Had my Ripley in 2013 for about 4 months then sold it on as I could not get over the rear tyre contacting the seat tube when I bottomed out on jumps. Might not be an issue for some but I began anticipating it and worrying it was going to damage the frame. Tried 4 different tyres on it and spoke to Ibis to check what they run but then realised I was letting the frame dictate the size/type of tyre I could run. I was using all the travel often so this became a problem for me.
Had a terrible creak from the suspension I sorted it after a couple hours of troubleshooting but the ongoing clicks from the cable routing I could not sort even after following all advice.

If you can sort the above and run a tyre that does not rub then it is an amazing bike. It is incredibly nimble, falls down a bit on stability when you are hitting bigger stuff. For me I had to rate it as I found it for my purposes.

bigjim – what size are you after? I’m just checking as I don’t want to wait till the end of March to be told that they still don’t have my large in blue. Apparently it is on order and coming but have lost a bit of faith as 2 containers have been and gone without it so far.

Been waiting for my Smuggler for 4 months….its arriving end of March or I’m putting my £££ elsewhere

I did search honest guv! that is perfect thank you 🙂

http://www.ivyhousewales.com Try here we went last year great price and accommodation stocked wood burner and good facilities.

Mine made allot of noise whenever I put some force through the pedals, the whole drive chain was new and 3 months old, in the end I replaced the front chainring as other was looking slightly worn. This solved it, I sent the one that came off to SRAM as a £65 chainring should last longer than 3 months of summer riding, they came back and said it looked fine to them… I find the wear vs noise timeframes are allot shorter with thick thin rings. Especially SRAMs own 11 speed. They are cheese.

Thats ace cheers just got a stealth reverb 150mm for £200!

I have a bit of an issue with my 35mm Six C bars, tightened to the 8nm stamped onto the atlas 35mm stem with a torque wrench that is accurate and the stem has made a mess of the bars, put big indents into the carbon. The torque wrench is accurate and I evenly tightened them, Im surprised that they need 8nm. Anyone else got these and what nm did you use? Might be worth checking if like me you used what was suggested on the stem… not quite sure where I stand with them now.

Yes I can see where you are coming from looking at above just not sure whats making the noise, its in the dry and the wet, I use a fairly dry lube so its not clogging up. It started about 2 weeks ago and has been getting worse so I’m thinking it could be the chain thanks for taking a look,I always find it hard to gauge wear on chainrings.

On a side note any idea if KMC chains are worth a look?

Yes I did 2 chain links visibly it looks right too when in highest and lowest.

sheeesh mine looks new 🙂 think I should just change the chain and try that?

It makes a noise under force that sounds like it is skipping at the front I have stripped everything down lubed crank cassette splines etc. but cant get rid of the noise and it seems to be getting worse. Shifting is not great but I guess that is the chain my main concern is if the noise is because the chainring is worn.

Can someone take a look at this, I have been in touch with SRAM Tech and explained that I am having problems with noise and shifting after 3.5 months with a new XO1 drivetrain and they said it might be a warranty issue and to take it to a bike shop. I know chainrings get hooked when worn but would appreciate a second opinion on these before I follow it up.

I have found that the chain is a little worn being somewhere between 1/8″ and a 1/16″ stretched over 12″. I have calculated I have done about 300 miles through the summer since new in June.

Expensive if I have to replace 3 times a year at £85 a time and this was the driest summer for years.

Resurrecting this thread, just got 3 months out of a 34t XO1 chainring. This was through the driest summer for years! Anyone else amazed by the lack of durability with XO1?

Magic Mary upfront is fantastic, for me beats any current Maxxis tyre. Benn running Rock Razor on rear again great tyre very quick but have swapped to Hans Dampf on rear for Autumn. I felt the change the Rock Razor is an ace roller.

I had one and got on well with it but be mindful what brakes you are running as I like mine close to the shifter and gripshift prevents certain levers from being mounted close in. That was the reason I stopped using it.

Best idea is to cut down your existing grips to fit.

It crosses fashion with biking, usually its practicality not making a fashion statement whilst riding on your bike. Surely that pocket with the handkerchief would be more suited to a multi tool how you gonna fix your bike with a hankie…

Exactly. That video is literally unsurpassable. If you want a pair of cycling-specific shoes to go to an artisanal cheesemongers in, while having a strongman moustache and a bobble hat, there is no finer cobbler than Quoc Pham.

nicely summed up 😆

I’m in line for the new MET Parachute but it has now moved to being released in June/July not April looks the best compromise I have seen. Tried the Urge Archi but it was too hot and for me that’s the problem, if my ride is going up as much as down I just overheat. Full face are for uplifts only at the mo but hopefully the MET will counter that.

To clarify what we are looking to do is spend around 5 days once in Scotland a day at one of the trail centers then a 3 day ride ideally supported by a company moving our kit to the different accommodations and finishing off with a huuuuge nice in Edinburgh! We are both experienced riders so ideally looking for some challenging routes, I guess epic XC with some technical downhills would cover it. Not fussed on what part we go to have ridden in Scotland before a few times but that was all trail centers.

I like the idea of catching a train back to the van if that fits in with the right type of trails. I did assume there would be companies offering the service I outlined above. When I’m back in front of a computer I will check out the links. Thanks for the pointers and ideas any further info appreciated.

1. Yes 1 year old Lab/Hungarian Viszla called willow
2. 1 ride a week trying to build it up usually about an hour but going to try a bit longer now as she gets home and still has shed loads of energy
3. No food when out but have something for after.
4. Just dry dog biscuits.

Was a bit paranoid at start about her getting stuck in the wheel (when I was 8 my bearded collie decided to put her paw into my chainring so a bit scarred…) but she is very aware of me and keeps 2-3 metres behind and I now trust her.

Got mine from gravity sports and just waiting for spokes to arrive so I can build them up. Main benefit I can see is that I can get a very stiff wheel, a better profile on tyre and run a narrower tyre but still have as much in contact with the ground. Should lose quite a bit of rotating weight as well from the carbon and narrower tyre.
If LB are now doing them I may of gone that way as I have a feeling that is where these originated from. Plus you can do your own graphics which is a nice touch.

Im running some 2014 fox 34 140mm which are 20mm too long but actually feel great, I am going to knock them down to 130mm and run them with slightly lower air.

Looking at those Revelations though that is one hell of a deal.

Any chance of a pic of yours ? When did you buy them? Mine are about 5 moths old. Email in profile.

What model are they? Potential swap?

Ah right 😀 weird only pressed it once.

Not sure what your on about Buzz. Cheers Warpcow have thought of that, apparently there would be a change to the power of the brakes as the M type are quite different to the T type brakes.

Shame you cant just buy the levers. Might have to go this way if nothing else presents.

Glad your enjoying it. From my short rides on it Im not too impressed with the rear shock, I said to my contact in the states that if I get on well with the bike I would be looking for the specialised specific CCDBA and he has confirmed he can get them so will probably go that way.

You are right about carbon for 29er wheels they transform the bike hard to go back after using them.

In terms of sizing the stack and reach measurements are right for me, the med was the same as my large Ripley. Maybe should of tried for more demo time but it certainly feels playful guess that’s the trade off.

I have found the front end to be not too high was going to go with a flat bar but decided that would be a bit low so went with a 15mm rise. Im pretty sure I will build onto these hubs with the cash saved can go for some bling blade spokes!

Last night I discovered the pack of optional decals missed them in the box,what a cool idea there must be 50 different decal options and a spare frame skin for the down tube. No delivery date for my Derbys where you getting yours from, direct or from gravity sports?

I was thinking of building the derby rims onto the traverse dt hubs reckon its worth it or are those hubs a bit crappy?

I only had a short demo on one before I made the decision to go with it and at 5’11 was I between the med and large, I went med in the end as it’s quite a big bike. Now I have sized it a bit more I have to push the stem out longer than I would like, hope a 75mm won’t effect handling too much. Sorry to ramble on due to my injury I still can’t give it a hammering so I’m just over thinking everything!

Hey HobNob Im waiting on my Derby rims too! Out of interest what size frame did you go for and how tall are you?
So far I am changing out the wheels stem and bar and I also have a 2.5 minion on the front 😀

Just an addition to this my gorilla tape failed on my light bike rims and let air into the rim and out of the spokes. Seems like it perished. Im going to try stans tape but probably should just bite the bullet and go for the bonty rim strips.

http://nookie.co.uk/tisox/

Went for these in the end they seem like they will do the job I think the key will be wearing them before the ride and maybe taping the top so water cannot enter freely otherwise I think they will fill up. Sealskinz are terrible they fill up with water making them heavy and cold.

My expert 29 arrived from the states a few days ago and due to a trail injury all I can do is look at it…. gutted, I have ridden up and down the road though and that was great!
Took me a fair few trial and errors to get to this bike but from a demo and the short comings of other 29ers I have tried I think its going to measure up just fine. Never entertained a spesh before but this is a bit special. The kit is killer too apart from maybe the wheels it is spot on. Heal body heal….

Ok thanks for all suggestions I do wear a buff on my head so that does keep it pretty warm. It’s a pain as the rest of me runs really hot so it’s hard to balance out. I am going to go with some full length tights as I normally wear three quarters I have also gone for some 2mm neoprene socks so will see how that works out. Gaiters could be the way forward we shall see how these hold up.

I do have some altura attack waterproof trousers I use for commuting so might try those too. Will work through suggestions till I have toasty toes !

I have tried overshoes before with warm socks and still this was not enough, I think I do have particularly bad circulation in my feet I’m sat here now in 18 degree inside and my feet are cold….

Anyone up for swapping an unused xo1 11 speed trigger shifter for a good condition 11 speed gripshift as I have broken my thumb badly need to swap out.

Maybe the new ones have increased clearance as I can easily run a 2.25 ardent. Mine is the duck egg blue so made in last couple of months.

Have had the 30mm 29 rims for about 6 months and they are superb bombproof and light highly recommended

Not really allot to go wrong on them not had mine that long but they are tough as based on the bfe front end, no clearance issues or any problems. Ride really well, I have put some light bike carbon rims on mine which are a huge benefit as they eliminate allot of the flex and help to absorb rear end. Shame they do not have 142mm rear, that is all I would change.

I am getting a demo at my local trails in Brechfa thanks to an excellent local dealer, also demoing one at the bike show tomorrow. Will let you know my humble opinion 🙂 First bikes should be here end of next month I think.