good to here Whytes is still going…im tempted ! I used to like the skills/freeride bit at the top of Cwm Carn..have they put the ladders back? Agreed Brechfa is bermtastic…i also remember a fairly steep muddy descent that was quite interesting!

I think all of them have something different to offer, My old favourite was Whytes Level but I hear thats closed now?????. Brechfa is nice and tech. Cwm Carn i also enjoy plus Penmachno and the Marin trail…. I think you are spoilt for choice there!! Great area definitely worth a 3day plus trip!

I use tubes even on my Mavic 819 tubeless compatible rims. Used tubeless on and off on my XC bikes from 2003 but just can’t be bothered with the faff now. I don’t puncture much as I use fairly big tyres. I think they are good for stopping thorn punctures but all that stuff about lower pressure running is wrong IMHO. If you run too low pressures rims can get mashed. I used to find that muck got trapped between sidewall beads and rims when running tubeless and created slow punctures. Also sealant can partially dry inside a tyre into a messy blob over time. When I ride DH I find i need higher pressures anyway so for me tubeless offers little advantage..

Had mine a year or so now. Happily the standover is excellent! this is helped by dropped top tube and seat tube support. Almost indestructible frame comes at a weight penalty.. fine for XC/trail aswell as gnarly stuff if you are reasonably fit. Relatively long top tube so very stable, but means it requires a little more effort for wheelies. Rides well as a trail bike with 140mm forks(i use Pikes). Nice stable bike for drops too. No worries about taking it on a plane for holidays…can easily stand up to an assault by easy jet.ryanair or the airbus crew ;)

I went for SLX with a race face lightweight bash ring as i preferred the look. Spend wasn’t the major issue either but I still just can’t get the value in XTR cranks with their unique rings. I’m a comitted double and bash rider though :)

Tony you can buy just the top half of a Hope headset. Just did it the other way round when I changed the forks on the Nomad to 1.5 taper steerer forks from 1 1/8. Hope use a wedge in the top to secure. A straight 1.5 steerer works slightly better than tapered steerers on single crown forks I believe as it offers a greater clamping area for the stem so doesn’t allow the headset to work loose so easily. Another thing i have found seems to work is using a single headset spacer rather than one or two. I just use a single 30mm alloy washer that Hope make under the stem. If you uses a few separate washers it seems to also allow the headset more opportunity to loosen.

I dont think its worth riding there for most intermediates now.

The ladder drops have both gone as has all the fun intermediate shore. There are 3 main runs that are doable for intermediates: Dual Slalom, The Four Cross and the Mini down hill line. Although these are quite good I dont think they match the other alternatives. The mini DH is very short and not steep. The XC riding at Chicksands is also very limited.

The other runs such as the bull run and snake line have gaps and drops waaay out of range for intermediate riders.

Woburn Sands nearby has much better XC courses as well as more freeride lines and also has plenty of dirtjumps as well as a good pump track.

Aston Hill in Wendover is way way better in terms of its DH runs too(you will be best to go on a dry day though as the ground is chalky and slippy in the wet). The Aston runs are each about four (roughly) times as long as Chicksands mini DH and are far more techy and steep but there are also intermediate lines and an XC course. There is also a good 4x there.

Clear assault and I am sure the Police will do something about it. They are ordinary people like the rest of us and have their share of good and bad. Drawing attention to this ugly assault will help. Like many services they get stretched and cant and don’t deliver everyones expectations.Its a shame these articles spend half the time knocking the Police rather than criticising these ugly people in our society who think they can get away with violent crimes like this. Im not in the police ! but I think we need some balance here!

e-mail me if interested… I bought the shock as I was going to keep the Enduro and upgrade rather than buy a new frame… then the Nomad Carbon appeared…and i gave the old frame away but kept the new shock i had bought.. its Pushed and very plush…

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/coil-shock-fox-dhx-for-spec-enduro

I am advertising an enduro coil rear shock on classifieds… its almost new …came off my 05 sx trail!!

Havent bothered reading most of this thread but believe it must be a troll surely!!?? Seems to be encouraging agro with “evil stereotyping” from both sides encouraging us to unite against the “bad guys”… tribalism coming out…woe betide the newbies, AGNI’s, Middle class IT guys, and what about the golfers & bankers? Some riders need and enjoy courses, but other riders are happy not to do them . Strangely we are all different!! VIVE LA DIFFERENCE…its YOUR CHOICE

Now’t wrong with pro 2s. I have used them for years .. On my DH /FR bikes I do use the SS freewheel upgrade though as its stronger but heavier..If you must jetwash you should be re-greasing regularly with decent grease. When I get new hubs or bearings i always remove bearing cover to check/add new grease. Lots of bearings come supplied with too little/no grease

Just as an observation . I hear a number of people are having “loose headset issues” with the cane creek angleset. Maybe worth checking a few owners reviews before buying. From my experience the more non fixed washer spacers between headset and stem the more easily the stem loosens. I now use a single spacer between headset and stem.

Hi Andy RT. Re the Lyrics i’m just at thinking stage at the moment so no offer on the table as yet.. I will let you know if things change. I have been considering upgrade to 1.5 steerer but that also means new stem & headset…so probably not worth it just to gain 10mm travel… I may just upgrade the wheels next.

Good to hear Matthew H. It all seems very well built to me..

by the way what forks are you running. I have some Lyric coil u turn with 1 1/8 steerer from my old bike. Was thinking of upgrading to 1.5 steerer RC2DH air shock..??£££!!! I never use the U turn and it just ads a bit of weight…

:) it makes me out of breath riding it

Thats sad. I think i’ll grease the bearings with the supplied grease gun now! I don’t think any particular make of FS bikes are better than others in terms of mud resistance(excluding single pivots like Orange as you mention). Most of it comes down to luck. A lot of bearings on new bikes don’t have enough grease inside them in my experience. Thats why so far I have been careful not to ride in complete filth until I have stripped and rebuilt it. Anyway its a great to ride in fact “awesome” bike and i’m sorry to hear that you have had problems. I think SC will be helpful though. I have done quite a lot of hours on mine now and its still as smooth as new..

Just use full length outers. About every 6mths or less if needed …put bike in stand at about 45 deg, slacken gear wire by supporting mech, and drip TFT2 into end near the handlebars. Keep going until this washes muck out of the other end of the cable. I hardly ever need to change outers since I have been doing this….

I also have RS10s on My Specialized Roubaix road bike which does a lot of commuting with loads of potholes etc. After 2 years they are still running fine. Good wheels IMHO. I think they will outlast racier lighter ones. Cheap too!

Superb!

Hi Jedi great Thanks… Hope all good with u. did a wet Epping solo ride today on my hardtail. Found some great bits including some old drops i haven’t been off for years… i really loved going off them. .. its great realising i have actually got better over the years it felt great. Also that cornering technique you taught me is really giving extra confidence too. even on my road bike!!. I used to get too stressed and over nervous doing freeridey type things, even though capable i would be so afraid i really didnt enjoy it any more. It has changed now. I dont force things through. Yes my goals and saftety Iimits are now clearer and i dont attempt things unless i am happy that i really am confident about doing them, not just able but HAPPY doing them the day you spent coaching me helped me to see this. I would love to come over herts one day for a brush up> basically i’m loving biking more than ever …just a shame i don’t get enough time!

Used to ride there a fair bit myself. Went back recently to have a look. There is not much there now for ordinary trail riders now. Just 3 fun runs IMO. The mini Downhill(fun but very short). 4X Track(good), Dual track(Good). However the shore stuff is all destroyed and the FR are runs such as bull run etc are way above most riders(and my!) skill/risk levels if you want to do them properly. They don’t seem to cater for the intermediate/fun trail rider anymore who also likes a bit of shore and drops. :(

its not what you need but what you like and get used to. If you are XC racing and super fit, then less travel is generally better as you don’t have to worry about loosing energy into the suspension, and can concentrate on your speed. Suspension makes riding more comfortable and reduces impact so definitely can help on long rides. With suspension you may also find it allows you to push yourself on tech bits such as drops without less risk of injury. I have 140mm suspension on my hardtail (Dialled Alpine) and its great for nearly everything. 140mm of travel is not much in real terms…its just like a slight bend of the legs…I think many people get caught up in exactly how much travel to use. The important thing is that the travel you use suits the bike design and wont spoil the angles or turn it into a “chopper”.I never wind the travel down either on the Alpine as the frame is designed for 140mm and it climbs fine. Im happy riding everything with it. Sometimes I ride my SC Nomad on “XC Trails” in the summer …thats fine too, I just find myself riding different lines and feeling less beaten up afterwards. Yes the Nomad is a great Alps machine but its lots of fun here too.

Austria is generally much cheaper than France and much better for learning. We stay in Austrian small towns outside resorts and have choice of driving to quite a few different ones depending on weather. This works well for adults as you dont need to pay premium prices to stay in a particular resort. Obviously its easier if you have young kids to stay right in the centre of a resort but that costs lots more. As said above mid Feb is peak season! Ski club of Great Britain site has good resort info. Another thing is that you dont need a “world class resort” if u are a beginner. Smaller resorts are cheaper. Make sure you check ski season and resort altitude before booking. Some resorts are better than others for this. I started skiing in 1972 and still enjoy small resorts when we go to Austria. We just do different ones each day…or every other day. I love Val d’Isere in France for its enormous area and “back country skiing”but its super expensive and accomodation generally poor value…however its still my favourite skiing and we go most years.

have used XTR shifters in the past now use XT . The difference is small versus the extra wonga. XT is an excellent choice even for racers. SLX is fine too. I do like XTR cassettes they seem to last much longer(Luckily!!) than XT if you check and replace chains as well as being a fair bit lighter with the big Ti sprockets.

The BIG problem with MTB bearings is that very often they start life with no grease at all!! Manufacturers should pack them but i imagine mtbs application is a rather different than the bearing manufacturer anticipated. As Kaesae has correctly said many times on this forum, the right grease makes a massive difference. I have had great results over the years simply by carefully removing bearing seals and applying fresh grease and turning the bearing round to work it in. I am also careful with washing. Some of the Rock n roll greases are v.good. I would not risk fitting cheap bearings. I believe bearing manufacturers just blow grease into the races with an air gun. On cheap bearings this will be done sparingly to save cash as grease is expensive. You get a lot of “duds” with hardly any or no grease…

Dr P is correct. “Angry” adults are just selfishly trying to get their own way without regard for others. They normally carry it on because they have been able to get away with it. Thankfully all meet a point in their adult lives where they pay the price for their selfishness and lack of self discipline.

Maxxis Ardent are very good I have the big 2.4s, light and nice on rock. The only not so good thing is soft deep mud.. I leave them on my Nomad Carbon had them since i got the bike last summer & I dont change tyres unless they wear out… Used in Alps last year and here…no problems…plenty tough , light and no punctures yet!!(I use tubes too)

I have a Cove Handjob and a Dialled Alpine. The Cove HJ is definitely an XC/Trail bike whereas the Alpine and indeed the Evil are very hardcore trail/do it all bikes. They can withstand whatever you can! I dont hear of them breaking but they are much more solid and heavier. The Columbus tubing on the HJ is waifer thin hence the light weight. If you want to jump or use 140mm or more forks, a dialled or the Evil are much better!

Not on my Carbon Nomad …no noise or creaking at all. It sounds very much like the headset has loosened so definitely check it out or get the shop to if they built it and show u how to adjust it. Loose headsets are bad news for the bearings…

LBS for me too! Cheaper than CRC a lot of the time too… i buy all my stuff there so they value my biz. They also build great wheels too and are always happy to help if they ever need a quick “tweek”…A big up for good old Marshalls Cycles in Herts. I first went there cos of all the support they had given local racing. On line stuff might be easier in terms of delivery etc but if it goes wrong like some of those guys have, its a nightmare!!

They like charging excess baggage as i believe they get commission on it. I remember one new years eve at Stanstead hearing their staff competing with each other on how much charges they had raked up!! Be careful!

I use a park chain guide. New chains are about 0.25 and ready to scrap about or just after 0.75. At 1.0 sprockets are ruined. Ps i mainly use SRAM chains.

if you are in a rush why not just get off the bike walk onto pavement and after checking way is clear run across road. Thats faster than waiting in the road for lights and not illegal.

Virgin media are one of the worst companies i have ever had the misfortune of dealing with and I pity you. A while back(about a month ago) I posted about my experience with them when i fell for their slick marketing and ordered some of their services. It annoys me to hear them boasting about their broadband speed etc when they so badly misrepresent themselves in being able to actually deliver. After 3 months of messing me around and loosing my phone number which I have used for about 20years i gave up with them. The only good thing was they quickly removed their coiled up useless cable from my land in the end!! Good luck

I cant see a problem if people are enjoying it. I did a session with him in January this year and it taught me a hell of a lot even though i have been MTBing for more than 20yrs. Give it a go real man an maybe you will tell us your experiences…

easy jet will refuse a bike if its not packed in a box or bag…its in their t&c!! Last week they charged me £10 for being one kilo overweight…they really are just like the Fly Low firm on telly. I believe they get a commission on excess baggage charges. Many years ago they totally had me on a new years eve on excess baggage. They new I had no alternative but to pay up. Anyway I prefer them to Ryan Air. For me Driving is best. Then you can take all the goodies!

i hate the phrase “UK Bike” its Meaningless. Go to Thetford then maybe Herts Shore (both in S.E England)and you will find massively different types of riding. What bike you use totally depends on YOU. Unfortunately many idiots like to criticise others for their bike choice, rather than getting on with their own riding. If you like the Anthem use it! People telling you how much travel you need or don’t need fall into the same mire. Just enjoy it! Same with tyres …its perfectly feasible to leave one set on all year and adapt your riding to suit :)