Ok so I am curious…. rarely get involved in these threads that turn into a bickering match although ‘Hock’ makes an interesting point re forum mentality etc

I am one of those main stream guys, I run a Zesty, bought before the hype, but I make it work for me rather than ride it as standard and I have an Evil Sov that I put together for winter riding.

What I have discovered is that I love riding the Sov, in the saddle it is ok but once out of it taking on the trails it is fantastic fun….. this has lead me into thinking about a bike that’ll pedal better but be as much fun when attacking the trail.

I am now thinking that maybe a custom geometry HT would be good, possibly in Ti….

My thoughts on the bikes posted… most look pretty uninspiring with the odd exception but the thing that counts is the ride…. it is all about the ride and I am a fan of understatement so whilst they look pretty uninspiring I hope that they ride as thier owners had wished them to when designing/ordering them.

I won’t post any pics of my main steamers… mostly as I have no idea how to attach an image.

Riding = Smiling

I run 160mm on my zesty and have done the alps on it a couple of times… slight downside is the front end being lifted 21mm but you tend to find half of that is lost to extra sag. Plus the BB is raised too.

That said bigger forks are not that easy to set up using sag as they don’t really sag when you are just sat on the bike so it’ll be a case of trial and error… I go and ride the biggest hitting section of trail locally and look for it to have about 40mm of travel in reserve.

This year i will being putting some off set shock mounts in for the Alps to slacken out the head angle and reduce the BB height.

Once you have ridden it with those super stiff forks you won’t want to go back so you can space the trabel down internally when you get back, it’s an easy job and will give you a chance to change the seals and oil too.

Have fun

Will be riding the same Zesty i use for xc endurance and the Mega… only one bike but I switch forks out… Team Revs for xc and Bos Deville for gnarlly and will be getting some off set shock mounts for more options…

I see these events as a good way of testing myself and gauging my progress… for some reason I never ride well when racing but have good pace when out riding for fun.

Told you not to waste all that money on a Nicolai and get yourself a Kawasaki :-)

You have to do whatever is required to ensure each person has adequate cover…I would never go mtbing in the Alps with a group cover, I would want my own policy to be sure that i had the cover required. It is not that dear and leaves no room for error.

Papa L – i and most of my friends use Dogtag, so far we have had little need to claim but I have talked to several people that have and the feedback has been good. Why would you not recommend them, I ask as I want the most reliable insurance when I go and your feedback will inform my decision.

Roll on the Alps

Many years ago i went to CyB on the train from Kent with my fully rigid Rockhopper…. it was the only trail centre back then and it was pretty imtimadating as i’d only been riding for a few months, a pair of guys came past me on Marin full sussers…. i was blown away by their speed and ability as well as thier bikes.

Now i ride anything from Blue runs to DH on my Evil Sov or my Zesty depending on what I fancy…. i’m quick, not super quick but quick…. I have studied and had coaching and work at improving my technique and absolutely love riding a bike.

So what am I getting at…. my point is that we all start somewhere and we all have our preferences…. for me a good bike is one that gets ridden, not one sitting in the garage…

i was sat down in peaslake enjoying one of the excellent cheesestraws when a guy pulled up on a rather nice Spicy and starting complaining to his friends that Barrys was getting to rough over the roots…. I had a little smile to myself as i’m only human but hey…. each to their own.

As for whether it is right or wrong to take the rise… same applies, not my way.

Final note…. i have found everyone i’ve met biking have been friendly and helpful, I have enjoyed the sense of community and expect to continue doing so.

MTBing = :D

It has been mentioned that i am looking for justification for buying a VIPr and maybe I am but what I would hate is to find that having spent out the VIPr wasn’t what I had hoped.

It is mid stroke control that I am really after, my current set up blows through its travel very fast in compressions and g outs so if the VIPr can match the Deville in terms of support then i’d be delighted.

Still gotta decide but appreciate the feedback.

Make another Reflections movie…. love that one

Big flat end screwdriver and hammer time, to tamp it in the direction to loosen or srew 2 screws in where handle has snapped and brace a lever between them….

Happy New Year by the way…

Just fine, some muddy fireroad sections but on the whole quite ridable…. not the most exciting riding but if you ride it fast then it is good fun.

I am throughly enjoying my Evil Sov….

Waited a week for some brake pads… still no sign.

Sambob… the riding in The Peaks is fantastic but it is in the peaks… how often do you stop in Bournemouth on your way to Spain?

The Peaks is a relatively short hop from London and as such is a cracking weekend destination. Getting to The Highlands is a massive drive and if you are going to drive there then it makes sense to me to ride there.

All of the above is of course IMHO

Just found this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/torridon-single-and-multi-day-routes

Some routes that might be of interest…

Got me thinking about a road trip myself…. fancy Torridon, Skye etc

If I was heading to Torridon I wouldn’t bother with anywhere on the way up as Llandegla/Lakes etc are all places you can go to as a trip. Heading that far north I would want to ride stuff that I couldn’t get to on a long weekend.

For me…
Day 1 drive to Torridon
Days 2-4 ride Torridon and surrounding areas
Day 5 get some gondola action at Fort Bill
Day 6 Laggan (have a soft spot for the place)
Day 7 Inners and home (find the drive from inners to London ok after doing Minch Moor.

There is plenty of riding up in the Highlands which I don’t really know so it might be worth forgetting trail centres… that said they do offer good riding with no nav to worry about so come in useful when bang for buck within a timeframe is required.

The Enve AM is my favoured choice at the moment but they are still not UST certificated in 26”.

I thought they came in at 450g so that was putting me off, if they are 395grams that makes them a better option.

As mentioned, it’s not really about weight but ride quality, that said they need to be both light and ride like a dream as well as be strong as….

I don’t really have the money but want to breath new life into my bike and uber wheels are an area that i’m looking at.

On a similar note how about audio books…. i’m completely toilet with the internet and gadgets but i’m thinking about getting a mp3 player, cheap so not an i anything, so I can listen to them whilst driving but they look expensive.

My Sov is built up with a Hammerschitch, a dropper and comes in at 30lbs….. for some it would be pointless but for me it is quite simply awesome.

A lightweight HT with a steep head angle and a light build would be pointless for me and IMHO isn’t faster xc racing than a 100mm travel rig so really doesn’t make sense.

Each to their own huh….

Any bike is a good bike if you get out and enjoy it…. bling sat in the garage is the most pointless of all..

I have a 216 x 63 VIP’r for sale which was bought to go on a Helius AM and has only 3 rides on it.

I have decided not to go with the Nicolai so the shock is now available.

If it’s early I am in the area but have no idea re routes but would gladly keep you company…

Ok, orginal question…. if you haven’t ridden Brechfa before and the weather is playing ball then go ride it… as suggested on here it can be fustrating if sections are closed but there is some good stuff there.

The fact is that the Gorlech or the Raven are not enough to justify the drive but link them and away youn go. not better or worse than Afan etc but slightly different.

IMHO the most rewarding way to ride it is to start at the Gorlech start point and then about 3/4 of the way round the red take the link to the Raven or black trail. Do the black but at the end of the excellent run through the tree after the big climb make sure you pick up the red again….. this means you get the big climb on the black which then takes you down through the trees and this spits you out to the point where you have to pick up the red by going left, do the final bit of the red which is cool and then pop into The Black Lion pub for a bit of tuck… lovely… and the land lady is is hot too!

My tuppence worth…

I have run Formulas for many years, Oros at first and lately I have swapped to RXs which have a bit more power and handle trips to the Alps etc without a hitch. I love the R1s and they are my 1st choice but cost is an issue whereas RXs can be had very resonably.

As for performance I have found that RXs are faultless but some find they lack power compared to the competition but I disagree, I think it is the smooth modulation that gives that impression, they are not grabby but the power comes in smoothly in response to the power you use at the lever, I only single finger brake by he way. So RXs are great and once fitted you can forget them.

R1s are different as I don’t forget them I actively enjoy them, blooming brillant, all of the above but just a bit better and super lightweight.

One issue that I have run across when talking to people on the trails is that the very odd R1 set up judders or vibrates horribly under braking, they report that no matter what they do they can’t resolve the issue. This is very rare as in 4 people out of hundreds.

One last thing, I have never had to bleed a set of Formulas… been riding them for years and do a lot of riding, mostly at the more extreme end.

Dogtag, they cover extreme mtb’ing including racing.

I emailed them to double check as I was doing the Mega, prices are good too plus you get a ‘dogtag’ to go round your neck so you always have your info on you.

Should have mine finished tomorrow… love Sovs

Oh ah Malia I said oh ah Malia…. those were the days

Would love to get a look at one of these in the flesh, anyone in the SE UK got one….

Hello guys

A friend has just bought a Titus FTM frame and I have the job of building it up for him.

The problem I have ran into is getting a headset and crown race that’ll fit and allow us to run a standard 1 1/8 steerer.

Any help/links would be gratefully received.

Cheers

Thanks…. i am off to price up both 9 and 10 speed…. yet to be convinced that I need 10 speed.