I_Ache, the car park footage looks great!

That was the most fun I’ve had on a Thursday in a long time! Not checked under the tape to see if my chainstays survived yet but I’ll be well up for another next month regardless. What shall we say, stick with a pattern and go for the 2nd thursday of the month? Which would make the next one the 13th of December…?

Composite if you and anyone else wants to ride next Thursday I’ll be up for that too I should think.

composite – if you email me I’ll give you my number and you can catch up if you like.

Not mine but there’s a brand new BFe in the classifieds:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-brand-new-medium-bfe-in-gritstone

Just dropped my frame off to get welded. Getting it back around 5 or 6 so if I can get it built up in time I’ll come for a ride! Won’t be doing any 5ft drops though!

I_Ache, ygm.

Gutted to be missing this now! Have a good ride, hope I can join you for the next one.

Very helpful of you muppetWrangler, thanks anyway! 🙂

Thanks both of you! Helpful to see it with a reverb. Yes I am very sad.

Thread closed!

3 bmx’s and 4 big guys fit in an original fiat panda. I think you’ll be ok.

No, but I’d like one 😛

I’ve done it once and I’ll definitely do it again.

Note, the ban isn’t an issue during the winter.

^is that a red herring?^ looks like a mackerel to me

fortunateson09 How did you manage to crack an Evil Sovereign?! Think I may have to just go with the BFe and get the warranty since I seem to be good at breaking bikes. 😕

Sorry fissycat, if I were going to go for the ragley it’d be an X. Rather spend a little more and not carry around the extra weight, plus I like the swopout dropouts. 16″ is too small for me anyway.

That Shan does look amazing. Probably too slack for me, doesn’t stop me wanting one though!

Chiefgg obviously thought that one through, unlike me 😳

I’m supposed to be in Leicester all next weekend unfortunately. I’ll see if I can get back to Brum for the Saturday evening and let you know.

matt – does it. Looks lovely. Spec on the website linked says 27.2

accu If you’ve ridden both perhaps you give me a comparison?

I_Ache Meet up where ever is easiest for you, I take it you’re close to Sutton Coldfield? Maybe Wednesday evening?

Curtis make some nice bikes, and I’m sure if I asked them they’d build me one with a bigger seat tube. I don’t have that kind of money though.

Chiefgg – No that suggests that they are the same with 130mm forks.

tomaso – it’s been suggested but… I think it’s butt ugly. Sorry stiffee fanciers.

ron jeremy – I’ll be after either a large or medium in green if I go that direction. What have they got?

crotchrocket – Transam you say. Yeah it’s a good call, I like the look of them. Think the reverb compatible seatpost size is only on the 2012 onwards (?) so it’d have to be new, or very new SH. So at the moment that’s looking like it’ll be tricky to find one without forking out close to £600.

Nice try nipper, wrong size seat post, bit too xc orientated and presumably it’s a warranty replacement which puts me on the back foot straight away. Sorry.

Gravity Dropper is available with 5″ / ~125mm drop

Is it? In 27.2? TBH tho, I don’t want a gravity dropper, they are just ugly. Sorry.

juan – riding everywhere really, the lakes, trail centres, mucking about in the street. I like to ride with my saddle at a good height for pedalling, then slam it as low as it’ll go for descents.

buzz – I used to ride a 14″ DMR sidekick around trail centres. Obviously it was far too small, the seat post far too long and was a real pain to pedal uphill. On the downs I loved it though. So flickable, made you want to pop of every little lip and undulation. That was a very short bike for someone my size (6’2″) but so much fun. I think maybe I’d really like a Sovereign.

you are welcome to have a go on a Sutton park ride

That would be great, I live in Birmingham itself but have ridden sutton park a couple of times. Don’t have a working bike at the moment though so no actual riding for me until further notice! If you’re willing to meet up just to let me try the bike for size I’ll gladly buy you a pint or two for your troubles!

Had a look at some photos but I’m struggling to see the difference in the 2 seat tube gussets…

It’s got to be reverb compatible. Times they are a changing. Plus 100mm of drop is not enough for me.

Fortunateson09 – What’s this about a crucial seat tube gusset on the MK1?

RRD – Thanks for the suggestions, still not tempting me though!

davidtf – I’d never consider the Evil at £600. If I could get one S/H around £200 I might be tempted. I will have a ring around the dealers but cotic have been out of stock of large and medium frames for quite a while now so I suspect they’re all gone everywhere.

chiefgg – Might well end up waiting for the BFe to come back in. I’ve bought a cheapish ebay special to get about on whist I’m without proper bike.

There does seem to be a link between good confident riders and Sov ownership though!

😀

Maybe my fear of Aluminium is irrational. What are the Aluminium options then? Actually no, lets keep this real. Alu hardtails just look too bulky. I’m sure they’re not all harsh to ride but lets stick with steel for the time being.

Think I’d have to look 2nd hand for a Sov now. Anybody heard any news about Evil recently? Seems crazy for them to stop making such a popular frame, especially considering the profit margins of selling chromoly frames at £600! 😉

Mbnut – thanks. At the moment for me I’m torn between the BFe and the Sovereign. I’m replacing my Soul because I just discovered a crack in the chainstay. Figure I need something a bit tougher.

From what I can gather the Sovereign is only 5mm shorter at the front than the equivalent size BFe. Doesn’t seem like a whole lot to me? Having the adjustment at the back is appealing.

The forks I have are RS revelations, currently spaced down to 130mm, I could up them back to 150mm no problem, not sure myself that 150mm of travel on a hardtail is beneficial, might be wrong though. Little worried that a frame as burly as the sovereign might make that fork feel flexy.

“even though my frame snapped it still felt smooth”

Brilliant.

I rode a bit of trials when I was younger, but I never got that good. These days I mostly enjoy bombing down stairs, smallish drops etc. All abilities are welcome I’m sure.

I am gonna have to bow out of this next week. Just discovered a crack in the chainstay of my soul. Probably from doing to much of this sort of thing!

I_Ache – Will you be taking your BFe? I’m thinking of getting one to replace the Soul, but downsizing to a medium. Be amazing if I could have a sit on yours to see if I reckon it’s do-able…? (Cheeky I know)

Try putting a space in the middle of your postcode, worked for me once.

Ns surge

No go with a reverb.

6’2″. I’ve gradually gone wider and wider. I’m now at 750mm (with a 70mm stem) which I like. Can’t imagine going back but I could imagine going a little wider.

D0NK – you’re preaching to the converted!

Northwind, I understand you’re saying the tyre in question is less than 2.3 in reality, but I still think it’s marginal at best and that the narrow rim is the main reason for the OP’s problem.