Any HT2 tool will remove the BB assembly. To remove the bearings I use a hammer and punch. Be very carefull when removing the plastic cover/spacer bit as you want to reuse it. Then bash out the bearings carefully as well. I bought my replacement bearings from kaesae (search on here.. or Katec/Airborn10101 on ebay). Fit new bearings with hammer/vice/etc, have a cup of tea.

Please excuse the 7am post first ride picture… I went out riding at 5am because a really wanted to give this a whirl.

I’m impressed, it’s a fun thing to ride but it’s not much of a looker 🙄

It was a night ride so I was holding back on the doonhalls but if felt really good, and on the techy climbs I was very impressed. No falling off the back like on many other hardtails I’ve tried with big forks.

A few little changes to make but so far so good.

*Geek alert* The head angle is 63.5deg static so about 65deg with sag… this baby is as slack as a slack thing on a very slack day indeed.

Bit obvious really – the 32 FOX stantioned forks are getting a bit noodly at 150mm, and the 36 stantioned forks which were originally 160mm have been pushed to 180mm.

Meet in the middle for a heavier than 32mm but not as heavy as a 36mm… TADA… 34mm, and 140-160mm length, then keep the 180mm for the 36’s – odd about the Vanilla… is air now really as good as coil?).

BIG QUESTION – is what is this going to do to the crown height? 32mm stantioned forks have a lower crown height than the much stiffer 36mm… so will the 34’s be somewhere in the middle or go with which of the others?

Who am I to care? It’s not like I buy new forks anyways… it’s all for keeping up the Jones’s types… I just bought some 2010 forks and they are ace 🙄

I gave up on Hope V2’s as I didn’t get on with the Tech lever (there was also the daft heavyness of the 200/200 Mk1’s I had). I’ve tried X2 and found them underwhelming, and I didn’t find the M4 any better than the X2 so a bit pointless.

I really like the Formula The One’s I have now but I have a soft spot for Hope and could be tempted back with the Race lever if it was on something like the V2 calliper and wasn’t daft heavy… the rotor is stupid heavy though, and only available in 180 and up… I run 180/160 on my Formula’s and they are powerfull enough.

Interesting.

The mythical 9-36 10 speed cassette.

Richard at Gravity Sports in Buckie will know.

The bike was alright too. I can’t explain the physics of how the Ti springs make the rider so awesome, they just do

First ride with Ti springs front and back tonight, and I certainly felt the whole 55.08% more awesome going on.

If a 400# x 2.5″ is of any use I have one sitting here you can borrow until your others arrive.

I like it as a memory aid for people and projects I’ve worked on… but I dislike it’s use by headhunters because I’m currently not looking for a new job.

ISCG 03 = ISCG OLD.

Straitline Silent Guide.

Or UK15 gets you £15 off £100 at Wiggle until 28th.

TK10 £10 off £100 valid till 12pm Fri 24th

I got mine from TFT. They did machine down the plastic thread protector thing after my steel spring was binding on it, not sure why this was an issue for me and not for others? But the machine down on it has sorted it. The settings TFT originally gave me were a bit pants but after a phone call the changes they suggested were spot on and I’m now happy with it.
I managed to get a Ti spring secondhand which is a DSP so is I think the ones Loco sells, and it fits fine. I’d start with a steel spring, depending on how you like your suspension set up the CCDB can be run with springs above or below the setting suggested by normal spring calculators (MOJO/TFT). Cane Creek springs are cheap and it’s worth trying a few set ups… fiddling and footering is what you buy a CCDB for anyway 8)

I like the Covert. I followed a chap down here on one and he/we took some amazing little detours with some nice big drops in the cacti…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxPBfYYxBkk

Most of the group who ride here were on DH bikes but there were a few on AM set ups like myself.

The whole point of a good AM bike is that it can do the same as the DH bikes and yet is capable of being ridden to the top of hills the shuttle vans won’t take you to (and that the DH crown won’t walk to). It’s not an XC/Trail bike so yes much of the time your “overbiked”, but when it comes to the doonhall sections you have a better tool for the job. I’d rather be overbiked most of the time and enjoy the doonhalls than be quicker on the boring bits and a frustrated mincer when the trails gets interesting.

Like 😈

Chip shop curry Ragley Troof and Marzocchi RC3 Ti forks… and that was this month!!!

Very glad I did though.

Even if you get your Marzocchi forks at trade I’d surprised if they are cheaper than the 2010/2011 ones CRC have been knocking out recently. I paid £350 for these which are now on my Nicolai (and better than the Floats they replaced, and only 270g heavier).

FWIW – I built up my Nicolai from mostly second hand parts… and then I’ve upgraded and played with the spec over the next two years to get it where it is now. It’s a good way to do it as you can chop and change parts for little increase in cost.

… and part of the fun is changing things

What fork?

I heard a well founded rumour that Richard at Gravity Sports in Buckie has a couple of Nicolai FR and AM frames he is selling, he also nearly always has forks and other bits. Well worth a phone call.

Bolt through… I’m finding myself scared of QR’s these days 😳

I think this is a better read…

Month of 29ers: Brant Richards on the past and future of 29er design

It’s just a bike… the wheel size isn’t really that important. For the racers out there it comes down to seconds gained or lost per lap, and if wheel size really matered that much then all the 29er riders would be winning and the 26er riders would be whining… as it would actually be an fair/unfair advantage… which doesn’t seem to have happened. The rider is more important than the wheel size.

Been a few sightings in Aberdeenshire where we ride. I’ve never seen anything… but badgers running at you are scary.

Ding dong!

Raceface Diabolus has longer threaded cups than most bottom brackets. I’ve seen a few of these used to save a frame where the first part of the threads is gone.

Good job it’s hypothetical… bombers to the head if your thinking of buying a carbon frame around your existing chain guide… unless it’s made of woven supermodel ladygarden plucked by your good self and hence has huge personnal value.

I’d probably buy Marzocchi 55 RC3 Ti… which I did.

I’ve borrowed friends bikes with Van’s and Coil Lyrik’s but never been impressed by the performance over and above my 36 Float RC2 (no 2012 forks obviously). The only forks I have found to be better than my Float is the Bos Deville and the 55 RC3 Ti. Much as I’d like to buy the Deville my budget only reached as far as some bargain Marzocchi’s… but that wasn’t your question 😳

I’ve only just fitted the Zokes and so far they are better than the Float by a fair chunk, but I stupidly had my rear air shock on and the fork far outshone the back end… later this week I’ll try the bike with my CCDB on which should be a much better match… Ti coil front and back 8)

I’ve been running Rev’s on an Mmmbop for a few months and found them great in most normal conditions, but when I take the bike to the rock gardens and techy muddy stuff I enjoy I found them wanting for stiffness… and I broke the damping. The 36’s on my other bike do not worry me in the same way which is why I am replacing the Mmmbop with something to take the bigger fork. I didn’t want to put the 36’s on the Mmmbop as the Rev’s are best at 130mm and to get the same fork length the 36’s would be at 120mm travel.
If the Rev’s are not frightening you then there is probably not much need to change… except for fun 8)

Seller was me. I’ll sort this out.

With spd’s you can generally get away with a roady type optimum efficient saddle height over rough-ish ground as your attached to the bike. With flat ties you need a little slack in saddle area to prent arse-to-saddle interference bumming your feet off the pedals. As above, drop the saddle 1/2 to 1″, drop your heels and enjoy.

If this is the ones I sold then I had no problems bleeding them, but I obviously managed to get some air in the rear system. Follow the SRAM procedure to the letter and tap the calliper and lever while your at it and you should be good. Sorry again.

Crc £12 off £80 code – HAPPY12

Chainsaw braces have lovely wide straps

Oh,

and £15 off £100 at WIGGLE – UK15 until 2pm on Wed 22nd Feb

I9J4W351R31MX6 £10 off £75

or try

UKTK
£10 off £50 till Friday 12pm

If your looking to stay near Tarfside the link above I gave for the Angus Glens is Glen Esk… which is Tarfside. It’s a very quiet area so finding any information online would be a struggle, but a few phone calls should get you somewhere to stay.

If your willing to take your time and see/do some touristy things then there are better route’s than I have so far suggested. Let me think and post back.

Finishing in Inverness is probably the only way to deliver an ending that isn’t “meh!”. Once you get near the east coast your heading away from the mountains so it does get a bit, er, flat – the last bit of my suggested route through Durris would suck the life out of you as it’s tree farm forestry so more than just a bit ugly (and far from flat or quick), but at least you’ll get a nice pint in Stonehaven unlike Montrose where more likely to get a shandy.

5’11” here and an 18″ Ragley is a little too big, and a 16″ was too small. I’ve got a 17″ sitting about to be built… but it’s not a Piglet… but I would definetly say the 17″ for 5’11”

2. One in each living room