see also the Privateer article on bespoke frame builders.

fine – bb7 road version though.

I have all the editions of Privateer and really enjoy the read – i.e. last edn had good artice re frame geometry and an earlier article on Titianium as a frame material etc. All good stuff. tbh I havn’t bought STW for quite a while now as all it contains is filler, endless dull group tests on stuff I’m never going to buy and no interesting essay type articles anymore. But that my opinion.

Anyone with an EWR OWB! There’s niche for you!

thanks Rik, def not now road focused!

I’ll try and get a picture of my Gryphon up when I can work out how. I had Rik’s frame. Built up as 1×10 (11/36) as it pretty hilly here, S. Wales, and built on the robust side i.e American Classic All Mountain wheels etc so more mtb rather than cross. Much better on the rocky stuff than I expected and flies around stuff like the Gorlech red at Brechfa, even the final descent – goes around the berms like its on rails. The drops (Luxey bars)are way more comfy and you are defintly ‘locked’ into the drops when on the descents. I’m off to do the Gap in the Beacons at the w/e which is kind of the type of route I had in mind when I built it so we’ll see how we get on.

wow – i have a first edition ‘on the heights’ by walter bonatti on my bookshelf. £500 odd on the above site. happy days!

have a look on some of the mountaineering s/h book sellers’ web sites – some older books go for well into the hundreds.

Conti Race Kings in 2.2 – come up quite big, roll really well and are usually quite cheap. Have these on my fully ridgid (Gryphon)

no, as a solicitor you have to have your details lodged with the uk border agency or some such gov’t department (apostillate) and not all solicitors are notaries – a separate qualification.

the last edition of Privateer has a goog article on frame layout etc, pt 2 next issue.

hmm, shame your budget it so limited.

Remember its not a war. Come ride with me for a day – i’m crap, you’ll feel like a mountaingbiking god!!

where’s that hugor – looks like brecon beacons.

same forks same problem here. were working ok but just replaced with 120mm F120 RLCs second hand as new from here for the cost of repairing old forks – spares or repiar i would say.

I would say Brecon on first impessions but in reality it is the Royston Vaysey of Wales!

What no Swansea – afan, brechfa, brecon beacons, black mountain etc.

used them a few times with no problems – i think the fitters are self employed so its a bit hit and miss as i guess the fitters vary

mark – 9 speed med cage xt rear mech works just fine. found out the hard / expensive way the whole 10 speed mtb / road thing

I have just built a Gryphon in the last month and am dead chuffed to date.

Couple of days on the singletrack at Brechfa last week including the red trail (goes round the berms like its on rails and much more nimble than I was expecting) as well as long forest road / bridleway expeditions.

build spec:

Gryphon large frame;
American Classic All Mountain 29er wheels with (tubed) Conti 2.2 Race Kings;
Middleburn R7 cranks with Uno 32 chainring up front and 11/36 outback (1×10)with XT rear mech;
STI 105 levers / shifters with BB7s;
Ragley Luxey bars with Planet X stem and seat post etc.

Did I say I was well chuffed!

The Kite Runner and / or A Thousand Splendid Suns both by Khaled Hosseini.

it has been hacking down seemingly non stop for the last week or more in S. Wales apart from a few short hours the middle of the week!! I can’t remember what the sun looks like.

red blue and green routes linked at Brechfa yesterday on new Gryphon build,

I use a Middleburn Uno on both 1×9 and 1×10 set up – works fine.

‘On any Sunday’ – great US motorcycle film / documentary from the 1960s that has Steve McQueen in it aswell.

Red in the current wetnes.

anyone

kinesis decade virsa (ht)

Having done this in both summer and winter several times i cant think what hauling a bike around it would add. Some hills are better enjoyed/experienced on foot.

Spin around red route at Brechfa on newly built up Gryphon – happy days.

1×10 11/36 outback with Middleburn Uno 32 up front. XT medium cage rear mech. On Singular Gryphon.

anyone?

I’m not sure whats in it but the veg chilli at the Lakeland Pedler in Keswick is ace.

rob – i might be interested in the maguras if james isn’t.

Just finished building a Singular Gryphon in a 1 x 10 (11/36) guise. Will post some pics once I can work out how to.

@Hugor – where in the Beacons were you, just curious in case its somewhere I’ve missed.

doubt the superstar item will. i had to modify the Pauls item to get that to fit. you will struggle to get the device low enough over the front ring without fouling the inner side of the crank arm (running an ‘uno’ chainring)

might have, might have ………….

no, it doesn’t.

I have a heavywheight merino Icebreaker top, half length zip, good high collar for cold and thumb loops on the sleeves. Great top for winter.

Yaay. 11/36 XT 10 speed casset. 9 speed XT GS rear mech. STI 105 front shifter. All working spot on. Singular Gryphon about to go out on maiden voyage.