Another vote for around Lichfield area. My parents live in a village just outside Lichfield, plently of nice pubs and bars, good community feel. Small amounts of local MTB and 20 mins to Cannock chase, 1:30 to FOD or Llandegla etc. Spades of road riding from the door. Direct train from Lichfield City to Birmingham New Street in 40 mins and London Direct from Lichfield TV in 1:40!

Somewhere like Whittington could work well!

Looks very Nomad to me!

If it ever does get released they’ll get my money, my first new bike since 2011. I like hope stuff and love that it’s made here.

Glad to hear you’re okay that sounded like a decent collision! Is it the angle of the photo of is the front wheel relatively straight? I would have thought it’d be a little more buckled than that!

I could be up for this too date dependant

When I was there last month I told the lad on the desk I was leaving my DH bike in my van with no windows while we rode, he told me it wasn’t worth the risk and locked it up with the hire bikes behind the work shop. I’d probably do that rather than leaving it in the car at least then there may be insurance cover.

Interesting to see the Maccatuskil now showing as £799 reduced down from £999. I thought the frame was always RRP £799 until this sale came on? The 40% almost makes me interested by bringing it down to where it should have always been IMO.

Still not enough to make me buy from them though as the price will probably change next week, like the 25% off the same frame two weeks ago.

All depends where your local riding is really, I made the mistake of buying a bike that’s perfect for Wales, uplifts and DH but isn’t ideal riding from the door!

I think they look ace, had a set of carbon Havocs on my last bike and personally found them a little too stiff. It may have been in my head but I prefer the feel of the small diameter, I will get another set though to check in the future.

If you could go 2nd hand I’ve got a Trek Rumblefish that I could do for a chunk less than that boardman!

Another vote for Paisley, must have sent around 10 bikes with them now and no issues

I think the 3 gives Ibis a bit more reason to produce a slightly longer travel and slacker “EWS” inspired bike in more of a reign/nomad vein. IMO the bikes are a bit too close at the minute

As good as the Monarch is get the CCDBA serviced nothing comes close. Have a look at RSF Suspension, he’s a great good, knows his stuff and made my CCBDA feel incredible, far better than new! Cost £80 IIRC for a full on service and rebuilt on my broken one

I might have a internally broken one in the shed but I can’t check until Thursday night. If you want to drop me an email to remind me I’ll have a look for you

What an ace looking bike, that red is beautiful! Shame about the price or I’d be buying one tomorrow

As much as AS and BPW have moved the game on by offering a wide range of tracks I still think Cwmcarn has a great couple of tracks that have a proper old school DH feel to them. Neither are hugely scary at rolling speed but are great fun. As others have said I’d probably just do a couple of push up runs of each or if you have a bike that can climb do both as a big loop! The last section of Cafell is also well worth doing too!

Why did they stop making the raw frame? I can’t bring myself to buy a Switchback that isn’t raw or in their blue!

The Pitch has a 200×57 shock length IIRC, I’m sure someone will confirm

I’ve got a Capra and ride it all over South Wales and I keep thinking about getting a shorter travel bike to sit alongside it but in all honestly I don’t have any complaints about how it climbs at all. It doesn’t feel like a 170mm bike at all until pushed hard, it actually climbs and goes along the flat better than my old Mojo HD which had a steeper HA and older fashioned ‘XC’ geo. It isn’t the lightest but could get it for 28lb ish

That said if I can get the money together I would be getting a 5010 with a decent rear shock like a Bos Kirk, CCDB etc and a 150mm fork. From what I’ve read they handle like a longer travel bike and without going for less than 160mm travel all the bikes you are looking out are going to feel agro.

HTH

I saw a chap riding a fat bike near Stile Cop over christmas and thought “He must be on STW”

My local trails are Cwmcarn, BPW, FOD and Cannock and I ride a Capra so I must be easy to spot for most STWers!

Slight hijack, but LeftyBoy could you tell me how the TR performs on longer rides, I’m considering one as a winter trail bike for longer rides to go with my full suss!

0% CC is definitely the best way to go, could even open up the option of 2nd hand. It’s also worth mentioning of the bikes you mentioned, there is very little if any reason to upgrade unlike pretty much every other off the shelf bike. I’ve had my Capra a year now and am starting to get annoyed that there is no where to really upgrade when I’m inter web browsing!

Can anyone comment on the bikes ability to do longer, flatter rides? I’m considering one but would need it to be good over longer distances on less steep terrain to warrant changing the Capra for.

Take plenty of brake pads and a set of mud spikes incase it rains. We took a set last year and it rained for 10 days straight, they were the only thing that kept us riding!

The green in Les Gets is great fun, I got my sister and my brother’s GF down it for two days. Slighty scary for a novice but they loved it in the end. Enjoy!

Deemax ultimates are my go to wheels for DH, they’re pretty solid! At that price I might have a look at a set for my Capra

What about a VW passat? Having spent a lot of time in one I would say they’re really comfy mile munchers, economical and the boot can swallow bikes easily.

A quick search suggests 12k would get you 3 years old and sub 50k in a nice spec

Rode Cannock on NYD and it was a total mud bath so I’ve given up on my Capra for a while and hoping to get a CX bike for a while!

My sister has just picked up a 4K Samsung for just under £400 and she absolutely raves about it especially with bluray films and Netflix HD, I’ll find out the model and report back!

I had an early set of ZEEs that pulled to the bar on pretty much every downhill section, they turned out to be leaking very slighty at the lever and always either lost fuild or let air in. I replaced them soon after. I have ridden a set since and they felt lovely but I’m sold on hope and Sram Guides now. £280 is a great price brand new

For lever feel and modulation they are unbeatable and they are up there on power too, maybe 2nd place to Saints. I had M4s on my trail bike and have just taken Tech 3 V4s off my DH bike, I much prefer the lever on the Tech 3s. Oh and I’ve just advertised mine *cough*

Hammy if you do decide to sell your classic could you drop me an email please, been looking for a nice machine for a few months now

Rode the Monkey at Cannock, well I say rode more like chatted like dinner ladies with two friends i’ve not seen for a while and occasionally rode a bit.

I did the Monkey this morning and it is riding pretty well, wet and a bit mucky but grippy and good fun. Upper cliff descent is still pretty wet but they’re drained the biggest puddles. I didn’t even bother riding the cheeky trails and off piste, that’ll be a mess

I was around 12st and it was perfect so I’m guessing it’s around 350

GoPro Hero 4 Black! Now everyone can watch me crash in 4K

I’m coming into my last 6 months in South Wales for a while and my aim is to ride all the mentioned decents over the next few months as the weather picks up. A guide would be ace especially around Machen etc!

That looks ace! I need to get round to trying a fat bike

It was not last weekend but the one before, no diversions or damage anywhere so should be fine

I think a lift is pretty pointless at BPW, they’ve invested heavily in 6 buses and trailers so it makes more sense to just widen the uplift road and smooth it out. I’d rather see more trails in better condition than a lift through the middle despite how cool it would be. Adding another climb in would help too!

What about the entry gopro for £100, supposed to be very good

I’m from just outside Lichfield and can get over to Walsall within half a hour so well worth a look. Not rough at all, some riding from the door but chase is doable in 20 mins. Direct train into brum and motorways near by. Some cracking road riding heading west too