Thanks haggis1978. Was meaning the bike called the Dude.

Yep always use an adjustable spanner.

Hi Ken, looks very nice. Something different about the fork tho … unusual angle or something?

Recently switched the gear over from my Fireline over to a Parkwood when a friend was selling his. I think I prefer the Parkwood. Something a little more direct about it and the slightly better clearance and lower head are cool. We’re gonna have fun together and the Fireline will be for sale soon.

Brilliant, many thanks demonracer. Pair of SRAM Guide R brakes for my full susser for less than £85.

What’s the CRC code? Can’t see any email with it.

Some serious Nerf battles have been going on in Casa Swayndo over the last few. I’ve been rocking my son’s my new Mega Thunder Bow to great effect.

I dunno how they do it for the money!

Zippykona, that’s very interesting. Let us know how you get on with it.

I’ve used a number of small cameras over the last few years and have kinda settled (for now) on an Olympus XZ10. It has a slightly smaller sensor, but is overall more packable that the LXs (of which I’ve had 2) and has better filters and brilliant slo-mo video. The size fits well with an Lowepro Apex case which works well with the belt strap on my Dakine Nomad.

I also have a TG820 for use in the rain and they share a similar size and the same battery … which is nice.

Happybiker, I got a 51mm offset Pike from Alltricks … I bought the 140mm RC3 tho. Happy with what I got.

Clink I got the 140mm 29er Pike from Alltricks for 499 euros and it has the 51mm offset.

I did your number 1 on the way home from a work commitment in Skye yesterday. It was 30.5 C when I left the car at about half 3 and not much less when i arrived back at the car 4 hours later. Make sure you fill your bladder/bottle before you hit the loch in the coire, as there’s not much else after that.

I always do it from the south as it’s much easier for me from home (Evanton). If you do the Annat descent starting in the south you can grab a couple of jars in the Torridon Inn after the memorable descent, then cruise up the glen and head towards the Coulin Pass then cut back into Coire Lair. The descent from upper to lower coire Lair is my favourite for what is my favourite. So much bare grippy rock 🙂

Using one on the front of my Fireline … no issues, but run it pretty soft if things are muddy or loamy. I’d use one on the rear if there was more clearance.

Used mine on Saturday with the supplied helmet mount ziptied onto my helmet and it worked really well. The roughest parts of the trail weren’t as great as my helmet was a bit slack and the cam was bouncing around a bit, but I’m really impressed overall. I even managed to **** it off many branches without it coming off or moving.

I suspect I’ll be able to tie the mount plate from the bar mount onto the helmet or onto a plate on the helmet for a more robust helmet mount. Also the chest strap should require minor bodging to be suitable. What a great wee toy 🙂

I dunno how they do it for the money 😉

How did you bodge the chest mount?

I could always ride out there, but I suspect my boozy buddies will be entrenched somewhere else.

Thanks guys, something like that would do. Ride out, bite of lunch, ride back, join the rabble 🙂

I will enjoy the birthdays Hora, but I’ve also moved on from staying up all night drinking then getting up and going straight on the drink again in the morning.

Cheers Chipbutty … I’m gonna play around with pressures on the Smorg and see how it goes. Poor performance last night was in sections of Forbidden Forest on Novar where it’s steep and gloopy rutted peat. Only a proper spike would hold a line I guess … or a fatbike.

By the way, do I know you?

mud tyre rubbish on rocks shocker, really? Have a think about that

Thanks … I’ve thought about that now and no I never had any problems with Swamp Things on rock. They are/were a dedicated mud tyre several leagues above the Mud X.

I thought we’d already established this is about riding mountain trails. I agree the big Beaver could be good tho.

Highlands … main routes from my garage door include muddy peat, roots, forest, scree, bedrock and lots of steepness. Might have a look at the Butcher but does it shed? Looks like a Minion which is an ace tyre but not so in peaty mud IMO.

Bedmaker, is that what you had on your steed last night fatty? Who coped best? The guy with the fatbike … easily. I’ve got a Chunky Monkey on another wheel … might try and squeeze it in the Reba and drop the pressure to sub 15.

If your after a winter tyre fine, but if you are after a mud tyre then that is a very different beast.

Okay, maybe I should change the title to “Is there a decent 29er winter tyre?”

I think most are getting the picture anyhow. This is for mountain biking … trust me if you rode where I ride you wouldn’t dream of running a skinny tyre on the front 😉

Gato sounds interesting, Dissent at low pressure sounds a bit sqirmy.

I did and have often googled this, but I’m genuinely still unaware of something to match my wants. Personally, I’ve always found Swampy’s great on wet rock and had enough bulk and volume to take a hard edge hit. Mud X are too easily shredded from my experience. Decent in mud but a liability on loose rocky stuff and not very confidence inspiring on drops.

I used a Purgatory on the front last winter and it was okay, but still clogged up. I tore the wall of it, but could try again as it’s patched. I’ve got a Trail Extreme Smorgasbord on now and it’s similar, but maybe slightly better on wet rock and root. No desire to run narrower tyres than these on a mix of terrain.

A bigger Beaver sounds nice 🙂

I have a 2.25 NN in with room to spare.

I do like black fat bikes tho … it’s quite …errm … slimming.

Mountain Cycle Fury.

I’m doing all my riding ATM on a rigid steel 96er with Chunky Monkeys. Not light but then I’m not racing. Great in every other way.

Yep my seat tube is baggy. Brand new Reverb dropped right down with little resistance. Carbon paste and a bit extra on the bolted clamp worked for me.

Brant if you’re looking in I’ll have the frame to you by the end of the week. It’s dismantled so I just need to “build” a box.

Only a tenner more for Type 2 as well.

Would it be wrong to stick a dropper on it?

This is getting seriously sorted now. Version 1.2 has 2.4 Chunky Monkeys front and rear. The wide bar hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m thinking of sticking with the carbon 27″ bar on it … at least in the first instance.

It’s heavy … heavier than my 29er FS, but that’s irrelevant to me. The PA is the comfiest HT frame I’ve ridden and well worth the weight penalty. The tyres are really big and fairly heavy, but grip like sh1t and I’ll be able to run low pressures in them. This weekend I’ll be testing it out in Evanton Wood and on the Novar trails.

Thanks Loco. I think the stay braces are different on my Mark 1, but I’ll give it a go when I can.

Interesting Loco. Any chance you post a pic?

I’ve ordered 2.4 Chunky Monkeys for front and rear in 29/26. I’ll update once these and the big bar are on. Semi skimmed 96er?

A friend who has a shop has a 650b wheel for me to try, but it could be a while before I get to try it.

Haven’t tried 650b. Don’t have a wheel ready. In inclined to think 2.35 HDs front and rear in 29/26 would be grand 🙂

130mm Z1 and 140mm Revelation.

Not quite recovered from a sore knee yet, but couldn’t resist it any longer. Did my standard Tour de Fracture of Evanton Wood tonight, which is typical woodsy fare … lots of short sharp ups and downs and dirt singletrack with roots and rocks.

The bike felt really nice actually … very stable and neutral and just really sorted. It climbed wonderfully and was better on the downs than it had any right to be. I’ve only stuck in what was available … an old Larsen 2.0 LUST and a 2.25 Ardent front, but even with those I’m going to give it a good going over. I can see me investing in some serious rubber … anyone know if Chunky Monkeys are bigger than HDs?

Minor criticisms … the 17″ frame was perfect for me as a suspended 26er, but now feels a tad small in 96er guise. I might look for a trade with someone for a 19″. The front end is slightly lower than I would have liked so I’ve got a daft riser stem on to find the right position. Wide bar ordered fro it from the CRC sale. Not much to criticise really … the bike’s a lot of fun.

There are some wonderful woodsy trails in Evanton Wood and Novar Estate, just down the road from Golspie and Balblair. You’d need GPS data or a guide to find them tho. The Blackrock caravan/campsite in Evanton has a bunkhouse.

Strathpeffer/Contin has the excellent old XC course and of course the Puffer course. I prefer Balblair too, but Golspie is addictive and flattering. Learnie Black should be avoided in the wet.

There are couple of good Orrin Reservoir routes. You can do a coast to coast to coast with a chippie and a pint in Ullapool halfway. Torridon and Tollie Path loops are within an hour’s drive. So much stuff you could do if you knew where to go.

Give me a shout nearer the time if you want more detail. I live in Evanton.

Built the Frankenbike up yesterday (pics to follow). A knee injury prevented me from giving it more than a spin around the streets in the village, but it actually felt really good.

The only 26er tyres I had were Larsen 2.0s, but I’d forgotten how much space there is in the back. Used the Ardent on Flow from my Fireline up front and again there is bags of room. The frame/fork combo could definitely go semi skimmed.

It’s also geared for 29 as I took the gear off my 29er and despite having no suspension it’s heavier than the Fireline. Definitely think I’ll keep it as a 3rd bike even once I rebuild the Titus. May try Chunky Monkey 29/26 or some other inexpensive combo.