Definitely not any good in muddy conditions or wet conditions. Very fast in the dry though. Raced on them in the dry successfully, failed horribly in the wet on them too, they’re definitely a dry condition tyre (which is what they’re sold as)

Most Lithium batteries, LiPo and LiIon, are good for only 500 charge/discharge cycles, maybe 1000 at most, before their performance disappears.

If the battery is a couple of years old or more, or it’s just been used a lot, it is more than likely just time to replace the battery.

Deeply (over) discharging the battery can also harm one or more cells. Again, new battery time I’m afraid.

Hope you get it sorted quick, crummy time of year to have light issues :-(

Worst is off road brightness with the lights set on flashing!

I did still get hit by a car with a MaXx-D on my bars and a diablo on my helmet “didn’t see you mate” was the comment!!!

Then he got upset when I shone my bar and helmet light in his face and asked “how can I make this easier for you?” and complained my lights were too bright, and went silent when I asked why he didn;t see me, perhaps he just didn’t look!

But, yes, point them down to control the beam pattern is the considerate answer.

Not the right bike, but a 29er action shot 9and my fave bike of all time).My Tallboy carving through some singletrack:

Or, more like you were after, it’s a hardtail at least, my Highball in action:

Highball is now a rigid singlespeed, a bike like you wanted but no action shots:

You can save more than just the weight of the chainring you remove if you’re bieng a proper weight weenie:

1) You can shorten the chain by a few links as you’re running a smaller biggest ring (12 links if you go straight from 44T to a 32T), typically 8links if you go from 44T to a 36T

2) You can run a medium or short cage rear mech, rather than a long cage (admittedly a very small saving)

3) you can run smaller single ring middle ring bolts (again, a very small saving)

4) A proper dual ring front mech is lighter as the cage is smaller to accommodate a smaller difference in chainring sizes between small and large (once again a very small saving)

Whilst these are small changes individually, the sum of all 4 will be a reasonable weight saving if you’re a proper weight weenie, however I am sure many people here will consider it a waste of effort. My opinion: sum lots of these little weight savings together where how you use your bike isn’t affected and you’ll end up with a significantly lighter bike that will make your riding, under almost all conditions, less hard work. But that’s just my opinion.

bwaarp: No, not the 2.5mm spacers that fit between the BB and the frame, there are additional spacers that go on the axle between the crank arm and the bottom bracket to take up the gap. As you don’t seem to be aware of these, I’m sticking by my original diagnosis of user error :wink:

Shimano deal with this by having that plastic nut that you loosely do up to slide the crank arm down the spline before securing it in place, XTR have a wind out washer thing to do the same, Race Face use Elastomer spacers.

Northwind: All the Shimano cranks I’ve ever had have been the correct length by design No, they, like RaceFace have been “too long” and you adjusted them to the correct length by winding in that black plastic bolt to push the crank arm up to the BB.

Of course, as this is how they were designed, to accomodate the widest, unfaced and pained frame with the widest BB, all cranks are “too long” by design, i.e. the right length! This goes for Shimano, RaceFace and all the others

Did you read the instructions?

All of the Raceface cranks I have ever had have been too long by design they should come supplied with one or two spacers to take up the gap to account for frames, bottom brackets and Bottom bracket spacers all having slightly different dimensions

Sounds to me like you and your friend didn’t assemble the spacers (that, granted, may not have been supplied in error or were buried out of sight in the packaging) and that there’s nothing wrong with the cranks.

Have a google around for other people with the same problem, it seems either you’re the only two people to have the problem and post about it, or it’s user error?

Good spot wwaswas!

Note: He didn’t challenge either brightness or burn time either, the things that actually matter, so it was a tenuous complaint at best anyway

Member for 2 days, started this thread, hasn’t added anything to it since opening it nor contributed to any others either.

Profile History Link

So, Steve from Ingleton, what have you got to say for yourself?

Nearly new, as I’ve had it a couple of moths but I love my new Santa Cruz Highball, it’s undoubtedly the best hardtail I’ve ever ridden.

A few more pics and a description HERE on my blog

gdes you’re WRONG!

The Exposure lights use a step-up driver, driving the LEDs in series and I suspect they stack the batteries in parallel.

The 6 pack uses 6 li-ion cells

Let us assume each cell is 2600mAh

This gives a combined cell of 2.7V, 15600mah, EXACTLY AS ADVERTISED

(and this also gives the correct corresponding burn times, allowing a little for heat and driver losses)

I have a 6 Pack and, in fact, it slightly exceeds the quoted run times.

Please either correct me (with fact, not supposition, about one and only one of the many possible LED/driver configurations) or retract your comments about one of too few good UK manufacturers in cycling. And maybe think a little harder before making statements condemning a good company, with excellent customer service, without even having contacted them first.

Exposure 6-Pack, loads of light and a 10hr setting for throughout the night non-nonsense lighting. the simple, solid QR bracket and cable free nature of the light makes it, in my opinion, the best 24hr race light out there. The batter meter is simple to read, should it be a time of year when >10hrs of light is needed, for peace of mind.

The 3hr setting is great for mid-week thrashes and beating your mates and the 24hr setting is great for commuting and never having to worry about charging you lights mid week. Being able to remove the light and battery with one simple spring loaded pin makes them great for commuting, rather then removing light + bracket and having to reset the angle every time I leave the house and leave work, plus having a separate battery is a faff taking it on and off every day when it’s in the bike shed. Yes, it’s overkill for commuting, but it’s an awesome race light that makes a handy commuter light too!

I’d couple it with a Diablo Mk2 & add a piggyback if you like extra head light for longer burn times on the higher settings.

I’ve got one and whilst it’s fine for all my bikes, for my 2.2″ 29er tyre on my Highball I’d choose the HV pump if I could choose again! I may be in the market for a 2nd pump this Christmas (if the g/f reads this :wink:)

Rob

My new XXL sized Highball Singlespeed

On the way home from work, over the Downs

Loving the full carbon Syncros FL rigid fork

Not a shabby commute!

And one more, although the sky looked better when I was there (must get a decent camera, and some photography ability!)

I love my new bike :-)

I’m 6’4.75″ (and I have been having a lot of joy with my The North Face MTB jackets.

I have the Hyvent material, Muddy Tracks, jacket and the lighter, smaller packing Xenon, Paclite jackets and both are the same fit with wonderful long sleeves and a long back.

The cut’s so good, and long for cycling, I can use the size L, not the XL, which means, unlike other brands, I don;t have a billowing sail of a jacket around my body in the wind!

A great event, a grand day out and it’s worth highlighting some great marshalling around the course, some of the best I’ve had the pleasure to be shouted around a course by all year, helped to make the climbing extra leg burning and smile inducing

Well done to all involved, particularly to Aidan[/url] for leading the charge in organising it

A few more words on my fun day out on my blog HERE

Thanks again everyone :-)

I’ll be there, on this:

I’ll be using 32:18 (it’s a 29er, so that’s 32:16 in 26″ speak), as it’s what’s on there, the same gear as I used for a singlespeed South Downs Double, which I carefully chose using the exact same “what’s on the bike” criteria :wink:

I use both an Exposure Six Pack on my bars &
an Exposure Diablo Mk 2 on my head

I prefer a bright light on the bars as, when it’s misty, rainy, cloudy or just raining, a bright head torch reflects off the moisture in the air and can reduce visibility, ref. fog lights in cars as an example of why a dipped light low down is good. In winter, when I do most my night riding, it’s often like this. I also don’t want a big weight on my head for hours.

However, given above, here’s a good illustration of why a head torch is a good idea going around corners, look where I’m looking (and about to try and ride) and look where the bars are pointing!

Scandal, a lightweight 29er frame, with tabs on the BB for a chain device. I suspect not!

It’s probably just a scribble of a part project to look pretty. Note the non-wishbone seatstays too.

It looks like a well used frame, judging by the state of the end of the chainstay. Did the old brakes have an adapter or were they a direct IS mount?

If you still have the original brakes, pop the caliper on to confirm it lines up with the new disc, then you know it’s definitely the wrong adaptor that you have, not an issue with the frame or disc size. At this stage it’d be good to nail it down to that part.

I suspect that, assuming the above confirms the caliper adapter is wrong, a new adaptor will do the trick. I had something similar with an adaptor that was too small (wrong in the opposite direction) that I shimmed out with a washer for a few days while I waited for a new one from CRC, which only cost a couple of quid and I was riding happily in <48hrs.

It’ll work just fine

A worn (“stretched”) chain on new rings or new rings and a worn chain however, may well not work quite so well, hope it’s all in reasonable nick! ;-)

As above, as an Alfine 8 owner (similar flange diameter and spacing) both my friends with an Alfine and I have gone for a 2 cross setup due to the large flanges.

I originally built it 3 cross without thinking about it and it was so wrong I bought new spokes and rebuilt it!

Hey Dave,

Mine was grade 2. Tried riding Mayhem after 5 weeks, lasted ~6hrs then pain was too great and couldn’t control the fast, bumpy descents. At 10 weeks led TwentyFour12 for 13hrs but bike broke and had to drag it 7miles back to the pits and injured the shoulder doing it, so I’d say 6 weeks to riding, but at risk, 12weeks to riding without pain, but expect discomfort.

I’ve been riding & racing though as I was impatient after a very careful and well behaved first 5 weeks, so have undoubtedly slowed down a full recovery since then.

I did see a physio, regularly, and definitely felt the benefits. I’d advise doing the same and get it taped into position to help healing and recovery.

Rob

Anyone from the earlier posts recovered yet and riding again? My shoulder still hurts like hell, but am back riding regularly and couldn’t be happier! :-)

You want a Santa Cruz Highball, mine comes in at 20.5lbs and more weight could be saved if I sacrificed the bits that make it an awesome trail bike like 2.2″ tyres, bolt through stiff front hub, XO bits could be XTR or XX, Thonpson seatpost (strong, not too heavt but not featherweight), risers could be flats etc.

More details HERE

y new Santa Cruz Highball it’s just over 20lbs, silly fast and the most capable hardtail in the rocky/techy stuff I’ve ever tried. I’m a very happy boy!

More details HERE

I didn’t send it back yet. I just took it off and threw it in the corner. Not sure I’m to keen on any replacement that’s come out of the same development team/process. This happened at the same tiome as Race Face announced they were going kaput. Now they’re up and running again I guess it’s worth returning it.

I’m replacing it with Shimano XTR as I nearly sliced my kneecap open and narrowly avoided getting run over as well as smashing my knee into the ground when it happened & I never want to experience that again.

I’m not a fan anymore, I’d replace them if I were you SEE HERE:

A lucky escape!

Care needs to be taken. Not sure anyone should be promoting racing, specially at the super fast paces possible for 6-8hrs or even less, on busy public trails.

Take the SDW for instance, which is also a national park with rangers. A “double” is one thing, a huge challenge where to complete it is to succeed. However, racing to post the fastest SDW one way time is something most experienced riders can do (hell, hundreds of people do it every year in the charity rides that occur) and it’ll create lots of people “racing” to get fast times and will cause all sorts of access/legal issues potentially, as well as giving mtb-ers a bad name.

My opinion is that this should be reserved for rides that are proper challenges, such as the Pennine Bridleway Double, not for rides most expect to finish without preparation and just wonder, idly, how fast they can go and set off, in a haze of red mist, head down racing the clock, which is a very different undertaking.

Yes, road routes, such as the Fred Whitton, are much shorter, but these are on public roads, not bridleways which are limited, busy and full of people out for a Sunday stroll, children, dogs and horses. Again, this is a race, not an endurance challenge where the journey is the challenge, not the clock.

Care needs to be taken. Not sure anyone should be promoting racing, specially at the super fast paces possible for 6-8hrs or even less, on busy public trails.

Take the SDW for instance, which is also a national park with rangers. A “double” is one thing, a huge challenge where to complete it is to succeed. However, racing to post the fastest SDW one way time is something most experienced riders can do (hell, hundreds of people do it every year in the charity rides that occur) and it’ll create lots of people “racing” to get fast times and will cause all sorts of access/legal issues potentially, as well as giving mtb-ers a bad name.

My opinion is that this should be reserved for rides that are proper challenges, such as the Pennine Bridleway Double, not for rides most expect to finish without preparation and just wonder, idly, how fast they can go and set off, in a haze of red mist, head down racing the clock, which is a very different undertaking.

Yes, road routes, such as the Fred Whitton, are much shorter, but these are on public roads, not bridleways which are limited, busy and full of people out for a Sunday stroll, children, dogs and horses. Again, this is a race, not an endurance challenge where the journey is the challenge, not the clock.

Sorry you couldn’t make it, good to hear you had a good time. It’s a pretty intimidating ride!

If it helps, I’ve heard of seven people attempting the South Downs Double this year and only two have made it successfully of the seven that I know of. It’s great to hear of more and more people trying these things, but with people of the class of Ian Leitch smashing out amazing times and talking about “how fast” we tend to forget just how hard these rides are, particularly unassisted and that the main challenge is “I wonder if I can”, not about breaking records, which is why most of us start in the first place.

Better luck next time?

Good luck by the way, hope you enjoy your ride (not that you’ll read this ’till you finish.)

I’ll be following throughout the day, I’d love to try this ride in the future as it passes through some great countryside and trails.

Let us know you get on.

Going from Middleton Top, out to the Mary Townley Loop at Summit, around for a lap of the MTL, then back down to Middleton Top (well, those trails as a frying pan type loop, in whatever order, starting and finishing wherever it’s most convenient) is the recognised “Pennine Bridleway Double” as pioneered by Steve Heading.

It’s “only” 195miles but there’s a staggering >30’000ft of climbing!

As above, BrightonMTB members are involved in some trail work, they also communicate with the Stanmer Park Preservation Society[/url] who manage/represent the park, which is also council run I believe.

Good luck, and enjoy being a trail pixie and admiring your handy work (once you’ve got authority to go play)

Yup, it’ll be fine. The same arrangement is working fine on one of my bikes, no issues

Pity, if it was £1’399’960.00 I’d have it, as the extra £40 would allow me to buy some SPuDs, but it’s “just” outside my budget ;-)

I seem to get about 6-9 months out of a tyre, but it depends on the tyre. Some Maxxis, which seal really well, last >12 months. Schwalbe tyres seem to have flimsier tyre walls, need topping more regularly and similarly the Stan’s solution lasts barely 3 months.

My solution: avoid non-UST Schwalbe tyres for tubeless conversions although they’re light and seem to grip well for the given rolling resistance, the sidewalls don’t like the South Downs flint much either!

I’d say the effect would be immeasurable, possibly zero. Certainly many orders of magnitude less than the difference between having paste or not, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Adding 2 screws will make a small, positive, difference, but you’ll still have 2 components with, essentially, an air gap between them. You’d be better putting a thermal paste, or thermal adhesive between them across the entire surface area, these products are designed for attaching heatsinks to parts to conduct the maximum amount of heat away:

LIKE THIS ADHESIVE ON EBAY

I’d recommend asking on road.cc[/url] Singletrack Magazines road dedicated partner, rather than on the MTB forum perhaps?

To discourage further unnecessary question posts?

There are only a finite amount of posts that can be displayed and I’m no fan of scrolling through lots of “what tyre” and “sorry, what’s it worth” threads to find something interesting to read or that might teach me something (or to make me aware of the latest widget I “need” to buy)