Mountain Biking

Soldato
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Need to replace the GXP bottom bracket on my MTB. Bike is a Scott Scale 35 73mm BB shell with an etype derailleur. Means the overall width of the shell is around 75.5mm. The old Truvativ GXP support article mentions that on 73 or 73E width you don't use spacers. However the newer SRAM GXP support guide has no such mention of 73E. I assume a 2009 GXP will be the same as a new 2018 GXP bottom bracket and will allow the cranks to seat properly?

kpcANc



I assume the lack of mentioning 73E is that etype are not that common on todays bikes.
 
Soldato
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Need to replace the GXP bottom bracket on my MTB. Bike is a Scott Scale 35 73mm BB shell with an etype derailleur. Means the overall width of the shell is around 75.5mm. The old Truvativ GXP support article mentions that on 73 or 73E width you don't use spacers. However the newer SRAM GXP support guide has no such mention of 73E. I assume a 2009 GXP will be the same as a new 2018 GXP bottom bracket and will allow the cranks to seat properly?

kpcANc



I assume the lack of mentioning 73E is that etype are not that common on todays bikes.

not sure about sram bbs but shimano 73mm ones you use 1 spacer on the driveside, which you can swap for a bb mount chainguide or etype front mech
id imagine its the same for you?

later on they changed what etype is, so its no longer bb mounted,

just avoid the "dub" ones, because they are stupid new size (and anything else sram related if you can help it :D)
 
Associate
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What's the best hardtail out there just now? Looking to get one with the Cycle to Work scheme starting soon!

Looking for something that's go for long distance trail riding (no jumps etc.) seeing as my full sus isn't really suited for it anymore! Wheels would need to be 27.5 and preferably RockShox or Fox forks!

Cheers!
 
Associate
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What's the best hardtail out there just now? Looking to get one with the Cycle to Work scheme starting soon!

Looking for something that's go for long distance trail riding (no jumps etc.) seeing as my full sus isn't really suited for it anymore! Wheels would need to be 27.5 and preferably RockShox or Fox forks!

Cheers!
mate, a little more help?

"best" hardtail is impossible - what's your budget, and then we can start somewhere...

one person's "trail riding" involves jumps - there's even a family/group of full suss with ~ 140mm travel called trail bikes, for chucking about and going off jumps...

As for your description - long distances with no/minimal jumps - I would look at a XC bike, and probably 29" (unless your full sus is a 27 and you want to share tubes/tyres).
 
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Associate
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mate, a little more help?

"best" hardtail is impossible - what's your budget, and then we can start somewhere...

one person's "trail riding" involves jumps - there's even a family/group of full suss with ~ 140mm travel called trail bikes, for chucking about and going off jumps...

As for your description - long distances with no/minimal jumps - I would look at a XC bike, and probably 29" (unless your full sus is a 27 and you want to share tubes/tyres).
Buying it through the C2W scheme so there is the budget.

I said trail riding with no jumps (should have also said not a great deal of techy stuff) so that, I think, was pretty clear. If I was doing that type of riding, I would take my full sus.

The preference is to keep the wheels the same size for that reason, to chop and change.
 
Soldato
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So £1000 limit? Or can you add more yourself? Given that the C2W is just a voucher you can add more normally when you buy a bike.

If it's a 27.5 hardtail then there's plenty of choice depending how much towards the 'hardcore' hardtail with 66/65 degree HA and 130-150mm fork you want to go, there's even more choice of 100mm travel XC biased hardtails.

Trail riding with no jumps does cover a huge spectrum, is it trail centre singletrack, or up a mountain trail riding. Trail riding with no jumps in Kent is very different to trail riding in Scotland with no jumps... :D

Also C2W normally limits you to certain retailers, that will probably narrow down your choice a lot.
 
Associate
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some c2w schemes and retailers used to allow you to contribute extra to raise the purchase over £1k - with that 1k getting the tax-benefit. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but if it is, then we still don't know the budget...

also, as Paul says, we would need to know the scheme's partner retailer(s) to give options.

I wouldn't expect to be able to chop and change (ie swap) wheels between bikes, as if they're different drive configurations (1x11 for a new hard-tail and 2x10 for an older full suss) then the rear cassette will be different for the different rear derailleur, so you'll be constantly swapping that (if the hub is the same fitting), not to mention the potential re-indexing and the possible different hub width standards... Basically - expect to be able to easily swap tyres and tubes. Running tubeless removes the tube-swapping and makes tyre-swapping a ball-ache, so basically, have 2 bikes and don't expect to swap much...

Trail riding, in my mind, is man-made paths and arguably trail centres, which are likely to have jumps and rollers (north-shore, drops, etc). I'm guessing you're meaning natural-paths, bridleways, canal-paths, etc. - so I still maintain you're after something more advertised as cross-country (xc) instead of trail. So, I'd try to look for a 29er to cover distances easily and ideal for bridleways and exploring fields/countryside. But, then saying all that, most of my riding is away from trails-centres (and what I think are trails) and I regularly find jumps or drops, so even though I'm not on what I think is a trail, it's still more than what I'd like to ride a xc hardtail on.

I/we're not trying to be awkward, or ****s, but just trying to get all the info to help the best.
 
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Associate
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some c2w schemes and retailers used to allow you to contribute extra to raise the purchase over £1k - with that 1k getting the tax-benefit. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but if it is, then we still don't know the budget...

also, as Paul says, we would need to know the scheme's partner retailer(s) to give options.

I wouldn't expect to be able to chop and change (ie swap) wheels between bikes, as if they're different drive configurations (1x11 for a new hard-tail and 2x10 for an older full suss) then the rear cassette will be different for the different rear derailleur, so you'll be constantly swapping that (if the hub is the same fitting), not to mention the potential re-indexing and the possible different hub width standards... Basically - expect to be able to easily swap tyres and tubes. Running tubeless removes the tube-swapping and makes tyre-swapping a ball-ache, so basically, have 2 bikes and don't expect to swap much...

Trail riding, in my mind, is man-made paths and arguably trail centres, which are likely to have jumps and rollers (north-shore, drops, etc). I'm guessing you're meaning natural-paths, bridleways, canal-paths, etc. - so I still maintain you're after something more advertised as cross-country (xc) instead of trail. So, I'd try to look for a 29er to cover distances easily and ideal for bridleways and exploring fields/countryside. But, then saying all that, most of my riding is away from trails-centres (and what I think are trails) and I regularly find jumps or drops, so even though I'm not on what I think is a trail, it's still more than what I'd like to ride a xc hardtail on.

I/we're not trying to be awkward, or ****s, but just trying to get all the info to help the best.
The initial response, to me anyway, came across as a bit knobby so apologies! :D

Wheel size - I meant keep the wheels the same size so that tyre swaps can be easier. I can't go tubeless on my full sus due to a sizeable ding in the rear wheel which makes it as water tight as a sieve so it would be beneficial to swap them around due to the sporadic weather up here!

I'm not against a XC bike, I just generalised them all under hardtail so that I could get more options that didn't include people suggesting full suspension (hence why I said about no jumps/drops and very little technical stuff). I owned a 29er hardtail a few years ago and for some reason it just didn't feel right so I'd rather stick with 27.5.



Regarding where to buy it from for the sake of the voucher, I'm trying to get ideas on what to go for first and then have a look and see if retailers stock them instead of getting a voucher for somewhere and being restricted as to what I can buy. I have a couple of local bike shops which have a few big brands plus Apline Bikes is only 45 minutes from me and they have some of the more 'premium' brands. The only brand I've come across that I'd struggle to get is Mondraker.

I do like the look of the Roscoe 8!
 
Associate
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if I had up to £2k for a 27.5 hardtail then I think I'd be looking at
Whyte 905 and Orange Crush S
both available from Leisure Lakes
Whyte also at Edinburgh Bicycle and Orange at Tredz
all these retailers do some kind of C2W scheme

personally I think I'd go for the Whyte, as the plus tyres could be fun, but the Orange is probably more suitable if you want to swap tyres with the full sus (as it's unlikely to have clearance for 2.8 tyres). If you

I'd also add the Ragley Blue Pig to the mix, but it's harder to get hold of and I can't instantly spot it for sale at a C2W shop.
 
Soldato
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The bird zero AM boost would be up there for me in that price range, however if you want to swap wheels with your FS bike I'm guessing you'll need a non-boost hardtail, which many of the 2018 bikes are.

Non-boost - £1751 gets a zero TR frame with GX eagle, Pike RCT3 130mm, DT swiss wheels, RF dropper, Guide R brakes - https://www.bird.bike/product/zero-tr-gx-eagle-12-speed/#configuration
 
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Caporegime
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The bird zero AM boost would be up there for me in that price range, however if you want to swap wheels with your FS bike I'm guessing you'll need a non-boost hardtail, which many of the 2018 bikes are.

Non-boost - £1751 gets a zero TR frame with GX eagle, Pike RCT3 130mm, DT swiss wheels, RF dropper, Guide R brakes - https://www.bird.bike/product/zero-tr-gx-eagle-12-speed/#configuration

I think the TR makes more sense if you have a full suspension already.

It's only £150 more than I paid for my Zero mk1! With less kit than that.
 
Soldato
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Associate
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;)

Bird are 'direct' but they're not usual direct, i.e. you can go to their place and demo bikes/pick them up. 'Local' direct as opposed to mail order/online only direct.
but, that doesn't answer if they're available on C2W? Sure, their bikes are ace, but I can't see anything on their website about C2W or accepting vouchers - or have I missed something?
 
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