Thanks Simondbarnes, that’s very useful re reach and standing up… I didn’t realise that was the crux of that measurement. Makes sense as to why it’s so important on mtb.

Can anyone help me?

Classifieds and the messaging system? It seems to just re-direct into all sorts of weirdness.

On this forum, if you click on a member’s name, it takes you to a page where you can PM them etc. But with the classifieds this is not happening. I tried entering the user name into the search bar and it just returns weirdness.

CLicking the message icon takes me to page that doesn’t allow me to create a message. It just says ‘No chats found here’.

Anyone know how to PM someone? Clicking on a profile in the Classifieds just seems to open some sort of search page? I can’t find any way. Messages is also a non starter. I can’t start a new message?

All very good advice.

It’s shame that there’s always this super fine line (of cost effectiveness) between buying again and the goatlink type of solution.

It should be 80% more to buy a new mech and then the choice would be simple. But £22 goatlink vs £41 new mech???

Plus I have to accept that loss of value in trying out the existing mech, which is currently boxed and unused.

Anyway, I think I got my question answered.

BTW it’s for a slackline build. Really wanted it to be super durable and all seasons hence the 10 speed.

I think I just didn’t realise about the whole MAX thing… It was never really an issue when running 2 x set ups (which I did for years). I don’t think I ever tried anything bigger than a 36. My first 1 x experiments were always based on existing drivetrains and only for riding local (relatively flat or short climb) trails. All my 1 x set ups came pre installed on new bikes… so I just didn’t think. Anyway, those extenders look great.
Just have to weight up getting back £15 – 20 for my unused 785 and buying a new M6000 for £50
So an outlay of £30- 35 vs £20 for an extension link.

Any views on the difference? Will I even notice one?

GOAT LINK???? Whaaaa?? Just looked it up. It’s brilliant. I love that kind of thing. I guess it’s slightly cheaper than a new rear mech. Good tip

I like the idea of building a shed and never quite completing it….. the floor just happens to be decking…

The thing for us is the drop away slope in the garden means any decking is going to be above 30cm by the time it’s a few cm from the back door.

I’m not used to this quote thing yet… I just quoted myself in the last post and plagiarised Mary Hinge…

I think it’s something to do with not overlooking neighbours.

Stops you building a platform to peer over the fence.

But I can look over all my neighbours from the security of my multi thousand pound two storey extension, that takes six months to build with blokes on scaffolding and power tools…??
And that doesn’t require any planning. ;-)

Yeah you can rip it out at minimal cost compared to some home improvements…. but as far as I can make out, you wouldn’t have to rip it out, if it was a massive brick built kitchen extension…. or a conservatory…. but if some old scaff boards on some 4×2 is higher than 30cm??

Unless you actually want to do an Ultra or tri or a marathon…. I reckon circuits and Tabata are hard to beat for general fitness. Especially in relation to MTB.

I use the gym and if not apply the principles of above, to other activity.

Using all muscle groups and limiting recovery time between burst of high intensity.

Whenever I’m on the bike (off road), I am amazed by how complete a workout a good trail session is. But I find when I’m riding with less all round fit people, that they often avoid certain obstacles due to a lack of fitness. Even if their basic CV fitness is good, the relationship between strength, CV and recovery times is their undoing.

I watched a training video from one of the team camps on the UCI circuit. It was like my dream workout.

Rowing sprints, then some body weight, then some jumps…. minimal recovery… explosive, but requiring endurance to go back to back with each set.

I still find it good to do some slow and long rides and swims though. My body also seems to need time to really warm up and get into that steady state.

THanks for the tip Yak, I’ll look at those.

Calv145, it’s good to hear your high opinion of bothe the DT 1700s and the Hunts. So it makes sense to leave the the 1700s on the Canyon, but get a stronger tyre and the Hunts do sound like what I want on the Stanton.

TheGhost’s mini graph is what I was gathering from the articles though…

2.4 = 30mm
2.6 = 35mm
2.8 = 40mm

But I now realise how much this effected by the specific tyre.

Thanks all.

First up… the Rekon isn’t a 2.6 tyre, even if that’s printed in the sidewall. Secondly it has light unsupportive XC focused sidewalls that are unsuitable for super low pressures. Plenty of 2.4 or 2.5 tyres will give you the same volume, with firmer supportive sidewalls (but weigh more).

Ah ha! THanks Kelvin. I was thinking that it felt a bit light when it punctured (not a pinch btw, just a straight forward stab from a sharp welsh rock) and I was able to see exactly how supple the sidewall was. I would never think of any 2.6 tyre as being XC? And on a full sus trail bike? Why did Canyon spec that?

I was wanting to replace it for durability reasons, but it’s good to know that the squirm is likely to be from the sidewall.

and imo the right pressure for ‘trail chatter’ is usually too soft for cornering without squirming. Go a bit harder and see how it corners.

Yak, I did and it cornered better. But then shook and buzzed me over all the rocks. The whole point of this was to see if I could have a little more cake…. Else I’d ride up on my 29er XC bike, do the technical descents on the Canyon and any flow bits on the Stanton… seamlessly transitioning between bikes like Danny Mac, aided by my support team :-)

WOW! So sifting out the “I ride this and it’s fine” etc….

Pressure and squirm issue: Yes it makes sense that a different tyre will have different sidewalls etc. So maybe a thicker sidewall at the same pressure won’t move as much. Like I said, I really haven’t had enough options, with stabilized variables (like running different tyres on the same bike and wheels etc). So I’m very open to the idea that my negative feeling from cornering on the 2.6 Rekon at 20-22psi (which is the pressure I liked it at for aiding with trail chatter and vibration), could be resolved or overturned by using a different 2.6 tyre.

The points made in the article Sir HC posted (where do I find that article Sir HC??), are really interesting. I presume there is always a trade off…. but I’ve never heard that one about agility before? THat would really steer me back the other way. Much as I love descending, I really don’t want to lose agility. But it seems like a tricky balance, if a larger volume tyre can give more grip and a better profile from a wider rim can aid that further… but then a rounder profile makes changing direction more playful/lighter…. It’s stating to sound like there is a swwet spot?

I wonder if like so many current mtb issues, the dominance/priority of descending is blurring things.

I notice when I’m at trail centres, that fewer and fewer people actually ride up the single track. THey use the fire roads, uplifts, or ‘e’.

Yeah I was comparing them to the Trail Wides, which are 1757g not Enduros.

I’ve been rummaging through other threads and getting such a lot of conflicting views.
I have a feeling that article is pretty accurate in respect of the best tyre profile for average 2.4 trail tyre, being gained by using a 35mm rim. A 30mm rim creates an adequate tyre profile for a 2.4 tyre. But a 33mm or 35mm will be better. But the tester was only really measuring a descending trail… so he doesn’t address the climbing difference, of that slightky better profile sitting in a heavier wheel.

So I’m being pulled back toward a 30mm. But I will definitely not be putting a 2.6 tyre on it.

However… what to do with my Full susser? Change the wheels to suit 2.6 tyres… or shrink the tyres? :-0

Thanks for the offer chakaping, I’m trying to gauge whether to go wider by writing this post
;-)
Those Barons look a good 300g heavier than the Hunts. And maybe that is the crucial tipping point. Beyond 30mm takes a rim into enduro or ‘Plus’ territory, simply by requiring too much metal to be considered a sprightly ‘Trail’ wheel.

It seems ‘Trail’ is increasingly taking the place of what I used to call XC. ie The kind of riding one does on a normal day… it’s just that the average rider can go a lot harder and jump better etc nowadays.

What I’m most cautious about is climbing. I definitely want my Stanton to have some zip. I love technical climbing and I love riding in the woods where I have very little in the way of long descents. Meaning, acceleration is crucial.

Maybe 35mm trail wheels are a thing waiting to happen… like when the science/tech allows that width without a weight penalty?

I have first refusal on a set of 2016 NINER RDOs. They have apparently got a 470mm A2Cand are 100mm spaced.
So I’d need a new front wheel… and I’m 10-20mm out of the ideal zone. But they are £200 and by all accounts a pretty high end fork and normally £450 new.

Many have said to ignore slight discrepancies like a degree of slackness etc. I’m concerned that the Chisel (the bike I’m about to buy) is fairly aggressive (not slack) by modern standards, so thinking that I’m more inclined to go 490 on some eXotics if I was basing it on geo.

Unless anyone with any experience, says that the carbon quality on a NINER is just too good to pass up.

Thanks

Thanks Andy and Scotroutes…. I had picked up other numbers from other threads that stated the A2C was much lower at around 465mm. That was one reason for asking these questions, as it seemed odd that there wouldn’t be a little more choice for that size.
I’ll check those links now. Cheers all.

I was wondering about the ‘Lockout’ situation. If one uses a sus fork in lockout, there is no sag…. so the bike is running at the max A2C.

Andy, why do you say 485 when others say 465? A fork with 485 is defo an easier option to find.

Those CarbonCyles eXotic ones are really confusing!

The A2C is available at 470mm if you choose a 650b fork and jumps to 490mm if you choose a 29er. Any thoughts on using a 650b fork if the A2C measurement is more appropriate?

Are they speccing 490 for a 29er beacuse they are assuming more people are replacing 120mm forks?

BadlyWiredDog – those kinesis ones look amazing… Bit dear (when compared to a full sus fork), thanks. But yes that Axle 2 Crown or Axle 2 Crown Race thing is really confusing. I sort of get what thisisnotaspoon is saying, 29+ tyre clearance etc… but does it mean that the forks are 445 or 490? I mean if axle to crown means the centre point of the axle to the lowest point of the crown (ie the bit that effects tyre clearance) and axle to crown is 445, then what is the axle to crown race for? Or do most A2C measurements actually mean axle to crown race..? So these are actually 490 in relation to other A2C measurements? ;-/???

Fascinating! I bought my Ragley Marley,partly because the previous year’s model won the best hardtail award and partly because of seeing the early videos of Brant testing out early models of the Blue Pig. When I bought an On One years ago, Brant’s genuineness and reachability (quite literally at the end of a mobile phone number advertised on the site), were a massive draw. Maybe not everyone cares about the ethics of what they buy, but a lot of people do. The idea of any proportion of a bike company being ‘Artisanal’ is a massive draw to many. Anyway, I presumed Ragley was that. Bought the bike.

I enjoy the bike. But it is definitely not a Stanton. Not because it’s a much cheaper Aluminium frame… But because when I tried to make contact… Nada!! Then I find out about CRC. Now I have been waiting 5 months for a replacement mech hanger… the original replacement one I bought and fitted (after the first one just snapped off whilst pedalling), has screws that protrude through the dropout and onto the face that engages with the wheel nut. Meaning the tension of the QR skewer, is sitting on two off set protruding screw ends, rather than the drop out face. Cheap!

I have nothing bad to say about Brant or his bikes. He is a champion! But there is a difference between buying into a micro brand, with an ability to connect to passionate people and the fellowship of passionate riders. And of course that can effect your riding!!!??? Who the F*** can honestly say they only ride a bike for it’s function??? The form (in every sense) feeds back to you in many ways and enhances or diminishes your pleasure… even your skill. If not, then we’d all be riding simple rigid white single speeds…. hang on?

Thanks, all valid points and useful.

That Turner changed my biking life, but I am not attached to it anymore. 2.5 years ago I was cured of all my hording tendencies by the arrival of identical twin girls.

I’ve just been down the LBS with a massive donation of rims, wheels, bars, V brakes, saddles frames etc etc. Getting ready to do the same with my old Steel Kilauea, with it’s amazing Columbus tubing…. that is really usefully leaving a “Kona Angel” imprint in the Loft Insulation????
LBS will either recycle it all on repairs etc and then they take all surplus goes to bike charities. Teaching refugees how to become mechanics etc.

I managed to get my 2001 Kula transformed into the beast that hauls my kids around (Thule trailer buggy thing). I love seeing my Mrs out shopping with the kids, on this weird yellow bit of MTB history and remembering what that bike has done and what it was to me ;-)

Finding 9 speed is still OK, 26″ wheels are easy, BB, bars, Headset, all easy… It’s only really forks, where the actual availability lets down the possibility of running old frames without compromise.

So I will put 5 Spot up on the Classifieds shortly for £120 ono. I think I have some 26″ Pikes that would suit it, that can be serviced pretty easily. I’d love it to be out there being used.

NB: I see so many people on £3k + “Enduro” rigs, basically riding XC, but feeling like Arnie/Steve Peat in their head. I think bikes like the 5 spot were a sweet spot (pun noted) in bike evolution. A lot of the progress since, really requires rider improvement for it to be appreciated. I had to really experiment and practice before I found the limit of certain geometry issues and all the axle and stanchion dimension increases. One of the best threads I ever saw on here was that poll on the most important mtb tech developmements of the last few years.
ie of all the new standards, what could could you now not live without?
I think it was something like:

1) Wider Bars

2) Dropper Post

3) I can’t remember 3rd place…. maybe slack geo or tubeless tyres?

But the first two say it all.

for those that haven’t seen this ;-)

??? OK then. DOes it have to be rubber, or is that just a fetish? :D
I’ll give it a go. Ta

Exactly Northwind! The dropper enables your body to work with the bike. I’d now rather ride slower on a low slung rigid, than fast on a shag pile carpet ride of a plush full sus with the saddle up. But a lot of people i ride with (or near/next to) are the opposite! I think they would say, that the ability to ride through a forest/trail in a familiar un challenging position (saddle up etc) and letting the bike soak it all up… is what they want. But I don’t see them getting any better!

What a good thread… I moved to within reach of a forest (albeit Epping Forest in London), about 20 months ago. Before that I only rode my mtb 2-5 times per year on big trips. I had a 2005 5 Spot from 2007, until last last November. Still had the same bog standard coil over shock, a really basic set of Vanillas… standard QR. It lasted incredibly well and introduced me to what is possible (in my own limited way) on a bike.
I used to read articles and reviews in the mags, lust over cool kit… I based the 5 Spot purchase on it’s original credentials of being pretty much the most capable but versatile frame available at the time. It blew my mind many times. Then came the huge change of regular riding. The first time I have ever been able to really assess what’s going on with the bike set up… making a change, noting the difference etc . WOW! Suddenly I am facinated by geometry and the various standards mentioned in this thread. The first thing to address…. the dropper! I was noticing how much I enjoyed the physical freedom of a dropped post, even when not in a gravity scenario. Learning manuals and hops and “Trail Trials”. I’m no Danny Mac, but the moves of people like him, trickle down into how I approach what may be possible and I found that the whole fixed seat height was a big issue. So I got an old Gravity Dropper in 27.2, from the STW classifieds. Amazing! Started trying to hop and climb over everything… sending it much faster over rooty drops (due to the ability to keep my body centered whilst the bike wriggled freely). All from a dropper!! Of course you could manually drop the post… but I wouldn’t have! I would have had my eye on the impending climb out the other side… 50 feet in front.

So although I could always have dropped the post… it would be my number 1, due to how many people it must have effected.

But if I was starting from now and had to prioritise what I think has the biggest effect on a bike… Bar Width!

Because the rest of the issues can in someway be shoehorned somewhat. But you can’t make a narrow bar wider.

I recently rode my old 2000 Kona Kula, with the original bars??? It’s like riding a shopper!!!! I now struggle with anything less than 760mm!

The Geometry changes are incredible. Loww BBs slack angles. Fantastic.

But in a scrap heap challenge, you could always put bigger forks on and get the front jacked a little, put your saddle down manually etc.
But the bars?

One last point. TRAIL CENTRES! Now days I love wild trails and building my own stuff. But I don’t think I would ever have known what a bike could do (even that old Kona), if it wasn’t for Wales and the 7 Staines. Not exactly a bike improvement, but I think it made the biggest change in how I ride.

Thanks for your patience Scotroutes. Now done! Tubeless heaven awaits.

Sorry for being slow, but I’m struggling to understand these techniques??
I have just punctured my WTB trail boss, that came on my new Ragley. Was looking forward to going tubeless, but couldn’t resist a ride first.
How on earth would you change a tube on the trailside with these tyres? I am at home now thankfully and evein with the benefit of the internet and all my tools, I can’t even get close to making an impression on these. Could some kind soul, please spell it out in a simple step by step again? Thanks so much.

Love that video of the two rider types going over the same section/jump! Although the second guy still seems a lot better than most riders I see.

As for all the posts from people commenting on how pointless it is to discuss these things and why not just ride a bike etc etc??? Why don’t you do just that? While you’re at it, why don’t you do it on a nice steel shopping bike from the 60s…. after all that’s what you should be riding if you believe that all geometry/wheel size/suspension level type investigation is pointless… honestly. Or am I being drawn into forum baiting?

In my original post, I mention my current bike is a 26″ Bfe. That’s because all I really do is get out and ride…ride till I really can’t justify NOT getting a new bike! I have tried every obstacle at every trail centre and built what ever I can in my local woods… without ever using my bike as an excuse for not riding well.

On this forum, I find that there are riders who do really know their stuff and have enough riding and bike experience, to offer really valuable insight. The guy mentioning slack angled XC bikes for instance.

I wonder if categorising riders has become to formulaic? As with skiing, skateboarding and many other type sports, you can ride the same piece of planet with very different styles and levels of commitment.

Anyway, my current struggle is in understanding where I sit, within the pro reviewer’s range. I am mostly riding in a forest on natural trails, with very tight single track and short sharp blasts of DH. I have a few built sections with 4ft jumps and drops and gaps etc. Nothing down lasts longer than 90 secs. I pop and hop over everything I can – the Bfe is responsive geometrically but really is heavy and the 26″ wheels do ‘seem’ to loose momentum quickly.

I imagine a 29er being harder to lift and pop but maybe the newer ones (Honzo, Bigwig etc) are not!

But mostly I do seem to need the 140mm at the front and wonder why it seems that bikes that go over that threshold seem to start getting overly burly. I don’t feel like I’m asking much of the back end and am surprised people don’t offer wheel reinforcement before frame?
The Soul for instance seems to not even like being run at 130mm, so there isn’t a sensible option of running that type of tubing at 140mm, with extra tyre and rim.

Peace

Even though I have had plenty of On One products… I’ve never trusted their tyres… pure uneducated prejudice! I’ll have a look.

As for 3″??? Wow.

Never heard of the duros. Only info I cansee is on a unicycle site? Hmmm ;-)

Sound advice! Thanks guys.

garage-dweller, the life expectancy of 26″ is a concern… It also offers some good bargains at the mo.
Northwind, It’s good to hear your take. What are you riding and where out of interest?

It’s really hard to gauge the differences with my riding buddies, as they ride very differently to me. I try and pop off every root and mound I can see, drop my saddle whenever I can and tend to throw the bike around. They all ride 27.5 full sussers and tend to ride ‘through’ obstacles, rather than over them and only get air when the terrain forces it… like a drop off.

I’d love to hear from someone who has ridden both versions of a bike/frame that has been updated to 27.5.

Slackline
456
Soul/Bfe

It’s like getting married to your high school sweat heart. She might be the best girl you will ever find… never need another… perfectly matched.

But then there are all these exotic women everywhere, with mysterious ways and alluring curves.

Should I just get some marriage counselling, in the form of a new rear shock, some new wheels forks? We could grow old happy together.

In all seriousness, the main issue I have is with the shock. Would a service or replacement make a difference? I regularly bottom out on larger drops/jumps and can see my riding buddies with newer bikes getting (what looks like) much more traction and less bob.

Any suggestions on best shock for that bike?

I have no idea what I’d replace it with either. :-)
What post did u get? I can’t find much for a 27.2

Ah ha… the quick release issue! Yes I have a standard QR. Do you reckon the larger ones make a worthwhile difference?

Is this a big expense? Do you have to buy a new wheel?

That Kona is sweet dood! I’m going to try this with my lovely 96 Kilauea. I have been using a road rat for the past month, in attempt to pull of this kind of hybrid… but the tubing is dull compared to the Columbus loveliness of my Kona. So…. what do you reckon about fitting a 700c fork to a 26″ frame with 700c wheels? ie: could I put some On one 29er forks on to the Kilauea and therefor only have to worry about one set of V-brake boss adapters (or maybe a re-weld)???? Is this possible?

Excellent guys, thanks for some top tips…. a quick search on these, reveals a massive price range from £15-£35

I guess it’s a wire v folding issue? So any advice on the ‘worth it’ factor of folding?

Currently, using the Bonty as an example, you can buy 2 wire ones for the price of a folding!!

Thanks again