I sent a frame in a bike box using parcel force. Only cost £15 using their 48hour service. My local post office has a parcel force counter in it.

So I like parcel force at the moment :-)

I took the lowers off mine last week. Drained the fluid out that looked like coffee. Popped in some fresh fluid and gave the foam rings a good soak in fox fluid.

There are some good videos on youtube. Mine feel better now than they did when they were new!

I used to live in Rotherham. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. You would be better off living in Sheffield and commuting.

I’ve used three for about 6 years now. No complaints, they do usually offer some of the best deals.

Here’s my nice Santa Cruz Carbon. 26er though :twisted:

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Blur LTc

You shouldn’t interfere with bees. Your mancave will have to wait!

You don’t need a kit to bleed hope brakes. Just a bit of plastic pipe from the plumbers section from B&Q to fit over the nipple on the calliper (the stuff they sell if a perfect fit!).

There is a good hope video on youtube to show you how.

Worth giving them a bleed and checking everything is tight. They’re honestly incredibly easy to bleed!

If you can lift the front wheel and rear wheel independently this is a good start.

Before you start to try bunny hopping anything try this approach. Lift and place your front wheel on your chosen obstacle then as you roll forward lift and place your rear wheel on your chosen obstacle.

Then build on this by reducing the time between front wheel touching down and lifting the rear up. Aim for timing the second (rear) lift with the rebound of your forks/tyre.

After practicing many of these you will be able to do the rear lift before your front wheel touches down. Voilà, you have a bunny hop.

will muddy bike stuff be the likely cause of this problem? or the fact I put some shoes in there?

It’s difficult to distinguish between a sarcastic and serious answer on here kennyp

@kennyp

because it is beeping like mad with lights flashing. Also it’s stopped spinning.

That e13 one won’t look so good when those little holes are full of mud.

I’ve given my blackspire one a good bashing and it’s proving to be unbelievably tough

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=12167

Comes with the longer bolts you need too!

this is good news! I thought I had to have a 3G connection for Strava to work. Has anyone done this then, trouble free?

Flats are defiantly the way forward for such riding.

It always makes me laugh when people ride with SPD’s then panic unclip when things get risky! That’s a recipe for disaster!

Maybe someone nearby has used an insecticide on their nest.

Sounds like Arch Ex’s are the rim for you.

I wouldn’t let the lack of deals available stop you getting the wheels which are right for you. Either wait or splash the cash :-)

Looks like Fox DOSS and Crank Bro’s are not very durable from my experience. I can speak highly for my reverb! Lasting very well!

Make sure you get one with a remote, if you get caught by surprise and need to drop the saddle the last thing you want to do is take your hand off the bar!

a few weeks ago on the local club ride, I was the only one out of 12 who wasn’t on a specialised… they seem to have the monopoly here in Newbury!

It certainly looks like 27.5″ is going to take off in the next generation of ‘trail bikes’. Santa Cruz along with others seems to have dropped 26″ from next year…

Something to bear in mind for future proofing.

or if you’re asking this question…
no, it’s not! Your need to buy a new bike!! Fast!!!

Yorkshire__Lad had some top advice there. I’m sure a bit of extra travel helps though!

Thick, soft, orange grips you say… OURY springs straight to mind!
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BTOUMO/oury_mountain_grips

I have noticed a lot of Orange 5’s around, they seem to be the Porsche 911 of the bike world.

The yeti 575 has a very similar design to the SC blur and an intense carbine, come to think of it. maybe that’s the winning suspension design?

If the new bearing didn’t go in straight that would explain why it was a tight fit and why the axle doesn’t spin smoothly. If the bearing was damaged when you drifted it in that would also result in your axle not spinning freely. Might be worth knocking them out and trying again. What are your using to put the bearings in?

sorry alfbus, typo :-)

I was expecting some recommendations for a LTc or even a yeti? perhaps something else?

Only sambalaws has said keep the Pace… thanks sambalaws for liking my pace

I tore a maxxis hi roller sidewall last month, only a little bit of tread left so I wasn’t too disheartened. Many more splits on their way by the looks of it…

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A few fast berms caused this split

So on my short list according to this thread so far, I’ve got strong votes for a:

Blur LTc
Ibis Mojo
Saracen Ariel

Then also suggested

Spec stumpy evo
Trek remedy

a bit more speed next time! speed is your friend :-)

That’s consistent with what I’ve hear elsewhere Northwind. Along with the blur LTc the Mojo SLR ticks all the right travel and weight boxes, but from what information I can gather there geometry is a bit old school xc orientated.

Any other recommendations out there?

(@alfabus I see your 11th place Cadon bank on your TRc and raise you a KOM on Brechfa Raven trail black grade downhill on my Pace ;-) )

… I might be wrong on the IBIS, someone must be able to correct me…

I’ve ridden a 29er and it’s not what I’m looking for out of a bike. I want something that will put a smile on my face when I throw it at every berm, jump or drop I can find.

I’ve considered IBIS but the geometry of the frame puts me off (I never thought I’d say that!). More race than fun.

@drifting_james

I really enjoy riding my pace. It’s certainly proved itself to be surprisingly capable bike.

I just feel like something lighter with a bit more ‘fun’ geometry would suit me better.

I’ve only had three bikes in the last 15 years. A ’96 Klein Pulse, an ’01 Kona Munimula and this Pace. Now I’ve finished uni and have settled into a new job. I want to make the most of my cycling before I have to settle down and the misses restricts money spending on bikes.

Funny a Blur TRc seems to be the number one suggestion so far…

I really like this frame and it I feel it is a perfect match to my riding style. The only think that concerns me is the limited travel…?

I finished my ride at 4pm this Saturday. The car park had quietened down so there were plenty of spaces. Trail traffic wasn’t a problem. People at Swinley seem very good at getting out your way.

what are the pro’s and con’s for each scenario?

If you spent all your money on a 140mm travel light as possible full sus, this would do most things.

This seems to be bringing up another good topic of discussion. What’s the optimum amount to spend on a bike. like mattjg said, a £4k bike is unlikely to be twice as good as a £2k bike. But I’m sure a £1k is easily twice as good as a £500 bike… maybe we need a graph :-)

I shouldn’t have really used the term ‘super bike’. So we’ll go with just a normal bike which costs the equivalent to your multiple bikes

for what they cost 5:10’s seem a bit of joke. I’m a big fan of thin vans (which dry quickly) and waterproof socks. I picked my last pair of vans up for £15 in a sale.

I usually put them in the foot well of the car with the heater on full on the way to a ride so they’re nice and toasty when I put them on :-) because that’s how I roll