Thats a permissive bridleway no?

and i quote from MBR….."Out back, Sunn's unique elevated single-pivot suspension design takes its inspiration from the old Radical DH bike, where the shock is actuated by a series of links connecting it to the swingarm at the rear drop-outs".

I'm no expert although i did come to the conclusion that all the pivots and almost inaccesible nature of the shock meant it wasn't a good choice for UK grit and mud.

Sunn Kern review on Bikeradar

Opinion seems to be..good up/not so good down but with the slacker angles of the Lyrik forked model i wouldn't thought that is such a problem.

MBR review in the Trail Bike of the Year was more positive. I'd say it's a good choice for a hire fleet. Abit different, single pivot (linkage) and decent kit too. I actually considered one of these to replace my Orange 5 but decided that Lyriks were too much for nearly all my riding and they were abit of an unknown at the time.

Ashton Court/Leigh Woods on Saturday.

Mendips on sunday morning/World Cup DH on Feecaster in the afternoon.

As long there are no wheel shaped children around then there won't be problem!

Seriously SOOBalias…it's a 6 month old COLLIE pup! I tihnk you might need the muzzle 😛 They take a hell of alot of training you know. If you've never grown up with or owned dogs then fair enough but attacking a wheel is a touch different to a child!!!!

My 4 year old staffy/jack russell cross would never bite a child but she'll try and bite my feet when pedalling along!

I'd suggest that none of the above routes take in the best riding in Mendips 😉

The most obvious but not the best…..

Handjob owner here…..get one, they're great fun.

I don't really have that much previous experience of hardtails other than my first year riding. Bought a Handjob off a mate and absolutly love it. Also have a Zesty and love switching between the two.

Handjob has a surprisingly (for me!) forgiving ride and is light too.

I have no experience of a P7 but i think the Handjob looks better!

Thanks for your thoughts…got anything positive to add?

Looking at that JPG image of Penmachno it would appear you can join Loop 2 at around the halfway point by climbing up into the forest on a fire road from Fairy Glen.

My Orange 5 came with a Fox pump but neither of my previous Marins did or my current Lapierre.

Tails….here's my thoughts.

I was made redundant from my role as Designer for a high end fitted furniture manufacturer (think prime London real estate) in Dec 2008. I was umemployed for 6 months but eventually found a job doing virtually the same thing for a rival company. I was earning £5k more a year but it involved a 106 mile round trip everyday! Instead of the 8 mile bike ride before! That, coupled with the death of my wifes and my own grandmother on the same night in January and the death of my wifes business partner in April meant i had alot to deal with. After 10 months they dismissed me for alledged poor performance. I don't entirely disagree with them on that but they certainly didn't communicate to me their concerns or worries and they certainly didn't follow correct procedure in my dismissal….but, as i've found out, i'm screwed as i served les than 12 months with them. I was lucky to get a months paid notice (we'll see at the end of the month if that happens!).

My point is this…Leave before any resentment consumes you. That's what happened to me and once the rot sets in you're buggered. The annoying thing is that i had already decided to leave and had started to look for a job nearer home but the bastards pre-empted me and that is a far worse situation to be in.

I'm now at a crossroads in my life with no idea where to turn 😐

Can i recommend the new Gamut dual ring device instead?

Quieter, lighter and looks nicer (cos thats the main thing!).

Yes…bashguard should bolt straight on.

Superstar Nano-tech on both bikes here…..superb with 5.10's.

EDIT: Shimano DX are pooh…too thick and you can't replace the pins, they just bend and/or snap off. Make sure you get pedals that have pins removeable from underneath!

I went for 2.25 Crossmark on the rear and 2.35 ignitor on the front for my UST wheelset.

A superb combo so far although it's relatively early days. Havn't ridden in proper muddy conditions only a very wet Whites Level and July Trail.

We just took a load of spare brake pads…which we didn't even need!

I didn't once think a full-face was neccesary and we just used armour we already had (Knees and arm/elbows).

The week was amazing and i truly felt i pushed myself everyday in regards to riding more technical stuff than i ever had before.

I've had exactly the same email regarding my Zesty items.

How do they know it'll take no more than 7 days when the distributor don't even have stock!

Hora…Afan centre is the best place to park. Cost is a couple of quid and more people are around than the other free car park. Plus there is the cafe there too….although not as good as The Drop-off.

It's laughable that people who drive a fair distance, to ride bikes worth ££££'s then try to save a couple of quid!!!!!!!

Simonb512…Only Penhydd is closed AFAIK.

The car park in question being the one you cycle straight past if doing the 'proper' Wall trail i.e: using the railway cycle path 🙄 Yeah it's a real secret…..

Anyway, you don't have to that long stretch of cycle path along one side of the river and then past the end of the Wall descent.

After doing the first section of singletrack behind the Afan centre, go under the road bridge but don't turn left, turn right and take the steep path down to the river, up the other side and hey presto…you've cut a decent section of boring cycle path out! The remaining cycle path is then a decent warm-up before the climb starts.

Look….

I placed an order with them last Thursday for a chainstay protector and a mech hanger for my Zesty.

Had an email late on Friday to say said weren't in stock and would be coming from the distributor within 7 days. I checked Hotlines and both items i ordered are out of stock so god knows when i'll get the items i ordered.

One spacer behind the drive side cup is all that is required.

Anything bigger than a 32 chainring without said spacer results in the chain catching the bearing cover cap and the swingarm when changing down.

That was my experience from a 2007 5 at least.

Were there many entries this year? I had heard numbers were down this year?

I spent an hour and half walking the dog on Blackdown and saw no more then 10 riders?? I hiked up the side of East Twin Brook, up to Beacon Batch and down to Ellick House…saw barely anyone!

Still, at the least the weather was alright for you lot…the trails were in great shape for yesterdays ride.

I'm approx 5'9" with a 32" leg….i ride an 17.5 with a 90mm stem and the fit is bang on.

Doethie Valley in Wales?

Not exactly a non-stop descent (i.e: The odd bit of up) but certainly not heavy on the brakes either.

7km of non-stop proper singletrack in total isolation.

Well done Shaggmiester…….You've resorted to rudeness instead of making an adult response.

I asked a simple guestion and that's the response i get?

It is this very reason i get so fed-up with people like you…..i give my response in regards to a bike i owned and my experiences….what is about 5's hey???????

I was definitely a grinder….i found the suspension became 'over-active' (i think!) when pedalling in the granny ring. It was best in the middle ring IME.

These sorts of single pivots don't seem to pedal at all well in the granny ring.

….i have a Handjob and a Zesty. I love riding one then the other as they're both great at different things, also just depends on my mood too sometimes.

Both are similar build wise, XT drivetrain, Fox forks etc……

Better technique might be not using the granny ring (i rarely used the granny rings on mine as it pedalled horribly), dropping your elbows abit and moving further forward on the saddle to counter-act the relatively slack angles??

Depends on the build of the bike as well; too many variables……

Orange 5 to SS hardtail is a pretty big difference though.

I've had two Orange 5's: a 2007 and a 2009. Both climbed well but i always used the Propedal in its maximum setting to help prop the bike up and keep the angles steeper.

Sounds like you need better technique and stronger legs perhaps……

Shaggmiester….so only 'XC' bikes are good climbers hey?? Not sure how you worked that one out.

EDIT: It will feel sluggish compared to your hardtail. My handjob climbs superbly, feels far quicker than any full-sus i've owned.

We took our bikes abroad for the first time last year. We rented a couple of bags from our LBS (can't justify buying our own for just a week a year).

We were pretty cautious. Removed mech/hanger and wrapped/tied into rear triangle, removed calipers and wrapped/tied out the way, removed discs + put in suitcase and removed pedals plus all the usual things you're supposed to do.

Everything was fine, there and back.

Try here…..

and here……

Dirtynap…..They have lever reach adjustment. My old X2 had reach/bite adjustment which i did use but i'm not missing it on my RX1 at all. I've set them up for one finger braking and they are perfect in feel.

Didzy2009…as above. Try UK Bike Store or Evans. Formula brake do not come complete with rotors and mounts, they have to be bought seperatly as a rotor and mount package. UK Bike Store displays clearly what is needed.

Bimbler…..I bought the RX from Evans in Bristol for £315.

That was for front and rear sets, 180 and 160 rotors with mounts and a bleed kit (which we both need as 2 of the 3 brakes we run are Formula).

UK Bike Store is a fraction cheaper but if you ring Evans directly, they'll price match. I didn't bother as Evans had them in stock when i walked in and it would have only saved about £20. My impatience won the day!

In any other instance, giving you an older frame wouln't be on but as you stated they havn't changed the frame between 3 model years so they aren't really giving you an older frame.

Let see what they actually give you first……

I just fitted a set of black RX to my wifes 575 for her birthday. I've also been really impressed by the RX1 brakes on my Zesty.

They have far more power than the Hope X2's on my old Orange 5 and, more importantly to me, far far better modulation. We havn't had our brakes that long so can't comment on their long term performance but we'll be using them on the same trails we rode (on our old brakes) last year in the Alps, so that'll be a great opportunity for some comparisons.

The Zesty has 180mm rotors front/rear and my wife has 180mm front/160mm rear. She loves them compared to the old Hope Mini Mono's she used to use.

We had a slight problem after we had cut the hoses down. After 1 ride, the levers pulled to the bar despite a bleed through. After a call to Toby at Propel, we gave them another bleed but following his tips.

1. Lie the bike on it's side, so that the lever grub screw is facing upwards, and attach a half full syringe to the lever.

2. Give the syringe a squeeze and then a gentle pull. This will cause a vacuum that will pull the last remaining air from the system.

Needless to say…it worked a charm and the brakes have been fine since.

We are both amazed at the general solid feel of them, the hoses seem really good with little sign of expansion and they just seem to ooze quality.

Used to love Hope (and still run 2007 Mono Mini's on my Handjob) but they feel abit crap compared to the Formula's we now use.

It's worth mentioning that Propel are considering writing their own bleed instructions for the RX/R1 brakes as Formula include instructions in the box for brakes they no longer make!!! Having said that, Propel were more than happy to chat and give advice.

HTH

i'm lost….if the 2006-2008 are identical apart from the paint/decals then how is recieving a NEW frame a downgrade?

Your frame broke and they replaced with a new one….thats the point of a warranty isn't?

Mendips on Saturday, if i can be arsed!

A few laps of Cwm Rheader on Sunday.

I used to run a 2006 Wolf Ridge with the same travel adjust feature.

I used to set the sag at approx. 20% in the 4 inch setting (this gave it a nice 'platform' for climbing), when placed into the 6 inch setting it was then really plush. It would only bottom out occasionally in the 6 inch setting.

EDIT: I was under the impression that you were supposed to set it up in the shorter travel setting as the adjustment feature was intended as 'on the fly' change to suit ascending and descending. At least thats what i did and it worked well. Short=Steep angles/shorter wheelbase and Long=Slacker angles/longer wheelbase.

ANOTHER EDIT!: How come you have an RP23? My 2006 had a RP3 and my 2007 an RP23. If you bought the shock, it may need re-valving to suit the bike???

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The Green/Blue trails are well worth doing IMO. The Blue descent allows you to get some serious speed going and is superb.

Also, we always use the Blue climb when doing the Raven trail as it's more gradual. You just turn left at the top instead of right, and you'll meet up with the Raven trail again, having missed out a very steep, longish climb.

That was amazing!!! I didn't even know what mountain biking was in 1993!

I'm not convinced i'd go that fast on those trails with my full-sus let alone a virtually rigid hardtail! They must have been knackered by the bottom.