MTFU!

Hope X2’s are my current favorite, they also won the recent STW brake test/review thing in issue 71 (well the X2 race did)

I had a pair with no where near enough oil in each leg and they were brand new. Luckily before using them we fitted travel spacers and were able to sort it out. The same goes with Rock Shox too.

Poor maintenance, but they should have fitted the new SKF seals now so you might not have the problem again.

£80 isn’t too bad though.

Rik – People are entitled to their own opinion, and just because its different to yours, it doesn’t make it wrong (or right), just different.

Or going during the week and not at the weekend like I said.

I must go to a different Glentress to you

That’s what I was thinking.

Braking bumps? Errr, nope.

Hundreds of people getting in the way? Errr, nope.

No skywalker it’s not – mainly because there are hundreds on numpties to get in the way and the trails are f#cked with braking bumps.

Maybe at the weekend, I went during the week. I don’t remember any braking bumps either.

Glentress is only good if you avoid the crowds and ride the off piste stuff.

Its all good if you ride it fast.

Secret or not, if someone breaks their neck because they didn’t warn people they are in a lot of shit.

1) Glentress
2)
3)
4)
5) Afan

I’ve only been to two

Because they are Rock Shox

its not expensive, but a pain in the ass to get

Phone Mojo or buy it from them online, it couldn’t be any simpler.

Its hardly expensive!

Trance

And people moan that Orange are expensive

Glentress

Why are all bikes always compared to the blue stripe brands?

and like you I’m not particularly interested in Orange 5s/Cotics/On Ones etc – I appreciate nice bikes, mine doesn’t really ‘fit’ with the STW formula.

Don’t you ride a Trek Fuel 😆

Photography

It’s worked out far cheaper because I’ve not needed to get it serviced since it’s been on the bike

My air shock on my XC local/evening ride bike needed annual servicing at £100 a time over the same period.

I thought you serviced suspension for a living?

Plus the CCDB service interval is the same as an RP23.

Yes please ^

Nice and healthy

Pretty pointless thread then.

80% say buy a 17″

20% say buy a 16″

Its your money!

1/10 please try again

Shat bike rider by any chance?

Errr, its just a bike.

At least it has some heritage unlike these stupidly pointless fat bikes you see going round.

It comes with a fetter tire on the front for maximum grip, generally where ever the front goes, the rear will follow.

It has a skinnier tire on the back for less rolling resistance. You have more weight over the back of the bike so it will naturally have more grip.

Probably isn’t a rip off then, get buying.

Did you actually get to it off of the official Freecaster site?

LOL you don’t know what Freecaster is, where the hell have you been.

Edit: Actually it does look dodgy

I think them showing one being put down was a bit excessive, no need for that at all really.

“Death Row Dogs highlighted the very difficult job the police do in implementing a law that punishes good dogs. The sad sight of a lovely tempered Pit Bull being put to sleep wagging its tail will haunt all dog lovers for ever”

Your telling me!

It looked more like a staffie than a Pitbull to me.

No matter how good the suspension is (on an enduro bike) it’s never going to be as good as a downhill bike, and yet you’re riding similar sorts of tracks. So I think the geometry has to be absolutely perfect, tailor-made for each rider, you have to feel really comfortable on that bike, because the geometry is what’s going to get you through, not how well the travel is working. For me personally I like a slack head angle and a low bottom bracket, maybe even as slack as 64 even on some tracks, that comes from the fact that enduro pretty much is a downhill race, but you have to ride to the top. – Dan Atherton

I think he has a good point there

Do you have a link to the Vid, I can’t find it.

You can actually buy all of the parts separately and build a 5 pro for less that Orange will charge you.

Frame £1400
Forks £569 (although they are not FIT so it would be more)
brakes £300

Thats £2269 already, somehow I don’t think you can.

Edit: actually I take that back, it works out close enough.

Santa Cruz’s sizing chart suggests that someone of 5’10” (like the OP) is a borderline fit on the Medium Butcher, which has an ETT of 571mm – shorter than the 16″ Five’s 582mm btw…

I know, my brother owned one before he bought his 16″ Five. It was too small for him and he is only 5’8″. Santa Cruz bikes are know to come up small which is why at 5’10” you would go for a large.

Nothing better than a random internet person frothing at the gash over the size of someone elses bike

Calm down RJ, just because you bought the wrong size too 😆

Like I said, find me a size chart that puts someone who is 5’11” on a 16″ bike, its not going to happen. It doesn’t matter if its for AM or XC, 5’11” is was too big for a 16″ bike no matter what way you look at it.

Edit: I did it for you

http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/SizeGuide.aspx?id=28

http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/butcher/#sizing.php

http://www.konabikeworld.com/tech/sizing_chart.htm

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/contentPages.asp?pageID=61

skywalker – everyone know’s a manufacturers recommend size for a given height is a very rough guestimate as an aid to get a ball park figure. They’re a starting point as it were.

They are, but they are building the frames and they know who they will fit. A 16″ Five is intended for people from 5’4″ to 5’8″, you at 5’11” are way out of that and fit smack bang in the middle of the 17″/18″ sizing.

In a shop, you always size “safely”, it’s always safer to size a little larger than smaller. I too work in a bike shop.

I have worked in bike shops and as a cycle mechanic through my whole working life. That statement is totally wrong. If between sizes you would sell the customer the smaller bike rather than the large. You can’t make a big bike smaller, but you can make a small bike bigger (longer stem, layback post etc)

You need to consider riding style, rider preferences, terrain amongst many other factors when sizing for a MTB (road is different, you’re only trying to attain maximum padalling efficiency position). With MTB sizing you’re trying your best to juggle compromises.

Riding style doesn’t come into it. If it’s an XC bike it will have a longer ETT, if its a DH bike it will have a shorter ETT. You don’t need to take that into consideration, the manufacturer has already done that for you.

From what i can make out from the OP, their priorities are out of the saddle handling, they felt the 16″ was nimble and chuckale enough, they have BMX roots, so favour a nimble bike. The size charts will be based on in the saddle efficiency and the fact the orange five is marketed as an all day, “do it all” trail bike, so will be sized to be comfy in the saddle.

Again, what he is used to doesn’t make any difference. He could have been sold the wrong size bike before and he will now think its “right” as thats what he is used to, when actually its not.

My gut instinct from doing this as a job is that a 16″ will suit the OPs desirables very well and the fact that a eff tt of 582 really isn’t short in the grand scheme of things.

I disagree, and you would be guilty of doing the above.

Also I feel, this is only my opinion, MTB sizing is too used to the days of 100mm+ stems giving lots of room in the front, so is too hung up on replicating this feeling of “space”. People are used to this “space” so if they don’t have this space in something they try, it doesn’t feel immediately right so don’t give it a chance.

I don’t know where you get this idea. Bikes are now being made with longer ETT’s than before so people can run shorter stems and wider bars.

Look on any manufacturers size charts, I guarantee you will not find one that puts you on a 16″ bike.

Where is your evidence Al? So far all you have done is disagree.

I am the same height as you and make my brothers 16″ Five look like a kids bike. I assure you a 16″ Five for someone who is 5’11” is too small.

Their old size chart;

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/contentpages.asp?pageid=68

That was before the 17″ Five was made, I am 99% sure you would now be fitted on a 17″ if you went to a shop.

Deanfbm – your bike is to small for you no matter how you look at it.

The correct answer is buy a 17″, and the fun thing to do would be the correct size. Buying a bike the wrong size doesn’t make it more fun, it makes you look silly for spending nearly 3k on a bike thats too small.

Right so, when I buy a new hope hoop wheelset should I go for crests or flows for general XC/trail centre riding?

It doesn’t matter mate. Buy the heaviest wheels and tires possible, it won’t make a blind bit of difference

😆