St Pauls,is worth a look,then walk across the Milenium bridge to the Tate Modern,than along South Bank.

Me 85kg,bike 11kg is 7.7:1

Nice try Tom….. :lol:

Interesting.I

a

t appear to be too extreme.

I think the problem for me was that there was a big jump between sizes with Giant.

19" frames in Specialized and an Orange P7 I tried do seem to fit a little better.

I had been considering getting an 18" Scandal,which would give a little more reach but would show even more seatpost………..

I have been using the older XT dual controls for 2 years now.

I find them totally intuitive now,with changes just a finger flick or pull away,and my thumbs can stay round the bars,plus they have a very light lever action.I junked the thumb shift as I never used it.

Use them with a rapid rise rear mech ideally,then its flick down to change up,flick up to change down.

Both left and right hands and shifters then move the same direction for up and down shifts.

Lots of people coming from rapid fire ,slate them without having allowed themselves to get accustomed to them.

I was told that I

b

t be able to do endos, the levers would break,etc,but my experince has been positive.

Only negative for me is not being able to mix and match brakes,and I`d sometimes prefer something with a bit more bite and lighter than my XTs

When I serviced my Rebas I left the seals in place,but carefully picked out the foams,to clean them.

Unless there is any obvious wear to the seals,leave them alone.

Can be done top up,with syringe or top down via reservoir.
Cyclo/Halfords mineral oil is a good alternative to Shimano mineral oil.
About a fiver a bottle.

Old Rover P6.

I took mine apart after 2 years use but they were as new inside.

I put this down to my cleaning the stanchions after every ride and lubing the seals,as the foams weren`t too dirty and were not dry when I took them out.

Servicing is very easy,but be very careful not to scratch the stanchions and the inside of the air chamber.

Hardest part is assembling the tools and fork oil required……

I have the older XT syle ones.Been on the bike for 3 years and no problems.

I love how intuitive,the shifting is,light lever action and ability to simulataneously shift and brake.

Never had the mis-shift on bumpy ground that the naysayers go on about.

Personally I think the levers are less likely to break,than conventional ones,due to the movement in the vertical axis.

Currently having a dilemma,as I really liked the Elixirs,(much stronger than the XTs) on an Epic I recently tried,but wondering if I can go back to rapidfire….

Its also worth checking your shoes,aren`t interfering with the pedal.
The tread on my Specialized BG shoes cathces slightly on my pedals.
Trim the tread a little with a sharp knife.

Shimano are fit and forget.There are a number of different Deore brakes though,M525,757 and the newer M595.

The M595 for example is a much newer design.

There

a

s WMB.The 595s came out 2nd only to Formula R1s……..

Michelin Krylion.£20 each on CRC.They have 25mm in stock too.

If you`re not doing massive drops and want lightweight do you really need 130-140mm forks……..?

My little girl has a Ridgeback Honey.Good little bikes.

Endura MT500 overshoes.Having suffered for 2 winters with cold feet,I`m finally able to enjoy winter riding without needing an hour after a ride to restore circulation to my toes.

Like chainrings,and cleats there`s no rhyme nor reason why they are so expensive.Shimano obviously just expect you to scrap otherwise perfectly serviceable components to buy new…

I fyou read the OPs question I think he was looking for an average spped comparision between a road bike and an mtb,on road?

Suggsey.Are you actually losing 10-20psi from the -ve?
You can lose this much just by screwing the pump hose on.
More noticeable on the -ve of course because the air volume is so small….

Agree with the advice given,a bit of fettling will make a world of difference.

See if you can learn to diy.The Park tools website is s great resource.

In terms of upgrades,a new set of tyres can drop a load of weight and add grip/speed depending on how much of one you are willing to drop to gain the other,for around £50.

Qucik question.How are you measuring pressure?Before removing pump?

I think they might be the normal ones,becuse the slot drop out ss specific ones were maked up as such when they had them in stock.

Best to give them a call to check.

Anyone else?

Normally 2 on the drive side,1 non drive side on 68mm.
Mine lasted for 2 years like that.

Surely a carbo version of the Scnadal would be the Kevcarb?

Carbon Scandal woul be nice for £500!!

LAT.Like your honesty! :lol:

Boardman Pro FS

Anthem X3 (£825 from Pauls cycles)

Boardman Comp FS

Have a read of the above!

Boardman Team FS for £1k is model between the Pro and Comp,but importantly has the better Monarch rear shock,and Reba forks with Maxle.

Most of the rider feedback on the Boardman bikes has been good,(though less complimentary about service from Halfords).

Yes ,Shimano cassettes are great.
Best £ for lb go for SLX ones at around £30.
Likely to be a good 100g or so lighter than the OE ones supplied on most bikes.

You sure this photo wasn`t taken in Thailand…… :wink:

Serial lurker,unless I have something that I feel is relevant.
Which isn`t often………….

Stumpy Elute 09

Little bit over your budget and large only:

Do yourself a favour,bin the whole chainset and buy ourself a complete Shimano Deore set up for around £50-60.It will be cheaper in the long run! :lol:

Giant Anthem X3 2010 with 10% off

Good spec for a 2010 bike and award winning bike.

or this is a stonking deal if it fits…..

GF Hi fi Pro

Boardman Team FS?

I has some very minor plastic surgery.I had a small non malignant melanoma,removed from the side of my face which required a graft which used some skin from behind my ear.Still have a scar but looks better than it would have done without…..

SL are the standard jobs,with motion control damping normally only available as OE equipment.

Race are the same save for having external follodgate threshold adjustment of the lock out.

Team have the better Blackbox duel circuit damping internals.

Each available with/without poplock or pushlock remote lock out,and with/without Maxle.

I have a 3 year old pair of M760 Shimano XTs and all I`v ever done is replaced the pads.

The original sintered pads lasted forever too.

14 stone here and no problems with Nobby Nics.I switch to a Ralph on the rear for summer.
Pretty good compromise for the mixed surfaces that I ride.

I have a pair of XTR on one bike and M520s on another.Yes the XTRs are nice,super smooth bearings,nice to clip in and out of,but in terms of functionality they offer very little extra and are only about 50g lighter.
I got mine for free,btw!