To all you 29er's out there!

The only problem I saw with them was the tyre clearance, getting a genuine 2.4 tyre in the dropouts can be a problem in winter. Don't know if that has been sorted now.

Clearance is not overgenerous for sure. 2.35" Hans Dampfs - which come up stupid big - go in mine with a few mm to spare around the chainstays. Not a whole lot of mud clearance but in the winter it only sees trail centres anyway and they tend not to be full of the stuff that really gums your bike up.

How tall are you good folk? Mountain bike sizing confuses me. I'm 6ft tall and ride a 56 road bike. I am assuming I'll need the larger of the 2 sizes the Slackline comes in?

I'm 5'6" and being short the Slackline is in scale for me, so to speak. For someone your size I think maybe the 650b version, the Switchback, might be more suitable for you though I strongly recommend test riding some models first.
I went up to Cannock Chase to meet Dan for a test ride of the Slackline after emailing him. Get in contact with him see if he'll roll out a ride for you.

After chatting to a few people, Im thinking I might not get a cross bike on cycle 2 work any more. What do we think of the Cannondale Trail SL 29 2 ?

Did also wonder about sticking to cro-mo, something like the Charge Cooker 4

So did some riding in Bedgebury. Was awesome fun. I was very slow. Ruts had me terrified I was going to bounce off. Probably had too much air in the tyres. But also thinking about getting a suspension fork. I've heard that KM's are a bit awkward with front suspension though. Thoughts?

get a 3" front tyre. Suspension is a PITA.

I just fitted a Maxxis Chronicle to the front. So Comfort.

always liked a cooker tbh. ride well too, although BB does look significant higher on the cooker vs the cannondale

Which bit of suspension is a problem? Minimal servicing in real terms, just keep them clean. That's been working on my rebas, 2x revs, fox somethings and a load of other forks over the years. Might find some good deals on recently deceased marzochis too

I've heard that KM's are a bit awkward with front suspension though. Thoughts?

Only real issue there is finding decent sus forks with a 1 1/8" steerer. No problems with handling, as long as you stick with 80-100mm travel.

Oh and did anyone say HTFU yet?

Oh i'd forgotten you had one. Is a high bb a bad thing?

no I borrowed a friends to test. they do ride very well. it depends, a lower BB is slightly racier as you are a bit more "planted" with a lower centre of gravity. whereas a higher BB has more clearance and can therefore be better on technical things..

35mm BB drop on a 100mm forked hardtail seems excessively high though.

FYI, I'm basing wanting to get a 29er off the fact that i'm 6'4" and would be doing cross country.

80mm Rebas seems to be the suggestion for those who do rock suspension. Gabes suggestion is good as well.

on a 29er nonetheless

on a 29er nonetheless

I did notice which thread I'm in ;-)

I've got a knard on its way to me, but how much death is it likely to cause on a normal, narrow rim?
Until I can locate a cheap wide one, I'll be using about 22mm internal rim width.....am I fucked?

My buddy was up there with Dan from Stanton at the weekend....I think he's going to be the south's dealer for him. I know that he is getting four frames from him, and is currently building some 650b wheels up for the arrival of one.....you might be able to go along and sling your leg over one, when they're built. He's in Royston, Herts

@spotter - The Cannondale looks like a decent enough spec for the price. The Octalink chainset is outdated for sure, but the shifting will be fine.

Nice that it comes with a tubeless set up.

Does it have a trail geo or is it the same as the racey and now iirc defunct F-29 series?

The SS version was rad.

I guess the kind of use I give a fork is way over what most forks ever actually see. My rebas did close to 4000 miles in a year, all in the UK, mostly over winter or in rainy wales.

Sent them to TF, as they were fucked. They had no oil in (despite me having re-oiled them a few times) and the air-shaft had a nick in it, so the air chamber was bollocksed.

My full-susser hasn't been a problem, but then it's only done < 400 miles since new.

Measures up the same as the SS version.

73.5 degree STA and between 71 - 71.5 degree HTA.

The SS version was rad.

Still is :-)

Well its not expensive to swap out the chainset, but is it the best choice? I loved the look of the beast from the east but they dont have any in stock still November.

Im guessing the charge is slightly better spec because its a cheaper frame?