I would have thought the outside pedal forward thing was to help you point your hips in the direction you want to go,

Not the HR2 if you’re using the 3C compound, mine lasted 3 months before all the side lugs split. Now weighing up butcher or minion to replace it with

Not had any issues with mine on the front – been on there for a good few months now and wearing well despite plenty of use (3C EXO TR). Would definitely recommend it – better than an HR. Can’t really compare to DHF (I’ve not ridden one for a while and only in a 2.5″ dual ply variety, so hard to say), not ridden a DHR2.

Troy Lee KG 5400 / 5450 seem to get good reviews and seem like just the thing you’re after. There’s always going to be a tradeoff between lightness and protection, so it depends whether you want something that will be comfortable on long rides or something that will offer serious protection.

Works a treat :)

Cyan shorts FTW

@theocb – someone that saw this thread kindly emailed me with exactly the same suggestion last night about cutting the brass fitting out of a wiring connector block and using that as a cable stop. Will be giving it a go tonight. I reckon that not only will it work but it will be more secure than those stupid little grub screws, but we shall see.

IMO those screws are the one weak point of the GD post. Well, that and the fact that the bit that houses the pin came unbounded from my (admittedly 2nd hand and very well used) post, but that was easily fixed with a couple of large zip ties (never found the need for a more permanent solution – it’s not like the GD is pretty!).

Cheers Liftman, I have a right hand lever.

I bought the post 2nd hand so didn’t get the allen key. More annoyed about the tiny bolts/hex key being stupidly easy to round off than having to buy the allen key.

Thanks for the offer of the lever chiefgrooveguru, I’ll investigate tonight whether or not the lever can be flipped and still work.

Simon, I’ll believe that stock due date when it changes to ‘In stock’, but I’ve been keeping an eye on it.

If I could find anywhere selling a right-hand lever then I’d buy one. NW, £15 for the assembly?

I may be interested in that GD scotroutes – my email is in my profile if you decide to sell

As recommended above, start with a couch-to-5k plan. It will be too easy at first, but don’t skip forward as it allows the muscles to build up and prevent injury. The best tip I had when starting was to try and land on the balls of your feet, with your heel barely touching the ground on each step (if at all) – kills the calves at first but reduces the shock to joints. I started a couch-to-5k plan in September 2013 when I weighed nearly 20 stone (6′ tall). Lost loads of weight with the running (+ diet + cycling), and have been injury free. Once I’d completed the plan I gradually increased distance. I was probably still over 16 stone when I did my first 10k, so I can’t see you having any issues.

Focus on distance first, speed can come later. I plod along at a steady 10 min mile, but could probably get under the hour for a 10k if I pushed myself. I don’t run much these days as focussing on cycle-specific training but a 5k is like a walk in the park and I can do a 10k at will. I now weigh 14 stone and dropping.

In summary, do it now – don’t wait until you’ve lost weight to start, just build up gradually.

I’ve noticed a reduction in arm pump since fitting Race Face SixC bars in place of my old Atlas FRs – same shape and rise. Could just be coincidence due to riding more, weight loss (me not the bike), and increased fitness though.

Thanks chaps, some good food for thought there. I’m happy to accept that a bit of hike-a-bike is part and parcel of a lot of Lakes riding, I’m definitely more interested in the descents.

By the power of Google

What a stupid question.
It’s questions like this that make me never want to come on this forum again.

It’s replies like this that make me wish you wouldn’t.

FWIW, I think there is some validity to the question. I imagine the OP was thinking along the lines of smaller wheels being easier to turn, therefore requiring less leverage. I’m not saying this is right, but it’s not a completely idiotic question.

Oh, and I run 785mm bars on my 26″ bikes.

Marsdenite here. Favourite route at the minute is:

Up Old Mount Road from Marsden
Cut off road section using Standedge trail (technically cheeky, but used by horses and vehicles)
Past reservoir by road and left on BW down towards Diggle
Straight on down track after gate
Along canal or road to get to Sandy Lane
Turn right along Long Lane
Left at top to go down Lark Hill Lane
Cross straight over main road to go down into Delph
Up Dark Lane to Broad Lane (there’s a BW option but is a slog through a grassy field)
Take rocky track on right down to end of road atGrange
Cross straight over road and take track down to brook
Either a) loop back on yourself to climb Dark Lane again, this time continuing along Broad Lane rather than taking the rocky track; or b) make your way to Low Gate Lane (west of Castelshaw Upper Reservoir) and climb to crossroads with Broad Lane.
Climb Moor Lane
Left down PBW
Straight over road and climb Dowry Road
Right at top and right again at end to drop back to main road
Left to climb main road
Take BW on right down to Close Gate Bridge, Marsden
Have a pint or two in the Riverhead

Cheers, I’ve sent him an email.

..and you’re assuming the axle to crown measurement between whatever 120 mm fork he has and whatever 140 mm fork he’s swapping to is 20 mm, which is unlikely unless they are the same model.

You’re right, I’m assuming the axle-to-crown measurement is +20 mm. The point remains though – the sag should be taken into consideration (as well as any a2c difference) if you want to get a measurement to put the bars in the same place.

All rather pointless though, as the best option (as most have said) is to just experiment until he finds the best position for him. Not exactly the most complicated or time consuming experiment.

Assuming you’re running around 25% sag, it would be more like 15mm to put the bars in the same position when riding.

Another vote for Sons of Anarchy (especially if you like the Sopranos) and Generation Kill.

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but The Corner is worth a watch – same writer as the Wire, but written before. Very dark true story of drug addicts in Baltimore, but definitely worth watching,

Completely different, but hilarious, is Archer – even if you don’t like cartoons, this is genius.

Fabric Scoop = Charge Scoop

I like my Scoop and my Spoon. Also like All SDG saddles I’ve tried. I get on alright with most saddles though. Are you wearing padded shorts?

Just wondering about your logic on the above chiefgrooveguru. Why would you use the CS less with a 30T as compared to a double? Isn’t there less climbing bob in the granny ring due to pivot position on the 5? As such, wouldn’t you need the CS less? Or is the bob reduced due to the suspension being compressed by the tension on the chain (I thought it was extended), and thus you’d use the CS to prevent the head angle slackening? If the latter, then why would you use the CS more with a 36t?

I’m sure I’m missing something obvious, but interested in the rationale as I’m also considering a shock change on my 5.

@mtbel One example (or even a few) does not a rule make.

Okay, I’ve had a word with myself and rethought my position on this. If it had been a natural trail then I would stand by my comments but, as you said, this is a repaired section. I haven’t ridden the trail before/after repair so cannot comment on the suitability of the repair. I still think that you have to ride ‘natural’ trails with a particular mindset, and you have to expect things like this might catch you out, but since the issue is with a non-natural part of the trail then maybe it does warrant a letter.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure where I stand on the issue – the more I think about it the more confused I get! The section I crashed on this weekend was on flagstones, so another non-natural trail feature that was presumably put in at some point to avoid some other issue. The reason I crashed though was that I was riding the trail too fast for the conditions, or rather that I’d only ridden the trail once before and didn’t know that the flagstones are like ice if wet and I should have taken the line into the ditch next to them. My thought process was not that these flagstones shouldn’t have been put in on a section of trail that I might be hitting quite fast, or that if the previous bit of trail had been more technical then I would have natural been going slower and able to change line, but rather that I was an idiot.

Apologies for the whingey idiot comment – painkillers wearing off = grumpy qtip!

My points are:

a) Anything outside of a trail centre is not specifically designed for mountain biking and should be ridden accordingly (i.e. moderating your speed according to how far you can see ahead if you don’t know the trail). If you choose to ride natural trails then it is your responsibility to do so, and to accept the consequences without apportioning blame elsewhere if you do get it wrong.

b) A single complaint is often all it takes for those responsible to simply tarmac over a trail in the name of safety. While you are possibly right that a more technical, challenging trail might actually be safer due to reduced speeds, the general response to trail safety concerns is to turn them into roads.

Just wait until they’ve double-sanitised them then!

[rant]
FFS. Really?

I’m currently sat here with a fractured hip because my front wheel slid out on a rock slab on a local trail. Am I complaining about that section of trail needing fixing, or that they need to fill in the ditch next to the slab that the wheel dropped into, or that they should build some trail feature to prevent me from hitting that section at 20mph? No – it’s a natural trail, not a trail centre.

If you know the trail then you know where you need to slow down. If you don’t know the trail then ride it at a pace that you can react to anything you see. It’s whingey idiots like you that mean many of the best trails end up being sanitised. Take some responsibility for your own actions. I suggest you stick to the blue runs at trail centres or take up golf.
[/rant]

150mm Revs on mine plus offset bushings. You have to work a bit harder to keep the front wheel planted on steep climbs (requires a bit of upper body strength), but overall I love the setup.

+1 for the SixCs

Burgtec would be my first choice, Vaults second. My preferences may be due to having wide size 12 feet though. Vaults grip great but the quality doesn’t compare to Burgtec, and the latest Burgtecs are not the weight penalty that my Mk IIs are.

Just a note to praise the customer service of Orange. After emailing them to ask for advice about the BB issue, I popped down to the factory and they chased the BB threads for me and gave me a Race Face BB with longer cups for free. Possibly not a permanent fix, but it has kept me riding in the short-term.

I’m going to wrap some PTFE tape around the section of the BB cup that will be screwing into the worn area in the hope that this will stop (or at least reduce) any play from wearing away the remaining good threads.

Looks like BETD is the best option. Don’t want to replace cranks or be stuck with a square taper BB. Might give a few wraps of PTFE tape around the BB cup a go first – can’t see it lasting long but worth a shot.

Hope did

I’m just glad that Eddie Fiola hasn’t posted a photo of his cat.

Burt fetches sticks, Cat brought things in i didnt want.

What do you want sticks for?

sadly we live in a world where food can come from some worrying sources such as gm

Oh no, not that horrible GM stuff. The stuff that can be grown on a large scale without requiring the use of such high levels of pesticides and/or fertiliser.

But a new Flow EX rim is around £60, so not a massive difference there.

An extra 2.4mm ID may have some benefits, I just didn’t believe they were enough to justify the price increase (for me).

And, I couldn’t find anywhere with 26″ Flow EX Hope Hoops in stock (many of those who reported stock were telling porkies) – but I may have missed somewhere – so there is a significant price difference.

Anyway, I’m not saying the Hope rims are as good as the Flow EXs – I suspect there’s not much in it but have never used Flow EXs so cannot compare. What I am saying is that the choice of Flow EXs over Hopes isn’t as clear cut as you’re making it out to be, and that I think the Hopes are a good buy for the price. If I’d found Flow EXs for the same price as the Hope Techs then I would probably have gone for the Flows, but I couldn’t.

Meh. I did lots of research before buying them and there are plenty reports of Flow EXs being made of cheese, plus plenty saying they are indestructible. Without the benefit of personal experience it’s almost impossible to know these things for sure. The Hopes are relatively new, so real world reports are few and far between. As I said, no problems with mine so far. If they dent then they can be replaced with any other rim, so no biggy.

Did you stealthily edit an ‘s’ on the end of ‘bike’, thus rendering my comment retarded? Or did I retardedly miss the ‘s’?