The normal candidates are…
Bfe
Transam
Privee stan
Kingdom Brigante is well worth a look!
Pipedream (of some description)
Chromag samurai (i think)

However top of my list is the stanton- just plain awesome! & it comes cheaprr with dropper hole etc or Ti (which is where my heart lies)

oh as a head mounted light, it works just fine!

I got one two weeks ago – excellent price, quality, light and service! I even got the address wrong and all it took was a quick email and friendly reply. Couldnt recommend more! 😀

(plus they come in several pretty colours.. )

is true northwind, but then before getting pads i’ve never worried about ripping my jacket..

and fourbanger – dh yes (&.. ahem.. enduro), but self supported (so ride there first, no uplift etc)

vikingboy – haha, yes! at least thats what warm inside me says, 5 hour winter ride me might disagree.

hmmmm.. any other thoughts oh great stw’ers?

Ah yes, thanks yunki, i might be 😮

Firstly- thanks to all who have responded!

my definition was/is doing jumps – be they tabletops, doubles or your wonderfully sculpted dirt. At this point i’m not interested in doing ‘dirt-jumping’ (i think i’ve got this right – involving lots of moving off the bike in the air coolness) as i’d rather be out on a ride. The main point of practicing on a dirt jump bike specifically is a. because spending lots of time at the track it’s a lot more fun and b. i can crash without fear of the bike. Obv, getting comfortable on my bike jumping is crucial, but i thought time spent practicing at a specific jump place will help hugely with confidence/technique for hitting natural/more sketchy stuff on a normal ride 🙂

now that is cleared up, i reckon the way forward is to try someones flats – but probably stick to clipless!

can’t seem to get the link to open, thanks tho andyl! Out of curiosity what’s now put you off it specifically?

I’m quite interested in this, but cant find any detail online, any help?

hmm, thank you all very much for the help so far! I’ve started jumping on my current bike in spds, and like Lucien, if i need to bail i can, be that whacking a foot down during a sketchy corner or full on otb into some of the welsh specialty – sharp pointy rocks. i suppose it’s practice 😆

it seems the way forward is to grab a cheap set of v8’s (anyone have some going?) and give it a go, but no pressure to stick to them. (-as a fyi, i’ve found that with cleats i’m forced to commit, which means i’ve made the jumps i’ve done so far, but fear that the ease of bail with flats might make me bail unnecessarily!)

without wanting to start a war, i thoroughly disagree about 650B offering no advantages for a hardtail rider. as a hardtail rider (ofc i am not representative of every rider) i have seen many 29 wheels fold after a bad landing and despite riding many 29ers have never bought one as i miss the agility of the 26 and the ability to put my wheel between two roots to provide a kicker rather than just roll over them. In both cases 650B is better than 29er still by a long way.

Whether 650B should be sold is another story entirely, but seeing as the frame i want only comes in 650B, i will be buying that, dosnt feel too different (from 26) small speed increase and i dont have a host of spare forks/wheels to make the switch a pain.

went two weekends ago now, and yes for leaving stuff in the car! the downside is you have to walk if you have a puncture, nearly impossible on the blacks

ff – not necessary but nice! very rocky and exposed..