Good thanks Chris, those singletracks are a bit tundra like at the moment, about 5cms of snow and ice beneath it! My Bonty has ended up being the ice bike (cos I can't get the damned studded tyres off it!) so seeing plenty of use at the moment :-) Good luck with the rest of your course, we're hitting Bristol in the new year for a few days…

Had no idea Chris! How's the anthropologising on the side going?

Ian C in Helsinki

Thanks all – maybe I'll start with a 2.35 Nev when the frame comes and see if it looks like I could squeeze the 2.5 in later…

Excellent… Do the Maxxis come up large or small for the stated size? Comparable to the Kenda Nevegal 2.5? Anyone tried a 2.7 in there of any description (I don't think there are any 2.6's I know of anyway)? Thanks for the help…

Thanks, that's a good start – I'm looking to see if I can squeeze in a Nevegal 2.5 (folding) or similar, or even larger if possible, for snowy winter fun!

Only had a few rides so far – Fox 100 forks, not the new rake ones, 90mm stem, 26ish bars. It's twitchy compared to the steel hardtail it replaced – a bontrager so pretty old! (Actually on warranty when the Bonty snapped – great service from Trek).

robkhoo – didn't the shorter stem speed things up even more or was this cancelled by the wider bars?

I noticed a little sideways flex in the rear – a 2.35 Rampage (which seems bigger) rubs ever so slightly when really hooning out of corners but thats about it.

Might try slightly wider bars if that'll slow things a bit, other than that its been fun so far :-)

GUtted then happy for you Rich! Good work anthony and bristol bike theft watch alert people!

IanC in Finland

I think it's the disappointment factor of the Bad Eccles Cake that relegates it to last place.

Good Eccles Cake>Any Chorley Cake>Bad Eccles Cake. You can't get any of em in Finland :-(

Got some unused RC31 ti forks – can measure the steerer if you're interested?

Pics of the pivots or lack thereof:

If you're looking for really low maintenance you should look at funk cycles (http://www.funkcycles.com/) as they make a 3-4" full suss with only one pivot of any type, at the shock-frame mount (unlike single pivot bikes which can have multiple bushes, pivots etc). Flexible ti plate at the BB does the job of that pivot, nothing at the seatstay/chainstay junction, the bottom of the shock is bolted to the seatstays leaving only the toptube shock mounting as the pivot…

Happy to test one for you!

Ian

I've had a ti seatpost and a alu fork steerer snap, both without warning, the steerer had signs of fatigue when looked after snapping but how often are you supposed to inspect something like that? The seatpost was almost brand new, snapped on a relatively tame descent and when I weighed about 9 stone. I'd generally trust design over material – big companies with solid reputations and slow evolution of products/technologies vs new fly by night type stuff. Hence I'm happy enough with easton bars and seatposts, would be less so about unbranded/unusual stuff. I think most of the stuff in companies warranties/warnings is so they don't get sued, some of them say that after an impact, you might not be able to see damage but take it to the LBS for inspection. What the hell can they do that you can't mine doesn't have NMRI/XRAY/CT scanning equipment (I do however but havent used it with bike stuff yet!).

A colleague has the Airnimal version – a good quality folding bike with the Bionx electrics. Not cheap but she got it on the cycle to work scheme.

http://www.airnimal.eu/Joey/Move.php

Absolutely loves it! She has bad knees, had stopped walking to work and even the hills in Bristol were proving too much on a normal bike – now she has been able to ride more and more by slowly building up the time riding vs using the assist, and faster as it works as a boost.

I agree with MrO and njee – SH51 should let you release by twisting in either direction, whereas the other one lets you roll your foot out and some other stuff and basically makes it difficult to stay in if you mash the pedals. It might feel like it is much harder/impossible to clip out in one direction – I reckon this is because you normally unclip in the same direction, the cleat wears until it becomes easy, but the other side stays like new and feels like you can’t unclip. I unclip inwards on my right foot on 520 and the plastic guard 520 pedals and its really hard (but not impossible) to unclip outwards. It may be that the crank was in the way when you crashed. Eggbeaters seem easier to clip out of, though partly as the cleats and pedals wear faster…

Plus – ouch! snapping your leg from not unclipping, shudder!

(ps if you are Dave and Mrs MC is Fran – hi, its Ian C from Oxford! Living in Helsinki now, Tymmo is coming over at the end of the month for a ride round the Baltics…)

I couldn’t find anything on the fibrax site other than the b4 and Oro type pads – do they do the r1/Mega/The One pads?

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/8/fd40103_10/formula-the-one—formula-sintered-brake-pads.html

usually good for most stuff formula and if IIRC just over the road from the importers!

ps how/where do you get these codes – I’m signed up to Wiggle and get the regular emails but nothing like this, and most of the ones on the web seem to not work…?

Ian

Brilliant – many thanks Dez!

Ian