The Crafty is here...

MTB, Road, Cyclocross, Running, walking, Rowing, Weights / Cardio, Diet, training plans
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mboy
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The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

And I got it wrapped, built and ridden in record time! :D

Rode it twice over this weekend just gone, now 42 miles in and loving it...

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Both rides around 21 miles, 800-900m of ascent, mix of Tour+ and eMTB modes and 50% battery used each time... So would definitely have been having some range anxiety had I got the Sly with the 400Wh battery, as these were typical length rides but I often do longer...

Next stop is GRIP X2 damper in the forks and custom tune... :thumbup:
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weeksy
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by weeksy »

Top job mate... THey are very good looking things.
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

Forks upgraed...

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Now have the GRIP X2 damper and have had the bushings honed and a full strip and rebuild with fresh fluids... Feel 10x better than stock already! Such a massive improvement, I really wasn't prepared for it to make that much of a difference!

Great conditions down the FoD this afternoon to test the fork out after Sprung fettled it... Yesterday's rain had damped down the surfaces nicely and everything running just so now as a result...

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4 rides now, 82 miles done, I am absolutely loving this bike! It is a corner carver extraordinaire and really is well bastard fast, even with me on it! :D
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by weeksy »

Did you see the boy ? He was out yesterday there with a bit of a comical day :D
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

I was riding Dowies/Shutcastle from about 6pm-9pm @weeksy , didn't see anyone other than a group of lads from Bristol who didn't really know where they were going so I offered them to tag along with me...
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by HIGH65 »

Super clean your assembly, and 42 miles from the first weekend is solid! 👍
You did well not to take the 400Wh, you would already be frustrated haha.
The X2 GRIP will transform your fork, can't wait to get your feedback on it.
Take advantage of your machine, it sends heavy!
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

Have had it 4 weeks now and got over 200 miles on it. It's an absolute weapon of a bike!

Did the Long Mynd Batch Burner yesterday, which is a 50+km endurance XC type of event but with some absolutely savage climbs (both in gradient and techiness in places), and it got up everything! I was one of the first eBikers back in the end, despite starting almost right at the back. The climbs were savage enough that I don't think anyone on a normal MTB cleaned them all, and I saw plenty of eBikers walking/pushing in places too.

That's the most XC type of riding I've done on it, everything else has been typical trail riding or heading down more full on places like Staunton. On the steep and gnarly stuff, the bike absolutely excels, especially now the suspension is fully sorted. The GRIP X2 damper has given it a lot more support, and though I noticed yesterday riding 52km of more XC stuff that it's not what you'd call plush... The bike almost feels jarring if it's not being ridden hard the way I've got the suspension setup! Most people tend to set their bikes up to feel really plush on tamer trails and they can quickly get out of their depth in the rough stuff. My Mondraker is absolutely the other way and feels a bit unforgiving if I'm not pinning it, but my god when I am it's amazing!!!

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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

Got carried away yesterday, bought a nice little upgrade for the Crafty, so this is happening...

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😁👍🏻😂
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weeksy
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by weeksy »

Lol that's not just a little carried away. I need your job


Or to sell my child. Hmmmm
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

I’ve had a set before @weeksy and deeply regret selling them. They are so much better than anything else that when you’ve got used to them, anything else feels crap by comparison… The Tech4 V4’s have great modulation but still lacking in power to me even with a 220mm front rotor!

A set popped up for the right price on Facebook marketplace only 30 miles away, so I just paid the asking price… If I ever need to sell, I’ll get my money back on them!
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by weeksy »

mboy wrote: Wed Jul 02, 2025 12:21 pm I’ve had a set before @weeksy and deeply regret selling them. They are so much better than anything else that when you’ve got used to them, anything else feels crap by comparison… The Tech4 V4’s have great modulation but still lacking in power to me even with a 220mm front rotor!

A set popped up for the right price on Facebook marketplace only 30 miles away, so I just paid the asking price… If I ever need to sell, I’ll get my money back on them!
Going to have to get you on his Mavens
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

Mavens have tons of power but not a nice light lever feel… I’ve tried pretty much every brake (not the new Brembo’s or Magura Gustav’s yet to be fair) trust me. Maxima’s ruined my expectations sadly! 😂👍🏻
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

So, plot twist...

The Crafty now has a new stable mate!

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A handful of local rides on the Crafty had got me thinking about how and where a nice, light trail bike wins over an eBike but is also more confidence inspiring than an out and out XC bike too... Looking at the market and how little modern MTB's are worth if they don't have a motor got me thinking again. Loving my Crafty and therefore the Raze seemed like an ideal stablemate... So have just added one! :D :lol:
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Re: The Crafty is here...

Post by mboy »

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