MORNE

i ride a 26 still as well, although its a pretty current one. i'm rolling 1x10 with a 34T narrow wide ring up front and 11-36 XT in the rear. i can honestly say if you need more granny than 36T on a 26"bike, you need to HTFU but really...save your cash and either convert yours to a 1x9 or get a 10 speed 11-36 XT (R900 ish) cassette and a cheap 10 speed rear shifter/mech. Forget this 11-46 NX nonsense on a 26". You can get proper 11-46+ when you upgrade to a new 29" bike later imo....just get riding again. 11-36 is plenty. If you feel it might be to rough go down to 32T up front. ...if you go 1x9 even and keep your current cassette and get a new 9sp shifter - even cheaper. i used to ride that no problem with a 32T ring in the front too.

WHEN he falls skidding into oncoming traffic it wont help much anyway lol

PS, had some serious fun on the 26" cotic BFE these holidays....that thing is a crazy fun toy. It just instills confidence everywhere. Even with the 160mm up front it climbed pretty nice and comfy, but the downhill bits oh boy were they fun. I spent 2 days just doing the Majik downhill section for sh!ts since we were staying with the parentals over December who live in that area. I was going up and down the whole day like a kid.

agree, the paint job makes it look at least 50% more fun to ride too many grey bicycles around.

160mm . probably a bit too much but its a Large frame and the max it can handle according to Cotic. It was also what was available in the classifieds at a good price. It's a RS Liryk. But saying that...i did build it with "outrageous" in mind so all choices were justified by how silly they were before how practical they might be haha. Same when i had to choose between black or purple Hope bling...i thought...."what would my 16y old self do?"easy choice then... I think in the end it probably came out as something you might want to keep pointing down and go as fast as you can to have the most fun on it, even though it pedals quite nicely too. this was always going to be my "bmx" fun machine. It looks quite badass in person too...like it wants to break stuff and i'm pretty sure it can haha EDIT: full specs: -2016 Cotic BFE size L -Hope: headset, seatclamp, rear scewer, purple Pro4 hubs front and rear, purple disk rotors in 180mm front, 160mm rear. -20mm T/A tapered Rockshox Lyrik RC2 DH 170mm limted to 160mm and Marsh guard -780mm bars on 60mm stem - still need to update these. - DMR Deathgrips (flanged) -Full Shimano Saint m820 drivetrain (shifter, cranks & pedals, BB, rear derailleur" -Shimano XT 10-36 cassette. -Raceface N/W chainring 34T - Purple -Shimano Deore m6000 brakes (NEEEEEED to want purple Hope E4's) -26" Sunringle MTX33 hoops -Conti Trail King 26 x 2.4" F/R for urban messing about, Minion DHF 2.5 Super tacky for offroad fun. its a big burly bruising fun machine.

They say 2.4 on the sidewall but they measure closer to actual 2.5" sidewall to sidewall. they definitely run big. They are HUGE compared to the maxxis minion DHF 2.5's I also have. Edit: on a sunringle mtx33 rim (26mm internal bead). pretty sure they'll go bigger on something wider haha

the light seemed right today ...

i also had one huge unexpected tumble once. Single track, with slower kids in front, with nowhere for them to let me by. So we approach this open field bit where they had obviously just cut the long grass and i thought ill sommer quickly pass them there of the beaten track. it all went well until I hit a hole in the ground that was concealed by the cut grass and it basically swallowed the front of my bicycle and needless to say...to this day one of the hardest falls i have had on a bicycle....other than being hit by a car when i was about 13. The latter happened as i was leisurely riding my bicycle down the sidewalk on the way home from school and a woman came racing out of her concealed driveway without looking if there where people coming. I hit her car on the left front fender and did a proper superman over it onto the pavement. She felt so bad...was crying...her kids in the back were laughing there asses off though. That was not the worst part though...if you remember those 90's bar mounted thumb gear levers...you'd know which way they were pointed(down at you) when you were in cruise mode. One obviously caught me as I went over the bars and left me 50 shades of purple RIGHT down there for a month.....my mother still doesnt know

also like how he's getting hit by containers in disgust AFTER he painted his face all over the lawn for them all.

just one...

probably the same people who swore by those 'power bracelets' way back when haha. I have wrist pain - "get a power bracelet" ....sheeple

i concur about probably not that smart to go with 26". BUT - Another reason why i built the 'bmx' up was because at the time there were all those high end/ premium New in box 26" parts floating around on the classifieds for basically beer money...so i made the choice that i would be able to get an awesome 'new' hard hitting toy for about half of what a 650b or 29r equivalent would cost me now...just because 26" is considered outdated. It is NOT gonna be 50% less fun though....AND i can be the tall wierdo still messing about on a 26r. Edit: And being a 2016 model, my BFE26 frame is recently current geometry wise...not like its an Oldschool 26'' bike. Not the newest breed of longshot type hardtails but not that short either. as mentioned already...it has XL numbers compared to my old bike.

i want to need an orange Orange LTHT

I have not thrown it down a trail yet, been busy the past few weekends with friend and family commitments. Only some urban messing about, bedding brakes, riding down some stairs and sidewalks and doing some wheelies, listening to the swarm of bees chasing me lol(rear hub). This thing goes onto its back wheel like nothing, looped out the first few goes. I've realised im going to have to relearn how to manual it as its weight is so far back compared to my old bike it feels alien almost. with a XC bike you have to force yourself over the back wheel so much more to get it in the air. It also pedals quite nice, even with the 160mm up front. Cant see me having any issue riding it to Blouberg from obz. Im so over XC geometry bikes after riding this for 3 times it is not even funny. This is my first steel bike since 1999 ish. Ive only had Alu bikes ever since. I had a 9kg alu bike before this. The BFE weighs about 14kg pre-dropper post so its definetaly not for weight weenies, but i have to say that it really doesn't feel heavy at all while riding. It is super plush and compliant and definitely absorbs small chatter better than my last alu HT did...and that was a cannondale with their so called 'save' tech chain stays. I usually ride XL frames but decided to size one down since this is just a fun messing around trail bike, but the reach is actually more than my old XL frame so it actually feels really good and comfy and i have plenty of standover now compared to my old gate. The High volume tires definitely acts as secondary suspension. I havent converted it to tubless yet so the pressures are quite high with tubes in and even then it feels WAAAAY softer than my 2.2s felt like. Surly make a 2.75 dirt wizzard in 26" and maxxis also now does a minion in 26x2.8 which all apparently fit in this frame so ill see how it goes. I would definitely recommend steel frames and high volume tires for comfort even at this early stage. it might be translated as a bit placebo effect but i honestly feel super comfy on it, where it took me about 6 months to get comfy on my previous bike. Let's put it this way, my next bike will also be a steel frame bike.

there's some more pics here: the guys made me boast about it in another thread haha. https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/116861-boast-about-your-latest-purchases-here/page-723

heres another - bike shredding starts at ~1:20 vids like all the ones posted above is what exemplifies mountain biking to me...always has. having fun, doing silly stuff...in whatever clothes you happen to have on..be it your school uniform or jeans and T's. No fancy kit or shoes or whatever....bring what you got and go play. I don't think any of the guys in those vids care what size wheel their bike has...they are there to have a jol. To be honest...i could have easily built a new decent spec 29'r or 650 with the money i spent on the BFE26 but i saw the frame for sale...and with it an opportunity to relive those fun days i used to have just messing around...when wheel efficiency was reserved for those roadie weirdos I'm older now, and with that unfortunately comes responsibility and more sense of self preservation LOL. But that does not mean I want to cruise along on some jeep track ticking down the kms. That sucks donkey balls...id rather ride a road bike then and go fast instead. yes a new 911 is better in every single way than a 70's or 80's one...but id still have the old school one if i had to choose between them with a gun to my head. fine, call me sentimental, but 26" steel LTHT's are metal AF

and the rest are the ones who would buy into Tulip and Bitcoin fever... cheers lol

maybe for the missus....cause those purple beauties will get some serious fondling while on my handlebars

you guys seem to be confusing shimano's impressive ABS modulation for spongey feeling levers

Thanks! will be getting a lyne 170mm one soon hopefully. want new bars and stem too. those and the seatpost are parts from another bike...initially thought they'd be fine but now they just don't seem worthy of the rest haha

faaaaaark these are so rad!

haha...i have 2 sets of DHF minions...but saving the for the dirt since they are super tacky compound. anyhow...here goes. not sure if i got everything right re crank position etc though...go easy lol: took the one outside yesterday while bedding in the brakes. the light not that great inside. so yes, all in all this has been my money pit the last few months. the big boy bmx

wait...let me do it right then...apparently there are also rules about how to do that correctly on these forums

saw those...wish i had the luxury of walking into any shoe store and find my size lol. UK13

ah screw it, here goes: my new set of spungy 'Shitmano' m6000 brakes and my frame color matching Marsh Guard My new high volume 2.4 german conti Trail Kings which turn my outdated donkey crap 26" sun ringle mtx 33's into 650b's and my very manchildy and oh so 90's purple hope hubs and matching rotors oh and a super nice but very outdated new old stock 26" lyrik Rc2 Dh