Scottish borders in June, for the 10th year. Always good. Pyrennese in May, first time on the bike in proper mountains in years and can’t wait. Do a couple more of these new fangled Enduro things. No plans apart from that as I don’t know where in the country I’ll be working after March.

My stumpy evo came with a 33 big ring, so swap it for a smaller one?

Mortimer’s forest near ludlow would be my bet.

Loving my stumpy evo, got some pikes to try on it next. I would have had the commencal but both bikes I had from Crc had misaligned frames :cry:

Got dumped a couple of weeks ago, and will be redundant in March so all change for me. I can see a lot of riding in 2014, a couple of gravity enduros again hopefully, Pyrenees in May and Scottish borders in June.

There’s the obvious snogging / drunken fumbling with someone you shouldn’t but there’s 2 events that stick in my mind. The first was a boss of the shop I worked in got so trolleyed we had to restrain him from taking his trousers down to have a dump on the pavement while we were queuing to get into a night club. Funnily enough he didn’t get in and wasn’t easy to find a taxi to pour him into to take him home. The second was when a mate and I decorated the head of a random passed out drunk bald person. Unfortunately we used my girlfriends tattoo lipstick as we were playing noughts and crosses. We weren’t invited the following year.

Depends on where you are. Guiding somewhere waymarked like the Long Mynd I can’t see the point as pretty much everything is on the map, but the FOD where the best stuff is unmarked and not always easy to find I can maybe see the point. although an increase in guided groups there may explain the new no cycling FC signs around staunton and the trip wires placed at dowies…

I work in adult social care, so no payrise and mandatory unpaid leave over christmas and redundant in March. Place is already like a ghost ship so no Chistmas meal. Bah humbug :wink:

A few of us subscribe and none have recieved it, plus I haven’t seen it in WHS. Is it really out yet? Has anyone recieved this mythical item?

I thought the FOD was Gloucestershire anyway, or has it been annexed by Wales since the weekend? Widge, how big is that extension you’re building?

Rode Symonds Yat / FOD, which as great and not too busy. New stuff on the Freeminers trail is pretty good, worth a look if you’re in the area. Then had a pint or 2 with the boys from SRAM you’re showing around who’d been enjoying themselves with the locals.

… and breathe :wink: To avoid any problems with PF BB30 bottom brackets I’ve done the following – bought a set of GXP SRAM X9 cranks from Merlin (reduced to £75) and a SRAM converter from CRC so the GXP BB will fit. This means I have a much greater choice of BBs, and for me meant I could run a lighter single ring once I’d removed the spider.

Spesh deviant is pretty big, well big enough for me! Ride with a large giro feature the rest of the time.

The seals are available as spares to do a full service yourself. It’s fiddly but do-able at home. If you’re not surejust send em off.

South to north shouldn’t be too bad, good luck anyway

Still road works in the middle of the city on the a49, tailbacks most of the time if you’re coming from the north (well, was all last week and a few weeks before).

You not interested in the spider and rings mate? If you are drop me a line with what your willing to pay. As for your post above, that seems a good price. Shimano rings have always lasted me ok, no idea about 9/10 speed compatibility tho.

I had noticed a trail of smoking destruction behind me, hadn’t realized it was caused by my monster wheels. Best I change em for this week’s size of choice. What wheel size for bpw? 8O

I can’t believe no one’s asked what stem length for bpw. I’ll be taking a selection next time from 40 to 110mm and be changing it depending on conditions / run colour / phase of the moon / colour of my shorts. Once that’s dialed everything else should slot into place. Mind you, I ride a 29er so the rules are probably different.

Cheers z1ppy. They’re definitely surplus to requirements so would be good to get a few quid for them. Just waiting for the works components chainring so I can get it built up.

For ludlow / bringewood look up ludlow all mountain bike and ludlow xc mtb on facebook and try pearce cycles. Blazing Bikes at marshbrook do a regular shops ride on a Wednesday as well. I ride Mortimers / Bringewood in the week as well, so drop me a line if you’re in the area.

mboy – tried emailing but got no reply. You intersted in the rings / spider fella?

My stumpy evo is currently running a 33 tooth big ring, not sure what the granny is. I’ll be dropping to a single 30 front soon tho, 10 speed cassette. Plenty in south Shropshire / FOD.

mboy – email sent. I’ve bought the cranks, the FSA adaptor and Works Components narrow / wide chainring. Hope it all works! 8O

I’ve just noticed the ones on Merlin are GXP, which is SRAM’s version of HT2 isn’t it (soo many BB “standards”, does my head in). My bike’s BB/PF30, would one of the adaptors on CRC (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fsa-bb30-english-adaptor/rp-prod44067) do the job to convert?

mboy, I’ll let you know as they’ll be surplus to requirements!

Cheers all, it was the ones on Merlin I’d spotted. Intending running it with a thick / thin chainring, dropping the spider gives me more choices. £75 seems pretty good with bb as well.

As mattrgee says, Formulas on the new ones and Avids on the old. Seems strange it’s only on the large size ones. Different rear triangle maybe?

ejaskew – Rear brake vibration here on a Stumpy Evo 29er. Dirt and MBR mentioned it in the last mags, but only on the large frames it appears as the MBR review of the medium doesn’t mention it. Mine is a large as well… changed rotors and pads which helped, but it’s still there.

The 2013 carbon comp frame LOOKS exactly the same as the evo model, including down to mouldings for the ISG mounts (although they’re blanked off) so it should take a longer fork. I’m sure I read somewhere that the frames are essentially the same, it’s the Evo link that changes the geometry and stuff. Whether Spesh will let you without voiding your warranty is something else!

Storm’s on now for Bringewood / Mortimers, and still slippery. Try and ride the Long Mynd and Hopton more!

Cheers all, didn’t think I’d get any answers! Looks like the equivalent is in between 30 and 32, ta.

Storms if it’s muddy / mixed, they’re not the biggest for thumping through rocks though. I’ve just started running a Spesh Butcher on the front and it’s blimming ace, much grippier that the purgatory. Oh, and a good tyre is generally a round one, preferably with air in :D

Twas great out in the FOD last night. Not quite dusty but still pretty dry and sooo warm

Mortimer’s has some good riding, the problem is finding it! The Bringewood dh runs are easier to find though, and you can push back up again. It’s still an hour(ish) from Shrewsbury as well, Hopton, Eastridge and the longmynd are closer and easier to navigate.

Camber Evo?

My Formulas have done it from new, original pads too :cry:

If you’re getting the summer 2012 am 29er from Crc check alignment on the back end, I sent 2 back as the tyre rubbed the frame on both of them. I gave up and bought a 29er stumpy evo instead. Lovely looking bike tho

A mate and I did a weeks camping with bikes in the alps out of an ’04 version (no rack, all inside). One bike should be simple

There’s a couple of groups that ride in Ludlow some weekends, look up Ludlow xc and Ludlow All mountain on facebook.

Thanks for the replies, been out on the bike as the rain stopped. I’d guessed legally I can’t claim or ask for anything, and a replacement and possibly something out of good will to make up for their terrible quality control was originally all I was after. The price drop is frustrating more than anything, as I said if I’d have been riding it for 2 weeks I wouldn’t mind. However, I could have ordered it at the lower price and still had it quicker than the replacement while being better off. I could send the replacement back fir a refund saying I’d changed my mind then just order it at the lower price as has been suggested, but that’s just being a pain in the arse. However, for £150 I probably will! Jamie – no comment about where, as I said at the start I’m not going to say who until I get a reply. Then I might!