You’ll be surprised how much crap you can fit in a Talon 6. Well worth a look.

My 661 evo 3d0 had both these undesirable traits

Whereas mine are great for me. It’s such a personal thing that the only real option is to try a few pairs. Can you borrow some?

As Andy said, if you need to order the tool, make sure you get tl 25, not 24 like I did.

Thankfully the awsumz guys at Bird sorted me out.

Have a look at Uvex. I think mine are 109s and come with three lenses – the clear ones are the only lenses I’ve tried that don’t steam up really easily. Great for £40ish. Bit of a pain to change lenses tbh so if you’re swapping all the time buy two pairs but for that price not a crazy idea.

As it’s a BMW surely you just drive it with the lights on full blast like everyone else who drives a tw*t German car?

They gob on about craft but have you seen the size of their brewery… it’s bloody huge. And they make beer for Tesco. Craft my arse.

But fair play to them, they’ve turned average beer and a shed load of bravado into £££. And besides, I’d rather drink their IPA than that god awful wild brew shite with sour lemons or caramel shortbread.

Minion DHF + HR2, on all year. I’m sure there are faster rolling options for the summer but I’d rather have tyres that’ll stand up to flint, granite and roots.

With my 8yo daughter I take the view that homework is like sessioning a tricky descent – the more you practice stuff, the better you get at it and the quicker you can apply what you’ve learnt when it crops up unexpectedly. It might not always be fun or exciting but practice pays dividends (there are also parrells with smashing your head against a tree).

Ooohhhh lovely trails
Rock leg ouch
Pint and chips :)

@Yak – thanks for letting me know. Just fitted a new KMC chain and AB ring so will see what happens!

@Yak – why change if it’s KMC?

Pretty sure the OP is single. My first thought was: I’d be dead quicker than the washing machine if my Mrs saw my riding shoes in there.

OP, if you can’t be arsed with the soaking / drying hassle, spray them with detol. Worked for me.

I really fancy designing my own frame (to see if I can do it as much as anything else). Can anyone recommend a free software package to do it?

I’ve got the same Osprey one as Del (Talon 6) and it’s great. 1.2l of water which is enough for most rides / when you can top up. Can get everything you need in it, less sweaty back. Also think it helps with cornering if you’re a swing your ass out and steer with your hips type.

Only use my pack for 6+ hour rides and/or when I need to take food / wet weather gear.

Always preferred proper Shimano metal pads but if not try the disco metal ones. Solid feel, last for ages, cheap as chips. Have tried their kevlar ones which are a bit less grabby.

Does using ‘proper’ pliers mean it’s easier to reuse links that aren’t supposed to be reused?

Hope you get it fixed but that is such a shitty workaround, especially on a pricey frame. There’s a lot to be said for full outer external routing.

CRC helpfully state that some of the new XT BBs come with the adapter, others don’t. Mine didn’t.

Whatever you don’t, make sure you have a Maxxis on the front and align the logos with the valve. That’s waaaay more important than grip and boring stuff like that.

I don’t have a teenager (yet) so this could be naive wishful thinking but if he’s really into his gadgets (as opposed to just being lazy), how about learning to code? If he gets good he’ll earn a fortune. Not everyone loves sport so perhaps try channelling his energy elsewhere?

Watching this one with interest as my 8yo daugther is a few cms from being too big for her Beinn 20 (based on the Isla charts) and in an ideal world I’d move her straight to a 26″ rather than 24″ for a year or so. Any suggestions for a frame that will suit a 135cm tall kid and take 26″ wheels?

This thread encapsulates the differences between us (UK) and our American cousins…

US: Woo hoo! Look at us! We’re great and we’re gonna be even greatererer.

UK: Piss off.

If the new 145 climbs better than than the original Aeris it must come with a bloody motor.

I find the flexy comments about the Aeris a bit odd tbh. I’m 100kg in my kit and never managed to get my tyres to rub the stays. Obviously not trying hard enough.

I made a pretty similar change last summer, but to an mk1.5. Aeris from a 2012 Soul.

The Soul had a 70mm stem, 100mm dropper, 120mm Rebas and 760mm bars. The Aeris is 35mm stem, 170mm dropper, 150mm Pikes and 760mm bars. Minion / HR2 on both.

I put the ‘**** me this is amazing’ difference down the long, low and slack geo combined with the front end being much stiffer. It goes and sticks to where you point it. And of course, the back end just eats it all up. None of this ‘the front writes cheques the back can’t cash’ rubbish.

You’re going to have soooo much fun – sure you don’t want a 145?

What size do you need? There’s a guy selling a medium mk1.5 Aeris on the Bird Owners FB group with XT, Pikes etc. for £1800. Looks to be in pretty good nick and the frame warranty is transferable.

I sent my shock via special delivery no probs. Let all of the air out to be safe.

Will one of the Canyon owners / founders send you a new reverb so you get it less than 24 hours after the one you sent back arrived? Both great bikes but Bird’s service is impeccable.

I’ve tried few different types – inc disco sintered and keeler, Shimano resin – but have gone back to Shimano finned sintered. Love the solid feel and how long they last. Plus I think they look cooler.

I’ve got a proper Buff and it’s better than the generic ones I’ve got. Don’t know why, it just is.

But check changing helmet brands (661 > Giro) made a bigger difference as I now have a closer fit all around so there’s less room for the sweat to build up and get dumped all over my glasses just as I go off a drop.

If you’re in / can get to the South West, I’d recommend Tony Williams from Evolve MTB. Great guy.

Here you go… http://www.ubyk.co.uk/shimano-xt-m8000-1×11-groupset-with-brakes/27356

@tenacious – it’s not the “growth” bit that bothers me, it’s the “hacker” part. Too cool for school and all that shite. It’s basically a **** way of saying “we’ve got no money so do the cheap stuff first”, which is what any decent marketer does anyway.

Have you tried the German sites? Worth a Google.

“Growth Hacker” is pretty common amongst startups and I bloody hate it. Such a **** term up there with anything with guru / ninja / rockstar in.

The original Flite saddle. Perfect.

That is gorgeous. If you haven’t already, I’d stick some invisiframe crank skins things on. Will stop them from getting tatty very quickly.

If Elton John raced bikes…

I’ve spent thousands with CRC et al and the only thing I’ve received by mistake is bloody harribos.

You can buy 25mm wide gorilla tape from B&Q. It’s sold as a ‘handy’ pack or something along those lines. I’ve done a couple of rims with it and all good.