Nice dilemma indeed.

I enjoyed the retrobike bug when it bit me, but the fun was in sourcing the parts and building the bike. Riding it was a let down – I sold up and have moved on… it’s about the ride not the bike. But at least you’ve tried a bo.

As above – go with what will give you the biggest pleasure when the wheels are spinning.

Fox 36 stantion wear vs RS Lyrik creaking crowns :roll:

Either is good – with the second hand forks it might be worth figuring in a service from TFT/Stendec/Loco… and while on the phone ask about tuning options… it might change your mind about which to go for :wink:

Dig about for info on Ringle hubs… heavy and unreliable in our wet conditions as a sweeping generalisation.

If they have sorted out that issue they will likely be great wheels… but more expensive than Hope Hoops on Flow rims… available with the legendary Hope backup as standard :wink:

Wish list stuff – still awaiting release date

X2 = 330g, M4 = 400g with 160mm rotors

V2 = 550g with 180mm rotors

I have V2’s with 203mm rotors and they are awesome – but overkill for the bike I now have them on (they were bought for a different bike/life).

From what I understand – a Float R will likely have quite a high Pro-Pedal platform on it, you just can’t adjust it.

Also – Sometimes simple is better as there are less things to fiddle with and mess up, or forget to adjust at the top of the hill before the all important descent.

Some totaly irrelevant info for you – but I bought a Float R very cheap for my Nicolai. I’ve not used an air shock for like ever so I figured bung a cheap one on and see what like. Most of the time it does what it should and it is really light which feels great, but when pushed I’ve found it’s limits and much prefer the DHX coil. I’ve made some notes on the peformance of the Float R, tried it at many pressures and travel setting on my frame, and I’ve also tweaked the air chamber size. I’ve got to a point with it where the next step is a custom tune from LoCo or TFT etc with the info I have. I’ll probably not get the performance of the coil but I’m sure it will improve on the original settings, and all for just over the price of a service which it needs after the year I’ve been fiddling with and riding it anyway (probably overdue…).

I suggest getting the Float R and riding it.

Interesting info thanks Captain – I proper bleed with good quality newly opened DOT fluid does do a power of good for a brake.

Steve Peat used to use Mono Mini’s – but like Tom I suspect he doesn’t brake much…

Hmmm – I guess it depends if you drag the brakes then.

I noticed Tom (the Bomb) Braithwaite uses teeny tiny disks and X2’s on his trail bike… but I suspect he doesn’t actually use the brakes that much compared with us mere mortals.

It’s a business, since when did it’s “independence” matter other than it’s something they say in the advertising to get you to buy sh!t from them rather than elsewhere?

Stoney… home of the deep fried mars bar…

Cycleworld in Stonehaven (heavy frequenters of this forum) have been floating my boat recently. Very good stop off if your down in Stoney for the local trails… and meals at the Carron or Tolbooth, and/or beer/food at the Marine Hotel.

Thats good info thanks.

Crank looks suitible for for 1 x 10 only – which makes sense if Hope produce the 9-36 sprocket… DIRT readers will be splurging all over there clown shoes.

It’s the North East of Scotland – be thankfull we don’t spit on our hands anymore as we say “chap hunds for a bargin”. :mrgreen:

Welcome to gods country.

I have a pair of Assos I use for really big days – they have been a good short and comfy if I use plenty of arse lard; can rub a bit if I don’t use enough. For some reason they seem a little short in the leg and recently the stitching has come apart which is dissapointing for the cash.

Favourite shorts ever have been Pearl Izumi – which is what I will be buying for this summer.

Hope V2 with 203 rotors on the AM bike and Avid Elixir 5 with 160/185 on the hardtail. What surprises and scares me is how close the Elixir’s are to the outrageous performance of the V2’s, and I like the Elixir lever feel :?

I would rate the Elixirs higher if they didn’t rub and “chirp” quite so much – I can’t fault the braking performance but the set-up is a bit faffy.

I’ve had the Elixirs down a big mountain on the hardtail and they performed great, I’m tempted to bung them onto the AM bike and give them a real test. A move up to Elixer CR or new X0 could be on the cards for the AM if the 5’s pass the test. Then the V2’s can go back on the HUGE DH bike for which they were bought.

Chances of me finding the time to move things about and get these tests done…

Don’t understand the collecting thing… but I did build a fantastic retro machine a few years ago. I discovered that the fun was in finding the parts and building it how I thought I wanted it. Once I had it complete the riding was interesting but ultimately less rewarding than on modern bikes… so I sold it and now have a bike I am happy to thrash rather than one I have to tiptoe with.

Interesting and good fun though such projects are, not as much fun as riding.

I have 135 x 12 on my Nicolai – and holding the rear wheel in place with the chain tugging it forward while threading the maxle/bolt through is a pain in the rectum. The 142 x 12 has lips in the dropout which supports the wheel in place so you don’t have to. As above – it’s how the 135 x 12 should have been done.

I’ve always ridden the Mt Keen and Fungle route anticlockwise. Yes, riding up from Glen Tannar is a bitch but it’s possible to get pretty far up. Then hike over the boulders to the top and get rewarded with a stonking loopy descent to Esk (recent punterisation has removed some of the magic, as have the big bikes, it was epic back in the rigid days). I’ve ridden down this way as well after a rear mech died while traversing the summit, it was a very entertaining descent. Climb out of Tarfside is a drudge but all doable with the reward of Fungle to Birse descent (better pre the punterisation in my opinion – but there are other options…), then the last leg screaming climb back up towards the antler hut (have a look in) for the last sweet descent to Aboyne. The Firmounth on the other hand would not I believe make a particularly great descent, it makes for a horrible climb… which can be ridden up if you’re a legend.
It’s been a few years since I’ve bothered with this circuit, the descents just don’t justify the climbs for me when I know of better stuff… but perhaps it’s time I revisited… and tried it clockwise :)

The thought of riding up the Firmounth… *shivers*

Hardtail and learn some skills 8)

Similar bikes for me – Nicolai Helius AM with coil shock is the current love of my life and = 34lbs.

For local stuff and the odd longer epic I have a Whyte 19 Steel, but any similar 120mm-140mm hardtail would do – I would probably go a little beefier if I was to buy again.

There is a thread on mtbr somewhere from a chap who runs a 22 or 24 front. I think he uses a BlackSpire Granny God bashring and a jump stop. I can’t access mtbr from here to search for it. Probably not a super light solution :roll:

One of my bikes has a HammerSchmidt which has shown me that I mostly only need the granny gears – pretty much only use the overdrive for road sections or rough doonhalls where it’s mostly used to keep more tension on the chain (bigger sprocket at the back = tighter chain).

You’ve got me there groundskeeperwilly, I’ve thought about it but not done it so no idea if it will work. Probably need to bodge something… which is a speciality subject of mine :)

I like K-gear that Ben at Kinetics made to see the ratios.

Open two windows up and compare – you’ll need to sneak in the 10spd but it will still work – lovely bit of kit.

http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/k_gear.shtml

In my local forest I mostly use the granny (22). I’m thinking I might try 1 x 10 but with a 24 or 26… I’ll be spun out on the road home but managing all the techy climbs I love. Do what works for you rather than follow fashion, baaa.

Too much ice on the trails to ride any distance without the lights where I was. It was simply stunning out anyway, my lights were off for one of the big climbs which I knew would be ice free though.

Riding high with Charlie ;o)

Will ride for shit

Mine move easy enough with a thin allen key in one of the holes and twist – but it’s just plastic and feels like it could get chewed up if I got heavy handed.

I love my HammerSchmidt :)

I saw a lovely little Gamut yesterday that seemed to work well. My experience and from friends going this way is that 22-36 is simply too big a jump, and hence they are tending to go 22-34. I guess 24-36 would work as well but we have big techy climbs so the 22 with 11-34 (9spd) is a must. Perhaps 11-36 10spd and a 24-36 would be ideal???

As Northwind.

317’s feel squirmy with tyres over 2.25 and under 35psi, and also prone to pinch flats.

Mavic used to make the best rims but they haven’t really changed in the last 10 years. IMHO they are now too narrow. Stans may not make the best quality rims and are probably not as strong as Mavic’s, but the extra width and design mean that the tyre protects the rim better, and therefore thay are currently the better rims to use. Mavic have concentrated on their own wheel builds and ignored the rim market for a few years, hopefully they will see whats going on and catch up… but they are French so who knows what they will actually do.

Last time I looked Merlin had the Elixir 5 cheaper.

It was on a demo bike and I didn’t want to risk damaging it… I would not buy one after that.

I couldn’t get a KCNC seapost to hold the saddle which kept moving backwards, the bolt is tiny and I feared it was made of cheese, it felt like it was going to strip out.

Bars are nice, stem was a stem.

Why?

Old trails but new challanges.

Get the buzz back when all you’ve got is 1-1/2 hours and access to trails you know very well.

33:18 here, because it’s hilly and it means I can flip/flop fix/free.

Bodgetastic

Hope and Hayes brakes feel very different. Even if the Hopes are working perfecty you might struggle to live with them if you like how Hayes feel.

I’m also not a huge fan of M4’s (with either the Mono or the Tech lever) – I simply don’t think they are a great performer.

Tick

At last someone has built one up with a decent amount of seatpost showing… looks ace :mrgreen:

Another from my three year old. The presenter on cbeebies with one arm is lazy because she always gets the other presenter to do stuff for her…

3 year old. 1st of December; “If I eat all the chocolate in this calendar will I have to go into the naughty corner?”.