Matthew62
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Posts posted by Matthew62
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Images cross-posted from the Photography Thread. These are from my recent trip to Kashmir, to ride a Royal Enfield Bullet in the Himalayas. It was absolutely crazy, some of the best and worst roads I've ever ridden, once or twice reaching 5,500m in altitude. Bike ran really well actually, hardly any problems. My friend's bikes seemed a little less reliable, some assorted carb/spark plug problems, plus various bits of frame and rack snapping off.
Fully recommend it if you're competent on mixed terrain - there were some parts like 60s ISDT sections, sand dunes, snow, ice, water crossings, you name it! Bike hire for two weeks was about £200, gas was really cheap too.
That looks absolutely awesome, and the photographs are brilliant. The muted colour palette is perfect and the trip sounds like a great experience.
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Couldn't grab the panorama right now but this is a pic as of now from my desk.
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My Aunt has a hoos in Cardrona village, so I would be able to park in her drive and pedal over. Whats it like for getting about in the village with your bike? A bit of a pain? Can you ride up anywhere to watch the racing? Or is it better to walk?
Ah sweet, i'd do that! It's grand for getting your bike around the expo village. I did the same last year and will be doing the same again this year (possibly riding one day, spectating the next). I'll probs ride the trails as well (not the course obviously) and then pick and chose some spectating spots so will have my bike with me.
If you're there on the Sunday in the village you could probably just head to the Nukeproof/WTB stand as we'll have our van there. Should be room for your bike in it if you did want to ditch it for a bit.
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It's not far from Carron Valley, at the top of the Tac ma doon road. Tomtain the hill is called. It's only a mile up and a mile down. First section down is pretty steep then mellows off a bit but is still really fast if you can negotiate the boggy bits. I had to "track walk" as I was pedalling up so I knew which lines were going to be the fastest on the way down. Last wee segment on the way up is a push. Its mostly all grass too, so slippy when wet on hard compound tyres like ive got.
You'll notice the chain guide too. After a good blast up Cathkin on Saturday, ive decided running the guide is the better option. I dropped the chain like 5 times then got annoyed. I cant be doing with holding back a little becasue my chain might drop. I was finding I was stopping pedalling on the rough bits and it was slowing me down.
Ive got shows on Friday and Saturday so ill see whats happening on the Sunday. Im sure parking will be a pain on the Sunday down Inners?
Sunday will be the day to be there, that's when they're racing the Glentress forest and you'll have the podium at 6pm. The expo village is in Peebles and parking will be a bit mad but I got parked on the road out towards the trails fairly easily. They'll be somewhere you can sling the car. Or bring your bike, park out a bit and pedal in!
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Plenty of riding done this weekend.
Where is that pal? Are you heading over to Peebles next weekend to check out some of the racing?
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Being such an old frame it doesn't have guide mounts but Ive got two bb mounted guides (an E13 and an MRP) sitting not being used. I still think not having a clutch I'd like to use top and bottom.
Ach theres not much to it really apart from me being a total stalker creep. It came up for sale on PB and I messaged the guy asking about it. He asked me if I would need it posted, to which I answered yes. He said he would rather a pick up and said there was people coming to see it that coming weekend. I think he was talking shite just to stop me annoying him. So after I noticed it was still for sale after that weekend I messaged him again. I even offered to come and pick it up from York! He went quiet. So I kept messaging, pestering him hoping id wear him down. Eventually he got back to me saying it was sold. You have no idea how gutted I was. So a couple of months later, it was up for sale again from the same guy! I was straight on it! To my surprise he was keen to post it this time but I was having problems with my paypal as my card had expired. I sent him what I had in m account and said Id pay the rest once I had it sorted. I was only like £50 short but he refunded me and said that I was wasting his time! I was close to sticking the nut in him but I wanted the frame so badly I was clam and "understanding". Quickly sorted my account and sent him the right ammount hoping that it hadn't sold. So anyway, ive got it now and im tempted to send the guy a message calling him a total wank for stressing me out so much... ha!
I would, sounds like he was being a knob. You can tell when someone is a time-waster and I'm sure you came across genuine. It's not like you told him to post the item minus the £50, just take it as a deposit so it's strange to refund it when you clearly explained the situation.
I'd message him fairly calmly but explain he'd messed you about a lot and you'd tried to do everything to acquire the bike fairly. Then end "fanny-yee!"
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Cheers man. In what way do you think it looks relaxed?
Haha, it sure is, and after my blast last night I can now utter the un-holy words only a narrow wide owner can, "Ive only ever dropped a chain once"!
I used it on the dual slalom race and was surprised that the chain stayed on but last night after a big drop it did come off. I dont have a clutch mech you see. I think ill probably go back to using a guide and run the NW at the same time. I like the idea of having a more solid interface with the chain using the NW, so its staying on there for sure.
As for the frame, its got to be the best thing ive ever ridden. Its a pleasure to pedal and the front end pops up so easily. I thought it would be heavier than my old Pitch but to pick up theres hardly any difference and to pedal it feels lighter! So chuffed with that.
Theres a bit of a story behind me trying to get a hold of the frame too. Some things are best kept quiet though...
What about just a small top guide? The Blackspire Ein Fach ones are good and come in either direct mount/ISCG (05) or clamp mount: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/s?q=einfachx
Glad you're enjoying the bike.
P.S. You know you have to tell the story of sourcing the frame now...
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Some better pictures..
That's not a narrow-wide ring is it? Surely not?
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Forgive me father Leo, for I have sinned....
I've wanted a 335 dot for so long. I played this in my local store yesterday and couldn't get over how much I enjoyed it, I had to go back this afternoon.
The Wildkat I had felt god awful and I always put it down to the 24.75" scale, but this thing feels fantastic. I originally went to try an ES-335 Pro he'd got in, but I didn't like the square inlays and the coil taps didn't really interest me that much, I concede that they sounded good but if I want single coil sounds I'll grab my strat. It also felt abit dull to whereas this Dot feels slick and fast, plus this is my first venture in humbuckers! It's impossible to not play blues/rockabilly licks on it. Timing seemed apt too, buying a 335 the day BB King passed.
I really want some Texas Special pickups for my Strat, but can't decide if I'll get the same sound I'm after from a deecent pedal, which I can use across all my guitars.
I'm building an 'SG' inspired Squier Strat for a customer at the minute, metallic brown/red with black/chrome hardware, HSS configuration too so it should have some bottom end to it.
I have the same 335 Dot and it's one of my only non-Fender electric guitars. They do sound bloody great for the money but there's no denying they do have a cheap feeling. That being said I don't think the Gibson equivalent feels that much better. The sheer amount of lacquer on the back of the neck annoys me every time I play it, and the toggle switches etc have a naff feeling.
But….when usiusally playing wobbly-bridges Fender's the feeling of getting a humbuckered hair tail guitar is such a simple pleasure and it does have a great tone when cranked up. I ditched the strings off mine straight away and put something heavy (13's or 14's I think) on to purposefully make bends and noodley moves much more difficult to keep it having a nice straight, deep authentic tone.
I always find the headstock takes a dive any time the necks not supported though…how about you?
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Haha. Maybe best to start off going along the canal or something then. There was tears when I took Charlotte to Cathkin for the first time. Carron Valley was more suited to her.
I still think that inside line of the 3 sort of 'drop-option' lines is a dick. I struggled to see how you' ride that with pace and it always caused me to think twice (and almost cry). The way it drops in to the sharp left I think is a really bad bit of building in comparison to the middle line.
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I did only find of it's existence today! I just couldn't put my confidence in something that relies on an entire market to adopt it.
The one that comes to mind I the 25in wheel monty that required the big tyre manufacturers to get in on it, they didn't and the idea failed.
Anyway, does it not smack of the big leaps forward have been done, so now they're just messing?
You couldn't put confidence in something an entire market is adopting?
It is very annoying yes, and I suppose we're at a time when manufacturers are making incremental increases in performance rather than monumental leaps. I'm not sure if this is in some part down to how good things are at the moment. There's lots of very good product out there at the moment at a variety of price points. Shimano's very soon to be released XT 11 speed drivetrain is testament to this, but I wouldn't put things like this down to just messing about. It'll purely be to stimulate the market. Manufacturers need to sell products to keep in business…someone like Sram, they were the first to 11 speed and everyone loves it. Their suspension is now 1st rate and even their recent generation brakes are actually quite good. No company is ever going to just stop progressing but it's frustrating when it means parts are no longer compatible with one another.
One thing I have seen though during the last couple of years where I've ramped up the amount of time MTBing is how whiney MTBers are (trials riders are no different) and whenever anything comes along that's different there's no end to the moaning. As I mentioned earlier, the furore of 27.5" is only just about quietening down, yet I still hear day on day "26 AIN'T DEAD"….and similar such anti-hype mutterings. Largely, it doesn't matter though…if you like your bike and you have fun riding it then stick at it. Who cares what measurement your axle is….if you're happy keep on keepin' on. Just don't moan incessantly that these companies who have brought us such good products could have arrived at this without development and continual tweaking. It's just part and parcel of it.
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And steerers...
And don't forget the hubs, and frames...
Yeah the only reason I care is cos I need to know what to avoid compatibility wise when future bargain hunting.
Still don't get whats wrong with whats available already, As someone pointed out on the PB comments,
You buy a complete with all this kit and then you'll be stuck with SRAM corp. stuff for the life of that bike, It's like coca cola putting actual cocaine extract from the coca plant in the original recipe, It guaranteed future sales!
Not really as most frame manufacturers and wheel manufacturers have adopted Boost as being "TheThing" so everyone will be doing it. A load of BB manufacturers have already got their BB's ready so Sram certainly won't have the monopoly.
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(Google's 'Boost'...)
From Pinkbike:
How is adding a few mm extra width on hub spacing in any way 'technology' or indeed creating a new 'standard'? That's just pointless.I can kind of see the need to increase the width as wheel diameter increases to improve wheel strength but pretending to introduce new 'standards' which are only muddying the waters and frustrating consumers and I imagine manufacturers alike is just stupid.
Still rocking a 135mm x 12mm and happy
I know, this one is particularly depressing and it IS being adopted as the new standard so most frame manufacturers will be following suit. The particularly annoying thing about Boost is that if effects chain line so new cranksets and bottom brackets are required. I dare say frame BB shells will be widened as well. As bad as that is there will now have to be Boost compatible forks to accommodator the wider front axle so new forks also...
I imagine many spacers will be made to make up the extra few mm, but then that's no different to 135mm wheels with adapters to take them up to 142mm so again, I don't entirely see why it's needed.
It'll make custom builds difficult or someone like me who's just built up a custom bike and may well upgrade the frame next year…. well they'll be no such thing as a straight swap as other than a seat post not much else will be compatible.
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Yeah I've just bought a tool, a post to post adapter and two 180mm discs for £27 off eBay.
Not a fortune, but I was hoping to pay around a tenner for some old ones laying around (Or a little more for the floating Hope ones).
It's just frustrating that someone thought "Oh, 6 bolts are shit, let's change it" - WHY. IT WORKS.
That's a bloody good price though! It is just a cassette tool btw (in case you already had one).
I must admit although nearly all of my bikes have centre-lock hubs now I still don't particularly like them. I get the reason for them, but on the off-chance they do come loose on a ride, there's not many people carrying an adjustable spanner and a cassette tool around with them.
Wood's right though, MTBing is becoming increasingly frustrating with changing standards. 27.5" was just about to settle down and for a brief few months everything seemed calm again, now 'Boost' has come along (the most confusing MTB change to date I reckon) and that'll mean big and very annoying changes for the next model year.
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...and it looks like there's multiple centre lock types.
Shit like this is so annoying. What's wrong with using 6 bolts? Or making everything one type of centre lock?
Waste of time.
There's not. There's Shimano centre-lock and that's it. Shove up a pic if you're not 100% sure…but you can either get a centre-lock disc or get a centre-lock to 6 bolt adapter. DT Swiss make them. Probably cheaper just to get the correct mounting discs. They're about £15 on CRC for standard Shimango ones.
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Commission ain't it!
94k's worth after basic, seems pretty standard practice for most car salesmen….pull your finger(s) out lads.
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So about a week ago, I decided to book a train to Fort William and ride back to Glasgow, following the West Highland way on my bike.
Arrived in Fort William at 10:30pm and set off soon after.
Fair play pal, looks like some epic schlep. I need to do the WHW, some of my colleagues were considering the double.
I bet the climbs were fun with that CCDB on! Also thick-thin would have saved you those drivetrain issues
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It's finished. (albeit I got sent the wrong dropper).
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I'm trying to remember a thing from a movie, the thing being something where a man does something and (I think) the father follows him making the guy feel guilty. Man can't take the guilt so goes to kill himself and as he does so the father is also killing himself the idea being that he'd follow him to hell to continue tormenting him.
I think someone tells this story in the movie and my internet history is now covered with the word suicide so help me TF, it's driving me crazy.
Is it the Quaker preacher story in 7 Psychopaths?
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But if they all agree I am clearly over 18, what does a not legal requirement company policy have to do with me buying beer.
It just seems that you don't understand the very established and widely acknowledged policy. I will agree with you that it is a bit of a stupid one but most people understand Challenge 25, so your point about being 32 without photo ID is a moot point. Chances are they won't mistake you for someone under 25 then.
They thoughts you looked under 25, you don't have ID, the transaction ends there. It is the employee that will get in to trouble so some guy on minimum wage isn't going to risk potentially his job for your light beer.
I think everyone here has probably fallen victim to it, but it sounds as though you acted like a complete ponce about it. It's annoying, but it's the way it is, when you failed to produce ID you could have just chosen to leave then and go to Sainsburys rather than try and pull rank (and fail) on a supermarket employee.
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You only need more gears if you can't generate the torque with your legs, that's what I say!
It's not about the number of gears, it's the range…. and unfortunately you don't get such a range on 9 speed setups when running a single ring. A simple double or triple setup has a bigger gear range than any 1x11 setup so it's not about the number of gears at all.
I've used 10 speed for a few years with a single ring and the mountains I get to ride here certainly can test you (3.5k ft of climbing on Monday) but if you're riding for 5-6 hours + it's amazing what saving the legs on the odd climb can do to keep you ticking over for the rest of the day.
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Ive never got to my last gear and thought, f**k me, I need two more! Whatever you enjoy spending your money on eh..
Noob alert. Cycled/pushed up my favorite hill last night, utilising my fork lock out system. Bombed it back down. Once I was at the bottom, I noticed it was still locked out. I have no idea how I didn't notice as its pretty flippin rough and fast. Its probably why I can't move my neck today!
I chest-strap-Go-pro'd the run. Ill try and post it here soon. Bet you can't wait..
YOU'VE ONLY GOT 9 GEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dont tell me, does it have boost?
Get with the times maaaaan!
No Ross, it does not have boost. Nothing does yet thank you very much!
It does have 11 gears though, and they're not Sram……. #kenthefuturepal?
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Instagram wackness, but hey...
2013 LaPierre Zesty 414. Only modifications are Shimano Saint pedals and a Reverb dropper post. It's the first time I've had a 'proper' mountainbike since about 1999!
Can't go wrong with a 414, I think the Zesty's rode better than Spicy's with the 2013 models. My friend had that exact model and was a flyer on it.
There should be pics of a 2015 Lapierre in the next week or so once my build is complete.
Tyres for all mountain bike, for downhill/Morzine
in Bike Chat
Posted
First of all….good choice on the Zesty.
Second things second you should definitely bring spare tyres if you're going to Morzine and don't skimp on casing thickness. I presume you'll be doing mainly uplifts so weight shouldn't be an issue? I've ridden a lot of tyres over the last 2 years and nothing has impressed me as much as the Michelin Wild Rock'r2 Advanced (catchy name I know). Double bonus that they're French and they are the tyres Lapierre now spec on their Spicy's. There's still 26" versions available here: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/michelin-wild-rock-r2-advanced-reinforced-tyre/rp-prod116032?gs=1&gclid=COTsv-WpzsYCFeJl2wod1fAK0A&gclsrc=aw.ds
They are intended as a dry weather tyre so will be perfect in Morzine (they were developed and tested in France) but I've been using them for the last year as they're incredible. On the rear it's such a grippy tyres when leaning over but rolls well due to the low central section. On rocks the grip is just stupid, I've never ridden another tyre like it - you can really feel it bite in helping you to slow down in loose conditions with such predictability. They can ping ever so slightly on really slick roots compared to a tyre with a more traditional pattern (such as a WTB Vigilante - which I currently use on the front) but for a thick carcass tyre they're also pretty light. The 27.5" ones come in at just over a kg. Magi-X compound is recommended for the front and the rebound is so slow, and Gum-X for the back.
I've always ran mine tubeless at low pressures and on everything from trail centres, to natural and Innerleithen DH trails I've not managed to burp or rip them or find any negative whatsoever to be honest…. they also look sweet on the bike!