Mountain Bikes

IME 2K wouldnt easily get a quality full suss below 25lbs. maybe I'm looking at the wrong bits.

 

FRONT sus mate

 

sleep in the eyes now rubbed out!

 

For those with DXs or lamenting their passing, perhaps these might be of interest: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4975

 

you know, I was just looking at those the other day.

I like a full size pedal which is clipless, but the DX's really carry a weight penalty.

I dont think the perfect pedal for me is out there yet!

 

I too have a mountain bike. At the front it has a wheel; at the back one wheel also. I pedal to make it go forward but I cannot make it go backwards. I sleep in a basket.

 

Big LOL

 

just spent a bucket load of cash on my bike, and now I want to show off some pictures

kit includes
hope headset
hope stem
concor lite saddle
ea70 monkeybar
new tyres
xt hollowtech II cranks
new cassette/derrailleur/chain etc
new forks

aaaaaaah touchy feely shiny bikey!! Haven't even put it in the shed yet, as I like to look at it

 

Very nice but much too shiny, go and ride it through a cowpat forthwith.

I want to upgrade my front forks of my old Marin Bear Valley, but I haven't the faintest idea of what to buy. Is it worth buying 2nd hand for stuff like suspension forks?

 

depends on budget, I'd say.

I intend to sell my old Pace forks on E-bay. You could have them for £50 if you want. They were about £450 new (about 7 years ago). They are perfectly ok.

If you have more money then I'd get some nice Fox forks..

 

I've been buying loads of bits too.

Main bike new bits this year:
Back wheel (Hope/DT/Mavic 717)
Back Brake (Magura Louise 160)
Bar (Titec Hellbent Flat Tracker)
Pedals (Onza Hognesium)
Right hand shifter (X.0)
Cassette (M760)
Chain (PC991)

I'm just about to build up my second bike (rigid singlespeed/commuter), largely with bits that have been upgraded from. For now that will comprise:

Marin Nail Trail '95
Onza Flyguy forks with integral Magura mount (no V bosses)
Goldtec/DT/Mavic front wheel
Truvativ/DT/Mavic rear wheel
32:18 singlespeed gearing
Magura HS22 front brake (no rear)

La Toilette - If your bear valley did not come with suspension then the geometry may well not be set for it (my '95 nail trail isn't). Adding too tall a fork will slacken the head angle off too much, making the bike rather slow-steering (equally, putting too short a fork on a suspension geometry frame will result in too steep a head angle, and it will be too twitchy and inclined to throw you off). Also, if the head angle becomes too slack, the forces transmitted to the frame change, and the head tube can be snapped off.

I would stick to a short-travel fork. 63mm is probably about ideal, and certainly would not go any more than 75mm travel. You can get a RockShox Judy J2 for £65 new, but at 2.5kg it's far from light. I'd be more inclined to look out for a 63mm travel rockshox SID on ebay. You may well need to switch to threadless headset and stem at the same time.

 

La Toilette - my Pacey fork is 75mm, and is ideal for a 'proper' frame like ours

 

They're great IMO. I use a pair of F80RLT from 2004. Plush, v solid and surprisingly light considering the build.

 

Blimey! I'm still running everything stock on my 2002 Specialized Hardrock HR, barring brake pads and pedals (and only then 'cos one of the crappy stock ones was cracked).

That last service cost £83 so I'm definitely not upgrading anything else on it!

Bikes, err, rule and stuff.

 

All my bike's getting this year, apart from the occasional clean and lube, is a fork rebuild...
The Lefty's gone a bit squishy after my very worrying crash earlier this year. I would have got a ride in an air ambulance if they hadn't decided a heart attack down the road was more serious than my suspected broken neck!

 

new bits for my steel steed this year have been...
race face deus xc seatpost
hope stem
specialised alias saddle.
easton ea50 bars.

currently running chris' old mythos xl tyres in place of my panaracer fire xc 2.1's to see if lighter / better rolling tyres suit me (big yes but i miss the pannys grip in some situations)

i'm currently lusting after some tune cranks / bottom bracket and middleburn chainring - purely for bling though and at 600 quid for them that ain;t enough.

really looking forward to some nice weather after slogging through the mud, wind and rain for the past 5 months or so.

 

Just got a pile of bits this morning, mainly for the commuter:

WTB Rocket V saddle (probably go on the FS bike)
Ritchey stem
Single-speed conversion kit (will run 18t I think)
single-speed chain tensioner.

Also last night ordered some tubes, and the 4-bolt magura mount.

 

Hi Isaac

Are you going single speed on the rigid bike then?

 

Yes Chris. Two polar extremes... full bounce with discs, gears, etc. Rigid with three gears (sit, stand, push) and one brake.

Although on the brakes, I have a cunning plan... I'm intending only to have a front brake, but to have two levers, either of which can activate the brake (good for a commuting bike, so I can take either hand off the bar and still brake). Something that can't be done with cable brakes...