I, err, well, you see...

I want to buy myself a present. And it's going to be a mountain bike, or, actually, a frame, so I can build it up from MaliBike. So, err, has anyone had any experiences with a Specialized FSR Extreme Ground Control, and, more importantly, is it any good? Only it's a hideous green colour. And I quite like it. And not too far from here. And MrsA has said I can. And tehre is one for sale near me, unlike the RTS which has currently been cast aside as an idea, like a slut from Ellesmere Port.

And I might even retire the Kona frame to hang on the wall in the spare room.

Any advice would be appreciated, especially on the slightly older fully suspended MTB frames.

Ta, muchly.

I'd probably ask here for advice about snack foods, booze, computers and videogames, mountain bikes not so much.

DBSnappa knows loads about mountain bikes, and owns an extremely serious one made out of carbon fibre and low-electron titanium and angel's wings manufactured in low earth orbit or something. I've emailed him this thread, thought he might be on holiday, I've not seen him around for a while.

How old is this frame? Specialized have been making FSR derivatives for over a decade. There also seem to be a multitude of varieties from older y frames to more esoteric double diamonds. Pics would be good. I could bore you at length on this but I'll pause until I know exactly what it is you're talking about

Generally speaking, Specialized make excellent frames though they can be a little short in the cockpit[1] for my liking which can make them quite twitchy but that's an entirely subjective viewpoint and one which can be worked around by tweaking things like handlebar stems and the other parts at the front of the bike, forks and their travel length being the other obvious deciders. You're own proportions are something that will factor enormously as well.

Show me pics and tell me what you intend to use it for and I can help.

Not an expert, and you've not said what you'll be doing with it, but aren't fully sprung frames inefficient for general riding?

I saw some guy riding one up a steep hill near me the other day, and he seemed to be 'pogo-ing' up it, putting a lot of energy into the suspension rather than the pedals.

I got your email. I gave the carbon fibre one to my brother about two years ago as though it was an awesome bike it was a bit to specialised for what I wanted as it was an ultralight xc rig and though blisteringly quick I wanted something that could cope better with my too rare sorties to the Vale of Neath and the mtb courses there. My current steed is more of an all purpose beast that can tackle ludicrous terrain but is also very good at pootling around town if needs be, which I built up myself. In fact I spent an hour this weekend bleeding the brakes

Decent frames have very sophisticated rear suspension that will at the least allow "lock out" on rear travel for this and at best have very clever geometry that counteracts the 'bob' effect of which you talk. My current bike has both - I can lock rear travel on the fly by flicking a lever on the shock, but the frame is good enough that I don't need to do it unless I'm on a very steep slow going trail and need to be standing up on the pedals using all my weight to push them. If I'm sitting on the saddle it's frequently better to keep it open the suspension on for the aid in traction.

I'm quite keen on my front suspension, but not sure I'd want it on the back.

I thought front suspension was a revelation when I first got it, and sure enough there's been a couple of times where I might have come off without it.

I had to get a new tyre on Saturday. Apparently the tyres that came with my bike are for dirt which is why the back one wore out so quick (I go 90% on road).

I want a pic of this bike of yours, Snappa. It sounds sexy.

Trek Liquid 30 frame with a Fox RL shock. Lockout and ride height adjustment on the fly

Full Shimano XTR running gear, though it's mix and match of various generations - crank is latest spec.
Mavic Crossmax XL rims
Thomson Elite seat post, Thomson stem
Chris King Headset
Easton Monkey lite carbon fibre handlebars
Hope Mono Mini discs
Pace RC40 Xcam forks, lock out with blow off and height adjustment on the fly.
DMR V12 Mag pedals

As a point of order, anyone who wears lycra is automatically a cunt. No exceptions. I'm out every week in my jeans and T-shirt, but the lycra fuckers only come out when the sun is shining on their poncy racing bikes. Yeah, didn't see them about when it was -5 and snowing in February and I was still doing 30 mile rides. Fair weather cyclists!

I don't wear lycra and I ride in all weathers. I do wear cycling gear but then it's mtb gear and not "spray on".

Just as I thought: sexy.

What sort of riding do you do? Do you only ride on flat pedals, or do you clip in at all? It's been such a long time since I did any biking (8 years or so, I reckon), but I've got one of these on its way to me, hopefully to be delivered tomorrow morning:

Wouldn't riding in jeans in the wet be really miserable?

I tried spd pedals and I didn't like them. I understand the benefits if you get in to them but I like to be able to move my feet around on the pedals, which spds don't allow - I found the narrow angle of attachment quite uncomfortable on my ankles more than anything. Plus cleats/clips are really only of any benefit if you race - the third time you fall off, find yourself on your arse with your feet in the air with the bike still attached to them will probably put you off, as it did me - you're far more likely to fall off with them as well, particularly in low speed scenarios when you fail to disengage your foot as you lose balance and find you have no feet to put down. The DMRs I use have 2mil allen bolts on each face which provide good grip, particularly when wearing Five10s which are by far and away the best cycling boots/shoes I've ever used. Tru dat. The don't half rake your shins though if you do slip off the pedals

I do have a pair of waterproof trousers if it's really bad but usually I'm fine to be honest. A lightweight anorak with a hood is a must though, I can't stand my hair getting wet!

But I'm happy in most weathers barring wind. The areas I cover on the New Forest are quite high up and exposed and it can be a bloody miserable slog if the windspeed forecast for Southampton is above 15MPH (because I'll be far higher up and more exposed).

I did a lovely 46 mile ride on Saturday taking in just over 4 and a half hours (including a couple of stops). As I've bleated on before, my aim is to get to the sea eventually which is only approx another 8 miles on the journey.

Nice. I give you six months before you enter "UPGRADE HELL"

Lovely, thanks for your view.

I've got some Shimano M647s to stick on, which'll give me both options before fully committing to either of them. I'll have a thorough test of both.

Ugh. I'm still getting over that with my camera!

Not for Chinny, he still wears sandpaper undercrackers.

This is my bike.



Nowt fancy, a six year old bike that cost about £250. Rarely rode it until a couple of years ago. Now go out every weekend at least once on it. The only time I've missed a week is when I had a throat infection a couple of months back. 46 miles is the best distance.

Note all the lights. Gets dark out on the New Forest in winter. I have a secondary light gaffer taped to the frame to give me some extra nearside lighting after I nearly went down a ditch in pitch black.

Yeah it's shit and everyone else powers past me smirking on their £1000 bikes, but fuck the lot of them. I'm out every week enjoying myself. My only luxury is my GPS bike computer which I adore.... and a new front tyre that cost 30 quid (still got a cheap one on the back, it's got 6 months though).

I have a bike. I dusted it down and rode it on the weekend too. Maybe I'll post pics. It's very un-fancy indeed.

God I hate the wind when I'm riding as well.

Frame like this one:



Ebay

More infos

I'll be transplanting bits from my one (pictured) on to it.

I love SPD pedals and would not swap them for anything. Even though they might have fucked my knees.

I have a fixed frame and low profile 700-28c tyres. I called it the boneshaker until I got used to it as the ride was so hard compared with my old front suspended mountain bike. I almost exclusively use it on the road, however, so it pays dividends (I regularly get up to 35mph on the way home).

Please, please get a speed camera to flash you.

I have a couple of VXR 400 frames in my shed, which are very similar. It's worth noting that this is designated as a Downhill frame and will ride very differently to your current bike once built up - it will almost certainly feel heavier and less agile though by how much is anybody's guess. You might have to buy a new headset and possibly some disc brakes as well, though and look at the possibility that your stem (the bar that connects the top of the forks to the handlebars) might be the wrong angle/length. Obviously I've never ridden one of these frames in question and I'm extrapolating from my experience of riding another Y frame, but the height of the forks and the angle of the stem are crucial in how those bikes ride because the frame geometry is set for going down hill so everything is canted up a bit which can make the bike feel a bit understeery on the road - you can compensate this by having a shorter stem with a lower angle and by having forks around the 100mm of travel which will make you lean forward slightly more putting more of your weight toward the front of the bike to comp' the natural rearward pitch and weight bias the frame may be set up for.

I've hit 50+mph (indicated on bike computer) on my mountain bike down a NSL dual carriageway before. Was fucking ace overtaking cars in the outside lane. My mate and I sued to ride, one in front of the other, so the second rider could use the slipstream, then slingshot round once the magic number of 40mph was hit. Fucking awesome fun it was.

Most things I've read about it seems to indicate it's OK for going uphill here. I'll have the forks from the Kona on it (which are around 1, headset is right size, so most can be a straight swap over. It's got bosses for rear brake, and I can run either disks or V's on my forks, so no worries there. i prefer shorter stems and narrower bars for quicker steering on my pushbikes anyway. I'm happy setting geometry up on pushbikes, and cocking about with riding positions.

You were always honest when you entered the wheel's circumference into the bike computer, weren't you?

Err, yes officer.

I mean, both of us came up with similar results.

I would, but it's a national speed limit carriageway, unfortunately. I tend to only get up to 27-28mph on the flat. Hopefully once my stamina is built up a bit more I can break the speed limits happily.

You'll be fine then. I look forward to tales of you terrorising pedestrians by riding it down flights of stairs

Heh. With a rear spring, I'll jump the stairs.

I think I'll stick a comedy bid on it, and see what happens.

I love my road bike - but am not a lycra wearing nutter, in that I have my padded pants on but with baggy shorts over the top so as to look like a normal person (well, a weirdo with no dress sense, but not like I'm advertising bike teams/manufacturers for whom I'll never ride, which is a bit odd I think). And then I use the fact that it's a decent bike to power round people (who then drop me when they jump the lights, but one day I shall kill them) and generally cruise in to work. I'm still working on the speed camera down Kingston Hill but don't quite have the power to trip it, I don't think, though I did have enough speed to race a car down there this morning - why he was trying to nudge past when the van in front was only a few metres from me I don't know, but he didn't make it.

Makes commuting into town a pleasure, and even though it's 15/16 miles, it's still always quicker than the train/walk from Waterloo, and usually quicker than train/tube.

Utter cunts.

I saw a cyclist jump a red light the other day. I wouldn't have minded if it was just a clear junction, but it was a pedestrian crossing I was actually walking across. I should have thumped him as he rode past.

Get a stick and shove it in his spokes. I'm a cyclist and I hate those wankers.

I have a tatty old mountain bike which I tacked an electric motor onto, for days when I'd like to cycle but haven't quite got the energy, or the wind speed is a bit high.

When I was playing about with it initially, I managed to get 38 mph, on the flat, unassisted (without pedalling). I don't think it would hold up to that for very long though, and it's all kinds of illegal.

Can't get mine above about 42MPH. Might help if I dressed in the biking fetish gear though. Certainly there's no way I can peddle to help gain speed downhill as the gearing won't allow it.

Those wheel computer things are shit. Get a GPS unit.

This was when I was, what, 16?

GET A FUCKING TIME MACHINE YOU LAZY BASTARD!

But seriously, the GPS thingies are aces.

Steep hill and use of other rider and cars as windbreak.

Mine's the opposite. It can be quite a challenge getting uphill, but I can absolutely thrash it downward. My fastest's about 42mph as well, but I haven't found any super-steep hills yet.

They look ace, but they're a bit pricey. I've got a wireless Cateye one at the moment, and it does the job at about £30.

May get one eventually, but I've spent enough.

Anyway. Have any of you got any recommendations for lights?

Unless you want to spend lots of money on HIDs, you can't go wrong with something like this:
http://www.cateye.com/uk/product_detail/327

It's the one I've got, and it's good enough for me to be able to see where I'm going on a road in the middle of Sherwood Forest with no lights whatsoever.

Flashing red LED on the back, flashing green on the front, and one like myp said.

Not the exact model I was looking at yesterday, but close enough. Cateye seem to be the only ones doing decently powerful lights with good battery life for not-arms-and-legs prices. Cheers, chap.

You can spend a fortune on them. I decided not to.

I use a Cateyes on the front and back. Approx 30 quid. I also have a flasher for my helmet. They're all good enough considering I have ridden in pitch black. If I were to add anything I'd see if I could get a light for the front of my helmet.

I also have a cheap light taped to the frame on on the left to help me see the kerb/edge of the road as I'm often on unmarked roads and in the dark it's very easy to wander off the road.