Mountain Biking

NightSt@lk3r said:
Just took it out for a first ride and my god the DebonAir spring is such an upgrade over the SoloAir in the Recon's, think i'll pick up the 160mm air shaft soon just to get that extra 10mm of travel and maybe in the future upgrade to the Charger damper but that costs more than i paid for the fork :eek:
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I've got both a revelation with charger 2.1 and spring upgrade and also a yari with a charger 2.1 and spring upgrade. I paid about £150 for my dampers.

Looking at your earlier pics.. Why do you have your dropper post so high?
 
jaybee said:
I'm going to upgrade finally I think. Been running a 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper for the last decade :O
It's had all manner of upgrades to keep it going over the years and I'm still relatively quick on it compared to mates on more modern machinery. However, it's the style of frame where the seat tube goes down and exits just above the rear shock which complicates dropper post installations. I can't ride any longer without a dropper. I need one in my life.

So I've got some questions whilst I try to search out some decent ebay bargains under £1000 for a full suss trail bike. Hoping this time of year is a good time to pick up bargains for those that need to sell as the season comes to a close. I do do some low level downhill stuff (not hardcore) and need to be able to ride flat/uphill a bit as well but would prefer it to be bias to slightly more aggressive/slack for more fun on faster stuff.

1. Will I get a better deal if I can live with older 26 inch bikes?
2. Has 27.5 inch settled as the go to size now? (I don't want a 29er)
3. I've ran 1x10 setup for ages, anything worthwhile knowing about 1x11 or 1x12?
4. What are the goto brakes right now for bang per buck that work well enough and are hassle free? I've ran Shimano SLX for ages and they've been fine, but lately rear tends to need bleeding more often and the stopping power is not as good.
5. Are the reverb dropper posts still renown for leaking? Any better alternatives that are competitively priced.
6. Is 140mm enough on the front or should I be looking for 160?
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2) why not 29?
3) all one bys run very similar in my experience, obviously more range with 1*12.
5) reverb are probably better, but cheap droppers are also very good now.
6) 140 will be enough for most people.

You should be able to get a great bike second hand for £1000, mine has been for sale for a month now with hardly any messages! Definitely a buyers market.

Shimano are still great, deore, SLx, Xt are all very similar especially if doing trail centre stuff.

Check pinkbike for bikes too.
 
As above with Pinkbike

@jaybee
I ran 29 on my Specialized Camber FSR and now on my Trek Slash and 27.5 on my Specialized Pitch, with the 29 being, for me the one I would stay with and totally bombproof on the Trek.

A Enduro or similar could be ideal for you.
 
I thought 29ers were just slower and less nimble and not as fun. (Ducks). More XC orientated? I guess they have probably come on a lot. I'm a bit out of the loop.

People who buy downhill bikes with double crown forks, at what point do you sort of say it's worth buying one? I assume if you are doing any amount of flat or uphill pedalling mixed in with your rides, it's a big chore?
 
N0ddie said:
Last summer I bought myself a nice Cube Reaction Race 625 with the intention of using it to cycle to work (on the nice days). The commute is 30 each way so with that and a few days out (locally) I stuck just over 1000 trouble free miles on it in the year. This year's summer didn't lend itself to using the bike (particularly commuting) all that much but recently been getting back out on it.

Last week I splurged out on a nice Specialized Levo since they were reduced on sale. The thing is amasing. I've got so many routes planned for this thing. First one was to cycle up Meikle Bin (one of the local Marylins). It was bloomin steep and very hard but did manage:

The road trip wasn't particularly long on distance but climbing was 3300Ft. A good work out for the legs. The 2 of them polish up well:

53154735070_4ac0926fc8_b.jpg


I still have a couple of weeks holidays left this year where I intend to hit all the good trails around Ballater and Peebles.
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Curious as to what the key differences are between these that warrants having both?
 
jaybee said:
I thought 29ers were just slower and less nimble and not as fun. (Ducks). More XC orientated? I guess they have probably come on a lot. I'm a bit out of the loop.

People who buy downhill bikes with double crown forks, at what point do you sort of say it's worth buying one? I assume if you are doing any amount of flat or uphill pedalling mixed in with your rides, it's a big chore?
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29ers are not slow, less nimble or less fun. Most enduro, dh and trail bikes are 29 now. The geo is what decides these characistcs, not the wheel size (mostly). My 29er is way more fun that my old 650.

29 is basically the go to wheel size now. With some being 650 rear/29 upfront.

Downhill bikes are (these days) only useful if racing, imo. With enduro bikes being so good now, there is very little need. It's a huge chore, it's almost impossible to cycle up most places on a dh bike.
 
jaybee said:
I thought 29ers were just slower and less nimble and not as fun. (Ducks). More XC orientated? I guess they have probably come on a lot. I'm a bit out of the loop.

People who buy downhill bikes with double crown forks, at what point do you sort of say it's worth buying one? I assume if you are doing any amount of flat or uphill pedalling mixed in with your rides, it's a big chore?
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Definitely not.
I've gone from a Nomad 2 (26") with 160/170 to a NP Scout with 140f and 29" and it's loads more capable and faster at everything. Only thing I really noticed was acceleration but that's to be expected with heavier tyres and rims.
I'll be staying with 29er now.
 
going for a 26 now would be madness when everyone has moved on to 27 or 29. I moved on to 29 recently from 27 and its notably better for my riding.
 
I wouldn't entertain a 26" bike. They are dead and buried. Unfortunately 27.5 is going that way too but for smaller people they are sometimes more comfortable.

29/mullet all the way now. Lots of good bike deals about at minute. I'm tempted to get myself an ebike but trying to be sensible with money for once.
 
robj20 said:
Definitely not.
I've gone from a Nomad 2 (26") with 160/170 to a NP Scout with 140f and 29" and it's loads more capable and faster at everything. Only thing I really noticed was acceleration but that's to be expected with heavier tyres and rims.
I'll be staying with 29er now.
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What is 160/170 and 140f?

img said:
going for a 26 now would be madness when everyone has moved on to 27 or 29. I moved on to 29 recently from 27 and its notably better for my riding.
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Can you explain in what way it's better?

Hedge said:
I wouldn't entertain a 26" bike. They are dead and buried. Unfortunately 27.5 is going that way too but for smaller people they are sometimes more comfortable.

29/mullet all the way now. Lots of good bike deals about at minute. I'm tempted to get myself an ebike but trying to be sensible with money for once.
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Ah ok I didn't know the differing front/rear was referred to as a Mullet setup.

Back when 29ers first came in, they had a rep for being XC orientated and mainly beneficial to rollover and making progress quicker, at the expense of handling and speed and acceleration. I guess geometry has changed and accommodated 29 fully now. Like I say I am out of the loop.
 
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jaybee said:
What is 160/170 and 140f?



Can you explain in what way it's better?



Ah ok I didn't know the differing front/rear was referred to as a Mullet setup.

Back when 29ers first came in, they had a rep for being XC orientated and mainly beneficial to rollover and making progress quicker, at the expense of handling and speed and acceleration. I guess geometry has changed and accommodated 29 fully now. Like I say I am out of the loop.
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160mm rear suspension and 170mm fork.
 
robj20 said:
Yeah that disappointed me as well. Leaks a lot on hot days when it expands as well.
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I took a seal out of another water bottle i have and put it in the fidlock one and now it's no longer leaking, you'd think for nearly 40 quid you'd get a bottle that doesn't leak...

Begbie said:
I've got the one with the lid, never had any issues with it.
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I got this one and it leaked like hell where the lid screws on to the bottle until i put a seal in it from another bottle.
www.fidlock.com

TWIST bottle 450 + uni base | 09626-001032(TBL)

If your bike has a narrow frame that leaves no room for a traditional bottle, the small TWIST bottle 450 is perfect. This compact bottle with its magnetic-mechanical attachment system fits even the smallest frames.
www.fidlock.com www.fidlock.com
 
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