If I read it right it comes with the 4 types of dropout (142/148 in both compact and long)?

No, you just get a choice of one set.

“(Frameset includes, Fox Float X2 Performance shock, pre-installed headset and choice of dropouts)”.

Starling Twist would be wonderful, but budget won’t reach that far hence requirement for Taiwanese built, good value frame.

Might just have to do this myself in a Pinkbike Grim Donut way.

Hairyscary (Matt?) – saying you’re not the greatest rider is being a little humble! From what I remember you’re definitely good. Always needed a burly bike to cope with your full on style.

I just wish someone would build a better value version of an Orange Switch, but with a water bottle cage ability and maybe a pair of little tool roll attachment bosses. Inevitably means Taiwan, but that’s fine. Single pivot for easy maintenance and year round mud bombing in a mullet style that seems to offer an excellent fun bike for messing in the woods. But not extreme with the geo – Goldilocks please, nice and balanced, 150mm front and rear.

Check that your rear mech is a newer type design to cope with the 46 tooth sprocket. Older versions – especially Shimano – don’t have the range capability. You can use an extender, but then the chain wrap is limited, especially at 46 teeth.

Alternatively, find an 11 or 12 speed mech to use with the 10 speed shifter.

I’ve been looking at exactly this ‘problem’ lately, but also to include riding with my pre-teen boys. I’m looking at a more mud friendly full sus though, but stuff like Orange 4 seem to hold value very well and I can’t get in my budget – preferably less than a grand. Your £1,500 is generous, especially for a hardtail as you want, so I’d be looking at new (but not with nasty SRAM NX or SX fitted). New Ragley range being announced on 28th Jan.

Nowt wrong with 10 speed on a 11-42 cassette.

Have a browse here – https://www.velosolo.co.uk/shopsingle.html

That commonground looks really interesting. Not that it’s for me, but love the ideas behind it.

I didn’t get on with the waffle bit of my Deathgrips. Now got Fabric Funguy and they’re nice. Good thickness and reasonably soft, plus the mushroom top side is comfy for your palm.

Fair points, well presented.

razorrazoo – WiggleWill replies that the BB is 68 or 73, so not sure what you saw? CRC website makes no mention of road only.

Anyway, I’ll be able to tell you when it arrives in a week or so.

EDIT – just saw a reply to a question from a chap that says it’s 68mm and road only, so looks like it’ll be going back…

£25 for this one from CRC. Never heard of Prime, but looks nicely machined from the photos. I need one myself, so might give this a shot. Current one was new in June and is getting stiff after a hose down if I just leave it to dry and don’t squirt something around it.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/prime-threaded-bottom-bracket-sram-dub-/rp-prod198682

Great brakes. I got some early this year for around £75 per end. What were these going for? It won’t show the price now because of the Shimano policy words.

Anyone tried the Microshift AdventX kit yet? Or any of the Box Components stuff? Just out of interest, like.

12 speed is a gimmick and unnecessary unless you’re really sensitive (I mean like REALLY sensitive) to jumps in each gear. As above, I find 12 speed very finnicky and would gladly go back to 10 speed if anyone made a decent, light, good value 10 speed cassette for an XD Driver. As it is I’ll probably swap to 11 speed and save some weight at the same time.

Just need to be patient. I wasn’t and ended up with the wrong bike…

I find people pay more on eBay, so I normally put my Pinkbike price on + the eBay and PayPal fees to make sure I get what I want. Buy It Now, obvs. Pinkbike works as does Facebook Marketplace, but it is SO full of complete knobbers!

That up there plus this – https://www.amazon.co.uk/GoPro-Helmet-Front-Mount-Camera/dp/B01GCKO9Z8

Sorted!

I bought one of these – https://www.lightmalls.com/cycling-light-bike-front-headlight-2x-cree-xpg-led-bicycle-light-built-in-18650-battery-usb-rechargable-waterproof

Then I bought a Moon Go Pro mount (RB28 is the correct version) – https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/moon-light-adapter-for-gopro-mount?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-rj9BRCAARIsANB_4ACXrDemo31jnpstAO9MPJQvlPPITrGnme4XqZgtkR7hJdjF0rsjOV8aAtFREALw_wcB

and stuck it on my helmet with Go Pro sticky bits and it’s great. Job done for around £30. Lightweight, good spot type light, good run times.

My year round tyre choice is MM on front and either a High Roller or DHR on the back. Currently have a Hans Dampf on the rear but it’s too rounded and drifty for my liking so I’ll be reverting to HRII or DHR when it’s worn. This is in FoD so lots of mud and roots.

New one has space for bottle. Instead of going straight to the BB, the downtube now goes down in front and then has a more horizontal section to go to the BB and that’s what creates the space for the bottle.

Edit – D’oh! Yeah, like in the Pinkbike link above…

I got a new bike in June. Came with one of those rad 35mm stems that everyone raves about (except funnily enough lots of pros who choose to run 50mm stems (Joe Barnes and Jared Graves spring to mind), but what do they know). Anyway, found my front wheel skurfing about a bit so swapped to a wholly unfashionable 45mm stem and bingo! Just the right amount of weight now on the front and I’m whipping round corners much better.

You can defo feel a difference between a light front wheel not gripping and having too much weight on the front so that it loses grip. You’re defo getting the light feel, yeah?

Women – https://www.redbull.com/int-en/live/uci-mtb-championships-leogang-dh-women

Men – https://www.redbull.com/int-en/live/uci-mtb-championships-2020-leogang-dh-men

Nerve and Spark – good shouts. Hei Hei would be nice, but are they renowned to be light? And I bet not many were sold, so difficult to come by second hand. Will check it out though, so thanks.

I’m thinking of 27.5 mainly on the playful aspect, fun at lower speeds and all that. The ying to the enduro bike’s yang, see.

kayak – some truth in that for sure, although fat bike wouldn’t be very easy back up the fire road climbs.

Forgot to say, I had a T129 recently (also sold in April) and although it’s a great bike, it’s not what I’m after here I don’t think. Can we go lighter and more XC?

I did this – https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-mulletted-a-specialized-enduro/

As it was based on an Enduro 29 that are renowned for being tall and steep, it worked really well. I didn’t appreciate the ease of tipping into a turn until I’d bought a new bike that was a full 29er again. Slacker seat tube just meant i stuffed the saddle as far forward as it would go on the rails which was fine for me as I’ve a short body and long legs so I never felt cramped anyway.

I’d defo look for mullet as an option on my next bike.

I use a Hans Dampf Super Gravity Addix Soft in 2.35 on a 29er for a rear. Weighs 1150g or so and comes with Snakeskin or something to reduce slashes. Works for me in FoD, so very different terrain and I also still use tubes and get away with around 23psi (if you believe my pump). On that basis I sound like a hugely different rider to you(!), but still might be worth a pop. £40 from one of the German sites. It was way more difficult to get on the rim than the Magic Mary on the front as the sidewall was so much more rigid. One caveat, it’s a very drifty tyre.

I did this 7 years ago –
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-singlespeedbut-full-suspension-for-the-niche-points/

Seems the Acor tensioner can still be had for £29.
https://www.singletrackbikes.co.uk/m7b0s402p69655/Acor_Single_Speed_Black_Chain_Tensioner

I’ve used this Chinese website for 3 lights now – one last year and two more arrived yesterday so I can take my boys out with me.
https://www.lightmalls.com/

The two I got yesterday look fine, just wondering how to mount the first one to my helmet as it’s plenty light enough, all self contained and has more of a spot beam than a flood.
https://www.lightmalls.com/cycling-light-bike-front-headlight-2x-cree-xpg-led-bicycle-light-built-in-18650-battery-usb-rechargable-waterproof

https://www.lightmalls.com/front-lamp-waterproof-bicycle-lights-max-2400lm-usb-charging-2-t6-led-cycling-headlight

They took about 10 days to arrive and are chargeable just off a USB cable.

Love this thread. Well done mistajolly! Bikes are just ace.

You’re putting the front wheel further out in front and, assuming the same length forks, you’ll steepen the seat tube angle. Reach will be a little more complicated to work out, but in all honesty we’re likely to be talking a few mm as you’ll extend the reach by tipping forward, but then bring it back again by slackening the steerer tube angle (again, assuming you have some spacers under the stem).

1.5 steerer will give you plenty of options – check Works Components.

They will lower the BB a touch and steepen the seat angle a touch too. I believe they work by having one side of the cups deeper than the other so that the fork steerer effectively sits between them at a different angle, hence the need to line them up properly.

Only 2 left in XL size –
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-sommet-29-vr-bike-sx-eagle-1×12-2020/rp-prod182544

Edit – actually that’s got some big travel and maybe overkill as a trail bike.

Marin Hawk Hill is 27.5 and 120mm travel out back. Doesn’t look that special though.

Sorry, forgot you wanted carbon, so it’s out.

Mine’s been used on a non-Boost Pike with a 2.35 Magic Mary on a 29mm internal rim and it was tight. Would buzz sometimes so I have to shift it about a little, but it would clear. It’s now on a Boost Fox 36 with a 30mm rim and would buzz lots no matter what I did with a V-Tire (Tyre!) Flow in a 2.6, but has lots of clearance on my favoured 2.35 Magic Mary which is now on.

Had exactly this problem with my 11 and 9 year old. Bought them a pair of Fox Launch each and I’m really impressed with them. Look pro enough to impress the boys and not stupidly expensive at £35 a pair. One size fits all – good fit on my two at least. Got mine from Leisure Lakes –

Edit – https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/322854/products/fox-launch-pro-youth-knee-guards-black.aspx?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=25158-001-OS&gclid=CjwKCAjwxLH3BRApEiwAqX9arZQeMibqCo3ElAXQzl8wxB5v_1zpOSi8ExO-ilJr7GwBGj3a8jK4lhoCtaAQAvD_BwE

Why the saddle bag that means you can’t use your dropper? The strap will likely start to score the dropper stanchion too, so I’d find another way to carry stuff if I were you. Something like a Little Piggy from 76Projects or a Dakine Hot Laps Gripper would probably fit somewhere inside the main triangle.

Fitted my cassette and chain at the weekend, but then had to order the £6 rear mech extender as my SRAM set up wouldn’t go onto the largest cog even with the B adjuster all the way in. Looks a nice cassette though, so for £40 for cassette and chain (delivery too from Spa Cycles – quick delivery, so would recommend) I’m quite pleased…subject to the extender link working.

Currently on a 9 speed X9 Grip Shift and SRAM X9 rear mech on the old hardtail. Would I need the knock off goatlink too if I got this? I seem to remember SRAM were better on the larger range cassettes.

I also loved the long travel 29er Marin, but I forget the name.

Alpine Trail?

How about a Starling Murmur Factory, OP? They’ve been doing deals of late, so may be worth a shout.

How are Fox in the QC department?