I normally just chuck in a small bottle’s worth of Stan’s once the tyre is on the rim (through the valve) and then top them up every 6 months or so. Never had a problem with it.

As I run non-tubeless tyres on non-tubeless rims ghetto style the tyre tends to seal quite well to the rim before I even add the Stan’snever had any clumps that big form. Plenty of smaller ones and around the bead.

Tom KP

You could send one set back for a refund. That way you would have got them for free. And if you feel guilty just post on here that you returned them

Note – this is just a suggestion, not saying you should.

Chapeau do a good one and it’s not too expensive.

The problem with YT bikes is that because they’re such amazing value their resell value will be terrible.
The 26 Tues is a great bike but as said above the new ones are dirt cheap.

Selling second hand Capras is going to be a nightmare. As you can pick up the aluminium ones new for under £2k

Tom KP

Surely 2.8 would be plus sized since regular tyres are 2.5-2.7 (eg Maxxis High Rollers and Minions).
My question is that if 650b+ is betterer and more amazinger than 29 then why were all the bike companies so adament that a 26 wheel with a decent 2.7-3.0 tyre Minion, HR, Scwalbe DH tyre, etc) much worse than a 650b wheel when they came out?

They said it would be too heavy, cause too much drag, be slower and probably lots of other negative things as well. But suddenly 650b+\2.75+ is the best thing in the world to happen to mountain biking EVER!

Tom KP

The GF has a pair of these coming next week(ish) on her new Capra, what grease did you use blahblahblah? Was it regular grease, or a particular water resistant grease? Just want to be prepared. Her plan is to run them until they wear out and then swap them for some Hope Hubs when the time comes. Which is pretty much what we do with all our wheels.

Tom KP

Big simple tubes over poncy hydro-formed tubes any day for me.
I quite like they’re hardtail myself. Shame I can’t justify one at the moment.
I think people make too much fuss over frames that flex, obviously too much flexing can be detrimental but if you think how long the chainstays are from the main pivot on bikes (pretty much over half a wheel’s length) then that’s a fairly long lever so there’s bound to be some flex. And most long travel bikes (built to be durable, not skinny long legged XC bikes) are stiff enough for nearly all people.

Tom KP

Pretty sure you should be able to swap them over. But as said above I’d run them without the ATA, it wasn’t very good. The VFs should be damned near indestructable though. Just keep the seals lubed and they’re fit and forget

It’s kept crap off me and out of my eyes, and my fork seals seem in much better condition since fitting one. And they way next to nothing so I’ve never bothered taking it off.

I think they’re value for money personally. Made a few of my own in the past, but for under a tenner why bother?

What’s the Vecnum seat post like?

Ghetto tubeless setup has stopped me pinch flaying and burping. If it’s good enough for Graves it’s good enough for me.

Ta, forget I’d asked on that thread.

I remember an interview www Max Commencal (Dirt I think), and they were discussing the the Sunn golden era and the steel a Radical race bikes. He said they experimented with super stiff bikes and found that they didn’t ride as well and were slower. They actually built flex into their bikes (and Olivier Bossard’s suspension) as stiff bikes were either slower or they broke.

The main thing was to have the bike flex in the right place and direction (rather than being generally noodle) and that’s where carbon frames come in. It’s why decent steel hard tails feel ‘nice’.

All this talk about her past is irrelevant as she was caught, tried, convicted and did the time she was given.

521 or 721 on Hope Hubs will be bomb proof. But Stan’s Zflows will survive most things.

Fitted mine with a weight, a piece of string, a block of wood and a rubber mallet. Just take the time to get it all lined up correctly before you start whacking I mean tapping it in

Tom kp

I’ve got a -1 Works headset in my Orange Alpine as well as offset bushings as I liked the slacker bike but felt the bushings didn’t make it slack enough for me. It’s been abused for the last 6 months and not had any problems. Will happily use them again in the future. It’s taken my BB down to 340mm which is the same as a Nomad and I’m happy with that.

Tom KP

Cheers for that

I just need a new gun. Anyone managed to retrofit a Hozzlelock or similar to the hose? Mine just pisses half the water out the bottom of the gun when I use it. Still enough to clean the bike but it means it rubs out too quickly for 2 bikes

I read she needed dispensation from the U.S. national Team(or something) to be allowed to ride as part of them. And it’s the wishes of her partner (who I believe has terminal cancer) to see her race a World Cup before she goes.

The main problem she had back in the day was ACC was massively above all the other women she raced against and was so dominant that no one had a chance if she turned up to race.

It’s my opinion that whatever she’s done in her past, she’s served her time and can carry one racing if she wants. And I doubt I’d be too worried about another knock to the head if my other(better) half’s dying wish was to see me do something risky.

Tom kP

Regular washing of both knee and pads helps reduce this. Also a few companies (Muck Off for one) sell antibacterial sprays to kill off the wee beasties breeding in our pads. Even the best fitting pads are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, etc.

Tom KP

Livigno is open until mid September. We’re in the same boat as I can’t take any annual leave until 31st of August.

I reckon he should get the Capra, it’s what he wants, is well reviewed and amazingly specced. And they just look awesome.

Could you experiment with adjusting the angle of the cleats to bring your heels out a bit wider? Obviously if it effects your knees/ankles or hips in a negative way then move it back. Or try shoes with more heel clearance.

Space out your cranks a big wider at the BB if it won’t prove to detrimental to your chain line our biomechanics maybe?

I’ve always been a bit of a heels in rider, but then I ride with 5:10s as well which have chunky heels.

I spent a while on Mallets when I was teaching myself to ride clipped in, couldn’t get on with hove vague the float and engagement felt so switched to Shimano SPDs(DX) and found I preferred the more precise feeling they had. Even when set up with a reasonable amount of float.

Tried Mallets again recently and still couldn’t get on with them.

Like I said, it was 10 years ago, and haven’t been out to ‘the dark continent’ (to sound all Rudyard Kipling) since then, although jog for want of trying.
If it’s all cult.ivated now then I guess they’d have either dug them up or trodden on them by now. Terrible things. There’s been a lot of change since then. Hopefully for the better.

Tom kp

There’s been a lot of study and research into concussions over the last 5 or so years.
Basically repeated concussive impacts are rather bad for long term health, the more concussions, the bigger the problems.

Currently there’s also a lot of research into sub-concussive impacts as well.

The thing I’m trying to say is for years we’ve underestimated concussions.

Look at the legal action against the NFL for hiding the truth about concussions and how the RFU is taking it more seriously finally.

Tom KP

Looked into white water kayaking there about 10 years ago. While we were out in Uganda, was advised that there was still a lot of (unmarked) land mines about.

Apart from that I don’t have anything to add about Rwanda apart from the relief maps showed some great gradient in the mountains.

Tom KP

“It was the worst time of my life…” Getting caught AGAIN!

It’s an athlete’s job to know what they’re putting in their body.

A few athletes tested positive to banned substances in the lead up to the CrossFit Games this year and apart from one they all said they should have checked their supplements better and admitted it was their responsibility so they took the penalty that came with it.

Although one guy was cleared when the manufacturers of his supplements admitted to cross-contamination in the factory as they also made supplements with Osterine for another company.

He still withdrew from the competition as it wasn’t fair on the other athletes.

Have run non tubeless tyres on non tubeless rims for several years now without any problems. And non tubeless tyres on tubeless rims as well with out any worries.

Edit – Maxxis, scwalbe and specialized, folding and wire as well as single and 2ply and currently with EXO at the moment. And some of these tyres are well used and a good few years old.

Francois Boud did my Marzocchis a few years ago.

I loved the way my Orange Alpine rode, thought it had the perfect geometry, rode it for 2 years. Then just to see what it was like I fitted offset shock mounts (as they were £20 a pair) that dropped the head angle from 66.5-65.5. I loved how it rode so when the headset died (cheap crap) I fitted a -1 degree Works headset and now it rides even better. No problems climbing even on really steep stuff( apart from my own weight and lack of fitness).

I don’t think slack head angles make a bike pedal or climb badly, it just takes a bit of technique adapting.

And if BTR is now a similar price to a Curtis I’ll take the Curtis any day. All the ones I’ve ridden were great and they aren’t ugly and don’t have those hideous braces/gussets on them.

Tom Kp

“It’s not the age, it’s the mileage”
Indiana Jones

To start with I tend to look at Seat tube length and Horizontal TT for sit down pedalling. And then Stack and Reach for stand up riding. I get out the tape measure and compare it to my bike and friend’s bikes. And then adjust my saddle to the same height as the new bike would be and then using a longer or shorter stem I set the bars to the length they’d be with the new bikes reach. Not to ride like that, just to see if it would be too tall/short or long/short as a reference.

This helps to start with as I find it hard to picture the new geometry in my head.
Do you want a bike the same as yours or longer /shorter/taller/lower? Decide what you think you’d like to change (or not) and then try to get a spin on them (or a demo if you can).

Then decide if you want shorter stays (easier to manual) vs slightly longer/more stable at speed – usually there’s only about 10-15mm in it. Slacker HA, etc.

Leave your lock at work. That’s what we do as Kryptonite locks weigh the same as a small sun

YT Capra, you can get the top specced Capra AL for under £2000 and then you’ve got a grand to go on a winter holiday in Spain (or N+1).
Theorems nothing on that model that needs changing (apart from for preference). The Carbon one’s aren’t a lot more money if you want carbon either.

If you go I’d be interested in what’s there. Due to work commitments we can get out to Europe until 30th August so most things (apart from Chatel and Lex Gets are closed). But Livigno is opens later so we thought we’d head there after a warm up in the PDS to get up to speed.

Also anyone been to Pila recently as they’re open a bit later than Les agents as well.

Tom KP

Pretty sure that Hope allow their riders to use whatever the want – like SRAM TLD

My better half notices if I do anything to her bike. That’s not a bad thing, she’s the first to let me know if something needs sorting out. But then she rides 3-4 times a week. Long gone are the days of sneakily upgrading my bike by just getting new components in the same colour

Orange Alpine 160. I used to have several bikes but moved house and lost the space a barn gave for storage. Would love a 29er hard tail for XC but just took a pay cut to work nearer home and currently skint.