Key with rotor removal on an Evoc bag is which way round you put the wheels in. If you put the rotors on the inside then no problem . Spokes would be smashed before damage got to the rotor.

Obviously common sense needed just as with tyre pressures. To bend a rotor on the rear side of the spokes , the rotor would need to be in contact with something solid e.g the bike frame. On my bike that does not happen so no need for rotor removal.

Well done Evoc. I had another German designed bike bag previously that lasted me many years ( over 10). When I first flew with bikes there was no need to buy expensive bike bags and the airlines generally took bikes free but the airlines were keen to raise revenue when they saw the increasing rate of bike travel going on.

Wishing you a speedy recovery too..

I used an Evoc “soft” bike bag for the first time to travel here in Spain with easy jet. It the best bag I have ever used.

All I needed to do was . Remove pedals, remove handlebar from stem, lower seat(reverb so easy), and slightly lower tyre pressure and put wedges in brake callipers. I also unscrewed the rear mech although that wasn’t really necessary. .. . No extra padding was needed.

The Disc rotors could stay on!!! Superb really quick to pack(about 10mins) . This is the first bag I have used where disc rotors can stay on!

The only “extras” needed was a rag and a spare pair of tyres for extra padding.

All my MTBs have 26in wheels. I haven’t noticed any of my ride buddies who have kept up with the latest trends going any quicker over gnarly bits. I’m afraid it’s just probably a marginal benefit with rolling resistance but this comes with other disadvantages ( you don’t get anything for nothing). The reality is probably the cycling marketing guys needing to sell bikes into a fairly saturated market in MTBs.

There have not been any really major innovations since hydraulic disks and the introduction of suspension. I remember years ago when “bar ends” came in that they were banned in some races as they were not widely available and it was thought they gave an advantage on climbs. The gear manufacturers have managed to keep turnover up by adding an extra gear every few years, so the frame makers said , why not. At least there is a limit to wheel size as I doubt that we will be back to penny farthings :)

I’m keeping with 26in wheels as firstly changing is expensive and the benefits of increasing diameter marginal, secondly I don’t want to get caught with the wrong tube size. If I was a World Cup Xc racer maybe I might have a 29″ bike but being a bit short and liking lots of frame clearance 26 in is perfect for me.

If you have 1300 a TI frame is a possibility if you are willing to get some second hand bits for the rest and slowly upgrade. Trouble will be getting decent forks in your budget . Forks are expensive and are also important. You can get fairly decent wheels nowadays for not too much.

One suggestion I would make are the One One 456 evo ti frame. I bought one a year ago and really enjoy it . The ride is compliant without being “twangy” like some ultra light hard tails. It has all the strength I need and has just the right angles for my 140mm revelation air fork, and is light( in fact I had to use a bigger middle ring for climbs!). This bike replaced my dialled alpine which was too much for me . The prices for these are not silly. After lots of years and lots of bikes this one is a keeper for me.

Should be zero failure! Practice on an old bearing… If u don’t have any ask lbs or a disused skateboard :)

To lift bearing seals use a pointed scalpel blade …with care!

Lots of bearings come “dry” from the factories that are turning out thousands at a time. Generally I have found shimano XT bb bearings ok for a year if carefully washed. Few bearings have really specific grease in them for bikes. On my full Suspension bikes i take the bearing covers off carefully when new and fill them with really sticky grease. I do that to headsets too. It makes a big difference. I was shocked years ago when I bought decent replacement bearings to find the odd one with no grease at all. The best idea is always to check new bearings before use. With shimano bbs that’s a fad and I don’t bother. My favourite bbs are hope and they seem to go on for ages, plus you can easily get new bearings. I agree re the hard tail! I ride one most of the time too…

Thanks Mogrim , just made a donation to those guys you mentioned. Nice to try to help even if it’s small…

Yes it’s really sad. luckily the bull fighting is not local to us. I do agree the cruelty isn’t just a Spanish thing. There are plenty of UK horror stories too with dog fighters and many other neglect cases.

Agree Sony RX100 is superb. I bought that instead of small DSLR. The proper leather case for it is great but expensive

Good to see the RC Singletrack branch. I do a bit of Plane/Heli flying too. My latest build is actually a boat…it is a 75mph+ Nitro Hydroplane ( an outrigger boat)..very very fast and can turn hard (right only)but needs a big lake!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pg7ejr7yepw9bdw/photo.JPG

Doesn’t seem to let me post photo directly :(

Here is my new On One 456 Ti Evo. A great fun ride!

Got correct Hope semi integrated 43.95mm Hope No2 as davewaish mentioned above. It went in smoothly helped with a bit of grease. I must say the headtube was nicely reamed by the manufacturer and the general frame finish is very good. Hopefully ride it this weekend :)

Cheers guys. Hope 2 now being ordered. Its getting so complicated now! So many different combos. Must be a nightmare for manufacturers although I guess the move to different standards is from the industry itself.

deffo not 1.125 internal top cup. The Internal diameter is about 44mm. As Orangeboy says they mention Smoothie 44zs. I Guess that means 44mm Integral(hope make a 43.95 integral).

Luckily I have a good strong headset press. I have done lots over the years…unfortunately not the correct headset though :(

Cheers . It seems to be 44mm internal in top cup…(sorry not 1.25inch) o dear maybe its an integral? I bought a hope pick n mix headset (1.125″ & 1.5″)as i like them. sounds like i will need to swap :( cant see where On One mention that.

Been there a few times. The ” off piste” biking is best there as in many mountain areas. Trails are easy to find and you can be a bit ” cheeky” if you off main drags. Bike wise it is very quiet so you pretty much can choose any high mountain trail as long as you respect walkers. When I went it was just fun planning rides and going where I liked . The classic DH trails are good but IMHO the single track is much better. Although it can be busy the ride from Saalbach across to Leogang is a fun day out too.

I would definitely second(or third) the zipped long neck. Crew neck base layers can get stretched in the neck especially if you wear a back pack. Just bought some DHB ones which seem reasonable. The HH are very good but too pricey in my view… I have a few of those too. Would be nice if M&S made a high necked zip version of the one above. That looks warm!

Endura thermaclip bib longs. Warmest leggings ever . They are about 15 plus years old. I only use them when it’s quite cold(-1 on my road ride today). I have used them down to -23 in Scotland. I’m now thinking about getting another pair. Great bit of kit

Good on you. Nice to have decent riders like you on the trails!

The scariest and least forgiving I encounter is the “wet clay under leaves” , found at Epping and quite a bit in Herts. You can be riding along with good traction on a nice autumnal bed of leaves and whoosh you go sideways when the under surface suddenly changes to clay. Riding on roots compared to that are a doodle. The only way of preventing a bail out is always being ready and properly balanced. Even then there is no chance of holding a camber when you are traversing a slope as the tyres may grip the leaves, but the leaves certainly don’t grip clay!

As said above you cant compare an abuser very easily to a cheating sportsman. The only real parallel that comes to mind for me is that when something looks too good to be true it normally is wrong.
The silly investment returns some fund managers promise only to be discovered as ponzi scheme fraudsters later on is another case.
In our desire to conjure up heroes and stars we often encourage cheats. Winning seems too often to be the goal at any cost whether as a celebrity, or in sport.
Unfortunately we as humans are inherently weak. maybe thats a control to stop any of us getting too much power?

Its been a couple of years since he “did me” and I still remember his words.. Vastly improved my confidence and therefore FUN in riding.. I’m pleased he took up coaching! :)

That one Holyzeus has just recommended above is great. I can verify its easy to use … Even did a good job getting ticks off my daughter who is very squeemish.. A very good tool. There is one remover for the big ticks and has a small one,. Its like a DIY nail remover and with a small twist the small ticks are off in seconds

Virgin left us cut of without Internet an telephone for 3months over Christmas and new year…not good! we lost the number we had for more than ten years. Their service was very bad. Most friends use BT . I think that’s safest.

Good to hear all the repliies, sensible answer is that you might want at least 3 different bikes in the end once you get into mtbs :) all depends what u want to do when u get up the mountain…..For instance a bit XC , an all mountain, a mad downhill….

Didn’t know about that Mr Bandito. Thought I just had to download maps from Garmin. That’s what wasted an evening as each time it got half loaded it stopped, but the overnight session luckily worked. . I was worried as I had to leave the following day for France. Maps are expensive though but the France SE map I bought fron Garmin is very detailed and useful.

Take it all back now. After finaly got map downloaded..I don’t know why it kept stopping after halfway….that was big problem.

Garmin has been very useful here in Chamonix and I won’t sell now. French map is very detailed… Happy now :)

Enough riding seems open for me on my family hol( I’m just doing 1-2hrs a day), but if you are on a bike only focus hol you would probably best go with guides. Beauty now is the open bike trails i have seen are certainly not crowded with bikers .

Cheers that looks good in the book and is near here too . I will give it a go. After winging about it on the forum the other day I finally got my map uploaded for my garmin and it’s been a great help!

Keep the bike you have. Reverbs are not “big forks” and are fine for all round riding. You are young. I’m close to my half century and still progressing and enjoying it. If lack of experience/ need to improve skill is holding you back it’s much better to have a bit more comfort and travel than you actually need. Leave the short travel super light bikes to the racers. I find my body appreciates multi day rides on full sussers much more than onmy hard tail. For mere mortals the extra travel helps progression by giving extra confidence. I started in the 80s on rubbish rigid 6 speeds. The improvements in suspension have made the sport much more fun, and I would suggest staying with your old bike. I do however like a hard tail for muddy winter rides, plus they are great fun on smooth jumps. One idea is to persuade the wife you need a hard tail “winter”bike and buy a frame second hand and build it up that might be a good idea to save “winter wear ” on the full susser anyway.

Had me in fits of laughter again as it did when first came out… I’m definitely yes tubes these days!

Left it linked to computer overnight and download finally worked so i’ll be trying it in France. Will still be buying a back up paper map though! Will let u guys know if I finally throw in the towel and want to sell..

:)

I think the money would have been better spent on the bike… or booze :) anyway ill cheer up and start packing for Sunday! mustn’t forget the compass :)

Maybe.. The small screen is certainly a problem. Maybe the oregon would be better?. Overall I think I prefer paper and a compass!

An excellent company.. have used them for years.. good service all round… you get what you pay for in insurance like many things in life… i use them for all the important stuff…have been great when we needed them !

Have had 3 discos in a row all from new so i must like them! They are I think the only 4×4 that has enough height in the back for bikes. I can easily transport 3 bikes in the back and wheels with NO seats folded. You put them in upside down and remove wheels. The back of the disco is so high its fine too with DH forks and long travel RS Totems! A great car. They are great for long journeys and are huge transcontinental mile eaters. I”m soon to be driving mine to Argentiere :)

When I have sold things on here I always use good old fashioned telephone and cheque method. I always require home address work address and telephone numbers. You can easily look up addresses on google map. I always call the person on their given telephone numbers and find out more info. If we are both happy then I just ask for a cheque. If you pay by cheque they have to give you an address where to send it. Check it is a proper address where they can be reached. Then if they are a scammer you can go round and sort things out with a suitable pair of marzocchis !