Show your Bicycles.....

Deadman

strtdv said:

Anyone tried out the Boardman MTB Team 29er?

I see a really positive write-up on bikeradar, and on paper a SRAM GX 1x11 Hardtail 29er with Rockshox Recon fork for £650 sounds like a bargain (you're basically getting the frame for free as far as I can work out, £250 for groupset, £50-60 for brakes, £150-200 for fork, ~£100 for wheels and tyres).
It would also probably be useful as a commuter (commute is only 5 miles and I don't want to look like a MAMIL every time I get on a bike, and it's not £1500+ to replace unlike my road bikes if it got stolen). A 29er should roll reasonably well?

I had to Google MAMIL 

I'm looking at the Team Hybrid as we speak, but the MTB has piqued my interest too. I love the look of it. 

Boromedic

My main squeeze, my Ghost HTX Actinum 29er which I love. Awesome bike! :-)

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p502/holpop0/20130424_131513_zps2a6227d7.jpg

Boromedic

The mistress..................

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p502/holpop0/20150511_080445_zpsnseahy35.jpg

Boromedic

My next project................

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p502/holpop0/IMG_20160818_095118_zpslxlce1pv.jpg

sellisnba

strtdv said:

Anyone tried out the Boardman MTB Team 29er?

I see a really positive write-up on bikeradar, and on paper a SRAM GX 1x11 Hardtail 29er with Rockshox Recon fork for £650 sounds like a bargain (you're basically getting the frame for free as far as I can work out, £250 for groupset, £50-60 for brakes, £150-200 for fork, ~£100 for wheels and tyres).
It would also probably be useful as a commuter (commute is only 5 miles and I don't want to look like a MAMIL every time I get on a bike, and it's not £1500+ to replace unlike my road bikes if it got stolen). A 29er should roll reasonably well?

The boardmans are fantastic value for money and it seems like a good spec, just make sure you get a competent bike builder to build it. Some of the bikes I've seen from Halfords have been atrocious, The actual bikes are great.
Just moved over to 29er's myself after years on a 26er, it's taken some getting used to and can feel really odd.

strtdv

Tried to buy one today, so far Halfords are preventing me spending my money through their uselessness.

Checked online for stock in my size, reserved it for 1 hour collection (I'd rather assemble it myself than risk letting them do it), arrived 2 hours later to pick it up and they hadn't processed my reservation, and didn't have it in stock.

Possibly Friday now, I'll not hold my breath.

littlegreenman

Any of you guys get your wheels balanced, or balance them yourselves? Sounds a bit snake-oily at first but take a look at this;

BigMonka

strtdv said:

Tried to buy one today, so far Halfords are preventing me spending my money through their uselessness.

Checked online for stock in my size, reserved it for 1 hour collection (I'd rather assemble it myself than risk letting them do it), arrived 2 hours later to pick it up and they hadn't processed my reservation, and didn't have it in stock.

Possibly Friday now, I'll not hold my breath.

@strtdv are you a member of British Cycling? You'll get 10% off Halfords if you are, which on a £650 bike would more than cover the cost of joining BC in the first place.

Niallmo

I used to have a Boardman Team Carbon. Great bike. Bought it for £160 from Cash Gen who didn't twig it was carbon and not alloy. Sadly sold it as I thought it was a bit too big (turns out it was correct size!). Made a fair size profit obviously. 

Boardman now receive nigh on universal praise. Chris made sure they were good quality and decent spec for the price. Really worked on the geometry to make sure the ride and feel was as high as possible. He usually rides a Team CX.

NickBotfield

littlegreenman said:

Any of you guys get your wheels balanced, or balance them yourselves? Sounds a bit snake-oily at first but take a look at this;

That was quite interesting.  I wonder if 14g is the exact mass of a valve?  I bet if he'd done that test without a tyre on it would have been balanced. 

littlegreenman

NickBotfield said:

littlegreenman said:

Any of you guys get your wheels balanced, or balance them yourselves? Sounds a bit snake-oily at first but take a look at this;

That was quite interesting.  I wonder if 14g is the exact mass of a valve?  I bet if he'd done that test without a tyre on it would have been balanced. 

Quite possibly (not sure if the valve hole would decrease the weight significantly?), but no-one rides without tyres so I think the idea shows merit.

It would seem likely that the 14g weight penalty is way offset by the improved rotation, especially over long distances or great speeds (hence the mention of hour records or the Indi-Pac cross Australia race/ ride).

Deadman

.

strtdv

Did a route today I've been meaning to do for a couple of months but hadn't got round to it.

Belfast>Carryduff>Saintfield>Dromara>Dree Hill/up Slieve Croob and then back.

4000' of climbing, Slieve Croob is the toughest climb I've done in ages (partly because it's a 25 mile hilly cycle to get there before you ascend about 400m over about 7km)

I was glad of my granny gear (34x32)!

It'll soon be good enough weather hopefully to get back out on the Canyon. While I don't worry too much about how quick I'm going (not very!), I do like the crisper shifting of the Ultegra, and it's about 1/2 a stone lighter than the Cube, and the fancy flexy seatpost makes it much easier on the backside on the poorly surfaced roads we have round here.

Niallmo

My 1980 Carlton Corsair. 531 main tubes. Made in Worksop, just a few miles from where I live. Ready to ride after I bought it completely dismantled. 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/Niallmo/Bicyles/19E2BAE6-21E2-4AA1-A2FF-45D643EA4709_zpsfksxmqfi.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/Niallmo/Bicyles/DC83BDFF-E85C-460E-A074-66C98087B7A6_zpsbsjflggx.jpg

In June i'm going to Eroica Britannia in Derbyshire. 55 mile course. 5000ft climbing. 

Boromedic

Niallmo said:

My 1980 Carlton Corsair. 531 main tubes. Made in Worksop, just a few miles from where I live. Ready to ride after I bought it completely dismantled. 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/Niallmo/Bicyles/19E2BAE6-21E2-4AA1-A2FF-45D643EA4709_zpsfksxmqfi.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/Niallmo/Bicyles/DC83BDFF-E85C-460E-A074-66C98087B7A6_zpsbsjflggx.jpg

In June i'm going to Eroica Britannia in Derbyshire. 55 mile course. 5000ft climbing. 

Beautiful vintage bike, can't wait to get my Paul Donohue finished either and give it a whirl!

Niallmo

Bwah ha ha ha ha!

Loving this now. 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/Niallmo/Bicyles/855C75A2-B002-4380-8779-52360AC13734_zpsx7trm8or.jpg

BigMonka

strtdv said:

Did a route today I've been meaning to do for a couple of months but hadn't got round to it.

Belfast>Carryduff>Saintfield>Dromara>Dree Hill/up Slieve Croob and then back.

4000' of climbing, Slieve Croob is the toughest climb I've done in ages (partly because it's a 25 mile hilly cycle to get there before you ascend about 400m over about 7km)

I was glad of my granny gear (34x32)!

Sounds like a great ride. My wife's taking the kids to a birthday party on saturday so I may get a rare chance to get out on my bike on a ride that's not my commute!

strtdv

I really enjoyed it. It was a lovely day too, plenty of other cyclists out.


Finally got the mountain bike:



Boardman MTB Team 29er


My first "proper" MTB (had a fully rigid 26er when I was 16 that only really got used on the road).

Bought for the slightly contradictory purposes of commuting and trail riding.
It's a hoot to ride though.

capo4th

29ers are awesome

Niallmo

I have my Charge Cooker 29'er. Wonderful bike. I bought it to commute on in winter but I've not really needed it.  I did do a big ride into and out of Sheffield that wouldn't have got very far with a road bike given the muddy tracks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/Niallmo/Bicyles/EE09F78D-E2D9-40D3-9DD5-97F3F5828085_zpsosl87m5o.jpg