I would love to know what it is. I have hardly been using the brakes there as it was running very slow in the wet and also isnt that hilly, maybe the callipers are filling with sand and dragging the whole time…i didnt notice it though..
. It hasnt happened on other bikes ridden there in the past either. Maybe its just sharp machining edges.

if is a hollowtech (outboard bearing type)crank the bearings can end up scoring the axle, if the bearing races are so bad they wont even turn round. Just depends on degree. If its just a bit rough you can remove bearing covers and just stuff a bit of new grease in.

If very bad best not to ride it. BVery loose BBs can also hurt your knees if you are pedaling a lot.

The silly thing is that running full length cables is a cure for all the mud in cables shift problems. With simple full runs there is no need for gortex or other fancy cable danglies!
Even when you maintain full run cables, thats easy to do too. Just slacken gear cable & drip GT85 in at the top & it washes out muck at the bottom.

The reason most manufacturers dont run full length cables is weight!!!I was told that by a Specialized technician a few years back.

Luckily my new Dialled bikes frame has full runs for both front & rear mechs.

I support Tonyg2003 on this, but each to his own.

I would not be happy knowing that I could easily have prevented common accidents. If you get a number of kids on trampolines it can be dangerous.. I know lots of things are risky, but small kids are often unaware of any risk…

We use Jumpking too still fine after 2yrs hard use. I like the edge enclosure for my kids. Helps train them to stay in the middle!! Even our 2yr old enjoys the trampoline!

i do like the green too.. white would be nice if they made it. It'll definitely be joining me on my adventures. I look forward to the Alpine in the Scottish Highlands next summer…

I guess the problem is that their creator must be more of an engineer than a rider.

As all our bike technique teachers tell us… your weight on a bike should be on the pedals not the sadle when u are riding gnarly stuff.

On these bikes the suspension doesnt work properly when you stand!!! That means its only good for pootling!!

I use a Cyclus press too. I used to have homemade job many years ago..the Cyclus is much much better

Hi back again. Yes it is a replacement for the Cove HJ which is sadly hanging in the shed. I enjoyed the Alpine a lot at Chicksands. The first run it got was down the dual track. I was apprehensive at first as I haven't done the Chicky dual on a HT before, but the faster I went the better it got. I also gave it a good go on the 4x track and the few small shore bits there, & new "bull run" but i missed out the big 15ft gap jump at the end!!(dont do that on my full sus either)… Had a great day there yesterday & didnt even need to wash the bike!

The Alpine angles seem very sorted. All I did was adjust the headset & saddle. One great thing is that you can drop the saddle very low & the frame has massive standover clearance… useful on shore/gnarly bits or if you slip off the pedals.

From an XC point of view I tried it up the steep climbs and I found it much easier than my Cove HJ. I think that is because the Pike forks were a bit long for that and slackened it a bit too much. To me the extra weight isnt a big issue. I wouldnt mind having it on all my XC rides too, as we often stop off a jump spots when we ride, and session them.
I dont think it would be wasted though I agree this frame has much bigger limits than my riding will test. I like that though, and that gives me confidence.
On the downhill it also feels much more stable than the Cove. Im not sure why. Maybe the wheelbase which I think is a bit longer does that. Anyway I do look forward to whizzing it round singletrack too! At £380 for the frame I think it is a bargain. Its a well finished fun bike.

Im sure a dialled PA would have been fine for me in strength terms, i'm sure, but I prefer longer travel forks and dont want to "chopper" things. Also to be honest I like the look of this frame( a bit like an Evil frame), and its low standover given my height also appeals!

I know Peaty rides a very light bike going dowhill. IMHO for the less talented such as me, heavier bikes are much more stable for riding DH.

I think ultra light bikes like some of the superlight XC models suffer a lot of deflection on rough courses and are a "handfull" when the going gets rough.

you might be right about the saddle from the look of it bialled-dikes … i didnt really check that properly, as the seat post came off my Cove.. anyway i can sort that tomorrow on its test run..Cheers

Cheers yes its Red. The red is really a Burgundy metallic.

Thanks for comments. I agree that saddle looks slightly nose down but I like to drop it right down for jumping & tech stuff. As i'll need to pedal uphill on this bike and sit on it on the flat too when im tired, i have the top of the saddle horizontal..I dont want crushed nuts! I run my DH bike with nose up as i push that uphill. I dont think i'll be changing that.

Forks are Pike coil 426 that I had "pushed" recently and are great. The bar is a wide blackspire DH with a 50mm hope stem. I have two 10mm spacers below the stem at the moment as I like the front end high. Rims are 519 tubless with pro 2 hubs & Fat Albert UST tyres. Gears & cranks are XT. The brakes are the new Hope M4 tech with 183mm floating disks. I dont think i'll be using a chain roller ..

Cheers. Its a 16" I'm 5ft 7 and a bit! so wouldnt want bigger. I also have a Cove Handjob(15 1/2") so most the bits for this build came of that.

Interesting bike. My worry would be the long seatpost with that very shallow angle. that must put a lot of strain on it. Certainly not a boring bike!

Tip for the pivot bearings is to VERY carefully remove seals with a fine knife and push in fresh grease. This helps prolong bearing life enormously. Many new supplied bearings are almost dry and not suitable for wet mucky bike application.

Same tyres all year round for trail riding…Fat Albert 2.35. I find mud tyres rotten for cornering when the trails do dry out and i cant be bothered with the hassle of changing..

This post is worrying me. Surely 10mm extra travel on a fork cant make that much difference? I thought Pikes axle/crown wasnt that long despite being 140mm. I thought other forks like 130mm old style Marzocchis were longer in axle/crown length anyway.

I certainly am not the smoothest rider and sometimes land a little heavy(I weigh 82kg) but no sign of damage on my bike yet. Maybe the frame had already suffered when you bought it? Anyway maybe i need to by a dialled Bikes Alpine? I dont want the Cove HJ snapping on me!

Always drive whenever possible. Take all the gear never worry about all the airport hassle etc. Even when we drove to Leogang in Austria!! and thats quite a way. Driving is way better for families..

Airports take your freedom away & you get treated like cattle!! Much happier driving even if it cost twice as much!!

agree fat tyres are big way forward. In the the past lots of punctures were due to too little air volume. These days i use the fat albert 2.35 all year round & never change them. With big tyres i dont get punctures……..much! touch wood!

Just accidently started another thread about it…i dont spend long enough on here!! Good Website . As said contact details & location could be clearer. Photos great. I think you will be busy!Best of Luck!

oops i see he already has a thread running on it!!

I run a Cove handjob with Pikes. Lasted a year fine so far of hard trail riding. However its small(15 1/2") so the top tube and downtube make a nice "T" joint.

I have used Tubeless and tubed tyres for quite a few years.

I think an imprtant factor if you are big is the tyre size. You definitely should try bigger tyres if your bike can take them, this will stop you pinch flatting & give you traction without resorting to silly pressures where you may dent the rim anyway. With low pressures in tubeless you can also "burp" air & sealant if you hit big roots/rocks on the trail.

I run Schwalbe Fat Albert 2.35s on two of my bikes. One set tubeless, the other set tubed. My trail bike is tubeless as it can comes into more contact with thorns etc. However after years of running tubless i'm thinking of going back to simple tubes on both bikes. On my tubeless bike I use slime sealant which makes the tyres heavy versus the tubed bike.

My "big 2.35 tyres" rarely puncture so i think i may possibly go back to tubes. With bigger tyres the tubeless advantage isn't that clear IMO

Good to hear there are good samaritans around.

When I rode Swinley last Sunday we had two incidents of guys coming downhill on some fairly mild trails while we were climbing, & of course we moved for them to freely pass, but they didnt even say a quick hello or thanks while passing !!

Maybe they were just beginners and were paralised with fear on the descents!

I have given away tubes & chain links on quite a few occasions in Wales. Last time i did the guy kindly posted a vid of me doing the sadly now defunct FR drops at Cwm Carn. Its good to keep the friendly MTB spirit going.

This is the funniest thread i have ever read on STW. I can honestly say its cheered me up today! Thanks everyone its been great entertainment!
(i'm not saying i know the answer….I don't but I can guess!)

Here my 5p worth!. If your hardtail is decent & in good nick try and keep it for the "tamer stuff". Why not go a bit beyond the Orange 5 and get an "all mountain" bike. If u like Orange i hear the Blood is good. Otherwise one of the old specialized Enduros can be had for bargain prices…eg a 2006. I would stay away from the newer enduros with Specialized own brand forks/shocks.

My all mountain bike is an 05 Specialized Enduro SX trail. I love riding that at Glentress & Highland trail centres. I have also used it on loads of proper DH courses. In my light build it weighs 34lbs. Not heavy for me, but i guess too much for "serious" XC. A friend bought a 2nd hand SX trail for about £750 recently!! If you want to make them light you want light forks like Fox 36s or Lyrics (I use Lyric coil), and a TI spring & lightish tyres helps keep it light.

Im on my 3rd Landrover Discovery now. I have loved owning them. Part of the reason for weak sales in my view has been caused by the anti 4×4 lobby hysterically tagging these cars as anti-enviroment. There often seems to be a political need to "tag" sections of our society and blame them for our ills. The media is quick to oblige our politicians with this.

It keeps our focus on the "enemy" of society and off any shortcomings of our leaders….sorry im rambling!

What they miss out on is that they are not so bad on fuel if driven sensibly(people who by them dont buy this type of car for "motorsport"). Subaru Imprezas and Golf GTIs can use more fuel if driven in a "normal" way for that class of car. We get 25.6mpg from our disco. We use it for longer journeys especially with bikes! We don't use it for short town journeys, and have a small car for that and rail season tickets! I'm totally in agreement on the fuel tax issue. Road tax penalisation as is the current vogue does not encourage sensible car usage.

There is no other 4×4 with as much space & i can get 3 "big bikes" in the back without lowering the rear seat. The engine is a beautiful purring Jag v6 gem. I relly like it. I'll be very sad if LR goes down. Their product is excellent..

£1,500 is a lot for 2nd hand bike… remember there are big discounts on many new bikes now. I would think that good condition 1yr old bike should be half price even so.. Sorry I dont know what current Orange models cost but half of that would be a good price in my view. With 2nd hand full sussers even though pivots may be ok (especially on Orange), you might still need shock servicing which isn't cheap…

Crotchrocket please justify your remarks on BFT. Its not right coming out with stuff like that on a public forum without justifying yourself.

Maybe you dont like the way they do things there but it certainly is not fair just slating people in public without giving reason.

The other week they hosted a NPS 4x race which got good write ups.

They must be doing some things right. Maybe just not to your taste?

661 Kyle straits …superb

I treated the inside of my cove steel frame with waxoyl. Certainly stops rust (none after over 1 year) but in my warm garage it seems to liquefy and wash the grease out of bbs & headsets!!

I think i put too much in!!

If you want to do it i would use it with care.

I also understand some high quality steel alloys are less prone to rust.

I would certainly do it if my bike was kept in a damp shed or used on salty winter roads, but wouldnt bother again for "normal use".

No one needs it. This time i think it runs more true than previous moves up.

I started with the non index 6 speed blocks that were fairly poor.6-7 was a big index improvement with "STI". The move from 7-8 gave little improvement in shifting performance but for me added useful gear range.

But the step to 9 speed was a big improvement. Shimano added the extra spring in the rear mech that upped the shifting accuracy and confounded those that said it wont work in the mud. The 34-11 rear tooth option is also a great help for me! I find it works well with a 2 ring setup & bash ring.

I recently bought this years XT thumbshifters. They are the smoothest shifters i have ever used(i was cynical before buying them). Its hard to imagine better shifting!! Running full length cables is also something I do where possible & helps reduce maintenance.

The trouble is that if they are moving to 10speed they will need to up their game again for the mud & durablility could be questioned. The biggest hassle will be whether they keep producing the 9sp stuff. For me 9 is plenty!

The 10 speed SRAM chains need new joiners every time you split them I understand!!?? I like to remove the chain for cleaning on my mtbs.
I'll be sticking with 9 speed i think..

Have a good ride tomorrow weather looks good! I'll look fwrd to seeing the pics.. now time for Pizza and to open some Wine Cheers All! :-)

Sorry 4 delay…pizzas went in the oven! To be honest I agree. It was almost scary… i had done the Highland Wildcat at Golspie & quite a few others i rate as "top" recently but the Leith Hill ride beat the lot to be honest. I rode it on my Spec SX trail & didnt notice the weight even though my companions were v.fit & with one riding a hardtail Hummer.. cos it was so much fun!. Hei Hei put such a great route toghether superb…better than any trail centre i can rember doing. Leith Hill area is definitely a way way way good ride if you get an excellent local trail leader like Mr Hei hei did for us…

by the way I hope all is well with you..havent seen u for ages

Mr Jedi I think it is way way better than the singletrack Herts trails…eg Broxbourne Woods, Hertford Heath etc (not including those up in the air grade XXXXXX mad ones u ride).. Have u been down there on the Hummer recently.. U shld give it a go.. Im thinking of going tomorrow. There seems to be racing on at Chicksands and Aston Hill so its going to be Swinley for me..

I recently did some great rides on the Leith Hill area with Hei Hei from this site… I would rate that way way way(3 ways!) better than my local herts singletrack. It reminded me of some of the fun rides I did in the Scottish Highlands this Summer.

The orange Blood has 127mm rear travel. Doesnt seem a lot for "big mountain" rocky stuff…if I was getting an orange for that it would be the alpine 160

Intense Uzzi also looks interesting. Reviewed in this months MBUK. I noticed Siverfish advertising it with Totems on it, whereas the test had it with Fox 36s I think.

However I still have an '05 Enduro SX Trail for "all mountain" duties and I still havent found a bike i would rather have yet! My SX trail now is kitted with Lyrics and climbs fine. In its FR incarnation I used to have Marz 66s on it(that greatly reduced my climbing ability on it).

2nd hand Spec SX trails can now be had fairly cheap second hand(or old model new frames from dealers)…i'm not selling though!

BMWs are nice cars but it seems to me that they get driven too aggressively!!. Their owners often seem to stick those diy M.Sport badges on the back and use the roads for their "motorsport".
I admit there are many exceptions but the brand certainly appeals to the self certified "sporty" driver.

When i've been badly "cut up" on my road bike there seems to be a large proportion of times when its by some BMW…. stereotyping finished!!

oops made mistake I mean Giant Glory NOT Reign!!