NMTBD. The orange is bacccccccck. Sorta :)

[Mr Moofo]

Interesting that you like the Bontys - I hated them on my eeb. X4 front, X5 back. Punctured a lot and sketchy in anything vaguely damp

[weeksy]

Interesting that you like the Bontys - I hated them on my eeb. X4 front, X5 back. Punctured a lot and sketchy in anything vaguely damp

Never really had an issue with them in truth, the boy runs the XR5s that came on his, i took them off for my XC stuff, not because they were bad, but because the XR4s were lighter/faster.

I'll try him today on the Contis as a bit of an experiment for him and see if he prefers over the XR5.

[Mr Moofo]

I would hope he "feels" tyres better than I do

[weeksy]

I would hope he "feels" tyres better than I do

Sometimes i'm not sure he cares

[Mr Moofo]

I would hope he "feels" tyres better than I do

Sometimes i'm not sure he cares

In that case, just use cheap ones

[weeksy]

I would hope he "feels" tyres better than I do

Sometimes i'm not sure he cares

In that case, just use cheap ones

I'll find out some of the answer later when he's on the Contis. I've just had to remove the sodding cranks from mine to fit to his bike for the afternoon.

[weeksy]

gave the wonky chainring some hammer abuse and made it acceptable. The new Shimano are apparently made to enhance chain retention and i reckon in the old days this would have dropped the chain. But it was all good for 18 miles, so happy days.

Not sure what happened to one of my old favourite trails though

IMG_20250612_100259 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[weeksy]

my shifting on the bike has been rubbish for a while now, i kinda put it down to the fact i've been swapping between different wheelsets. But i thought i'd have a look today as i had a bit of spare time.
I was fiddling with the barrel adjuster and thinking "that's not quite right"

So removed the shifter to be met with
IMG_20250618_141415 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Well that's a bit of a sod... especially as i need the bike for a ride tomorrow.

Lets see if Merlin can get it to me by then

[MingtheMerciless]

Man up and convert it to a SS!

[weeksy]

Top service by Merlin, ordered 2.27 yesterday, here by 10am

Fitted and super smooth shifting is back in business.

[weeksy]

Man up and convert it to a SS!

LOL you've been to FoD, no way i'm getting up ANY of that on a SS bike.

[Mr Moofo]

Man up and convert it to a SS!

LOL you've been to FoD, no way i'm getting up ANY of that on a SS bike.

Get an e-bike

[weeksy]

Man up and convert it to a SS!

LOL you've been to FoD, no way i'm getting up ANY of that on a SS bike.

Get an e-bike

Fuck that, they make you lazier and fatter than i already am.

However, when we move house... Ummmm maybe

[weeksy]

Awesome days riding for me yesterday. I hit Climachx trail near Dyfi. I've ridden it on the Eeb before but thought i'd try the manual bikes as i wasn't honestly sure i could make it round. It starts with a climb, it just goes on and on and on, i'd say 40 mins maybe at my pace of fire-road slog... lots of fun.. honest.
But the Fuel was lapping it up and happy, so i was happy.

Trails went really well.
IMG-20250621-WA0000 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

They're narrow and nadgery in place and downright impossible in other bits, but i didn't go nuts and try to hit some of the semi-possible lines, being well aware that on the whole day i didn't see a single person there, so i was being a little sensible.

The fuel has had some creaking lately which i thought was the CSU on the Fox 36s, but happily it just seems to have been 'some' dirt/grit/something somewhere rather than an actual mechanical issue. I don't know if this frame is a bit echoey but it seems like even the slightest creak noise is magnified into a massive disaster noise like you've shattered the frame. But yesterday was glorious silence all day, so great.

The long climbs continued but i made sure i wasn't going in the red zone of HR and keeping it sensible even if that meant a little slower than i could go. Eventually making it to the final long descent of Tony the Tiger, which is superb fun, but has the 'impossible climb' section which i wasn't getting up/over lol.

All in all though a top top day

[weeksy]

IMG_20250623_095258 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Back to the local after a day off yesterday. Didn't go particularly hard or long or even techy today, but was lovely to be out on the dry trails again

[weeksy]

IMG-20250710-WA0002 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

All day spent at FoD yesterday with a new mate from Oz and his kids.. @crust lent us his Status as well as we needed more bikes
Was such a long day as we were doing the FoD Thursday night race event which by the time we got to that i was getting tired, but managed 3 top to bottoms and 3 runs, going quicker each time, but still 56/58 for me.... which is better than 58/58 of course lol... but only just. How people go THAT much faster than me i don't know.
times were
1m 44s for him
2m 22s for me... Which i didn't think was too bad in truth lol

[weeksy]

Screenshot_2025-07-11-14-24-27-653_com.instagram.android-edit by steveweeks59, on Flickr

How to have a rubbish riding position.

The dropper has been irritating me, the one on the boys bike is so much nicer than mine is. Even though it's the same bike and dropper and mine may have more miles but not in the rain etc.
I've tried a new cable which didn't much do anything, so I've seen things like the One-Up and Hope levers have bearings for the actuation.
Funnily enough, @crust Status 160 is here and has a One Up fitted.
Tried that out and it's way way nicer

So took it off his bike and fitted to mine

Way way nicer.

Sadly, I had to then fit it back in his bike. But it gives me something of an answer for sure.

I'll get on the case

[weeksy]

IMG_20250723_111943 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

With my dropper being a bit stiff on the lever i went Hope ... It's a bearing so smoother/quicker action and much lighter... Excellent piece of kit.

[millemille]

IMG_20250723_111943 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

With my dropper being a bit stiff on the lever i went Hope ... It's a bearing so smoother/quicker action and much lighter... Excellent piece of kit.

Hope buddies!

[weeksy]

Yours is slightly nicer than mine due to using the old cable as a 'test' but it threaded through easily and worked so i've left it for now to save fitting a new cable. Must admit i'm impressed.

The observant among you will notice i've also got SRAM DB8 brakes on there now too. Instead of the Code RSC. I was slightly worried for the upcoming Spain/Alps trip as there are occasions when the Code/RSC suffer very slightly from heat build up, not from the riding but from sitting in the van etc. This means the pistons/brakes can be a little stiff at the lever. SRAM Code/Guide etc have had this forever, but it's honestly exceptionally rare in the UK due to not being that bloody hot
Along with that i wanted to get everything all on mineral oil, for no other reason than "to make things the same/compatible"

The DB8 are basically a Code replacement with mineral oil, but thought of as not being quite as strong as a Code, however up to now in testing i'm happy with the performance. One thing his Mavens have taught me is that having the best brakes in the world doesn't matter if your brain won't let you use them I just don't need 'more' in terms of brakes, arguably in some ways less would be better lol.
But testing the DB8 after a bit of bedding in, even with the standard pads i'm more than happy.
Only downsides are, lack of Bleeding Edge, lack of RSC Adjuster.
But i could fit a set of Maven top end levers i have here which would give me the RSC adjuster if needed... I've got plenty of spares, or i could even go SLX/XT if being completely nuts