Apologies, no idea how the weight was missed out! Updated now and FYI weight is 588g on my scales for cranks, chain ring and preload collar. Ta.

I do! It’s a long time since I’ve used it but think it’s all there. I’ll be in Todmorden at ST Towers next Tuesday and Wednesday and can take it with me, or if you need before I’m in Ramsbottom, Lancs (which isn’t very near Halifax!)

Claymore! Opposite to Benji, I only got to ride the HB916 a couple of times. I just didn’t get enough time on it to get things set up properly and felt that the suspension needed a bit more tweaking. Having ridden both the shock and fork that were on it on other bikes, I’d set them up as I had in the past but just didn’t feel as good a the Claymore, but I ran out of time to tweak. I got to spend a good few weeks on the Claymore though and was properly impressed.

@spooky_b328 & @LAT – you’re not entered yet! The question will be in this weeks newsletter (and related to this story) so look out for it landing on Friday.

@johnjn2000 – FYI regarding sizing.. I’m 183cm tall with a 33″ – 34″ inside leg (yes, I know metric and imperial!) and as mentioned the pads fit me well and go from mid-thigh down to the widest part of my calf and I don’t get any ‘bunching’. When on and stretched out a bit the pads are around 405mm in overall length. Hope this helps.

Morning all.. thanks for reading the review and for the comments. In answer to your questions (as best I can!):

@Johnjn2000 – I haven’t tried the IPD SH pads I’m afraid. The Rapha ones aren’t the thinnest of pads – thicker than the Fox Enduro and Enduro D30 – but then they do offer a good amount of protection for the size. Not sure it will help you but my ‘not very accurate’ measurement of the the pad itself has them at 11mm thick across the thickest part that would cover your patella. Overall pad size is 235mm x 130mm when the pad is in it’s natural pre-curved shape. And yes, it was a typo, thanks for pointing out! They sit just on the thickest part of my calf.

@Del – I think @dangeourbrain has covered the protection side of things for me! Not all manufacturers publish this certification for each pad so make of that what you will! Regarding washing, Rpaha state to wash them with pads. out. I’ve washed them a few times and have done it with pads both in and out. Getting the pads in and out is easy as they are already shaped and are really flexible. So far they don’t seem to show any issues from washing (pads and outer). But I’m not one for washing pads after every ride!

@jimmy – they are definitely a step above some of the ‘lighter’ pads on the market that just have a foam on the front. They don’t have any additional side protection but they fully cover the knee cap and drop a good way below onto the top of the shin. As mentioned, I’ve not used the POC VPD Air, but these ‘look’ to offer more overall coverage, and also state the protection unlike the POC.

Hope this helps.
Cheers

@doomanic – Aha! Crossed wires! Yeah, I see that could be misleading. I shall get that updated to reflect the picture.Thanks!

@doomanic – the RRP of the GX AXS upgrade kit is definitely £554, and that actually doesn’t include the cassette. The rear mech alone has an RRP of £342 (and that’s not including the battery), the shifter is over £140, then you’ve got the battery, chain etc.

@nickc – Gilet is £99.99. All pricing / stock availability can be seen on the Endura site https://www.endurasport.com/rider/collections/mt-500-range/mt500-freezing-point.list

@teethgrinder – thanks for pointing that out! (now fixed) I can confirm that the wheel does not weigh nearly 10kg, and is actually a very respectable 901g!

@greeny30 – thanks for reading the articles, and RockShox do list a 51mm offset on their site for the 29er Zeb, but that is only available OEM. For aftermarket buyers RockShox only offer the 29er Zeb in 44mm. They offer a LOT of different variants for all their products but they’re not all necessarily available to everyone. With the Zeb, they’ve gone with the offset they think will best suit the intended bikes and the most amount of riders. Hope this clears things up a bit. Cheers