Bought some brakes from Germany and couldn’t be bothered to swap the levers to the ‘right’ side. Doing a wheelie, I grabbed a fist full of, what I thought, was rear brake and fell off onto my ass. Was actually the front. Swapped the brakes after that. Need to find that clip. Was hilarious.

Gary- in my experience, yes. I’ve got a 1×10 on my chumba using a medium cage XT (above) and the chain hasn’t dropped yet.. Riding has been singletrack and XC so nothing adventurous (yet).

Love my clutch mech! Noticeably quieter than my old one.

My Kona Explosif 650b was 26.8 lbs stock- I took some weight off with the pedals, stem and went tubless on the front. Then added a chunk of weight by adding the new bars and a dropped post. Not sure what it weighs now but I was happy enough riding Swinley and the Ridgeway all day. More heavy than I’m used to but once riding you dont notice. I have noticed that the rear wheel isn’t as easy to kick out because the back end is heavy- not sure if that is down to the dropouts or bigger cassette !?

Is there still scope for a company to start distributing or act as customer service for any cycling companies?

Wanted a lefty for as long as I can remember. Need to get one at some point in the near future!

Thats lame.. mine was 31.6
Maybe check back soon if you aren’t in a rush? Shim?

My friends just picked up a Giant Defy 1- full 105 groupset with a nice frame and fork. Cost was £999. I think it’s good value and it’s a very nice ride!

You can pick up some very nice Cannondale Prophets for that budget.

Picked up a xfusion hilo recently for £96 new from Germany.
Great post! Actually my second. First one was perfect but wrong size for the new frame so I bought another. Not had any issues. Work nicely and the infinite adjustability is great. I also like having a mechanical system, not hydrolic, as it’s easier to adjust and change.

Just bought one. Was about to post it up here too! Great price.

Here’s a couple from my little outing. I didn’t have a map so I had no clue where I was. Just guestimating really. Turned out to be a great ride. Just measured the route- 29.5 miles.
http://instagram.com/p/Y965wpS1qC/
http://instagram.com/p/Y9-pEeS1tH/
http://instagram.com/p/Y97i4Cy1qf/
http://instagram.com/p/ZAaLvrS1tz/

Ridgeway- I went exploring. Originally fancied a 1 hr ride then ended up 22 miles and 3 1/2 hrs later back at home. Great ride. Nothing challenging with lovely views. I joined it in Compton.

I have, in my opinion, the bare essential number; 2.
1 Road bike- Rocky Mountain Oxygen 80
1 Hardtail- Kona Explosif 650b

I’m moving and sorting a new job so that wont be changing for some time.

Nice video edit!

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/
Used them on numerous occasions. Top notch and good price.
They do some funky other customisable bits too.

Crossmark 2.1 out back and Ardent 2.25 on the front.

Toss up between a Giant Reign ’10 and a Specialized Enduro ’11. Hated them both. All setup correctly but the FS just felt awful. The 160mm just flattened everything and took the fun out of it. Couldn’t pop off anything. They were only good on some DH tracks.

Amazing edit, again!

Has to be the Kona Explosif 650b. Had issues with sizing and travel in the past but the Kona is the perfect size with the right angles and boy is it fun!

Canfield yelli screamy in Small.
I had a medium at 5’9” and it had way to much stand over. Nowhere to grip with my knees so for some one shorter it would be perfect. The most fun I had with it was when it was set up at 100mm with small tyres. Very good bike.

My mum used to have the galaxy. Was my first car! I still can’t get over how big they are inside. We had a 53 plate. I took all the seats out and chucked in 3 bikes with wheels and kit. I used it to move into uni with 4 seats and that had two bikes and lots of other stuff. Great for space!

What I did notice is that it handled like a sofa on cart springs. It was rubbish to drive. We had the 2.3 petrol and we calculated it did 23mpg on average.

Now she has a new Touran and its brilliant. I put 2 bike with wheels on in the back. Yes its smaller but its such fun to drive and gets 48mpg comfortably.

To be honest though, Galaxy is fantastic for the versatility and size.

I’ve got a 2×10 setup on my Kona. Not had any issues. Nice and quiet too!

After my swinley ride I took a leisurely ride exploring local bits..

Just got back from Swinley. Did the blue and red a couple times. Knackered now. Super fast and dusty. They’ve done a good job over there..

^^+2. Worked for me too earlier today. Putting an Ardent onto a WTB 23i rim. Went out for a 2 hour ride and all worked well. So satisfying.

Such a nice frame. Would love one of these in the future.
For that price I’d expect a kashima fox though..
Look forward to seeing it built!

Such a nice frame. Would love one of these in the future.
For that price I’d expect a kashima fox though..
Look forward to seeing it built!

I’d go for;
Frame & headset £500
XT groupset from merlin £500
RS rev/rebas on sale £250
Hope hoops second hand £200
Bar & stem £80
Seatpost & saddle £50
Few other bits for £20
Total of £1600 for a great bike.

Could spend a little more on forks, wheels, dropper, carbon bar, etc.

First year I lived with a chap in halls who was very sporty and fit. Turns out he didn’t know how to look after himself- he’d through away plates instead of washing them OR stick them in the cupboard so they just got mouldy. Didn’t know how to cook and all he ate was pizza, chips, chocolate, crips & curries. I’ve never seen a guy get soo fat so quick. Impressive really. Should have seen him by third year..

In my second year at uni I shared with a mate who turned into the most unhygienic tramp. He’d wear his PJ trousers and a tshirt for 3 weeks without changing once! He’d happily go to tesco, on the bus, to lectures in his own filth. He’d also shave his man parts in the sink and leave the hair in it.. Also openly admitted to going for a crap and then using the shower straight after when we ran out of toilet paper. You should have seen this guy in the kitchen.. handled raw chicken then wiped his hands on MY clean kitchen towel and generally spread raw meat all over the kitchen/house. Surprised I didn’t develop OCD. He also prayed on the very drunk when he was perfectly sober..

Third year I lived with a Lithuanian and a Welsh chap who were undoubtedly paedophiles- even stating their concern for the future. We lived down the road from the secondary school and when it was kicking out time they use to watch all the girls walk past and follow them from window to window. Also some suspect pictures put up on the walls of their rooms. Not in a banter way either. Needles to say I’ve voiced my concerns.

Great looking bike!
Good choice and welcome to the 650b club 😀

Coventrys terrible for people walking into the road without looking. The inner ring road is buses, taxis and bikes only. I think if they cant hear a bus then its clear. The eyes NEVER check the road. I really fancy getting a great big air horn.

I’m running 3 on the rear of all my bikes with something bigger upfront (apart from the rigid where I run them front and back). Very nice combo and they are fast rolling. The rigid has been a bit lethal this winter with the crossmark up front though but was great fun sliding everywhere. The tyres just wouldn’t shed mud on my ride though. I won’t be swapping the rears for anything else anytime soon.

Whats your budget?

Are all the trails marked at Swinley? Will I need to get myself a map? Cheers.

When I picked up my kona I had to take the wheels off to put in the car. Very nice suprise to spot that it had the Sram x9 type 2 mech! The web just says x9. Felt rather smug.

OP, what road bike is that? Looks lovely!
Great photos. Keep ’em coming!

Home made fish pie 8)

What’s wrong with the rear brake calliper location?
I really do fancy a CX bike..

Has got to be the Scott Scale 710 or 740 in 650b when they are available!

Scott Tips the Scale towards 650b, Introduces Limited Edition 710 and 740