I had exactly that combination M447/M510 on my first bike, and as I got better and faster I found that I didn’t have the confidence going into corners/obstacles that they’d stop me – sort of a time lapse between spotting the need to brake and pressing the levers and starting to slow down (I’m 100kg kitted up by the way).

I replaced them with SLX and there was quite a big difference (and yes, still resin pads and same size rotors – so it was all in the brakes themselves) and I now have much more confidence to approach corners/obstacles fast in the knowledge the brakes will wipe off the speed when needed.

Just my experience, but happens to be with exactly the combination you have, and are looking to upgrade to, and I say – yes, it makes a big difference!

Can’t comment on Deore as I haven’t used them. Have XT on another bike and they’re same as the SLX.

16k for a Corolla gearbox? kin ell what was it made of? Purest gold

That was the price if they rebuilt the original transmission and torque converter (auto) with all new parts, and included labour.

Apparently they price this up first to see if it’s a cheaper option than replacing the whole thing with a new one. I don’t think they seriously expected me to go that route, and in fact I had the distinct impression they just told me that price so that after they picked me up off the floor and told me they could fit a whole new transmission for half the price, I’d see that as a bargain and go for it!

I chose to continue to argue with Toyota that warranty period or not, a modern auto transmission shouldn’t self destruct in less than 100,000 kms. Clearly they agreed as they eventually gave me a new transmission “in good faith” and I only paid the dealership’s labour charge for fitting it.

I count myself as having got off lightly, and will take much more notice of warranty periods/extended warranties etc. next time I buy a car!

Yes its cheap if your gearbox goes but how many times in your life have you had one go?

Yep – a couple of years ago, when my Toyota Corolla was a couple of months out of warranty. First quote from the dealer was 16k to re-build the original. Second quote was 8k for a new one. Finally Toyota relented and ‘donated’ a new transmission & I just paid the labour to have it fitted.

Spacer needed on road wheels with a 10 speed cassette (except WH/FH-7800 and WH/FH-6700), not on MTB wheels.

Ah Ok, thanks for clearing that up. So I assume lunge was talking about road wheels when he said he uses a spacer…

Another vote for Anthem…

Do Hope freehubs need a 10 speed spacer? I know my Shimano ones do when mounting 10 speed cassettes. If that is missing it could explain the play.

Are you sure about that? I’ve got Deore, SLX and XT hubs and no spacer required for a 10 speed cassette.

Coatesy +1 I’ve noticed the lower jockey wheel wearing a lot faster since I’ve gone to clutch mechs.

There is also a subtle but important difference between Shimano 9sp & 10sp jockey wheels that not many people are aware of…

Shimano quietly did away with the ‘float’ in the top jockey wheel as part of the transition to 10sp – and in fact if you want to be pedantic about it as it was this feature that gave rise to the term ‘jockey’ wheels, you should no longer refer to them as such and should call them ‘pulley’ wheels instead now :wink:

This difference is one of the reasons 10sp shifting has a more positive ‘click-clunk’ shift, but also makes it more sensitive to initial set-up and getting the indexing just right, as there’s no float anymore to compensate for a little mis-alignment.

What is the collective wisdom on what to do with a dropper post though?

I asked the country distributor/service agent for LEV that one, and he said not to bother dropping the pressure as KS deliver them to him by air and fully pressurised, so it can’t be an issue.

As others have said, we’ve got some great trails up in Kalamunda (about 45mins drive from Perth city centre) or head down to Margaret River (about 3.5 hrs drive south of Perth) if you’ve got more time.

Don’t bother bringing your bike just for a couple of rides, hire from these guys – Rock-n-roll MTB[/url] who are based at the Kalamunda trail hub, or hook up with these guys – Dirty Detours if you’re heading down to Margaret River.

Couple of other tips…

If you’re going to Margaret River, stay here[/url] as it’s a great spot in the forest and you ride straight out onto the trails.

It’s much cheaper to hire a car from these guys than the usual international firms.

Yes, its hot at the moment, so if you’re going up to Kalamunda aim to start about 6am and finish before 9am – not difficult as it gets light at 5am. It’s a bit cooler in Margaret River so you can ride all day if you take plenty of water.

If you decide not to MTB afterall, still worth hiring a hybrid from these guys[/url] and spending a day pootling around the fantastic network of bike paths that circle the Swan River and Parks around the city.

Give me a shout if you come down and if I’m free I’ll take you for a ride in Kalamunda in return for you doing likewise next time I’m in Hong Kong :D

Should probably mention that the BB91 both I and SSStu linked to earlier in this thread are now the old model. The latest incarnation is the BB94 here[/url]

No idea if it’s an improvement, although the marketing blurb says “18.5 g lighter than previous SM BB91-41A. Smooth-rotation. Developed specifically for MTB use: improved seal for long life”

I lived in Hong Kong for twenty years. If there was a place where it is chronically difficult to exercise that was it. Everyone lives in tiny boxes in tower blocks with lifts, and takes the metro or bus to work in tiny boxes in tower blocks with lifts. Very little open space, and zero chance of cycling to work or going for a jog from the office at lunchtime.
But – get up about 6am and every little corner – be it three square metres of concrete with a bench, or a inner city park would be packed with Chinese folk doing Tai Chi, stretching, jogging on the spot, or just flapping their arms around. Now, they knew the value of simple exercise, and didn’t need any special facilities, clothing, technology, or in fact anything more than enough room to swing a cat to do it.
Sometimes we ignore the simple stuff, and believe you’ve got to have a personal trainer and an expensive gym membership – or nothing.
Just saying – that’s all…

I will fabricate my own tools in the workshop if all they entail is a press with correct diameter faces and an extraction drift.

If you’re good at that sort of thing (I’m not) then yes it should be reasonably easy. Only thing to watch out for is that the Park cup presses have a raised ridge around the outside (see below) so they press on the housing, rather than the bearing race itself. The inner bearing race is slightly raised, so if you used a flat cup press that’s what would take all the force – not a good idea, and also why it’s not so good to use a hammer and a piece of wood. So, if you can replicate this feature on your home made one all the better!

Like most people I didn’t particularly want to go Pressfit, but it seems to be the way the major brands are going so I’ve now got three bikes with PF, so my advice is to embrace it!

I do only run XTR level BBs which are better sealed than the rest of the Shimano line, and which I get from Germany for 15 quid each here[/url], and at that price I just treat them as a consumable and replace at annual service along with brake pads, tyres, chain etc.

Also worth investing in the proper tools to remove and fit – makes it a piece of cake, and although you can get away with a hammer/screwdriver/bits of wood it’s not worth the risk to bu@@er up your BB shell IMHO. My tools are a combination of the Park remover and fitting cups together with some threaded rod and nuts & washers from the hardware store – all up cost about 50 quid.

And make sure you pump the tyres up nice and hard as you don’t want any squirmy stuff going on to ruin that nice stiff front end feeling… :wink:

As others have said – split pin, and no need to drill anything. The SLX calliper has the thread but uses a split pin (Shimano use the same parts for the XT and SLX calliper just paint them a different colour and use a pad axle for the XT and a split pin for the SLX).

Even though both my bikes are already XL frames, I’m a bit ‘leggy’ so the stock 375mm seatposts were on the min insertion point, and I felt like I needed a few mm more. After one frame cracked at the top tube/seat tube junction (may or may not have been related to seat post, but replaced under warranty anyway) I thought I’d better look for a solution. So on my trail bike I got the 150mm LEV which is 435mm overall, and on my XC bike where I don’t need a dropper I got a 450mm Gusset Lofty from Wiggle[/url]. Can now extend as far as I like but feel safe there’s still a good length of post in the frame. Not Konas but thought my experiences might be relevant anyway…

I had a root canal on a canine done by a student dentist. On my second visit he apologised that he hadn’t got all the nerve out the first time so would have another go. He somehow forgot the anaesthetic though, and proceeded to screw a small corkscrew-like tool into the cavity in the middle of my tooth…

I didn’t feel much pain because I fainted within seconds. First and only time in my life I’ve fainted. Been concussed a couple of times, but nothing else has ever come even close to my pain threshold – even the time a doctor removed my fingernail without anasthetic.

You can guess what my advice is…

Why pass up the opportunity to get yourself another expensive specialist tool that you’ll only ever use twice, then will forever more take up valuable space in your toolbox?

Seriously though, it’s not that expensive, and it does make the job really simple…

My advice, based on experience with various Deore, SLX and XT parts over the years, is to do the opposite of what they spec on new bikes, where they put the expensive bits where people notice them in the showroom rather than where it counts out riding!
Cranks – SLX
Front & rear mechs – Deore
Brakes – Deore
Shifters – XT (have multi-release, and ball bearing races rather than nylon bushings)
Chain & cassette – Deore (unless you live near the coast in which case get a chain that’s completely nickel plated for corrosion protection like KMC, SRAM, or XTR)
BB – XTR if you will ride in grit & mud as it’s better sealed, or for dry conditions anything.

@Sweepy – I won’t be putting my delicate nether regions anywhere near something called a “Flame 8000” 8O

Are you feeding just before bedtime? Ours gets its last feed mid afternoon which gives a few hours for it to pass through the system, a poo just before bedtime, and then manages to last the night.

A nice little bedtime story about werewolves and ghosts should put a abrupt stop to that :twisted:

Our daughter used to occasionally sleepwalk at that age – found her in the garden one night – we had to lock all the doors.

Just wondering about this conventional wisdom of locking a new pup away in a room by itself each night and ignoring its cries? When I was a lad we did this with each of our family dogs, they cried pitifully for the first few nights, but we all told ourselves it was in their best interests (and ours!) and you had to be cruel to be kind etc., and of course they settled down soon enough.

But when we got our own pup six months ago the breeder suggested a different approach, which we thought we’d try. We put her in a cardboard box next to our bed, and every time she woke up and was restless we reached down a reassuring hand and stroked her back to sleep. Worked a treat, didn’t really disrupt our sleeping (and certainly less than a puppy wailing all night!), she never got out of her box, and within a week the box was moved to ‘her’ room and she’s never been a problem since.

I know all dogs are different, but imagine a puppy that’s only known being with her mum and the rest of the litter suddenly being left alone at night. Can’t help thinking a gentle transition is better for pup and owner.

Oh, and if you must leave it alone for the first few nights, a blanket with litter/Mum’s smell on and a ticking clock hidden under it are a good substitute. Yes a clock! Another suggestion from the breeder – apparently it reminds the pup of her mother’s heartbeat and has a calming influence.

You might want to post your questions on this forum Rotorburn forum but watch out those boys play rough…

Just puzzled how this new found ‘stiffness’ manifests itself, considering you’ve got a 26 -29″ flexible disc and about 2.5″ of squidgy rubber between the axle and the ground?

I’m suspicious this is another of those ‘benefits’ invented by the marketing guys that we persuade ourselves we can notice – like stiffer cranks, better Q factor, reduced seal stiction… :D

Now, ease of re-fitting a wheel and getting it in exactly the right place so you don’t have to adjust the brakes – that’s a benefit I can appreciate!

It will fit, but shifting will be sub-optimal. Difference is that the ramps extend further down on the AM to help the chain up from the smaller 24T ring, and the ‘phase’ of the teeth will be different to match the different distance the chain has to move (sorry – not easy to describe that one!)

Not sure how much difference all this makes to shifting in real life, but at the price they charge for XT rings may as well get the right one if you can and give yourself the best starting point.

Sound choice. I did this to my XT rims recently with a big hit on a tree root. Wheel didn’t even go out of true and I bent the rim back into shape with some pliers and a UST tyre still makes a perfect airtight seal without sealant. They get the thumbs up from me.

Before you go to the expense & hassle of replacing the pivot bearings, check it isn’t just the bushing on the top of the shock – that’s usually the first to go, especially if its of the old DU type. Hold wheel down with foot and lift up on saddle. Put free hand around top of shock and you’ll feel if that’s where the play is.

If it turns out you still need to replace the pivot bearings, the best solution is a Maestro bearing tool kit…

But for what that costs you could pay the LBS to do it for you, so it depends how many times you’re likely to do the job.

Yeah, but I don’t half feel a plonker standing in the park shouting “L 2110” :P

I’m in Oz, all dogs have to have licence disk and microchip – what are the rules in the UK now?

Ha, yes I saw the irony in it as soon as I hit the submit button :lol:

Thanks for the link, here you go…

I let my Imageshack account lapse when they wanted to start charging me, so don’t have a way of posting images on the web anymore, sorry! But there’s lots of pics of similar dogs on the breeder’s site Off the Edge Labradoodles[/url]

It always amuses me when this one comes up, but even more so on a bike forum where people think nothing of paying two grand for a bike, but are outraged to pay that for a living animal that’s going to be part of their family for the next fifteen years!

Sure you can get a very lovable mut from the pound or from a mate, but it’s a bit of a lottery. For every story of a cute healthy good natured dog that was bought for fifty quid, I can tell you one of a family who had to give up a dog because it was uncontrollable, had health problems, or just couldn’t be trusted with the kids.

Choosing a dog from a breeder just takes the chance out of it. You can select exactly the traits you want (at least as far as is possible with a living thing), like size (my wife couldn’t handle a large dog), non-shedding and non-allergenic (my daughter has allergies), and temperament. Sure there’s no guarantee, but behaviour and temperament are also a genetic trait – that’s what a thousand years of selective breeding of dogs (and other animals) has taught us.

By going to a breeder I got to choose from about 30 different puppies over five different litters, could meet all the mums & dads (and that’s ultimately what made us choose the one we did), had visiting rights from the day it was born until we took it home, it was fully vaccinated, vet checked, microchipped, de-sexed, registered, came with full genetic profile (so we knew it didn’t have any of those in-bred faults), and a guarantee to cover vet bills for any genetic problems that subsequently surfaced. For me, all that was worth the price we paid. Anyway, the purchase price of a dog is small when compared against the lifetime cost of ownership – which is the same whether you have a mut or a pedigree. So why scrimp at the beginning where it makes a big difference?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve nothing against anyone getting a rescue/pet shop/mates dog – and we always had RSPCA dogs while growing up. Some of them were great dogs, but some of them weren’t, so when it came time for choosing an addition to my own family, I wanted to take the chance out of it as much as possible. And honestly, when I’ve got three bikes in the shed worth a couple of grand each, spending the same on a family pet is perfectly justifiable :-)

Oh, and its an Australian Labradoodle.

To those berating me for being so stingy and not going unlimited data – I think you’re missing the point somewhat.

First, as Londonerinoz pointed out, internet access is way more expensive where I live, so unlimited plans is only really for gaming/video addicts and those whose company are paying for their plan.

Second, this ad isn’t just gobbling data, as others have reported its slowing performance of the PC, clogging networks, and will ‘out’ quite a few closet STW fans at work when the internet usage figures hit the corporate IT managers desk at the end of the month.

I’ve done very nicely thankyou with 2.7 GB per month of data for the last few years, and I don’t see why I should have to upgrade to a more expensive plan because of one advert on one forum!

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox now, I just wanted to alert others to a potential problem, and as the mods are now looking into it I don’t really have anymore to add.

However, I notice the ad is still there and starting automatically, so I for one will be kicking my STW habit until it is at least disabled – I just can’t risk another big data bill. TTFN.

Hi Drac,

I’m not the most tech savvy guy, so I might not get some of the terms right here, but…

Although I noticed there was this new ad appearing every time I looked at STW recently, and that it had some kind of video content which was always running, I assumed it was like a lot of other ads and was just a gif or flash that doesn’t use much data, so thought nothing more of it.

Then I got an auto-notification from my broadband supplier to tell me that I’d exceeded my monthly plan and would be charged for extra data. They said I’d used 2 GB in two days. As I’d never used this much data in so short a time before I queried it, and asked them where it’d gone. I had to wait 48 hrs for their reply, but it came back that on one of the days in question I streamed 1 GB of data from a provider called “Epic TV” between 9:30pm and 11:15pm. Don’t ask me how they knew it was them – but they did.

That didn’t ring a bell at first, but next time I logged onto STW – there it was – Epic TV! When I moused over the video this time I realised it wasn’t some flash loop or gif but was live streaming HD video like Youtube or Vimeo does. Furthermore it starts automatically as soon as you open STW, and even if you pause it, as soon as you go to the next page it starts up again!

I’m in the habit of leaving STW on my screen all evening while I go away from the computer to do other stuff – have dinner, watch a bit of TV, etc. It turns out all that time Epic TV was downloading video – once one video clip ends, it moves straight onto the next.

I think this is a questionable practice at best, and probably contravenes some consumer code of conduct somewhere. Either way, I’m not suggesting ads are banned, or even that video streaming is banned, but I think it should be ‘opt in’ ie you have to click on it before it starts gobbling your data allowance.

Sorry for the lengthy explanation, but you did ask…

I suppose another way of looking at it is;

1) you want to visit stw regularly

2) stw hosts auto streaming ads on some devices

3) there’s a £15 a year option to restrict the display of these ads

4) if you use a device that causes streaming then either pay the £15, use an unlimited data connection or stop visiting stw?

5) STW realises that allowing auto streaming ads breaks the inherent trust between a website provider and its audience, and therefore asks it’s advertisers to show a little restraint

There FTFY :D

Tethering on a limited data plan is fairly risky IMO.

Lets not get sidetracked by whether its tethering or a separate broadband plan. It doesn’t make any difference. Point is if you are on any data plan that has a limit, having 2 GB of video downloaded without you asking for it is going to blow a big hole in it.

I’ve survived quite happily for the last three years with a broadband plan that gave me 2.7 GB a month. This is the first (OK second, but the wife and I have got over that little misunderstanding) time I’ve blown my monthly limit in three years and had to pay excess data charges.

They’ve got to make their money some way so i don’t mind the ads.

As I said earlier – I have no objection to ads per se, and in fact find them quite useful/interesting – especially the T-shirt ones :wink:

Its just that this particular ad has cost me hard cash by automatically downloading five hours of video I didn’t ask for.

Lets liken it to you buying a paper magazine – remember them! And with your magazine is packaged a VHS tape of some MTB vids. But you didn’t ask for the video, and you don’t even watch it. Then a day later you get a bill for 25 quid for the video. Would you pay it?

unless they tether their laptop etc to their phone?

Which I do.

And let me see if I understand this right…

– If I access STW from a phone it automatically blocks that ad from appearing.

– But, if I access STW from a desktop/laptop its not blocked.

– And, if I access from a desktop/laptop tethered to a phone its not blocked either.

– If I subscribe to premium I get an option to block that ad.

– There are settings in certain browsers to stop any ads/sites from automatically launching video content, but its not very selective

Getting awfully complicated guys – wouldn’t it be easier to have a policy that advertisers aren’t allowed to automatically launch video streaming from ads, and thereby avoid upsetting your audience?

Sorry, didn’t mean this to develop into one of those advertising versus premium membership debates. Just wanted to warn others before they get burnt like I did.

Personally I’m not averse to a bit of advertising, and especially targeted bike-related ads which can be quite interesting/useful on a bike forum.

What peeves me is that this particular ad starts gobbling expensive data allowance (unless you’re on an unlimited plan, or perish the thought – accessing from work) without so much as a please or thankyou. At very least, it should require you to mouseover or click on the ad before it starts using your valuable data allowance to stream HD video.