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

look up veronica moser, and see how many times ed has mentioned her

Trans Provence Day 1 on Vimeo

trans Provence day 1.

Nice, didnt know about that event, thanks Andy

Day 2
http://vimeo.com/29628172

quick question

I have an SIC RCT3 29er fork on order (tapered steerer, 15mm axle)

It is going to cost 630 quid

I have been offered the SID XX (carbon steerer, remote lockout stupid bling thing) for 800 quid this is nearly 300 cheaper than the rrp, but a few places are doing them for between 900 to a grand

would it be a stupid purchase?

£800 for any fork sounds fucking mental to me.

Get a rigid fork and a large tin of this:

Zing! must admitted I never had a problem with my (abet shitty) rigid fork.

Youv'e not done much riding with a suspension fork on the bike though, have you!

Youv'e not done much riding with a suspension fork on the bike though, have you!

If you've got the brass for an £800 fork and you really really want one then I think you should just go for it.
Suspension is fine, in it's place, but a lot of people fall into the trap of thinking you need all sorts of whistles and bells to enjoy mountain biking and it's just not true. Fork fetishism and suspension S & M is equivalent to the weight weenie in road biking, i.e. swapping perfectly good components for something more expensive in the vain hope that a carbon bar or machined stem or a bling fork or a gold chain will somehow enhance your ride immeasurably.
It still comes down to turning the pedals, honking up hills and avoiding crashing downhills.
Any money would probably be best spent in skills training sessions, or just saved while you enjoy one of the most pleasurable aspects of riding on or off road - free freedom!

Free freedom!

You can get decent suspension forks for a lot less than £800.

People use it because it works, improved hendling, comfort etc.

Their are no whistles or bells on or near my MTB.

Rockshox Reba come to mind as a decent fork, not the best but I find them to perform rather well.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=54594

I like to know how it'll improving hendling though.

#scobled

Mechanical grip, baby.

i am not sure i can justify the extra between the RCT3 and the XX fork

however the current fork is not right, only 80mm of travel where a 100mm fork is required (it also means i can return the current fork to the soma frame which does require 80mm of travel)

funnily enough i was saying to tom. that i am contemplating skills training too

bike radar mentioned that the carbon crown/steerer of the xx fork is actually more flexible than the aluminium of the RCT3 fork, and part of my rationale for the simultaneous upgrade to tapered steerer and 15mm axle is to tighten up the front end

so its a case of is 170 quid worth it for remote lockout and a fork with two settings (open and closed)

or the cheaper fork with open/platform/closed settings but no option of a remote

for the mtb weight weenie/bling does not really seem so appropriate, durability and fuckwit proof seem to be more important factors - though i doubt the carbon components on the XX fork will be any more susceptible to damage than the aluminium parts on the cheaper fork. if it were about bling/lightweight i would have carbon bars, XTR groupo and the lynskey twisty tube frame

there is also part of me thinking that the xx fork would be overkill, like putting a chris king headset on a create bike

however despite all the logical arguments i still think i may end up with the xx fork, because i am an utter idiot.

if there was an option for lockout on the RCT3 fork i know for certain which i would go for

^It's not an idiot thing to want such a fork - I'm sure a fuck of a lot of R & D has gone into the thing and the price probably reflects this. I'm sure it gives a dreamy ride and you will definitely get the use out of it, but I'd warn anyone thinking that such a thing is absolutely necessary to be a good rider that this is not true. Steve Peat won his first National Downhill title on a rigid Kona against lads with suspension. He won because he had (and has) mad skillz.

James, I'd avoid anything with a carbon steerer if I were you. Yeah, it will have been trialled in competition, it will have gone through rigorous testing, it will have guarantees, blah blah blah, but the fact remains that carbon does fail in the most spectacular way, especially if you are a rider with strong upper body strength with a track record of busting shit.

you can always trust metal.

£800 for any fork sounds fucking mental to me.

Get a rigid fork and a large tin of this:

Solid advice Luci!

Fun was a lot cheaper when I started mountain biking!
I seem to remember having just as much of it though.

It's an arms race.

Fun was a lot cheaper when I started mountain biking!
I seem to remember having just as much of it though.

From the man whose parents owned a bike shop and who probably got most things at trade!

Nice try, but they've only had it for the last 11 years. :]
If I wanted it, I saved for it.

Nice try, but they've only had it for the last 11 years. :]
If I wanted it, I saved for it.

This has already been established when I was complaining that Blackie here had a Marin Eldridge Grade when I could only afford a Kona Fire Mountain.

Clearly my savings skillz are insufficiently "mad".

Sadly though, my dad's 'road touring' background forced me onto a size too big Eldridge grade. :]
But I still had shed loads of fun on it. :]

Although I also moved up a place in the school choir.

james, i would go for the RCT3's. whenever i have had lockout on my forks, i have never bothered to use it, as i find the increased traction (esp on tech climbs) more useful. plus if your sat down, i find that the fork doesn't really bob all that much

Can anyone recommend somewhere to get a good mtb service in north east London? Need brakes bled and wheels could do with truing. Thank you!