help finding a new bike

[Gissin]

so some items have arrived.

first impressions, bars are super lightweight and have a really nice feel to them

the digital tyre pressure guage is great and has allowed my to tune my forks to exactly the pressure I wanted.

got some new death grips again

 

unfortunately the stem was out of stock (allowed me to order it though 😞)  so I'll wait until it's back in stock to fit the new bars.

 

additional chain reaction cycles customer service is shocking.

[Tilt]

Never fancied going tubeless myself but my road riding buddy from years ago used tubeless........

 

The tyres that my bike came with are Continental Mountain King 2.2 and these have been excellent summer tyres. After marrying these with some 2.2-2.6 downhill tubes then on the very rare occasion I get a thorn in it the tyre remains inflated for hours as the tube is un-stretched inside the tyre as it is the same size as the tyre. Bit of a bugger to refit after a mend though, but this can then be done at home without spoiling the ride.

 

For the muddy trails I chose to try Panaracer TrailRaker PR (puncture resistant) 2.1, and just using standard tubes these have been excellent.

 

Have visited Sherwood Pines and Cannock Chase a number of times. Burntstump Woods was a regular saturday afternoon ride but the best ride of all for me was in Dalby Forest in the North York Moors on a snowy New Years Day a few moons ago. Brilliant.

 

@Gissin Glad you getting a few Christmas presents in early then, Lol.

[Gissin]

fitted the new bars and stem ( went raceface turbine r) as no idea when the spank one is coming back in stock.

 

got wider bars and saved 300g 

 

 

[olduns]

just fitted Nukeproof Horizon CF 38 riser to my Whyte along with Ergon GA grips. 

as they were a decent price and i was looking for riser bars as i felt too much 'over the front', job done.

new Vittoria Morsa's fitted as well as they've been in the cupboard for 9 months, again another offer too good to miss , the Forekaster's will go back on for Summer as still life left in them

New wheel to sort of match the front i replaced a few months ago, Mavic Crossmax, front is Crossride, the only single wheel i could find in 142mm QR

 

Yes, really needs a clean  

Edited 6 December, 2020 by olduns

[Gissin]

On 27/11/2020 at 14:36, Tilt said:

burntstump Woods was a regular saturday afternoon ride but the best ride of all for me was in Dalby Forest in the North York Moors on a snowy New Years Day a few moons ago. Brilliant.

 

@Gissin Glad you getting a few Christmas presents in early then, Lol.

nice I'll check them out.

I'll keep the tyres in mind if change my rims to something smaller in the future 

[Gissin]

7 minutes ago, olduns said:

just fitted Nukeproof Horizon CF 38 riser to my Whyte along with Ergon GA grips. 

as they were a decent price and i was looking for riser bars as i felt too much 'over the front', job done.

new Vittoria Morsa's fitted as well as they've been in the cupboard for 9 months, again another offer too good to miss , the Forekaster's will go back on for Summer as still life left in them

New wheel to sort of match the front i replaced a few months ago, Mavic Crossmax, front is Crossride, the only single wheel i could find in 142mm QR

 

Yes, really needs a clean  

nice they the 31.8 clamp size? if so they were a great price.

let me know what you think to the grips I almost brought them over the death grips but couldn't justify the X3 cost 

 

[olduns]

not tried the grips yet, only ever had the Whyte OEM ones, i'll report back as and when.

bars are 31.8, £50 from CRC / Wiggle, not sure if i'd have paid £70+ just to swap

Grips are a personal thing, what suits one may not suit another unless you have a few mates who can swap around with thicker/thinner/softer etc to try

got them from Germany along with the rear wheel, no cheaper but as i was paying postage anyway..

[Gissin]

On 06/12/2020 at 20:01, olduns said:

not tried the grips yet, only ever had the Whyte OEM ones, i'll report back as and when.

bars are 31.8, £50 from CRC / Wiggle, not sure if i'd have paid £70+ just to swap

Grips are a personal thing, what suits one may not suit another unless you have a few mates who can swap around with thicker/thinner/softer etc to try

got them from Germany along with the rear wheel, no cheaper but as i was paying postage anyway..

any grips are usually an upgrade to OEM 

 

yeah  that's a cracking price, I had a voucher so wasn't costly to me  and already running 35mm so wanted to stay the same.

unfortunately I only have 3 mates that are into biking, ones only just got a new bike and the other literally rides until things break/fall off then replaces eventually.  so usually me buying new parts to try out.

I must say im a big fan of the flanged death grips in thick / soft compound and at £14 a go not too costly to change ( I've also tried the flangeless thin/ soft but these are better)  I might give the Ergons a go once this pair wear out 

Edited 11 December, 2020 by Gissin

[Gissin]

update:

40mm stem and 780/25mm rise carbon bars fitted 

I'm not sure if it's the saving of 300g or the combination of wider bars and a higher riding position but popping the front up for wheelies, manual, bunny hops  to clear obstacles seems loads easier,  in fact the first couple of tries I went off the back as it came up so quick!

 

the  Carbon bars look and feel awesome, steering input is about the same possibly slightly quicker. I've not been out on a trail to experience any dampening effects from the carbon and give them a good going over but so far so good, added bonus my brakes now clear my top tube !

Edited 11 December, 2020 by Gissin

[olduns]

out tomorrow some time and Sunday as the weather looks wetter 

i'll report back on my upgrades

 

i may even start a Rides/Pics/stats thread, cant have the runners taking over the sub-forum  

[olduns]

Bars seem secure enough, no issues with flex etc, hard to tell if they dampen out much, winter gloves so not too much feel. 

Grips are a smoother design than the wavy Whyte ones, I think I'll move them to Summer use, I think I need to go to a thicker grip, squeezing a bit too much. 

Tyres.... very muddy over here, need to play with the pressures

Mavic rear wheel... Hub ratchet noise is louder than OEM but not Hope territory... Think French understated design chic 🙂

 

Bike is now suitably muddy all over

 

 

[Gissin]

On 12/12/2020 at 13:53, olduns said:

Bars seem secure enough, no issues with flex etc, hard to tell if they dampen out much, winter gloves so not too much feel. 

Grips are a smoother design than the wavy Whyte ones, I think I'll move them to Summer use, I think I need to go to a thicker grip, squeezing a bit too much. 

Tyres.... very muddy over here, need to play with the pressures

Mavic rear wheel... Hub ratchet noise is louder than OEM but not Hope territory... Think French understated design chic 🙂

 

Bike is now suitably muddy all over

 

 

 

did you use any carbon paste when fitting ? I did, on the basis I could run the torque settings slightly lower (0.5-1nm) so any big knocks will move the components and hopefully not snap the bars. 

I'd recommend ODI Elite Pro or death grips if you're looking for a thicker grip 

tyre pressures (go tubeless helps) depending on your weight,  my friend who's 12st5 runs tubeless at 17/22 PSI (maxxis minions) and has loads of grip in corners 

 

we're currently creating a list for next year hopefully hit one a month 

Cannock chase 

Whinlatter 

Bike park wales 

Forest of Dean

Grizedale

Dalby 

Afan Forest Park

[Tilt]

@Gissin Sherwood Pines............. 

[Gissin]

On 15/12/2020 at 10:20, Tilt said:

@Gissin Sherwood Pines............. 

100%,  that's my 'local'  I'll be heading there a couple times over Christmas.

 

have you heard they're removing the dirt jump area 

[olduns]

DMR yellow Camo grips now fitted, accidentally popped on to the counter at Run & Ride Milford whilst having a coffee... But no cake 😕

Riding position better with the slight rise on the bars

I'll report back tomorrow on the grips, off out again for another mud-fest. 😁

S'cuse the **** poor pic, I forgot whilst outside 🙄

 

 

[Gissin]

16 hours ago, olduns said:

DMR yellow Camo grips now fitted, accidentally popped on to the counter at Run & Ride Milford whilst having a coffee... But no cake 😕

Riding position better with the slight rise on the bars

I'll report back tomorrow on the grips, off out again for another mud-fest. 😁

S'cuse the **** poor pic, I forgot whilst outside 🙄

 

 

 

Good work - assume you went for the Thick soft combo? and flanged too,  I'm a big fan of the flanged versions helps keep you hands from moving about , very useful  following a rock drop. 

 

I've seen your strava page, I've not used it before but ill give it a go over Christmas (27,28,29th  planned outings) 

[olduns]

yes re the grips, Thick / soft although they dont appear to be that much thicker so hopefully the 'waffles' will make the difference

 

i use the basic Strava as i dont chase numbers as such, using Wahoo chest HR and Wahoo on phone and then upload to Strava. Wahoo keeps history on phone as a simpler way to view.

Bike specific tech i dont need ie Garmin etc as its one more thing to remember to take when i ride in France, phone always goes with me 

 

i'll screenshot rides for the other thread for those who dont use Strava

[olduns]

new grips work   

[Gissin]

managed to get out with a couple mates who I met in the trail. 

very muddy and cold but ended up doing a quick 8 miles 

[mac11irl]

thread hijack!

 

i realised last night that the rock i hit yesterday morning and what i though was just the rear axle pushed off line and the tyre rubbing on the fork is actually a minor warp in the rim rubbing on the fork 🤦‍♂️ may try to bring it around straighter later in the immediate term,

short term ill probably get a new wheel ordered up. 

 

but longer term given ive moved to off road pedalling and the bike is quite old (30ish yrs) and a fully fixed frame im going to treat myself to a new one for my birthday in August.

 

so, given the neew pedalling regime is a couple of k o. road to get to the hills, where its then fire breaks and literal rock fields on the sides of hills (like the one thats done the damage)¥9¥)¥¥

 

do i go hard tail and over size tyres or full suspension and regular tyres. would the rear suspension reduce the risk of buckles more than the over size tyres, or is it u likely to make a difference.

 

ive read all the "hardtails are faster with less effort" stuff online, but given im doing the cycling for the cardio as much as the fun i dont necessarily mind the extra effort needed if its more beneficial...

 

thanks guys

[olduns]

For your riding I'd be going Hardtail, 120/140 mm front, (air if in budget) 1x front chain ring and personally Shimano over Sram but not a deal killer and everything else as good as you can get. 

A more upright position if possible, a lot of bikes now are low slung and slack geometry, probably XC or trail but different manufacturers have their own take on it

You'll start with a budget..... and it will creep 😀

Full Sus heavier to lug up the hill and you'll forget to lockout the suspension both ends - you want all the leg effort to go forwards not push the suspension down. 

If you're looking at August I'd be looking and buying ASAP - over here stock is flying out the door 

[olduns]

XC may be a tad aggressive thinking about it... 

A read for starters... should keep you in the good books with OH hopefully 😏

 

https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/best-mountain-bikes-under-1000-394580

[UndertheRadar]

Keep an eye on buy and sell mtb Ireland Facebook group. Some lovely clean bikes appear reasonably often in great condition, and may stretch your budget to a better bike than buying brand new, (Just a thought). 
a search on similar name but Northern Ireland or Ulster, brings up another couple of groups from memory. My wife shows me some that pop up every now and then. 

[mac11irl]

okay, i have to ask... why are all the bikes gone single chain ring on the front?

[NJRJ]

6 minutes ago, mac11irl said:

okay, i have to ask... why are all the bikes gone single chain ring on the front?

The big circular saw blade sets available on the back give a staggering range now (albeit in big steps) so bike brands and their advert driven media [1] see no real need for extra complication, and expense for another ring up front (or the 75g extra weight [2]).

 

[1] The extra ring up front will be next years upgrade [3]

[2] Important to fat heavy blokes like me

[3] but it'll have a fancy name rather than double.