Fewer sharp bits to catch your tackle on in the event of a front dismount.

Any dings on your rims? This can encourage burping.

Also, do you over inflate them to max rated pressure after installation. I found the beads on rubber queens were quite reluctant to fully engage on mine.

Are they 2.4s? Are the rims UST, tubeless ready or standard?

Too much time on my hands…

Good price though. I might get one for my Blue Pig.

Are you in CH over the Christmas period? I’ve got a couple of Schwarzwald trails I want to show you!

Rough summary:

There are not many dropper posts available with 27.2mm diameter which is common on hardtails

Forca SPS350
99€, 551g

Cheap and surprisingly light. Simple mechanics with steel spring and cable actuated positioning bolt. In use it’s not a smooth as the expensive hydraulic posts but even in Winter it’s astonishingly reliable. If something does go wrong then you can disassemble and maintain it in minutes thanks to the simple design.

Changing the cable is simple and you can also “pimp” the system with Nokon cable outers which have tighter clearances which are advantageous. The cable connection is at the base of the stanchion and so is less disturbing in the dropped position compared to other posts.

On the downside, there’s only 85mm of travel but considering the limited other options, 85mm is better than nothing!

Postives : Simple, reliable mechanism, 27.2mm diameter, cheap and light.
Negatives : Extension is not very smooth, only 85mm travel

Missing from the review but also important – It only has 2 positions, up and down. You also get the shims for the other tube diameters delivered with it.

Tess – do it.

You’ll be far more relaxed since you won’t ever doubt that you can get through the days and you’ll be able to enjoy the trails even more.

How much internal storage have you got free (ie not SD card)? The gmail app stops syncing shortly before the low memory alarm kicks in. As far as I recall you need >15Mb.

Delete some crap and it’ll probably start working again.

29ers are new in the Canyon range for 2012. I don’t think that anyone has got their hands on one yet.

Thanks awh – will try that tonight. Very neat!

I think that mine is going the same way. Will have a look at the weekend but not too hopeful that there’s any fix…

This thread makes me so happy to live outside the UK.

Ash has put his heart and soul into that route and the events he hosts on it. We’re not talking about some big faceless corporation here. It’s one guy and his business.

This is not a route linking some trail centres together – it’s far more. Unridden trails hidden in a vast wilderness.

If you’re looking for some hints on good trails in the area then I’m sure that Ash would be the first to help you but I fully support him in protecting his business as far as he can.

Beautiful words.

Another one here looking forward to keeping you company on the climb ahead.

Schweiz

From beyond the grave, Sheldon has the answer

Are you looking for now or for summer ’12? Will have a big bearing on the answer to your question…

Canyon Nerves been reported to crack on the drive side seat stay just above the brace to the dropout. Apparently it’s corrected on current and future production. Superb bikes and good service by the way. People with cracks typically had a new rear triangle within 2 weeks.

Would be surprised if that’s a crack through the weld bead like that. Probably just in the paint.

If you’re going to ride a filing cabinet then you might as well ride a comfortable one. Anyway, a few of the updulations were removed from the SPs this year (eg day 2 3rd SP on the ridgeline)

PS Phototim – ride it, you won’t regret it. Make sure you’re fit enough though.

Non standard geometry. Alpine 160 would probably have been a better choice though.

His reverb post gave him plenty of problems though. The cable got damaged on an uplift and then the return speed got worse over the week until it was taking 20+ seconds to extend.

It was definitely not a stock Orange 5.

Rowen had a great week and rode brilliantly but I’m pretty sure he’s disappointed with 7th place (out of 7 in the pro male category)

I have the Alpinist. Less than 15kg for a large with dropper post. Have ridden pretty much everything the Alps have to offer on it including 3000+m climbing days.

Ride is very smooth, forgiving and planted. Slightly unbalanced travel (mine has 160mm TALAS on the front and it could really do with 180mm to complement the rear end) The frame seems pretty much indestructable. I haven’t heard of one breaking. Can feel wallowy and slow on the climbs but it’s an illusion. Early models had some problems with the pivots but they added a revised bush and it’s been maintainence free for over a year now.

You won’t find anything better for the money.

Is this Stu of Chris, Ewan and Stu?
If so, see you two weeks tomorrow at NCE Terminal 1 !!
Looking forward to it man.

AKA “Wifebeater” Stu

I get all my trousers in the US. They are much more “spacious” in the thigh department.

TSY : You’ll get a sandwich, bag of crisps, chocolate bar and mule bar every morning. Couple that with something isotonic in the camelbak, perhaps a couple of backup bars and you should be sorted. Remember that the racing is limited to the predominately downhill special stages. Although it’s undoubtedly a big week in the saddle, it’s not exactly Iditarod or Tour Divide territory. Most of the day is spent riding at a relaxed pace. Breakfast and dinner are very good so you won’t be short of fuel.

I guess I shouldn’t complain:

After 10 years of service: £700
After 15 years of service: £700
After 20 years of service: £1000
After 25 years of service: £2500 with certificate, gift and flowers
After 30 years of service: £700
After 35 years of service: £700
After 40 years of service: £1500 with certificate and flowers
After 45 years of service: £1500 with certificate and flowers
After 50 years of service: £1500 with certificate and flowers

Number of years of service and additional holiday days
25 3 days
40 1 days
45 1 days
50 1 days

25 years gift is normally worth about £1000 (gold watch, travel vouchers etc)

CHF to EUR here and still costs 20p. Must be one of those rare occasions where something is cheap in Switzerland

Ask your bank why you can’t make a SEPA payment. My bank charges me about 20p for Europe wide transfers via the SEPA system but I heard that UK banks are very slow to adopt this new standard.

If you’ve been searching via google then I think it’s fair to say that there is a strong likelihood you have misspelt your search terms.

I’m in Switzerland and ordered a load of stuff from Chain Reaction on Tuesday. It’s still in “processing” phase and I don’t expect to see it until the end of next week. They are not responding to email enquiries about the status.

There’s a new world order…

It’s good enough value for money. After a couple of flights, mine has multiple duct tape repairs but still holds together well enough I suppose. The wheels are a waste of time though.

expatshield

You get 25 years in Switzerland.

Once your time is up, your descendants are informed that they can come and collect the gravestone. People then keep the grave stones in their houses, flats and gardens. A nice talking point i suppose…

Delays are normally coming from the distribution/supply chain. All retailers will be equally affected. (unless it’s “own brand” stuff)

Offical kit also includes some DOT fluid, Torx keys and barbs/olives to shorten 2 hoses.

Schweiz,

When I did Trans Provence 2010 one of the guys (who was 30 odd) said he was going to come back and do it again with his Dad

That would be me!

Tess,

You’ll have some competition in the TP this year. I happen to know that there’s a 59 year old taking part this time!

Anyone?

Kev,

Don’t think we know each other although I might know the aargauers you ride with. If they live in Lupfig then it’s likely they work for Alstom or ABB.

I won’t make it out this weekend as I have a ride planned on the road but next weekend I’d be keen for an early doors BL or Schwarzwald pootle

Cheers
Jasper

Quite a little Basel community forming here!

I’m down the road in Aargau and was planning a ride with Ash in the next couple of weeks. Looks like we may have some company!

U turn cylinder is bust. I’ll bet they’re 2010s right? It’s a special feature of that model which I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing 3 times so far. Mine have alway been repaired under warranty.

Nothing to do with running them too soft. Mine have always failed with teh recommended pressure ranges (always going down steps)

Just had a US dealer offer me an Ultimate from stock at $400 above RRP! You’d have thought that he would make sufficient money on an $8000 bike. It’s not even as if there’s a shortage of them in the US. Every delaer I have spoken to has them….