Thanks all for the comments. This place is awesome! 

For closure and thanks for all the input, I’ve gone for the Stumpjumper EVO alloy. I’ve come to the conclusion, that this will be great for my riding which consists of Macc forest, Goyt valley, explorations in the Peaks and lakes, along with the occasional trail centre. I can take it on a plane and it saves me over a 1k.

There’s always something more expensive and even this feels like a big expenditure. if I went for an ebike, I’d end up with one with a smaller 500w battery, and then I’d feel the need to spend more to get a 650w!

Maybe an ebike in a few years time… they’re not going anywhere.

What ever you ride – enjoy it! We’re all privileged to be part of this amazing sport!!!

I have road and a cx bike. Keeping fit is a big draw to cycling for me. I also like riding challenging terrain or big mountain days. I can’t work out if I’d have more fun on an ebike, with road and cx to keep me fit. But, regular Mtb isn’t broken for me, so no need to fix it….

As a hope owner, i’d agree with the above and go for the Exposure, predominately based on the hope’s external battery pack and the inconvenience of it.

I’ve played with those membrane switches and spliced them into my road bike as additional sprint shifters. They worked great until a wet ride which killed both. I plan to try again, but use tape to waterproof them somewhat.

With regards to the 27.5+, I found that i could not quite get the balance correct between grip, pressure, squirmy tires in corners and rolling resistance.

I think the sweet spot is a 29 x 2.4/2.5 for ‘hard’ riding and a second set of quicker 29ers with either a mud tire in the winter or lighter tire in the summer.

I had an XL one up until April. I’m 6ft2. I found it to be a great bike. I mainly rode it in the peak district for all day type rides, but it coped with fort William DH course a few times, golfie, alps and Spain. A great all round do anything bike.

I ended up putting 29er wheels on it, as i got fed up with the plus tires. Make of that what you will, but i wouldn’t go 27.5+ again personally. I’d look at the 29er instinct.

thanks for the help. To close out the thread, i ordered and fitted a Shimano XT MT800 MTB Press Fit Bottom Bracket Black 89.5/92mm. It works perfectly.

Bump

I have found that they do suffer from square edge hits. But now I have now added an airliner in the rear, i feel it is indestructible.

Have you tried plugging it into a computer and connecting to Garmin express? I think there will be an option to download the original Garmin maps onto the device.

For clarity, you only need the new battery DT-DN110 to run the synchro shift. The Bluetooth part, EW-WU111, is a nice to have and allows you to set up with a phone/iPad. It also displays your gear on a Garmin and the Garmin will beep when you are about to shift up or down on the big ring.

I have it and it’s great. Has it changed my world? No. The full synchro mode is like having a 14 tooth cassette. I’m sure many won’t see the point of this, but in my opinion it’s a great addition. It’s easily set up via you laptop or phone if you have the bluetooth module (EW-WU111).

I completed the commissioning course in 2004/5. It was a very hard year, but I still look back on the time very fondly. Wednesday afternoons were sports afternoon. I spent many an hour around barossa on my single speed. There are some cracking trails in there.

Stomp Rocket

link

Is your reverb pumped up to the correct pressure. I had a similar problem but pumping up the reverb to the correct pressure resolved it.

thanks for everyone help, second hand wise, does anyone have a matching 140 and 160mm set?

Rose bikes?

link

thanks for the input everyone – Tang, i’m 6ft2, so the 57 would be a little small.

Predominantly cx racing and the three peaks, also a bit of a bike for fun in the hills.

I had the same problem. They are M4 x 15mm Countersunk (Allen head) stainless steel screw.

I got some from here link

They fitted perfectly, hope this helps you and anyone who searchs for this

here is an article i’d be interested in:

reasonable rider rides the same course on a £800 hardtail, £2k hardtail, £2K FS and £4K FS all from the same manufactory . Compare times and see how much of a difference there is.

In fact, do up hill and down hill segments.

compare 29er and 26er.

there you go. there’s next years content!

Have you considered a Surly Straggler. It’s a cross check with disc mounts. Might be more flexible?

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/straggler

I agree with the comments on banning bike swaps. Imagine if everyone swapped bikes for the road sections, it would be pandemonium! The guy with the wheels on his back, I remember him. He got some choice words from me when I finally passed him!

I have a pair of Vittoria XG TNT on a crest rims. They have been great. The tyres were difficult to source but I found on a Italian bike website.

i have a delonghi ESAM04.110.S Magnifica i picked up on ebay 2nd hand for £150. I think it’s great and beats the gaggia i used to have. great coffee and easy to use.

If your looking at the Crosscheck, i’d consider the Stragler, which is basically a crosscheck with disc mounts.

Straggler

Alas, I’m not in china so I’m sure it’s not economical, but if you can find a pair of these they are great stoppers.

they would and have been running with my tiagra shifters for the last year. shall i send photos and details tonight when home from work?

i have a set of tektro mini v brakes spare which i could do for £18 posted. they would work with your normal sti shifters. let me know if you are interested and i’ll send photos.

I’ve run Vitoria cross xg pro tubeless tyres on my crest rims. (TNT version)

http://www.vittoria.com/prodct/cyclocross/

They are blood tight to get on, and I wouldn’t want to change tyres in a hurry, but I have no concerns of burping or the tyre coming off on off-cambered ground. (I have managed to get them on with huffing and puffing using plastic blue park levers)

I have the Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW. It’s a great bit of kit. My SLR feels snug and as safe as could be. I’ve had no issues with water getting in. There is loads of room for kit and very comfortable.

Downsides? not cheap!! If you have a large body (1D etc), and long lenses, you may not fit it in the camera compartment. My 500d and stock lens and flashgun fit great.

they go for £75 second hand on ebay.

This might make for interesting reading

linky

I had the same problem. The link to the above spacer is what sorted me out too.

innit

I’m the same, only works with safari. Chrome and Firefox will not recognise my 800.

Can anyone suggest a padlock to go with the Xena chain?

The original BB consisted plastic spacer between the frame and the cup, but this was replaced by alloy spacers. I think the combination of a slight amount of play and hard titanium threads is what did it.

I’ve had no issues with the replacement.

I had exactly the same thing happen with my ti frame and a hope bb. It turned out the spacers were too soft and the bb cup worked lose, destroying the thread. Hope now supply a different type of spacer. I contacted hope and they repaced it for free with new spacer.

I’ve had succes with an open pro rim, two loops of velox rim tape and a stans cx rim strip combined with a Michelin mud 3 tyre. It was a slight wrestle to get the tyre on, but went up first time with a track pump.

I’ve ridden and raced on it on pressures between 30 – 45 psi and it’s been faultless.

I’ve tried the same setup with a smart sam tyre on the front, but couldn’t inflate. Ill leave that with a tube for now and buy a new tyre for the next season when hopefully there will be some proper tubeless tyres available.