well… i’ve got a Maverick (non remote) and i reckon i use it about 3-4 times on a ride, and dont really have any problems with a quick reach under the saddle (ahem).
remote = more to go wrong, break, hit with knee, smash etc:

when you’re used to it, it’s real quick to pop up and down.

we’ve got an Olympus 1030 SW shockproof waterproof jobbie, and it’s great. The quality of the lense/picture is not the greatest, but it’s totally bombproof. I use it riding, snowboarding, and my wife uses it with our 1 year old, who likes to throw it across the room and chew it. we’ve had it for over a year and it’s battered looking, but working as new.
It’s been in the sea, pool, snow, and dropped down the stairs.

very useful camera. But, it is a backup to my full frame 35mm digital Canon.

mine runs just fine….

34 front, 18 rear. Its a bit of a pig on the really steep up’s, and i spin out on most fast bits….. but shifts fine, nice and stiff (bolt on hub)

I dont notice the weight change/balance etc: but then i’m 18st, and its on a tough/heavy hardtail.

you have to use the shifter, for differing cable pull reasons.

servicing….. not sure yet only had it 8months of mild use.

BUT, the bike runs real quiet, which is nice. I can also use a singlespeed chain which wont explode on me when putting loads of power down (which is what those crappy 9 speed swiss cheese chains do)

i like it.
i’ll keep it.

errrr. i’d say NO, not like that.

;-0

Also, if you get a copy of adobe lightroom, they have a pretty swish flash photo gallery called ‘Simpleviewer’ which you can customize as you wish.

It’s a free download from the Airtight site, and looks good (IMHO)

simpleviewer[/url]

Incedently, none of the images have been optimised yet, so you’ll see a few loading bars until i have compressed the images to a sensible level. Then you should not see any ‘loading’ type stuff, unless your on a very slow connection.

I’m sorting out a image viewer site for a few friends of mine right now, that might suit your needs. It was designed for some illustrators, that needed to upload their own images, to fit a pre-made template.

They can change the colours, and the copy, as much as they like with a free FTP package. They know nothing about the interweb etc: but the template can hold up to 81 images, and can have backgrounds and interface elements of their choice.

If you drop me a mail, i’ll send you over a link to an example, with photographs instead of children’s illustration.

My ISP is playing silly buggers right now, so i cant get access to my server.

there’s a link here to a slimmed down version with dummy copy, and minimal images. It would work just as well for a photographer, as an illustrator.

draught site

i was under the impression that cycle brakes in UK were like that (front right, rear left) BECAUSE of conforming with motorcycle brakes standard.

bit like a chameleon, only cheaper, and angles that suit a faster ride.
Changeable drop-out for whatever gears/single thing you fancy. Built tough, but not too heavy.

I love mine.

Whilst enjoying my honeymoon on the pacific coast of mexico, i borrowed the hotels sea kayak, and went for a quick paddle!!

After about half an hour, and about 500 metres down the coast from the launch beach, i managed to roll the thing over in sea’s that were picking up in a swell. I got back on, and after a couple of minutes rolled it again.

This went on for about 10 mins, by which point i had drifted considerably, and the sea around the point of land i was moving along was getting pretty big.

I was tired by this point, and had begun to swim the kayak in to shore. I didn’t want to let it go, as it was bright yellow, and bigger than me… so was very visible in a now VERY big swell.

After about 1 hour of swimming i was close to shore, and could see the huge rocks lining the shore were cover in coral, and sea urchins the size of porcupines.
After 3 unsuccessful attempts at landing the kayak, and myself onto the rocks in 5 foot of swell, i had cut myself to bits. I had several very deep cuts down my forearms, and one long gauge from tit to knee.

All of this would not have me immediately worrying about survival, but just about then i notice the fin sticking through the water about 100 meters away. The sight of this brought back to me the words from the tourist guide in our hotel about “Tiger shark, and Great White spotting cruises just a mile in our ocean-going R.I.B. from the hotels beach”

Oh F*uck, here i am bleeding like a leaky pipe, and i can see the water turning mild pink around me. Sharks can ‘smell’ blood from about a mile away.

Second sighting of the fin, revealed that it was getting closer, bigger, and was not just one fin! This did mean that it was not a great white, as they do their killing alone, but did mean that i wasn’t seeing things.

This was the moment i thought i was going to die!
From either drowning, bleeding to death, or being snacked upon.

I made another attempt at getting out the water with renewed enthusiasm, and this time i managed to cling onto a sharp rock just long enough for the sea to release it grip on me, and allow me to clamber up clear of the running-red water.

Feeling very relieved, and utterly exhausted i looked back into the water to see the two fins that were surrounding me leap into the air attached to two very cute looking dolphins.

I felt a bit of a cock, and limped back to the hotel. The man at reception almost passed out at the sight of so much claret, and i got a free ride to the local hospital.

Lesson: Don’t go off on your own in the Pacific ocean, doing something you have never tried before, without letting anyone know where you are going. AND without a life jacket.

nope… it’s most likely not worth it at all

errrr. ignore me… i’ll get me coat

on the bike…

with the family looking smart

errr…. ‘leak’ that is..

unless you have beneath your feet, an immovable concrete floor, and blockwork walls…. don’t do it.

Cost an arm/leg be right pain to do, and WILL leave eventually.

eat as many pies as i have, and a steel bike is merely a jelly twister disco dancer of a ride.

Ali… still the way for me.

v2’s

this

v2’s

second the ‘2006 Z1 Light ETAs’, they are just right if you want an all-round fork with quick travel shortening.

Try and pick some of those up somewhere.

I’d say start at Falmer village (easy to park) and head over the main road and go up through Stanmer park, heading north. The descent back down from Kingston ridge, is quite long, although not very technical and should drop you back to the car nicely.

You could also start near Lewes prison and start heading south towards Kingston, then the final descent back down from the Mount Harry/Black Cap area is a nice bit of single track and quite long.

There’s a tea shop in Stanmer Park, and a pub that (used to) serves good food in Kingston called ‘The Juggs’.

yeah… i wanna know his too!
any good comparison experience would be cool.

here’s my 1×8
which is sweet, and can take a beating.

spesh reactive ones for me….
they are the nuts, and change fairly quickly, from trees to sun etc:
Not very cheap tho’, but very good.

righty…
well thanks for the posts everyone. I think i’ll just try Stans for now, and get some UST tyres when these wear out.

The local garage is just next door, so that compressor will have to do.

Lard.

thing is…. i dont want to fork out for UST specific new rims. So, standard rim/stans combo only for me.

Unless i’m missing something and there is a better approach for throwing on UST tyres?

thanks for that buzz – no tyre fiend here… just run Minion/highroller all year come mud or shine. Why bother with anything else!

Can i do it at the petrol station? i mean does it always go on just fine if you have a good compressor? Because once the tyre is on, i’ll be leaving it on until it’s as bald as i am.

Dont want a compressor taking up space, and money, if there’s another option.

so…

maybe, or maybe not.

Hmmm…… still concerned that this might be the loads-of-hassle-for-not-much-gain nightmare that i had always thought.

nearly all the puncture’s i get are from thorns, or glass, and sometimes pinch flats. Can see the benefits, and the better trail feel would be good. BUT, i’m not one for needless faffing…, and i like to get the bike out from the spare room, squeeze the tyres and go.

tell me why i need this stuff?

yep… it’s gotta be ‘shrooms, or LSD.

It’s a strange world out there, and it can get much stranger……

hmmm….

Minion, and high roller combo here, and they are snug but no real problems getting them on-off. Never broken so much as a nail, let alone a lever.

I do have gorilla grip tho’

yep… mine’s running sweet. Not quite the spread of gears i’d like, but quiet, reliable (so far after only a few rides) and don’t notice weight distribution etc:

Also, i’m not a gentle rider, and dont hold back on rough terrain (as Ash can attest to, from Trail Addiction 07, Hi Ash!) and ANY piece of kit that lasts more than a few months with me is a strong bit.

Lee.

with those two planks of wood around your seat-tube… you are more GNAR than me, for sure.

Not sure about ugly, but it’s certainly different.
I bet it handles like a bag of spanners on any twisty trail eh! 8O

aaaiiight!

..yes i agree ‘the_lecht_rocks’

The reason for my smaller frame, is that it’s easier to suck the back wheel up over the helmets of fallen, and wallowing DH bikes/riders as i pass on quietly by.

My Hardtail is plenty rideable up hills, and super tough on the downs. A steepish head angle allows me to run 150mm forks, and not have it turn like a river barge.

As harsh as any Ali framed bike but not overly so…

Was a bargain at £170 for the frame, and i ride it almost as much as my SX-Trail. With the Alfine hub installed it makes a great winter/singletrack bike.

one thing to note in all this, is that when your tyre is in contact with the ground under braking it will make the suspension move upwards regardless of linkage type, because the forces transferred by the tyres friction on the ground have to go somewhere, and they mostly go up.

When the brake caliper is free to rotate around the hub axle, the suspension is more compliant (able to follow the ground contours).
A four bar linkage bike will allow this to happen more freely than another (non Horst-link) bike.

All of this matters very little however, because sustained braking over rough ground is rare, and the loose surfaces on offroad conditions negates this effect as felt by the rider.

So, after having ridden nearly every type of linkage know to man/woman… i can conclude that the effect of brake/jack/squat/lock/etc: is negligable.

shock performance, and rider performance is massively more important than any of this nonsense.

So, dont worry be happy, and ride along.

I run my hardtail with a 36 front and 18 rear, and it great for most flat and undulating terrain, but on the South Downs where i ride, there are not enough gear inches for my fat arse. I’d say a 20tooth rear, and/or 34 front is a must.

Other than that, the bits that came with my hub worked for my frame a treat, and the Alfine trigger shifter is just fine. A little clunky compared to XT level, but works fine.

My Mountain Cycle Rumble is a kickass HT bike. Stiff, replaceable/differing drop-out combinations, and it can take a pounding.

Takes a long fork, 150mm no problem, and it’s not too heavy.

it’s Ali, and got a long’ish top tube for the size.
It rocks. And is very quick handling on the twisty bits.

…
f*eck
………
I’m now feeling very dizzy, and there’s claret everywhere.
The ambulance is just out the front, so i’ll be off.
Thanks for some quality debating, and practical tests everyone.

ok… here goes.

OUCH

I can confirm that it hurts a bit even with a helmet on.

I’ll now try without a helmet.
ready….

you have RED tyres….
best leave the picture hidden.