and my bike is far too shiny and new to grind round a gritty wet Gorrick course for several hours…

Pangbourne or goring are at the foot of the Chilterns, on the Oxford-Reading-London train line, and are all rideable into Reading. I commute into Reading by bike, takes half an hour max.

As others have said, there’s a few threads recently, Reading being the potential centre of the universe that it is… ;)

I’m currently finalising the build of my Atlas carbon, so I should be able to comment in a few days!

I had very little response from forum members here or elsewhere, but the reviews there are were very encouraging. Let’s hope I’m not a victim of internet hype, eh?

I got mine through Freeborn, they might do you a demo?

Excellent thread! I want black forks to match a black frame, as my white lyriks are a bit scratched and stained. This is pretty inspiring. Anyone know where I can source replacement RS decals?

When the parts sale is over it will look a bit like this:

But with SID 120’s and AM classic wheels :D

Chilterns area was drying up reasonably well lest weekend- if you’re on the right routes after this week it might be pretty good!

can be lowered by changing the air spring assembly

Ah, so are talking a bit more complicated than dropping the lowers off and sticking in/taking out some spacers? (as was the process with my old Rebas…)

Completely agree about weight; light weight is not a real dealbreaker, (though a remote lockout sort of is) Just out of interest, is there a way of knowing which Revs can be shortened? for example, what about these?
http://www.bike-components.de/products/info/p35846_Revelation-RCT3-Solo-Air-29–Federgabel-Modell-2014.html

hmm, I’m wondering if i’m looking for ‘moon on stick’ qualities… I don’t want a bigger trail fork, as i want a light, XC-ish mile munching full suss. I have a bigger 26″ wheeled bike for proper jumpy descending.

However, wheels off the ground is fun…

as long as your not hucking about

That’s the problem- i might well be. not big stuff, just pops off logs and little trail jumps…

A pal of mine has the 120mm rebas on his Whyte 129, and that seems perfectly capable as a trailbike. SIDS= Same chassis, same stiffness, a bit lighter?

That’s probably the point i’m wondering about: are the sids flexy, especially in a long legged 120mm/29er form.

Also, I believe from 2014, Reba’s are only available as OEM? Or did I make that up?

Interesting. I’m pretty keen on the Sids, as i’d like to keep the build racy light, but I’m also pretty keen to have a fork which is stiff enough for trail purposes…

Jolly good, but I’m being a rockshox whore, and currently this is a hypothetical build, so I’m looking at fancy pants forks at the mo…

It’s called differentiation: Recognising pupil’s individual needs, whenever they are struggling or whenever they need their full potential encouraging. I’m sure no-one would be happy with the idea that everyone should be taught the same…?

I love the assumptions this is all about middle class parents: G&T programmes are based on ability not who your parents are and it’s often a way to recognise innate ability and application, allowing pupils from families that have no experience of tertiary education to aspire to and access higher education.

It also has a real impact on pupils individual development. Often talented pupils become bored by classes which they find too easy to access. Bored students become badly behaved students, especially as they see the gaps in the system much more readily! Also, if you’re in a school with somewhat of an anti-academic culture, then G&T time can be a bit of a haven for bright, marginalised, studious kids. (Who may also have other social/learning needs)

The idea that intelligence mitigates the need for specific attention is painfully shortsighted.

Good points above- Love the note/tension chart, I just have to remind myself what different pitch sounds like!

The CX-Rays are what i already have, but i really liked the wheels when built with them before. I’ve stuck a bit of oil on each one as i assembled to avoid wind up? I was working on the theory they would be good to use in this respect, as the bladed profile would be a good indicator of any winding?

Well, they are built, I’ve just got to the truing and tensioning part, where I’ve hit a wall of indecision… (Which this thread is meant to iron out…) ;)

I completely agree with getting bike shops to sort them for you- however, I’m pretty keen to expand my skill set! I also have 3 different builds in mind, which soon adds up to more than the cost of truing!

Having said that, I want to go riding this weekend, so I might take these to the shop…

So, bearing in mind the non-eyeletted rims, and my somewhat agricultural skill set, i reckon i’m going for the ‘Brass nipples + trial and error’ route…?

Very good point!

Crest rims: 95 KG/F
FRM Urano hubs: 130 KG/F

(So says the internet)

I’m also a bit suss about the Alu nipples; they are the ones which were on before… As the BOR rims are eyeletted, and the Crest ones not, would I be better off with Brass?

Having always used Brass before, i’d guess this gives a little more tolerance in the build too?

Thames Valley park is a very easy short bike commute from Caversham or Sonning, with a minimum of road work. You might find somewhere far cheaper to live in the former. It isn’t very Parisien, but Waitrose sells baguettes.

I live in Whitchurch on Thames, which is on the river opposite Pangbourne. There is a lovely ride along the Thames from mine, (a bit muddy at the mo, but still above water) which you could ride all the way to TVP (7-8 miles) with only about 100 metres of urban road. It also isn’t Paris, but some of the cafes have chairs and tables on the pavement and there is a very good cheese shop. And a roundabout.

Living the north of the Thames also gives you direct access to the Chiltern hills and its plethora of bridleway, cheeky trail and dogwalkers paths that make for some excellent XC riding. (When drier the current conditions)

I used to live in Oxford, which is great, but i’m now more than happy with Reading. The riding out of the doorstep is about as good as anything else in the South East, and I’ve found plenty of great shops and pubs etc, they just aren’t as obvious as in Oxford/bits of London.

Its also about half an hour into Paddington at the weekend, and trains run until pretty late at night.

Bump for the morning crowd. -or is the a phantom bike that no-one has ever ridden!?

A reply! yes, i’ve heard a range of comments about the best set-up. I was thinking a 12omm fork, but that might just be me going for exactly the middle ground…!

I’ve no idea if they’re exactly what you’re after, but I’ve got some centrelock- 6 bolt adaptors in the stuff I’m selling on the classifieds? As far as I know 6 bolt is pretty standard across rotors?

I have a 15″ Rock Lobster tig team SL frame in the classifieds, if anyone is interested? 21″ toptube, and fitted my 5’2″ wife perfectly.

Ironically, she’s getting a little more adventurous in her riding, and i’ve just built her this, which with a change of wheels is my play bike!

On the other hand, I have a 2012 frame. It’s done weeks in Italy and france, 2 wales/Northern long weekend roadtrips, a series of the UKGE, and plenty of local riding at Aston Hill etc.

I’ve dunked in in rivers, marinated it in Innerleithen’s finest muck at the enduro there last year, (where on one stage the rear wheel almost stopped turning due to mud build-up) and I’ve even given it a couple of gentle jet washes when the clag has got too much.

So far i have had to replace one DU bushing on the shock, and nothing else. :D

And despite Yeti’s imaginative pricing for the chipset, etc- it is a Super Bike… I’d definitely get the 12×142 kit, but i would go into debt over it- you’ll enjoy the refinement all the more when you do!

hmm, i’m more inclined to flog them as a job lot- i cant see myself having a lot of time to list them all! they are all in ‘reasonable’condition, but they have all been played, as records should!

I’ve got a bit of a thing for a Devinci atlas at the moment. Only 110mm travel frame, but will take up to a 140mm fork.
Also has reversible linkages that slacken and lower the geometry.

I’ve not ridden one, but good reviews and they look nice, which is as thorough a basis as most STW reccomendations…!

Jamming shotgun cartridges into the centre of round bales, then shooting at the percussion cap with an air rifle. From about 20 feet away.

Interestingly, and I wouldn’t want it to descend this fantastic thread into a health and safety debate, I read tthis the other day.

BTW- Passtherizla- that BFe looks perfect, what chain guide are you running?

Cor, my thread took off!

Some good points/suggestions above. I’ve had a good look at various frames which might do the job, but the Octane one is a) pretty, b) versatile, c) fairly light for a jump frame, and d) shortish in the toptube.

The swapability of the wheels is an issue, but I’ve currently got an NS surge which i swap between a set of pro2-flows and pro2-crests, which is a 10 minute job. I’d like to sell this and build the Octane with her pro2-Olympic wheels, and swap with the flows for more silly riding.

Her current bike, a rock lobster XS frame is ok, but she finds it a bit steep, so this would also have the advantage of making her more confident on the descent, which is what she enjoys… and might help with my hidden agenda of her buying herself her own gravity-oriented bike… ;)

Aha, this is a nifty little frame- comes with a slot-in mech hanger to run gears… I like it, bit slacker than most jump bikes and doesn’t weigh as much as a skip lorry.

Good point- they look pretty solidly built… Maybe a nice flexy carbon seatpost for the lady?

It seems, inadvertently I have spawned a thread… Loads of gear points here, thanks to all. Some of the comments on cheap tyres are an eye opener; either I’ve been blessed with the ‘cheap’ tyres I was sold in the past, or my car handling skills match my two wheeled radness…. er…

That last point is genius. Unfortunately I have no desire for big hitter status at the moment… I don’t do many miles, as I bike to work, but I do then use if for long trips with family or for big riding weekends. It’s a grufty diesel Passat so nothing glam, and nothing that I’ll be ripping sick lines in anyway… Any other suggestions of good MPG brands?

…and on the subject of the second loop, any news!? I’ve been holding off booking a trip in since early December in the expectation it would be opening soon? LSt thing I heard was the black DH was closed and the red had been altered a bit, whilst the new XC loop had issues with MX bikes using it…

Anyone seen owt happening?

My NS Surge;

now it has new and good forks is by far the favorite at the moment. It’s short and snappy in the singletrack, easy to ride on more XC rides if a bit slow, but I love it on jumps/pumptracks. Its a bit slower on DH than the full sus, but pretty composed, and pops off everything- and its mainly made of old parts and second hand oddments!