Apart from the image they are a poxy hateful vehicle. I work on lots of them and they are riddled with stupid electrical gremlins. And the build quality isn’t that great either. Removing the front bumper are we sir? Well that’s wheels off, liners out and skinned knuckles all round. My niece has one and bless her I do live her but she ticks the boxes perfectly when it comes to target market.

I was binge watching “The 100” last night and one of his tracks was on it. He has a new album out in October, can’t wait!

very very nice sir

You have the 3 inserts for a road cleat that could be used to affix at the front and use the rear inserts for err the rear.

If it was me, I would stick some surf board foam on to the sole and carve out a new grippy sole pattern. Then use this “buck” to make a mould and cast a new sole in rubber. You can even mould in a support shank. The more I think of this the more I like your idea haha

could never ride a bike named after this chap

haha just done the same, me – the bike = 13.8kgs – 30lbs. Could drop a few kgs with lighter rims, forks and the cranks weigh a ton, but she’s surprisingly nimble and you don’t even notice that weight.

Spec : 2008 Giant Trance

Fork: RockShox Sektor TK 140mm
Rear shock: RockShox Monarch RL

Handlebars: Renthal Fatbar
Stem: Renthal Duo 50mm
Headset: Nukeproof Warhead
Grips: Renthal Kevlar
Rear shifter: SRAM X0

Front brake: Avid Elixir CR, 185 rotor
Rear brake: Avid Elixir CR, 160 rotor

Saddle: Fizik Arione Kium
Seatpost: Rockshox Reverb 400/125
Post collar: Nukeproof

Cranks: Truvativ Hussefelt 170mm
Chainring: Raceface N/W 32t
BB: Truvative Howitzer 51mm chainline
Pedals: Shimano XT Trail

Rear derailleur: SRAM X9 Type 2
Cassette: SRAM PG1030 11-40 10 Speed with OneUp Range Extender + 16t sprocket
Chain: KMC 10SL Gold

Front hub: Nukeproof
Rear hub: Nukeproof
Front rim: Sunringle Nukeproof
Rear rim: Sunringle Nukeproof

Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25 P

Other:

Cables: Jagwire Ripcord braided, with KREX anodised guides
Hoses: Jagwire Hyflow Titanium braided with gold fitting kit

Good tyre, both me and a mate run them and only in absolute bog conditions have they been a let down.

Just had a brainwave. Do you have any current MTB shoes? Why not take a mould of the tread and cast a whole new sole including tread. Copy the Cleat slots over, drill out and glue the new soles to the existing new sole with a decent 2 part glue like Araldite or Fusor / Würth Replast.

Roadie mode

Retro mode

Child mode

Filthy last weekend mode

Make the move OP. Do it sooner rather than later. We only get one go on this ride make it a happy one.

15 years ago, i left my partner, my whole life, family and friends, hometown and all the trappings of a cushy life because i hated all the bullshit that surrounded me. I hopped on a plane and came to Australia, 6 months later i met the love of my life and we battled everything life could throw at us to stay together. Safe to say that 15 years later we are still together and have a sweet life, so far removed from the chaos that was my previous life. I’m a bit like you, I’m 41 and whilst I have no kids, I had a lot of guilt and perceived responsibility that kept me “in place’ until I realised it is all self imposed. It takes a massive leap of faith to end your current “life” and take up a new one, but we all have the ability because that nagging voice in our head tells us “this isn’t how my life should be”

Your family will come round eventually. I returned to the UK for the first time last year and the resentment from my family was still lingering, but you know what, I don’t care. Its my life, you don’t have a a say in my daily life, so who the **** are you to tell me otherwise. Its very liberating.

So do it OP, grab life by the balls and make the change. There are some great times awaiting you over the horizon and challenges you think will kill you but they don’t they make you focused and push you towards a better future for you and ultimately your kids. As for the wife, she’s played you because you let her out of respect and duty. Its time to let that one go. I look back at my ex and praise (insert deity here) that i left her as i would have buried her under the patio by now she was such a horrible person. But at the time i was blinded by what could be not what she was. My wife now is so far out of my league its shameful but she is a such a fantastic person and makes me laugh everyday that she inspires me to be a better man. You too can have that if you break free from the present.

I know we don’t know each other but you are a fellow man and it only takes the right words to inspire us to be what we always should be, happy.

Margaret!

Wordless Chorus by My Morning Jacket

They both scream Pikeys done good

Truvativ Hussefelts with Howitzer BB. Beefy is an understatement.

That Dekerf is just lovely. Some stunning bikes on here.

Thanks Superted haha

I paid 80 colonial dollars for the frame about 18 months ago. Full carbon, lovely finishing and perfect machining in the BB and head tube inserts. None of this scaremongering oh they are made of Powersauce wrappers and spit nonsense. She rides ace, all dayers are no problem. Not shown, but I recently stuck a shorter 80mm stem on it, same Crank Brothers one, as the one i original fitted was just too long.

I should post my recently parted out Mountain Cycle. Great bike but handled like a stealth bomber with the trim computer off, lots of fun but deck me she came up lardy. Had that frame modded with an ISCG mount so i could run a Hammerschmidt which is an ace bit of kit too.

Sold my lovely Marin Eldridge to my mate last year, still ride it when i go round his haha. It was sold to him on the proviso that i can buy it back eventually. Superb bike and beautiful to ride.

Haha the sound of a man defeated.

Just be thankful you haven’t got Ashima’s

Now they are the worst brakes I have ever used. I still have them in a box and refuse to sell them because I couldn’t be that much of an arse hole to any one. Utterly useless brakes.

Ah the thrill of the basket email, I’ll check out when the prices are a bit more stable than the North Korean situation thanks! I use them for shopping lists and compare with other inlines like Wiggle and Merlin etc, that way i can see where I get the best price. simples!

Aye fella you are probably right, I think thats why i love building bikes now, and get as much joy building them as I do riding them. I rebuild cars for a job and i’d like to think that my lego days as a kid honed my visual and “end result” thinking, much needed when given a Porsche 911 in bits and expected to put it back on the road 100% correct without instructions.

Blacktron and Futuron was probably the last years I bought Lego. Great sets mind you. I had the Blacktron Strider/Alienator walker thing and that was just a damn cool vehicle! I always wanted the monorail but it was 100 quid back then and that was a bit much for a paper boy’s meagre income.

I rather like that, even with the bar ends!

Haha thanks I think, they are Controltech Stubbies, I wanted a neo-retro feel when I built this bike, and they are pretty handy on the climbs as they always were. Flatbar of course dahlings, on risers you should be shot on sight.

All my bikes are black, that way when a new addition is added to the herd, the mrs’s enquiries are deflected with the answer, “The black one, no darl, had this for ages”

My roadie I built up earlier this year again, more a satin black

Its criminal isn’t it, if only we had the foresight to be OCD weirdoes back then instead of playing with it, we’d be millionaires Rodney!

I loved Lego, still do, but I am not a fan of the new stuff at all, 5 pieces in a box all specific to that model/series.

I look back wistfully at my collection in my memory and it was awesome, i could play for hours on end doing different setups and baseplate configs, to get that perfect diorama shot in mind, only for my little brother to sneak in a Townsperson or a horse from his lego collection haha.

I pity people who didn’t play with Lego as kids, I feel it gave me my great spatial awareness and problem solving skills that i have now. I can still in my mind build every single one of my old collection without the instructions.

That was the first spaceship I had My mum bought it for me in Woolworths – I still remember picking it from the shelf!

I remember my first ever Lego ship, my mum bought me from Littlewoods, and that was that I was hooked!

From 1978, I collected most of the space lego from each year up until about 1988, then like an idiot i swapped for a shitty electric guitar. my only regret.

Never mind, I’m going to reclaim that lost youth soon

Im waiting till i finish my office at home so i can deck it out with my lost childhood! Ive been cruising ebay for months seeing the prices of classic Lego Space stuff, the prices people are paying for NOS lego is astonishing!

As long as i get an LL918 in the collection i’ll be happy

Small headed vice/mole grips works a treat. Also if you can heat up the bolt it makes it easier for the locktite to let go when its nice and toasty.

Me freshly blooded ’08 Giant Trance. Picked up the frame ages ago and had it powder coated matt black. Everything else is new bar the brakes and forks which I scrounged off my parted out MC Fury.

My FlyXii hard tail, I adore this bike, so damn ridable, should really get a shot with its newer shorter stem though.

Had Elixirs for years and never had a problem bleeding them. I really don’t get how people can **** em up. Still makes for cheap Avids on eBay for us fans!

I also have XT’s and they are no easier or harder to bleed.

Recently picked a pair up for 50 dollars Oz, NOS since they were discontinued years ago

First ride on them yesterday and they are ace!

Rode HDs for over 18 months in all conditions and absolutely hated them. Run NN’s now and adore them. Mud loose dirt, loamy scrub, great tyre. I found the HDs so slow it was painful. Dropping in on a berm and I was always wary of being spat out sideways on fire.

So yeah, totally subjective and personal preference. My advice is try a few combos beg borrow or steal until you find a match that’s on the money.

I found another one

CRCL2DVGQT7M

be quick

it has brushes that brush the water and debris off the trailing edge of the tyre. Probably not as effective as traditional ones but look like they do a job

Piss Stained Antimacassar

cranks should be silver

You would have hated the nineties kid

always bet on black!

I’ve only ever ridden with SPD’s since they came out about the same time i started riding properly off road. Before that its was toeclips and straps! The feeling of not being clipped to the bike is as alien to me as it is to someone who is trying them for the first time. When i have tried flats i spent most of the ride worrying about where my feet where on the pedals. Horses for courses in the end, muscle memory and technique you choose!

I found a great compromise with XT Trail pedals, better than the smaller SPD’s as you don’t get that roll under your foot when trying to clip back in and they have a bigger target area. I had a pair of the caged 545’s and felt like they were too much like a flat trying to be a SPD.

the Denny seems to be the perfect commuter bike. Nothing fancy just good design. Considering the prices of some commuter bikes if they position this in the middle it will sell like hotcakes. I’d love one for popping into the village and doing a bit of shopping, hate riding my other bikes as they are so single purpose!

New giant Reign, seems to tick all the boxes

CRCL4XR6W5WZ

Its a mystery code from my last order a few weeks back, enjoy!

Awesome stuff! Haven’t bought anything off them for ages, I feel a spending spree coming on haha

there ya go, although i have a much shorter stem on it these days