Shimano for the last 20 years – I’ve had the early Saints, XT, Deore M555 and SLX, can’t fault of them! TBF, I’ve only ever tried older Hayes, Avids and most recently SRAM G2’s – levers just felt cheap and was underwhelmed by the performance! Currently have the latest XT m8120 levers, with Saints hoses, older XT M785 2 pot calipers with finned metal pads and Ice Tec rotors. They have a decent lever feel, are consistent, reliable and haven’t needed bleeding in over 2000 miles of riding (second set of pads though).

I’ve had the XL Hydromatics for the last two winters and they’ve been awesome, best winter gloves I have tried. Right pain in the arse to put on and take off though, always feel like I’m going to tear them (I haven’t… yet!), but they have to be tight around the wrist to keep the water out and frankly it works for me! I find them comfy but not so bulky you lose the feel when riding. I’d definitely recommend them, but agree with trying them on first, I do think they could be a bit too tight around the knuckles/palm for some.

They took a long time pre-Black Friday TBH, had a similar issues twice where it actually said an estimated delivery date in the past. Never had an issue with the product or price, just postage times are a bit slow even though all stock is in the UK and they’re part of The Hut Group, who have a pretty decent distribution system.

I’ve always found TF Tuned service to be excellent and priced fairly, they also generally have most of the parts in stock so turn around is pretty quick. Used an LBS once who I had assumed we’re doing the shock service in house, as it was implied, turned out they had sent it to TF anyway and I was just paying extra! Sent them my Reverb recently, all done and in perfect working order within 5 working days. Never guaranteed that fast, but you can track progress in your account and their comms is great. I had previously used the SRAM Service Centre, which can only be booked through an LBS, took 3 weeks and comms was dreadful!!

Thanks, the Smith Forefront looks interesting but not sure about the ventilation. How about the Troy Lee A2 or A3 for a round head?!!

+1 to RF Atlas, forgot the Turbine is not a solid face plate, doh! I have also run an Atlas (albeit at 65mm length) with a FatBar Lite for about 5 years, it’s been brilliant :)

Highly recommend the RaceFace Turbine R 35, beautifully crafted, light and awesome little stem available in black and various lengths! Just be careful not to over torque the bolts like I did – that was totally my fault not an issue with the stem!!

Earlier this year I went from a 10 year old 26 inch full sus bike to carbon full sus 29er. The geo shift and larger wheels make such a difference (especially as I am tall). New bike is lighter, longer and lower, slacker out front and steeper in the rear for climbing. The wheelbase vs. my old XL frame is over 3.5 inches longer, you feel like you’re in the bike as opposed to on it, if that makes any sense at all. It didn’t take a long time to get used to, mostly because I was pretty much out every day, it’s so much fun!!

@silasgreenback like you I really like to speak to someone and support a LBS, trouble is there is no longer a decent LBS near me anymore with out at least a 30/45 min drive, other than the guys that specialise just in repairs and servicing around the corner, who are brilliant. I saw the Pirelli tyres on ProBikeKit, who are owned by THG and the slightly dubious billionaire Matt Moulding. I have reluctantly bought from them once before (again stock availability and price) and the service was excellent, even though they use Hermes, the parts we’re definitely not OEM.

Yeah, that review isn’t glowing is it, but it suggests they perform pretty well, but don’t marry up to the manufacturers description, hence the score. What they excel in, suggests they might be OK for me, but interested to hear how other have got on and going to take a look at the other options suggested above.

Thanks @silasgreenback the fact they are still in stock and discounted in the current market is interesting, but I figured it’s more because they are still new and haven’t become a popular option yet against the likes of Maxxis, Schwalbe etc. Thanks for the shout about the Conti’s, hadn’t really considered them, will take a look.

Love mine, has served me well over the winter and pretty durable too, been fine with the brambles! Yes you get pretty warm in it, but if you want it to be waterproof at a reasonable price that’s the sacrifice! I saved mine for the colder days, although it does have the pit vents which are pretty good.

I can highly recommend the 100% Hydromatic Brisker Glove. Yes, they have a ridiculous name and are possibly a bit thicker than you are looking for (I found them a pretty decent compromise – dry warm hands but not overly bulky!), but they kept my hands dry throughout the whole of the last winter with no issues at all.

I’ve got the POC Trabec helmet 1Timmy1 which is a slightly older style, but a great fit

Had them for about a year, I forget they’re on most of the time (until some muds hits them!!), that’s how good they are. Decent fit with a POC helmet, lenses are great, frames seem pretty tough and really comfortable. They occasionally steam up in certain conditions, but they clear really fast and I’ve never had an issue. I used the clear (ish) standard lens in low light/dark and they still work well. I tried a few and these were easily the best for me.

That’s really good to hear Scienceofficer I do a fair amount of climbing (roughly 4000/5000ft a week) which definitely puts a lot of strain on the chain. I also clean my bike after each ride and clean the chain with a device at least every couple of weeks to keep it running smooth. Hoping the XX1 lasts me a bit longer and my cassette isn’t too far gone!

As a big fan of the retro look, I used to run Onza Canis and Ibex skinwall tyres in 26 inch. Whilst they look great and are super light and fast rolling, the sidewalls were made of cheese and slashed really easily on the South Downs. They also lacked side edge grip, so cornering was pretty sketchy, but fun!!

I bought some of the new super ground Schwalbe Nobby Nics (much better than the old version) in 26 inch with the original skin wall colour late last year from CRC. Whilst they aren’t as light and they are much yellower than the Onza’s, they grip well, roll fast and the sidewalls are much tougher, a perfect all weather all rounder. I’d highly recommend them.

I’ve bitten the bullet and ordered an XX1 chain…. in gold!

Wow, OK, good to know and hopefully not too late for mine. My cassette still looks pretty good, hoping I can get away with it as buying a new cassette (even just a GX) is getting into serious cash and tracking one down is probably a nightmare!!

Thanks 1timmy1 I think that’s answered the question for me!

My NX chain has only done approx. 1000 miles and it’s already over the 0.75%, seems a bit rubbish really that it’s not better than that, but I guess it’s only a £20 chain and it’s been through some pretty horrible weather. Saying that I clean my bike after every outing (not so much in the summer!) so it’s been well looked after. I’m definitely tempted to get something better now to help prolong the life of the GX cassette, which is definitely fairing better!! Now to try and find a chain…..

Thanks mashr that’s really helpful. There’s a whole section about the SRAM 12 speed durability. Like you say it’s road based but the principal is the same although perhaps not subjected to such harsh conditions:

If the durability of SRAM’s 11-speed XX1 chain was impressive, then the results of SRAM’s high-end Eagle chains are simply mind-blowing. The top-tier X01 and XX1 Eagle chains both beat Kerin’s 5,000 km test and only recorded 70% of the allowed elongation wear at the time of doing so. Extrapolated out, these chains would likely have hit 7,000 km with the terrible control chain lube. They’re so durable, in fact, that they had started to wear through the cogs from pure abrasion before measuring as worn. Keep in mind that the control lubricant was intentionally abrasive, and so you can expect great life from your SRAM Eagle drivetrain if you keep it clean.

“SRAM claim the world’s longest-lasting chain with their XX1, and they are not kidding,” Kerin said. “Both the X01 and XX1 chains were so far ahead of any other chain from a pure elongation wear measure that I had to re-run the tests. The results were basically identical. Their longevity is phenomenal.”

However it’s not all rainbows for SRAM, and as I’ll discuss in the next section, those tight tolerances are seemingly costing them watts. Likewise, the same great durability, unfortunately, isn’t present in SRAM’s cheaper Eagle NX and Eagle GX. If you run SRAM Eagle, then spend the extra on an X01 chain.

I’m on my second Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite, one of the successors to the Charge (renamed ‘Fabric’ as they span off the Charge brand eventually into really horrible looking ebikes!), my favourite saddle by miles. Appreciate saddles are subjective but this was the closest I could get to the all day comfort and build quality of the Charge Spoon, which was my previous favourite!

I used a Bike Yoke adapter to fit my Reverb AXS remote to my Shimano iSpec EV brake lever mount. I am pretty sure they make one that works for Hope brakes as well. I got mine from TF Tuned, they’ll probably be able to help.

Meant to say the wheelbase on my Kona is 1255mm which fits fine on the 598, although pretty at the very ends of the rack!

Got mine fitted and used a couple of times. Had been using an old Thule 591 for the last 10 years, which was great, but was started to get a little corroded. This 598 (in Volvo badging and a nice gunmetal colour!) is much better and feels so much more secure with the torqueing options. A great PSA :)

Luckily I am on Volkswagen T bars so it’s just under £77 inc. postage so still a cracking deal for a new one and if something goes wrong it’s easier to claim back through the shop than eBay.

Thanks, this is brilliant PSA, have been looking for one of these to replace my Thule 591 (I got as an OEM item from Nissan on a discount many years ago!). Second hand versions go on ebay for over £70 (if in decent condition) so this is a bargain :) I’ve managed to get my Kona (XL frame 1255mm wheelbase) on the old 591 with no issues although it’s at the very limits, assume I should be able to do the same with this as the length is identical.

Massive thanks to timbog160 for fixing the proper mess I made out of that stem. If I had tried myself I probably would have mashed it either further!! I had resigned myself to having a RaceFace paperweight reminding me of my mechanical fails everyday! Awesome for him to offer in the first place, but to fix it and in such a quick time is amazing :)

I went with the Endura Singletrack Jacket, decent waterproofing, cuffs that can be closed up, a nice fit and not too expensive. Whilst it’s not overly baggy, you can easily layer up underneath for cold days as it’s not too thick. I used throughout the last winter in strong winds, heavy rain, snow and -5 icy weather and it was great.

I think I’ll stick to those three settings – I must have gone beyond “Bastard Tight” with my stem!!!

Lesson learnt, I’m not going to overcomplicate things in the future!!

Yes, sorry that’s what I mean. When I first installed the original bolts it did just that and also worked fine with my Hope seatclamp which is at a slightly higher nm

I always used to just do by hand, but I was building up a new bike and thought maybe I should pay more attention to these things!! After this weekend’s disaster, I whacked another stem on my bike yesterday, have done it up tight as I always used to and will just continue to check from time to time! I think I just overcomplicated things with a torque wrench, I’ve never bothered before in over 20+ years of riding

Yes, that’s the exact kit. When I first used on the original RF bolts it was fine, although they definitely seem overtight and one was impossible to remove and the head rounded off – was using a good quality Park Tools hex key to remove too.

Yeah, I realised the error of my ways, messing with bolts for an component that is so important won’t be happening again. Good point re. the reverse carbide bit, not sure I am willing to attempt it myself though.

Yeah, I was tightening very slowly, so was very surprised when it snapped. I am sure it’s a combination of crap torque wrench and crap mechanic!!

I’ve got the Ravemen TR300 that I managed to get new on super cheap deal (RRP is £55 which I’d never pay for a rear light!) on an auction site. Whilst it can’t be angled when fitted to a seatpost and it doesn’t look as cool as some of the other rear lights out there, 300 lumens is insanely bright and the battery life is really impressive. Even in the daytime there is no way a driver wouldn’t see this light. It seems to be made really well too, highly recommended

https://www.imbikemag.com/reviews/accessories/lights/ravemen-lights-tr300-2020/

Awesome, thanks everyone, some really good options here to check out.

I’ve done it a couple of times, really enjoyed it, here’s my go pro vid from 5 years ago when I did it solo – https://youtu.be/nb9DVl4YwNc The Downs link section is pretty dull from the North to the South Downs TBH, but the North Downs section, brutal Bostal climb at the end and the drop in to Southwick are great fun. I did it again a couple of years ago on a full sus with a mate on a XC hardtail and another on a gravel bike. The guy on the XC hardtail faired better than all of us!

I’ve used Shimano drivetrains (Deore, SLX, XT and XTR) for the last 20 years as I never really got on with the SRAM kit (the same with brakes too TBH). Bought a Kona Process 134 CR this year that came with full GX Eagle (non-AXS). Hated the lever feel (it felt a bit cheap and flimsy vs. the XT), but was impressed with the 52t cassette range and the actual shifting was pretty impressive. Having run the Reverb AXS for 6 months and been super impressed, I thought I’d try the GX AXS upgrade kit as I could get a decent discount on it. After about 500 miles riding with the GX AXS in all conditions, it’s been amazing. The shifting is consistent every time, even under load and it’s so ridiculously simple to set up. I was able to set up shifting how I like on the App and it all integrates well with the Reverb. Even at this early stage, I am not sure I’d commit to going back to a cable operated system. Charging a battery every couple of rides isn’t an issue (just like you would for lights, Garmin etc.) and they charge super-fast. Personally I’d go with the GX AXS, you’ll never look back. I am looking forward to seeing what the Shimano alternative will be in the years to come, but for now SRAM have nailed it IMO.