Hi guys

It’s Josh here.

Thankyou to everyone who has donated. I’m so grateful it really means a lot. It was a really uplifting surprise to receive kind words of encouragement and donations thanks to my Uncle. It’s really humbling how supportive the mountain biking community can be.

I’m just managing to hold my head above water. I’ve had over 3 months of gruelling bed rest after complications after my initial rehab which has been truly testing. But I received good news yesterday, that I should be able to start getting out of the hospital bed and begin the long journey of rehabilitation and learning to be more independent.

As said by friends and family. The cost of disability equipment is astronomical, it makes mountain bikes seem cheap! A lightweight wheel chair is 5k+, an attachment to become more mobile and go further distances than my arms can take me, again 5k and that’s without any house modifications (stair lift, wet room, ramps etc).

So again a huge thanks to STW for your support. Please share as much as possible.

Anyone received this tyre from CRC and can confirm the specs?

I spose I don’t really know, other than the track record of the business and my previous experience with them is very positive.
Doing the same job 3 times a day or more is more difficult to get wrong I think

Thanks very much for the reply and help everyone.

Very hard pill to swallow again it seems.

I’m not much good at this type of thing, but what would be the chances of getting any money back through PayPal and eBay for the faulty part? Sept 22 purchase.

Looks like I’ve got to write the labour cost off though is the general consensus.

“The returned three-piece Clutch Kit has been examined and tested the report is detailed below.

There is heat damage and Carbon dust contamination consistent with the clutch having been allowed to slip. The cover mounting holes are scored. The disc splines have been excessively greased, and this has streaked to the friction lining. The CSC appears dry, and the release bearing turns freely. The residual fluid appears clean.

The Parts have been tested the disc is within specification. The cover has been significantly distorted.

The customers complaint of loosing pressure is possibly due to air getting into the system unfortunately the connecting pipes have not been returned with the CSC. The Judder issue is possibly due to the grease contamination of the friction surfaces even minor traces will adversely affect the friction coefficient leading to slip and judder.

Regrettably, as there are no manufacturing or materials defects, this claim is not covered by the terms of the warranty.”

Thankyou both! Interesting points.

I forgot to mention the continental variants I’m happy to consider too.

How does the argotal measure up in the 2.6?

Nearly made virtually the same thread myself!

What’s the toe protection like? I’m a current freerider pro user, and they are quite good toe area protection.

Wondering if the new 2FO DH variety would be better?

I’m using sram OEM Sintered and Galfer.

Sram sintered are slightly more powerful and grabby. But the Galfer pro green pads just get the job done, no noise even in the wet and last really well! Totally hassle free pads

They must have wrecked the seal in the bottom bracket then ay??!!

That’d be why it hasn’t lasted then. You’ve wrecked the seal

No. I didn’t separate the seals from the bearings. And also that wouldn’t cause the balls to dissintergrate.

My hope headset hasn’t been that good. Sripped and regressed religiously despite not needing it. But recently found the lower bearing balls had dissintergrated. No rust or dirt ingress just the balls breaking up inside the cage of the bearing.

They were made by enduro bearings though which I don’t think are much good.

My experience with enduro bearings isn’t that good either.
The enduro bottom bracket bearings are rubbish that hope supply.
Hope “by enduro” headset bearings are also rubbish. Had one recently that was very well looked after, greased periodically!! Popped the seals off the other day due to it feeling rough and all the tiny balls in the bearing race had dissintergrated.

IMO they are barely better than cheap Chinese bearings.

Thanks alot guys.

Seems like the RSC variant is the one to go for to keep it feeling the same. Typically the expensive one.

I also use that tip for bleeding. As much as sram brakes are a bit unreliable I really love the feel and power of them.

Appreciate the help 👍

Thanks for the replies guys.

Good point I wasn’t the most clear with my post.
The difference in power, modulation and action of the lever I think I can live with. It’s the actual feel if the lever under my finger that would throw me the most I think.

There’s that many variants of sram brakes now it’s a minefield.

Oil doesn’t degrade or disappear from sitting in a box in a warehouse especially on a suspension fork that’s for sure. Just run them!

Granted i dont run hope brakes. But i have to say that uberbike pads are the only pads ive used that continue to work well in the wet with no noise and great power!

Do want to try galfer at some point though.

Thanks everyone appreciate your input.

Not sure what damper I have in the lyric. On the right leg adjuster it’s open, pedal and firm with low speed compression inside that.

It’s a shame as the Zebs do look really good.

Cheers again

Thanks for the replies guys. Very helpful.

I don’t push the bike hard at all to be honest. I dont think the added stiffness is going to be much benefit for me, and I’m not the best at jumps or slapping turns.

Dont really use the open, pedal and firm adjust much at all to be honest on the lyrik, happy with how it is and don’t mess too much.

Shame as I love the look of the Zeb, the thicker chassis looks great. But maybe they aren’t for me.

Thanks guys

Just to add to this guys. This issue is worse when the chain is a bit muddy. Cleaner the chain the better it is. So I guess it is due to wear?

Thanks all for the replies.

Swapped the hanger tonight and it’s slightly better. But in all honesty I think it’s because the whole set up is worn. The chain measure gauge is dropping through at 0.75 and 1 is also fitting through.

Really can’t fault the gx eagle set up and longevity though.

The rotation of chains seems to have helped.
Do you think a 3rd chain would be worth a try or do you think it’s guaranteed to slip? And would you thrash it through the winter deal with it ghosting or put fresh on for a muddy winter?

thanks guys. Im doing all the prep and a body shop friend of a friend is painting it for me. Unfortunately i can get in contact at the moment.

Any body recommend quantities for a defender 90 van please

thanks guys. Well to cut a long story short, im doing a full respray on a land rover defender. Its going to be a concourse rebuild.
unfortunately at this stage in the current climate, funds are really tight. And i wondered if ‘ProSpray’ bodyshop paint off ebay is good stuff?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350695888118?ul_noapp=true

And if so, basecoat and laquer what quantities for inside and out? thanks all

Good idea with the nut. Never thought of that.

Thanks guys

PM sent mate

I use a splash of petrol in an old jam jar. Shake it up and leave for a few hours. Then rinse chain and dry.

Then leave jar of petrol, and the silt settles to the bottom. A fairly fresh petrol ontop, goes into another jar. And keep switching

Just been in contact with sram, who also want my brake back for warranty. So I’ll be without a brake for god knows how long.

I’ve been looking into magura to be honest too. They arent without their issues. Over torquing the lever bolts I think I’ll be okay with… it’s not getting them to bleed properly, and if I brake a lever in france or austria will I be able to get spares?

Hope seem to be the most reliable, just havent got the power for me

I’ve currently got the same problem with my code rsc. Is it when the lever is slow to return and doesnt just bounce back?

If so it’s the 2nd time it’s happened to me. So also thinking of another brand.

Harsh and unnecessary comment cyclelife. He just gave an opinion like yours, no better or worse. Get off the guys back!

E-bikes! On a planet that is constantly being educated that we use too much energy, they create ebikes, when people were perfectly happy before them.

I’m still fun at a party I promise haha😂

Also interested in this. Has anyone got any actual real life width measurements of the magic mary 2.6 on a 30mm rim?

Where are you guys getting prices and availability for these?

Thanks very much guys. Sounds fantastic.

Dont spose anyone can point la Bourgeois and the descent to Samoens out on a map or gpx file by any chance?

Or is the only way to be guided?

Thanks all

Thanks for the reassurance guys. Much appreciated

Guys thanks alot for the replies. Sorry I’m late getting back to posting, was away over Easter with no wifi.

The brake pedal is harder with the engine off and the vacuum exhausted after several presses. Then softens up when engine started and vacuum pump engaged. Both with the engine off and on, the pedal travel is twice that of what the other van is.

100% sure theres no debris in the brake lines and calipers, it hadn’t done many miles when I picked it up either.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t checked for binding or misalignment anywhere, that’s something I need to investigate.

Thankyou for your time in posting

Thanks cromolyoly!!

Some time back i clamped all four flexi pipes, it did stiffen the pedal, but only due to there being nowhere for the fluid to go. Removing one at a time left the same results regardless of the one it was.

The pedal doesn’t improve at all when pumped, engine on or off it doesn’t seem to make a difference. And when the master cylinder was changed, that didn’t make an ounce of difference either. I’m certain theres no air trapped!

Calipers have all bleed nipples at the top, sliders greased and perfect to be honest. Hub bearings are new on the back, had 3 different disc pairs on and no improvement. On the front I’m not sure, but pumping the pedal while stationary would notice that.

One thing I do want to say is, I had a fairly old land rover some years back, and you could adjust the push rod on the brake servo, this altered the pedal height, and also had an effect on the front or rear brakes. Because it would allow a full slug of fluid to be exerted in the master cylinder. Wondering about that?

Cheers all

Yes that’s it mate. Combined cable and hydraulic caliper.

I wound back both rear pistons again tonight without the handbrake on, reinstalled the pads etc and pumped the brake sooo much, and took it for a mile drive before applying the handbrake. Still made sod all difference.

I dont think they are fully retracting like all the way into the bores, because the piston was out a decent way on both sides before I wound it back,and both handbrake and foot brake for the rear passed its MOT a few weeks back.

I just thought I maybe closer than ever with finding the solution after applying the handbrake while driving. As I say, feel quite sharp and good high firm pedal. Bit of a tendency to skid on the back though.

Thanks Andy.
Its discs on the back, theres a parking brake actuating lever on each caliper, both sides are returning to the stops (handbrake off) and also are actuating (handbrake on).
Whether or not the caliper insides are working correctly I dont know.

Strange this is, when the handbrake is applied with dads when driving, it doesn’t really make any difference at all to the feel of the pedal.

Guys I’m sorry to pull this one out the wood work again. I’m finding holiday looking quite hard and stressful trying to get the best out of it.

Doing alot of research has highlighted how clueless I was on this. I was hoping to go in may, or august/September. But it appears the riding in Aosta at that temperature really wont suit me, anything above 25 degrees and I dont function.
La thuile sounded the perfect location, with more natural trails than man made stuff.

Could anyone point me in the direction of somewhere cooler this summer, that offers natural trails but still has chairlift access and bike park facilities in case. Does morzine tick this box and just suck up “the brits abroad” aspect of it?

As you can tell, I’m not very seasoned outside the UK Haha. Thanks guys

It must have been BS on one of the social media pages then. Cuz you guys seem to rate the composites.

Apparently a guy went off a jump, maybe a harsh landing and the composite pedal broke and tore his calf muscle. But I spose that can happen with anything.

I’ve read some horror stories on forums and social media about these composite pedals not being as strong as alloy, and snapping under load causing injury.

Is that just one of those one off scaremongering review?