The sealing on modern day forks is crap because the travel has gone up and weight come down at the expense of durability! Service intervals of 15 hours are ridiculous and negate any warranty issues for the manufacturer.

I have had dirt get past the seal on my lyrics on one ride and mark the legs. And when I sent them back they said that they hadn’t serviced them enough (*cough* **** off). I guess once every two weeks isn’t enough!

Annoyingly, all the manufacturers are the same so I can’t just boycott Rock Shox

I’ve done two 24hr events, one at Eastnor and one at an earlier mayhem venue, think it was trentham gardens? anyway, what i like would be a mixture of both. eastnor was a good track that had a bit of everything, the kenda climg knackered the legs but wasn’t impossible. The only problem with the eastnor track was that it was tacky, as in a bit slow. Yes I know the Scott boys did 38min laps but i’m only human.

It needs a good few bits of singletrack, steady climbs and interesting but not overly technical descents. I say this as when its getting towards the end of the race your shattered and mistakes happen easily.

But the most important thing for me is to try and get something on an all weather venue? something likle a trail centre type covering? At least then the weather would have a smaller effect. Eastnor was good this year but everyone was sleeping in fear that it would be the mub bath its once been.

Distance wise I think about 10 miles is about perfect and height gain I have no idea, i think that relative to the severity of the climbs, i prefer interesting forest climbs that aren’t massively steep and you can just grind away on, like the second climb at Eastnor to the tower thing and the dodgy descent. 😀

which they are ALL getting wrong though?!

seems to be a wide variety of prces too?

yes they are all poo, the warranties are a joke and service intervals a p**s take

we should be ther for around 9:30. I’ll be be on my ransom with my mate on a bright green meta 5 and a lad on a heckler

I have a set of 2 steps, after a just a year dirt has got past the seal and marked the legs, this despite the fact that they have been serviced extremely regularly. Really good forks, just the sealing isn’t the best and they’re labour intensive (i’m actually servicing mine as we speak after the mountain mayhem last weekend!).

colin armstrongs! i remember that shop! used to ride over every saturday to look at the mint trek’s and gary fisher’s! 94 95 nice. Bikescene have always been an excellent shop, just a little pricey

I have been put off by a number of shops in my area, one shop after another showed poor knowledge, bad attitudes and poor workmanship. Until recently i’d given up to going into shops at all! but I gave another shop a chance to not only be more reasonable on price but give me the right advice and finally i’ve got a LBS again! Ride-On in Rawtenstall have been excellent.

I’ve posted on here before about poor shops, because like some of the people posting above i’ve WANTED to spend money with them and build a relationship up as i know how valuable it can be. I worked and ran cycles shops for a total of 8 years so i know how hard it can be both sides of the counter but i think sometimes shops make money inspite of themselves, i know a couple of big shops near me do!

I’ve had both hope’s and shimano’s and to be honest they are both very good. The old M4’s i’ve had have been brilliant and the mini’s have suited what i used them for, but, i’m afraid the new saints i’ve got are a class apart. Much more power, easier to get parts, lovely feel just generally a fantastic brake!

Whichever one you get you’ll be pleased with, but i’d get the new saints. (I got mine from ride-on in Rawtenstall, really helped me out, but merlin are doing an awesome deal too).

Hope this helps

aw would have fancied that as well! listen keep me informed of anything like that again and i’ll come along!

can’t find one of me on there, gutted ha ha

http://www.brownbacksracing.co.uk

good call simon!

maybe a little longer for me like 😉

Not long, they’re only about 8 miles each so 40-60 minutes each? good fun though!

ALL MY CYCLING GEAR, 4 jackets and an unbelieveable amount of socks, bit of food, few beers, tent and bike 😆

best summer of your life pal! enjoy it

can’t believe somebody has came on here and said its going to be sunny, that and the fact one of our team has bought some oakleys too, bound to rain now 😉

I think the break will give hime time to take stock and get his life back on track, most of all get his depression under control. undoubtably a talented rider, but how often have we seen talented sportsman in other sports waste their gift through being reckless/stupid of whatever?

At the very least he’s an example to up and coming riders of how not to do it?

not meant to handle heat well and fade when hot

where are you based jedi? i did a mias course in bolton/rivington a couple of weeks ago

That descent is fantastic, did that MBR loop a while ago really enjoyed it.

Sanny its very much a case of manners just as you say, and your right in that there’s give and take. But i’ve seen this going on for a while. I was riding round coed y brennin’s beast trail and some riders were at the side of the trail repairing their bike, so as I was riding by I just asked if they were alright and if they had all the nessersary tools? they looked at me so strangely?

Attitudes on natural trails are so diiferent. I love trail centres I really do, but talking to people at them is vastly different to the people you meet on natural trails. Last time I did garburn pass a few months a go had a mint chat with a guy at the top, something i’ve seen lacking at the past few times i’ve done trail centres. I’m sure there are people on here who’ll disagree, this is just something i’ve seen 😐

i have the new saints and i think they’re awesome, truely awesome. i wouldn’t consider any other brake. i’m the same, i wanted hope but i’ve had numerous problems with them in the past, and speaking to people on here, i chose shimano. shimano are leading the way with brakes at the mo i think, the new xt’s are excellent also.

This isn’t specific to glentress, i’m afraid its creeping into the sport more and more, its maybe magnified at GT due to the sheer no of people that visit. i’ve had ‘issues’ with people at Llandegla too.

Awesome bikes and I love the fact that they just did it as a technical excercise, added a bit of pantomine to the DH circuit to. Whatever people may think of them they proved quite sucsessful.

xherbivorex what time you going up, i may have a doo up, i’ve got some stuff that needs doing but i might be able to get up

idiot comments? eh? casting an opinion through usage is now classified as idiot comments? all right mate

i have the kyle strait slim ones and they’re not bad? best of a bad bunch. i only say that becasuse whatever you get restrict your movement and make you get too hot, its a compromise you have have to accept i’m affraid. i bought some and couldn’t put up with it, went back old skool ha ha

Hats off to craig simpson, really helped me out my maverick problems, recomended for maverick service issues!

me and a mate of mine would be interested in aug? we are going to the alps in July 😉

didn’t mean for 2010, logical to think they’re looking at it though isn’t it? i know the carbon meta 5 was in development for a number of years though

wonder if they’ll do a carbon meta 6?

i’m taking it easy this weekend and i’m going to sort all my gear out for the mountain mayhem (camping gear/bike stuff). Reckon i’ll go for a 5-10k run saturday and sunday to keep things ticking over though

there about a tenner, Junkyard i’ve emailed you

Junkyard that would great, any help would be appreciated, have you got one?

Craig Simpson YGM

i hope so

no worries