I'm sorry to hear that…

12 months ago i was made redundant from a job i had worked hard to get and i was devastated. So xmas with no job, spent the payout on rent, food etc and had a wedding to look forward to which i couldn't afford to pay for (but In-laws could!).

But a year on and i'm 4 months into a new job, have been given a big pay rise and have been singled out to work with our operations manager as a 2 man team introducing Solidworks 3D software into the company 😀

So things will get better even though it doesn't seem like it right now.

Don't waste too much energy on hating your employer….trust me it's a waste of time/energy/etc. Life is too short.

There are plenty of trails between South Bristol and the Mendips.

I know cos i ride them every week from my door!

erm….it won't burn and even if it does it;ll not give off much heat.

What you want is kiln dried hardwood (with about 5% moisture, if that) but then you'd have to work for a cabinet makers 😉

Having had a few sets of Fox 32 i'd say get Revs!

I dont rate Fox 32 forks at all, from a longevity point of view at least. Despite constant maintenance on the last 2 pairs i owned, stanchion wear still occured.

Just had a pair of Revs serviced after 4 months of hard use and they were fine, the same coudn't be said for some 32 Van R's i once had.

I think Fox 32's flex too much on the L/H leg due to braking forces, this and slacker tolerences in the bushings lead to pre-mature wear.

Just my opinions and experiences…..

Get the Revs….i got 09 dual airs for £320 back in August from Bikeoutlet in York.

They're great forks, easy to set up and have been trouble free. Took a week of Alpine descents in their stride!

Whilst the 5 is great, the only thing "AM" about it is the bloody fork and a double and bash chainset! otherwise it's just a great trail bike.

I love mine but would happily swap for a Spicy or a Tracer both of which are better bike IMO.

I didn't even know what mountain biking was when most of those pictures were taken, as for repack's one goes i wasn't born for another 2 years!!!!

One things for sure, everyone looks like they're having fun no matter what they were riding.

At 29 i'm glad to be towards the bottom of the age range but hope i'm still riding at 64!

I'd say if you're buying a complete kit then you may as well choose the braided option now as changing your mind later on will be more expensive and a pain.

The braided hose does make a difference but not a huge amount. Its certainly more durable and does look nicer IMO.

Jim – Try going to Endura directly. I did so when my first pair of 3/4 started to give a wet arse after about 6 months. I couldn't remember where i got them from but having sent them in i remembered.

Endura issued the shop a credit note, the shop refunded my credit card and i went and bought some more from CRC, BUT THESE STARTED LEAKING TOO!!!!

Somewhat randomly though, i recieved a parcel from Endura a few months ago….a brand new pair of 3/4 shorts! I sold them.

They're great when they worked but that didn't last long.

I'm with Backhander….

Grantway….try reading posts before typing 🙄 Look what i wrote.

I too own a 5 but am well aware of it's faults/negatives and don't expect everyone to share my opinions.

Seeing as you have a Heckler on that list, you should consider a Orange 5 also.

A supremely capable bike and incredibly versatile depending on how its built up. Abit of a marmite bike though.

Any good? YES.

Only bettered by X2!

Thats the trouble, i've only ever had cheaper posts that came with the bike.

I've not managed to break one yet so can't justify spending the extra cash when the cheaper posts have served me so well.

I would love to buy a Thomson/Hope but it won't make any difference to the ride but my wallet would be lighter i suppose 🙂

Orange 5 with 2.35 High Roller 2-ply Super tacky on the front and Minion DHF Maxxpro on the rear.

South Bristol, Mendips,Quantocks, Exmoor and South Wales are my normal trails.

Front tyre is abit heavy (unsurprisingly) but stupidly grippy on mud,rocks and roots. Minion is okay on the rear but not as good as i'd hoped TBH.

Both run ghetto tubeless too.

Get in contact with Hope…they replaced my broken XC hub despite the fact they no longer make them.

Druidh – it sounds as if you're implying that it's just like all other posts…if so then you better let all Thompson seatpost owners know the same 😉

I'd love either but can't justify/afford it when it does nothing better IMO than my EA30 post but costs alot more…..oh well.

What a surprise!!!…..i did the first two races but after the summers f-up (where we waited a week for the results to be posted) i decided my £30 would be better spent elsewhere.

I presume that they brought forward the Enduro finish to 1pm in order to correlate the times for the after race party/prize giving? It certainly wasn't 1pm for the races i did.

This is without a doubt a great concept but very poorly organised in this case. As above, the Avalanche series proves it works.

What a shame.

1500 miles???????????….mine lasted 3.5 months and maybe half that mileage, if that!

You got a good one.

I replaced mine with a Hope Ceramic BB, should last ALOT longer although that won't be hard.

You'll be lucky…for the last two races i've waited days for the results to be posted!

MrNutt – Who do you work for if you don't mind me asking?

I work as a technical designer for a bepoke fitted furniture manufacturer down here in the west country….Halstock Cabinet Makers nr Yeovil. We're involved in luxury/top of the range stuff in London (Russian billionaires etc!).

Nice to see some of you work in the same industry, makes a nice change from all the IT type stuff so many seem to be involved.

Most definitely hot….just about to take delivery of a bright orange Handjob with a nice build from a mate for bugger all as he's broke and i'm not!!!!

Can't wait to take it out…Loving your white hustler Kit…looking forward to owning a Cove as i've often drooled over a fetching white Handjob in my LBS!

Oh….not quite as big as i was hoping.

You get the picture though (no pun intended).

Our first Alps trip (Sept 2009)…..Best holiday ever!!!!

I find having a wife thats as bike obsessed as i am helps alot!

We have a full-sus and a road bike each and i've just added a hardtail to that collection….however they do have a shed to live in!!!

I'd say No.

I had 2007 32 Vanilla R's which i rebuilt with 15QR lowers and whilst they were abit stiffer than the old 9mm QR lowers i would have to say the difference wasn't massive IMO, and certainly not worth the trouble/cost.

However, i now run Rockshox Revelations (I sold the brand new, unridden Floats on my Orange 5 and bought 2009 Revs and an XT cassette) and these are so much stiffer and there's hardly any difference performance wise.

Spend that cash on something else!

Had Juicy 5 once, they were crap so bought 2007 Mini Monos which were great: Easy to bleed, never squealed and just worked.

Now running X2 on my Orange 5 which are the best brakes i've ever had: Plenty powerful enough (coped with a week of looooong downhills in France), easy to bleed (important if you like to that kind of thing) and the adjustments on the lever actually do something (which is useful to accomodate pad wear etc).

Never used XT though but have no reason to consider trying any other brake.

29 – Furniture Designer.

Not been with Joyriders but went with the White Room in September and going for 2 weeks next year…i think that says it all really.

Deluded – I know Phil well, been my LBS for 4 years although not so local now as the new BadAssBikes shop is technically more local!Nice bike BTW.

Zaskar – Mine/Mates is bright Orange BTW 😀

Glad to see i've chosen well…

Deluded….that looks identical to one i've seen many a time in my LBS, and always drooled over. It just looks right!

You wouldn't be Bristol based by chance?

My mates not sure what size it is though!…could be a 17.5 or 19.5.

At 5'10" a 17.5 would be fine but 19.5 too big or not?????

Oh well, its stupid cheap so we'll see.

Nice Ahwiles!!!

Timing issues on the last two Mash-ups is exactly why i won't be doing this weekends one!!

Nice bikes chaps….can't wait to get mine.

Having spent 4 out of 5 years of MTB on a full-sus i think my technique will have to change abit! But's thats kind of the point of getting one. Guess i feel like i'm getting abit bored of the magic carpet ride full-sus offers, i just don't need it for my local riding or smoother trails elsewhere.

Just need to decide on sticking with flat pedals or go with SPD's, which i use i on my road bike?????

Ridden up there lately????

I replaced the Deore cassette on my 5 before i even rode it.

Fitted an XT instead….

I asked the same thing a while back…..XT was what the majority recommended and thats what i chose.

Been fine since August…..

£40 from Merlin IIRC.

Brilliant….just what the trails need right now 🙄

I do…..something wrong with your brakes/fingers if you need to use two!

As you said, 1 spacer behind the drive-side cup is all you need.

Did this on my last 5 and will be doing so again soon on my new one!

No spacer will result in the chain catching the swingarm bearing cover cap.

Thanks.

Wasn't aware there was a limit on threads with the same topic 😉