The plastic DT Swiss one is fine. Does anyone in this thread who has “upgraded” have a spare to sell me? As-new, of course.

2.4 Minion DHR 2 is marginally wider than a 2.5 DHF. So go for a 2.3 DHR 2 or a 2.5 DHF.

Remove tape, clean rim well with isopropyl.

More layers of tape make the bead fit tighter, which might be a good or bad thing depending on your rim & tyre. I use two layers of Gorilla Tape on old Flows with Minion 2.4/2.5s – fitting & removal takes some muscle but they stay put.

As short as possible without maxing out the mech’s tension in the biggest cog with shock fully compressed. Otherwise your chain is going to be flapping around in the smaller cogs more than it would otherwise.

I might send him a pair of bar end plugs, though, instead.

Send him a rear brake too while you’re at it.

Chain off once a month and into white spirit for a while, scrub, repeat, rinse, dry.

I started on the same pressures I used to run with tubes, then came down slowly to find the sweet spot. “Too low” didn’t fail but I could feel lateral roll while cornering hard that didn’t make me feel too confident. In the end I settled exactly on exactly on what Stan’s recommend:

Rider Weight in pounds divided by 7 = x
x – 1 = Front tire pressure in PSI
x + 2 = Rear tire pressure in PSI

http://www.notubes.com/help/tirepressure.aspx

I ride all mountain, natural and parks. 2.5 Minion EXOs on Flows. 80kg, so 176lbs, so 24/27psi. Works for me.

Wider rims and/or stiffer tyre casings would let you get away with lower pressures. Best to experiment. It was pretty obvious when I’d gone “too low” while dropping in 2psi increments.

SLX. Very light, very powerful for what they are, but not much modulation.

I’m 80kg rode a hardtail my first summer here in Chamonix (very rocky) with Maxxis EXOs and never had a puncture. EXOs tubeless on a full suspension frame since then and I get a few cuts between the side knobs each year, but the sealant always gets me home carefully to fix it.

If you’re concerned about weight, go EXO. If you don’t care, dual ply.

Will be replacing Saint M810’s which I like.

Zees. Pretty much the same as Saints minus the supplied finned pads, tool-free reach adjust and free stroke screw. Throw some M4 16mm grub screws into them and you’ve got the free stoke adjustment if you want it.

I’ve had mine for a few weeks now – excellent. Not as good modulation as Avids but better than my old SLXs, and Shimano’s famous easy bleeding. About €190 posted from the Germans at the moment.

Yup, go right ahead.
I have the 27.5″ Pikes on my 26″ Mega with 26″ wheels and I’m not dead or owt.

Likewise. I have a 160mm 27.5 Pike on my 26″ 2012 Mega, so that I can switch the fork onto a future 27.5 build if/when the time comes, and also to slacken out the bike a little. In theory the extra 2mm offset makes the steering marginally more twitchy but it rides fine and offsets aren’t standard across brands anyway.

160 vs 150mm = +10mm axle to crown
27.5 vs 26 = +10mm axle to crown

Old Flows (non-EX).

So is it as simple as cutting off the little lug on the A fitting to make it work on B brakes?

I doubt it, or it would surely be publicised online. I’m not willing to try it, but if anyone could confirm then that will make my life easier!

This thread has a diagram showing the differences.

Bingo! Must not have been searching for the right combination of words, cheers.

So a type-A shifter is the “Conventional type” with a protrusion beside the bolt hole and type-B is the “New type” without said protrusion? That’s it?

Leave it overnight almost flat so that the sealant pools where one of the leaks is. Repeat for the other leaks.

Clean the inside of the tyre and use a normal patch with vulcanising solution, then put more vulcanising solution or flexible glue over the top of the patch just in case (something urethane-based, Evo Stik Serious Glue is good). Then superglue the hole on the outside of the tyre (again, flexible is good, like Gorilla Super Glue).

I repaired small holes like this 4 times last summer, never a problem with any of them.

No need for a full guide with bottom roller if you have a clutch mech. MRP AMG or a Hope guide plus normal bash guard are the way to go for a top guide + bash solution.

Why do folk always try and recommend anything BUT 5-10s in these discussions?

Looks, pretty much. I’m not saying looks are the most important thing, but I really can’t stand the look of 5.10s, or most bike gear with the motocross look, massive logos, clashing colours, etc. If I can get something at a similar price, comfort and performance but a more pleasing look then I’ll always take it.

Just my opinion.

Vans Gravel. Pretty much classic Vans shoes built light with a stickier rubber than their usual sole. Or Rowley XL3s if you can find them; waffle sole in normal rubber is still excellent on flats.

6ft4, on an XL 2012 Nukeproof Mega. I probably could have gotten away with a large, but I’m used to bikes that are too small for me. I might try a 35mm stem this summer to shorten it up from the current 50mm.

Patch the inside of the tyre with a normal patch and vulcanising solution. Then more vulcanising solution or urethane-based glue over the edges of the patch. Then flexible super glue outside the tyre.

I’ve repaired holes like this about 5 times, no issues.

Waterpump pliers work well for removing the SRAM 10 speed links – Youtube link. The official line is “not reusable” but I’ve had the same one on an off about 5 times with no issues yet.

My DHF EXO 2.5s survived 65 days riding in Chamonix last summer (very rocky) on Flows with Gorilla Tape and Stan’s sealant. Just 4 or 5 minor cuts to the rear tyre between knobs, and the sealant got me home every time. I’ve just bought more of the same.

I’m similar. Rogues and Ourys too thick, Ruffians too thin (I rarely wear gloves so need just a little squishyness). ODI Crosstrainer are a nice in-between. I might try ODI Sensus (wider) or Superstar Half Flange (cheaper) next.

Well, I found a solution – or rather the nice bloke at Flotec Suspension did.

Thanks for the tip. Ordered my Pikes already to replace mine but I’ll need to give that a shot to get them refurbished for sale.

Did you ever try taking the rebound cartridge out of the fork and sticking the base in a pool of oil and trying to get it filled with oil by manually depressing and extending the rod a few times?

A friend suggested that, so I’m pretty sure I tried it but no luck. Tried lots of compressions (upright and upside-down) after every attempted fix and nothing worked for mine so I think they’re done.

Leave a reply if you do find anything that works though.

Take up some volume under the high volume sleeve with some rubber bands or a cut up inner tube. This will make the shock ramp up more as it goes through its travel so you won’t bottom out as easily while at the same pressure.

Very easy to try, adjust, retry. Take the shock off your frame (or just the stanchion end), take all the air out, pop the o-ring off the HV sleeve, slide the sleeve off, add volume reducers, reinstall everything, ride.

IFP adjustments sound like you can eally fine tune things but are much more work and you need the valve adapter.

I had exactly the same issue with my 2011 Float 36 R on its 3rd DIY service last summer.

I cycled the damper when it was separated from the fork which I don’t think I did on previous services, so I think that expelled all oil from inside it then when reassembled I think the oil from the bath just wasn’t getting inside it. If I dropped the air pressure way down to 20psi to make compressing it easy, then holding it compressed for about 10 seconds gave one slow rebound stroke then it was back to quick on the next compressions. Holding for 3-4 seconds gave a few inches of fast rebound then a few inches of slow. So I think the oil was getting forced into the damper under pressure of a sustained compression but not properly all the time.

Nothing worked to fix it, including a few more complete oil changes, 30ml extra oil then another 30ml extra, and I ended up giving up and riding it the rest of the summer as a bouncy spring. Ordered myself a Pike for next summer already (I only ride May-October) and will sell the Float for parts in the spring …unless someone has an actual solution.

If it’s knackered then your best bet is to look out for a cheap 36 with knackered stanchions that you can pinch the damper out of. Or send it to a tuner to have a FIT damper installed for about £200.

Fox 10wt green is pretty much the same weight as most generic 15wt.

The reduction in the percentage of the public cycling if a compulsory helmet law is enforced isn’t due to them being considered “unfashionable”, it’s due a perception that cycling is dangerous without a helmet. Watch this, wear a helmet if you want, but don’t encourage others to do so.

Just buy whichever you can get cheaper.

For what it’s worth, I’m 80kg and have Evo 2 SPs on Flows on my AM bike in Chamonix (very rocky). Tension has stayed fine all summer, I’ve broken one spoke and a local shop had a spare for me.

Two 1TB external hard drives if you plan on filming lots. Mirror one as a backup and keep in a different building.

I’m probably switching from my Float 36 160mm to the new Pike 160mm on my 2012 Mega and been thinking about this too. My Float 36 measures to 548mm with the bike completely unweighted, which I guess is how to measure it (545mm when sagged under the bike’s own weight). I’d definitely rather go slightly slacker than slightly steeper when I switch, so no problem running the 27.5 Pike with 26″ wheels?

they scuff awfully and look shite quickly

I don’t agree. Mine are how very little wear after about 50 days hard use, and you can’t argue with £80 including BB and chainring. SLX is 150g lighter though, check prices.

Canon S90/S95/S100/S110 as suggested above. No optical viewfinder, yes, and a slower lens that you’re looking for, but very worthwhile compromises for the small and light package.

My 2012 Float 36 R starts clicking after about 40 hours and is always fine after an oil change which I do after about 60. Recommended service intervals are 25 hours but that’s way too frequent for the amount of riding I do and one of the main reasons I’m going to pick up a Pike at the start of next summer if I have the cash.

Airwave non-DH are about 220g and a DH is actually 355g. A worthwhile weight saving, but only if you can get away with it based on the rest of your kit, your weight, preferred pressure, where you ride and how you ride. Trying it is the only way to know.

You can make a backpack strap mount from the vented helmet mount or the GoPro 3 packaging. It works well for skiing but I’ve not tried it on the bike; might be a bit shaky but it’s worth a shot. Search YouTube for instructions.

11-36 is fine with the Zee, you know, like it’s marketed to be. Set it up in the biggest cog with the shock bottomed-out and run extra b-tension if necessary to keep the chain tight when in top gear.

I’ve had a ramped middle ring plus bashguard (just for trouser leg protection) on my pub bike for the past 3 years, with a BMX chain and no chain tensioner (vertical dropouts). No issues, just do it.