I’ve not tried a long distance / marathon specific frame so I’ve got nothing to compare it to however I did the West Highland Way on my Cotic Solaris a couple of months ago and it was spot on. I ran it on 2.1 Racing Ralphs which seemed to work really well in terms of helping to soak up any trail buzz. Still nice a comfy after 10hrs in the saddle…in fact it’s the comfiest xc frame I’ve ever had….which is 9!

I’m 5’10 and went for their medium frame with a 70mm stem and it’s spot on for me. I’m currently running it with 100mm rebas but I’ve got a wee itch for some 120mm Fox 29ers. I’m finding that I bottom out the rebas 2 / 3 times per ride. I guess the downside may be that the climbing is slightly affected but its a risk I fancy taking.

I’ve been commuting on a 24mile round trip for 8+ years, all weathers, all year round. Up here in sunny dry Glasgow it’s always lovely weather 😀

To be fair I have access to hot showers and loads of room at work so I leave a couple fo suits / shirts etc there. I work for a sports club so there’s no shortage of facilities!

A few thoughts….I ALWAYS wear overshoes…nothing worse than wet cold feet even if you are jumping into a shower. If it’s forcast to rain I wear waterproof leggings (Altura Attack)…I rarely wear a water proof jacket unless it’s pishing down. Once you’re wet…you’re wet.

I have 2 front lights (bars and helmet) and 3 rear (post, bag and helmet)…all flash and annoy the motorist. Having been side swiped twice I’m not wanting to hear the words…”I just didnt see you pal…” every again.

I use my HT 29er with ‘normal’ 2.1 Racing Ralph tyres. I just run them with a higher pressure when on the road.
Mudguards are a must.
I run tubeless so no issues with flats
I’d consider buying a ALPKIT Gourdon 20 waterproof rucksack..for £22.50 they seem too good to be true…mine’s on back order.
I always use squirt drylube on the chain…it may get washed off in really wet conditions but it doesn’t attract crap which builds up very quickly in city traffic.
Find a route that keeps you away from traffic as much as practical.
‘Try’ to remember the Highway code…especially in terms of road position (Primary and Secondary positions)
Ride ‘defensively’ i.e. think of yourself as a car and force people to take notice of you.
‘Try’ to stay calm and polite if you do have an altercation…unless you’ve been run over! (There’s a guy up here in Glasgow who shouts at everyone / everything and literally gives verbal at every infrigement he sees…along with videoing everything. We’re all just trying to get to work / home.
Download STRAVA if you can…you’d be surprised at the number of segments others have created along your route. It makes the time fly by!

+ 1 for Dalwhinnie or Dalvenie.

Has anyone mentioned Glenmorangie yet? Some of their port cask finished nectar is great.

Dalwhinnie is often called ‘the ladies whisky’ although that’s probably just put you off 🙂

As for mixers…I’d agree totally with cougar although I’ve always worked on the formula of adding water (no ice, it just gets in the way) as per the alcohol percentage….so a 40% whisky get 40% water…and so on…and make sure it ‘good’ spring water too…not from the tap…all the additives the water board put in will ruin the whisky.

And here was me planning on not having anything to drink till the weekend…a wee dram on a Tue night…oh, go on then 😉

Good suggestion, I’ll maybe give them a go….again with the 2013 SID’s because of the single port design they cant be dropped but are fixed at 120mm. In short….I think I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist!

100 – 120 adjustable travel
Taper or straight steerer
29er
15mm maxle

From what I understand, the new 2013 29er rebas / revs etc wont do travel adjust due to the single port design….something to do with a small groove in the stanchion that allows the negative air chamber to equalise. However the 2012 Rev’s can be adjusted from 100mm upwards. I currently run a set of 2012 dual port 29er rebas but their travel is limited to between 80 & 100mm.

Seat tube angles on both are the same @ 73.5 deg. My planned frame simply has a 14mm shorter TT length. Didnt think about a layback….I always principly worked on the belief that seat position tweaked where your knee was in relation to the BB ie in front or behind. That being said, it will move my COG….

Ben…I guess the only real way forward is to ‘try’ one out first!

I put a 70mm 6Deg stem on this morning which is 2mm away from my 90mm 0Deg stem in terms of ride height so I’ll go for a blast later tonight and see how that feels from a ‘stretched out’ perspective. It’ll sharpen the steering but I’m thinking it’s a reasonable rough guide. I might actually end up liking this tweak anyway!

Anyone know of someone in the Glasgow area with a Van Nich Zion 29er in a 17.5″ frame….?

it’ll be easier to manual…

…but does that mean it’ll be more ‘wandery’ when climbing?

*UPDATE*

Sent the aforementioned dead Ti swift saddle directly back to Brooks with a nicely worded letter extolling the virtues of my other 2 x B17’s and expressing my disappointment re the Ti swift.

A nice new shiny Ti B17 arrived in the post today 😀 It’ll be moulded nicely by the end of next week…after a liberal coating of proof hide 😉

Any advice on what type of chain length regulator to go for? If it’s going to be a custom frame then it’s obviously going to be between a EBB or sliding dropouts.

Both have good and bad points although it would appear that the Bushnell EBB gets rid of most of the faff associated with loosening BB’s?

Any thougts on these options would be appreciated

Burls looks very promising. Message duly left with Justin…

Any experiance with their warranty / service back up?

Thanks again for the recommendations. I can feel the itch getting stronger!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Bit scary how much some of these fabricators are…but if you’ve got an itch….it’s best scratching it properly. It’ll be a nice 40th pressie to myself!

Druidh..VN already do a Rohloff specific Zion29er but their site doesnt seem to have the details up yet…..not that I’m being impatient….much!

…meant to add

I did the West Highland Way on her last weekend and she loved it. Compared to my old Cotic Simple it definatly rolled quicker and took the hits with far more grace and poise than I expected.

I originaly had USE Atom ‘flat’ 580mm bars on it but ended up with a bit of a sore neck…I guess that’s not too surprising after 100 miles. I swapped the USE’s out to an old set of 680mm Easton carbon low rise bars so will be testing them out tonight to see if it mucks up the handling too much. I suspect I’ll need to lean a little more into the hills when climbng…time will tell.

Here’s my second wife…or bit on the side… 😉

100mm Reba’s
Rohloff
Stan Crests tubeless on Racing Ralphs
Middleburn Uno
Carbon bars and seat post
Brooks saddle

Weights in at 27.25lb….I’m happy with that.

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Untitled[/url] by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

I dont think they do Ti 29ers…steel…yes, but not Ti

No, but I’ve posted stuff from the forum with an old postage label still attached. Dumb I know but as I say, I’m learning the hard way 👿

Got the snip 3 years ago now…became a ‘Jew’ at the same time…the repercussions of the snip didnt even register compared to that bit… 😯

As with Sweepy, think of the ‘long’ game…you’ll know when your ready to ‘ride’ 😉

Does anywhere have Orange ones left?

I think there’s a couple of LBS who may orange ones left. Have you tried calling all the distributers?

Rossco, what tensioner are you using? Going SS once the mud properly arrives

Edit- just noticed its a hub gear

It’s a rohloff tensioner. It’d work fine on a SS set up too. The mud never leaves here so hence the hub gear set up… 😉

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Untitled[/url] by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

Cotic Medium Solaris
100mm Rebas
Rohloff rear hub 16t on ZTR Crests
Stans front hub on ZTR Crests
2.1 Schwalbe Racing ralphs tubeless
Middleburn Uno 34t x-Type
Time Atac XS pedals
USE carbon seatpost with Brooks Ti B17 (not light!)
Hope X2 brakes with braided hoses
Thompson 90mm stem
USE 580mm Atom carbon bars
Ergon grips

With no mud guards…27.25lb on the scales.

I’m 5’10” and ride a mixture of fastish XC to wet rocky / rooty techie stuff. I initially rode a medium Simple with a 100mm 6Deg stem and 680mm low rise bars but then swapped out to the large frame with the same stem /bars as I wanted a slightly longer reach.

After speaking with Cy and considering the longer TT length on the Solaris I eventually opted for the ‘medium’ Solaris with a 90mm 0Deg stem and 580mm flat bars and so far it’s fine (Sorry Cy, I’ve stuck with the narrower bars, the trees are very close together up here!).

Don’t forget that your saddle position / seat post type will also play a small part in terms of your position on the bike. I initially used a zero layback post with a Brooks Ti Swift pushed all the way back (it has longer rails than my B17) but then put my B17 back on and I was surprised by just how much my ‘center’ changed on the bike. I ‘may’ pop on a slightly shorter stem but over all the ‘medium’ size is great.

As for color…I’m lovin my blue one…

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Untitled[/url] by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

Absolute necessity here in Glasgow. Other than 1 week in April, the trails are ALWAYS very muddy and wet. ‘Function’ over ‘form’ for me.

WHAT SHAPE IS YOUR AR*E ?

It’s changed somewhat over the last few days!

How many miles did you ride it in this state?

It looked ‘saggy’ at the beginning of the ride so more or less the full 100 miles. Compared to my other B17’s it never ‘felt’ as comfy and I just thought it was still ‘breaking in’…so my thinking was “…this wee trip will break it in for sure…”

I dug out my 10 year old B17 yesterday and swapped it over…what a difference…it’s like sitting in a lazy boy chair. It’s not pretty, it’s ugly, it’s heavy but it’s the comfiest saddle I’ve ever had. What possessed me to get the Brooks Swift I just dont know. Live and learn…

Nothing yet…I called the retailer this morning but didnt get through (bank holiday) so I dropped them an email with photos respectfully asking for their guidance. It’s a bank holiday today so i’m guessing they’re off enjoying the weather.

The saddle was coated with brooks proofhide 3 times on the top and 1 thicker layer on the underside. I used the propriety waterproof cover when it rainied. As you can just see in the photo mudguards were used and it didn’t get wet. I have 2 x other b17’s and they are the best things since sliced bread…this on the other hand, because the leather has sagged such that the metal frame is ‘protruding’ is the sorest things I’ve placed my arse on!

Had my Radar’s with clear-black photochromics for cirac just over 3 months now and loving them. As others have said, they don’t ‘darken’ down as much as I’d hoped for but I can’t think of an occasion yet where it’s really mattered. To have a lens that works 24/7 in all conditions was what I was hoping for…and they do just that.

In fairness we dont have ‘many’ wall to wall sunny days up here in Glasgow 😉

Cotis Solaris with RLT rebas, Rohloff, ZTR Crests with Racing Ralphs, Brooks Ti Saddle, time pedals & carbon bars / seat post….27.25lbs.

Just eat some nuts, especially almonds…easier on the stomach, easier to carry & cheaper. Gram for gram they have more calories and carbs and ‘good’ fat than just about everything else….and they’re 100% natural. Mix in some saltanas or the odd lump of choc and you’re there.

+1 for Hope.

Just refitted a Hope SS following the early death of a Chris King BB. Not too impressed despite it getting plenty of loving via the propriety grease injection tool.

I dont know why I bothered with the King as historically I’ve never had any such issues with Hope!

It’s a Cotis Solaris in medium and thus far I’m luvin it.

One with mud…

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Untitled[/url] by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

And one without…

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Cotic Solaris[/url] by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

Basically either carboned or Ti’d almost everything I could. Just the pedals and bolts to do. Hoping for circa 27.5lbs….

Not that this helps, different tyre but a Schwalbe on a Stans rim. My 29er Racing Ralphs went on to ZTR crest 29ers rims without a hitch. I even ditched the stan’s tape and used good old fashioned elect tape and an old presta valve from a burst inner tube. I do however use a compressor…

As most of the above, I simply salvage the old sealant and hose out the old tyre. Like traildog, the conditions here in sunny hot Glasgow really dont change much so I’m finding that the same set of Racing Ralphs do me almost the year round. I just drop the tyre pressure if it’s super muddy and wet. Once the ice appears then its on with the spikes…

Likewise joe joe, Cy was very helpful. My better half was ready and waiting for it…I didn’t allow her to go out until it had arrived 😀

How awful…it quickly puts everything else into perspective.

Easy for me to say this but you can’t go blaming yourself for this accident or someone elses horrible & tragic death.

Life is so fragile…you need to focus on how you influenced the boy for good and let that be your principle memory.

No other words really seem relevant…

Half a pound, on bolts alone? Really?

If you include ALL the bolts then ‘yes’, I think it wont be too far away. In fairness I’ve included ‘altering’ the QR seat clamp to a simple bolt and nut and swapping both wheel QRs to Ti bolts / nuts alone. Everything adds up in the end.

Yes….I know….before you all say it….if I just watch what I eat for a few weeks I’ll drop several pounds…and its free!

This project was always going to be the ‘perfect’ build with no compromises so hence the effort. Once the bolts are done, then the only other item I can save weight on, without affecting longevity, would be on the pedals. I’ll wait until they break first…

Nice colour, last time I saw that color it was on my first proper MTB…way back in the dark ages…a Orange Evo 2 in slime green!

Just finished my Solaris build last Wednesday and loving it already. I had a Cotic Simple in large before so this is in a medium given the longer TT and the difference is already noticable. It seems smaller, lighter and more chuckable but this climbs so much easier and seems to roll / soak up the the rocks far better. I stuck narrower bars (580MM)on it which makes it a little more twitchy on the technie bits, need to source some wider bars me thinks.

Built it up with a Rohloff so it’s not the lightest but I’ve blinged / lightened most of the other bits. Current weight is bang on 28lb and I recon I can shave another 0.5lb+ from it when I change all the bolts for Ti.

So far I’m not regretting the switch from 26″ and getting shot of the FS Orange 5 / Cotic Simple.

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Cotic Solaris[/url] by Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr

Had my auto Seamaster for 6 years now. I’ve had it serviced once in that time as it started to go ‘very’ fast after a wee off on the bike. It keeps almost perfect time now…maybe +-5 sec a week. Mind you, I’ve stopped wearing it when out on the bike as all the vibration definately messed with the accuracy. Never felt ‘relaxed’ wearing it when out anyway, I fall off a lot! I pop on a Garmin HRM for the riding and never worry about the watch when falling of now!

rkk01..totally with you on that one. Likewise have a few hand made shotguns in the family that literally took hundreds of hours of professional craftsmanship to make. They are indeed things of beauty (just like my Cotic Solaris!) I just can’t get my head around the fascination some have for things that are, as you say, designed to kill and maim.

I was brought up just outside Inverness where most of my family were either farmers, ghillies or game keepers working on the local farms & estates. For them all, guns were literally tools of the trade.

I’ve owned my own shotguns / rifles since I was legally old enough to own them. They’re all frequently used….for the odd bit of clay pigeon shooting but mostly to kill pests / game, the game always ends up in a freezer and eaten.

The guns are all under lock and key with all the ammunition separately stored in another locked cabinet….and I’m the only one who knows where the keys are.

I go to extreme lengths to ensure my kids are never in contact with them unless they’re out with me shooting.

I know I’m being anal but I’ve known too many people who’ve had genuine accidents with guns and either lost their lives or been seriously injured.

Guns were originally designed to kill….why the fascination? What is the big attraction in owning them?