If you are going to use a socket bren2709 is absolutely right. Using a 12 point socket or any socket that has not had the end modified will wreck the soft aluminium top cap

I have done it with an adjustable spanner but after doing it that way a couple of times i decided a socket would be better. I got one from a secondhand shop and got my mate to trim the chamfered end on his lathe. Its just as important to press down on the socket to stop it slipping off the flats of the top cap.

good luck

The main advantages are that the Hope bearings are replacable.

ceramics run really smooth, cranks spin easier

There was someone selling a 2 month old ceramic Hope on here a few hours ago, it maight still be available

Hi,

i think you have to take the top cap off. i’m sure someone will correct me if i’m wrong

You can get away with a good fitting adjustable spanner on the topcap

make sure you press down on the spanner so it doesn’t slip off.

Mind have never been tight

Hope this helps

Mark

There’s a good video on Mojo’s site about servicing the wiper seals

Coil u turn lyriks for me too. A bit heavy at 2.47 kg but simple, robust and easy to service. Wind them down to 140mm for twisty trail centre type stuff or all the way for climbing in the Alps. Come as std with the medium spring. The “what spring for your weight” chart put me on a stiff spring but i found it too stiff and i wasn’t getting all the travel even in the Alps. I refitted the medium spring and i’m happy as larry now.

My mate bought some Fox 36 RC2’s , very light but he found they blew through the travel too easily so he ended up with some lyriks too.

RP3 = original propedal shock. It had three levels of propedal adjustable by the blue lever. You could not turn the propedal off or lock it out. It could be push modified by TF tuned to increase the difference between the three levels of propedal. This gave “almost no propedal”,”propedal” and “almost locked out”. I did exactly this and it improved my cove hustler which was a bit bobby with the stock RP3.

RP23 = the lever now has only 2 positions “open” and “propedal on”. A blue dial allows you to select the ammount of propedal you have in the “on” position. There are variants of the RP23 now with the larger air cans and with boostvalves

RPL = similar in looks to the RP3 but the 3 position blue lever gives “open”,propedal,and “total lockout”. There is no adjustment of the propedal. I’ve got one of these on my 100mm “race” bike. The ability to properly lock it out is useful on Tarmac climbs when i like to get out of the saddle. This shock was called the Triad when fitted on specialized bikes.

I would echo 1961bike and say if you can get one in good conditon then getting a RP3 is sensible. The RP23 was more an evolution than a revolution.

You are quite right the controllers are very difficult to use

I fit Honeywell CM927 RF controllers instead….very easy to use.

Get it professionally fitted as there will be a bit of wiring involved

As soon as i bought them i fitted the “correct for my weight” firm spring in my coil U-turn Lyriks and found i was never getting more than about 120mm travel.

I serviced them after a few months. Changing the oil and lubing everything improved the suppleness and reduced stiction but didn’t affect the amount of travel i was getting

I ended up putting the “as it came in the box” medium spring back in and they have been much better. I now get 145-150mm travel but with no bottoming out, even in the Alps.

So don’t hesitate to try a softer spring if thats what you feel you need.

i fitted the “correct for my weight” firm spring in my Lyriks and found i was never getting all the travel. I ended up putting the “as it came in the box” medium spring back in and they have been much better. No bottoming out even in the Alps.

So don’t hesitate to try a softer spring if thats what you feel you need.

AndrewBF
Traced out your route. It's a good one. Have you followed the track round deer hill res'r and the rifle range? If you follow the track round next to the water channel it brings you out on the pennine way near Wessenden res'r. Nice unofficial track this just don't topple over the edge near the end where it gets a bit sketchy !

Younggeoff is absolutely right. I had exactly the same situation. The mono M4 calipers are designed to fit 180mm rotors on an I.S fork without a adaptor. The options are.
1)Get a 200mm rotor for the front and you can then get an adaptor.
2) Get some mono mini brakes which are designed for 160mm rotors. The same adaptor will then let you use the 180mm rotors
3) buy a M4 with postmount caliper for the front
Hope this helps

If you are going for a T4 i'd recommend the 2.5 TDI ( 102 PS )

I've got a T5 174 PS at the moment with 150k on the clock. dasnutis absolutely right about the faults i've had a drive shaft and the water pump go. Other than that it been totally reliable and i get a consistent 35-37 mpg driving with a half a ton of gear on board all the time. Perhaps the 2.5 130 PS would be a good compromise.

Having said I-Beam seatpost have lots of layback i have measured it and discovered i was talking rubbish !

Setup 1 – Thompson Layback post fitted with an SDG Bel Air Saddle slid back on the rails as far as it would go.

Setup 2 – SDG I-Beam micro post fitted with a Formula FX saddle set back as far as it will go

The Thompson setup actually increases the cockpit size by about 5mm.

This surprised me as i know that i feel further back on the I-Beam setup. I think this is because the Bel Air has a pronounced lip at the back of the saddle whereas the Formula does not. Thus i can sit further back on the Formula saddle in comfort

Looking closely at the I-Beam post / saddle combo i can see that the post is an inline design and all the layback comes from the saddle.

So to conclude. If you want sit as far back as possible the best bet might be a different brand of post with 25mm layback ( richey , easton ? ) coupled with a saddle with a flat rear ( Fizik Gobi , SDG Formula FXR ? )

As i understand it there are no problem with Teflon grease. Its lithium grease you need to avoid near seals as it attacks them.
I use RSP Ultra slick grease on wiper seals.

TF Tuned recommend using Finish Line dry lube with Teflon to lube the wiper seals after riding. Clean outside of seals and stanchions first. Lube then cycle fork 20 times, clean excess off.

Agreed – I measured my Thomson layback as giving about 16-17mm.

I like to position my saddle back a long way and have found I-Beam Seatposts great for this.

DT EX1750 wheels have white rims, white hubs and black spokes
Pics on chain reaction

Update

I've just got hold of Naruto. He's been away for a few days

Hi Oxnop

Any joy getting hold of Naruto

I paid him £170 for a shock a week ago and he isn't replying to my emails either

Mark

Neither Mojo nor TFT have many good words to say about the DHX air

I bought my Nomad with a Monarch and it's fine. It gives me a lightweight option. I'm going to invest in a coil shock for the Alps.

Try Bike Shed in Scissett ( giant )
or Lex's in Penistone ( lapiere, trek, cube, ibis , Gary Fisher )

Dothie valley get's my vote

It's in the middle of nowhere
It has a bitch of a climb to get to it
It has a sod of a climb out.

on a sunny day in November though… 20 minutes of the best singletrack ever
in a stunning secluded valley. I never tire of doing it.

Hi Alex
I've ridden my Hustler in Verbier and you will be fine on it. Fork, wheels, brakes and tyres will be fine too.

I would definately recommend

2 sets Spare brake pads ( organic preferably )
Change the brake fluid before you go and take a bleed kit
spare mech hanger
spare tubes
full finger gloves
cheap waterproofs you don't mind crashing in
"flat" pedals – i use the DX SPD's with the resin cage
minimum of knee and elbow armour.
make sure you can strap your armour to your pack for the climbs

things to consider
shorter stem than you would normally ride in UK ( i went down 20mm )
spare set of tyres – most spares are expensive in the Alps.
borrow some bigger rotors for the front and back if possible
sun creme, sunglasses , first aid kit and good insurance

Tips for Verbier
Take your passport when you buy your lift pass
lots of the best trails involve riding some up to get to them so your bike has to be a comprimise.
wear your armour when riding home after drinking when the lifts shut !

Joolsburger is right…. you'll love Verbier.

Pro IIs / Stans flow get the thumbs up from me

DT EX1750 even better with the lovely 240s hubs but pricey

Same experience as BadlyWiredDog. The DT RWS skewers are made of cheese !

You can get hollow steel QR's in 9 / 10 mm from superstar amongst others

Appologies for the hyjack aswell

Clink – YGM re the Ngear jump stop

Hi Shooterman

I've had one about 5 months. Bought on the back of the S.T mag reviews.

Best climbing bike i own. Much better my faux bar Cove Hustler which i bought it to replace

Its good at slow granny gear technical climbs as pedalling seem's to make the front of the bike rise up a bit. This makes it easy to get the front wheel up if going over a little rock.

Good too for out of the saddle climbing. lock the front fork, flick the propedal on on the RP23 and you get minimal bob from the rear.

Front end is low slung, bottom bracket is not too high either, you feel seated in the bike not on it which i like. Feels very cross country even with 150mm of travel at the front.

Downsides. Well it depends what you want it for. Despite its beefy 1.5 head tube it is really just a long travel trail bike at heart. Ideal for UK trail centres and pedal up ride down days out in the alps.

I tried it on lift assisted alpine days and it wasn't really man enough. ( I'm no Steve Peat a 2 foot drop off is my limit ) Had to retire it after a few days and with severe rear end wobble. Luckily the Cove stepped in save the day. Importers diagnosed a colapsed bearing but even now its fixed its not really stiff enough. Give the rear end of a built up one in a shop a waggle to see what i mean.

So probably best run in the shorter travel mode with a fork with 32mm stanchions. A good match with my Fox Talas 150 QR15's. I've abandoned plans to get a Fox 36 fork as i don't think the rear end is man enough

Blur LT is essentially the same bike but with less rear end flex. You could just about justify a pair of 36 stanchion air forks with this

Personally i think you need to move up to the likes of a Nomad with its beefy 160mm travel rear end to justify the 36's at the front

So horses for courses , Hope this helps

Hi FoxyChick

If its any help i’ve had a series of VW’s and i hope the following helps

My old Bay window air cooled camper was lovely and i still miss it. It was also slow, thirsty, cold ( heating is cr*p )and unreliable. Mind you it was 30+ years old so what do you expect. You really have to want one to consider buying.

The square angular shape ( often known as T25 ) like ChopperT’s make good campers as the engine under the boot gives good living space. Unfortunately the engines are still the weakest point the diesel especially so.

The T4’s are good. Front engined, these are much more car like to drive with power steering and some with air con. The 2.5 turbo diesel ( 102 BHP ) the pick. Long wheel base option makes a good camper. Expect 35+ MPG, cruise at the legal limit all day long.

T5, the current model. Evolution not revolution. Solid. Sound deadening much improved. The 130 BHP five cylinder model would be my pick.

Good luck