Just be sure to remove the pads and probably rotors too – I managed to make a right mess with the oil despite the apparent simplicity of the task.

Pads should not affect how far your lever moves. If you have a problem with your pads, you should get a firm lever feel just no stopping power.

TheLittlestHob – I know customers can be arsey, but surely you are only going to put them off for good like that?

Bought my wife a Charge Ladle. You can get it with pink rails and a flower design on part of the seat, but that one is fairly hard to find.

I use some slightly more upmarket Wellgo’s I bought from CRC for £30 – they were lighter than anything similar from big brands, without resorting to magnesium/Ti etc.

Ok, my mistake was following the waymarked route then! I still had fun.

I think his main issues were with trail maintenance/sustainability type stuff – I think exposed roots might be hard to maintain(?) and I think ‘fall-line’ descents are supposed to be hard to maintain, as well as being over quickly in terms of riding time.

I rode it once a while ago, didn’t much enjoy the fire-road climb at the start!

Another downhill tube? I would rather swap a tube than repair a puncture when out on the trail.

What about the Orange crush? Looks similar-ish.

http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2009bikes/bike.php?model_id=89

Traffic lights?

I heard it is very easy to change the spring yourself – checked the tech info on the SRAM site and it does seem that way. Just need a socket wrench of the correct size.

Wow, is your surname really Cheesyfeet?

Ok, eyes peeled on the classifieds then… 😯

Althought to be honest I will probably just get impatient and order a new one. Looking forward to it, any excuse to mess about with the bike.

I thought about classifieds, but surely the only springs people will selling are going to be the standard ones that came with the fork?!

You don’t need a unicycle to ride the north downs.

Gotta love STW.

What about rubber compound, that might have an affect on snakebites? Plus, some manufacturers (Panaracer I think) have ‘anti-snakebite technology’ in some tyres…

Don’t diss the High-Rollers! That’s a STW no-no.

Fixie with no brakes. Poser.

Aldi/Lidl cycle-computers: crap
Still wear my cycling jerseys though.

I use lock-ons, but I must say I have never had a standard grip start slipping because it’s wet. Or slip at all for that matter.

Started riding a mountain bike in 1991

Started mountain-biking in 2008

He didn’t kill himself did he?

That looks pretty good actually.

Off the peg for 1.5k?

tinsy – because if you aren’t racing 1lb of weight probably doesn’t make that much difference to a 150lb rider on a 26lb bike?

If you aren’t racing, then maybe steel with an adjustable fork will be able to do most things you’re after. I would see what Genesis, Orange, Cotic and On-One have available.

Yeah, U-turn works by twisting a knob basically. One turn = 7.5mm travel adjustment or something. I have U-turn, and it is nice to have. I can’t help thinking that the Fox system of three travel settings makes more sense though. How often do I think ‘Ooh, I better use 127mm of travel here, 130 is a bit much!’?

Not often.

Yeah, I have heard many good things about 5:10’s. The reasons I haven’t taken the plunge are:

-Expensive
-Don’t always look great
-Look a bit heavy/sweaty for an all-day fitness type ride

I did think about Shimano, the only shoe they seem to do is the MP56. Not sure if they would fit me particularly well though, I have wide shovel-like feet.

I currently have a SB8 on the back, which is supposedly quite similar to a Larsen. Experiences similar to others (recreational XC type riding) :-

Tarmac – Ok, but probably not as fast as you would expect
Hardpack – Feels fast
Mud – Not as good as a wider spaced tyre, but can cope with the odd patch of mud

I am using it on the back at the moment, with a Nevegal up front, and i’m happy. I wouldn’t use it in very muddy conditions, and I wouldn’t use it up front unless almost all of a ride was dry. I will probably be using it as my front summer tyre though.

Hmm ok, so just tightening the bearings up a bit is a bad idea at this stage then?

I think those two quotes were by different people.

If your wheel stops, then momentarily rotates in the opposite direction, all is well. If it stops without rotating in the opposite direction, you have excess friction. As far as I can tell anyway!

I think what they should do is leave the bike ‘unrated’.

Checkout this thread, already answered your question: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shimano-xt-rotor

Nah mate, thats a fair price. Exhange rate and all that.

I’m guessing people will want to know where you ride etc. Rocks?

I don’t want to lose weight.

Choosing XT over old LX saved about 150grams, and I picked an XT cassette for £32 a few months ago. How much would it cost to save 150grams of weight from, say, your handlebars or seatpost? Admittedly, with the price rises now I don’t think I would bother though…

FYI: Shimano XT 11/34 weigh about 300g – it’s the 11/32 that weigh about 250g.