To all you 29er's out there!

I have sat on a Giant and a Trek/ Gary Fisher in 29er but felt cumbersome, the best I have ridden is actually a Cube LTD edition but dunno if I can do alu frame, although not too sure why.......

try a singular if you can - definitely one of the most loved

Wrong time of the year but it's worth seeing if you can find an event happening near you then you can check out lots of bike and chat to people. You don't have to go for a 29er plenty of 26" bike could be fine too, it's all about having a go. Taller people tend to require a steeper seat post angles because as the post comes out more the seat gets pushed moreover the rear wheel. Try inline seat posts to help alleviate this.

true but because i am bigger i prefer to be over the rear wheel but still have sharp steering so i run a 440 layback post pushing me further from my bars but i can still run an 80mm stem - works great for me anyhoo but for mtbing i prefer a lively bmx-style ride as i'm rarely in the saddle for more than a morning or an afternoon so comfort isn't an issue - but even 24hr events are ok at a push - as tommy say's - you need to get to a demo day or a local race and hope there are some brand test bikes to have a go on

cheers guys, I will endeavor to get out and try some bikes

36'ers ? wtf
very odd

Had snapped my chain at the weekend, so ordered the sram pc991 cross step

When i fitted it the chain was exactly the required length already, no spare links

Am starting to discover how big the 29er is compared to a normal mtb! this and the fact that some of the twists and turns last weekend at Swinley were clearly made for smaller bikes.

Or people with more skill, more time on the bike is all that is required.

am trying to commute twice a week on the mtb and then do a ride each weekend

speed of the commute has been cut from 55 minutes to 45

possibly a combo of improved fitness for the mtb and the new wheelset

that's why for half the riding in the u.k you are better off with a normal mtb.
29 ers are big in the U.S. because the trails are different.
over here especially in the south there is lots of tight steep twisty stuff in the trees so 26 is the ideal wheel size.
if you like rolling double track then get a cross bike :-)

that's why for half the riding in the u.k you are better off with a normal mtb.
29 ers are big in the U.S. because the trails are different.
over here especially in the south there is lots of tight steep twisty stuff in the trees so 26 is the ideal wheel size.
if you like rolling double track then get a cross bike :-)

not convinced by that at all - never found a track that isn't suitable for a 29er - just different - plus on a 29er it can feel slower through tight stuff but when you compare it to a 26er it's definitely faster. but then again i am a big gangly mess of a man and look like i am riding a bmx on a normal mtb

Bleed attempt 1 failed. Keeping the syringe tube on the slippery nipple is somewhat challenging.

if you like rolling double track then get a cross bike :-)

That's what I had to accept for the area I live in. As much as I like MTB's all I ended up doing was turning them all into very light, rigid MTBs with semi slick tyres as that was most effective.
Realised a couple of years ago that a Cross bike was actually a better option and I am faster on it than any previous MTB I had
It can be a bit sketchy over roots/mud etc,. but that accounts for 2 minutes of my ride. Even the Singletrack where I live can be ridden flat out!

there is a trail near high ashes farm between leith and holmbury (which is sadly now off limits). it wasn't very long or even that steep but it ran through coppiced woodland and was probably the slowest trail to ride as it was so twisty, often needing a rear wheel hop to get round some of a trees. good fun if you got round without dabbing or smacking a tree with your shoulder.
a 29'er isn't going to be at an advantage on a trail like that.

but there is no ideal bike. a singlespeed frigid 29'er is perfect for some trails a compromise on others.

Fucking cunty fuckity fucking fucks.

bleeding arse foreigner?

try a different method of bleeding (depending on which brakes you have)
or try the push method. push fluid up from the caliper. or the push/pull method with 2 syringes.
every brake system has it's foibles and and often the best method is not the manufacturers recommended method.
you can't bleed them the same way as cars/motorbikes.

or just take them to the LBS and let them deal with it :-)

Bleeding was actually going ok until the bolt that seals the master cylinder basically disintegrated in my hand.

I was being super, super gentle with it as I know it's soft in any case but it appears that gentle finger-pressure has turned the bolt and the threaded hole into smooth cylinders of useless shit.

going brake shopping

you think that's bad try old formula B4's. they used plastic to get the wight down so they could call them superlight brakes.

plastic grub screws with a torx fitting on the master cylinder, using a small torx screwdriver i would say a little prayer every time i turned them only for the head of the screw to shear off 9 times out of 10.
plastic gaskets in the master cylinder that used to react to the dot4 fluid and warp letting fluid escape.
tiny grub screws with a minuscule O-ring that would disintegrate after a few months and leak fluid. (you had to buy a 'screw tube kit' for £10 to get a replacement as the O-rings were not available separately)
a bleed system that basically didn't work, ended up getting kits from the american importer along with O-rings which i then sold on to other people suffering with the brakes.

i now use shimano brakes. in fairness the formula oro's were a massive improvement but they are very expensive now.

God, they sound frightful.

The MPH2 system I have (had I guess) is superseded now in any case so parts other than pads are like hens' teeth.

Buy some Hope brakes. Nicely made, function brilliantly, and light as you want.

(they also look hot. But us serious cyclists dont care such things of course)

The Hope stuff looks great. Bit pricey...

I found a special on an Avid Elixir CR 203mm so we'll see how that goes I guess.

(they also look hot. But us serious cyclists dont care such things of course)

I'll be running two different brake brands in mismatching colours so I guess that makes me extra serious.

So will you have a working bike for Sunday?