Exposure every day of the week. My Maxx-D and Joystick are some of the best things I’ve ever bought. Race with a helmet light will be fine, but stretching to a Toro or Maxx-D would be even better. They are seriously good and the back up from Exposure is excellent as well. A former work colleague had an old Joystick and the button broke. They told him to post it in and they repaired it for £13 inc. postage back to him. Nothing comes close IMO, they’re just ace!

How has nobody mentioned the stem, sorry rudder?!?! What length is that, must be at least 120mm? If you need it that long the frame is way too small, I can’t imagine it will handle well either

a poor choice for the BB

Just use a Hope BB. I actually quite like the last 2 sets of GXP cranks I’ve had, having always liked Shimano. Liked them so much when a deal came up for some Carbon Stylo GXP cranks I snapped them up and stuck a Hope BB with the GXP adapter and haven’t though about them for the last 6 months.

GX Eagle is far better than anything Shimano makes atm, new XTR not withstanding, so just stick a Hope BB in their with the GXP cranks and don’t worry about it.

Go for the Whyte. I’ve had my T130 for just over 2 years now and it hasn’t missed a beat. Not the lightest, not the fastest but as something that is incredibly good fun to ride and is a dream to own as it’s been so reliable I can’t recommend them enough.

New shape Ibiza would be a good shout, really nice inside and out and massive for a “small” car, loads of leg room and the boot is impressive. You can pick up early SE Technologies for around 10K, the 8″ touchscreen is brilliant.

Ardent is OK on the front in some places, but not many! I actually quite like it on the front around Cannock for example. Liking the Maxxis Forekaster at the minute, basically a grippier Ardent that still rolls well. It’s not a Minion/HR II by any stretch, but I’ve found for blasting round Llandegla and natural trails around North Wales and the midlands it’s a nice compromise of grip and speed.

Given there’s a crimp on the end of the dropper cable, please don’t say you’re leaving it like that?!

You can only mount the mech using the “direct mount” method if the hanger is specific for direct mount. You can’t just remove the B-knuckle and it’s suddenly direct mount. You need a specific hanger for it to work and from memory I don’t think Mondraker make them, so it’s conventional all the way I’m afraid. Below diagram shows it best:

As you can see above, the 2 different hangers are very different, but place the mech in pretty much the same place when the B-knuckle is removed. The Direct Mount hanger & modified mech is just stiffer than usual, I doubt even if you could swap the hanger it would make much difference.

If you are having so many issues with the build and are getting frustrated, I really would get an LBS to give it a full run-over, from experience getting frustrated when building a bike is the worst thing to do and can only make things worse for you…

Wouldn’t bother with Hope rims as others have said, they’re heavy, soft and just not that great. I like Stan’s rims personally, Flow MK3’s would suit the bike, but as others have said DT seem very durable, not that expensive and widely available.

Most (if not any) N/W rings will work, but you can get the proper Sram Eagle rings in 104BCD if you want the “proper” setup.

@jamesy01 You’ll just need the Hope 30mm BB then :)

You won’t get a Monarch in there, not with a DebonAir air can at least, the shock shuttle is super tight so only fairly slim shocks will fit. Just get the shock warrantied, if it’s completely borked as you say they should resolve it quickly. Kudos for building it yourself, but to be fair I think taking it to the LBS from the start would have been a quicker, less stressful route to take, these issues would have been spotted earlier and it could have been sorted and you could be riding by now.

GXP is 24/22mm, 30mm in sram speak is BB30, is it the chain set that was stock on the bike? From memory the only 30mm chain sets that Whyte have fitted to the T130 have been Raceface, so if it’s a stock Sram/truvativ crank it will be 24/22mm GXP, there is no 30mm GXP

@jamesy01, depends on the cranks you’re using, if using a 24mm or stepped GXP axle, you’ll need the normal Hope Stainless threaded BB, GXP cranks need a conversion kit, which is what I run on my T130C RS – https://www.hopetech.com/product/threaded/

If using a crank with a 30mm axle you’ll need the bigger 30mm BB (Some Raceface or Hope cranks) – https://www.hopetech.com/product/bottom-bracket-30mm-threaded/

Hate to say it, but if it’s the “marks” around the eyelet you’re complaining about, that’s just how they are I’m afraid. Every Fox CTD/DPS/Float X/DPX2 shock I’ve seen has been the same. It’s just how they’re finished. Have seen shocks blow before they’ve even been ridden, not uncommon. Silverfish should warranty the shock, but yeah those “marks” are completely normal and it’s in no way a second hand shock.

I tried a 2.6 Nobby Nic in the back of my 2-17 T130C RS and while it fitted it buzzed on the chainstay a little under hard cornering. Running higher pressure helped but kind of defeats the point. A “2.6” Maxxis should be better, as they always come up under sized. Running a 2.35 Maxxis Forekaster at the minute and there is acres of space.

Reliability wise, mine has (touch wood) been pretty much spot on. The shock developed an issues after it was serviced (wouldn’t hold air) so was replaced with a Monarch Plus, and the Guide RS brakes had the dreaded stuck lever syndrome after about 18 months, but otherwise it has been pretty much spot. Bearings are still in good shape and now I’ve got it just how I want it, it’s about perfect :)

Will make building N+1 mtbs a lot easier and cheaper! I’ve had 5 or 6 reverbs over the years, a few have been replaced under warranty, but the most recent has been bob on, had it serviced in January mind. I’ve never really understood why people don’t get their droppers serviced and just expect them to keep working. Many wouldn’t do it with a fork or shock (which have been around a lot longer lets not forgot) so should a dropper be any different? Also, I’ve never had any issues with the reverb lever itself, problems have always been IFP for me. I did snap a cable on an old Crank Bro’s Joplin though, so I’m more than happy with the hydraulic lever, but wireless would sweet, be so easy to swap between bikes! Considering a dropper and in this day age drivetrain are some of the most expensive parts on a bike, being able to easily swap both because they’re wireless would be great!

Nope, WC is 100mm only.

End of thread. (as far as best looking car goes at least!)

Running Arch MK3’s on my T130C RS with Pro4’s and they’ve been faultless. Went for a 28 hole build to save a little weight and add some compliance and they’ve been ace, really impressed and they are so, so easy to setup tubeless. Previous Stan’s rims have been hard to get tyres on, but these are so easy. Can’t recommend them enough.

As above, not much will have changed, though numpties on e-bikes mean the once common braking bumps are now incessant and about a billion times bigger than they used to be. One part of the first section has recently been re-done, but has been ruined by ridiculous little speed bumps, not jumps, just short, tall, speed bumps. The weather we’ve had recently up here should have helped the dust levels though, until last week it was a total dust bowel and grip was at a premium, should be a bit better now the rain has arrived and tacked it up. Despite all this I’ll still ride there once or twice a week when life allows, its good fun and it’s 10 minutes up the road from me so very convenient.

I always forgot about the element, even though my dad’s had one for 13 years! Element definitely worth a look, though strange they don’t do a BC Edition these days, if they did one with pumped up travel like their other bikes, like 130/110mm it’d be a real contender for me. Kona Hei Hei also got rave reviews in the last few years, geometry looks great on paper and they’re not badly spec’d for the price either.

New Orbea Oiz looks very good, Yeti SB100 as well worth a look if you can afford it, but while I haven’t seen or ridden the Orbea, on paper is looks very good, they seem to be on a roll at the minute and it looks good value too. Spark’s also worth a look.

100% worth it, it’s far, far better. Didn’t think it was possible but I actually use the post even more now, it’s that much easier to use. The old button remotes just feel crap now having used the 1x remote.

Hope I think, had my E4’s for 6 months and ran X2’s and Minis for years with no issues. I liked my Sram Guides but the  levers can be a bit fussy and pistons can get sticky and Shimano brakes have patchy reliability, though the 4-pot ZEE/Saint don’t seem to be affected by the wandering bite point of the latest 2-pots. New Deore 4-pots might be the best banjo for buck brake at there at the minute. But if you want to play it safe and just have a reliable, fuss free brake I think Hope is the way to go.

Can get a nice Leon FR estate for that kinda cash, loads of kit, great engines and handles pretty nicely

Got Race E4’s with 183mm rotors front and rear, weigh about 13st kitted up and they feel great, but V4’s would have extra bite for sure. To be honest i think a 203mm rotor on the front would be enough for me if I wanted a bit more power on the E4’s unless I was banging round the alps, then V4’s would be my choice. I doubt you’d be disappointed with either brake to be fair, though I’d suggest matching front and rear just because of the pads being the same rather than different, just makes life easier

If you want the best, go 7Mesh MK2 bibs. Genuinely faultless. Endura FS260-SL’s a close second. Regular FS260’s if the price of the other two scares you.

Nope, you’d need a new BB, best solution is to get a Hope PF41, as these work with both Sram GXP and Shimano HTII cranks, you just need a GXP adapter if running Sram which costs a few quid. The Hope one also threads together in the middle so should alleviate the dreaded press fit BB creak that can happen (yes, I had it on mine, but that was with a 30mm Raceface crankset, as long as you stick with a 24mm spindle you’ll be ok with the Hope BB). The Hope BB needs a special tool to fit, so best to get LBS to fit it.

Ahhh maybe they changed the design for ’17 then. In which case, one less thing to worry about! I could never figure why they went with the first solution, it just seemed daft to have something so simple that could ruin a ride!

Lawman, sorry I don’t get this bit

The retaining nut for the rear axle is the stupidest design ever, soon as you poke the axle through it pops out unless you hold it and good luck finding that in the under growth on the side of a trail (take it from me, it takes a while!).

The frame came with a DT Swiss 142 rear axle thing, what is the retaining nut ?

It’s a very simple design, almost like an after thought. Basically the frame itself is not threaded and nor is the mech hanger/dropout, so the the axle threads into a flat, circular insert that just sits inside the rear driveside dropout. There is nothing there to hold it in, other than the axle when it’s threaded together, so when the axle is not there it will just drop out. See pic below:

It’s the same design they used on the alloy one, as covered by Bikeradar here – https://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/bikeradar-staff-bike-mondraker-foxy-xr-43386/

New Foxy’s have a better system, but that first Gen carbons and alloys had this system and say it’s annoying is an understatement!

If fitting a guide you just remove the chain guard, it’s there to stop the chain from jamming in the frame/linkage if you’re not running a guide. I’d recommend a small chain guide as I lost the chain on my 2016 Foxy Carbon a number of times, though that could be that Raceface rings are just shite as a lot of folks I know with Raceface rings have the same problem. Either way, it’s worth running a guide anyway. Also watch out the pivot bolts as they have a habit of coming loose, smothering them in loctite seemed to help but I still checked before and after every ride.

The retaining nut for the rear axle is the stupidest design ever, soon as you poke the axle through it pops out unless you hold it and good luck finding that in the under growth on the side of a trail (take it from me, it takes a while!). I found it means the axle does have a tendency to come undone as well, as it’s not rigidly fixed in the dropout and with the speed the bike encourages it can rattle loose, you’ll soon know because it feels like you have a rear flat, you don’t it’s just the wheel wobbling all over the shop!

They are very, very fast bikes, even when climbing if you build it relatively light, mine weighed around 28lbs even with a Fox 36 on it and on technical climbs they’re insanely good, mine had an 11-42t cassette and 34t ring and it climbed most things I attempted, with something like an Eagle drivetrain it’d be a proper techy climb monster. That reminds me actually, the chainring clearance on the chainstay with the 34t ring was virtually non-existant, not an issue if you a 30/32t ring but I’d whack some extra protection on just in case. Like a steam train going down but not great on tight stuff and while not wanting to dampen your spirits on new bike day, you really do need to keep an eye on it maintenance wise, as they can quickly rattle apart if you’re not careful. A fantastic bike let down by small details in my experience and weirdly, going against the longer/lower/slacker craze, I reckon it would be even better if it were a tad shorter!

Interesting they’re only doing 2 models of the S120, I would have though they’d at least want to go down the route of at least 1 alloy model, just to keep the price in check and from what I’ve seen they sell far more alloy T130’s than carbons, round me alloy T130’s are every where, only seen a handful of carbon ones. I did hear mention of the T130 getting an update for 2019, the current model has been around since 2016 so is due one to keep the geometry/suspension in line with the newer bikes. Excited to see if it’s true!

I know he has his haters (i’m not one of them btw) but putting the ease at which he got through the field aside, Hamilton was in a league of his own yesterday. Watch the full highlights on C4 and his pace combined with how he looked after his tyres in the first stint, while being in the dirty air of other cars was nothing short of insane! No other driver got even close to how many laps Lewis did on the Soft tyre (i’m probably wrong but I recall the driver who got closest was Alonso on 31 laps) and certainly not at the pace he managed to keep up. When the rain came he made up more than 10 seconds on Vettel in 6 laps, dare say even had he not binned it he would be have been a good bet for the win anyway. I can see why Lewis has his haters, but there can be no denying at all he is the best driver of his generation alongside Alonso.

Love my T130C RS it’s an incredibly versatile machine, happy to blast around at a decent pace and did the welsh enduro at Llandegla last year and it never felt out of its depth, even on the steep, hand cut stage. You can pick up this years T130C R for £2599 from Rutland at the minute as well. Transition Scout/Patrol also worth a look, some good deals around on those too. Being in north wales you should be able to try either bike as both brands have dealers in the area.

I’ve run 4 or 5 Maxxis tyres on my Arch MK3’s and they’ve all been incredibly easy to mount on the rims, most haven’t even needed tyre levers to get them, can usually do it without them and it only gets easier as the tyres stretch with time.

A lot are already on sale, I’ve seen Whytes with up to 20% and Trek/Giant/Specialized already discounted. Some shops are running voucher codes for money off full price bikes, Tweeks are doing 15% off 2018 bikes at the minute, so there are already deals to be had.

GX Eagle is nothing like NX, in fact it’s nothing like any 11-speed Sram gear I’ve ridden! I’ve ridden a number of 11-speed Sram setups, from NX through to XX-1 and it all feels the same. Cheap. Nasty. Clunky. I was not convinced on Eagle at all when I bought my T130. I was swaying towards ripping it all off and going for Shimano, but honestly it has blown me away. Its incredibly smooth, the shift action is amazingly light, but it still feels very positive. It also seems crazily durable. I’m nearly two years in and have done nearly 1500 miles and still on the original chain/cassette. Very, very impressed!

As others have said Flow MK3’s on Pro 4’s will be ace, I’ve been running Arch MK3’s with Pro 4’s for 18 months and they haven’t missed a beat. Would also check out Hunt’s new MTB wheels, the Trail Wides are light and sound pretty tough, or if you really bombproof the Enduro Wide’s would be a good bet. Tyre wise I’d go Minion 2.5WT up front and an Aggressor 2.5WT on the rear, seems a popular combo on complete bikes next year. Groupset wise it’s hard to look past GX Eagle, I’ve been on X01 Eagle for close to 2 years now and it is just incredible. GX feels 90% as good but is far, far cheaper. If you want the best of both worlds you can mix and match, the X01 shifter is 3x the price of GX but is way nicer and feels better to use, likewise the X01 chains are seemingly smoother shifting than GX. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Eagle, it’s become the benchmark for a reason.

Ardent Race if you want something really fast but still grippy, fair bit lighter than the Slaughter too