All the videos I’ve seen of people standing on mechs they’re standing on the axle, which seems kinda pointless to me. I’m glad it’s strong there, but the most vulnerable point will always be the bottom of the cage, near the bottom jockey wheel.

I’m disappointed, but not surprised by Cy’s comments that not all UDH frames will accept this new groupset.

I have a new brake hose to fit, but I wanted to use he old battered one to test the length… and I’m glad I did because it’s a nadge too short

Most advice is that Epix is best, and should be the default unless you want to save the money, need a different size, or need one of the few functions not offered (like the light on the Fenix 7s, or solar charging).

I have an Epix. I like it. My girlfriend has a Fenix 6s, and likes it. Functionally they’re so similar there’s nothing in it.

With my current settings I don’t think I would get enough battery life to record a 24hr activity on he Epix, but with some tuning it would be ok. I can record 3x days with 6-8hr activities over a weekend on a single charge.

They all do that sir

@jon_n Good to hear, thanks. I think it was on your thread that I first heard of it. A new frame deserves a ‘new bike day’ post.

How does the cable routing working with 2x gears? Is there an outer cable stop for the front mech? I think I’d take most of the parts over from a well used London Road.

Very tempted by the GR1.1 update!
I’d like a Chamois Hagar, but this looks much easier to justify.
Is there anything else I should consider?

Regrettably 50? Surely better than dying without making 50

Oh, and Naples is ace. Not for everyone though maybe. Certainly a long way from a glass of Cianti on the terrace of a Tuscan villa.

Tuscany is pretty big, so it will depend a bit where you are and how far you want to travel.

All the places you suggest are nice for at least half a day, even if you don’t look at the churches and museums. A little less known, but also worth visit is Viareggio.

The beaches aren’t great. My favorites are the wild places like suggested by matt_outandabout, or Castiglione della Pescaia.

The marble quarries at Carrara look interesting and offer tours. Still on my to do list.

Cinqe Terre is possible. My favorite bit is actually Porto Venere to Riomaggiore, which is outside the most popular part.

There are mountains and hills with excellent hiking. Monte Piglione is easily accessible without taking all day. Gondola at Abetone for getting higher without too much effort. Monte Farato if you want something longer. Dozens of others of course. Can be high and attract proper mountain weather though. If you do go into the Garfagnana then Barga is worth a stop.

Yes! Took some work to find credits, but it’s an inspired piece of casting.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26748699/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

Please can you link to the adjustable depth tool… Sounds interesting and potentially useful for my next wheel build.

I think you’ll be very lucky to find fox forks of that age that are usable

What do you mean by cooking the brakes? Has this ever happened to you before?

All my bikes have been good value when I bought them, or at least that is what I’ve told myself at the time 😅

I bought a PlanetX London Road frameset in 2015 which has done all sorts of trails and trips, under many different build guises. It was only £130. I keep think about replacing it now, but I honestly don’t see anything they could do what it does any better.

so no desire to change anything

Also valves (blue!) and tyre logo alignment

anyone been to finale In early March? Is it decent weather?

Can be anything… snow, or mid teens and dry. Quite likely to be ok though, and there will always be something to ride no matter what.

Limestone rock, so becomes ice like when wet.

There are different trails with different base rock. Trails on Monte Carmo / Pietra area tend to be drier and a good option if it’s proper wet too.

I know many great trails in the Alps, but I’ve never ridden in that area

A Scott

I agree it has similarities to the new genius, until you look closely

Nice prices for Nicolai Saturn 14, 16 & G1 on Bike Components at the moment. Available off the shelf too. So tempting.

Having it buried in the pump is even worse than in my bag… Steerer mounted is what I want!

At the moment I have one in the hip pocket of my bag. But to me steerer mounted would be ideal. I have the One Up pump and tool, but it doesn’t have a solution for the jabber.

That is a great price indeed. Can’t think of anything else that comes close.

There is normally small print to say spec can change, so I don’t think that they would be unreasonable to repeat that. It would be odd to choose a bike based on the spec of a single spare part you have.
Their lack of response is disappointing though.

I wonder if those Reserve alloy wheels will come to Europe. They’re available to buy in US, but not here yet.

Great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Propain in the UK, but they are popular in Europe. At Finale they were one of the most common bikes, and they have a good reputation. They come close to the top in the Enduro Mag brand surveys. They support some excellent pro riders.

They had a very appealing sale on the Tyee around Christmas, did you take advantage? I dithered for a week before ordering a carbon frameset, but it’s not arrived yet. Same colour and shock as you have chosen. I was reluctant because I wondered if the sale signaled a new model on the horizon, but the stock levels seemed so high that I changed my mind about that. There are a couple of improvements that could be made to update the geometry and change the cable routing. But the value was killer and I made it sound good sense if even I try the frame in preparation for a new model 😂. I went for a size XL. The reach is 50mm shorter than my current bike 😲 I have also ordered a angle adjust headset to give some options.

What weight spring did you choose, and how much sag did you end up with? My current bike has an underwhelming air shock, so I will be interested to try a coil again, especial the Formula shock which has a reputation for good small sensitivity.

Is the purple a hangover from a previous bike?

Interesting question, I have a similar experience.
I find that placing a finger directly on the bearing is the only way to feel light to moderate resistance. This requires opening the pivot, which isn’t always so easy. For the main pivot of my Bird that requires removing the crank and chain device, which is a bit of a faff with a DUB crank. The internal routing through the chainstay also doesn’t help, but there aren’t any bearings in that part itself.
My initial experience was that every inspection, every 3month or so, would show one pivot place to have a problem. I have had better luck with stainless bearings.
Whilst light to moderate resistance at the bearing is very difficult to detect from the ride of the bike, sometimes something doesn’t feel ‘right’. A worn or binging bearing will also start to wear the pivot axle and other hardware, so it’s better to find it early. A seriously corroded bearing can be a nightmare to remove, like @robertajobb says.

So my current practice is to split every pivot for a proper inspection every 2 or three months, or if something doesn’t feel right. That faff means that I will carefully choose my next bike to be easier to inspect, and one with better sealing and hardware.

Nice bike. XL frame and 240mm dropper 😎
I’d really like to try a coil shock on my aether.
I can’t add anything on gearing compatibility, but the crappy cable routing on the frame can be used as an additional justification for wireless shifting

Looks good, I’ll be interested to see it in person and try

Shimano GR9 fitted this market, but they fell apart within 6 months.

5:10 goreTex were super hot

5:10 Freerider Pro Mid VCS are my current favorite

Options from Giro and RC look interesting

Agreed, thats why the shorter travel trail bike stuff like the Tallboy/Optic/Aether wouldn’t be a consideration, as they are short on travel but fat on weight. I’ve said before, as a one bike solution, maybe a 31/32lb 130mm trail bike works, but for me, it’s a pointless compromise when a properly light (shudder with the word) Downcountry bike is just as capable on fun stuff & more versatile.

I hadn’t read this post, but I agree

I would say that the Aether 9c is not light enough to be included in the list. 2.8kg frame only, so more than 3 with a shock.

Still nothing on Jack Moir moving to YT???

It’s certainly happened, I saw him and plenty of YT vans in Finale last week, but it’s not officially announced.

zen and the art of motor cycle maintenance

I can’t find this as an Audiobook on Audible

discworld

I have read most of them already

I tried World War Z… It was ok.

Underworld isn’t fiction, so whilst it us well written, I am finding it find to get hooked enough to want to listen.

Life after life was just a depressing list of all the ways a girl/lady could die.

I did finish Generation A by Doug Coupland, which was ok, and was The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer.

Anyone got any other suggestions?

I had a ’98 Marin B17, similar to this:
https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb10565022/p4pb10565022.jpg

Which I traded in for a 2000 GT Ruckus, which would have been something like this:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0551/2229/6866/products/PXL_20220210_095446484_4032x.jpg?v=1645548047

That bike was taking ages to actually get in stock, so in the end I settled for an 18″ frame Orange MsIsle. A bit like this one:
https://www.pedalroom.com/p/orange-msisle-19534_1.jpg

It was not a great bike, but it was a good deal with nice parts, so it was an excellent base for a geared Inbred build the following year.

This gets my vote for thread of the year 👍

I did a week with BasqueMTB at Ainsa a few years ago. It was nice conditions rather than hot, but the trails were mint. Some hairy caterpilers though.

Quite popular in Switzerland and look nicely put together