You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Fantastic prices on DT Swiss wheelsets at Merlin
X 1900: https://www.merlincycles.com/dt-swiss-x-1900-spline-boost-mtb-wheelset-29-334628.html
XM 1700: https://www.merlincycles.com/dt-swiss-xm-1700-spline-boost-mtb-wheelset-29-336763.html
If anyone has a Ratchet Microspline Freehub, I'll happily swap it for the Ratchet XD driver freehub which I won't need.
that’s a great deal, excellent wheels
Thanks for the Spada PSA.
My shorts and trail top arrived today and they are great. I hope this isn't them getting out of the MTB market because I would definitely get more from them.
I am usually a medium and the medium clothes were perfect for me.
https://spadaclothing.com/collections/mtb
The Spada helmet sounds a great price not sure of the fit though?
I was tempted by the helmets but I really need to try them on because I find some uncomfortable.
Because I know the medium clothing is a great fit for me I ordered another pair of shorts, long sleeved top and a waterproof jacket off Sports Pursuit for £55 delivered.
totalbleedsolutions look to hav good prices on Hope V4s and E4s - about £100 off rrp for a pair. Haven't seen anywhere else cheaper whilst browsing for brakes.
Unfortunately only pairs left in colours which would clash with my bike, so didn't go for them 🙂
Not sure how black would clash but ordered cheers!
There was only a single brake in black! or a single in silver! I considered a V4 rear and an E4 front (or vice versa) but thought nah 🙂
Oh I just ordered a pair of E4's in black - must have updated stock
Hmph. Ah well, bought something else now. Glad the PSA was useful anyway! 😀
(oh yeah... reds and blacks have gone to out of stock now)
The Spada helmet sounds a great price not sure of the fit though?
A large adjustment range on it. I’m usually a large medium, this M/L fits fine.The only fault I can find is that the rear strap/adjuster doesnt go down toward the neck quite enough - I like the strap to be quite low, then it holds the helmet more securely when going over rocky sections. This one is slightly toward the top of my head, so possible to pop off, though I intend to use it for gravel rides, so should be fine.
Thanks for the Spada PSA.
My shorts and trail top arrived today and they are great. I hope this isn't them getting out of the MTB market because I would definitely get more from them.
I am usually a medium and the medium clothes were perfect for me.
return it, reorder through Sportpursuit, save loads more, that’s what I’ve done 😉
Cheers for the Spada PSA, got some of there gear already and it's good quality. Word of warning though size up in the pants, I'm usually a medium but they're very snug compared to other brands. Due a new lid so that's good timing!
My Spada jerseys arrived today
The trail jersey shirt is a bit of a shapeless mess; not a great fit and seems very baggy for a small
the Topo Thermo jersey is much better fit & quality, and has a nice logo too
for the price I won’t complain with either though!
My Spada jerseys arrived today
The trail jersey shirt is a bit of a shapeless mess; not a great fit and seems very baggy for a small
the Topo Thermo jersey is much better fit & quality, and has a nice logo too
for the price I won’t complain with either though!
Second that - our Thermo are really nice jerseys - not a cold weather top I would say, ideal for typical spring and autumn rides though. Orion Whistler T-shirt is nice too.
The shorts are good too - son has the waterpoof ones which come up a tad bigger than we expected but fit well, and my XL pro shorts seem good fit and nicely featured.
Tredz endura humvee black ss tops 8 quid. Just bought some for gym duties, really impressed, rear pockets plus a zip one. True to size. 8 quid is a steal.
Sport and Leisure have droppers for £50 and up. Reverb AXS (100mm drop by 34.9 only left) for £329. Bought one of the £60 Limotec (who?!) ones to try, has a bit of layback, which is unusual for droppers. Other cheapo things on the site too.
Endura Pro SL Primaloft jacket - £49 in mix of sizes. Kept me toasty through the worst of the winter – Very good performance in colder temps.
Bought it for a lot more than this!
https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/endura_pro_sl_primaloft_windproof_jacket_2-ID_89879
@flipiddy , I know that some people will consider this question pointless for Endura but ... how did you find the sizing in comparison to their descriptions ?
Sizing was spot on for me and the intended purpose. I bought a medium (76kg 39 chest 5’11’’) and I was really happy as it’s a slightly looser fit. Won’t be close enough cut for the purist fashionista roadies but what I wanted as I can wear a long sleeve base layer for sub zero road/gravel and switch between baggies and tights without looking like a dork. It retains a small pocket of warmth and keeps the chill away from the body that way too. Best to think of it as a technical garment for specific conditions. So, it’s not tight roadie gear, nor loose mtb gear, somewhere between. Hope that helps.
Endura have free delivery all this week, even on their sale items.
I grabbed some new hummvee mitts for £11.50
Merlin have some cheap 2x road/gravel cranksets for £50!
Merlin have some more paint defect FOX 36 Performance @£249
https://sportandleisure.com/products/sram-db8-4-piston-disc-brake-set-diffusion-black
Cheap brakesets including SRAM G2 and DB8 for under £100 (no rotors though, some may not have fittings either). Actually, what’s the better brake set - DB8 or G2? DB8 has mineral oil.
Banana industries ars still knocking those db8s out at £60.
See my post above on this page
Actually, what’s the better brake set - DB8 or G2? DB8 has mineral oil.
The db8 isn't great, so I suspect the G2 would be a lot better. I replaced the db8 with level 4 pot, and they have much better feel.
DT Swiss forks with a big reduction at Merlin, don’t know if they’re any good or not
https://www.merlincycles.com/dt-swiss-f-535-one-boost-mtb-forks-29-322276.html
My wife ran DB8s in Morzine on her YT Decoy MX with 220/200mm rotors and had absolutely no problems in any of the bike parks or the long step off piste stuff we did. I’d happily run them with big rotors on my ebike and I’m 87kg.
Yeah, in defence of db8s, mine came specced on a bike and I was expecting to swap them out but 2 years later they'll still there and working great (not required any maintenance and I've not bled them). Less on the fly adjustment and look a bit chunky compared to my code rsc on another bike but still happy with them. Bought another set of db8 on the back of my experience.
I’d happily have another pair, especially as there are loads of snobs whipping them off their new bikes without even trying them (a bit like Codes a few years ago). With the advent of thicker 220mm rotors slightly lesser brakes have got a new lease of life.
there are loads of snobs whipping them off their new bikes without even trying them
Guilty. In my defence, it made more sense to swap them off the kids' new bike (Ragleys from the Chiggle clearance) and use existing Shimano spares I had - more straightforward having one less variety of spare pads to keep a stash of. Hadn't heard bad things about them at the time TBF.
Nowt wrong with those DB8s. They came stock on an ebike and been bob on for my needs. Picked up a second set from eBay last week for the measley sum of £45 including two SRAM discs and all the mounting hardware. Talking to the seller he admitted he only used them once! Madness.
Does DB8 have the swinging link or whatever SRAM call their version of servowave?
Actually, what’s the better brake set - DB8 or G2? DB8 has mineral oil.
I'd go mineral oil, SRAMs DOT brakes always seem to suffer form the master piston swelling eventually.
The db8 isn't great, so I suspect the G2 would be a lot better. I replaced the db8 with level 4 pot, and they have much better feel.
Although if that's true I'd just cut out the mineral oil middle man and get Shimano.
For £23 delivered, I thought I'd have a go.
I bought a pair of those Purgatory tyres when they were on offer last winter for the same price (well, T9 for the front, T7 for the rear). I really like them for a fast rolling, lighter trail tyre. If I'd been paying full price, I would've opted for Grid Trail casings, but don't live anywhere rocky and the've survived so far.
I've just copped a pair of these Raceface Atlas pedals for £65 (sale price minus the '£5 off if you spend £50' discount that pops up on Tredz after a few minutes browsing). Really nice pedals. I tend to prefer concave platforms and these are flat, but a few of the supplied pin washers on the middle pins cheats a bit of concavity.
For reference, my favourite pedals to ride are Vaults, these come pretty close but are built much better.
Does DB8 have the swinging link or whatever SRAM call their version of servowave?
Actually, what’s the better brake set - DB8 or G2? DB8 has mineral oil.
I'd go mineral oil, SRAMs DOT brakes always seem to suffer form the master piston swelling eventually.
The db8 isn't great, so I suspect the G2 would be a lot better. I replaced the db8 with level 4 pot, and they have much better feel.
Although if that's true I'd just cut out the mineral oil middle man and get Shimano.
The DB8 does not. However they're perfectly decent brakes and i've used them for 2 weeks in the Alps recently as well as my usual day-to-day riding without any issues. They're essentially Codes with mineral in terms of feel. They lack in the RSC adjuster of course, but they're a budget not a super-brake cost.
Leisure lakes have the grid trail T9 for a few quid more (£24.30). I’ve bought one as not convinced about maxxis exo - damaged a few recently. Also got the T7 and grid versions cheap.
Nowt wrong with those DB8s
Agree. I've got a set on my hardtail. Had trouble with the front Magura HT7 on my ebike and swapped it with the DB8 for a ride and the DB8 was more powerful anyway. They were on my 24kg Cannondale eeb too and were perfectly fine. Didn't need bleeding in 2 years.
Leisure lakes have the grid trail T9 for a few quid more (£24.30). I’ve bought one as not convinced about maxxis exo - damaged a few recently. Also got the T7 and grid versions cheap.
Even cheaper - £20 - at Tredz.
Even cheaper - £20 - atTredz.
I think that's a slightly different tyre. Looks like its the old "Grid" rather than "Grid Trail", still a good tyre though (maybe a little flimsy iirc?), especially for £20
Yes, loosely speaking, Specialized 'Grid' and 'Grid Trail' casings are a bit like the Maxxis 'Exo' and 'Exo+' casings
Yeah grid is very flimsy for me!
I’m not convinced by exo and exo plus was not available in the tyre I was after, hence trying grid trail. Worth a punt for the price!
Grid Trail is good, got one of the front of a bike at the moment. Used older Grid in the past and, turns out I was remembering correctly, it was pretty thin
Casing strength (IIRC): Grid Gravity > Grid Trail > Grid > Control > S Works.
Problem now, is we have Grid Lite and Flex Lite added to the mix. Insert them somewhere up there. ^^
If it helps Grid Trail is what came as standard on my Kenevo SL (which is a long travel half fat eeb). T9 compound front (softer), T7 compound rear (harder wearing).
Tredz have stock of the discontinued MET Roam lids for a very reasonable price (£53 -£55)
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.MET-Roam-Mips-MTB-Mountain-Bike-Helmet_118176.htm
Sign up to their newsletter for £5 off £50 spend
@acidchunks I was looking at them , did an online chat with a Tredz " expert "; to try and find out when they were made so how long they've been lying around for .
After some too ING and fro ING he finally answered my question by saying sorry I'm WFH and am unable to see the product.He offered to raise the question with the warehouse team I gave up and ordered a Spada helmet from Sports Pursuit.
I'm not sure if it makes much difference but it might if they were made 4 years ago
Thanks for the heads up, all good though.
I bought the same lid from Merlin back in March this year, manufactured Dec 2020. Happy to confirm that it performed as expected, hence the replacement 😀
Fair enough, I'll be interested to see when that Spada helmet was made when it turns up
DB8 brakeset is £59.99 at banana industries this weekend.
Fair enough, I'll be interested to see when that Spada helmet was made when it turns up
mine arrived and is Nov 2021
really comfortable helmet, only minor point is the visor isn’t adjustable
If you're quick, someone's advertising several occult ritual experiences over in the classifieds. Don't get too excited though, human sacrifice not included.
Altura Esker trousers for £18 on amazon. Makes a change that they're M only!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08VCVF9L7?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1&psc=1
Altura Esker trousers for £18 on amazon.
Is there a link? I get a Kindle preview image (that doesn't load)
hmm amazon weirdness! if you search Altura Esker, they show up as £42 but the M are showing £18 for me
£50;odd now 🙄
They fall down as soon as they're wet anyway as there's not enough tension in the elastic and the belt loops are too big to be useful. If they were under a tenner they'd be worth buying to stitch on some velcro straps. The new model has a built in belt now I see.
Checked the Met helmets when delivered, manufactured 2022 and 2023 (size medium, whatever the two green colours are called)
I am not normally a fan of off the shelf bikes as I think you get better value if you DIY but on this occasion Peter, I think this is superb value at £2,200, albeit only in L:
Weak link being the wheels I think but spend £220 on those Syntace wheels off Sport&Leisure and sell the OE wheels for £150?
DB8 brakeset is £59.99 at banana industries this weekend.
I've got 3 x levers (full master cylinder, not just blades) from Maven Silvers. I've bought 2 sets of DB8s this weekend for the boys 'spare' and for his Fuel. But i'm actually thinking about pairing the Maven top end with the DB8 bottom end. That comes in at £100 an end and gives full RSC/Swinglink etc. Obviously it doesn't give a bleeding edge port sadly as the DB8 doesn't come with that, but i can bleed a top end well enough. But i think it'd make a nice pairing with the MavenDB8.
Fox 38 Performance in 29in and 170mm for £350 at Merlin.
https://www.merlincycles.com/fox-38-float-performance-grip-boost-mtb-forks-29-329366.html
I have the same fork that came stock on my Orbea and it's really been good. Doesn't seem to need any upgrades or tweaking (not saying I won't do any though).
That Fox 38 is a bargain, especially if you're not interested in endless messing with compression settings. Just set up air, tokens and rebound to your liking, set damping to open and off you go.
(I've got both a 38 Elite and a 38 Performance).
The 38 Performance is a great fork, but I do prefer the Elite version - I think mainly because of the high and low speed rebound. HSR and LSR of the elite, with the LSC of the performance would be ideal I think.
Just set up air, tokens and rebound to your liking, set damping to open and off you go.
I'm running the damping dial about 55-60% closed, as it was a bit divey fully open and the compression doesn't add much harshness. Maybe I need to try a touch more air as well, but hitting full travel is quite rare - and I haven't even checked for tokens (I might do that and remove if there are any).
Carbon bars for £33 (£38 in p&p).
Are they any good? Worth the upgrade over aluminium bars?
For some reason the same bars are £49.99 on their (Tri-sport) eBay store
Are they any good?
Yes, if 31.8 works for you
Worth the upgrade over aluminium bars?
Not if your aluminium bar is still working but I have never let this stop me
I really liked my Horizon V2s until my bike decided to have a lie down on the bike rack and the bars hit the motorway at 70mph. Give them their due, they held the bike up so nothing else got damaged! 😀 Would get another if it was needed. It's not.
And Nukeproof Sam Hills in Blue for £50
Best flat pedals I've owned those Nukeproofs that CRC sold off cheap.
Just set up air, tokens and rebound to your liking, set damping to open and off you go.
I'm running the damping dial about 55-60% closed, as it was a bit divey fully open and the compression doesn't add much harshness. Maybe I need to try a touch more air as well, but hitting full travel is quite rare - and I haven't even checked for tokens (I might do that and remove if there are any).
Never found them divey, I only ever close compression slightly, I do run them on my uplift bike and one ride aside, the last time I spent an extended time on them was in Morzine where I like the forks to be pretty soft to ease the braking bumps. I think mine had 3 tokens (170mm) but I removed one, and I run a little less air than recommend for my weight too, they still ramp up a lot at the end and I've not bottomed them out (I only ever properly bottomed out a previous set I had on a horrible drop to flat(ish) landing. I've got 2 days at BPW next weekend so may try a tweak of them.
My wife has a set of those 38s. She runs them with compression wide open and the sag and rebound set as per the standard settings recommended on the YT website. Bloody good forks, not divey, good traction and still allow her to hit jumps and drops.