They fit my Trek 1.5 with 25mm Bontrager tyres on….

And I can vouch for the spares replacement – somehow the section of the blade itself that bolts to the strut managed to snap. On reflection I'll admit it may have been more to do with toe overlap turning a corner than poor product.

Anyhow, I sent the old blade back and received a full new set by return, no questions. They even rang me to tell me a replacement was on the way. Excellent customer service!!

I undid both the rebound adjuster (same leg as motion control) and the lock nut holding the negative air valve (other leg). I tapped this negative air schraeder valve until it moved upwards in the stanchion. I then pushed it up out of the stanchion (crown top cap hole) using a piece of rod. Out came a piston rod assembly with a load of grease on it.

The spacer dropped off the bottom of the rod and then I pushed the whole lot gently back in and compressed the forks until the scraeder valve was through the hole in the bottom of the leg and I could put the lock nut back on to keep it all together.

I think someone said on here it was possible to swap the spacer(s) out without taking the lowers apart from the uppers. I hope this is what I've achieved?

So I should now just be able to fill up the rebound chamber with 5wt oil now or I couuld I have damaged the contents of the air chamber leg?

Ok, so I'm confused the Reba service instructions (albeit for 2006 on the SRAM website rather than 2009?) mention 5 wt suspension oil and 15 wt suspension oil.

I lost some oil out of the legs when I took the spacer out. Mainly out of the top (top caps removed from the crown) I think. I never got the lowers apart from the uppers completely but I got the piston assembly out of the air chamber leg to remove the space, and also removed the rebound adjuster so I'm guessing I will have lost some oil out of the bottom too?

What does putting oil in the lower leg do?

Do I really need both a bottle of 5 wt and a bottle of 15wt??

No real hurry, I thought it might not be until they start coming on 2010 full bikes that they'll be about separately.

Thanks guys, I managed to get to the gubbins I wanted – I wanted to see if the travel could be upped from 100mm to 120mm without someone coming along and saying "don't be silly, not on quick release Reba's".

A spacer fell off the piston rod in the air chamber so it seems I've just converted my 100mm Reba Race to 120mm. Result!

My Dryline shorts must be at least two years old. The taped seams are starting to peel but the fabric itself is still fine appart from a small rip when I crashed.

The Reba's are £445 on ebay.

I'm really looking to lower the front end a smidge and the Magura Durins would also say some weight. Guess I should compare the axle to crown length primarily.

I thought the PA was over 5lb and the Pace closer to 4lb?

They're fine at trail centres regardless of the conditions – its only really mud thats a problem. Wet rocks or gravel or damp grass isn't too much of a problem, its when the fine tread packs up with mud.

They're large and light for their size too.

I've used SB8 in the dry and mud and they were superb. I've never tried a bigger treaded cross tyre though. I think the narrow width of cross tyres cuts through the gunk regardless of tread pattern. Cheap too compared to Schwalbe.

I've normally just well padded around the calipers (a short piece of pipe lagging or some rags. Put something between the pads and zip tie it in so that it can't fall out. Never removed my disc rotors before but have ended up with slightly bent discs. Nothing catastrophic or worse than happens when they get bent riding but they now rub slightly. I'd probably remove them from the wheels completely next time.

I also found a section of cardboard box cut appropriately to fit round both rear drop outs works quite well (obviously with a spacer between the stays still!) on a soft bike bag for a bit of extra crush resistance.

Have you had other disc brakes before to compare against? Clearance is always minimal, even with the SLX I have which claim to have more it can only be fractions of a millimetre. If they're spinning freely then that sounds good to me. Hayes usually have a very immediate bite so I wouldn't think the clearance would be that much.

You won't notice them binding under load whilst riding. It would probably only be flex between the hub and the fork causing the disc to move sideways in relation to the caliper. And that sort of flex should be pretty minimal. And then the disc will flex as it contacts the pad and so you won't notice.

I think it was the 'tit for tat' comments she picked up on, not people having a different opinion.

I didn't mean to offend, Cynical, but it sounded like you were annoyed people went to the pub rather than fussing round whoever had injured themselves.

I thought the limit on bike2work was £1000?

Went to Riviera last year and TrailAddiction the year before. Both were excellent, but Riviera edged it for the more natural untouched trails and they probably felt longer descents. Fast and furious riding. I don't think we did the most technical stuff out there but it was the most fun riding I've done.

Why do people get upset if someone doesn't like their bike or component choice? Unless its badly maintained and you're getting slated for poor maintenance then just accept, not everyone will love your bike as much as you do ;-) And just cos Ray didn't hold your hand…(well, why do people post these semi-mysterious comments without being prepared to tell the whole story???)

And my girlfriend has just looked over my shoulder, read the posts and gone "oh my god, its more bitchy than a bunch of women"….

I had a Giant with a short head tube and very deep drops. At the same time it felt too stretched and long. It was horrible and I didn't enjoy riding it and in the end sold it.

Got a Trek now, a size up, longer head tube and it fits better all round. Comfier and compared to the cross bike its not that upright even then. Getting a good fit on a road bike is probably more important than an mtb, because you spend so much time in the same position.

I don't notice it being particularly upright and I do actually want to go riding on this one!

They looked good at the bike show last weekend – better than in the photos. Some of them had nicer paint jobs than the ones shown tho'

I swapped my Juicy 7s for SLX and been very impressed. The Juicys needed bleeding a lot, pad change was often difficult. They were good when new but after two years felt sloppy and worn.

The servo wave on the SLX is very good, seems you get more power (non-linear) as the lever comes towards the bar. Superb so far but don't know about durability. Bleeding only needs a bit of tube and a polythene bag and is dead easy, plus mineral oil isn't so nasty to work with.

Presumably the folded sheet metal down tube started when hydroforming was uncommon if not unheard of? It was a distinctive look that achieved the required level of strength for the intended use of the bike, back whenever it was first conceived.

The frame has been refined over the years and presumably Orange could swap to a hydroformed or more swoopy down tube but then they would lose the whole distinctive look that makes the Orange 5 identifiable.

Like Trailmonkey said, pick the bike that suits the terrain you're riding on.

The Boardman or even a Trance X5 are good exceptions to the sub-£1000 full suss. I bought a £700 Scott G-Zero 9 years ago and never looked back. Both the X5 or the Boardman have decent forks (some hardtails are still coming with low rent RS Tora forks at that kind of price) and reasonable kit. With not too much if any a weight penalty over a hardtail at this price, fitting fast rolling tyres and pumping the suspension up harder will be enough to make it feel fine on easy terrain and will allow you to progress when you get to more tricky trails.

Equally, if you're just starting out and see a hardtail as the way to go, don't get drawn in by over built play bikes or all mountain. They will be way over built for what you need and likely heavier than the full suss options.

Too many people on here seem to see owning a hardtail first as a rite of passage!!?

Fettling the shock on a full suss like the Boardman won't be that difficult, just a matter of trying different air pressures.

The Boardman is sub 30lb so it won't feel like a total pig uphill and it will help you keep up with more experienced bikers downhill. There's a bit of a stigma about low priced full suss but I think the Boardman bucks the trend and is excellent value. Its a fairly standard Horst link affair and the same frame as the more expensive models so well worthy of a bit of upgrading.

That's what I'd buy. People on this forum like their hardtails ;-)

What are those thumb shifters beefy?

I'm 5' 10 and have a 56. I would imagine you'd be a bigger frame size.

Should be able to get as good or better a setup using LED's for that much money. I had one, must have had a dodgy connection cos it kept cutting out randomly over bumps. Its worrying the way they pulse as they start up too, they seem quite fragile.

Since I've had a Niteflux Photon Max, converted Lumicycle to LED, Airbike SL1, Fenix torches, Hope Vision 1 and now a Hope Vision 4…all of which gave better more usable light. The Airbike is £137 from On-One, or try one of the new Luu ones?

The £50 P7 bike light looks a bargain if you accept it might not be the best build quality. Or if you want something with a better reputation, then two Hope Vision 1's or a Hope Vision 2 for only slightly more than the HID.

I thought the Spark is 110mm rear travel, which is closer to 4" than 5"??

It seemed to me that the handover area was smaller than previous years – never had a problem finding a spot to prop my bike before in previous years. Generators are unavoidable at these things – its a night time bike race, most people will be up all night whether riding solo or in a team so you don't go if you're expecting to get some sleep? I can understand it more for a 24hr race though.

According to the website…

"The course covers more than 11 miles of fire roads and flowing singletrack twining through the trees."

I think the clue is "for not too much £"….Argos are pretty pricey compared to a local powder coaters….

Perhaps try a silicon spray which is inert and shouldn't affect any seals or try some of the actual brake fluid on the pivots?

I went last year, can only agree the guiding and riding, the weather, the food was all spot on!

Wanted to go back this year but didn't have the money. If only the exchange rate would improve!

I'm sure an expert will be along shortly, but from what I understand most manufacturers give the theoretical maximum output of the LED. There will be variations in manufacturing meaning you might not get the quoted figure and also the quality of the lens or reflector will affect the actual light you see. The colour of the light emitted and your own eyesight can also affect what you personally perceive to be brighter.

Question is does it matter if its quoted at 900, 600, 400 lumens or whatever if its bright enough for what you want?

You'll get the biggest change per tooth by changing the rear cog first. Do they do a 20 or 22t freewheel?

Coupled with a 38t chainring would be enough I would have thought, but it will spin out.

You may as well get a singlespeed mtb if you're going to drop the gearing that much, because the whole idea is that a cross is faster on easy sections. If you loose the speed element of the cross then you may as well have risers, disc brakes etc etc.

I love my singlecross, with 42×16 but I won't deny it really hurts.

I have Sora shifters on my Trek and they're fine. Agreed, it is difficult to shift when in the drops but unless you're racing does it really matter?

Like mtb shifters, they'll feel platicky compared to the upmarket ones, but they work.

Forks don't bob that much if you climb steadily, and on a bike like the Pitch I'd have thought thats what you'd be doing.

Sort the shock on warranty, people automatically assume a Fox will be massively better.

Lighter wheels will make the biggest difference, something like Stans Flow rims? Or even just lighter/less draggy tyres? Depends what tyres are on it now?

What's the usual delivery time from Dealextreme? Its unlikely to arrive before Dusk Til Dawn in a couple of weekends time I guess?

I don't 'need' any new lights but that headlamp does look tempting.

Doesn't the website just say to brush your chain if really you want to clean it, other than that just apply on top?

I normally reapply after a wet ride or every two or three dry rides if its dry then when I remember.

I agree seems good stuff, have used it for three months or so.

Sorry, not meaning to hijack the post ;-)….just that there was a LUU light pictured in WMB and then the review actually said Lumicycle….???

I like the look of the Niterider Minewt USB tested in WMB but 110 lumens does not sound very much regardless of 'the actual light output' rather than rated lumens???

I already have a Fenix 180 lumen torch so would a Minewt be a waste of time other than the convenience of a USB charge facility and a specific helmet mount??

I was going to say, I had a High Roller 2.35 and it came in at 700g, so not exactly heavy for 2.35???