Ive had three so far.
Specialized Commander- fantastic, smooth and reliable. 3 position might turn people off but its reliable.
Gravity Dropper Classic- Very industrial and makes plenty of clunking noises but its light, cheap and reliable. Simple.
X-fusion (current) Hilo- Got it rather cheap and infinitely adjustable so thats nice. Rather weighty but its held up well over the muddy season.

My dad travels alot in his job (flies at least once a week) on internal flights in the US but also internationally. He seems to know a lot about headphones and has gone through many for his travels. He’s now set on Shure. Fantastic sound quality and lots of the models offer noise cancelling. Ive used them several times and its amazing at how much of that awful droning in the cabin gets muted with the headphones. Lots of the frequents flyers rate them. You see them for sale in all the airports. I suggest trying as many models as possible but I think the noise cancelling is definitely worth it.

Gosh! Well im sold. I like the fact that its ‘made’ in the UK. Guy seems to love what he does too. Will get in contact once my student money comes through :-)

Was just wondering what the battery life is in all the different settings? Could I get away with just running one of these on the front with something small on the bars?

Cycled to Uni early today and all the piss from the drunks last night froze covering the paths/road in streaks. Long lines of the stuff. Pretty lethal! Imagine trying to explain that..

-8 In Falmouth this morning!

Photos :lol: ?!!!?

I order 95% of my parts from them. My dad has a place in Chicago so everything gets sent there before being stuck in his suitcase/box and taken back here. The service is great and very American. Runs smooth and without issue. They have answered emails very quickly with lots of advice. As a company they are like CRC but with better CS (the american way).

Cant comment on import tax/duties.

I keep hearing good things about the stanton slackline.
http://www.stantonbikes.com/bikes
Ive seen a few builds and videos. Looks lovely in the flesh too!
Its like a hardcore version of the soul and the guys who run it are fantastic! When you contact them the designer answers :-)

I saw one in the flesh today on the Bisso trail. Looks great!
Just wondering what size you went for and your height? Its got potential for my new rig..

Links broken?

Ive run both for sometime now. I can honestly say that braking performance feels identical on my AM bike and they weight difference feels negligible however the XTRs are much more bling and the leaver is a fa nicer finish and feel. XTs are a bit less bling and the leaver looks cheap but it works and thats what counts. So its down to if you want looks and performance or just performance.

I just phone up my LBS to see if they had any XT mechs in stock. Luckily they had. I asked for the price. Shocked when they reply came as ”How much have you seen them for online?”. Brilliant! They price matched me over the phone with CRC and I picked it up. Dosent get much better than that. Falmouth Cycles (owned by Derek Heelis).

I once had to wait for over 1 1/2 months for some ProII 15mm adapters from Supernova Cycles in Newbury – despite phoning and visiting over 5 times :? ..

Never said I wanted it for life..
Would be nice to be able to sell it on rather than scrap it.
Im sure that’s partly why big manufacturers make them from Ali. Short life cycles = sell more frame = more $$$$.

You guys are missing another big factor! Life cycle. Aluminium frames have a much shorter life cycle, ive cracked several over the years. Steel frames are for life. If you put a crack in it re weld it and get out on it again. Yes, you can re weld alu but there’s all sorts of issues about heat treating, etc. Steel is for life!

How about Renthal Fatbars? The company originated from motorcross and have transferred their knowledge over to MTB so the bars feature some sort of rubber in them (??) which helps remove trail buzz. They come in 780mm size as standard (clearly needs to be cut down) and comes in rise sizes of 10mm, 20mm & 38mm. They are lighter than my Sunline v1 bar. British too !

Not sure what you want the bar for mind.. I’d suggest renthal for everything unless your a very weight conscious.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=63501&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_name=UnitedKingdom

Wrong!
Here’s what he said about the stem:
‘Apologies for the stem fail!
I’d spent enough time already minicng around building it – so just used what I had in the end – to get the damn thing ridden.

Anyone know were I can get a Burberry or gold tartan saddle?‘

He’s not even joking… :D

Had a quick sunny blast down here in Falmouth! Fantastic bar the hideous wind.

Send me a message and i’ll forward all the pictures and details :) !

I may be able to help you with getting a descent spec’d build together. Ive got a 140-160mm frame, elixier 7 brakes, XT cranks, sram X9 mech & shifter, bar, stem & saddle. If youre interested drop me a message at kh306 (at) exeter.ac.uk ! May also be able to help you out with forks and other parts. Just let me know what you’re after.

Surprised no one had mentioned the Canyon!
https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2501
Works out as £840 posted and has one hell of a spec for your buck. Sram Apex groupset (£400 alone), Mavic Aksium wheels and nice finishing kit. Im n the exact same position. Will be buying myself one and save the rest to travel/fix. Just a note of warning though, the canyon sizing comes in as 2cm above the norm. So dont be shocked if they suggest a larger frame to you.

As alex says, its made riding more fun! Ive had 3 over the last year (Spec Commander, GD classic & X-fusion hilo). They have all been fantastic. Back when I used QR I never used to change it much and it felt like a chore when I reached hills and on some ruff bits I had to stop to drop it. The dropper has changed that all for me. I always end up at the correct height for whatever im tackling in seconds and I can keep my rythm and momentum going. I dont feel held back anymore.

Chumba hx2 29er. Comfiest bike I have ever ridden! Great riding position too. If I was to ride one bike for Xc/AM it would be the Chumba. Yes, Ali can be ‘harsh’ but good seatpost, saddle & grips will sort that for you (that said, havent found the Chumba uncomfertable for an ali frame). Low stand over but long TT.

Its certainly a marmite frame! I like it because its unique. You never see a S shaped DT on HTs because there’s no advantage to having it. I know i’ll be one of the very few riding this on the mountain. Half built now. Waiting on some cash for the last few bits.

Finish is superb on the welds. Very neat! Will get a close up at some point.

This might interest you?
http://lucky49.pinkbike.com/album/Decendence-AM-Bike
Comes with RP23, hope headset & XTR mech (10 speed) for £1250 & free P+p.
Let me know at 07833574981 or kh306 (at) exeter.ac.uk !
17” size and based on an orange 5. Just ask if you got any questions!
All boxed and ready to go.

7Hz, its up for sale by the way :wink:
Wwaswas- GD isnt the best looking but its reliable and light! Its a trade off..

Lifer- Your talkign about Allen Millyard and his son, Steven. I actually know them! I used ride with Steve a couple years back. His dad is an amazing engineer. He also made a single sided rear triangled hardtail. They werent even that heavy!

My whole build came in at just under 31 lbs. I thought that was very respectable!
Edit: Weighed on park tool scales at clive mitchel cycles.

Hi guys!
Im pretty new to the forum. Thought i’d stick my head in seeing as the bikes sitting right next to me. Glad you like it! Tim offered to build it with a linkage but I thought i’d politley decline because I knwo what the UK grit can do to bearings. Stuck with simple and sweet. At the time I wanted it to ride like the orange 5 but in 17” size. Once it was made, orange had made a 17” version! Then again, this is fully custom and a one off and seeing as its made from steel. Its for life! Ive also got a few other steel bikes (blender, K9 dh-001, singular). Steel has lovely ride characftersitics I reckon.

Chumba HX2 ? Ive just bought one from Si at progressive cycles. Great value and awesome fun to ride. My first 29er but am really enjoying it.

I enjoyed that! Where was that filmed? No hail in Falmouth yet..

Looks great! What size did you go for? How tall are you?

http://kgcustom.pinkbike.com/
Had some made up on two occasions. They arent as fancy but are cheap and quick. If you design it, he’ll print it.

Are you looking for it to be a ht or fs?