My new ride - Boardman Team FS

apreading

Struggling to follow your logic - cant afford the petrol to go ride it, but can afford to replace the perfectly good brakes that are on it...?

Angus Young

From the way he wrote that I think he's fully aware of the irony of his own inconsistency and is deliberately highlighting it. And which of us hasn't said "I can't afford this..." and then gone and bought that, at one point or another?

Kowalski675

Angus Young wrote:

From the way he wrote that I think he's fully aware of the irony of his own inconsistency and is deliberately highlighting it. And which of us hasn't said "I can't afford this..." and then gone and bought that, at one point or another?

Correct on both counts. There is a certain logic(ish) to the purchase of the XT brakes though. My Carrera Kraken's been hanging unridden since buying the Boardman (only coming down each time I move it to get to the full bouncer). I'd figured I may as well sell it for a couple of hundred quid, but now I'm thinking that I should upgrade it a little and use it for my local door to door xc type rides (local woods, towpaths, bridleways etc) / winter trail bike. Quicker to clean a muddy hardtail, less maintenance and saves winter wear and tear on suspension pivot bearings. The weak points on the Kraken are the forks (XCR - springy and lacks damping control) and brakes (Tektro Io mechanical disc brakes - poor performance and constant adjustment). I was going to buy some mid range Shimano brakes for £75, but came across the XTs for £113.66 (for both front and rear) and figured that, for the extra £40 it was too good a deal to pass by, and found myself clicking them into my basket. So the Boardman will get the excellent XTs (and they'll probably go onto whatever bike follows it if/when I replace it), and I'll swap the Elixir 3s over onto the Kraken.

I've got a new chain for it (old one had seized up) and just ordered a cheap (£11.99) seatpost (it's a 20 inch frame and my saddle's pushed right forward, so I wanted an inline post to replace the laid back OE post). Which just leaves the pogo stick forks - I'm looking at cheap new Suntour Epicons (which will allow me to fit a shorter stem than the current 90mm too). That should give me a pretty decent little (well, large - it's 20", lol) bike for getting muddy locally. There's a certain logic in there from where I'm sitting, anyway...

Oh, guess it'll need dome new tyres too. Was gonna try a pair of On One Smorgasbords, but the buggers have just put the price up by £7.50. Grrr.

ej2320

I went on CRC on Monday morning to get those XTs.. All the rear brakes are sold out, no surprise
Looks like I'll go back to plan A of buying SLX for £100

Kowalski675

Black fronts and silver rears are still showing in stock. I ordered black front and rear, which were both showing in stock when I ordered (Sunday night), but looking on my account only the front is showing as shipped, with the rear still listed as processing, so I'm guessing that when they went to pick my order they found the rear box empty. Since they were in stock when I ordered them at that price then I assume I'll get my rear when they re-stock, I'll see what the invoice says when the front arrives.

kirby700

how's the bike doing?

Mines been fine since the new frame no creaks nothing

Kowalski675

kirby700 wrote:

how's the bike doing?

Mines been fine since the new frame no creaks nothing

Hi mate, bet you had to delve back a few pages to find this thread again. Tbh, I haven't even ridden it since building it onto the new frame - can't motivate myself to get out in this foul winter weather. I haven't mounted the XT brakes yet, the hoses need shortening. Think it could do with a more winter friendly front tyre for the mud that'll be out there now too. I've been buying some parts to upgrade my hardtail as a winter / local xc bike to try and tempt me back out there - Epicon forks arrived today.

DanDax1990

The Smorgasbords are really good tyres. Chunky Monkey up front for the mud will do you nicely.

Crap weather ain't all that bad, A lot more effort to get going but once the ride is done and you get a nice hot shower and a coffee, It feels a lot more pleasurable.

kirby700

I went out on Sunday couldn't resist although spent 2 hrs cleaning it afterwards!

Running specialized Butcher on the front and ground control on rear. Both perfect!

Kowalski675

I don't drink coffee, and I can have a nice hot shower without having to go out and get hypothermia first

On the tyre front (and on the front tyre), I was thinking of trying a Bonty XR4 Team Issue, with the existing XR3 Team Issue on the rear. Until winter's over then the only action the Boardman might see will be at trail centres, which are as all weather rideable as possible, so you're not gonna get thick, deep mud like you will on natural XC type trails anyway, and the XR4 will do well as a grippy front summer trail tyre too. Not sure what I'll put on the hardtail, LBS still has the XR3s for £17.50, which are a bargain and great all rounder, bot probably not gonna do well in local muddy woods.

DanDax, are you back on a bike yet? What sort of places do you ride in the Bradford / West Yorks area?

DanDax1990

Nope back off the bike (Was allowed to ride for a couple of month whilst waiting for op)

Had the op done Friday so hopefully able to ride in a few months.

I just ride locally for now, Was mainly working on my fitness last year but this year I'm gonna hammer it hard to get my fitness as good as I can, maybe buy a road bike too.

I ride with my brother who fortunately is a bigger lump of lard than I am but we both really fancy bike packing. Neither of us are very talented in the saddle but I like to push my limits otherwise what's the point? lol

You're from over Skipton way if I'm correct?

Kowalski675

Not that far away - just near Shipley. In summer my local rides took in Thackley woods, Shipley Glen (there's an old quarry up there where a load of jumps etc have been built too), Hirst Wood, Leeds Liverpool canal and the riverbank up from Saltaire etc - nothing too technical (although some challenging bits in the woods around Shipley Glen, and a bitch of a climb up alongisde the old tramway to the Old Glen pub), but some nice woodland trails, bridleways etc. I could do a 25 mile loop and only have to use half a mile of road. I was planning a loop that would take me out through Esholt woods, up to Guiseley then down and across the moors past Hawksworth golf course and back up to Shipley Glen from the other side, but haven't attempted it yet (would need to get some easier rides in first now, to get back the little fitness that I had worked up in summer).

Further afield I've been up to Stainburn several times, and over to Gisburn maybe half a dozen times, which is definitely worth the journey. Just wondered roughly what area you're in, and whether you've been riding anywhere that overlaps, or know of anywhere worth a look. Hope the op has done the trick and it's not too long before you can get back out (my collarbone was a clean break and healed on its own, luckily). Maybe in spring we could go out for a ride sometime - I'm talentless and unfit, but I have a go, I do red routes, and some black sections (slowly and badly, lol).

Gonna have a luck at this next time I'm at Gisburn and see if I can summon the bollocks to have a crack at it (never come across it on previous visits, but I know where it is now). When I was 14 on a BMX I would've done it without batting an eyelid, lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgH5P6R8q4I

I'll probabbly bottle out when I look at it, but if I do attempt it I'll make sure somebody's filming it, just in case I make a monumental tit of myself...

poah

doesn't look that bad on the video

DanDax1990

I'm over by Odsal/Wibsey so not as much trails over this way. I know a couple of lads by Dewsbury who I meet up with now and then for a ride. We were riding over by Huddersfield in some woods when I had the off. There's a loop up by Ogden aswell which I'm gonna do next hear and of course Hebden Bridge.

I prefer my natural trails to trail centers and more technical than jumps. Definitely up for meeting up sometime when I'm fit.

Kowalski675

POAH wrote:

doesn't look that bad on the video

But I'm a talentless newbie, lol. When I was a teenager on a BMX I would've done that with my eyes shut, but that was a long time ago, and until recently I hadn't even ridden a pushbike since way back then. And at 40, you don't bounce as well as you used to twenty years ago...

Kowalski675

DanDax1990 wrote:

I'm over by Odsal/Wibsey so not as much trails over this way. I know a couple of lads by Dewsbury who I meet up with now and then for a ride. We were riding over by Huddersfield in some woods when I had the off. There's a loop up by Ogden aswell which I'm gonna do next hear and of course Hebden Bridge.

I prefer my natural trails to trail centers and more technical than jumps. Definitely up for meeting up sometime when I'm fit.

I've not ridden out Hebden Bridge way, but I've been walking in the woods around Hardcastle Crag when I went to photograph Gibson Mill, and Ed Oxley's based there - plenty of trails in the area. looking at maps the whole area's criss crossed by trails and bridleways, loads of places to ride. Roll on summer.