AndyXXX my point is that with a sorted suspension design and good shock then you really don't need a handlebar lockout. My experience of handlebar lockouts is they try and make up for inefficient/basic suspension. My concern would be that if you get too caught up with whether it has a handlebar lockout or not you might miss out on the bike that will actually suit what you want to do on it.

Perhaps you should consider trying a few out? Just make sure if you do that any test is set up for you by someone who knows what they are doing.

The new 2010 Fuel EXs in particular look good with that new dual chamber shock.

I think Newton has hit the nail on the head, not a bike for riding all year round – certainly not if my experiences of ownership (Jan to June) are anything to go by. I got sucked in by the low weight of the frame but once you look past its party trick it really isn't all that IMO. I have seen other Sparks with the same issues, not just the 08 model I had.

I now have an 08 Fuel Ex and an 09 Anthem X. Both great bikes in their own right. The Anthem is a great race bike but the Trek is the one that always puts a smile on my face. Seemingly the perfect combo of pedalling efficiency, geometry and plush feeling suspension for riding everything and having a blast whilst doing so. Fuel Ex might suit your riding area a bit better.

Neither of those need a lockout either, the suspension performance in all conditions is vastly superior to the Spark.

Had one for 5 months riding in the peaks and my local trails. In that time it had 2 sets of bearings and 4, yes 4, rear shocks. The shock eyelet design was lending itself to wearing out repeatedly. Would not touch one with a bargepole. Even when it was working the shock is crappies and relies on continual use of the lockout, bobs badly in all 3 rings when fully open.

There are a hell of a lot of better bikes out there IMO

~ 80 km with 1500 m climbing. Got the train to Skipton this morning and road back to Leeds offoad. Good route with only a few short road sections to link up the offroad. Took 4h15.

Dick Turpin – Former manager of a shop I used to work at. Not sure if he ever held up any carriages though

Only after 18 months did the bearings wear out which isn't bad I don't think.

except they're supposed to be good for 50,000km, and are not user serviceable, so you lose the wheel for at least a week, even if serviced FOC (in Germany).

Well I don't think it is too much of an issue to be without the hub for a week after every 18 months of heavy offroad in shit conditions use. has the world gone mad? Apart from one 30 minute oil change I didn't do anything else to it in that entire time, I can't say that for my traditionally geared drivetrain.

As for the wearing in issue then I can hardly remember it being much different to how it is now when I first got it. The 'drag' issue is often brought up by Rohloff detractors. The wearing in drag (of which I barely noticed) is reported to go away and the only other source of drag is the sealing. I will admit that the seals produce more drag than on my other hubs but I guess that is the price you have to pay for a hub that is relatively well sealed.

How efficient are traditional gears when the chain is running at an angle? Always suprises me what it feels like if you have the bike in a workstand and shift through the gears.

Cue submersion story again!

You run the risk of the designed-to-break-in-the-event-of-excessive-torque nylon pins breaking which will result in loss of all drive, not even fixed. Needs to go to Germany to be fixed in the event. Don't forget 700c/29er wheels produce more torque than 26". Might never break but those are the consequences.

You run the risk of the designed-to-break-in-the-event-of-excessive-torque nylon pins breaking which will result in loss of all drive, not even fixed. Needs to go to Germany to be fixed in the event. Don't forget 700c/29er wheels produce more torque than 26". Might never break but those are the consequences.

'The Rich' have been doing what they want throughout history, not really much anyone can do to prevent that (if anyone feels the need to of course).

A few people here seem to be getting upset if anyone challenges their 'right' to drive a car. Regardless of taxation changes and anything else I think the first thing 'we' need to address is public attitude to driving.

I think we have made the distinction now that not everyone drives into a city for work. However it is still your choice to not work in a city and rely on a car to drive to your place of work.

Hear hear scu98rkr

As far as I am aware they have a good rep. I certainly like mine!

Singular Swift SS – EBB, steel, cable guides of a fashion and they do their own rigid fork to go with it

Singular Swift with Rohloff. Singlespeed maintenance and cleaning program except with gears!

I think perhaps a little too much is read into SFBs problems. There are very few other reported issues, google will show you that. Am I correct in thinking that the repair/service was free of charge though? Can't see too many other companies offering that level of backup, certainly not in my experience.

Like any moving-part MTB component it is not completely indestructable, but it is a lot more resilient than a traditional gear set up. My hub has been ridden pretty hard and through some pretty shit conditions. Only after 18 months did the bearings wear out which isn't bad I don't think. Various parts on my non-Rohloff bikes have worn out in that time (hub bearings, jockey wheels, chains, cassettes, chainrings etc) with less usage and more often in more favourable conditions.

PP, yes and no. Only happened to me a few times when I first got it. Now never have a problem changing gear uphill, downhill or on the flat…. An internal failsafe sticks it in the hardest gear if you try and change between gears 7 and 8 under high load. If you back off it then goes into the gear you wanted. Sounds a lot worse than it is. I cannot actually remember the last time it happened

A torque arm prevents dropout bending

I have a Singular Swift, a steel 29er. I like it but it is not the lightest frame out there. Rides well and is fairly comfortable.

A frame without an EBB is likely to be lighter if your'e looking for the most racy option. However as I and several other people have said above having an EBB involves a lot less faff IMO. Probably the most cost effective + light frame is an On-One Scandal with slotted dropouts. Plenty of EBB frames out there though!!

If you're feeling flush Nicolai do some nice Rohloff compatible ones, albeit maybe a bit stiff for a endurance racing bike.

Just bear in mind I don't think you can quite get a 22-34 if you are going for a 29er as the bigger wheel creates more torque than a 26er for the same cog/chainring set-up.

I'm still waiting for a particular crap weather event to wheel the Rohloff out at. It would really come into it's own in that situation.

Alfine is ok but restricted gear range, fine for some but would annoy me. Very good for the price though nonetheless.

£500?? You'd be lucky to get one for that price, second-hand maybe!!

To further SFB's post then they are not completely indestructable, like any MTB part subjected to a hard working life. Mine developed bearing play after 18 months of fairly solid use and was returned to Germany free of charge to have them replaced. They also completed a full service and replaced all bolts/seals and oil at the time. The work was completed within a few day turnaround as well. Now that is customer service! Standard practice for Rohloff as well, high initial cost but no other costs for the forseeable future apart from the odd cog which are reversible of course for a longer life span…

First off I have a Rohloff and I love it. It does the job I want it to do perfectly. That is, a completely dependable and weather proof bike (hardtail with EBB) that needs very little maintenance and is always ready and waiting in the garage ready for a ride. The bike is very rarely cleaned and goes straight back in the garage after rides. Steel chainring and steel cog last an age even in the worst of conditions and chains have a longer working life as well.

If you ride a lot, or ride in crappy conditions, then I would highly recommend one.

1) 14 gear max which you can adjust within certain ranges depending upon wheel size by changing the rear cog or chainring. Rohloff have recommended ranges which are advisable to stick to, although plenty of people seem to not and get away with it. The hub has an inbuilt failsafe to protect it from high torque, there are nylon pins that are designed to shear if the torque is too high. If this happens then you lose drive completely, akin to a freehub failing with 'normal' gears – this is the only way that the hub will be unridable. In reality though this will never actually happen unless you completely disregard Rohloff's advice and configure the chainring/cog a long way outside of their recommendations.

Don't forget that all 14 of those gears are different and usable, how may of the 27/24/18 etc gears on your MTB are different and actually usable?? Within Rohloff's recommendations you can achieve a 22-34 bottom gear if you wish.

2) As above the loss of drive due to the pins shearing with unacceptable torque is the worst thing that can happen. Otherwise any failure mode will leave you with something that you can ride home. Cable snaps/shift box ripped off…. then change gear at the hub with an 8 mm spanner. Even if the internal-gear mechanism breaks completely then you will be left with a fixed wheel to ride home.

In terms of options then if something goes wrong (unlikely) you have considerably more chance of being able to complete your ride with a Rohloff than a normal drivetrain.

3) I'm pretty sure it is compatible with a slot dropout Inbred. I have a frame with an EBB which I find pretty convenient for wheel removal, chain tensioning etc and all without the need for moving the the brake caliper around as well. If you're buying new it might be worth looking at a frame with one.

4) As above, single ring. Chainring size determined by the lowest gear you want, wheel size (29er or 26er), the cog size the Rohloff has and Rohloff's Torq limits. I run a 38 for example. Best chainline on most HTII cranks is in the middle ring position.

5) Yes it is heavier. Yes it is noticeable when you first pick up the bike, something my friends who don't ride one comment on. In practice though I don't notice the weight is there. If anything it feel a bit more balanced with the weight of the suspension fork on the front.

Also to give some balance to my response I have two geared bikes as well which I also like. Even though they get ridden a lot less they have considerably longer time and money spent on their upkeep than the Rohloff!

I live in Leeds but still have a Southern accent…..

Will probably have a go at the Merida on that date. Another 'non-race' 🙂

Some of the guys at the front seemed pretty aggressive so I'm not surprised to hear her say that they 'shot' past her. I did warn her that there would be another couple of hundred cyclists on the loop but I don't know whether she took that on board or not.

RE – getting lost. My favourite was ending up in someone's garden with a patrolling dog after missing a marker that was obscured nearing the end of the loop. Their dog wasn't best pleased and was doing it's best to release itself from the weedy looking chain holding it back. Oh and trying to get directions from some locals who didn't understand my southern accent, it's FEE-ERNS not FERNS apparently…

I did the challenge. Not done the loop before so it was all new to me. Had a bit of trouble navigating via the BW markers at speed and ended up taking several wrong turns. Also had no idea how to get off the BW and back to the school at the end of the loop and ended up getting quite lost for a bit there. Managed to flag someone down eventually when I realised I had absolutely no idea where I was going and got some directions to get back. My GPS had 4h32 all in all but I managed an extra bonus 6 km due to my wrong turns – bit frustrating as I wanted to see how fast I could have gotten round the 'official' loop. The GPS also reckoned just over 2000 m of climbing, that makes the climbs sound worse than they were though I think as there weren't any real big ones.

I know that it is a charity event but it would have been nice to have some direction back to the school at the end. Not being local I had no idea where I was going, a couple of signs ziptied to lamp-posts would have done the job.

One other thing, I stopped to speak to a horse rider at one point who was pretty angry about the two guys I was behind shooting past moments earlier and nearly having her off her horse. The horse was apparently very scared of bikes, while I think it is a bit stupid to take a horse that is scared of bikes out on a popular bridleway on a Sunday I don't think it does anything for the MTB community to have people inconsiderately shooting past in a CHARITY event – remember it's not a race.

Don't think I have ever opened so many gates on a ride before though!

Cycle Scheme have a website with a shop locator so you can always check if a shop is signed up on there.

Tax break on a Niner sounds like a good deal!

Stif are indeed registered with Cycle Scheme

Kimbers, see my post above!!

Anyone see their frame/bike on here:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Ride-Central

A 'Central' shop in Darlington selling second hand stuff on eBay. Also trying to sell a Giant VT frame which looks VERY similar to the one in the police photo….

Don't want to jump to conclusions but I know this guy from my university days and it would not suprise me in the least. I have had personal experience of dodgy dealings with him, as have several others.

4h55mins was 15th across the line in the full distance. Since the 85 differed from the other routes you can work out who did the full distance based upon the photos available online, not foolproof though and also could be seriously time consuming!

Just bear in mind that Superlight's of that potential vintage pretty much all cracked on the inside of the swingarm where the chainstay section joins the pivot. Mine did. I believe that they did sort out this problem but I don't know exactly when or how you would tell the difference. That one does look like my frame which was purchased around 2002. If it is cracked then you will have a hard time finding a replacement swingarm now. Jungle did have some but I would imagine that they wouldn't have any left now in 2009.

For what it's worth the guy who bought mine knew it was cracked and the bike is still going today. He probably only rides it a handful of times a year though.

Trek Fuel EX (2008 onwards)

I have an Anthem X as well and while I love it as an all out speed machine it is not as confidence inspiring as the Trek is in rough terrain. I think the Trek would suit the description you have given. If I had to do one bike to ‘do it all’ it would be the Trek for sure.

King headset a bit of a waste of money in weight saving terms, no lighter than a £20 offering. If you’re buying it new that money could go towards something lighter like the hubs, XTs are pretty weighty as are 717s compared to Stans rims. Light wheels will make the biggest difference IMO. The carbon post is also not likely to be ‘light’ but they are normally pretty expensive.

So what about a cheaper alloy post, cheaper headset and some more money in the wheelset where the difference will be felt?

Nothing wrong with riding fast if that is what you enjoy doing. If you want to faff around with sandwiches on a 35 km ride then that’s your call. Why does a ride have to be slower to be ‘good’?

Is 2 hours 11 minutes a good time for the Dalby Red Route?

Any time is good as long as you enjoyed it! The fastest I’ve done a full red lap in is 1h42mins but I did set out specifically to get round as fast as I could.

So by that reasoning everyone who stayed living at home with as you put it Mummy and Daddy are lily livered failures. When I was a kid nobody went off for a three year holiday, out to work and that usually meant living at home
Obviously my schoolmate the multi millionaire really blew it along with all the other reasonably successful people I know.

Perhaps you weren’t actually wanted and ma and pa were glad to see the back of you.
Everyone is different so how can you make such a sweeping statement, just as easy to say you were not ready to enter the adult world.

Eh? I don’t understand your point, if there is one. I was talking about the student that goes home every weekend throughout term time. Did you read my post?

You are right though, my parents didn’t want me at home forever. They wanted me to have the ability to stand on my own two feet, and I would say they have succeeded. The first few weeks in first year accommodation were interesting, seeing who could actually cook a meal for themselves.

I agree with all the recommendations to let them look around on their own. If he’s old enough to be going to University he is old enough to make these decisions on his own. Nothing wrong with having a look round on your own after dropping him off but it’s his decision to make, not yours. If you walk round on your own you will be able to offer an opinion IF he asks for it!

Hope that is not too blunt. I started University in 2002 and went to all open days on my own, which was actively encouraged by my parents. I’m glad that I have parents that were able to take a step back and let me get on with it. They were confident enough that I would make the right decision for ME.

Just make sure he doesn’t turn into one of those wet weekend students that pop home every weekend to see mummy and daddy as they’re too weak to stand on their own two feet. Seen plenty of those in my university time, none of which have gone on to do anything of note either while at the university or afterwards! University is a great opportunity to stand on your own two feet and develop character. I think that starts with the open days and deciding where he wants to go!

Don’t bother with XTRs. Had XTR, XT and SLX. SLX and XT much better. One of the main reasons being that the design of the lever doesn’t lend itself to that annoying lever rattle when the pivot begins to wear like the XTRS and most other disc brake levers do.

Get some DeFeet Aereator High Tops. Nice and long. Look much better than those naff trainer style ankle socks

I agree with all above, I have a set and they work great. I also have 2 sets of SLX brakes on my other bikes and they also work great. Recommended.

anyone?