I’m running 1×9 at the moment and ride mostly in the peaks and trail centres. If i’m honest I do miss the bail out option on some of the peak climbs but love the simplicity and lack of noise too much to ever go back to a front mech setup.

El Guapo all the way!

Life is simply too short to wait for the pages to load! I’ve just given up and placed an order with Merlin.

NRC8044 = 2 white stipes.
NRC8045 = 2 yellow stripes.

or HD
NRC9448= one blue stripe and one red.
NRC9448= one yellow stripe and one white.

Was any trace of paint on the rusty spring? factory springs are black with stripes of colour to identify them. most aftermarket springs are just one colour (normaly not black). If they are aftermarket they could be anything as the numbers I gave you are for factory springs.

Ok depending on it has standard (probably has) or factory HD suspension the lengths of new springs are.
Standard NRC 8044 384mm drivers side
NRC 8045 368mm passengers side
Factory HD NRC9448 388mm drivers side
NRC9449 376mm passengers side

OK 110 CSW. To my eyes it doesn’t look lifted and may have just had new standard springs on the rear when rebuilt. If the fronts are the ones it left the factory with then they are about 20 years old and will have sagged and generaly be weak especialy in comparrison to the newer springs on the back.

No mention of wheelbase in the op. If it is a 110 or 127/130 then they sit up at the rear anyway and so it may not be lifted at all.If it is a 90 and you still want to lift the front then you need to think about weight i.e in basic terms
v8, no winch = light duty
TDi no winch = medium duty
TDI and winch = heavy duty
Another thing to think about is changes to caster angle affecting steering when lifted (it gets a bit vague and doesn’t self centre as well).

Being born there I can say with some authority NO NO NO NO it’s YOULGRAVE!!!!!!!! no matter what the signs say (at one end of the village it’s right and at t’other it’s wrong).Normaly only incomers call it youlgreave and in fact to the few born and bred locals who havn’t been priced out of the housing market by wealthy retirees it is and always will be known as Pommy.

I’ve got a large EG and am loving it! I’m running 150 mm Sektors as that is what I had and don’t find the BB too low although mine is one of the latest batch and so any problems should be sorted by now. As stated I think the fork lenghth is fine but I find them a bit flexy at the kind of speeds that this bike encourages (especialy with over 100 kgs of finest Derbyshireman behind them!)and so am saveing for something with 36mm stantions.

Never thought about Canyons but they are going on the list! I wonder what the warranty is on them as it is lifetime on the Merida.

I am 6 foot 2 and 17 stone and crying like a baby!

To the poor soul drinking the o kells you have my deepest sympathy.

I particularly enjoy the sections between posts 15 and 19 as they are very flowy and pumpable.

Yes they are heavy compared to modern bikes but compared to some of the tanks that were availible at the time they weren’t that bad! e.g Brooklyn TMX and that Muddy Fox thing that came with 3 inch Gazzaloddis on.Plus they are one of those bikes that seem to ride lighter than they are.

Just to reiterate As a KeeWee owner they are AWESOME! Put it this way none of the others listed was designed by a fomula 1 engineer.

Disclaimer-that I in my limited understanding know of!

Ok here we go
Orange 222= good bike but I personaly don’t get on with them.
Kona Stinky = not realy a downhill bike, more Freeride and so aren’t as slack and have a higher bb.
Santa cruz super8= Ok in their day but have a very high leverage ratio and most cracked.
KeeWee chromo 8= By far the best of your options but a bit heavy ( I may be bit biased as I rode a Chromozone for years!
Trek Session 10= Nice bike but very heavy.

That said if I was yust starting out I would look at the Specialized Status,Nukeproof Scalp or maybe a Canyon.

The “downhill” area is right next to the dirt jumps. If you do find it and have ever ridden a proper downhill track prepare to be bitterly dissapointed as I felt over biked on my hardtail with 150mm forks.

This has two possible answers
A= Only once!
B= Aginst the flow on one way trail.

I was there on saturday and I have to say I was supprised at how quiet the red was.Last bank holliday I was also there and felt like it was an unnoficial misuse day as I met a group of women coming the wrong way and also several familys with young kids that couldn’t go down the small hills.

Friday- took the family to see all the tunnels on the Monsal trail.
Saturday- A few laps of Sherwood pines and a play on the bike park.
Monday- Out with the big bike at Wharnecliffe and Greno.

It also depends on what the blade is made of i.e carbon or stainless. I personaly prefer carbon and sharpen them on the bottom of cups ect where there is no glaze. using this method I keep all my carbon steel knives sharp enouhg for the arm hair trick. Stainless I have found that unless it is a very good grade i.e 440 surgical they are too tough and will only dake an edge with a diamond sharpener.

Reality tv
Celebrity
Any Americanism

Fond
merriment
beer
glokenspiel
whimple

Mine aren’t too bad anymore (3 and 6) but I have read that the immune system is fully developed at about 11 years.

Looks like she’s stood in a snowdrift.

Shaking hot white coconuts from the veiny love tree.

I also had a proud dad moment recently. My not quite 3 year old is ready for a bike with pedals as when out on his balance bike he is feet up and freewheeling wherever he can!

Our mondeo TDCI did this and it turned out to be the cam sensor.

This was about 8 years ago and digital cameras were very expensive.The processing wasn’t that dear either as we got a bulk discount for takeing 30 in at once.

Married in the Town Hall, Back to the pub fot the do, no photographer we bought loads of cheap disposable cameras and gave eveyone one and told them to go wild! overall cost under £500.

Agree, RaceFace bbs are toilet.

I wathed 10 mins of this once, Britain has NOT got talent.

He’s got rough idea of how to ride a bike. I bet I would slaughter him in a cake and beer contest though!