How do people rate the Assegai in mud? It looks like the blocks are close together and would clog, but I haven’t tried one, so no real world experience.

The 2.6 Mary is great. Its much wider than the 2.35, and the knobs are wider spaced so doesn’t clog as easy. I’ve got the soft in Snakeskin. I’d like to try a supersoft, but I think they only do it in 2.35 SG.

My Shorty is Maxxterra 2.5 EXO. It sounds like the Maxxgrip DD is a much better bet for the roots and rocks.

Do locals/regulars still favour the shorty out front? I love it in mud, but find it a bit sketchy on wet roots and rock.
I’ve found the 2.6 Mary or 2.6 Hillbilly a good compromise between mud, roots and rock.

I test rode a Stage 5 and 6 a few years ago and bought a Stage 6 off the back of the demo.

I found the Stage 5 a better ride for normal trails, well balanced, fun and enough travel. Although the Stage 6 was marginally worse at climbing (slacker and more travel) it had much more in reserve on the descents and urged you more into going faster and acting more like a hooligan.

I’m 5ft8in and ended up on a large Stage 6 (previous geo, not the new one). The Stage 5 was a large as well, but it comes up a bit smaller than the Stage 6 (shorter reach, chainstays and wheelbase).

Not watched the video, but assuming that is a SRAM 10-52 cassette that is a huge jump up to the big sprocket! I think i would prefer either the SRAM 10-50 or the Shimano 10-51 due to closer ratios.

There is a lot of talk about wandering bite point issues with Shimano brakes.
Either I’ve been lucky or found a knack, but of the five sets of the modern generation of Shimano brakes I’ve either never had, or got rid of the issue fairly easily with a top bleed.

Put it this way, I’ve never been tempted to try another brake.

By the sound of your bike I would go Shimano, as they are undoubtedly more powerful than Hopes.

I’ve tried some Royal Racing mesh-type liner shorts which have a chamois. They are definitely cooler than proper lycra shorts and a good bet for shorter rides, but I want a better chamois for longer rides.

Sounds like the Endura Clickfast is a good bet. Is the chamois decent or just a cheap one?

I wouldn’t trust a HD to last too long on the rear in the Alps. Knobs are too small and likely to tear. MM a better bet on the rear and more versatile if it gets wet. I’ve run a MM on the rear in this country and don’t find it too draggy on the climbs.

Fox used to recommend a bit of the blue Float fluid in the air spring. Not sure if this is still the case.

Having used the Brand X, One-up and ZTTO levers I would go with the ZTTO every time. Easy to fit and pulls a lot of cable which helps with some posts.

Must be more popular now as they have gone up to £20 on eBay.

I’m in a similar position as about to do a lower leg service, change air spring and upgrade the damper to Charger 2.1. It looks like the Ultimate uses SKF wiper seals which are a fair bit dearer than the standard RS wiper seals (£27 compared to £15). Looks like you can buy just the SKF seals from TFT and bearing suppliers.

I had exactly this issue on the same model of forks. I did a couple of lower leg services, but it still remained. When I dropped the lowers again I tested each shaft independently and found the notchy-ness was from the air spring.

I greased and lubed the different elements of the air spring and it got better, but came back again after a while. I didn’t disassemble the air spring completely (didn’t have any threadlock to reassemble) so I think the friction is coming from the airspring seal that slides along the airspring shaft (the only one I didn’t disassemble).

Next time I strip down I’ll disassemble completely (also to fit the new debonair bits) which should hopefully sort it.

Freerider Pro’s are the same sizing between the men’s and women’s, just some different colours.

I have fairly slim/narrow feet and find them a good fit for me. I also personally like a fairly snug fit for flat pedal shoes as I think there’s not much point having grippy soles and spikey pins if you’re foot is going to move around in the shoe.

Like all shoes/trainers they will stretch a bit in use, so I wouldn’t be worried if they are snug but if they are pinching or hurting then they are too small.

Good question and something I toyed with, but the sell-off of the Gen 2 FlareMAX frames made me bite the bullet. I swapped over from a hardtail with the intention of using the FlareMAX for local rides where the trails are more fun and flowy rather than steep and techy.

I’m used to long, low and slack 29ers (including long chainstays), so the medium FlareMAX I have is a little shorter and steeper with less travel (but still relatively LLS for a short travel bike). I really like it so far. It isn’t as out and out fast and planted as a proper Enduro bike, but feels more nimble, easier to change line and with less travel forces you to take charge rather than just point and shoot. I think if it was any shorter or steeper then it would be a bit too twitchy and difficult to adjust between it and the ‘bigger bike’, so it works for me and my local stuff.

I test rode a RocketMAX from the factory a few months ago and was blown away by it’s ability to plough through stuff due to the geometry. If I lived in the Lakes or Tweed Valley it would be ideal, but I think the FlareMAX is probably more suitable and fun for most of my local trails.

Recently did a full strip of the linkages and bearings and all ok, so no added friction there. I will check the shock bushing itself.

chiefgrooveguru, yes I am used to riding longer travel bikes, but not by much. My other is 145 rear so only a relatively small difference.

As I’m just doing short loops on local trails I think I’ll do one of these shock fettling sessions that I usually can’t be bothered doing.

I had thought that, but it’s the initial and mid-stroke that I’m struggling with. I think the spring rate and progression is ok as I’m getting the right sag and using enough travel.

I’m not sure about the Gen 1. Mine is Gen 2 which either uses a 190×45 shock for 120mm travel or 190×50 for 132mm. As the only difference for the CC shock is an internal spacer I went 132.

I’ll have a look for that article. I do like the X2, but a lot of money new and the FlareMAX is only 190×50, so not many sold second hand. Might be more Cane Creek piggyback shocks out there.

Will let you know about the CC. Ideally I would like to get a good tune out of it.

Thanks for the advice. Will pop Cotic a line.

I’ve not run an inline shock for many years, so maybe I’m just used to the higher oil flowrates on larger shocks, such as the Fox X2 & Cane Creek DB air.

Good point on using lighter oil next time the shock is serviced.

If you’re running debonair Pikes then probably ok. The larger negative air chamber tends to give more sag anyway.

I’ve got a medium Flaremax and am 173cm, but reckon a large would be equally good.
Have ridden a Rocketmax and medium is perfect. They are a longer reach and wheelbase than the Flaremax.

Very tidy that!
Notice stem is slammed. How tall are you and what size is it? Wondering if head tube will be too tall for me.

I should have also added I’m considering a medium Cotic and small Taival as they are closest to what I ride currently.

It’s the 2 deg slacker seat tube on the Cotic that concerns me a bit but as I’m only 5ft8 I’m thinking shoving the saddle fwd on the rails may be ok.

Cheers for that. I noticed the long head tube on the Pole which the reach needs adjusting for. I also note that Cotic measure geometry as sagged so a small adjustment to be made there as well.

How is your Taival set up?

I reckon an update is due soon. Guessing it’ll be metric shock with a more progressive leverage rate and probably a degree slacker. They’ll also amend the cable routing a bit but unfortunately not go full external.

Yes, 34 compact and 32 cassette all the way. Essential to avoid being in the red too much on the climbs.

Like really the look of that. What size of dropper have you fitted? I fancy one, but think I might struggle to fit a 170mm dropper post on a medium at 5ft 8

Did it last year on the Fred for the first time, in very good conditions. Made sure I left a bit in the tank for it, and it wasn’t too bad. As people have said, soft pedal for the majority and then put the effort in on the steep corners.

I found some of the climbs on the Ronde Van Calderdale, albeit shorter, more challenging.

I’ve got one of the Clas Ohlson ones and find it useless. Takes ages to dry wet shoes. Newspaper is far better, quicker and cheaper.

I think the real reason for them is as ski boot warmers, not dryers.

Interested in a trip back to the US next year. I went to Colorado 11 years with a company, but would organise myself this time.

Any hint, tips, or recommendations about trails and logistics would be appreciated.

As for where next, how about Peru?

Did they do pressfit BB on the Zesty as far back as 2008?

Not sure, I don’t think so. Are you registered on the happymtb forum as you can PM me from there (orangeandy)?

If not, and you have a Swedish phone you can call me on 0722387287.

I have some rides logged on Strava and garminconnect if you want the GPX files, but to be honest you are better off going out on a group ride as most of the trails are easily missed and local knowledge is king.

Änggården is a good place for exploring without getting lost and has some really good technical steep descents.

If you’re after long groomed trails then you’re in the wrong place unfortunately. To find them in Sweden you need to head north to Åre, Järvso and the other bike parks, but they are so far away it’s quicker to get a flight to the Alps, Scotland or England (Åre is a 12 hour overnight sleeper train).

My advice would be to adapt to the terrain and riding here. It has definitely improved my technical riding living here and most people ride 140-160mm bikes (is that AM now?), so you’re not out of place.

If you’re keen on a ride Tues evening I can show you around some of the trails I know.

I’m a brit based in Gothenburg (but not for much longer). The group rides (Happyrides) run most weekday evenings (Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs). Mons and Weds are an easier tempo. Rides on weekends also.

Most start off from the same place, which is about 15 mins ride from the city centre.

The terrain is much more slow speed and technical than I was used to in the UK, which comes from the natural (non groomed) trails. Also, there’s not a lot of height to play with, think short steep climbs and descents. I lasted about 2 weeks before buying a dropper post.

Conditions are perfect at the moment, so make the most of it before it gets very wet and dark.

Also there for a wedding next weekend and planning on Snowdon if the weather’s ok (the ban is still in place so will be after 5pm). If not then will do either Penmachno or Marin trail (for old times sake).

Interested in building one of these as moving house in a couple of weeks.

wonkey donkey/willard, is there any chance you could email your plans to me (andrew_t_perryATtiscaliDOTco.uk). Would be much appreciated!

Good news GSuperstar!

Are there any discounts available? I notice on the main suppliers websites that Orange are usually exempt from the usual sales, but has anyone had any joy?

Forgot to say, I also take the rear mech and chain off. I reckon it would be ok as there is plenty of clearance, but it’s such a quick job I figured better not to take the chance.

Used mine quite a lot. They are good bags, but not perfect, so I do a few things different to the instructions.

I usually put pipe lagging and knee pads around the fork stanchions.

They also say in the instructions to keep the brake discs on, but I’ve never had the confidence to do this, so I took them off and they fit nicely into the internal pocket.

Also, I loosen the brake and shift levers slightly and stuff them in jiffy bags as the higher ones seem a bit exposed (I took them off completely one time just to be sure).

After a few uses the plastic pipes that are used to stiffen the wheel compartments have split in a couple of places, which shows they have seen some abuse, so the tyres are always left fully inflated (despite what check-in staff say).

As it weighs next to nothing I also use a fair bit of bubble wrap in the bag, more to hide the helmet and camelbak I have hidden in there than any additional protection it gives.

Enjoy your hols!