i just remember it was really, really horrible at about 2am. So horrible in fact it was my last lap. No one else from my team went out until a couple of hours after dawn. My bike was well tired and I had to stop for a kip on the A417 on the way home.

Horrible, simply horrible. Don’t do it!

you’ll be fine ont’ pitch pro!

being the environment agency i would guess they will expect you to ride to work and provide suitable faclities for this.

you are probably well suited to an eo role there, they offered you the job, so i am sure you will be fine. the hours are probably very flexible so there will be lots of scope for taking the long route home.

have fun.

Assuming all in excellent condition, no work needs doing etc and decent finishing kit, so thomson, easton, king headste etc. I would expect between 1000 and 1200. I guess a lot depends on what both buyer and seller think is a fair price.

Just make sure the bung in the maxle is well greased. To get the maxle out try undoing the whole maxle assembly, pushing out the bung manually and then putting it all back together and removing the maxle normally, it should work.

I am content doing most things but do go to the lbs for: fork service, bearing replacement, headset fitting / removal and any facing.

Mainly because I either don’t know what I am doing or don’t fancy the mess.

aside for all the sealed cartridge bearing benefits hope hubs are also available in pretty colours if you are into that sort of thing; and a lot of people are.

Buy British.

So – let me get this straight and sorry for covering old ground.

Get a P7 light for Deal Extreme, get a quad holder and a dummy from Rich, put it all together and bish, bash bosh Hope 4 beating lights for not much money and a little bit of effort.

What is the performance going to be like? In terms of run time and what batteries do i need in the quad holder? Oh and how much for the bits from Rich?

Thanks,

SC

I have got a lot better at this since someone pointed out that dragging the back brake actually makes it easier.

It does!

endura knee warmers here. Fantastic, i don’t use them that often but when they do they are great.

I bought some about 3 months ago and am, thus far, impressed. The look really smart and feel good too. Lots of stopping power.

The only issue I have had is that the sintered pads don’t fit the springs very neatly. Very impressed though and of course nice and servicable with a good dealer network and a sensible / caring manufacturer is is English! Which has to be good.

I think i would do: Glentress, Innerleithen, Dalby Forest, Peak District and probably some riding in Wales. If I could squeeze in a ride at Kirroughtree or Dalbeattie en route south I would do that too!

I am 6’2″ and did have a 20″ inbred and did find it a bit big. would go for an 18″ if i were to get another one.

As it is i am on a 19″ Santa and a 19″ Turner and they are just nice. I am currently building a 19.5″ DB Love Hate. Don’t think i would want anything bigger.

I hope this helps.

mountaincarrot – you remind me of some people i know / work with.

Sweet!

with 2 people mechanicing, one at each end I have swapped all the components off one cove stiffee frame onto another one in 30minutes! this was a warranty effort and i was one of the two people doing the mechanic role. but i paid nothing.

Most of the shops i go to wouldn’t charge labour if i bought all the stuff from them and i would expect to get at least 10% off components, if not off the whole lot!

if i bought all the stuff in from elsewhere and just asked them to put it all together I would expect a bill of around £100 for labour with no special favours, especially if most of the kit was used and dirty!

IMHO – this is actually more difficult than a lot of you are making out.

Wheels were borrowed and you have a duty of care for those wheels and as such should replace them.

However – presumably if he is a mate and did willingly loan them too you he may well have recognised you ‘wouldn’t / couldn’t’ afford to replace them should they get broken. So there is some responsibility there too. OK so it is a moral rather than a legal responsibility but it is still important.

Also worth bearing in mind is the imapact of his loss. How important are those wheels to him? If very important, he would not have lent them?

I guess it is down to you and him to have a chat and agree on suitable and acceptable compensation. What can each of you do to lessen the impact of the loss?

There is definately a moral here, and it revolves around the old statement ‘never a borrower nor a lender be.’

Sorry – probably not helpful but, i hope balanced. Good luck. You do have my sympathy.

your local hope dealer will be able to order them. Should be with them in a day or so. I believe ceramics fit in the same hole!

For me it would be:

Hope brakes – because they work and are easy to bleed, not that they need attention very much.

Lock on grips (preferably the yeti ones)

Gripshift and X9 or X0 mechs.

Time pedals.

Rockshox forks

WTB Pure V saddle.

And something very nice to hold it all together that isn’t made by the big S.

hope stainless is going well for me. admittedly on a shimano crank but assume they work the same on Xtype too!

my best tip for finding good trails up there is to look for a local who will show you around. the trails described and mapped on the stw trail guides are ok. but there are much better routes is you know where you are going.

post up here and i am sure someone will be more than happy to guide you. depending on when you want to ride, i am happy to volunteer.

or indeed post up your email and i will let you know when i am next riding up there.

Yes – only team issue. And that stuff is changing hands for silly prices on ebay.

Dylan – it depends how well you know your lbs ;-) and how much you spend there! Yeah – they need to know what they are doing but it is a very easy job.

fs – I like your style but IMHO it just isn’t worth trying to fix and potentially make it worse. It will take the shop 5 minutes and a packet of biccies to sort out. And you know the threads will be straight. Bike shops that the anxiety out of this situation. Especially if the frame is expensive!

go to the bike shop NOW ie don’t make them worse. The should just be able to tidy it all up as they can recut / clean up the threads with the appropriate too. and you will be fine.

Just don’t do anything more yourself!

I have cracked mine two or three times. Just do what you can. If cracked I would expect to be back off road in a couple of weeks (riding gently) and going hard after 4 or 5. You will however be well advised to take it gently on the descents and not fall off for some time.

You will be occasionally reminded of them for 12 to 15 weeks or maybe longer no matter what damage you have done.

TFS has the right idea. The Panaracer kit is good and works well when … even sealant can’t do the job.

Being a belt and braces man I have sealant, a panaracer kit and 2 spare tubes when I go riding. Don’t need the kit or the tubes often. But have used both in the past.

Good option – cheers from me too!

I think Mythic do something that should be hard core enough. They are also a more unusual choice.

Personally I would probably go with a BeFe though.

Other options are the Whyte 19 which has very nice adjustable drop outs and the Santa Cruz Chameleon which now has an EBB.

TP

Thanks for the info, although only a very occasional rider there (probably about 6 times last year and most of that after 6pm) I have now purchased a season ticket. Haven’t been there yet this year so had better get some value out of it and get over there.

My conscience is now appeased!

It would be useful if someone posted details of how to get a permit on here so that those without the know how or not on the mailing list can apply for them and absolve themselves of guilt.

sounds like you are looking for an xc bike with fast rolling tyres. There are lots of those around. Spesh Epic, Superlight, Inbred, take your pick.

The cassette is definately tired if: the fourth, and or fifth sprockets have pointier tooth profiles than the rest. This wil guarantee chain skipping with a new chain.

Additional tell tale signs are the previous chain being quite worn and the middle ring teeth being hooked.

I just have a hole in my bottom bracket shell. Water in, water out! Lovely.

I have been running Shimano XT cranks on both bikes for about 3 years now. The Bottom brackets last quite a long time, the XTR ones and Hope ones seem to be very good. BB’s are definately better than ISIS, by some significant measure.

Getting cranks on and off is very easy. All in all, I think they are pretty good.

As for stiffness, to be honest I can’t tell the difference.

I have been running a Maxx D since October or November, once or twice a week for at least 2 hours and I have had no problems so far.

As for the run time on full power, if fully charged with some significant extra time on trickle charge it will run a 2 hour ride and be on the verge (10 minutes either way) of half charge. On the 750ish lumen setting it will run pretty much all night.

My only criticism is that the bolt that attaches the mounting system into the lamp itself needs some threadlock.

Agreed – it is definately a stupid idea you mate has. Get the right size or it will cost more in the long run. No question. This because he WILL damage the frame.

I went through this process quite recently. I had a 5 Spot with Pikes and a Cove Stiffee. Because my riding was getting faster I felt the need for something with shorter travel but that was still trail tough.

So I got a Superlight, which has Rebas on the front, tubeless wheels etc.

The Cove has been sold and the 5 Spot has not been ridden since I pulled together the Superlight.

My answer is therefore, yes. You do need a new bike and I would advocate the Superlight. It has all the travel I have needed in the lakes or at Welsh trail centres. Is more efficient than a hard tail on the canal towpath going home from work, keeps up with the guys on Tuesday and Thursday night rides and is really the only bike I need.

It is fast, light, comfortable and so far reliable. It is also ideal for those longer days in the hills when you need to go up some big climbs but still have fun on the descents.

Get a superlight built up.

have you ventured on to leith, holmbury and pitch hills? OK, so there isn’t much in the way of specific dual and north shore trails but the riding from an ‘interesting xc’ perspective is pretty spectacular.

Swinley has some fun bits too.