I’d still just buy a rocket.

A rocket won’t be that much heavier than the shorter travel bike and already is supposed to handle “like a short travel bike, until you need the extra travel”.

The top tube is pretty much the same length as the Soul, so wouldn’t be worried about it being too long.

Oh hold on… a Rocket is still quite slack by comparison… hmm. Not sure.

Yes I am. Still want a Rocket.

@yoshimi I’m going to put my wheels on the classifieds later today. Hope Pro 2 evo’s (silver) on Arch Ex (black) with black DT comp spokes. Handbuilt by Merlin and have 3 months of use.

Anyone riding a mountain bike there recently? Thinking of taking a look as a way of improving my jump technique.

I like revs over rebus for the increased tyre clearance. Rev’s can also be dropped down to 120 if you order (or bodge) another spacer.

@Leku 🙁 what’s happened to the kili?

Danny Macaskill doesn’t visit often enough to make it worth maintaining.

I don’t know much about patent law, but this is just the management system of a car applied to a bicycle. Surely that doesn’t constitute patentable innovation?

Since most people seem to be loving the Arch’s with wide tyres I thought I’d give you the reason behind my previous comment:

I have the Arch’s on my Soul but for a rocket I’d go for the full on width of the Flow EX. The weight difference is not that great (90g?) and I think the extra width would help support some 2.4’s well

I run Conti MKII 2.4 Protections front and rear on Arch EX’s with tubes. I love the comfort of having all that volume but they don’t inspire much confidence for me. I have to run the pressure quite low to get decent grip, especially on off camber sections when you really asking the side of the tyre to do the work. At this sort of pressure it feels like the tyres are trying to roll off the rim, quite disconcerting.

Twice now I’ve done a 180 endo and the tyre has rolled completely under the rim and then, amazingly, popped back on. Something is not right!

Tempted to try them tubeless but I don’t think it will help as the sidewalls of the tyre just aren’t stiff enough. cy’s comment above has put me off just trying it.

Sorry for the thread hijack – Let the Rocket love continue!

Personally I’d swap the 710 bars for some Easton Havoc 750’s (I like wide bars) and a 50mm stem, other than that your spec looks spot-on

Agreed!

Only other thing I’d spec different would be Flow Ex’s over Arch EX. I have the Arch’s on my Soul but for a rocket I’d go for the full on width of the Flow EX. The weight difference is not that great (90g?) and I think the extra width would help support some 2.4’s well. I like wide tyres though.

I’m really interested in a bit of elbow and forearm protection.
saxabar Did you wear it for the ride/push up snowdon?
TurnerGuy I would have imagined wearing it as a base layer as it is a compression top. Do you now wear it with something underneath?
deserter did you get a size that’s good and tight on you? I’m not too concerned about the shoulder protection as I haven’t had any spills recently that have affected them. Maybe I should be though.

@mirciu88 Got my Soul from the Classifieds here. It is quite a few years old now, but it’s certainly polished up nicely. I couldn’t be happier with it really 🙂

Ta very much Rob. Got some knee pads and gloves ordered and saved a tenner 🙂

This Soul frame cost me sub £200 including fresh powder coat and new decals/headbadge.

Thanks for the nice comments guys. I’ll just tag a pic on to prove it’s now getting used and not just polished.

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Ha-Scamper you just edited yourself out of hitting the nail on the head. I’ll write the .3lb off though due to the inaccuracy of the measuring system 🙂

What colour you riding so I can look out for you?

I’m at Cannock every other weekend or so at the moment, so say hello if you spot me.
Weighed it the other day using the ever so accurate bathroom scale technique. 26lbs! Scamper wins. Pleased with that considering I’m running 2.4 tyres F+R.

@alid – It’s simply powder coated with decals added on top. I did get Bournes to put the tiniest bit of (*don’t listen cotic owners*) metallic in it. It’s a fraction of what they’d put in for a metallic finish, not enough so you can tell it’s there, but helps it really pop out in the sunlight!

Using a GPS is the equivalent to viewing the map down a cardboard tube

🙂

Any idea how it compares against Stans?

Unless I’m mistaken it is a Stans kit.

Don’t think that’ll be enough sealant to seal 2 big volume tyres though??

What’s the bike worth. Whatever, it has to be a D lock if you don’t want it nicked.

If its not an expensive bike sainsbury’s are apparently selling off some D locks for £3 down from £20 at the moment.

Otherwise, Abus and/or Kryptonite.

Great to hear your enjoying your self. Went for a blast around Cannock today as well.

my issue was fitness, wholly crap how many bloody hills and switch backs

I remember thinking exactly that when I first went there a couple of years ago, gasping for breath by halfway up every hill! Keep at it and it’ll only get easier 🙂

@tazzymtb – ^^^great photo^^^

@Jedi – Where did you get your Scott Rocket pads from? Can’t find them through google.

Did Twar and MBR at Coed-y-Brenin, started raining as we left the car park 🙂

@tomcrow… ouch. Where at Inners was that? Towards the top it is really, really fast eh.

Get well soon Pete!

This works for me, but won’t for you unless you have a reasonably large hardtail.

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I’m glad you enjoyed both on your hardtail PJM, as I’m sure I will too. Can’t let this one slip past without riposte however…

I’ve never dropped my saddle there, so neither should you.

as I said before….

If there’s nothing at betws-y-coed or coed-y-brenin that is easier to climb or more fun to descend by adjusting saddle height then I think I’ll stay at home and do a circuit of the canals instead.

Saddle down when pointing down is just more fun IMHO.

Maybe Llandelga on the way home is an idea.

Done Llandegla several times and like it. Want to explore some different trails this weekend.

rode the Beast, to me it was a very undulating trail

Oh dear, a decision is even more difficult now!

@grum +1

theres nothing in betws-y-coed or coed-y-brenin that requires adjusting saddle height

If there’s nothing at betws-y-coed or coed-y-brenin that is easier to climb or more fun to descend by adjusting saddle height then I think I’ll stay at home and do a circuit of the canals instead.

Re. Tawr

then a very long fireroad descent (!!!!)

This has to be the most frustrating thing to come across at a trail centre. Tawr goes on the avoid list then.

I like my Dakine. Had it for around 4/5 years and it is still going strong after lots of abuse skiing, biking and whatever else takes my fancy. Use it with a 3l hydrapack bladder.

Try dropping your saddle if you haven’t already. Gives much more room to manoeuvre the bike under you.

You could also have a bash at the Antur Stiniog centre

Did have a look at Antur Stiniog, uplifts are all booked up. Not sure what it’d be like on hard tails either.

Beast is a must for sure, its a good days riding if you’re not used to riding 40km at a trail center

Ok this is firmly on the list. Quite used to 40km on trail centres but always know about it afterwards!

Machynlleth is well worth a trip as well! Climachx is a really good winch-and-drop blast!

So many options near Snowdon isn’t there! Maybe CyB day one then Machynlleth day two! Or even Snowdon descent at first light day two followed by Machynlleth in the afternoon!

you do not need a dropper or a fs for Ae

No, you don’t need one, I made it round after all! But I like to have the saddle dropped for any of the interesting bits. It’s just more playful that way, when the opportunity arrises to get a bit of air you don’t have to think twice about it.

Tired legs meant I wasn’t prepared to stand up and mash on the undulating bits, so ended up riding the majority of it with the saddle up, which for me limits the fun that can be had.

I have managed the past 3 yrs on a Blue Pig

I was on a Soul, so not so different.

Wood clad metal box?

IMO it depends what type of riding you like as to where you should go.

I like jumps and berms, not too much undulating terrain (i.e. winch and descend), technical sections and a bit of speed.

Generally the further north you go the bigger the hills get. Having done a tour of the 7 stanes a few weeks ago, with the exception of Newcastleton, but also including Drumlanrig, I can say without hesitation my favourites were;

Glentress – for jumps, berms and just incredible flowing single track
Innerleithen – one big climb then an incredible descent, starting really fast but getting a bit more technical
Kirroughtree – really long and very technical black route with lots of rocky features

The more southern stanes are still fun, but in general more undulating with less distance travelled vertically.
AE for me was a bit of a nightmare – no dropper post, very undulating, done after 5 days straight on exhausted legs.

Just depends what your cuppa tea is.

To clarify the winch and plummet comment, don’t mind several winches in a day which is the nature of most trail centres I’ve visited. Just struggle when it’s undulating and not worth stopping to slam/raise the saddle.

I have a van. It gets 18mpg. I don’t think it will be cheaper!
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24062009023[/url] by davejoe054[/url], on Flickr

Is a pinch flat not a sign that your pressures are too low? I worry that by going tubeless you remove this safety net and risk denting rims.

Good question jambalaya. I’ve always done it on the cheap having done winter seasons in Deux Alpes. Cost breakdown for a weeks skiing would be something like:

£250 – fuel
£70 – tolls
£70 – ferry
£100 – to buy a thank you meal for the people who’s apartment we crash in
£170 – lift pass
£450 – about £150 each on food/beer money (cooking for ourselves every night except for the meal above and drinking drinks in the bars at seasonaires prices)

£1110/3 = £370 each. Probably a bit optimistic so lets call it £450 each.
Obviously if we were to get our own apartment we couldn’t do it anywhere near that cheap, but still around the £650 mark I’d think.

We have our own kit. Have not done a season for several years now so the same set of skis have done me that time and I expect will be good for quite a few more holidays. I rode 1 set of skis a season, every day for 4-5 months. Take care of them and they’ll last. So I can’t justify new skis for a holiday!

So, I am a cheapskate when it comes to holidays, but then I can’t afford to be anything else at the moment.
As it looks like biking can be done for around £500 for the week, I am very tempted.

Thanks for all the replies guys, lots of good ideas here.