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

29er HT are way more comfortable, I hardly ever ride my 26 full susser.

Agreed - although if you're going to be training hard off road there is a cumulative effect to the lesser beating up that can get quite fatiguing.

I find riding rigid/hardtail as much as I can just makes the full-susser feel so easy to ride. I'm doing a 320 mile ride over easter, with 40,000 feet of climbing, loads of technical off-road and visiting most of Wales' trail centres en route. It will be brutal, on 29er hardtail, loaded with bikepacking kit/food/water.

Can't wait.

Trail centre fun on a bike laden with bike packing gubbins? That sounds like arduous guff.

Good luck dude

It's still heaps of fun, bike is only about 30lbs loaded up. I might not be saying that after easter.

I'm travelling ultra light, no tarp, bivvy + 3 season bag only. So not too much to carry, and not carrying much water, as wales has water everywhere, mostly falling from the sky. It's arduous, but it's better than sitting about watching telly.

Know a couple of people riding in Wales over Easter, sounds like they're planning a tough ride too...

shh!

Better?

Ta, I'll get a load of pics and a write up some time the week after. It's going to be tough, but I'm really looking forward to just being out there for a few days.

Do tell...

Private trip or has the Welsh Ride Thing moved to easter from may bank holidays.

only 48hours and a couple hundred kms around mid-north wales for fun.

WRT is the normal weekend.

Hoped to make it to that this year but I seem to have been roped into a bunch of stuff that weekend, and the weekends for the other group start bike packing events... :(

WRT would be nicer than the HT500 :)

Would also like to do the WRT, brilliant photo floating around somewhere of a bike from last year or year before, fella rocked up with ghetto luggage system, couple of lidal/aldi carrier bags lashed to the bike.

Did anyone turn up to the Battle on the Beach on one of these? Surely the perfect bike for such an event.

One of the Koga team had something similar in size humongous

Water you big goon. It was frickin boiling.

You packed a kettle too?!

I'll get my coat

Quick questions... Norco Fluid? Any good as a first full sus? Strengths? Weaknesses?

SRAM shifters... is it possible to get used to them if you've spent 20 years with Shimano?

Dialled Prince Albert... designed for 120-140mm travel forks... how would it ride with 100mm travel forks... any merit in riding one with 100mm of travel or would you go for a quick upgrade ASAP?

Dunno - but here's a review
http://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/full-suspension-bikes/norco-fluid-7-1

SRAM - yes, no worries, I have both and there's no prob with either

Dialled PA - get the right forks initially, it'll suck with 100mm

My issue with SRAM is the push push which seems much more awkward to use... the majority of that may well be down to the fact that I'm used to Shimano, but I think that it is also just more dfficult full stop. It is much more awkward sticking you thumb in a small gap than it is use a fnger which is just sitting there waiting to shift. I'm answering my own question here... my experience on SRAM is 2 miles. I liked the crisp shifting and strong springs but I really didn't like the experience of using the shifters. I suppose what I wanted was someone to say if you're used to shimano and didn't like SRAM on first use then just stick to Shimano.

My issue with the PA is that it was bought with 100mm forks already fitted. I quite liked the more XC feel that having 100mm forks gave me compared to being used to 140mm travel on my main MTB... but obviously if I want an XC bike I should buy an XC bike, and if I want to find out how nice a PA is to ride I should fit the right forks on it and then judge it.

Hi, I'm about to have a set of 130mm travel forks avalible, there is a bit of stantion rub, but they will be priced to compensate. Still plush as they are coil roclshox recons with travel adjust.

Anyway Pm if they may work for you and we can talk numbers. I also have an Inbred frame in 18" i need ot shift so if you want more XC that could also be an option?

(both options avalible t0 anyone interested)

No thanks to either I'm afraid. I have a set of 140mm travel Fox Vanillla forks which I can use (they need to come off another bike that I'm planning on giving a radical overhaul to first)... and if I were to decide to get an XC bike it would be almost certainly not be steel and would be a 'pure' XC bike.

Whilst we're talking sales though, I have a Cannondale M600 Frame and original Pepperoni Forks w/ useable (just) headset, seatpost and stem that needs to go. Light as... main problem for me is that the forks are 1 1/4" (not tapered) which means a new 1 1/4" headset. pm me or search ebay in a few days!

Back at looking to replace my current Cube Cross bike with something new and different.

Been looking at Cotic, Singular, Genesis and Salsa etc.. just not sure which one to go for...

Was thinking of a MTB there are some good deals, but not sure if I would still be drawn to this monstercross style...

Spam

Any small people/ladies want a cheap mtb?

http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/266539/

/Spam

Apparently there are! Used as a commuter btw.

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Wut?