Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

Dibs

Adding to the brake chat, I think brakes is arguably the worst thing shimano are making atm. I’m on my second warranty m9100 lever (not the trail ones) because of leaking, and I can just never get them perfect, need a bleed every 4/5 months.
I’m really tempted to get some maguras, as it seems like I’ve had quite good luck with them compared with some people in here. I’ve dealt with them on lots of beefy cargo bikes like GSDs and they seem super strong.

I would get hopes if they didn’t look so wrong on a XC bike

A lot of the problems with shimano brakes come down to their mineral oil viscosity. See here https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/65337/what-causes-and-how-to-fix-wandering-bite-point-on-shimano-hydraulic-brakes

I'll be changing my 8100s to putoline on the next bleed.

Stick some Royal Blood in them.

Cheers for the lever explanation earlier. That probably is the reason as were well used.

I have never had an issue bleeding Maguras down the years. I just follow the method and it works fine. I used Shimano mineral oil last time I think. Brakes worked fine afterwards. I use Hope brakes on all my mtbs, but will consider Maguras in future as half the price.

3 times in the last week I’ve found an XL Scott scale in stock, 3 times I’ve been too slow ordering while at work and missed out. You need fast reactions to be a mtber in 2021.. and ideally a desk based job

Hippy’s hat has made me think about an XC bike. Would I ever use it?

Weren't you trying to talk hippy out of getting an XC bike?

As an only MTB? Yes, I think he'd have more fun on a more versatile bike, if it was his only bike.

I've got some options available to me, however.

I think he'd have more fun on a more versatile bike, if it was his only bike

Would this suggest you're considering a dedicated XC bike for racing?

will consider Maguras in future as half the price.

Half the price - twice the problem. None of the looks. I mean they don't even come in purple do they?

Would I ever use it?

Do you race XC? I do, which is why I have an XC bike. If I didn't, I wouldn't.

I'll be changing my 8100s to putoline on the next bleed.

Presumably Putoline has an additive to make it consistent in cold weather?

My wait is over

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That looks pretty capable!

In thinking of it mostly as a flat bar gravel bike tbh.

Likely to be more so than me

I have won this war ! (over gravel)

Put some racing ralphs and its also a road bike.

Bang tidy.

If you don't have a CX bike (well if I didn't have one) 100% go for a XC bike. I'd get a nippy hardtail if I didn't own a bunch of CX bikes

Sweet!

Nice to see another Cotic amongst the ranks.

I'm riding an XC bike at the moment. I still can't work out if I like riding off-road.

Nearly ripped my arm out bailing on some creviced line only to hit a hidden tree stump. Ramming my knee into bars stopped me going OTB. :S

I feel like an old man doing dumb stuff that should've been out of my system in my 20s

Really really nice, love the colour.
What stem do we have here?

I'm wondering if slacker head tube, heavier inbetweener bike like Stanton and fatter rubber would make me better or just make me slower? Going slower might stop me breaking myself but it messes up some bits where you need speed to get through sections clean.

As @pastry_bot said, you have to get a bike for your use case.

Are you riding to the trail/gravel on road? i.e 30%+ of your ride is road/some path. Get XC.