DeFeet armskins. I haven’t tried every armwarmer on the market but of those I have they are by far the best fit and do not fall down. They don’t rely upon grippers, the material is knitted and is a close fit all over – hence why they are such a secure fit.

SIDIs are MEGA overpriced Italian cr*p in my opinion. So they’re not on the shopping list. Also they don’t seem that vented.

Gaerne (also Italian, hoping they’re not crap!) and Mavic have a few models which fit the bill so will probably have to plump for one of those.

My old electric blue Shimanos (forgotten the model number) are perfect in almost every way – vented toe box but stitched in a way that makes them big toe proof. Sadly the velcro is giving up the ghost so they are soon to be retired.

I have set of M182s which I use most of the time but they are a bit warm for ‘proper’ summer days. I’m off to France for 3 weeks this summer as well and I’m hoping it will be hot there!

Don’t worry wolf man, I’m doing as much work as you are judging by your forum prevalance!

What is the point of having mesh if you’re going to cover it up with duck tape? I want to buy some without that ‘flaw’ so I can get some ventilation down there!

Which Mavic’s did you buy sorry?

I quite like the look of the Tempo but that has a lot of mesh in the toe area.

I’ve had the Shimano winter boots before and I think they are in a size league of their own, very narrow toe box – well at least the older ones were.

Anyone?

I have a Singular Swift SS which cost under £350 for frame and fork. It has an EBB and works perfectly with my Rohloff. Much better than adjustable dropouts in my opinion and I’ve had no creaks or other problems in the 6 months I have owned it, which has included a lot of winter wet weather riding.

This thread got me interested in having another crack at the red route so I went along yesterday.

Red route (all red options when choice of red or black) in 1h42mins39s. Pleased with that as it is 12-13 mins quicker than my previous best time. Could lower that on a quieter day so might go back over the summer and see if I can crack 1h40mins.

My point was more that the rims are designed only to hold relatively low spoke tension:

http://www.notubes.com/support_wheelset.php

In my experience means that when requiring a true up with more spoke tension the rim seems to permanently ‘warp’. This is fine for the wheel it is on as it will be straight again but you then can’t transfer the rim across to another build. I have seen a friend’s rim with cracks around the eyelets but I think that is because he racked the spoke tension up to remove a buckle.

I reiterate that I like the rims but there are perhaps as not as ‘fit and forget’ as a 150 g heavier Mavic.

I like Stans rims personally but they are not for everyone. I have had 355s and Olympics. I like the fact you can save a load of weight without the need for rimstrips etc for UST.

The downside in my experience is that they don’t take too kindly to truing or rebuilding. As a consequence of the lack of eyelets building requires relatively low spoke tension, which can make it more difficult than say a Mavic to get it completely ‘straight’ from new. Also if you have to true it up in the future then you can write the rim off for transferring to a new hub. The rims seem to get permanently ‘warped’, so rebuilding onto a new hub with new spokes and the requisite low spoke tension just doesn’t work. This may not be an issue with the heavier duty rims they produce but has certaily happened with a couple of the Stans rims I have had. Also I once ran over a coke can that was in some fallen leaves, the can managed to mangle the rim – the rims are pretty ‘soft’ in comparison to a Mavic. I’ve had a pinch puncture completely write off a rim which has never happened with a Mavic.

I went on a 2 week BV holiday last July/August along with 2 other friends. We all had a great time, so much so that we have booked again for this summer and are bringing along some more friends. In the past I have always had some concern over whether a guided holiday would be for me but I had a great experience. The set up at BV is very flexible and when I was there I would say that everyone was catered for with the choice of two daily rides. Often these rides would be essentially the same with one group starting from the house which often involved a lot of climbing (just what I wanted….) and the other group having some motorised assistance! I would also say that the standard of fitness of the guides is good, which is important.

What I enjoyed most about the holiday was that we barely saw any other riders on the trails, perhaps 10 others during our 2 weeks. I went away to ride in the mountains, not sit on chairlift all day and ride man DH tracks and berms as busy as a UK trail centre.

Of course I have now learnt that I should have said it was rubbish so that I got a discount this year!!

Bob in the big ring in open mode… I’m having a hard time imagining a trail condition where you’d use that.

Eh? Was it not designed originally as a ‘race bike’? My point was that it bobs even in big ring, as well as middle and granny. The suspension action seemed basic at best in comparison to other bikes I have ridden. It relies upon you changing setting with the TC lever, locking it down on climbs or anywhere you need to pedal it seems, which in my opinion is entirely pointless if you can get a bike with a sorted shock and suspension action negating the need for that. Ultimately it is only my opinion but I had more grief and was more dissapointed than with any other bike I have owned or been given. On each shock that I had the eyelet, not the bushing, wore out rendering the shock loose all the time unless replaced. The lifespan was a joke. Admittedly I had the bike from Jan 08 – June 08 which was pretty wet and it was subjected to some muddy rides but still it was ridiculous.

I now have an Anthem X and Fuel EX, both are remarkedly better than the Spark. The bike before that was a Blur XC which was also a hell of a lot better.

Every set of pre-09 Rebas that I have had and my friends have had have done this. My 09 set haven’t. It is something to do with a seal in there on that generation of forks. Some of my friends have had this ‘fault’ repaired under warranty on new sets of forks. Personally I didn’t bother. After around a year the MC lockout stopped working but I didn’t notice any other change in performance.

Reading into the description Sounds like the ‘new’ xc race loop isn’t too dissimilar to one of the courses they used to use for the SIMBAs a few years back. It should be a good course anyway. If the natural sections are the ones I am thinking of it should be a hard loop.

Ok, my mistake. That would be a very short section of the full marked loop though if I understand you correctly? If you have a look at the trail map in advance you should be able to bypass the closed bits.

Nick and others,

The XC course is seperate to the marked loop being discussed here. I don’t think the two share any of the same trail so I can’t see it being a problem. Check the Forestry Commission website for info, they always post notices about closures due to car rallies for example.

Don’t get a Spark! Not if you like riding your bike anyway. I had one for 6 months and went through 4 shocks and 2 sets of bearings. I was doing the kind of riding you describe on it.. Race bike YES, reliable and comfortable mile muncher NO. The suspension action is also poor and the bike suffers from serious bob in the ‘open’ mode, even in big ring. I don’t really have anything redeeming to say about it. It’s party trick is that it is very light but once you look beyond that there isn’t anything else good about it. Now there are more and more frames/bikes available approaching the same weight so its not that impressive in that department anymore either.

Since ditching the Spark I have been on a Trek Fuel EX9 and I can’t really express how much better it is. I’ve had it a year so far, including a 2 week holiday with 40 hrs riding in the Alps, and had not one single issue with it. No worn bearings, bushes or anything else. The suspension action is much more fluid while also a lot more stable under pedalling. I can’t recommend it enough. Yes it is heavier, but if you get an alloy one it is a hell of a bargain in comparison with the Spark and a whole world better. Can’t speak about the Whyte though.

I’ve done it in 1h 55 on a good day. Didn’t plan it as such, just felt good, the sun was shining and decided to see how fast I could get round once I got rolling. I am sure that time could be beaten easily, I think 1h 30 wouldn’t be out of question for someone like Liam Killeen!

ooOOoo I know what you’re saying but by the time we Brits buy it, either a UK framebuilder selling to UK customers or as customer from an American framebuilder, any drop in Ti price is swallowed up by our faltering economy. Any Ti to be mined in the UK?

There’s always some excuse about prices though, first it was raw materials going up, now they’re going down but the exchange rate is taking care of the difference.

Going off on a tangent but it is shocking just how far reaching economy troubles are. As a non-homeowner I thought I’d be alright but a trip to the bike shop to buy a few shimano spares proved otherwise!!

Frame looks nice by the way. Not my kind of thing but I am sure it will be popular!

ooOOoo – is that tongue in cheek? Consider the exchange rate of $ to £, what currency Lynskey (and the other american handmade Ti companies) buy Ti in and then what currency us Brits have to buy in. Cheers Gordon!

Essentially the same shafting that we are getting by the Yen, Shimano and all the other Far East gear e.g. Trek, Giant, Specialized etc.

Not strictly true about the requirement for proof of postage, it depends on how he has paid. If his PayPal account is linked to a credit card (not a debit card) then the credit card company have ‘juristiction’ over the money and any subsequent chargeback. I am talking from experience. Some sh*te bought a set of Kysrium wheels from me, broke a wheel after 6 weeks, tried to lace up the supplied spare rim, mullered that claiming the thread was damaged on arrival despite it being a brand new rim(I suspect he didn’t realise the nipple cups have an opposite thread) and his credit card company charged me back for the sale – He never sent back the goods. B*ST*RD. Luckily after the dispute was raised I could see the way it was going and after reading about the credit card company I emptied the PayPal account just in time and cut the links to my bank accounts and cards. To cut a long story short it was a LOT of hassle, had to open another PayPal account etc etc. I managed to avoid paying the chargeback through a well timed planned house move. Not big or clever at all and a few letters from eBay’s debt collectors had me slightly worried before I moved on.

Not a good experience at all. I don’t know what is the best course of action for you but go into any eBay sales with your eyes open. People expect the same service for your secondhand gear that a shop provides for new goods. Also there are a lot of sh*ts out there who are willing to try to screw you over.

You can get ‘off-road’ from the Uni within a few minutes across Hyde Park/Woodhouse Moor and onto Meanwood ridge leading onto quite a selection of trails in Meanwood woods and beyond. Probably not any use on your commute though as it goes in the wrong direction really!

Hub is now back and feeling like new. Total turnaround from local store, to Ison, to Germany, back to Ison and back to local store was just over 2 weeks. Pretty good I think.

Not entirely sure what work has been done on the hub, the letter just stated service work had been carried out and that the work was free of charge (as was postage). Full compliment of new bolts and seals etc from what I can tell and the lateral movement has now completely gone. Even with my 29er wheel I can’t feel any sideways movement so I still think that the hub bearings had worn.

There was a section of the manual attached and the information telling you not to steam clean or pressure wash the hub was highlighted. The whole point of the Rohloff for me is that I don’t clean it so the suggestion that steam cleaning or pressure washing had caused the wear was suprising!

Did you manage to sort the problem with your Powertap? I have had a similar problem with my Powertap computer but have yet to be able to sort it out.

Can’t get a deal on a Fisher and the Superfly is a bit on the pricey side!

17.5″ is too small thanks.

Thanks for the replies. I already have one 29er with a Rohloff which has been great as a winter bike but I want something a bit ‘nippier’ for events and when I want to go for a summer blast. Currently not sure what to get and wondering whether Ti is worth the money, On One Ti 29er or Lynskey Ridlgeline perhaps. Also thinking about an On-One Scandal but not sure I like the finish on those – I need to like the look of the bike as well!

Snaps,

The hub was sent to Ison on Monday, I have spoken to them thanks and they said they would contact Rohloff if necessary to get it collected and sent to Germany (this thread is nearly a week old). I am hoping that they won’t charge!

Thanks Robin.

The hub has always had some lateral movement from new and I understood this, as your post has explained, to be the bearing. However this ‘play’ has gotten quite a bit worse and there is now a lot more lateral movement in the wheel – and a lot more than my friend’s Rohloffs (he has 2). After taking the wheel out to have a closer look I could waggle the sprocket by hand. I am not complaining about the hub as it has been fantastic in the 18 months I have had it and I certainly wouldn’t want to be without it through another winter – I do a lot of offroad riding. The reason I wanted it looking at was to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, or to get any worn parts replaced to prevent any damage, as I intend to keep using it for a long time.

For the record I did contact SJS but no one was available to talk to about Rohloff hubs so I left my number on Monday, I have yet to be called back about it though. That is a bit dissapointing as I have used SJS to buy all my Rohloff parts, sprocket, chain guide, etc and the mail order service is very good.

After speaking to Ison (UK distributor) the hub is on it’s way back to them and they will forward to Germany.

Has anyone dealt with Rohloff direct? I had the impression from previous threads that people might have sent the hub directly back to Rohloff.

Thanks for your help Woodsman. You have pretty much described the symptoms that my hub has, I can rock the wheel in the frame. If I take the wheel out and grab the sprocket I can waggle it. I thought it might be the bearings after having a look at a ‘cutout’ picture of the hub on the web.

I’ll call SJS first as I would prefer not to send the wheel to Germany unless I have to.

Have you had them changed?

Ok, thanks. Thats a shame as I fancied going this weekend.

I have cracked an EA70 stem. It was on an XC race bike and I weighed 65 kg at the time.