If your garmin takes a lanyard like the newer models such as the 520 it’s worth looping it around your stem before putting it on the mount, that way if it pops off it will hang around the bike instead of disappearing.

Make sure you have not over tensioned the cable at the lever, assuming it’s adjustable. It sounds to me like the cable is always under tension. Slamming the post would have the opposite effect. So see if you can loosens it off. If there’s no adjustment then you might find its not installed right, and since you need to trim it for length anyway, you could do it right this time – just a bit more cable showing after the outer than maybe has been done.

However, if the bike is too big there’s nothing you can do. The seat post can’t extend longer than its default position (so it’s not broken and over extending) and they can’t be calibrated to make them shorter. If it’s a 125mm seat post then you need it’s neutral position to be right at the top of its length. If that, when bottomed out on your frame is too long then you need a smaller bike.

I fitted a one up chain guide because it was cheap as chips and I figured rather have it than not. Dunno whether I e ever needed it but I read a few posts where people dropped chains so figured rather have the safety.

Went into Dales. Tried on a Super 3 Large (no mips) and it was a great fit. Really comfy. Tried the Super 2 and it was too tight, definitely a Smaller size than the 3. Also tried an Ambush which was was way too tight, didn’t fit over my head – not sure if they do a larger size than L, but regardless I like the Super 3 so will probably go with that.

I just took my soon to be 9yo in to try the 26″ Kauri and Hoy. He’s 141cm tall with a 63cm inside leg. The bikes were fine from a leg length perspective with the saddle as low as possible but the reach was way too long. Like arms locked straight and really bent forward long. I’ll probably buy the Kauri anyway as he still has 3 months till his birthday and maybe I can put a shorter stem on it. But it’s borderline. No way a child of 131cm could ride it though molgrips. Not for 18 months at least.

Lift the seat post back up out the frame to remove all the slack and make sure it works properly when you press the Trigger to drop it. Once you are happy it’s actually working, pull the cable through at the bars as you lower the post into the frame, this will pull all the slack away. Long term you can trim it shorter for to get out riding, pulling a couple inches of cable through to the bars won’t cause any issues.

Cheers. Will try the Montaro tomorrow for fit, but the pad issue puts me off. May also get over to Dales in Glasgow to try the Bell. Nowhere local has the POC or Ambush to try. I think the Kask might be too bowl-shaped for my odd head. Long and narrow works better.

The Garmin Edge 520 goes on sale from time to time. Not budget, but doesn’t need to be expensive either. You can setup the Garmin Connect profile so that it connects with Strava, so that whenever you upload to Garmin it automatically goes to Strava. The 520 connects over bluetooth with your phone to automate the upload to Garmin. It also syncs down all your favourite segments from Strava to give you Live Segments (presuming you have a Strava Premium account). I’m very pleased with mine. It just kinda works, and my ride appears on Strava before I’ve even got my bike back in the garage.

Just noticed it’s a thing for your wife. Get whatever cheap Garmin can connect with a phone over bluetooth to upload to Garmin connect. Then the Strava connection can happen afterwards online. I don’t think anything will directly sync with Strava.

I got my wife the apple watch. An added bonus is she doesn’t miss my calls when out shopping now!

Looks ace. I’ve suggested this one to my mate if they are still available when his cycle to work scheme kicks off in April. Looks like a bargain.

When I ride my mtb A few days after a roadbike session I feel like I’m pedalling through treacle. I can only assume a gravel bike is going to make your 29er feel much the same. Until you get properly off road.

Lol. I guess that answers that!

I’ve found Keith who owns and runs Mugdock cycles to be super helpful and friendly. I’ve had him replace my chain for price of parts plus a coffee and a chat. He also stripped the seatpost on on my then new road bike (not bought from him) and carbon pasted the bizarre infinite angle adjust mechanism so it wouldn’t drift every time I hit a bump, at no charge. Never had issues with them, and they always have a massive queue of bikes waiting for a service, so I can’t see them being too in-competitive. When I frayed the gear cable on my roadbike a few months back, he gave me a couple of new cables for free.

As to the trails, I love Mugdock. It’s my regular haunt, granted I’m no jump/drop hunter. The best trail, as far as I’m concerned, starts just outside Mugdock in Milngavie, runs past the Kyber Pass and along the West Highland Way out to Dumgoyne and the distillery, along some lovely single track, then up behind the distillery, through the forrest to Strathblane, and then a short road trip into Blainfield, from there up into Mugdock via the stables, then to the visitor centre for coffee before heading down Rosie’s Road via Mugdock and back along the WHW to Milngavie. It’s a great loop – known as the Dumgoyne Loop. Worth a look if you ever visit Mugdock for a cycle.

Strava. Same route. Are my times better or worse on the climbs and long flat bits? That’s my barometer.

As above. As I understand it am ispec a shifter which I think the 8000 is will bolt straight on. I have 785 spec B and had to buy the little nuts and bolts from Merlin to mount them to my E4s.

I bought a Renthal Fatbar Carbon which is 800mm a good few months back. Had the intent of cutting it down to 760 but wanted to ride so fitted them at 800. Never got around to it and actually love how stable and controlled I feel at speed, so probably will leave them at 800. They also balance out the 20mm shorter stem I fitted at the same time.

There’s zero issues with the Lefty. There was an upgrade to the internals that cannondale offered us for free which saw many of us send them off, other than that one or two folk gad complaints about worn bearings in the hub, possibly from over tightening. I love the Lefty. Best “fork” I’ve owned. They need a bearing reset every few rides but it’s no more effort than removing the air the bouncing down on it a couple times an refilling air. Worth the 2 mins for plushness.

Go for it.

Cheers ssmith!

I remember setting my Rebas on my last bike to the Rockshox recommendation and they were brick hard. My hands ached after a 2 hour ride.

Hi Swainy – I have the vaguest recollection that it’s always been this way, and for some reason I recall reading it someplace. The +ve only drops a few PSI but it takes a much greater volume of air than the negative.However, Mojo reckon it is probably fine since it’s always dropped the same amount no matter how long I have left it, so I think I’ll ignore it for a while until the service is due.

Sort of related – anyone else notice that in order to hit the correct sag, you need to run pressures a fair bit lower than recommended on the chart. I’m 77kg and find 65 psi in the lefty, and 265+/255- in the Dyad hits the correct sag and feels plush.

I also find I need to reset my Lefty bearings every 3 or 4 rides (TFT reckon this is very normal). It’s a 2 min job so no big deal and TFT tell me it would need done less frequently if I ran the fork stiffer – so a trade off.

Hi guys, I think it is just pressure released when the pump is screwed back on. It seems to drop about 30 or 40 PSI releasing air into the pump. I tried setting it last night, removed the hose and put it back on, down from around 260 to 220, then I removed it and put it back on again without doing anything and it was down around 180. So I reckon the shock is fine. Shame about the dropper though!

My dropper has become a suspension post again. These Lev droppers really are shot for reliability. It’s going back for the second time in 3 months.

Is it normal for the negative air in the dyad to drop around 50psi when connecting the air pump. I’m assuming this is what is happening and that the negative air chamber must be much smaller than +ve making it more sensitive. If not then I guess the dyad needs to go to mojo.

On a plus note, I like the offset bushings. Not had a chance to trial them on a fast descent as we did a shorter ride today because it’s bloody cold. But it was fine on the Climbs and I found that I left it in elevate mode on the smooth flat bits a lot more too – normally I drop to flow because it’s more relaxing on the wrists to have the weight back a bit. So that’s a bonus.

I spoke with Offset Bushings, and now understand that those are what regular Fox DU bushings look like on any Fox rear. As they aren’t worn and the new offset core is tight in the bushings, there’s no need to change them. They did say that they tend to wear quite quickly and that some day I should consider swapping in their bushings. I imagine it’ll need a service before then. Can’t test ride because there’s snow everywhere!

also… how tight do you nip up the bolts again when re-mounting the shock? I’ve gone with 5Nm.

Ashy. I assume you left the stock DU in the bike rather than using the supplied from Offsetbushings.com? Looks like a Dyad specific DU maybe to protect the carbon pivot? Doesn’t seem worn so I’m thinking leave it be. It also looks like it splits in the middle and needs to be pushed out from the middle rather than with the DU tool?

Bushes arrived today. For some reason I thought we had 6mm bolts, but they have shipped 8mm. Assuming that is correct then my assessment of the head angle change (0.75 or 1.5) was wrong – two will get me the desired 1.0 drop. I can now see why you all have two installed!

I’ve got an XL Castelli Gabba for cold and wet. Some Morvelo short sleeves for rest of year. Also an XL Assos top for summer that I got on sale.

I’m about 38″ chest and 6ft1 – Just in case you are new to road brand sizing.

I’ve ordered a second bushing and Rusty’s recommended bushing tool. First bushing hasn’t even arrived yet.

And to confirm, I’ve been really pleased with the 105 shifting quality and trim feature. It’s not entirely intuitive to setup so dig out a manual and go through the process. It’s not difficult though.

Eek. Sounds nasty! Glad it’s not too expensive.

Rusty, on a push shock they make it appear shorter. On a pull shock the make it appear longer (unless you put them in back to front). The dyad extends (gets longer) under rear compression unlike a traditional shock.

Offsetbushings.com

Looks like remove a bolt. Pull the bushings. Fit the new ones. I imagine we might need to take air out the shock too but not certain. I’m just getting one, will swap out the one at the top of the shock. I think they are fairly harmless. But I’m changing it at the linkage rather than the frame end just in case.

They shift the position of the eyelets in the shock relative to the frame. In the case of the Jekyll and Trigger, they make the frame see the shock as a little bit longer than it actually is. On a pull shock this has the same affect on the bike as compressing the shock slightly would, making the bike sit lower at the start of the travel. This does two things, it lowers the bottom bracket and slackers the head angle. One bush moves it about 0.75 degrees, two 1.5. Each bushing drops the BB around 5mm.

Stock, your bike has a 68 degree head angle in elevate. When you flick the lever to flow it slackens to 67.5 and the BB drops 5mm.

If you stick one bush in, you will start at about 67.2 or thereabouts, and the drop to around 66.7 when you move to flow. If you run with two then you’ll start around 66.5 in elevate and drop to 66 in flow.

Modern trail bikes tend to be around 66.5 to 67. The Bronson for example is 67. More burly enduros like the Yeti SB6 are around 66. I do a lot of climbing so going below 67 in elevate seems too much, not that I’ve tried.

Slacker should mean more stable at speed downhill, and easier to lift the front. Small changes apparently gave a big impact. I’ve not tried one of these yet. Too slack and it wanders and lifts when climbing.

I’ve ordered one bushing to try. Sounds like it’ll get me to ballpark Bronson angles of 66.8 to 67.2 depending on mode.

Ashy. Brakes were awesome today. Very adjustable. Way less grabby than the XT. Plenty of power and control.

I use a peli case for my IEMs. Will possibly get one for my gopro too – need to test fit first.

https://peliproducts.co.uk/index.php/products/cases.html

KMC X10.93

Initially I wound out the rear derailleur a fair bit with the b-tension screw. That worked but it was a little more sluggish to shift. Then I got a goatlink which as you say replaces the existing link. You can do it in a couple of mins without releasing cable tension. Then I put the b-tension back where it should go. The main thing was chain length, but the 32t oval is 34t in one direction, 30 in the other, so I had to cater for maybe more chain length than you.

I think I might need to get a chesty mount. My 7idp helmet is all angles so nowhere for a sticky mount. I got a mount on my road helmet, though there are gaps underneath so not sure I’d really want to leave that on. The Hero5 Black is very nice though. I dunked it into the sink just because you can – felt all kinds of wrong.