Internal cable routing, the bane of my bike builds.

Press fit because it benefitted manufacturers and not owners.

I like 29ers as bikes now ‘fit’ my tall frame but I will not be going mullet!

I built up a RC627 earlier this summer and really like it. It’s obviously built for aggressive riding but I would happily take it on an all day ride. I seem to have spent most of this summer’s riding on it and my other hardtail, so much so that I am tempted to sell my On One Codeine
It’s a nice looking frame, climbs well and screams down hill. Just need to get some better wheels on it as the cheap Shimanos are a tad heavy.

Putting power through your knees whilst your saddle is too low can cause pain to the front of the knees I have read that others on this here forum have recommended shorter crank arm lengths.

6ft 3 and went for the XL. I wouldn’t have gone any smaller. You really need to swing your leg over one yourself to be certain though…..

At the heart of this thread surely lies the industry’s hyperactive marketing. Remember when 29ers were the next best thing and your 26″ bike was suddenly obsolete? Then it was all 650b and 29ers were too much like barges. At the end of the day, surely (as plenty of others have said before me), the best bike is the one you enjoy riding.

What we all need is a bike for every occasion – a marketing departments dream!

I think somone has just invented the ATB. No, that sounds a bit too American. We need a new name for this type of bike…..

Part of wonders why I even read bike reviews (I do it to look at bike porn). I have a modern 160mm trail bike that rarely gets ridden as it is more bike than most local trails need (near Malvern) and have found myself looking at a Canyon Lux that has what most reviewers would describe as old school.

On the odd occasion that the monster truck gets ridden I do enjoy the decents though!

I’ve recently built one up and went round the Forest of Dean on it on Thursday. Whilst not optimised for XC it would do a great job – reasonably light, climbs well and is very versatile. I have a mind to go bike packing on mine in the near future.

Stanton Sherpa?(I’ll admit to having a 21″ frame in green that is for sale…..)

In a previous job I went on a tour of the Gore Tex factory in Edinburgh. We asked them this very question. They said that non-detergent soap flakes is all you need followed by a drip dry then tumble dry on a low heat.

The joy of silent running – the agony of creaks and clicks!

Hard to diagnose from a video but it could be any one of the following:

loose chain ring bolts
loose suspension bearing bolts (beware torque settings!)
grit on the inside of the seat tube where the seat post is inserted
pedal bearings
bottom bracket is loose or needs replacing due to worn bearings
crack in the frame (hopefully you would have noticed this)

or my particular favourite that confounded me for the longest time….

grit in the retention springs on my SPD pedals (solved only by a clean with an old toothbrush followed by a coating of loctite to effectively insulate the springs from dirt ingest).

It may be something else entirely (that’s my disclaimer in case it’s none of the above)

I have a Shockwiz and have been busy working through my bikes. I have been pleased with the results but I wouldn’t say it has revolutionised the ride feel. It has added that extra 10% that has enabled me to get good small bump compliance whilst ramping up towards the end of the fork stroke. Just about to start on the rear shocks.

I would have got similar results eventually but the unit gave me a nice short cut to better results. Frankly with work and family I wanted to maximise results in a short space of time.

Hope you don’t mind me asking but how did they break through the garage door?

Yes, I may well try 29er wheels at some point. How did yours ride with the bigger wheels?

I did not try a Trailstar as I too thought it was fugly.

Hoping to tweak the forks over the weekend and get more of a feel for the frame. It certainly is a lovely looking frame.
I am convincing myself to keep the Sherpa as it is significantly different to the Pace, not just the wheel size but mostly the geometry. I do keep looking at the Sonder Signal though (Ti). Should rein in the spending as Mrs Stigheed is getting suspicious of all the parcels arriving in the post.
Photos will be taken over the weekend.

Perhaps I should have gone for the Hope headset. The Superstar one was extremely tight. Looking forward to spending more time on it. Interestingly I also have a Sherpa as well. The Pace feels a lot more direct, the Sherpa would probably make a better bike packet. One way to find out! The Sherpa certainly feels slower though that may be the tyres.

I have a Sherpa and have recently bought a Pace RC627. They are both great rides but the Pace, with it’s “on trend” geometry, is more capable downhill. That said, the Sherpa is more versatile, it is better for all day rides, smoother over small stuff and lends itself better to bike packing (if that’s your thing). It depends what you want but I am tempted by a 29er that has the qualities of both…..a Cotic Solaris Max for example or a Sonder Signal.

As for demos, Cotic travel the country to give demos and Alpkit are apparently opening a store soon in Surrey.

Thanks for the responses. It certainly has given me food for thought. Who knows, once I have created more space I’ll have room for an Nth bike!

Have you considered a King Cage?

I had the same issue with a Camelbak Repak. In the end I bought a Wingnut 2l pack that sits very low on the back, has shoulder straps but crucially lets your back “breath”.

You can demo either (depending on where you live)

No news yet, the frame is due to arrive tomorrow even though I ordered it 3 weeks ago! I will update this thread once it is built. I am planning a trip to FoD this Friday so I should be able to give it a good run.

It really depends what you want – performance data or rolling maps. The Garmins are ok, memorymap displays are probably clearer but they are huge. The Garmin are fairly simple to use the basic functions.

Got the Garmin Oregon 600. It’s not bad for OS mapping if you can get a UK wide bundle. The display is not perfect but good enough. It is quite bulky but crucially you can change the batteries mid ride so it lends itself to all day rides. It is definitely not a performance data recording device so it depends what you want. There are cheaper Garmin Etrex models but the display is smaller. I also looked at the Memorymap devices but they are v bulky and have fixed internal batteries.

My wife says it is because of excessive farting in the car. This has not been scientifically proven however and I deny all accusations.

Check out a thread on this here forum about the impending On One Scandal v3. It should be out soon but I am not sure on the price.

Got Butcher and Purgatory in 2.6 / 29er spec. Now all I need is wider wheels to fit them! This may not turn out to be such a bargain after all…..

I have just ordered a new Roughcut damper from the States. Not sure when it will arrive in the UK but the RL2 damper should be going spare in the next few weeks. It will be brand new as the forks have not yet been used.

If it is any (small) consolation I did read an article on the BBC News page that having children adds up to 5 years to a persons life because they stress your immune system – the benefits accruing in later life.

Whether that compensates for the years of energy that they drain from you is another question.

I was going to demo some bikes at the Malvern Classic on the 16th but I had also promised to take my 9 year old son. We will be taking his bike too but I doubted I would really be able to rag 3 or 4 bikes back to back with him in tow. Now I’ll simply take my son and have a nice day out together.

There’s a really good interview with the Pace designer, Adrian Carter on Youtube and his latest bikes came across really well – so I decided to take a punt. I liked the geometry and it has a decent tubeset. Only time will tell however…….

Just ordered a new Pace RC627 frameset. Will build it up next week and report back. Blue with black decals in XL.

I live at the foot of the Malverns and while it is great for a quick blast (when it’s not busy) I agree with others that you need to look elsewhere for longer rides. My first port of call would be mid Wales. Have you ever considered the Trans-Cambrian route?

Thanks but no, I’m definitely looking for a 27.5” hardtail. They are lovely looking bikes though.

No. I have not bought a Vendetta. Interestingly I found an old copy of Singletrack that reviewed the Vendetta against the Nordest Bardino it and the Sonder Signal. If I was to get a titanium hardtail it would be to replace my Stanton Sherpa that I like but don’t love.

If I were to do that it would not happen until later this year as I am minded that I “need” a 27.5 steel hardtail in addition to a 29er hardtail.

I should definately get a demo on the Pce at the Malvern Classic on 15 June. Not so sure that Cotic will be there but they will be at the nearby Forest of Dean the following week. I had noticed that the Cotic was shorter but was actually wondering if I should go for the Pace in size L or XL.. I am 6ft 3 with a 34 inside leg.

……….I have very little will power when it comes to my index finger hovering above the mouse button as it is – I do not need encouragement!

Alas, beautiful though the Kingdoms are they are beyond my budget. This whole project was supposed to be based on a cheap alloy frame to use components kicking around in the garage. This has already morphed into a good steel frame with new wheels and tires, new drive train etc and has already gone beyond my initial budget.

My wife has threatened to buy a horse if I get any more bikes. Then again – she has no idea that titanium comes with a bigger price tag…………..

What luck! I hadn’t realised until today that there will be a large number of demos at the Malvern Classic on 14 JUne – just a few miles from my house!

The rugby gods must want me to build (another) mountain bike. Apparently most of those on my short list will be there, including Pace, Cotic, Stanton but no Ragley.

I’ll keep you posted after my back to back rides.

Calamity James: the Switch29er would be opening a whole new can of worms. The reason that I am in the market for a 27.5 hardtail is that I have a pair of forks and wheels/tyres kicking around the garage (actually I have a complete 27.5 bike minus the frame). I like the idea of a more hardcore frame than my Stanton Sherpa. Thus far the Sherpa has been my mud-tire clad winter bike. I like it but want something more ‘fun’ as well.

There is a danger that if I really like the more aggro 27.5 frame I might start looking differently at the Sherpa and that gets expensive.

Gonetothehills: very interested to hear your thoughts on the Soul. At the moment it’s between the Soul, Pace RC627 and the Blue Pig.