Thanks for comments. I’m going to go for the Cf 8.0.

I defo want the tubes out of it. I ‘ve been researching the light dt 2250 wheelset, and was thinking of going with the installed rim strip then a 24″ tube cut or lightest and apparently as successfull these fatty stripper latex rim liners. The americans seem to be using them on the fatboy wheelsets with the same/similar rims. I gather there is a decent rim seat provided on the dt’s.

The link is safe!

http://fattystripper.com/

It would also be great if Schwalbe bring out the new Aerothan superlight inner tubes for 26x 4.0 too, to use or store in a saddle bag.

Was going to go with the 8.0 to get the light carbon fork then maybe try bluto’s later, but I like rigid and light mostly on my bikes. Its also got a 2x gear range which would still give me a good gear range with any 29er wheels I might choose to swap in.

Would its ability to adjust to 26 x 4.8 (i’m happy with 4″ in fat mode) allow me 27.5 plus and 29 plus?

Given the wide hubs for stiffer wheels and the 22/36 chainset, i cant see why this iwhole set up isn’t the hardtail the maintain bike standard? I’d have a light carbon platform and dt hubs that can fit all tyre sizes I think.

I’m 5’11 and will get the large as the stack and reach will put me where I am on a Swift taking into account my spacers and the shorter canyon stem (more forward geom).

Thanks Cheezybeanz. Might have to scratch the superlight fatty itch.

SJS have a selection of 45 to choose from, including ergonomic carbon jobbies.

Assuming he’s otherwise normal and this is a behavioural problem, there is a product of the market called Copro-nil, given orally it makes his faeces taste less pleasant and he’ll stop doing it. Do it for long enough, a few months, and hopefully he’ll be out of the habit. Its not prescription, so you can get it online or your vets.

If he’s starving hungry, underweight, undersized then he would need a blood test to check things like his pancreatic enzyme production, small intestinal absorption etc. If he’s otherwise fit and strong, try copro-nil first. It has a b1 supplement in it, but generally a few dogs stop doing it with a vitamin supplement also, though they should get what they need in normal dog food. As he gets older, they do less of this sort of thing. Some do it if they’ve been confined in a small pen for rehoming along time too.

Other optins are a cage muzzle, but people will think you have n aggressive dog. If you need to wash his mouth, a dog mouthwash called Hexarinse is available to kill bacteria. Again its not prescription.

Dont rub his face in it, he will just think your encouraging him to eat it.

Same problem for about 10 years.

The tension is likely a compensation for some problem in your spine brought on by past injury or lifestyle factors.

In the short term sports massage can help release the muscles, remove trigger points and get some temporary relief.

Longer term, you need to find a very good Chiropracter who will radiograph your spine then get you straight. This will cause some muscle tension as muscles adapt, but you need to get your spine back to straight. The adjustments also release the muscle tension. Go 3 times a week for a month then weekly, or minimum monthly, forever.

I got so fed I paid for an MRI and it showed a disc bulging. My body causes tension in the muscles to help protect the area, but it causes me discomfort. That simply isn’t going go go away.

After taking a tramadol in desperation and feeling completely knocked out, I found doing some ‘old person’ Pilates (Karen Vight video at home on a mat for lower back) very very effective. Just the next day, I woke up in less discomfort. You do have to make time for this, and accept it. It does help to improve core strength, stretching and muscle balance.

I’ve recently swapped out my soft memory foam mattress for the very firm Hesseng mattress from Ikea and that’s made me wake up with less back and butt tension (mine always came on overnight).

I’ve also swapped an old office chair for a better tool for the job Herman Miller Mirra and that’s made a difference too.

As far as cycling goes not being bent over, so a high stack height 630-650, reduces the intervertabral issue on my disc and reduces subsequent muscle tension. Bars level with the saddle or even slightly higher.

I also have to be carefull which cars I sit in. Ones with seats that push my back out (too much lumbar) make it worse. So consider what your car seat is doing for you also.

Ed

I have a rigid Swift. Cream version. Like to ride fast XC but like the grip, float and role from 2.4 X kings in the New Frest. Riding rigid a bigger tyre is good for grip and float(momentum) it seems. Plus the Swift frame can take a 2.4 easy. Been looking for new wheels too.

1. The new Crests are wider. Thats proably the bullseye for you.

2. Alternatively, if your running more than 2.25’s i reckon wtb kom i25’s are about where its at if you want 25 internal. Conti protections click right in to the ust rim design.

3. CRC do kom i25 or crest wheelsets. Put in custom shimano or hope front or rear wheel into their search. On a swift with QR you can use Shimano hubs. Really Deore hubs are very good. Super low friction. Whenever i ride cup and cone hubs it always feels faster to me, without all the bearing seals. Easy maintenance and larger bearings than xt and one less seal to slow you down. A set is about 180 from crc with db spokes in silver with kom or crests.

4. For a factory built wheelset, crests on ztr ss hubs are available from winstanleys for 300 or the american classic all mountain wheelsets for the same. Je james has giant trx wheelsets for 250 which have dt internals hubs on a scandium rim with sp bladed spokes. 28h though So would be harder to rebuild with less rim choice..

If you want pro4, the new wider crests sbould be possible for 400. Merlin build good wheels. They do the Easton arc rims as well.

Been looking at the Sonder and others, like the Stiff Morf, Orange P7, Bird Zero TR etc. If your wanting to include mid fat tyres the Moondraker Vantage RR still has significantly more forward geometry than the others.

Birdage,

What’s been your subjective feel in the difference between your Swift and the Ritchey P29’er in different conditions?

Ed

Is the stack height measurement on the Stooge website correct at 584?

There’s a 3mm difference between adding fork length, head tube length and bb drop between a Stooge and my large Swift 663 stooge v 660 swift, but the stack is given as 584 when my Swift is given 619. I realise there’s more trigonometry involved, but not sure how there could be a big difference.

Read through this thread, and people seem to be having level bars or higher with the Stooge,, especially with a 29 plus front to unweight the bars on the hands. Mulling over trying a Stooge, though there looks to be only 1 degree difference in head angle. My Fatty was 584 ish and would want something higher.

Sorry yeah, I mean’t 1/8 “.

My chain and sproket are new, so it sounds like I’d better to go with the Velo Solo one this time. I ride on the beach a bit, so I went for the Inox KMC as a start point, when I picked a few bits.

After installing one, is an oval ring like a Blackspire feel like big step up on a SS, or a marginal gain?

Also every chain I’ve had so far is Shimano or Sram where you have pins inserted with a tool or the Sram link. The side plate of the KMC Inox chainlink snaps on with the chain bent in an arc.

Are my gonads as safe with this system, as the other two?

Sorry re the tyres I was being serious. I was also thinking that people must be better with high volume and roll over of 29+ to maintain bike momentum/ cadence on a SS over techinical sections. Kind of seing why the Stooge is the way it is.

Thanks all for the advice.

I put a wide base 1/4″ Halo fat foot 17 on to replace the 20 the wheel came with, so I guess it should be fine on an alloy cassette. There looks to be a bearing right underneath a SS cog on a 240 which bodes well. It also got me a prime number cog in the mix, and added to the 32 (51) also a prime, I think that’s what I’m supposed to be doing to get even wear.

The chain in a KMC stainless 1/4″ Inox one.

I was looking at the chainrings, and it does wobble side to side. It’s a Race face Atlas chainset that has a 32/ Bash on it and it’s had a life before me. It looks slightly bent and the bash slightly catches the KMC chain, so I was thinking of swapping it out.

Should I

A. Get a thick Velo Solo 1/4″ 32 to match the chain and sprockets. And they come in gold.

B. Try a Absolute black oval 34 suggested above, but which will have a fair bit narrower width?

Interesting on the wheel front. When washing my bike down, I noticed I had a rear drive side spoke broken at the bend. Hadn’t noticed on the ride. There was a wheel wobble looking at the rim, but less than I would have expected. Without seeing the spoke it looked like it just needed truing.I guess because it’s symmetrical there needs to be less tension on the drive side so it affects the wheel less when a spoke goes? First broken spoke I’ve had.

For anyone looking for it, I found Triton had the freehub for the Formula SS hub for £12.99 and I put a new one on last week. Seems to be on alot of different SS bikes.

Do people generally go for a higher traction rear tyre, to help with the mashing and max traction in the gloop? I felt the 2.2 Race King Protection breaking traction slightly, so plan to swap it for a 2.4 X King.

Been looking at them too.

I see Ortlieb have a bar bag and large seat pack coming out in June for bike packing. Details on their website.

I ride Thunder Burts, the lightest Raceguard, 440g for XC in the New Forest. Still run latex tubes. Truely awesome speed and acceleration. Race Kings are also good. Tried the protection version, after that rolling resistance test, and there is certainly more carcass too it.

The Thunder Burts dont clog with mud and they give superb traction even in poor conditons. I ride mine through winter, but know that while they are alittle more sketchy i am travelling faster. Almost no hum on the road. Miles better than small block 8’s and about a chainring faster than Rocket Rons.

The continental rubber black chilli probably lasts longer than the Schwalbe, the tests also show that, but thats mileage dependent on what your doing. The Thunder Burts are lighter than Race Kings so acceleration is better.

Just tried XKings and impressed with them, roll very well considering the extra grip provided. More weight with them though.

Thunder Burts seem exceptionally good tyres if your XC with connecting road sections bent. Cheapest in Germany.pp

If you want to go fast, you’ll also need light rims, Crests or equivalent in weight/ bor/ trace etc.

There’s alot going on here for steel, and it’s neat. The seatstays are remarkable, never mind the oval top tube. The complete is a fully solid build. She’d be good for 20 years.

My Brant Richards 456 Evo Carbon is my best bike. It’s lighter, more comfortable while being faster uphill, along and down than my Singular Swift, Marin Mount Vision 5.8 or all titanium rigid DNA hardtail from back in the day. It absorbs all trail chatter making it my best all day ride. All the while taking fat tyres and a triple.

One positive I guess that Brant is not under the On One umbrella, is it does free him up to put extra’s into frames that might not have been affordable under the On One business model, which gives us more choice, which is only a good thing.

Compared to my 456 Evo carbon, it’s got a longer effective top tube, to have a shorter stem with the same reach, which should give me even better handling, and a steeper seat tube angle, which I also personally like and a higher stack height which I’ve come to like with the Swift. It would weight more though…enough to change, not at £500 and I prefer an ultralight bike to throw over gates, but is it the best geometry so far available, well yes, I’d say so, and if I was building a new bike now, it would be that frame. The Sonder Transmitter is close, and is boost and 650B+, which grabs my eye too. Alloy frame is £300. I don’t quite understand why this one doesn’t have that, I guess to have ultra short chainstays, but they are only 5mm shorter than the Transmitter which can take a 2.8. But Brant’s designed it, not working Stiff’s business model. Its a 456 650B Evo, but quite a a way further along.

It’s evolved on from a 456, by being longer in the frame shorter in the stem. The tubing looks more sophisticated in shaping in the oval used top tube and seat stays (look how they go from thinner to fatter towards the wheel) to further improve compliance.

I like the yellow. Graphics not so much, but its just a bike.

Its got a longer frame to enable a shorter stem, that I understand gives better handling.

The top tube being ovalised is sophisticated for steel, and the seat stays have alot going on with the changes in tube diameter and profile.

Indifferent on the chainstay but its likely an effective engineering solution.

Its steel, Brant’s Sonder Transmitter is aluminium and £300 and has boost spec for bigger tyres. Be interesting to ride both. The morph is a fraction longer/ shorter stem.

Nice.

I run my 26″ On One 456 Evo carbon with the Lurcher carbon tapered steerer carbon forks, and really like it. I think it’s 470 AC, same as your ECR ones. They do a straight steerer version of yours is like that. They seem to absorb alot of vibration and have alot of tyre clearance too.

How does 853 frame material feel to you?

456 Evo Carbon.

Thinking of buying a large with the Pike upgrade (5’11”).

Going from my main bikes (rigid 456 evo carbon and a Swift) on paper the 750g rims and 2.8 tyres are going to drag, but in practice am I going to shrug my shoulders, forget what i ever knew and find it funner in the New Forest and on the beach? Can you still ride them uphill at a fair lick? (I sold my Fatty as it was too much a beast and a FS Mount Vision as it was too slow uphill, but liked the traction).

Ed

Second ride on my Singular Swift SS last night. Beach between Highcliffe and Barton, Dorset that appears at low tide.

New cleats, SPD’s, lumps of soft beach gravel and a SS conspired to fall of at 0 mph but looking around, I seemed to be caught in a light beam…

I find there is a feeling on the SS of symmetry underneath me with the bike. I don’t know if its the lack of chainrings, sprockets and wheel dish, but it’s got a levelness to it, that i’m assuming is the SS, rather than the 29er. Do others feel this?

I’ve ordered a 17 to change from the 32/20 that will get me more faster and more comfortable/ less spinny on the flats. Also gets me a prime number gear with a 17 and the combined 51, which seems to be good for chain/ ring wear I think. Hopefully still be able to manage the hills. Have to see. Kind a feeling it a bit more, though missing the outright speed rush without the gears.

I felt the 29er wheels did carry a bit more in the gravel lumps a few extra feet, enough to keep going, where the 26er might have been stopped. The Fatty could float over the real loose stuff though, but on semi hard the X kings’s worked well up front. I like this tyre, it seems to roll well and grip well. A good tyre for someone looking for a much as both as he can get.

Edward

Rocketdog,

It is a large.

I think I’ll give it a second ride with a 32-17 and then if I’m not feeling it, I’ll sell it and be n-1. (Hope headset, Knucleball (Chewy) bars, XT brakes 180/160, Atlas crank 32 ring, Spoon saddle and a KMC Inox stainless chain).

Although the new cluth derailleurs are quiet, I did like there being no clunk/ clank noises for the ride and looking down to see a perfect chainline.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127136791@N03/shares/h144YQ

I just built a SS Singular Swift up, and I can’t say that I’m feeling it.

The bike is a standard recent cream Swift, carbon bars, MAvic 719 rims. Put some Conti Protection Race king rear, X king front.

The gearing was inherited from dad, 32/20 and it was way to spinny for even the New Forest.

Even as a SS it’s heavier than my normal geared steed an OO 456 evo carbon, which can be felt over gates, and I wasn’t feeling the roll over of 29er’s either compatred to my 26 with latex tubes and Thunder burts, and a solid carbon OO fork.

My OO 456 felt both more comfortable, had 30 gears, was lighter and frankly more compliant over small bumps. It felt like it accelerated better too.

It’s difficult as these things are all subjective, and I’m aware that some SS’ing can help with cadence and pedalling dynamics accross the board.

I finished the ride, thinking it was transport, but I hadn’t been smiling, quite so much. I got back on my 26 456 on Sunday and straight off the bat I was smilling with it.

Not sure whether I should stick with it, and get a new 17 rear cog 32/17 seems about right I think, and if that will make it come to life or even put gears on it…

Hi

I’m a vet. Taking off the skin like that, an erosion, isn’t stitchable as you say. If there is no flap either still and you’ve cleaned it with a dilute chlorhexidine wash, your doing everything right. It will take 2-3 weeks for the dermis to regenerate that thick protective epidermal layer at least, so enforced rest is required, out to toilet on a lead only and a quick plastic bag over the foot with a bit of tape to keep it clean while he’s outside. If you bandage it, use a non adherent dressing under some cotton wool and a cover of vetrap or equivalent, but it might stick, so i’d leave it open after a few days. If he came into the practice, i’d also have him on antibiotics for 10 days and an antibiotic eye cream, dropped on twice a day to help keep it sterile. If in pain, carprofen daily for a few days. Make sure he doesnt lick it excessively else use a baby sock to cover it and still let it breath, or a plastic lampshade hat. There is a cream called dermisol which can help open wounds heal a bit quicker, and these new hydrocolloid dressings can be helpfull, but frankly his dermis will have to make a new thick covering and that will take at least a few weeks. Keep dabbing it with the dilute chlorhexidine wash 3-4 times a day and you should be alright. The hole will start to shrink after a week and a pale edge will form of new skin. The new skin will be lighter in colour initially then go darker and pigmented later. If he keeps doing it, you can buy vibram sole booties, but they can be hard to keep on.

Ed

These frames seem rare as hens teeth in the UK. The UK framesets seems to be the same price as the full bike in the US.

Has anyone found a Cut Throat bike or frameset in Germany or Europe at a decent price, and that might post to the UK? £1500 frame and fork I’d bite but £2k I won’t. Looking for a large and a medium for my Dad – who’s already had two Fargo’s – so we know they fit).

Ed

Merlin do the Flows built onto Deore 6 bolt QR hubs with black Dt comp spokes and QR’s for £95 the pair in the custom wheels section. Bought a pair for dad’s Fargo and they’ve been perfect. Bigger balls in the deore hubs and fewer seals to slow you down…packed em with grease. Bought a similar pair with Olympics for my 26, and love em.

Been mulling this over recently for a Swift too.

Running a 29er and if your looking for the XC kind of thing, and you like Continental tyres like the Race King/ X king and don’t want punctures either then the Protection versions have a UST bead.

This clicks into the WTB rims which have a matching UST interface (but use rim tape to save rim weight) for an optimum tubeless interface and are light for the width. Looking at the KOM’s 21/23/25 you can get a wide light rim with an equivalent to Mavic Maxtal type/ scandium upgraded alloy to reduce denting. From past decades when XC would be 17 inner it seems a migration to about 23-25 inner seems to be where it’s at, progressing towards 30 inner for trail and bigger volume tyres. So maybe a WTB KOM 23 is where it’s at with a Protection Xking front and Raceking rear.

The Easton ARC rims are also good value/ size/ weight, but don’t have a UST bead interface which may be a good or worse thing depending on what tyre and type you were thinking of.

The Crest is an old staple.

The Ryde Trace XC has an assymetric profile which might be of interest.

The older BOR XMD 333’s are still available. Light and eyeletted but narrower.

They would broadly be well suited to the New Forest where I ride. I’ve mulled over that OO Bish Bash Bosh and the Pickenflick. There are alot of linking roads, gravel forest roads and XC type singletrack and plains.

I rode my 90’s Ti frame and Ti rigid fork steed with 1.6 Trailblasters I think they were at 40 psi which must be about the same width as these gravel tyres/ CX bikes for a good 20 years. It was certianly very fast and capable, and in some ways the vibration coming up through, makes it ‘feel’ fast too, independent of actually the speed. Certainly direct.

Moving on to an all carbon frame/ fork and set up from an all titanium one, there is certainly less harshness, in part due to the material/ frame design, but also the wider tyres at 2.25 now and lower pressures. For me this makes a better ‘all day’ ride even on gravel, especially as I’m older too, and a lighter throw over a gate. Looking at the gear I’m pushing it appears faster too, with less chatter feedback, than you get with a narrow tyre at high pressure.

With discs, vibration absorbing carbon frame/ forks/ posts/bars, tubeless tyres/ rims and taller headtubes these are likely to be better riding and more comfortable than the 90’s bikes we had back then I’m sure.

Just fundamentally for weekend warriors, the gearing needs of only upto 46/11 and discs should allow for a CX bike frame design to permit a wider tyre/ chainstay to be fitted, so you are not tyre limited. The Bish Bash Bosh was near perfect with a tall head tube and would have been a Cut Throat killer had they ‘got it’, but they seem too blinkered with roadiness at Planet X to see the wider market: it’s seemingly needlessly tyre limited to only a CX tyre narrower width/ lower comfort.

Is it some kind of CX race bike qualification that says it has to be arranged to be tyre limited so?

Is the CX scene a big market? I can’t imagine it can be compared to the bikepacking/ Fargo/ Cut Throat product. If they’d just made that with wider chain and seat stays to take a 2.25 Race King/ Thunder Burt it would have slayed that American £4k Cut Throat.

Cyclocross bikes surely are now in a design cul de sac.

Venturing off road and on road for most non roadies, there is no need to have big front road rings. You cant push them. If you take the outer chainring down to say a 46 you can widen the chainsays to fit a wider, even more comfortable 2-2.25 tyre, with some benefits in rolling resistance, though greater weight.

Thus a real gravel bike, would have ability to run fatter tyres than the max 40mm or so on CX bikes, given complimentary gearing. The on one bish bash bosh is a case in point. Had they made that a real gravel bike as advertised and used a smaller chainset/ bigger tyre, it would have been a cut price cut throat and truely usefull this side of the Atlantic.

Why stick with 130 on the rear, when things are going boost for greater wheel stiffness. Its a pro roadie restriction enforced by massive chainrings, narrow tyres and chainline.

I can understand what CX is for roadies in the winter, using last years road bike, and the narrow tyre can cut down through a muddy winter field, but as a design solution for normal folk for mixed terrain, it is not a logical specification. Obviously it is still a bike and usefull. Something Fargo like is closer in spec to what is less restricted and more adaptable.

Fundamentall you have to be pushing that 50/53 -11 gear frequently to make the restriction in tyre width that you have with a cx bike pay otherwise its pointless restricting yourself.

Oval rings…old school! My Diamond Back Accent Ex had them, in 1988.

We called it Biopace then.

’15 Sml/ Med Lime Elmar’s £380 for the frame here.

http://www.bike24.com/p2110653.html

I thought I’d add my comments on the 456 carbon evo after 12 months.

I should preface this by saying I am an experienced rider but perhaps not the typical 456 market. 42 been riding 30 years. 5’11 on an 18″. Ride in the New Forest, mainly undulating XC, gravel and horse tracks etc.

I chose this frame because my previous bike was set up perfectly for XC but way becoming too low at the front with my age. I can only say how the bike feels compared to previous rides. It was a full titanium (frame and fork), titanium seat post and bars, X517 or 1.6 Trailblasters. Superlight, double butted Ti, fully rigid and a rocket. Built with XT just over 20 years ago. Looks like a 26 inch version of the new Alpkit bikes! 72/72 angles.

With age (years of operating) my back is worse and I wanted a higher front. I prefer 26’ers as 30 years of riding leaves me with an experience of what it’s going to do. I’ve also had a Marin Mount Vision 5.8 which left me comfortable, but struggling on hills for speed due to its weight and rear sus. bob and it’s weight was too burly to throw over gates quickly. A dalliance with a On one Fatty (great for the beach) left me missing XC speeds, too heavy uphill and too heavy to lift over gates. I also wanted a ‘normal’ external bottom bracket and the big head tube, downtube and chainstays looked like it should give me the performance I was looking for. I’m really an XC, head down, type of rider. It’s more about XC speed than techincal ability with my riding, but that’s just a reflection of our local terrain.

So..the 456 Evo carbon, is built with 3×10 (24,32,42) XT, 11-32 and I love the gearing. It has range, chainline and close ratio’s. Carbon bars adnd stem (Tuvativ Noir’s), Ti Spoon saddle, and Merlin Stans Olympic rims on Deore Hubs shod with Thunder Burts raceskins at 395g. (quite and fewer seals than XT so there’s less resiatance). Coming off of Hopes on my road bike, I’m very happy with Deore hubs, they spin real nice and are easy to serice and use normal ball bearings.

The fork is a carbon Lurcher. I just dont’ need front suspension, and prefer the directness and lack of weight for the New Forest.

So previous bike all titanium head to toe, this one all carbon.

The ride. It’s immediately apparent that it is an ‘all day bike’. The comfort over the previous titanium bike is very noticable and appreciated. Its a real smoother over trail chatter. It’s also quiet with the new clutch derailleurs. In no way is it harsh. It’s definately a smoother. The material, the layup, the design, likely all of these. My first time with a slacker head angle, it does seem more stable on the downs. The seat angle still lets it climb normally seated.

Speed wise, the smoothness initally mean’t I wasn’t feeling the judder and vibration from the titanium bike as much, which I think because there was less (fatigueing) feedback made me feel it might be slower, but looking at the gears I’m riding it’s definately a sprocket or two faster. On the Thunder burts I’m usually riding 42/13 dropping to 11 on the downhills just nicely.

The front end is higher which helps my back (perhaps similar to a 29er) in this regard, and it’s very light to throw over gates on routes. I’m still to take the latex tubes out and run it tubeless.

It fits in the car wheels on, it’s very light, accelerates well, nible and I find it exciting to ride, which is what it’s all about. I might get some sus. forks or take the Fox F-120’s off the Marine just to try, but I’m very happy with my On One Evo Carbon, in full carbon rigid mode indeed. Take home message is it’s a very light, fast and comfortable ride: it’s a very well engineered frame to manage all three.

Edward