Bolt through hub at the back too (on the Q/R drop outs). Using a Hadley axle, nicely made / designed and lasting well. Not sure it was worth th extra over a Hope ‘bolt-in’ hub? Haven’t noticed any flex, but that might say more about me than the frame?

Nice bike, I’ve the 2005 version. Recently went from 130 Revs to the 150/120’s like yours, great fork. The bolt through and black box damping are great compared to the 130’s and Q/R. Anyway, at the same time I also swaped to low rise bars (from mid-rise), took out the stem spacers (at least 10mm IIRC) and fitted a zero rise stem. With this, my riding position is approx. the same as before, so I mostly leave it at 150mm and climb at 120mm, like you expected. Looks like you could do the same, from the photo, if you wanted. Static head angle at 150mm, hope headset, is 68 degrees according to iPhone clinometer app.

Plus you’re paying tax on alcohol, based on the quantity sold, hence the strict measure you receive.

Very nice. To my eyes and in that finish, it looks like an expensive boutique frame. The thoughtful builds help too.

I love riding my Inbred, but they’ve never looked ‘special’.

Have a look at their facebook page (Orange Mountain Bikes) for inspiration. And I’ll let you know if my 2005 model shows any signs of fatigue 😉

Great thread, I have an Inbred and wondered the same thing about a Scandal. Any pics of a raw finish built up?

9spd chain is narrower than 8/7spd chain. It won’t fit properly on thicker 7/8spd chainrings.

These are summer weight

They used to do them in blue as well but must have sold out. There’s white and orange too. Worth asking about other colours, stock levels seems a bit fluid.

As above it’s a T25 Torx, which is the same size as those on disc rotors (normally). You’ll find a key to fit on most current multi tools, now that it has become ‘standard’ to find them on rotor bolts. Handy tool to have if the rotor bolts ever come loose while your out (and to adjust levers for Avid users).

Genuine question: what’s the benefit of a PA over an Inbred? What’s the head angle with 120mm Rockshox?

Is the Scandal geometry different from an Inbred? I bought some cheap U-turns from the classifieds for my Inbred to give me length options, but they’ve been at 130mm for years now. Love riding it, I actually choose it over my Five more often than not. It would wander on v steep ups, but I’m usually out of the saddle (and therefore over the front) anyway as it’s 1×9. Worth it for the way down, especially now changed to 750 bars, which are fantastic.

I read on Pinkbike that the SLX caliper is threaded where the cotter pin goes through – so you can retro-fit the threaded pin from XT/XTR for only £1.66 from Wiggle.

“However, the Soul is designed for chainsets with a 50mm chainline and the Shimano 2×10 systems have a 48mm chainline and larger inner rings so may not clear the chainstays. Srams double chainset has a 50mm chainline and will work with your Soul frame.”

What the…… I wouldn’t have expected that kind of lazy / cheap arse advice from a company like Cotic!

Yep, Elixir CR Mag, how did you know!? LOL

I have a short sleeve North Face shirt with a nice bold checked technical fabric. Only comment would be the fabric is a tight and fine weave, with a high UPF, which makes it fairly wind-proof as well. Probably good for a lot of climates but can be too little air flow through the material for summer.

Thank you

Maybe the water quality is better down here.
Empty. Fill. Ride. Repeat.
No cleaning ever.

Maybe you are only using chlorinated water in the bladder and not leaving a nice sugary solution for the mould to feed on, in the warmth of you house?

I used to put mine in the freezer too, just make sure you let it thaw and don’t get impatient like i did: unfolding a frozen bladder splits it nicely 😉

Bit late now but I always sterilise mine with a Milton tablet before I store it. Just empty the solution out after an hour and store without worrying about drying it out. Then flush before use.

As for getting the tube off the bladder: if warming it in hot water (to make it expand) doesn’t work, just cut it off. Doubt you’ll notice the reduced tube length.

What’s the idea behind using business cards when centring?

Nothing to do with the kashima coating I would wager.
You swapped from a shock with fixed platform damping to one where you can switch it off. Of course small bump sensitivity will improve.

I’d have to check I’m not hopelessly out of date, but I thought the Float R was not available with ProPedal platform, no?

Good quality bib lycra under your baggies of choice is the smart option. Roadies wear bibs for a reason and they (usually) pedal a lot further than an mtber. I’ve found Giordana a good balance of quality, comfort and value from CRC. Far far better than an Endura liner.

Good to know, thanks.

Thank you. Just the kind of real world / long term user reassurance I was after 🙂

Do you ride in a group or alone? I only realised how positive my biking group had been for my mental health as well as my physical health after we moved abroad. A bit of healthy competition should focus the mind too.

Seriously: take it on a few good rides before you make your mind up. You’ll get a good split of opinions on here for your height, as it really is a personal preference thing. I’m probably just shy of your height and very happy with my 16″ for the riding I do. 70mm stem and inline post with the saddle roughly in the middle. I tried a 50mm stem and found it too cramped, so if you want to go that short that could be deal breaker. My riding tends to shorter these days (2hrs) but very technical with lots of jumps and drops and steep ups and steep downs (Australia). Maybe if I rode long days out I would prefer a more stretched position; I certainly preferred my longer Inbred when I lived in Hertfordshire.

Thanks all. I need a medium, thanks anyway.

Hadley do a nice axle that fits the Pro 2 bolt through. Being Ali it’s much lighter than the Superstar 10mm Q/R if that bothers you. It’s much more expensive as well though at about £30 from North West Mtb Centre.

Just take some links out (one pair at a time) if you’re not happy. Check you can still use all the gear combo’s you actually use without it locking up (check by hand cranking first, don’t ride until you are sure the chain isn’t too short or you’ll snap the chain / break the mech). Like you say you don’t use all the combo’s so why have a chain (or cage length for that matter) that allows you too? Unless you are prone to accidentally finding yourself in silly combo’s when tired etc. I swapped to a medium cage mech too and that helped.

Couple of people above are talking about using them on full sus bikes: bit different to a Soul (which the OP has) don’t ya think?

Of course, but I don’t like slotted dropouts, so personal preference. You don’t have to spend that much on new cranks either…..Deore doing me well and I sold the rings and BB, so only cost me £15 new IIRC.

Money no object: personally I’d buy an EBB frame, or commission one in Ti !

Forward components EBB. Tried the Trickstuff one first: didn’t like it at all. The Forward Conponents one is a keeper. Bearings aren’t too well protected but a doddle to change if you have some mechanical skills / experience. You may need a half link though as it doesn’t have the throw of a “normal” EBB.

Ignore me

The mark on a seatpost is to try to limit the bending moment on the seatpost, not protect the frame. They have to make an assumption on the weight of the rider and include a safety margin so you’re obviously getting away with it!

My 250mm protruding is pretty normal then!

Excellent quality shirts and some fun designs:
http://www.thecyclejersey.com/shop/%5B/url%5D

I’ve worn and worn one and it’s still not showing any signs of wear.

How does the weight for Middleburn X-type cranks compare to XTR M970?

Now we’re talking! Ragley & Answer bars looking good; thanks people.

Thanks. I can only see a 3/4″ rise Sixc bar though?

Thanks people, I’ll have a look at the Atlas bars. Thought about flat bars, but obviously they don’t have any upsweep. Next question is do I need upsweep as well as backsweep? Probably only me that can answer that; I’m off to the garage to look at my current setup.

Edit: Atlas will be a bit if a weight penalty over the Haven bars I’d imagine.