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Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:54 am
by weeksy
Fragile in some ways but when you see what they go through day in day out, the battering and hammering through rocks etc it's amazing they do as well as they do. It astounds me.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:55 am
by weeksy
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:04 am
by MingtheMerciless
Count Steer wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:41 am
Having been reading about them on here for some time, I did a bit of googling. I now know what a 'dropper post' is.
The other thing I have learned is that for v expensive things with a tough job to do, MTBs are surprisingly fragile. They remind me of the 'I love this garden spade, it's had 2 new handles and 3 new spade ends since I bought it but it's still as good as new' joke.
“Strong, light, cheap” you can pick two. Keith Bontrager, cycling development engineer.
Modern performance MTB’s area bit like running a WRC car or racing yacht. Durability isn’t usually considered as worn out bits get replaced.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:05 am
by Count Steer
weeksy wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:54 am
Fragile in some ways but when you see what they go through day in day out, the battering and hammering through rocks etc it's amazing they do as well as they do. It astounds me.
I guess so. I was thinking also of the, get a new bike, change the wheels, bars, brakes, gear cassette, dropper post, seat, put ceramic bearings in.....
I found the receipt for mine recently. It was the bees knees at the time (80s) but decidedly old tech now. It did have indexed gears and a novel 'not quite round' main gear cluster. Gave it to a mate and it ended up in Malawi being maintained by a 'bush mechanic'...they couldn't get high pressure valved tubes so drilled the rims and fitted normal ones....it's probably still going.
(I did the London-Brighton on it...the gearing was 'sub-optimal'
)
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:07 am
by weeksy
MingtheMerciless wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:04 am
Count Steer wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:41 am
Having been reading about them on here for some time, I did a bit of googling. I now know what a 'dropper post' is.
The other thing I have learned is that for v expensive things with a tough job to do, MTBs are surprisingly fragile. They remind me of the 'I love this garden spade, it's had 2 new handles and 3 new spade ends since I bought it but it's still as good as new' joke.
“Strong, light, cheap” you can pick two. Keith Bontrager, cycling development engineer.
Modern performance MTB’s area bit like running a WRC car or racing yacht. Durability isn’t usually considered as worn out bits get replaced.
Yup mine is 2 of those. With the RRP on mine being over ÂŁ6000, cheap deffo isn't in the criteria for it.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 3:27 pm
by weeksy
I've got a 6mm Allen Key for my front axle.
I've just found out my rear axle handle isn't part of the axle as such, but a push fit 6mm handle, you can pull it off and do the front wheel!
Mind blown
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:42 pm
by irie
Count Steer wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:41 am
Having been reading about them on here for some time, I did a bit of googling. I now know what a 'dropper post' is.
The other thing I have learned is that for v expensive things with a tough job to do, MTBs are surprisingly fragile. They remind me of the 'I love this garden spade, it's had 2 new handles and 3 new spade ends since I bought it but it's still as good as new' joke.
Anything pushed to its design limits becomes "fragile".
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:41 pm
by MingtheMerciless
weeksy wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 3:27 pm
I've got a 6mm Allen Key for my front axle.
I've just found out my rear axle handle isn't part of the axle as such, but a push fit 6mm handle, you can pull it off and do the front wheel!
Mind blown
Wait till it falls off and you have to buy a new one …………
DT Swiss make BMW look cheap
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:44 pm
by weeksy
MingtheMerciless wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:41 pm
weeksy wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 3:27 pm
I've got a 6mm Allen Key for my front axle.
I've just found out my rear axle handle isn't part of the axle as such, but a push fit 6mm handle, you can pull it off and do the front wheel!
Mind blown
Wait till it falls off and you have to buy a new one …………
DT Swiss make BMW look cheap
I've taken it off and it's in the tool bag inside my frame now.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:04 pm
by irie
MingtheMerciless wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:41 pm
weeksy wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 3:27 pm
I've got a 6mm Allen Key for my front axle.
I've just found out my rear axle handle isn't part of the axle as such, but a push fit 6mm handle, you can pull it off and do the front wheel!
Mind blown
Wait till it falls off and you have to buy a new one …………
DT Swiss make BMW look cheap
ÂŁ5 hex lever such as this does the job:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brand-x-switch-lever
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:14 pm
by weeksy
weeksy wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:25 pm
So today the shock arrived back from Silverfish/Fox and it's silent... like lovely
Was all done under warranty, so no charge... bargain.
So i threw it on and as the wife is away me and the lad went out for a play.
First of all riding the Enduro Line... where i was destroyed by him, but i was really impressed with the shock, it's nicer than the RS Deluxe.
We then moved onto this line.
This was a bit of a 'thing' for me as the gaps are a bit wooah and a bit wheey for me... But after some coaching from the 13 year old i was eventually clearing the gap he does first, which we measured at 13' give or take. It's so so much a head thing for me, i just need a little bit of self belief that i can actually hit these things and not spanner myself, but in the end i got it right and was hitting the landing nicely.
We then went for beer, pizza and ice-cream at our favourite local
I was sort of nearly doing this pair today.
But I crashed 4 times, well, almost 5. Out of 10.
I didn't actually fully complete it. On the left of the 2nd one there's a bit ledge, I kept landing left and catching it.
Weirdly, jump 2 is 2' shorter than jump1 which I was landing, but I do seem to jump left every time.
After 4 crashes, plenty of bruises to come and shredding my left shin of skin, I called it a day.
Disappointed as I actually made the distance on jump 2 twice, but crashed.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 7:39 pm
by weeksy
Brand X dropper fitted in 5 minutes, the Brand X has no play/wiggle and certainly no horrible noise of clunk when it's flapping about
The Bontrager will stay in the spares box after the service kit arrives and it's made nicer.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 8:50 pm
by millemille
weeksy wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:14 pm
But I crashed 4 times, well, almost 5. Out of 10.
I admire your determination to stick it out.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:53 am
by weeksy
I'm not sure at times the pics of the local stuff do it much justice... it's lovely round here and with the riding buddies being spannered i'm having to explore on my own.
2022-07-14_11-16-37 by
Steve Weeks, on Flickr
Just out cruising mostly, a couple of efforts but nothing major... then home to have a dip in the pool
2022-07-14_11-16-43 by
Steve Weeks, on Flickr
Couldn't quite get close enough before the 2 deer ran off.
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2022 10:33 am
by weeksy
Out before the Heatwave today.
2022-07-17_10-32-53 by
Steve Weeks, on Flickr
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:29 pm
by weeksy
Bit of a disaster today.
Out at Milland at Southern Enduro practice day and after we'd stopped I lost my footing and the bike went down and snapped the lever. Game over for the day.
2022-07-23_12-19-48 by
Steve Weeks, on Flickr
I'd done 5 runs on trails, but it wasn't a great loss as the conditions were awful, just like trying to ride in sand dunes!
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:37 pm
by Taff
Oh, that's a pita.
Do Shimano sell lever blades individually or is that a new entire lever assembly?
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 4:19 pm
by MingtheMerciless
weeksy wrote: Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:29 pm
Bit of a disaster today.
Out at Milland at Southern Enduro practice day and after we'd stopped I lost my footing and the bike went down and snapped the lever. Game over for the day.
2022-07-23_12-19-48 by
Steve Weeks, on Flickr
I'd done 5 runs on trails, but it wasn't a great loss as the conditions were awful, just like trying to ride in sand dunes!
Wouldn't have slowed Mrs M down in the least, front brakes are just for symmetry..........
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2022 5:45 pm
by weeksy
Had a bit of a play today with fitting a 27.5 back wheel from the Specialized Status into the Fuel, obviously making it into a mullet. I quite liked it, make it a bit slacker too, although that was running the Mino link in low, thoughts are you will lower the BB too much in low, so you run Mino in high which allows the smaller rear.
I then looked into fitting a slacker headset but that is unlikely to work due to the knock-block headset and the fact the forks will hit the frame
Re: New Bike Day.... the powder blue girls bike
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 10:31 am
by weeksy
I was out yesterday at 417 Flyup. It's a fun place to play, lots of sweepy swoopy stuff, but also plenty of tech.
The EX9.8 worked exactly as it does.... effortlessly. With the only thing really holding it back being the bloke sitting on it. Sometimes i wonder if a bigger burlier bike would help me, but then i head to places like this and the reality is, nah, not really. I even tried the new DH bike over there but even though it wasn't set up for me, it also showed me that different bikes take a lot of getting used to and something familiar and happy really works better even if less travel etc... Just being happy on the bike is more important.
