Cheers Steve, you seem to have quite the collection there! I'll keep an eye out for a shiny new red inbred in the Pentlands then.

Thanks again for all of the advice and great pics! Just need to find a 16" scandal frame now then! If I can't get a secondhand one shortly, fingers crossed they will be back in next week.

Itching to order a green inbred for ss duties too…

Surely if its camouflage,he won't see you tho…

Is camouflage in this weather not just white?

Racing 'Sport' in SXC next year, and I fancy putting in a bit of effort in, so singlespeed racing isn't really an option – I'm not that fit, or quite that insane.

My Epic has been ace (got the seals on the shock replaced with better ones under warranty shortly after purchase and it has been perfect since), but I do like simple, light bikes. Maybe get a Scandal frame to replace the Epic, and stick a green Inbred in the cupboard until I have the cash to build it up as a weekend runaround.

Lee Quarry access track is covered in sheet ice from water running down the track, so didn't bother going any further. I would recommend avoiding it for another couple of days.

Quite a coincidence that we both race Epics and are simultaneously looking for an on one.

For my dedicated singlespeed I fancy going inbred, as I can't justify the extra cost of a scandal for my 'fun bike'. Do fancy shedding a pound or two from my race bike, and a bit less maintenance too. Wonder if I'll be slower on the rough stuff though. One solution would be to buy a cheap scandal frame for my race bike, sell the epic frame, and use the money from that towards my singlespeed.

Thanks for the photos and advice. The above bikes both look really good, and it sounds as if 16" is the best size. There is a lot of seatpost in those pics, but they do look long!

Keep 'em coming!

Yes, I did email on one the other week. It was me that posted about scandal availability in the other thread.

Still torn between a dedicated singlespeed green inbred or buying a scandal and putting the bits from my Epic on it for racing. Ideally would like both.

On one certainly suggest 16" for people my size, but the shots I have seen do look small. I've had a Trek and a Specialized in 17.5 before and found them both spot on.

Sounds good. I've become a bit lazy with my own photoblog posting, so maybe this will encourage me to get the camera out regularly again.

Snow would be rideable. It is the sheet ice on the track up that is a pain. You could get round with a bit of effort, but it wouldn't be worth it.

ah no scandals in anyroad…looks like inbred it is then!!

Apparently the slot drop scandal will be back in stock this week.

Thanks for that link. Looks like a handy little route. I'll maybe try a mixture of the two. Cheers

Thanks Chucky. Not sure when I'll be nipping out, but I'll have a look in the area you mention. Merry Christmas and happy riding.

I see there are no rivette frames on the site? Have you stopped doing them?

Gordy, if I have understood you correctly, the path (the one that runs parallel to the Kirkgate) is on your left on Blinkbonny Road just after the bend in the road and just opposite some houses. There is a step up I think. First rode it down the other day. Nice bonus singletrack. Not tried it uphil yet. I nomally just ride up the kirkgate but think I'll try that path next time.

grtdkad, that killerbee sounds interesting. Sure I have heard that name before in a thread somewhere. Have you got a link to any info for a nosey?

Hmm, I'll bear that in mind tomthumb.

Apparently there probably won't be any more regular dropout Scandals (as the new carbon frame is aimed at those wanting a light frame with gears), but slot drop out scandals should be back in this month.

Thanks for all of the above. The Rock Lobster's did get a look before. Certainly quite smart in black. Definitely swinging towards a slot drop Scandal now – seems like a good weight for the cash. I've not broken a derailleur hanger yet (touch wood), but I suppose if I did, I could just demote it to dedicated singlespeed duties. Thanks for all of the advice. Any 16" pics of a 26er scandal built up? I'm 5ft 7 so reckon the 16" would fit best.

njee20 – that carbon does sound reasonable but I'm still a bit nervous of it after reading stories about Trek owners wearing a hole in the chainstay etc!

Thanks for the feedback.

Mikkel – that Kinesis certainly looks better in the flesh than the website frame shost would suggest.

Encouraging to hear such good comments about the Scandal. Might be tempted to go for a slot drop and run a rear mech if it wasn't too tricky to remove the rear wheel. Means I could run singlespeed every now and again as a bonus.

Any thoughts on weight for these? I'm quite a small guy so frame weight is reasonably important.

Also, anyone seen a UK price for a Rivette H6? The Bike Chain used to have one in, but it isn't on the new site, and the Danish euros prices are pretty steep!

Had a look at Kinesis but wasn't a massive fan of the paintjobs. Prefer it fairly plain and simple.

Nice pics Steve – I'll keep an eye out for you come the Spring. Unfortunately I only have one MTB at the moment, so I ride my Epic all year round. I can normally be seen out for training rides in the Pentlands early at the weekends, so if you see me, point me in the direction of some hidden singletrack!

yes my right foot is set at 15 degrees where as my left is 20 degrees

Are you sure you have set them up correctly? They should both be 15 degrees or both 20 degrees. Have a look at the manual again. Unless you are mixing different sets of cleats, they should both be the same depending on which shoe you have the cleat with two dots.

Epicsteve – that boardwalk section by Balerno looks interesting in the snow! It's good fun in the early morning when no walkers are around though. You still riding your epic in the pentlands?

Your shot looks like Black Hill in the background, so a couple of hundred feet away from this…

That fast approaching black cloud brought stinging horizontal snow so I had to dash back down the Poet's Glen singletrack to get out of the wind. The high road between Currie and Balerno road was white in seconds. Should be a bit more powder there now.

Have you made sure your cleats are set to the easiest entry? Your can exist at 15 or 20 degrees – try the 15 if you are finding it tricky. I've ridden Crank Bros for a couple of years and love em. No problems around town these days (did once fall over at lights but I put that down to being knackered after a long squash game, so not thinking properly). Great over fast bumpy off road stuff, and only downside is in trials style bits where you might fancy a dab, but you need that extra split second to think about it.

I would recommend persevering – make sure you are set to 15 degrees and get into the habit of unclipping as you approach lights.

My (very shiny) new 11-28 SRAM PG-950 arrived today. Bunged it on the scales out of interest, and it is about 200g lighter than my old Shimano PG-50 11-34. That's a nice cheap way to save weight! Will take it for a spin at the weekend, but reckon I'll get on pretty well with it. Thanks again for the feedback.

Thanks again. I've spotted an SRAM PG-950 on Evans. Reckon it will work out around 100g lighter than my current setup, and sensible money too.

As this is my only MTB at the moment, I'll still need to keep the triple. I do fancy building a race hardtail next year though, and definitely like the idea of a 1×9 or 2×9 for that. I like the idea of simple, reliable bikes.

Great, thanks folks. Reassuring. This is my do it all bike, but even when pootling around with my mates I find that I'm not really in anything below third.

Well I definitely need a new mech? I have a mid cage X-0 and really don't want to shell out cash replacing that too since I'm on a tight budget.

There are marked walking tales at Glentress too. Alternatively, as mentioned, I have sent my other half off into Glentress for shopping and coffee before.

Thanks for the comments. Rode the lower red today. Not been out for a couple of months, so didn't fancy the black, but the lower red was a good taster. Reckon I'll need to zip up the A9 again soon. Not as much snow as the above shot, but a few flakes in the air!

Bear in mind that a new off road cycle route is to run to Peebles from Edinburgh whenever they get round to building it. That might cut the numbers for you a bit.

Thanks for the comments. I agree that fort bill next year when the downhill xc red is open would make a good day. Snow at Drumtocher? There is always snow at drumochter from November til May!

A lot of manuals have 3D pop out diagrams for servicing. I'd have a look on the Fox and Rock Shox sites as a starter.

Not ridden either grumm. Better to go to Laggan? Was veering towards Fort William as I'm coming back from Skye, and I'm up that way less often, whereas Laggan is a bit closer.

Was probably going to do the witches if I go to Fort William unless it's too churned up. Can easily come home via Laggan otherwise since I reckon that might drain better. I knew the DH stuff would be shut. Reckon I'll try the new XC next year when the lift opens again.

Volvo V50 Estate? Not too huge, and you can get good second hand deals. The R-Design specs look quite sporty and the 2.0D shouldn't be too pricey to run and you wouldn't have to splurge too much after selling the Civic.

Great, thanks folks. I'll post a wanted ad in classifieds.