Yeah its not ideal, but who cares when its Sooo much fun.

Dirt mag best do-it-all hardtail the last 3 years running, says it all.

What height are you?

Charge blender is awesome but bias towards fun :-) 4x, jump, dh, fast descending singletrack

Does everything exceptional except up.

I brought mine brand new £200. If you want to spend £400ish there is a proper pimp ti version on fleebay 2nd hand for £450!

My mates elixirs have failed, can’t replace parts so needs new levers, can get a set of XT from Rose Bike for less than the levers cost!

Fitted 2012 SLX brakes they’re really good, not owned Elixirs but friends have them, I prefer the feel of Shimano. A friend ridding saints was very impressed too and said they felt similar.

Got mine from Rose Bikes, ordered Monday, came Wednesday with a free mug & the price was super cheap, got RT76 discs 180 f&r with adaptors cheaper that merlin with RT75 160 discs!

I’ve got 426 pikes & they’re ace, I paid £290 new about 2 years ago, if you can get them at that sort of price I don’t think you could get better for the money, I ride quite hard 4x, dh, trail & BMX. A bit weighty compared to forks twice the price but hey.

I used my for the first time yesterday, running them with 180 rt76 rotors, got the lot from rose bike.

I ride a charge blender, was riding some short dh courses at ribbesford, all I can say is immense! Super power & modulation, I have a mate who’s got elixir cr’s & has run v2’s & saints on his dh rigs and he liked them…a lot.

I got new SLX from rose, £150 inc 180 rotors, awesome! The deore 596 are £35 per end, I’d go with them, the get excellent reviews in Dirt magazine.

I had problems with the Facebook voucher so brought slx and rt76 discs without discout, fitted but yet to have my first ride.

Excellent price & service, can’t go wrong!

I agree with those that say keep the frame…if you’ve having fun and being inspired with confidence changing it could be a backwards step, pimp it out in every respect, forks,wheels, brakes, drivetrain, etc and it will be even more fun!

P.s if you haven’t already get wide bars!

Kayak23 what rotors you running on the blender? I’m totally undecided 203/180, 180/180, or 180/160! It’s my only bike on all duties mainly gravity based riding, etc. Whats yours feelings on your set up?

Nice build dlr, what size rotor are you running?

They look ace in steel, I’m gona mine when the paint is shot…..not expecting it to be anytime soon mind.

Cheers,

That’s it I’ve made my mind up, 180/180! Order will be placed today. :)

Yeah mph brakes, ok nothing to special, mates run v2s, saints, elixir etc, I’ve got to change rotors though I’m already sold on shimano rt76s to add a little being

For those of you with the new xts how useful/effective is the bite point adjustment? I was looking slx but tempted by xt now.

Those xt’s look really nice but mybut my budgets limiting me to the SLX so how useful.do you find the bite adjust, from.what I’ve read seems to be the only difference?

Well my brakes are on 160/160 and they’re an old set of giant so show see a massive increase in power anyway.

Did someone mention a Facebook code to get furtger discount on brakes att rose bikes? Tell me more?

I’m not sure in the thread, some look 180 up front some look larger, I’m.wondering if 180/160 is the right thing to do, but I’m concerned ill regret it,.I’m bout 85 kg (13 stone) I ride decent sized stuff, big jumps gaps 25 30 foot is about max. Forest of dean DH tracks etc.

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/6719126/

Charge Blender – I got a new frame £200, strong, cool, fast, fun!

I used to ride BMX, thought I’d grow up and go 26 inch, DH, 4x, dj, trails awesome, xc fine.

P.S Dirt 100 best do it all hardtail 3 years in a row, 2009, 2010, 2011

What do you ride? Any photos?

Is that a 203 rotor upfront? I’ve just posted a thread in ref to this please post your opinions.

Entonox – Awsomeness thank you for the head up not only a good call with the price but levers are opposite too (right lever rear brake, left lever front) and that’s how I roll.

Looks like SLX is the way forward. Cheers for the response.

Wicked, cheers for your sharing your experience.

I thought that may be the case, Shimano claim more power in the new brakes and Dirt mag said that there is little between the new xt/slx other than adjustments and to be honest all I want is the reach adjustment.

Weights not a huge issue (ive got a steel frame) but any ideas of differences in weight?

Haha….I hear you.

Read the previous comment!

I didn’t go over because it was a major junction and I dont know if you’ve ever tried to chase down a cyclist in rush hour!?

Yeah I hear what you saying…perhaps I did do something to upset him!? but not to my knowledge and if so it would have been most certainly been a error and would certainly show my remorse…however thats not the way to respond, if it had’nt been a main junction he may have regreted his actions. And as previously mentioned I’m a cyclist myself and am fully aware of the vulnerabilities of cyclists.

Yeah hence why i called him over but johnny big balls bottled it and rode off in the opersite direction!!

Lifter…your probly the kind of **** that would do that kinda thing hope you dont fall off your bike and thanks for keeping my thread going! :-)

Not everybody wants to read boring articles by people rapped up in bureaucracy, nor do they have time to spend two whole days every weekend riding mile after mile after mile of XC.

Some of us just want to hoon around when they get chance, wizzing around like a hooligan in the woods, down hills, off drops, over jumps, around pump and 4x tracks having fun with friends. All this plus more whilst keeping an eye on what the big boys are up to… QUE: Dirt Magazine…beautifully crafted photographic images from like minded people who may not be ‘Wordsworth’ but have fun in what they do. Dirt does’nt feel main stream and corporate and that’s why I love it!

geetee1972 – I may be interested in the Sunline V1's, any pictures you could e-mail?

Cheers – looked it up cant do Betws y Coed in a day but maybe a week end camping.

Stretch – “How about investing some money and time into your bike skills.”

Haha – what a daft comment!! Would you advise the Athertons not to pad up downhill racing because they have sufficent skills!?

It wasn’t a case of what others thought more a case of practicality…after reading peoples comments the moden day pads seem perfectly suited.

What does the code do? What discount etc?

I would have been happy with the soul but I paid £200 for the Blender frame brand new from the shop I thin thats less that 1/2 the price of the soul….is it really twice as good!?