wapad

get hold of Maryks in the training and nutrition section tell her what you want to achieve and she will send you a program it will cost a few hundred bucks but it will be money well spent you seem to have the discipline and you're not fat what a load of bollocks if you follow a program and maybe set yourself a goal of doing a race you will drop another 10 kgs the other thing is if you can do some road cycling( road bikelekker big gears to turn) definitely makes the legs stronger Last bit of advice learn to love the climbs ...

I am looking to build a 29er Crest cw hope hubs and DT Swiss comp spokes I was wondering about weight limits. Are there any hubbers in that weight cat that have this build, my understanding is that the wheel will be built to match my weight Also what sort of weight does a wheelset like that come in I have heard in the 1600g region is that true, am currently using the stock set that comes on the Anthem 29er and must say not bad, compared to the reports on bikeradar...

I am 100kg and have mine pumped to about 210psi I found that I was riding with my shock in the lockout/damped position Once I figured that out it was a soft ride, Agree with Aggies best way is to check how much travel you use when riding also make sure your pump is accurate as possible on lockout I am on 3

I wouldn't say flex but a softer feel I paid 650 for a brand new Truativ WC bar slight rise and sweep the best part is the oversize section you can hold on on long flat sections almost like a TT position it gives the arms a rest looking to get a set of Crests built with Hope hubs

Thats the plan I've sent him a few mails, a bit off the topic funny thing I'm seeing CRC and the like is that they are not as cheap as you think when you buy in the UK, because they have 20% vat so if you fiddle with settings on the pricing then lugging a set of rims back to save 150 bucks isnt worth it

Try a KCNC scandium bar its about half the price and lighter than a carbon bar, I have truativ world cup bar, only thing is carbon probably might have a better riding feel about those wheels you got I take it you had them built is that ztr crest?

I have a large standard with pedals was about 12.3 kg I have replaced the saddle to alliante which is quite heavy gone tubeless and changed bars seatpost and stem so with bottle cage etc its sitting at 12.1 kg for a large will be getting a new wheelset so should come in under 11.9kg

I was reading on Bike radar about some of the new forks not having enough oil in them apparently when a new fork suffers from stiction this can be the cause Is this easy enough to check or is it better done bike a bike shop

welcome to the club dont worry about singletrack these bikes handle great even on the twisty bits Granted it will take getting used to but after a few rides and once the suspension is setup you will love it That was the part that took time, setting the suspension I also changed the bars for my 630mm carbon bars and my Fizik Alliante saddle I found those bars way to wide and that will also affect handling but enjoy I reckon this has got to be bang for buck the best 29er out there

The anthem is a much softer ride and nobody will be able to argue that.. but in the end they are usually both well priced the Giant is by no means overpriced and from what I've seen the Merida is well priced and well specced usually very difficult bikes to compare but I would say the Merida is more racey with a hard feel more a full XC machine as opposed to the Giant with a softer ride for marathons dont worry about positions in the epic look at the average race the field will be filled with Giant and Merida 2 good brands

I would be inclined to have a UST on the front they seem to take the biggest hammering all my repairs have been on the front wheels especially when dropping down a quick rooty tech single track you always want to be able to rely on the front wheel IMO

tyre for tyre a UST tyre will be heavier than a standard tyre but the savings in weight can be that the tube which can weigh 150grams - a tyre liner 100grams isnt used and so there can be a weight saving in that case using UST tyres where most guys save weight with going tubeless is by using light tubeless tyre an example geax Saguaro 750g 29er tyre vs Spez fast trak 630g I weighed a spez s works renegade at 480grams 29er but that is a pure race snake tyre I did a conversion on my 29 er from std X mark to geax Saguaro2.2 which is a high volume tyre and with 3 cups of stans and the wheels were on average about 80 grams heavier than the standard setup but I had that absolute peace of mind I then tried spez fast trak and saved 150grams per wheel so then I was under the standard wheel weight bottomline is there must be a balance between reliability and weight another bonus on tubeless is if you get a cut that the stans cant seals the plugs work well and quite quick and easy to do, I have had a cut right on the bead and was able to repair. That was my first repair ever Also if you run tubeless you should carry bombs that to me is essential

sorry just realised its the DT competition spokes that I want does that mean the length changes

why do you say 'good luck'as if I could have problems I dont intend the build myself but according to my calcs I could save a fair amount by getting the parts in the UK whilst there and at the moment dont have access to a wheel builder right now Thanks for the info though

I'm going to the UK for a trip so will be getting all the parts for a wheel build looks like I can save a grand or two what would the spoke length( DT revolutions ) be using a crest 29er rim with Hope hubs still deciding between 12mm anodised nipples and the stock 14mm ones would the spoke length stay the same also has anyone heard of the anodised nipples being able to work themselves loose I know there are spoke calculators but relying on some experience At present out in the wild west so cant just ask a local wheelbuilder Thanks

what is your budget those are very average bikes if your are talking XC and specifically racing your are looking at very high spec bikes I've seen the GT good bike but very basic, as for the Giant I would look at the XTC dont know the Scott Scale but scott is a good brand

Thanks for the advice I think I will stick with the Hope hub idea

looking to build a 29 wheelset going with crest rims but was wondering about the hub choice the obvious hub choice would be the hopes but what about Sun ringle country flea hubs any inputs ito backup, common breakages etc if weight is an issue I am just under 100kg ..

to feel the difference between fast rebound and slow on both shocks set the rebound to full fast and and compress the shock or fork then set to fullslow and compress that is how you will feel the biggest differnce then you can set rebound, if rebound is to slow the shock doesnt absorb the bump quick enough and if its too fast it wont dampen the ride enough to get a feel of how the shock works ride a bumpy section and afterwards feel the heat build up bottom line once your sag is set all the other adjustments come down to personal choice

In December cyclelab in westlake had 2or 3 bikes all GF 29er I had a bike for about 5 days fitted it with my seat post saddle and bars and did 3 rides in Tokai one of about 40kms so I got a good feel I ended up getting an Anthem 29er but that was price vs spec but their service for the test was great in the end the GF was quite a bit heavier and slightly lower spec

yes really when you can take your max HR 5-8 beats higher that means the motor is revving a bit more which means you have the capacity to get fitter ie a higher level of fitness especially when you can recover easily to normal levels..

a mate of mine has an air niner carbon coming in at about 9.3kg I was going to get a niner jet and it was a fairly well specced bike Large and it was only coming in at 12.5 kg and they reckon I would struggle to get it under 12kg without spending serious cash, I went with the Anthem 29er and am sitting 12kg for a large and I reckon I can chop off 500 by changing the wheels and my saddle but to be honest I dont feel I need it the bike just wants to go

must agrre with your laymens review one other thing I noticed was my heart rate was noticeably higher but I was carrying more speed on average So I think that it is possible that a 29er could take you to a higher level of fitness I ride a few routes that I check via dl on the Garmin and am defintely quicker even on the loose steep climbs but my HR is at its peak but once it flattens out I recover nicely In Tokai there is probably only one section that was part of the Epic route that I wont tackle on my 29er right now for fear of a bad fall even though I have done it on a test 29er before So must say I dont think the 29er would hold you back on the technical twisty xc descents once you get used to it

I think its time to load some before and now pics I have followed this topic so its been interesting toread all the tips along the way