Soul frame 2nd hand but current model. Steel is…… :D

My QR to 9mm bolt thru conversion kit from hope was pro II & pro II evo compatible so imagining same for QR to 15mm…..

Any chance to ride weekdays away from crowds makes for a good flat out ride…..but the surface water means noisy brakes most of the way round, rapid brake pad wear thanks to the Cannock “paste” and squelchy feet…..not a damper for me but could be an issue for some! Just get there early…….or much later in the day to avoid the masses.

Cannock swamp on my loop Wednesday! Surface water city…… as long as you have waders you’ll be fine. As an aside big thanks to the trail building/maintenance elves who seem to be flattening out the infamous braking bumps at various key spots along the way!

Hi 00 etc……Are you sure you looked that hard?? RL & RLT versions at CRC…….bound to be cheaper on searching but “UK” code will give you a further £15.00 off these prices at the moment…..

CRC reba 120mm

CRC reba2

edit: edged by somouk!

p.s stumbled across whole xt crankset (3×10) 2011 175mm Crank with BB for £114.00 after £12.00 pound off current promo at CRC……that seems like pretty good value……But of course you then have to make sure you have 10 speed mechs and chain!

Thanks guys……rock solid, no play that I can feel. Have spotted the bearing swop out online but see you can get a whole new bracket for £27.00 on a quick google so will eventually go down that route…..seems fine for now

The forecast will be for Audis moving in from the west, a light scattering of chubby wobblers on the well known trails and a dusting of condescendtion from those who’ve been before. The morning may see some attempted gnarr before being replaced with pushes on the steeper slopes.

Love that crikey! Thanks for the pics gsp1984 and OAP. Tempted to chuck the skis in the car as well!

Thanks for the Sat ride offer bloodyshins…..I’m staying at the far South of the Peak D though so may try and find something more local though. Have a great weekend riding all!

Thanks all……looks like a swop to the advantage would be sensible. Realise it will be busy but seems criminal not to take the bike as will be there with family anyway! Early starts and some research on “less trod paths” seems like next step…..If anyones planning an early jaunt Saturday or Sunday am and doesn’t mind a tourist on board let me know (moderately fit HT riding 43 yr old kiwi good for about 20 mls at most!).

View this morning looks amazing simonm! Any updates appreciated tracknicko

Cheers

Good result cruzheckler…….tempted to try the Wilko 8L number too! Not a bad option at only £10.00

Just stuck a LUST crossmark on Stans Flow no problems after an inflate with tube to lock in one side of the bead, careful tube removal leaving one side bedded, then inflated on first attempt with floor pump.

Different story with the non LUST minion downhill front SP though. Had used the same technique with a tube inflate to bed one side, then removal, soapy water added around rim (not needed for LUST), then endless maniacal pumping to no avail. Was about to give up when remembered reading previously about using straight up dishwashing liquid….applied that all the way round between the one non-bedded tyre bead and rim, and popped up first time! The more viscous nature of it provided a better temp seal to let the tyre pop…..good luck!

edit….i’d get it bedded first before worrying about the sealant…..once you’ve got it inflated once and both sides of bead sorted, THEN deflate carefully, remove the core and add sealant via syringe………probably not ideal to use masses of dish washing liquid at same time as sealant.

Apparently hospitalised following an unfortunate sequence of events…..burnt himself while melting his magic chain wax, then while cycling to the pharmacists for burn cream got freakishly knocked off his bike by a Bently driven by George Osbourne and suffered a blunt trauma head injury. :wink:

BikeConsole ….found it cheaper on ebay

Works well with standard mount on stem for me……no vibes and rotates to landscape on the fly. Use it mainly for road rides or less techy cross country rides. Haven’t and wouldn’t use on heavy duty descents!

Bit of a hijack sorry OP, but my Scott paclite shorts (same Evans £45.00 sale deal) self destructed after 5 months with a massive rip across the seat (caught on long nose of my Gobi fizik seat?) ….have assumed this won’t be considered a warranty scenario, so any thoughts from the STW massive on best waterproof patching/repair options?

Had a London client tell me about their downhill riding friends experience….they went on hols leaving expensive rigs with maxed out bike shed security doors/locks/floor bolts/D-locks…..thieves (who they felt must have scoped them out at trails and followed them home on a recky) cut a hole through the roof for access, sawed through frames rather than locks to remove….worth their while for components rather than frames obviously….moral of the story is don’t forget the roof!

Update on the Hilo…..was great but only lasted 3 rides…..has stopped returning from full drop despite air pressure checking out ok and using an inner tube boot.. Back to wiggle it goes….at least I get to see what the warranty/after cares like?? :roll:

Thanks all….much appreciated. Will try the stock one when I can but funnily enough my Hilo came missing the cable barrel so have had a couple of rides now with just the lever….think I could get used to it and love being able to swop out the seat post on the fly with a standard one for lighter cross country/road duties…

Rik: have been through the same decision process myself these past few weeks as my new (2nd hand) soul frame wouldn’t fit the reverb from my previous frame. :cry: The only downside to what has been a fab soul “conversion”.

….Went the hilo after extensive online research…..hilo edged it on true variable height and cost (£164.99 at wiggle for the 2012 model after applying one of their (regular) 10% online discounts) First impressions are positive although I haven’t been able to test the remote as it came missing a part. I’m using it with the under seat lever set-up while waiting for the part, and actually think I could get used to it….will compare to remote when able. Certainly nice to have the option to swop out on the fly with no cables to a lighter seat post for more cross country orientated duties

Works fine out of the box although, as I have seen mentioned in online research, the seals are squeaky at the moment….not really an issue for me. Solid build. looks good if that’s important to you….wasn’t part of my criteria.

Return for last few cm’s is slow, as again seems common in online chat, but seems to relate to strength of pull on the lever which is more awkward the higher the seat gets….not as good as the reverb in this respect which just gets there solidly with no fuss, but I can live with that for the sake of being able to drop!

Remote use sounds like the key problem area as the cable supplied is a cheapie, and prone to water/mud ingress at the seat-post end. Nothing that swapping out to a decent cable and shielding the cable interface (various straightforward methods suggested online) wouldn’t sort is my thinking……or just stick to the lever and it’s not an issue.

Have rigged up an inner-tube boot zip tied over the post shaft as is recommended online by various sources, and which just makes sense for UK wet conditions to minimise problems….working well so far. Long term reliability?……watch this space! Hope that’s helpful.

Plus 1 for the superstars……lasting well so far too and cheap! Think it was 4 pairs for less than £25. Have used the sintered ones over winter to survive the grinding paste of Cannock and they have outlasted the original shimano metal ones.

That much is perhaps obvious, but wondering what hilo users have found as a GOOD alternative and where they sourced it from…..single (as opposed to pairs) good quality break cables not that common from a quick search……so perhaps xtr outer with cheaper shimano inner etc?

Anyone?

Actually tried with just under seat lever for a spin around Cannock today and think I could almost get used to it….one way of solving any potential cable issues! Not as plush as my 2012 reverb and squeaky seals at the moment but just good to have a 27.2 mm drop option that’s hydraulic and variable height……

Thanks all…..good range of suggestions….will now mull over options and will feedback on decision/results….

Cheers coatesy….top tip. Any more thoughts out there?

plus 1 for fox launch pro. No support value but comfortable protection that’s saved me on several nasty impact spills to date!

Think you’re talking about the DT Swiss RWS thru bolt system?? DT Swiss RWS bolt thru

Front wheel is 9mmm, rear is 10mm for the DT Swiss RWS thru bolts. Work fine with my Hope Pro II evo’s post conversion with hope kits on my stan flow rims….weirdly only the 10mm bolt thu’s are listed on the DT Swiss web site….may have stopped making the 9mm? Still available elsewhere if you hunt around:

RWS Thru bolt 9mm front and 10 mm rear

Hope Pro II 9mm bolt thru hub conversion kit

(pretty sure it works for evo as well and is what I used but might pay to check) seperate kit for the 10mm rear on same site.

You can also go the cheaper bolt thru option: superstar equivalent 9 and 10mm bolt thru skewers….others may like to comment on them as I haven’t used them. Got my DT Swiss’s on ebay etc as were pricey new.

search viewranger in this forum…. :idea:

plus +1 for Lunge’s setup

Maxxis Minnion DHF 2.35″ single ply 60a front (42a is grippier but draggier).
Maxxis ADvantage 2.25″ single ply 60a rear.

This is as good an all round combo as I have found in far to many years riding.

but I run a 2.1 advantage on the rear for a little less rolling resistance….beefs out with surprising volume on a stans flow rim. Going to try a 2.1 crossmark as a rear alternative for hard pack summer trails

+1 for cyclemeter. Switch off wifi & bluetooth, dim brightness and then no battery issues.

Maxis Minion singleply 2.35 60a tacky on the front and 2.1 Advantage 70 on the rear which comes up surprisingly big volume on a wider rim like my flows…great general trail combo for my hardtail. Only swap out the Advantage for bridleways winter mud fests with a 2.1 dual compound Bontranger mud x. Going to try a Maxxis cross mark for hardpack summer trails though as a faster rolling Advantage alternative when less grip needed.

LT I’m selling mine via this link in the classifieds….30.9 420 left hand 2012. email in profile.

reverb FS

+1 for the POC’s. Excellent and have saved me significant dents and skin loss on several occasions in past few months. But get the sizing right!

I have a brand new unused pair of mediums which I bought new online, but got the sizing wrong and found them to tight……held on to them for a friends GF while ordering a large pair for me, but ended up to big for her….so have them sitting in a drawer at home…… hadn’t quite got round to putting them up for sale in classifieds. You can have for £55 posted (but do your research on sizing!)….or for anyone else who’s interested. email in profile.

Inton Twin Cree XML U2 Mountain Bike Light – 2200 lumens. £105.00. Fabulous light, limited clamp even with upspeced £115.00 option……

inton 2200

My mount solution at the end of this thread…….not to much faff for a highly stable/adjustable mount adapted from a cheap hope light clamp

mount solution option….

LBS sorted mine for me (blown piston seals…no spares available in UK….warranty replacement)…..a big up for Ben at Venture Bikes for the (more southerly) brummy-massive.

Update……2nd hand soul acquired (cheers skiprat!)…..frame dilemma sorted at least :D….now for the seatpost. Like the look of the x-fusion hilo as cheaper alternative to the GD but seeing lots of reports of slow return of last inch. Is it really a problem actual owners of one??

kelvin your logic is pretty sound…..you may have thrown a spanner in the works! Thanks to all for feedback so far…..

….but are quite a bit heavier and burlier in role to Soul & HJ…..I’ve only got a 120mm fork and happy with that for my style of riding….hence the frame selections…

I stand corrected (thanks teetosugars and qwerty)…..HJ is 27.2mm, Stiffee, Hustler, Gspot are 30mm….. :oops: No need for shim then! Makes it the same seat post for both HJ and soul, just sadly not my current reverb!

Did this 18.6 mile loop in Jan sourced from the edge cycleworks site….included Minton batch descent……GPX file to download on the right of the webpage.

Long Mynd Loop

The first climb(/push!) is a real bitch, but all good from there. There is another (longer) loop that doesn’t include Minton on the site too, but haven’t tried that yet.

edit…just seen an earlier post links this site, so this is more of a +1!

Leak at banjo….a common fault….warranty replacement.

As per recent post on this same question

My new 2012 XT’s were fabulous…I stress WERE as the front calliper has blown a piston seal at 4 months old (less than 1 trail ride a week average) and it’s been in the shop coming up to two weeks waiting for parts……seems I’m not alone and there are possible manufacturing issues resulting in banjo and piston leaks…..
see discussion at…… http://forums.mtbr.com/brake-time/love-new-2012-xt-brakes-734689-3.html

Hope a seal replace sorts them as they are superb when working…..but reliability is now in doubt for me at least.

and the outcome…..

Ok have heard back from the LBS. The bad news…..no 2012 XT piston seal parts available in the UK. The good news…..warranty swap out of whole front calliper + new pads! Result, but doesn’t bode well for the Shimano option….looks like this is an acknowledged problem.
Good result in the end but 2 weeks no riding while waiting for the warranty swap. To the shimano distributors credit they sent the replacement immediately before the faulty calliper was sent back. Seems the chat amongst tinkering friends though is that when things go wrong Hopes are self serviceable, and Shimano’s are swop outs….. will be interested to hear others comments.

From another current thread…..my experience….

My XT785 front calliper piston seals failed after 4 months (moderate) use …replaced under warranty promptly as no parts available. Confidence dented in reliability but still an awesome brake! Credit to Madison the shimano distributer for a rapid sort…they sent a replacement immediately to my LBS before receiving the faulty one.