Here you go.

It’s 19 miles so if you want to make it a bit longer I’d go up to Jay’s Grave after Hound Tor and head out to the Warren House and back then pick the route to Bowerman’s. The first few miles are in Lustleigh Cleave so what it lacks in distance in makes up for in climbing (and perfect singletrack).

Someone best tell Richie Rude that 25mm rims are barely up to scratch :wink:

I keep clipping trees on my 760s so whilst I like the theory of another 20mm or so, I don’t need any assistance in falling off.

I’m considering this exact combo… But different logos on tyres just seems wrong. Hans Dampf on the back or are they shite?

Rad8 504s for any other than night or when it’s hacking down. For night I use clear Uvex 109. When it’s really raining they’re all much the same – tried various lenses and coatings but not found one that really works.

The rads could do with being a bit deeper but the antifog treatment works and as a company they’re great to deal with.

Osprey Talon ftw. Everything you need for 3+ hour rides without being bulky.

I’d avoid m8000 levers if you can, better off with SLX m675 or Deore. Too many problems with m8000.

I keep thinking about buying another bike but then I ride my Aeris and realise there’s no type of riding I want to do that it isn’t brilliant at so I stop looking. Ok, it wouldn’t be great at 100 miles on the road but neither would I (find it boring). And I’m never going to ride full on DH so we’re good. Logic wins.

The only bike I’d buy instantly (£ permitting) is a Ti Honzo. Bloody gorgeous, looks a proper laugh and it’s Ti. Sod logic. Just a pity the frame is £1800.

Straight gauge tubing I guess?

I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Marin ‘cos I’m old, but **** me, those are truly gopping.

Thanks for the input folks. Have ordered some Rad8 504s with the discount code so £70. Will report back…

@scotroutes – the Oakley site lists it as 36% unless I’m reading it wrong

My name is Flashy and I have a problem :)

Ta, will have a look at Tifosi. I’ve got some clear Uvex which are great but I fancy some for all occasions. Will pay a bit more if they’re genuinely awesome.

Fancy some Prizm Trails but they’re only 36% light transmission.

MTB batteries. No need to spend more and way more reliable / better value for money than the super cheap stuff.

It’s a funny old game isn’t it. I’d say the complete opposite. I had a KMC and kept dropping, no problem with Sram.

As Tom says, there’s plenty of good riding up there if you do a bit of strava hunting.

Better yet, head to Lustleigh Cleave and get some utterly beautiful singletrack – was up there yesterday and despite all the rain the trails are in perfect condition. Well worth the extra 20 mins in the car. Can share gpx routes if you want.

+1 for chainring bolts, especially if alu ones.

If they’re that bad when you’re trying to give them money, what will they be like if there’s a problem? I’d find another frame if I were you.

Try cleaning them with meths. If that doesn’t work, bin ’em.

Disco sintered pads are pretty good, Disco kevlar good (less grabby) when dry to mildly damp (bit spongy when proper wet). I run Shimano sintered in the front and Disco kevlar back in my Zees.

Northern Exposure (the club night) was bollocks. I waited 3 hours to get in and got bored in 10 minutes. Thankfully Dave Clarke was smashing it and Freq Nasty was playing as well so we got saved from the boring feet shufflers. Yay the 90s!

Have to agree with Three Fish and Sandboy. Great musical movements tend to happen alongside great cultural changes* and since the late 90s, it’s all been a bit corporate, over produced, recycled blah, blah, blah. When was the last time there was a ‘reefer madness’ or ‘repetitive beats’ type music scaring the bejesus out of politicians?

* or a f**ktonne of drugs. Allegedly.

Have a look at the Merlin own brand. Great and not pricey.

Osprey Talon 6 here. Love it. Plenty of room for normal kit (pump, tube, multitool, Tubeless anchovy kit, small bottle of sealant,gilet, phone, keys, change, blah, blah, blah). Comes in a lovely gopping orange as well so matches none of my kit for the full enduro explosion in a paint factory look.

Thinking about it, somewhat disappointed that no one has mentioned pickolax[/url] as a sure fire way of dropping weight.

As others have said, dropping that amount of weigh won’t be cheap. Forks and wheels should shift the most but at what cost? Might be cheaper to sell your bike and buy a lighter one second hand.

I lost 6-7kg of body weight and got a little bit fitter. Much faster now. Bike’s stayed the same weight.

As above. Only issue with Minions is they don’t clear sticky mud that well so it depends on what you’ll be riding on. Great on granite, roots and trail centre armoured trails though!

I’ve got some DT ex1501 spline ones and the rear freehub bearings are a bit grumbly. DT told me to buy a whole new freehub as the bearings shouldn’t be changed – I’m going to ignore them and try changing them as they’re standard bearings (my friendly LBS has done it before). Based on this, you won’t get the support from DT you get from Hope.

That said, I’ve had them a year and they’ve put up with my clumsy 100kg and are as straight as a die.

Prefer the noise of my Hopes but each to their own.

And today’s winner of the Internet is… Martin! Top work.

Mike, you’ll love up on the moor. Went out on my mk1.5 this morning (yes, it was very, very wet in the cleave!) and the grip it gives is amazing.

I’ve had mine for a year now and I’m getting faster and faster on it. Kim, Traily and Gerbilator seem to bring the best out of them up at Haldon.

Nice to know there’s another member of flock down here :D

Have a look at
this route it takes in a lot of the decent stuff.

If you’re free on Wednesday evening a bunch of us ride up there from the Ley Arms in Kenn at 6.30 the back for a beer at 9.

Tom, seriously, what’s happened? That looks like a normal bike. Have you got bendy bars on order or some strange wheel configuration planned? Joking aside, looks very quick.

Madison Zenith lightweight jacket > cheap, keeps off drizzle, doesn’t get too hot or sweaty.

Altura Mayhem jacket > properly waterproof, don’t boil in a bag. Pretty good for £65.

Lights and batteries from MTB batteries > good pricing for great kit and top service.

Osprey Talon 6 waist pack > plenty of room for stuff, well worth trying.

Merlin own brand bib shorts > not expensive, very comfy.

Plenty of good unmarked stuff up at Haldon (~25 mins drive away) which is running really nicely at the mo and even better natural trials in East Dartmoor (~45 mins) around Lustleigh cleave.

When are you down?

Go on a skills course. It’s amazing what you learn / un-learn. Best bike related £50 I’ve spent.

I’ve got my mk1.5 Aeris at 150mm/150mm and use it for everything and I’m getting faster on the ups as well as the downs (and my back has stopped screaming after 20 miles). Modern bikes are so capable now that an Aeris etc + a bit of fitness work + focus on technique = you going a lot, lot quicker.

That said, I firmly believe that it’s 95% rider and 5% bike.

I’ve just gone from a Sram chain to a KMC chain on an XT 11 mech / shifter / crank set up with an AB ring and the chain does appear to drop more. Similar comments from a buddy. Think it might be something to do with the flexibility of the chains.

Cool, thanks. I’ve done some more digging and that’s suggested 6902 as well so will order some and see what happens. I’ve heard back from DT and they’ve said I should replace the entire freehub rather than change the bearings. Bonkers.

Have a word with RSF Suspension as he may be able to help – see lots of pics / comments about sorting short steerers.

What Jamesmio says. I’ve got a mk1.5 Aeris and it does everything I’ve ever asked of it, from “oh $hit I don’t think I should be going this quick please get me out of trouble” to “that’s a long climb and is going to hurt… Oh, that was actually ok”. Throw in impeccable service from Ben and the guys and you can see why they’ve built a very loyal following so quickly.