I have 6 bikes in our house all running 11sp drivetrains, with same size disc, Shimano brakes and Maxxis tyres. So, my spares box has about 3-5 sets of everything waiting to be fitted. As i fit something, i source another to put back in the box.

It does mean my spares box is worth over a grand however, so not a cheap endeavour.
It’s paid off in the current supply chain drought though.

I think they updated the spring chart a short while after release, as many people found it to be quite inaccurate. I believe i went for the next (lighter) spring than the one i first bought, as it was not getting near full travel with my southern mincing.

With the HBO, you can also run the spring softer than you would otherwise, as it does not bottom out.

I find that after wearing my 5.10’s for more than a couple of hours, my big toe gets painful.

My Shimano Spd shoes are only ones that are roomy in the toe box. I would have thought if Shimano do some flat shoes (I’ve never looked for any).

Maybe try some Shimanos?

Wheels and tyres for sure.
Brakes rarely make you faster.

If you can’t fit larger tyres in the back, then go mullet to get bigger tyres in. Although IMHE 2.4-2.5 is all you really ever need.

I’m also using a Moon Meteor storm Pro.

Great output and at lower light levels there’s plenty of battery. The clamp is also very secure.

Wouldn’t really be good enough for solo off road excursions, but road/gravel… great

£70 notes in the constant sales.

Steerer tube stash tool?
Can move from bike-to-bike if he changes frame.

Might be a tad expensive, but I’m using this one, which doesn’t need tapping/threading etc:

Granite stash tool.

I didn’t bleed mine (as I don’t have the correct bleed syringe) and it’s a great upgrade for the Yari.

I’m running a Smashpot coil in the fork, not the air spring, so the fork was not under pressure when I installed it. I have subsequently taken it out and re-installed with the spring side left in place.

I found the HSC didn’t seem very effective, so I lightened the fork oil weight and the adjusters now sit in the middle (ish) of the range.

All in all, fabulous supple stiff fork for my ‘bike park/uplift’ enduro bike.

I would have thought whichever ‘lifetime’ is longer, would be the best one? Some manufacturers ‘lifetime’ is no more than a couple of years for certain parts.

Specialized only consider the front triangle as worthy of a longish warrantee. The back frame elements, are not covered for very long at all. AFAIR.

Good tip. Just bought 2.

Moon rear light fixings are very secure. Sometimes tough to get off with my fingers.

They’re also bright and reasonable price.

Shield

Actually…. scrap the above. They’re over £100 actually. Great value though.

Mtb batteries lights are great, but external battery pack only. Under budget though, and great lights.

Never used either thread compound, or torque wrench. And never stripped/lost a bolt.

30 years later, no ball of flames.

I use a Topeka defender M2. It’s quick release on/off to the back of seat tube.

Keeps most stuff off my arse. Not the sleekest solution, but robust and easy.

Climate change doesn’t need one or two people with 100% perfect eco credentials, it needs millions / billions of us reducing our climate footprint by small amounts. Any promotion of cilmate change, ways we can help and improve the environment we live in can only be a good thing.

this…..
Perfect is the enemy of progress.

Yeah, I ‘walk’ around the edge of the rim, feet on opposing sides, with the hub rested on a towel/rag to protect it/the floor! Lots of creaking and popping goes on (I’m 110kgs)… then I re-check tensions and re-true if needed.

It feels very brutal when doing it.
Never had a spoke unwind. Had a couple snap, but not when recently built.

I do use normal spoke prep though. Not oil.

I put mine on the roof of my Smax.
But, they’re hard wor to lift up and get them that high. Strong arms needed.

2 Enduro type bike on Thule roof bars, kids bike on a Seasucker rack just behind them.

I found that previous to using inserts i’d worked out a pressure which was as low as i could go, without constantly pinch-flatting/rim-dinging. So, with inserts i went down a few PSI until i could feel the very occasional impact on my (rimpact!!) and settled around there.

115kgs
Rimapct Pro
2.4 WT Maxxis EXO+
25psi rear – 22 psi front.

Rode Cwmcarn in the end, which was great. Bone dry and running fast.
Then BPW Monday, which was great, but punishing for my old bones.

this is better than it used to be where i would have to be right on the upper limit of psi if not over it.

this is good to know. I’ve been on coils now for about 15 years so glad things have changed.

Most frames will be able to cope with 160kgs, it’s the wheels and some other components you might need to pick carefully.

Proper wheel build, with strong rims and DH casing tyres will help to prevent constant damage/pinch flats.

Any air fork on the market will struggle to get proper sag/height at your weight though. I’m 115kgs and have always had to run any air shocks and forks right at the stated upper limits to get results. That’s why I switched to coils as in most forks, I can find a spring to suit. But, I’m right at the upper end of spring weights as it is.

DH front disk brake with a big rotor will help with stopping too. Most other components should be good for your size as well.

pro version is only £17 a yr………………… less than the cost of a digital membership here, oh

Much as I’d love to be a member of everything, I have to draw the line somewhere.
😀

Ah, I’ve just read that properly now.
So the App is limited, but browser version still free.

Splendid.

Yeah, mine’s now locked to the one limited area. Which is why I was looking for an alternative. Hmmm…..

Thanks tho bruneep.

Great- thanks for the heads up.
Goretex socks, check.
Waterproof trousers, check.

Hardcore base, dug down to 18inches with a pea shingle (or similar) topping to 6 inches deep.

Unless there’s solid concrete below that, it’ll drain away fine. Only needs to be about 2ft wide to cope with spray/drips from bikes.

Moon Shield here… 3 of them. Well bright and great runtime with selection of modes.

Curse you 165mm thieves, curse you all!

this…. Barstewards.

Oh, I also only wear barefoot shoes now. That’s helped too.

Pilates and yoga.
Back is almost a non-issue for the 10 years or so I’ve been doing it.

Before that, I was always in some kind of pain. I have slightly prolapsed and degraded L4 and L5. Not very bad, but noticeable (on an MRI)

The great thing about coils, is hat you never have to think about them from ride to ride, you just jump on and pedal.

the bad thing about coils is they can take some trial end error to get right to start with.

I’ve found spring weighting’s to be pretty spurious and vary from brand to brand. I’d go up a few pounds, not down as coil springs are more linear than air equivalents and 30% sag is plenty for a spring.

Mine arrived today….. nothing in the box at all, except the fork and Axle. No stickers, even on the fork, or tokens, pump or anything.

Not that this matters, as i like them ‘murdered out’ naked.

@tall_martin

Good call…. only downside is never having used/sat on a Brookes, I’m not sure how it would feel off-road. They’re quite a different beast to most regular saddles.

Might try and source a second hand one first to try one out.

Thanks for the responses. Yep, it’s a recommendation for a stronger saddle I was after. However, as I suspected, there’s not much to choose between them.

I’m replacing the reverb soon, so a dropper with layback was my next option.

New frame is a bit hard to sort ATM tho’.

I think it’s also a biological effect experienced here. You know, the bit where the intuitive, unconscious state kicks in over the planned and methodical.

I forget when the flow happens. I don’t have to remember to brake, to turn and to stop. I survive because my body/brain knows how to do this stuff now (after quite a few decades) and it really appreciates the state of conscious/unconscious disentanglement.

Going uphill, it all about ignoring the pain, pacing yourself and finding the easiest path/route. Very planned and arranged (for me anyway).

Reverb post, and I do run the saddle back on the rails generally.

I appreciate that this is a contributing factor, but was keen to find recommendations on saddles at the stronger end that could cope with being used like this.

Yes, granny left on my cranks when I went 1x gearing. Very occasionally I tapped chain off with my foot to have a bail-out gear.

Have to put it back with my hands of course, but I usually do that when I’m recovering at the top of climb.

Since having wider ranges on rear cassette I don’t really use it anymore. Just too lazy to take cranks off to remove it.

@stainypants – Not really….
my rides on this bike are back country lanes, sustrans type routes, and light off-road. Nearly always on my own. So I ride at whatever speed the gears allow.

Sometimes I wish for a gear between the ones I have, but not for long.

My off/road/hybrid has 11-50 with 34 chainring. Gets up everything (even northern scarp slopes of the downs) but will spin out on fast road descents for sure. But then I’m sitting and coasting anyway.

Rigid forked Ti hardtail, 29er wheels.

It threads into the replaceable mech hanger. Will @ Rayments will sort you out. 20 notes or so. Easy to instal yourself.