Tomm

Probably about 180mm. Basically you add up the headtube length, plus the stack height of the headset (approx 12-15mm for most normal headsets) and the height of any spacers you want to use, plus the height of the stem. That total needs to be 3-4mm more than the steerer length. Second hand forks are worth less if the steerer is less than 200mm.

I've ridden a Meta 5.5 for 4 years now. I had an 07 one which cracked and was replaced on warranty after 18months ish. As a replacement, I got an identical-feeling 2009 model which has recently snapped (and had cracks in other places) with no warranty left. I liked the bike. I would hesitate to recommend of course, because of the breakages, but it rode really nicely. I guess time will tell whether the 2010/2011 frames are strong enough. It's incredibly plush, the rear end is very active - far more than on an Orange and a bit more than my mate's Lapierre. The back wheel just tracks the ground perfectly when climbing, most noticeable on really technical climbs - you basically can't lose grip, and I'd say it's almost perfect for people like me who want to "clean" technical climbs. The flip-side is that it does bob a small amount on smooth climbs. Lockout would probably sort this out, my Fox Float R doesn't have such luxuries... Going down it feels nice although rather skittery at times on rough descents, more so than similar-weight bikes I've tried. I think this is a result of the rear-end flex, but I can't really be sure. Mine's got 67 degree head angle I think, which is good for smashing down pretty much anything. Criticisms: I think the seat angle on both mine was too slack - on the steepest of climbs it seems impossible to get enough weight over the front. Despite feeling quite skittery as I've described, the frame weight is pretty substantial (10lbs ish) which translates to a 30lbs+ bike unless you're careful with the rest of the spec. As for the Orange vs the Lapierre vs Commencal debate, I don't really know. If you're on any sort of budget, avoid the Orange. They're nicely-finished bikes but IMHO not worth the premium price they command, and they're not really clever enough for me ("yesterday's products at tomorrows's prices"). My friend who has a Lapierre, he loves it. I haven't spent a lot of time riding it, but first impressions are good. I don't think I'd ever buy one, for some reason, they don't do it for me and I can't put my finger on why! I will say that the Lapierre feels a lot more upright than the meta - it's steeper and probably better for climbing but requires a bit more rider input on the downs. Whether that's a good thing is up to you! More because I fancy a change rather than a criticism of the Meta, I don't think my replacement bike will be another Commencal (even though they've offered me a faily reasonable crash-replacement). I'm looking at Specialized and Giant full bikes (Giants in particular seem very good value, and they ride well), and lusting over a Santa Cruz Blur LT.

I have no shame: Better picture:

Good cake! Even better girlfriend!

You probably can't simply take the gears off - you will need some way to tension the chain otherwise it'll fall off all the time. I am assuming your bike has vertical dropouts, so you will need some sort of tensioner to replace the derailleur. This will be marginally lighter but probably won't do a better job of tensioning than a simple rear derailleur. You can buy kits to change the rear cassette to a single ring (with spacers). One option to save weight would be to take some of the front rings off (depending on what gearing you want, probably leave the middle one) and the front mech/shifter. Then get a road rear mech (E.g. Shimano SORA or similar) or short cage mech which will help keep better tension. Alternatively, save up and get a dedicated street bike, it'll be a lot better than a bastardised mountain bike. I hear this is a steal:

There is the Marzocchi Dirt Jumper range (often shortened to E.g. DJ3) and the Marzocchi DJ range or DirtJam range which confusingly aren't the same and aren't as good. I'm not sure about the timeframe of this, some time around 2007 they brought in the DJ range as a budget option.

Yes! One of my pet hates. The QR needs to be on the other side for that though - the fork leg get in the way otherwise.

I think to change the colour would be a crime. Glad you got the shock sorted.

Apparently the idea is not that they will provide meaningful suspension, just that they may stop your feet from jumping off the pedals. I doubt it'll work, though.

Yeah sure, but if the guy argues about it in a few weeks, at least you can fall back on the statement.

Either these people have legs of steel, or they don't ride the same hills I do. No way could I cope with 1x10.

It does depend on a few things. If you just pulled out and almost immediately stopped to turn without giving the bike enough space to stop, that could be your fault. It doesn't sound like it though, I'd definitely call the police. People can have head injuries that manifest a few days after the initial trauma, so it's definitely worth playing safe.

Front mechs are stupid. They SHOULD be the simplest thing in the world to set up, but they never work properly. On the other hand, 9 or 10 speed rear mechs ought to be a nightmare to get the indexing right yet they work perfectly.

Should be OK. It's 200x50 though which isn't the size you said earlier (although as I said, is the most common size). Air shocks feel a lot different to coils. Even a ruined coil shock may be more responsive on fast downhills, but the air shock is way lighter and far better for pedalling.

Shimano Deores are fine for the money for 90% of people, as are the basic Elixirs. You can pay 4-5 times as much (E.g. XTR) but you're paying for minimal (if any) power increase, a few more knobs you don't need, slightly higher quality, slightly less weight but mostly way more bling factor. The new deores will have servo wave levers like the SLX/XT/XTRs now too. P.S. Have you noticed your head angle is vertical?

How old is that site though?! A lot of people are using it these days, it can't be that bad. I've been meaning to check it out, reckon next time I buy new wheels I'll get tubeless-compatible ones. Mot of the complaints I've heard seem to be at low pressures the tyre will "burp" air out if it folds - which is a big problem for trials or DH pressures but for XC not an issue.

It's quite a long way to drive to find out they don't...! A better option: try and go to a bike demo day. They sometimes have them at the bigger trail centres where you can trial a few bikes for the day for not much money. Or go to Whistler. Loads of hire bikes there

I'm not scared of raptures. Unless they learn to open the doors. (With apologies to xkcd.com)

It's really hard to tell from that picture. But yeah, the mech is pointed a bit inwards. It should be perpedicular to the axle / parallel to the hanger. Sometimes when they get older, mechs will develop slop and they will naturally sit in that position - the bottom of the cage will wobble laterally if you try. In that case, yes a new mech would probably help. You're probably not doing it any harm like that though, I wouldn't bother replacing it unless shifting is a problem. Te exception would be if the mech looks like it could go into the spokes (E.g. in Middle/big ring and biggest sprocket at the back), then it's worth replacing the mech because it'll cost lots if that happens. In that first picture, the hanger does look a bit bent inwards but it's probably impossible to say.

DT Swiss spoke calculator (Google it...) has pretty much all Mavic rim sizes.

I used to have Memory Map on an old Windows Mobile phone. It would basically plot your position on an OS map, draw a track, tell you average speeds/elevation profiles etc - it was really cool. I haven't worked out how to get it so, uh, inexpensively on my iPhone though. I don't think they have it on Android yet though, however one of my friends showed me a very similar-looking android app which did most of the same things but wasn't quite as refined, but it was legally free apparently. Sorry, I can't remember the name but I expect you ought to be able to google it.

Most people don't get tattoos on their face where everyone can see them, with flesh tunnels you never have the option of covering them up. I remember once seeing a tramp on the street when I was about 8 or 9, he'd had stretched lobes or possibly just earrings pulled out and as a result his ear lobes just flapped about in several pieces, looked rank and maybe scarred me for life So I don't really like flesh tunnels. If it's reversible (I.e. not more than 5-6mm), I guess it's OK with me, otherwise I think it's just tragic.

Some people seem to suit certain brands, and some people just fit any old helmet. I had a few different brands of helmet, none of them perfect. Then I tried a Fox Flux and it was a revelation, perfect fit.

Metas are nice. I bought the lowest spec one for about a grand, but the frame is basically the same as the more expensive versions - I.e. you can ride the bike and upgrade as stuff wears out and it's a nice bike at the end of it. For £1500 ish, you ought to be able to get something pretty decent that might not need upgrading (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/commencal/meta-55-pro-2011-mountain-bike-ec026753). It's always worth having a ride on different bikes though, even just for sizing. PS The absolut is a jump bike, completely different machine

Writing 2/6 is the same as saying 1/3, and it's also the same as 2000/6000 But 1/3 is the simplest way to write this.