Yep, centre is closed on Mondays, trails will be fine to ride though. You’ll just have to park on the access road.

Would have to be an MTB tour of the states, start in Colorado, then onto Utah, California, Oregon, Washington and end up in BC. Take in some of the big events on the way, either spectating or competing, would love to do the Downieville Classic and BC Bike Race, being in Whistler for Crankworx would be ace too. Then straight down to New Zealand and I really fancy checking out the riding and culture in Japan so why not head there on the way back home!

I mostly ride in or around Llandegla and it’s almost too dry at the minute! A few weeks back there was a thick layer of dust over everything and it was like ice in places! Went on Sunday after a bit of rain a few days before and it was incredible, the grip everywhere was unreal. You’ll never get the fabled “hero dirt” at a centre, but I reckon that’s as close as you’ll ever get!

Biggest tip I can say is £60 for both baggies and padded shorts/bibs is simply not enough. I swore by Fox rangers with the padded liner included but didn’t realise just how poor the liner was until I got a decent pair of bibs (Endura FS260). Sounds mental but I’d be looking to spend at least £50 on a liner short/bib and the same on a set of baggies if you want to do it properly, it’s worth it in terms of comfort on long rides!

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From I can see, no way is that a shifter. It has a slot, guide for cable going into the paddle, that’s a dropper post lever, can’t see it being anything else! new I-Spec EV mount as well apparently…

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Could it be a Di2 shifter?

If it was why would it have a barrel adjuster?

From I can see, no way is that a shifter. It has a slot, guide for cable going into the paddle, that’s a dropper post lever, can’t see it being anything else! new I-Spec EV mount as well apparently…

Usually update because whatever I have at the time is a few years old and something newer/better comes along or if I buy and just don’t get on with. my Ibis & Kinesis fell under the first and quite likely my T130 eventually will as well, my 456C and Foxy carbon fell under the second, just didn’t gel with them.

They are expensive but the 7Mesh Revo is the best waterproof short out there in my opinion. The fit is second to none, the quality is unreal and like all 7Mesh stuff it is built to last and has a nice clean design, no massive logos or bright colours. Best waterproof shorts I’ve ever owned by a mile.

Definitely a T130. Great bikes with nice specs and the ride is sublime. Absolutely love mine, it’s ace!

Can’t go as detailed a some into rides/mileage but time wise I think I’m averaging around 2/3 years. I went through a phase during and just after University where I just seemed to have a new bike all the time, but looking back it wasn’t as bad as I thought!

2004 Claud Butler Cape Wrath Disc – bought March-ish 2005, sold in November 2006

kinesis XC120 – custom build, built in December 2006 upgraded and built until Summer 2012, still have the frame

Ibis Mojo HD140 – new custom build, built in March 2011, awesome bike, sold as it was too small in February 2015

On One 456 Carbon – transferred bits from the Kinesis, didn’t keep for long as it rode like shit, so kept for a bout a year from summer 2012 til summer 2013, sold as frame only

Stanton Slackline 631 – built but never ridden in autumn 2013, frame had some issues so sent back for refund

Cotic Bfe – built winter 2013, still using upgraded bits from all the previous hardtails, loved it but like the Ibis was too small and towards the end I never rode it, split down and sold in January/February 2016 to find new house

Mondraker Foxy Carbon XR – bought to replace the Ibis in February 2015, nice bike but too maintenance intensive and felt like too much bike, sold July 2016

Genesis Datum – bought January 2016 on C2W, still own it now, and weirdly for me it’s largely unchanged from standard!

Whyte T130C RS – got this in August 2016 and unless something incredible in terms of ride and value beats it I won’t be changing anytime soon, it’s just awesome! Heavily upgraded from stock and now pretty much how I want, it just does everything.

Some great bikes over the years, I will never part with that Kinesis frame, just too many memories and can not wait for it to take pride of place on the wall in the man cave when it’s done, just wish I still had the Ibis frame to go with it.

I’ve got a Whyte T130C works (excellent bike), but in the spirit of not recommending what I ride, how about Mondraker Foxy, they seem light/climb well for a bike with 150mm travel.

Having previously owned a Foxy and now owning a T130C also, I couldn’t recommend the Foxy. They are just not worth the premium. They ride well, and if you want a flat out point and shoot machine they’re great and they do climb well, but the spec is poor for the money and while the new Foxy Carbon is an improvement on the old one in terms of durability, they’re just too expensive for what they are and the kit you get. The T130 is better value, imo rides better in more situations, is a lot more durable, more fun and just a better all-round bike.

2014/15 alloy Foxy’s had their issues, but never seen issues with Carbon ones. I owned a Foxy carbon for 18 months and it was a good bike but not without it’s issues. Main thing to keep an eye on with first gen carbon Foxy’s are linkage bolts and the rear axle. The design of the rear axle is pretty dumb and after a while mine just kept coming loose. Likewise the linkage bolts, they have a tendency to shake themselves loose unless you loctite the bejesus out of them.

Dropped a chain on mine once, but that was down to a crazy amount of mud packed around the ring, pretty common on narrow/wide rings but overly purely rough terrain alone I’ve yet to ship one. Running a 34t Eagle oval chainring.

7Mesh Eldorado, Compound and Desperado’s are about as clean as they get and the fit and quality is second to none. Most Fox jersey’s last a year, maybe 18 months tops of riding twice a week and then they’re toast, my 7Mesh jerseys are still going strong after nearly 2 years and most look new still. They pretty much all come in black if you want to go stealthy but the real colours are pretty subdued, even the supposedly bright ones.

They’re not overly expensive either, I mean they’re not a tenner, but given the quality overall they’re well worth it!

If/when I eventually decide to build up a racey trail HT I’ll get a set of these for sure, the weights and amazing for the money and the hubs should be quality, heard nothing but good things about the roadie wheels.

In typical STW #iownthebestbikeintheworld style, I’d look at the Whyte T130C for your budget. They’re not superlight, my 2017 C RS with lighter wheels, tyres & carbon bar is only a knats bollock under 30lbs with pedals, but for all round riding I’ve yet to find anything it can’t do. The suspension is definitely “feedback rich” rather than plush, but the geometry lets you get away with murder while still being agile and playful.

It climbs pretty well, a lighter bike would be faster for sure, but it pedals well and I rarely use the pedal platform cheater lever. If I’m really, really knitpicking the seat tube angle is not particularly steep, it’s absolutely fine as it is but I’ve moved the saddle quite far forward and it would be nice to see a slighter steeper angle, just to help improve technical climbing performance even more. The seatclamp on the frame is a bit fiddly as well, too tight and the dropper is notchy and feels awful, too loose and the post will spin in the frame. Masses of fibre grip is the answer!

Overall its built like brick out house though (in a good way), has a threaded BB, 4 year warranty on the frame, lifetime warranty on the bearings and Whyte’s support is pretty damn good. Honestly weight and seat tube niggles (and they really are, very petty niggles at that) for me I haven’t ridden anything that would make me want to part with it. It’s just a bloody brilliant bike. I noticed yesterday that Whyte are doing another version with the carbon frame to go with the C RS and Works, the C R. It looks to have the same spec as the alloy S but has the carbon frame and comes in a stunning green/blue/teal kind of colour and at £3250 it looks a real bargain!

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/304701/products/whyte-t130-c-r-27-5-mountain-bike-2018-matt-petrol-reef-orange.aspx?currency=GBP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiIyRuv6-2gIV1UAbCh1iEQ6nEAkYASABEgI7YfD_BwE

Had my normal Terraduro’s for nearly 3 years now and they’re ace. I replaced the stock insoles as they were quite high and bulky so used something lower profile to give a bit of extra room and I really can’t complain, plenty of grip while hike-a-biking and are fairly stiff but not overly so. Use XT Trail pedals and they work well as a combo.

Really wasn’t impressed with 11-speed XT I’ve owned and XTR I’ve ridden, loved Shimano 10 speed stuff, (Well I say Shimano 10-soeed, I ran a Saint shifter, XTR shadow plus mech with OneUp RAD cage and 11-36 cassette with hope T-rex, awesome set up!) Sram 11-speed stuff never impressed me much either, but now had X01 Eagle for 18 months and it is insanely good! GX is much the same, shifter isn’t quite as nice and the cassette is a bit heavier, but in a blind test most would struggle to tell the difference. I wouldn’t run anything but Eagle at the minute, I used to be a Shimano Fanboiii and general Sram hater, but I’m converted. Shimano need to up their game soon as they are being left behind rapidly.

Hope brakes hold silly money second. When the first XT M785’s came out I bought two sets of them and sold a set of Tech X2’s and an old set of silver mono minis and MADE enough money to buy an Easton Haven Carbon Bar & stem!!!

I used to recommend Shimano but they’re just too inconsistent these days, the reliability and performance is all over the place. I like Sram Guides but again reliability is patchy. Hope are expensive, and there are more powerful brakes out there, but they are bombproof, spares are easy to come by and the back up if anything every did go wrong is superb. £300 should you get a nice set of Tech 3 E4’s, which are great brake. I’ve got some E4’s with the lighter Race lever and they’re ace, enough power, loads of modulation and they just work!

2019 Lyriks are due right at the end of April, so expect shops to be getting them first or second week of May as long as nothing is pushed back.

I’m a life long Shimano fanboi, but I have to say having owned X01 Eagle for over 18 months I wouldn’t go back to Shimano at the minute, they’re just behind the times in every area. The range isn’t as good and the ratios are stupid (I mean seriously, what were they thinking with the 11-46t cassette?!), the shift quality of the 11-speed XT I’ve owned and ridden on demo bikes has been poor, its clunky and heavy feeling and just generally not very nice. It honestly feels like Sram stuff used to, it felt rushed to market and under-developed, almost like they panicked and didn’t know how to respond to Sram’s new 11-speed groups at the time. Now Eagle is here I honestly cannot think of a single reason not to use it, its now cheap enough with GX, the shifting is spot on, mine has been faultlessly reliable, it has more range than I often know what to do with, it’s a genuinely brilliant groupset at any level, whether it be GX or X01/XX1.

Recently demo’d the Stage 4 and really liked it. The BB didn’t feel that low in truth and the geometry was bang on, wasn’t overly impressed impressed by the suspension, it was OK but nothing to write home about. Even so it was so much fun to ride, it (along with a few other 29ers I rode) made me think that if 29ers can be that fun, agile and playful why wouldn’t you have them over 27.5 wheels given the additional benefits of 29ers? The only thing that really puts me off the Stage 4 is lack of a bottle cage mount, but other wise it ticked an awful lot of boxes.

Had Arch MK3’s on Pro 4’s for 18 months and they have been faultless, didn’t have them built by JRA but from what I’ve heard they know how to build a set of wheels so I wouldn’t be worried. The Arch MK3’s are really nice rims, tough, easy to set up tubeless and every Maxxis tyre I’ve fitted has gone on with minimal fuss, think I’ve had to resort to a tyre lever once, though that was probably due to me being a rush than anything to do with the rim/tyre. Can’t fault them really they are just good, solid and light rims, mine came to just over 1.7kg for the pair, so a lot, lot lighter than Hope’s own Enduro wheels, which are just narrow, heavy, a pain in the arse to setup and the rims aren’t even that tough. The WTB’s are also pretty heavy unless you go for the KOM’s but again, I’ve heard reports they are pretty soft. Generally I’d say if you go for Stan’s or DT rims with Hope or DT hubs you won’t go too far wrong!

Shifter aside GX Eagle is as good as X01 in my opinion. Yeah the cassettes a bit heavier and may shift a tad smoother (same for the chain) but honestly back to back the only thing I really noticed was that the X01 shifter was far crisper, felt like it was better built and I do like the adjustability of the paddle. It is a fair bit more than GX though at around 3 times the price, but if you want the best compromise of performance vs price I’d say it’s worth it. If however you just massive range and great value, stick the GX as it is still pretty good.

I’ve had them for a while but once they started throwing bottles and no amount of tightening the bolts could stop it I gave up and went back to a regular cage/bottle. Haven’t lost one yet, it’s much easier to drink on the move and you can actually replace it on the go as well, which as others have said is impossible and requires you to stop and put it back in place.

Really don’t rate the Ardent in mud, it’s fine if you’re on wet hardpack trails but throw in some mud and it’s hopeless. It’s ok in a straight line but it has zero cornering grip. I did run HR II/ardent (2.3/2.4) then changed to 3C Minion DHF/3C HR II (both 2.3) and the latter combo was insanely grippy on most stuff but oh my word we’re they draggy! Just switched to Maxxis Forekasters 2.35 front and rear on my T130 and though I only have one ride on them they had to deal with mud, hardpack & snow and they felt ace. Far lighter than a Minion or HR II, much faster rolling and while I dare say not as grippy on the absolute limit, for me they had far more grip than I expected and they didn’t slip or slide once. Well impressed! Hopefully they’ll prove to be awesome all-rounders and I can finally go back to a one tyre suits all seasons setup

I really fancy one of these as a super light trail bike with a dropper and a slightly meatier fork, a SID would be perfect as they feel significantly more substantial than the 32 SC and still weigh virtually nothing, great looking bike!

Got the Hope Race E4’s fitted yesterday, look ace and feel amazing! In combination with the tyres the bike’s down to a smidge under 30lbs, 29lbs 14oz so only just there! My guess is the frame must be a bit porky as my old Mondraker was just under 28lbs with pedals, even taking the superlight Next SL cranks out of the equation the rest of the kit is comparable, so the frame must be a good lb or heavier, perhaps in part due to the alloy back end. Even so, I’m chuffed with how it’s riding at the minute, am yet to try the brakes in anger and the Monarch Plus still needs a bit of fettling, but overall it’s hard to fault!

Can’t fault my Pro 4/Arch mk3 combo had them built up by LBS over a year ago with Sapim d-light spikes and they have been perfect on my T130. Light, tough, stiff laterally but still compliant for a smooth ride and are a breeze to set up tubeless. Genuinely faultless. There’s lighter and blingier wheels but for a good value, reliable wheel set you won’t go wrong with them! Hit buy!

Has to be my T130. Currently one of two in my stable but compared to all the others I’ve owned it’s the one that gets closest to my beloved old Mojo HD in terms of fun and just sheer joy every time I ride it. Yes I wish the seat angle was a smidge steeper and yes it’s a little porky and could be lighter, but it’s utterly bombproof, ace fun to ride and never fails to put a smile on my face.

The ’15 varient was much shorter in the TT, which arguably is what makes the newer bike so good. I haven’t ridden an older T130 but on paper I wouldn’t want to go any shorter in the TT than my ’17 T130C, a 50mm stem is the longest I’d want to run and that would mean I’d need an XL in the shorter frame, but then the seat tube is too long to run a 150mm dropper.

The pre-SCR bikes also had wiggly back ends, I rode a T129 with the older, narrower design and it was pretty flexy at the back end, even though the chainstays are only 5mm longer than the T130. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the ’15 T130 is a bad bike, but I would wager the newer ones with SCR back ends and longer TT’s are better. Both are great, if someone offered me a ’15 T130 I wouldn’t say no, but personally I’d rather pay a bit more and get the in theory “better” & more “up to date” geometry.

At that price though it is a proper bargain, and if you ever had any warranty issues with the frame, you’d get the new one anyway!

IMO they went shit when they released 11-speed. My 10-speed XT/XTR drivetrains were ace, likewise the old XT M785 brakes were the dogs and I wish I never sold the few sets I had on older bikes. I had 11-speed XT for a while and it was turd. I’ve yet to ride a set of M8000 brakes that were any good. I doubt I’ll buy anything Shimano for a while!

Popped into Tweeks earlier and inquired about the Helix as they are a USE & Exposure stockist, they said they are due any time now apparently and hope to have them listed on their website in the next few days. Available to pre-order now over the phone, pricing is inline with what Reverbs are currently discounted at.

What mjsmke said, just replaced the goosed GXP bb on my T130 with a Hope BB with the GXP converter, from experience they last much, much longer than the crap GXP ones.

Warranty replacement Monarch Plus and matching decals installed, also got some Maxxis Forekaster 2.35’s to try and speed and lighten it up a bit, the DHF/HR II combo was probably grippier than I need and sooooo draggy. Gone back a Flux saddle as well as the Fabric I had before creaked like nothing else and isn’t as comfy. The lever’s on the guide rs brakes are getting a bit sticky too so will be splashing out on some Hope Race E4’s come pay day. Still absolutely loving this bike, it does everything so well and is a real blast to ride!

Chromag. BZA if you want 35mm or Cutlass if you don’t. Get a matching Chromag stem too as they are also super nice!!

7mesh Flightpath would be my choice, have a pair myself and they are awesome. Zipped thigh pockets and open waist pockets, adjustable waistband and the quality and attention to detail is insanely good. I can’t fault any of my 7mesh shorts to be fair.

Looks like the eTap shifter is more of a traditional pod design than many thought!

the idea of the 10/42 cassette like the current 11 speed but with closer ratios could be appealing to those who don’t want road 1x set-ups due to the gaps between gears.

It’s coming. Sram stealthy launched an XDR road freehub body last year, I imagine for just such a thing or very similar. Would not be surprised if Sram are 1x only on new road & MTB drivetrains in the next 2/3 years.