KHS XCT-556 ---- Jan 2013 Pg. 5

Bikerguy15 · January 2012

Just wondering, I'm going to get the same c4 bash ring from chain reaction but it looks quite thick. Does it use longer chain-ring bolts or not?

sanchez89 · January 2012

Bikerguy15 wrote:

Just wondering, I'm going to get the same c4 bash ring from chain reaction but it looks quite thick. Does it use longer chain-ring bolts or not?

are you converting from triple like i did??

it comes with longer bolts but only 1 half of the set if you understand(only the male part).

plus they didnt fit the other half of my truvativ bolts as they are a bigger size.

ilovedirt · February 2012

Nice looking XC/AM machine there mate. How are those pedals? I'm running shimano M520s and was umming and ahhing about those new 'trail' style pedals, do they offer much support? Have you tried them against the M520's? Would be interested to know what they're like.

Should get yourself up to wales at some point to sample some of the riding there

I see you rode pines a while ago, that used to me my nearest trail centre, and it's terrible! lol

sanchez89 · February 2012

ilovedirt wrote:

Nice looking XC/AM machine there mate. How are those pedals? I'm running shimano M520s and was umming and ahhing about those new 'trail' style pedals, do they offer much support? Have you tried them against the M520's? Would be interested to know what they're like.

Should get yourself up to wales at some point to sample some of the riding there I see you rode pines a while ago, that used to me my nearest trail centre, and it's terrible! lol

Thanks matey, yeah your right about sherwood, it was disappointing, but some bits were ok. just a bit flat.

with the pedals, this is my first voyage into the world of SPD's so unfortunatly i have nothing to compare it to properly.

before i bought them i tried a pair of the Wellgo SPD's on one of the bikes in decathlon, just to see how they felt, and i have to be honest i did struggle to clip into them, they were similar in size to the M520's.

there have been moments when i havent been able to clip in on the trail and iv had to just rest my foot on the pedal whilst doing a 'techy' section, so i suppose the cage has been useful for that. and they dont roll over when im trying to clip in like the Wellgo's did. i can also sort of ride in flat shoes, just down to the shop etc.

and yeah Wales is on my to do list for this year. along with Lee Quarry and Peak District.

ilovedirt · February 2012

Yeah, I've bee running spds now for over a year and I still struggle to clip in sometimes! I think some pedals with a cage like that could be helpful. Though the M520s have been great while I've had them, great beginner SPD pedal.

If you can put up with the drive, Coed y Brenin has some awesome trails, enough to keep you entertained for a couple of days! It's my favourite trail centre round here by far! Some awesome natural stuff as well, if you have the patience to find it.

sanchez89 · February 2012

yeah me and my mate have been trying to decide which to try first, Coed Y Brenin, Llandegla, Afan. too many choices, Nant Yr Arain looks decent aswell.

you got any recommendations out of those iv listed?? need some sort of order!

another thing i discovered today, when walking an semi-frozen ground the cleat pick up every bit of cack they can find. i wondered why i couldnt clip in on one of the sections, stopped and looked at the sole of my shoes to find the cleat had made itself a gritty snowball!!!

dont get that with flats!

ilovedirt · February 2012

Haha yeah that can be a problem, particularly when it's this cold! ah well...

I've never been to Afan or Nant yr Arian, however Coed y Brenin beats Llandegla hands down. There are more trails at CyB to suit more levels of rider and they're just better. Plus, Llandegla tends to get over crowded with families, beginners and "all the gear, no idea" type people.

sanchez89 · February 2012

ok nice 1. coed y brenin first then. how you finding the Maxxis Advantages on your bike matey? pretty decent all-rounders?

ilovedirt · February 2012

Pretty decent tyres for a bit of everything, very good for trail centres. However recently, I've been getting a little wild on my XC rides, throwing in some downhill tracks as well if I'm going past them, and they don't offer a great deal of grip over roots or loose/muddy surfaces.

sanchez89 · March 2012

Sunday saw my debut in a proper race, whoooop!!

Round 2 of the Midlands XC series, in the noob catagorie of Go Race. I had managed to convince my mate it would be good, and it seemed good back in January when we entered.

Conditions weren't exactly fab, rained all saturday afternoon and night, sunday morning was rain, some snow, some sun, then more rain, then 2 lots of hail. lovely. some parts were basically a ploughed field and would have been quicker to walk.

after 3 hard laps and 1hr 47 mins i finished 17th out of 23. so not bad for a first go. my mate trundled home 20th and knackered, 15 minutes behind.

to be honest it was a bad day to use my new gloves and Camelbak cuz both were thoroughly wet and muddy. i think we were also the only 2 riders with baggy clothes!

some pics from before the race in the brief moment of sunshine:

sanchez89 · May 2012

Few new bits iv ordered over the past couple of weeks managed to get fitted this afternoon.

I always felt i was riding very front heavy on this bike, of course i can make the conscious effort to move towards the back, but when just spinning around normally on flat terrain i am more biased towards the front.

so i thought i would try a slighty higher rise bar, along with another shorter stem.

So Funn Fat Out risers were ordered from CRC along with a couple of other things including some oil to give my forks a quick freshen.

and a Gusset Staff 50mm stem from activesport, or Mark Anthony Bikes, whichever it is.

Anyways here are both parts fitted. The stem was fitted for my DH course at the beginning of the month so i know how that performs, but the bars will take some time to adjust to.

The old Truvativ Stylo's were 20mm rise 685mm width, where as the Funn's are 30mm rise 710mm width.

I no the extra width should in theory push my forward more but they have slightly more up and backsweep than the Truv's and the extra 10mm of rise should help.

After a quick spin round the block it does feel like i am slightly more central on the bike, the extra width feels odd though.

this last pic shows the difference between the 2 bars in width and rise. as best i could show anyway.

i fancy some new grips now so anyone got any suggestions towards good ones??

was thinking the Superstar Excels???

ilovedirt · May 2012

Nice, the wider the better on the bars

I'm running 750mm on both my bikes and it's perfect I reckon.

As for grips, I have superstar excels on one bike, and superstar supergripas on the other, not really sure which I prefer tbh... I don't really notice that much when I'm riding anyway.

How come you're not running the SPDs up there by the way^^ ?

sanchez89 · May 2012

ilovedirt wrote:

Nice, the wider the better on the bars I'm running 750mm on both my bikes and it's perfect I reckon.

As for grips, I have superstar excels on one bike, and superstar supergripas on the other, not really sure which I prefer tbh... I don't really notice that much when I'm riding anyway.

How come you're not running the SPDs up there by the way^^ ?

well.......i took them off for a very wet and muddy group ride one sunday morning and iv never bothered to put them back on.

they weren't what i was expecting to be honest. i didnt feel like they were worth the bother, and on a couple of the longer descents up Cannock they began to put pressure on points in my feet, that might be the shoes though as they are only cheap.

some people say they make a difference to climbing and riding rough ground quick, but i felt none of that.

im happy with the flats and have ordered some of the Shimano AM41 shoes to help keep my stuck to the bike.

i may just stick them on ebay or sell them on here, pedals and shoes together.

as for the grips i was doing some searching and i like the colour options you get with the Superstar excels, dont like the look of the supergripa's.

but some reviews say they are never really that sticky and grippy. so was looking at ODI x-trainers aswell. but iv probably got a few more months left in my current one's.

castlelad · May 2012

really tidy bike you got there fella, i'm highly pi55ed off they don't have these on their site anymore cus i wanted one untill i got the zen !

ilovedirt · May 2012

Fair nuff, give me a shout if you want rid of the pedals, I've been looking at getting some.
Not the shoes though, ta

sanchez89 · May 2012

castlelad wrote:

really tidy bike you got there fella, i'm highly pi55ed off they don't have these on their site anymore cus i wanted one untill i got the zen !

cheers matey, its nice to hear someone else wanted 1.

yeah i looked a few weeks back and most of the bikes have disappeared. only 29er's were available i think.

to be fair, the 2012 model of this bike had slightly wider bars, and the colours were white/black instead of red/black.

that was it i think really. but now its gone all together.

sanchez89 · May 2012

ilovedirt wrote:

Fair nuff, give me a shout if you want rid of the pedals, I've been looking at getting some.
Not the shoes though, ta

yeah will do matey, not sure what to do with them yet.

hows riding the big-rig 223 going??

ilovedirt · May 2012

Cheers, really loving the 223 right now, getting really comfortable (and fast!) on it, been riding it more than the slayer recently as well. Got an uplift day at Moelfre tomorrow as well, pretty excited

Bought some new brakes for it the other day as well (elixir 5, same as yours), they seem pretty nice. That's the bike pretty much finished now I think.

sanchez89 · May 2012

ilovedirt wrote:

Cheers, really loving the 223 right now, getting really comfortable (and fast!) on it, been riding it more than the slayer recently as well. Got an uplift day at Moelfre tomorrow as well, pretty excited Bought some new brakes for it the other day as well (elixir 5, same as yours), they seem pretty nice. That's the bike pretty much finished now I think.

sounds great matey. if you could get some vid's that would be great aswell!!

after a spin round cannock yesterday im thinking these bars might be a fraction too wide. i wasnt holding right at the end of the bars as it didnt feel comfortable so may need to lop about 5-10mm each end.

maxspeed76 · May 2012

Hi m8 noticed you were from walsall and just wondered where that is you are riding on in above video(the videos on page 1 of this thread)?

Cheers m8.

P.s, By the way nice bike!!

sanchez89 · May 2012

maxspeed76 wrote:

Hi m8 noticed you were from walsall and just wondered where that is you are riding on in above video(the videos on page 1 of this thread)?

Cheers m8.

P.s, By the way nice bike!!

cheers matey. those 2 videos were filmed on a cheeky trail that is blatently obvious and well used over on the Monkey trail at Cannock Chase.

sanchez89 · June 2012

Seeing as it was my b'day yesterday and the weather had been pretty decent for the past few days i thought it would be worth a little ride out over Cannock.

Went off-piste for a nice little change and rode a few trails id never done before. for those of you that know your way over cannock's natural side, how nice is Alex's trail!!!!

Once i was finished with that, especially after i found the FC had been p*ssing about with my branches all over my fav stuff.
I went over towards Tackeroo, and thought it was worth retracing the route of the XC race i did back in March, i couldnt believe the difference.

Conditions couldnt have been worse back in March, with rain, sleet, hail and a bit of snow for good measure, the trail was like a bog. Yesterday was basically dry, a few puddles in odd places but still great fun. Not worrying about people overtaking also made me appreciate just how good a route it actually was.

got a couple of pictures of the bike and a bit of singletrack that just made me stop and look.

Blackberry camera doesnt do it justice but better than nothing. its narrower than it looks, real good fun.

sanchez89 · July 2012

Due to Rd4 of Gravity Enduro next month at Eastridge i thought i should get some form of chain retension system.

Due to not having any ISCG mounts or any spacers between BB cups and frame i was limited in my choices, the fact i run a double up front means the guide needs to be the type that allows the chain to move through the full range of gears.

after doing research i found the perfect solution, Bionicon C-Guide.

Quite expensive for what it is but after fitting and riding over an extremly wet and muddy Cannock Chase i can say it works superbly. I cant feel any extra resistance from the guide and it is completely silent, even with a grotty chain running through it. It has basically removed all chain slap and made running fast over rough ground much more confident.

Plyphon · July 2012

where did you buy yours? I really want one !

Briggo · July 2012

Plyphon wrote:

where did you buy yours? I really want one !

Google is your friend

sanchez89 wrote:

Bionicon C-Guide.

Plyphon · July 2012

Briggo wrote:

Plyphon wrote:

where did you buy yours? I really want one !

Google is your friend

sanchez89 wrote:

Bionicon C-Guide.

Yes but I'm not sure if you are aware but there are many shops in the world, some more reputable than others.

on top of this, Bionicon stock in the UK is sometimes hard to source, and that has been especially true with the V2 C-Guide.

A lot of shops list stock, but don't actually have physical stock in their warehouse.

The purpose of asking where he got it from is to find out who has stock the easier way.

I mean.... if that's okay? Google can only tell me so much.

sanchez89 · July 2012

Plyphon wrote:

Briggo wrote:

Plyphon wrote:

where did you buy yours? I really want one !

Google is your friend

sanchez89 wrote:

Bionicon C-Guide.

Yes but I'm not sure if you are aware but there are many shops in the world, some more reputable than others.

on top of this, Bionicon stock in the UK is sometimes hard to source, and that has been especially true with the V2 C-Guide.

A lot of shops list stock, but don't actually have physical stock in their warehouse.

The purpose of asking where he got it from is to find out who has stock the easier way.

I mean.... if that's okay? Google can only tell me so much.

got mine from http://www.walkerscycling.co.uk i phoned them up before ordering to check they had stock, said they had just that minute received a fresh shipment.

Plyphon · July 2012

sanchez89 wrote:

Plyphon wrote:

Briggo wrote:

Plyphon wrote:

where did you buy yours? I really want one !

Google is your friend

sanchez89 wrote:

Bionicon C-Guide.

Yes but I'm not sure if you are aware but there are many shops in the world, some more reputable than others.

on top of this, Bionicon stock in the UK is sometimes hard to source, and that has been especially true with the V2 C-Guide.

A lot of shops list stock, but don't actually have physical stock in their warehouse.

The purpose of asking where he got it from is to find out who has stock the easier way.

I mean.... if that's okay? Google can only tell me so much.

got mine from http://www.walkerscycling.co.uk i phoned them up before ordering to check they had stock, said they had just that minute received a fresh shipment.

Thank you

cat_with_no_tail · July 2012

I got my old Edison from Walkers too. An absolute pleasure to deal with they are.

You can also buy them direct from Bionicon UK if you email them off their webby.

I've had mine on for a few months now and I'm surprised at how long the polymer thing lasts.

maxspeed76 · July 2012

Where have the SPD's gone buddy have you reverted back to flat's?

sanchez89 wrote:

Seeing as it was my b'day yesterday and the weather had been pretty decent for the past few days i thought it would be worth a little ride out over Cannock.

Went off-piste for a nice little change and rode a few trails id never done before. for those of you that know your way over cannock's natural side, how nice is Alex's trail!!!!

Once i was finished with that, especially after i found the FC had been p*ssing about with my branches all over my fav stuff.
I went over towards Tackeroo, and thought it was worth retracing the route of the XC race i did back in March, i couldnt believe the difference.

Conditions couldnt have been worse back in March, with rain, sleet, hail and a bit of snow for good measure, the trail was like a bog. Yesterday was basically dry, a few puddles in odd places but still great fun. Not worrying about people overtaking also made me appreciate just how good a route it actually was.

got a couple of pictures of the bike and a bit of singletrack that just made me stop and look.

Blackberry camera doesnt do it justice but better than nothing. its narrower than it looks, real good fun.

KHS XCT-556 ---- Jan 2013 Pg. 5

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