Just to throw another bike into the equation, off the peg heckler. I own a Heckler and it’s a fantastic bike. Would quite happily own an orange 5 as well. The Ex9 is a great bike also but not quite as solid feeling as a 5 or Heckler. This years stumpy is a good bike if not a great bike, better on the down’s than previous years though. If you want the best climbing bike then get the trek. If you want more fun in the singletrack and on the descents then the orange ticks all the boxes.

Hi, interested in helping out with trail building up there. What days do you build/details etc to gordonhoggins AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk

Cheers

FSA pig pros’s can be a real bitch to get back out as well.

Been impressed with the new maxxis ardent 2.25. Fast and grippy. Only tried it on the rear so far though.

If you are going to drive 2.5hrs and want rocky and technical then do the natural stuff in the lakes. The Altura trail is only ok in my opinion. I wouldn’t ride it ahead of the natural riding the lakes has to offer.

Only time i’ve used a triple on a cx is for the 3peaks (used a xt 48/36/26 triple), most of the time i find a double is all you need, something like 48/34 works well for me.

Yeah BS. The shop has to pay a 10% admin fee but they are certainly not required by the government to add 10% to list prices.

AB – Undo top cap bolt a little, undo stem clamp bolts. Now tighten top cap bolt a little. Pull front brake and with your hand on the top headset cup, gently rock the bike backwards and forwards. If you can feel movement then tighten the top cap bolt a little more. Repeat this procedure until there is no movement from the top headset cup (the backwards and forwards bit) and also so make sure that the bars spin nice and smooth (ie you haven’t tightened the top cap bolt too much). When you are happy the the headset tension is correct, tighten the stem clamp bolts back up.

You checked the headset tension? If thats ok then it could be that the headset is either not fully flush with the frame or that the headtube hasn’t been faced. Either of these can cause tight spots in a headset.

I had the strika’s little brother, the boxer. This bad boy

Great little bike until i snapped the forks popping wheelies and jumping it over brick and wood plank jumps in the back lane.

My heckler is always great at trail centres, handles anything you can chuck at it. The longish travel hard tail (PA) is usually faster and more fun though.

60a front and back works pretty well. Reverse the tread on the rear. 42a up front grips brilliantly but like jam bo says it can be like riding with glue on your tyres.

Your 130mm rev u turns will be fine for now BillyBull, should you require more stiffness from a fork then have a look at a set of pikes or the 09 bolt through revs. New prices are bloody stupid though.

You’ve seen my PA before 😉 but here it is again

How big is the group Dave? Happy to show you Thrunton if there are not loads of people.

BillyBull you tart! Whats wrong with your black hope hubs and black rims? If you gonna change then i reckon gunsmoke as it will tie in with the SLX stuff.

SLX very good. Slightly more positive feeling than the XT shifters. You can remove the shifter windows as well just like the XT shifters. Personally would save your money and get SLX over XT.

Local places usually charge about £25-30 per item, so a full sus would normally cost £50-60. They won’t strip the bike for you though. You’ll have to do that yourself or get the LBS to do it which will add another £50-100 (if you want them to strip and rebuild it for you). Always best to check that a local powder coater has done bikes before. Some powder coat places are better than others.

If going the local route then put some old headset cups and BB cups in the frame. Also put bolts in any threaded areas such as linkage/bearing holes. Maybe put a seatpost shim in the frame as well. The powder coating process really does leave a lot of residue that bungs holes/threads up.

Maxxis minion 2.35 in 60a or 42a (if you want extra grip). A really good grippy tyre that rolls pretty well and is very predictable. Works well on rocks, roots, mud. The minion front also works well as a rear tyre (better than the minion r in my opinion).

Only the older mkI and mkII come with the triangle bit at the front. Pretty sure new colours are grey or orange. Seatpost size 27.2. Geometry, very good, well suited to pikes. Tyre clearance, very good. Weight, over 5lb, probably very similar to 456.

Pic of mine

Mine
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2226211097_9afcba643c_b.jpg

Girlfriends
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2211/2236891543_4e8cca93b8_b.jpg

Pre 07 take 200mm with 50mm or 57mm stroke depending how much travel you want to squeaze out of frame. Pretty sure the new model takes 215mm and 57mm stroke (not 100% on the stroke though).

What he said

If it’s just for games then get the 360.

Facebook is for people who have no life. Why else create a profile, post about what you are doing, put pictures up etc. Oh, hold on a minute, a bit like a mountain bike forum 😉

No, not on face book either, was for a bit but got bored very quickly. The other half loves it though (sigh).

Might be at GT on the 28th. Will look out for you.

The starfish (only comes in one frame colour, chocolate brown)

Best performing kit for me has been an old XTR rear mech and a Vanilla RC coil shock, neither of them new but they just keep on working year after year.

As for new kit, the Hope led 4 has been very good.