It sounds like they are a pretty disgruntled bunch. From the sound of things I'm not surprised. Imagine working in retail for a boss who won't let you call customers on mobile numbers! If money is that tight, or that is the owner's attitude to customers, his attitude to his staff must be awful.

Apologies if this has been said above, but what I don't understand is that, with the Shimano gear, you get the same low gear (24×36) and a lower high gear.

I appreciate the arguments for closer spaced gears and smaller rings, but how much closer is an 11-36 ten speed compared to an 11-34 9 speed? As for the 42 tooth outer, I usually replace my 44 with 42s when they wear out.

With 36 tooth lows being available on 9 speed cassettes, could I not get most the benefits of a 3×10 using 24 32 42 rings and a 12-36 9 speed cassette?

Another question and slightly O.T., could an aluminium free hub take the torque generated by a 36×22 gear? I know that this isn't being offered with the Shimano's 10 speed, I'm just wondering.

This has good info on adjusting C&C hubs:

http://sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

I'm not that daft! I had assumed that he would run a shimano mech with the shimano shifter.

I was guessing that nothing had yet been bought for the project and if Psycle is happy with a road cassette he could possibly save money with a Shimano set up.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=35084

In general, as long at the shifter and mech match and the chain and cassette match, the gears will work.

If you are happy using the ratios on a road cassette, why not use 10 speed shimano road parts? I believe they do a 10 speed flat bar shifter that may fit the bill.

I put a Fox RP2 on mine to replace the DT shock – mainly because the DT had ware on the shaft and CRC were doing the RP2s for a price close to that of a shock service. I didn't have problems with traction, but did find the action a bit squidgy. The ride is now generally more pert. I still get full travel but the action feels more controlled.

Thanks for all the info. I just have to decide it I want 5 or 3 speeds

Jack, from the SA website for the 3 speed,

• Overall Range – 177%
• Gear 1 – 75% (-)25%
• Gear 2 – 100% Direct Drive (Gear 1 + 33%)
• Gear 3 – 133% (+)33.3% (Gear 2 + 33%)

Rob,

the idea of 1st being the direct drive put me off the 8spd.

how long have you been using the 5 speed?

thanks

I love the Note! I am a not a Troll.

There is no evidence that the A class falls over in corners in real world situations. The elk test that gave the A Class its reputation is not a realistic test of a real world situation, and the A class didn't kill anyone in an accident of the kind that the elk test purports to emulate.

Strangely a car that did kill people with lift off over steer, the Audi TT, went on to sell by the bucket load and can't fit an bike in the boot.

My Mum had an A1.6. It was fine in terms of poke, considering the type of car it was. I liked driving it, but being a back seat passenger was uncomfortable. When I came back from an over seas adventure with my Wife, my Dad collected us from the station in the car and it easily fitted 2 bike boxes, 2 big bags and 3 people.

You can easily fit a bike a the back of one.

It was the 3 speed fixed hub that got me looking at their website. That is when I discovered their 5 spd with a 120 OLD. What appeals to me about the 5 spd is that the direct drive gear is in the middle of the 5 on offer. That is, the ratios that may suffer from the mechanical drag of the planetary gears are either side of what I am used to peddling as a single speed and what I'd choose in most situations.

What I am wondering is, do the SA hubs have more drag than the alfine/nexus?

I'm 5'8" and have had a medium 405 for a couple of years. When sat on the bike stationary it seems a little short (with a 70mm stem and 710mm wide bars) but when riding it pedals superbly, climbs superbly and descending it gets more stable the faster you go.

I've not ridden the 506 or Hemlock (but have contemplated both and doubt I'd be disappointed with either) but do love the 405.

From the pic it looks like you have a pair of LUST High Rollers. With your wheels and tyres you can go tubeless. That will do away with the weight of the 2 inner tubes. If you don't need the extra puncture protection, you don't need to use sealant either.

It won't be a massive saving, but you will have the benefits of tubless wheels – extra traction, reduced rolling resistance to name a couple.

Once more for changing the grips, seat clamp, stem and post. I find the Ritchey WCS foam grips comfy. Ibis make a very light seat clamp, not sure if it would fit your frame, though.

You may be able to save some weight with tubless-ready tyres, rather than UST or LUST. Are you using a sealant in the tyres? If so, could you use less?

Gripshift will save some weight, too.

Have you looked at Swobo?

My wife's in Singapore. I did her ironing before she left. As for tyres, a larson would not be good at this time of year. Lots of closely spaced, shallow knobs. I like Minion DHF front and back. I like High Rollers, too, but prefer DHFs.

On the whole, I like the magazine. That said, all magazines, regardless of the subject, have good and not so good months. What I particularly like is that bike tests aren't scored, but concluded with an appraisal of how the bikes ride. Far more relevant than X is worth 8, but Y is worth 9 to my mind.

As for interviews, I like them. I prefer interviews with industry figures, especially bike designers and team managers, than riders.

To make any bike mag better for me, I'd like to see a couple of 'shoot outs'per issue and lots of expensive and/or cult-type bikes and kit. How practical that would be with a limited number of staff is up for debate.

if it's an air can service, then the seals will be the same. I don't know if the seals in the damper are the same.

You may already have tried this, but thought I'd suggest it. I find it easier to turn when my foot on the inside of the corner is at the back. You may find it easier though left turns because you lead with your right foot. As such, your left foot is at the back.

This definitely works well on slow, very tight technical switchbacks.

Regular lurker and the most heinous of stw pariahs, a lurker that buys and sells in the classifieds.

Merlin are also doing a deal on Coves at the moment. The Hand Job looks like good value at just over a grand.

I've used MBMB in the past. Not been with them for a few years, but they supplied a very good holiday. They are based in Chamonix. I really enjoy the riding round there. Lots of lovely technical single track and definitely XC rather than DH.

Ghetto will work fine in your scenario. If it is a removal valve core you are after rather than a particular preference for schrader valves, you can use Schwalbe presta tubes.

I am considering putting an RP23 on my 405. Which compression tune did you go for?

4569er

Dirt Magazine tested a 456 with a reba 29er, they liked it a lot.

UST tyres have thick carcasses and the XC versions don't have draggy compounds or really deep tread.

For a non-ust, the single-ply Maxxis Minion is fairly sturdy and good for mixed riding if you avoid tarmac.

There are probably others, but this is the limit of my experience.

Is this a coil fork? If so it could be the spring deflecting and knocking the inside of the stantion. This is very common and sounds like a click. To check if it is the spring causing the noise, unscrew the spring from the crown and compress the fork. If you hear nothing it is probably the spring.