It's Christmas – go for Benrinnes 15 or Mortlach 16 for that big sherry Christmas cake hit.

Just over 5'11" here.

Seatpost longer than the seattube on my Balfa Minuteman – post is a BlackSpire and it's a massive 425mm long – I've got about 5mm spare (the saddle I use has quite high rails).

Looks odd to some but perfect to get to the trails, and when you drop the saddle for silly riding it all makes sense.

Here is an older bike of mine. Top tube was too short for getting to the trails but what fun when riding on the edge.

None of those other above even know what a long post is :P

I'm in. Now I've got a few months to choose which beer and cheese to take.

sofaking
messiah, looks nice .what does that weigh in at ?

*cough*
44lbs
*cough*

Not much use for rolling trail centre rides but show it the scary mountains where I often ride and it's worth the pain of the climb.

5+ years and I've not broken it yet which is a record (I have done it some considerable damage though :lol: )

My 5 year old Nicolai Nucleon

I'd like to see that.

Next year I would like to get something built… but I've been saying that every year since I last did nearly 6 years ago.

Pigs are S*&^.

Go for an FSA cartridge (Avoid all loose ball types) – XLII is Okay, MX is better and the Orbit Extreme is a almost a CK or Hope in cheaper clothes.

Good prices on CRC… 40% off.

I bought an Altura Nightvision jacket last year which I used for commuting and the odd wet ride – this was pure Boil-In-the-Bag despite the pit-zips and vent pockets. I soon got wet inside but it was comortable for up to an hour of moderate effort, anything over that time or hard effort and the water would be running down the inside.

I pushed the boat out and bought a Gore Fusion which is a very different beastie – yes it gets a little clammy inside but nowhere near that of the Altura.

I matched this with some Endura Event breeks for a 3hour ride in the pissing rain two weeks ago (rain which saw the two rivers in the town where I live burst their banks, flood the town and put us on the BBC news).
It was even fine for that length of time – a little wet inside but nowhere near that of outside.

I don't think it's miracle stuff but it's better than a bin liner.

I like the dropouts from these guys.

http://www.2soulscycles.com/

Not a UK framebuilder though.

I'm a single parent this weekend – and dragging a two and a four year old round that in a Burley would not be a good idea.

Have fun.

Who needs porn when you can go to an orgy like I did last night

I'm such a stud I had it away with twenty three of them :lol:

Balfa Minuteman from about 2002 – retro long travel hardtail anyone?

Must take pictures with the saddle lower so it doesn't look so stupid :roll:

Lovin it!

But I would like to make a few tweaks… hmmm Curtis 8)

I had to cut a Bonty XXX-lite from my Alloy Trek… it had been in there for three years through commuting salt hell so I can blame no-one but myself… I should have realised I was in trouble when it stopped slipping down every ride.

I didn't use any lube – but it was ignoring it that caused me the problems.

Nicolai Nucleon – nearly six years old

Before the dropout/chainstay snapped.

After – new dropouts by Alves

Complete bike.

I'm going to be sking at the Lecht/Glenshee/Cairngorm that weekend – there is always the first dump of snow and hence a weekend of sking in the middle of November… thanks for making sure when :D

I live up here… with this forecast you would be nuts to go out there… it would be no fun.

I've got the chance to go out but I'm e-biking today :lol:

How hardcore do you want?

This is my unbreakable… seatpost at full extension for the ups, and drop it away for stunts, jumps and silly stuff. I've broken more stuff than I care to remember but this is my nemesis… but I'm trying.

Weighs about 34lbs but it does have 200mm 6pot ti brakes, 2.5" DH tyres and Diabolus finishing kit.

point243 racing do a very similar frame – check out http://www.balfa.co.uk.

Michelin Mud 3 – probably even harder to get hold of than any of the above.

I have 2 unused in my garage ready for this winter and I love them… apart from the nearly 1.5kg weight.

Not a UST tyre but I run them that way with no problems.

Skillz 8)

Hehehe – the one that comes down from Coire Chash is called "the streak of pants" – or the "streak your pants".

It's fun now but before it was made a proper path it was mental, especially rigid with canti's – as we all rode in the very early 90's.

Yes… the lightning strike is the switchback LRT.

Ah… the legend that is the "Dangerous brothers"…

I'm about on Wed but the wife has the Thur pass – unlucky!

I've ridden the whole route you plan, not in the way you are planning but I've done all the bits if you get what I mean.

Your route starts with the the fireroad hell that is Ballochbui… it's truly soul destroying in there… you climb for hours… and the wind is ALWAYS in your face… being followed by blacked out landies is also not my favourite part of this. I avoid this now.
The lower half of Glas-Alt-Sheil is completely bonkers even on my big bike. Last month this was very washed out in places… previosly there was only one corner I did not get round but this summer it scared the hell out of me and I walked a couple of bits where there has been HUGE EROSION just past the waterfall.
Up the lightingstrike… good luck with this… the challenge is on you as it HAS been ridden by me this year!
From Pony Hut to Broad Cairn is a hike, after that your biking all the way. There is a route round the side of BC but it's actually easier and definetly better to shoulder your bike and go over the boulders to the top. When you get to Carn An Sagart More go straight up to the top – the path round to right halfway up is fun but go on up to the top, it's not much further. Find the crashed aircraft (Bristol Baufighter) and take the nifty singletrack down to the saddle (Schweet). I've never ridden from here on down to Invercauld as a descent but it's rideable on the way up so should be easy and probably fun.

Enjoy!

Does event need ironing to get the surface coating working again? I think Gore-tex does.

I've had two very expensive Gore-Tex biking jackets in the last 20 years which I use very sparingly – If I'm riding in a tree area it's in my bag to avoid rips and damage. If I'm out in the open I'll think about wearing it but if I can I'll keep to the windproofs – it's usually the windchill that makes me put the jacket on. If I'm riding hard I'm sweating hard and soaked anyway. :lol:
All my kit gets wrecked pretty quickly – usually with a rip to a sleeve from a certain branch… (I know… I could remove it but it has as much right to be there as I do… it's now a legend 8)).
If I have to wash my Gore-Tex jacket then I would not use any detergent, or any other "special product" for that matter – better a hose on the line.
This comes from my experience of using Gore-Tex for nine months of the year when I worked at ski-resorts… do not wash it unless you have to :!:.

I have no idea about "Soft-shells". I usually wear a couple of ancient old Windstopper fleese jackets that no longer "windstop" but are still okay to ride in… despite the rip to the sleeve :roll:

Technology is not always the answer… learn to enjoy the moist clammy feeling…

I ride mine with a 34 x 16 – invalidates the warranty but I'm not two blokes on a tandem so I doubt I'll over torque the thing.

34×16 is equivalent to a 20×34, and my bike weighs 44lbs.

No issues with my Rohloff in 5-1/2 years – just two oil changes and a shed load of chains.

Note… my Rohloff is not in the rear wheel :mrgreen:

Deleted on grounds of taste :lol:

Hammersmickle is 24/38T.

My Rohloff set up is equivalent to a 20T on the front with a 34 on the rear and is therefore much lower.

What a cop-out! Scrub the Hammersmackle off my wish list then… I'll stick with the Rohloffle option (which is my awesome Nicolai or the modern equivalent TFR) or go back to the age old solution of front and rear mechs.

If your bike is going to weigh near 40lbs you need super low gears if your not going to be walking up hills like a stormtrooper (and getting your dad to push your bike and carrying your helmet for you).

Check out the Nicolai forum on MTBR if you want to see heaps of big travel bikes with gears – there are some Alp dwellers on there that post some stunning pictures of why low gears and heaps of travel is not an oxymoron.

My 5 year old Nicolai is what I call "Freeride", in that it can be pedalled to the top of a mountain and then thrown down it like a true "Doonhall" machine.

It has an under-geared Rohloff for silly low twiddly gears for the ups, and 190mm of rear travel with 180mm up front. Silly slack head angle but steep at the seat for climbing – both ends are coil sprung and most of the kit is Diabolus with DH tyres. Weight is 44lbs which is a bitch on the ups… but it's a bike which is built for the other bit of the ride, hence for the Doonhalls it is superb.

I've not raced a DH on it but I've flown past many a fully kitted Stormtrooper when riding through their playgrounds on my more XC orientated rides (which happen to include the odd national DH track).

If I were to buy something similar again I would be looking at a Nicolai Helius AFR with a Hammershmiddlydiddly and a few pieces of lighter kit to get the weight down a tad – although I'm not sure the gearing would be as low as what I currently have???

If you've got the legs for the ups then it's a lot of fun to take the bike for the downs – most people seem to compromise this the other way round – it's a choice thing.

I tend not to have a choice since when I buy lighter kit I tend to break it and end up going back to the heavy stuff again. :roll:

Here is the bike I cannot kill…

You can see the dent in the top tube and look closely for where the dropouts have been welded after the chainstays cracked. Note… there are almost NO original components on it since they are all all broken or worn out.

It's a love/hate thing :twisted:

I've been trying to break it since I bought it in 1995… I've only managed a few times but never permanently… but I'll keep trying :D

Even if I do I'll probably fix it so I can break it AGAIN :twisted:

Use the search facility as I'm not going to type it all out again.

Smoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooothness!

Check out how smooth the back end is 8)

Check out Curtis frames for modern brazing – very lush.

XPREZO – ex Balfa designer

http://www.xprezo.ca/en/xprezo_products.html

Nicolai Nonius (and UFO)

Quite often do it with the kids – monster bike ridden round postage stamp 8O

Me and my two and three year olds were stuffing handfulls of Blae and Snow berries in our gobs last weekend. Ace!

If you think the A9 Perth to Inverness is bad try the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness.

29er… therein lies the problem. If you had "real" wheels on it you would be a riding GOD by now :wink:

Ride more, worry less.

All lovely until I saw the bendy post… they always ruin the look of bikes :wink:

I had to cut a carbon post from an Alu frame recently – my own fault for leaving it for years after using it for commuting through a winter… The bike was a complete wreck, F*&^^%^ SALT!

Awesome Awesome Awesome – best thread ever?

Or you believe all air shocks are gash (like me… air is for tyres :roll: , metal is for springs :D

Anybody tried an Avalanche shock?

http://www.avalanchedownhillracing.com

Scotland