Rock Shox Revelation 426 Air U-Turn Update

Weeman and i each fitted a pair of Rock Shox Air U-Turn forks several months ago to our Yeti 575's with the intention of using them for more agressive style XC/ mountain riding; compromising a slight increase in weight (against lighter XC forks) for a stiffer stronger stantion setup capable of sucking up anything day a trail could throw at it (with the exception of huge drops).

So far the forks seem to do the trick and suck up almost anything you can throw at them on the trail with a sweet plush movement. Originally i had envisaged problems with lateral movement as a result of a combination of large fork stantions and a lightweight looking brace, but any twist is negligible and the forks flick well through the corners and feel incredibly stable. Travel is incredibly easy to adjust on the trail and with the added option of Poplock they compliment any full susser with rear lockout suspension. We both also use stiff carbon handlebars and the forks perform an exceptional job in helping reducing levels of shock and vibration to the fingertips. In over 100 miles of riding the forks are yet to bottom out and the seals appear to be handling the harsh British winter weather perfectly :o)

Overall, a quality fork (and in a stunning white colour). Once you have them set up to your liking you will not be disappointed. If you can find these on the net at a good price then look no further..

Which frame would you go for?

Quick question.. the active brits are looking into getting new full-suspension frames soon.. votes and comments on the following please..

1) Santa Cruz Blur LT
2) Yeti 575
3) Intense 5.5
4) Elsworth

Will be using it for aggressive all year round XC in the UK, trail riding and coming down the likes of Skiddaw, Helvelyn and technical singletrack in the Alps (read our stories for an indication of what we do).

Also, any favourable comments for frames for the 'taller' rider would be appreciated.

Cheers

Psychs

Rock Shox Revelation 426 Air U-Turn

I'm like a big kid with a new toy.. look what the postman dropped off for me this morning, set of Rockshox Revelation 426 Air U-Turns 100-130mm travel.... cant wait to try em out proper stylee.. hope they are good on the mountains.. if you use a set yourself.. please leave a review..

Global shout to everyone who's out and about at the weekend.. have fun.. psychs..

Flats or Clipless Pedals?

Thanks for the email regarding whether the active brits posse use flats or clipless pedals... wouldnt mind £10 for everytime someone has thrown that question at me..

The active brits posse always tend to use flats, we currently ride GT's, Scotts, Orange hardtails and they sort of go hand in hand with the bikes. From a personal perspective, they really give an element of uncertainty to the riding but to me thats what riding is all about. There is nothing better than being able to use every single 'mm' of the pedal surface, to be able to roll you feet, flail your legs out while drifting through corners if need be and most of all getting that rush when your feet come flying off on a sketchy downhill.. Im a full on control freak and flats challenge this every time i'm out. You can go faster on a trail, push more than you've ever pushed, but at the end of the day, if your mind is not in tune with your feet, flat pedals will let you know.. normally at the point when you go full on wang chung, get sharked on the back of your legs or become an honoury member of the over the handlebars club.. Whatever your preference ... just have fun..

Specialized 2007 Stuntjumper FSR Carbon.. Lush

Post Christmas Day drooooooolllllllllll.

Stumpjumper FSR Pro Carbon

PACE RC400 Full Suspension Mountain Bike

As you are all probably aware, the awesome Yorkshire based PACE bikes have got round to delivering the long awaited full-susser to the mountain biking market. The active brits possie cant wait to test drive this beauty (so PACE is you are tuning in to this blog, feel free to send us a bike to try out for the weekend in the mountains of North Wales.. :o) It looks absolutely stunning, although after a bit of post trail biking chat in the pub at the weekend we came to the conclusion that we are not in favour of the white paintjob (although it looks like you can also get the frame in a deep red). We envisaged PACE to put out a frame in a fusion of stunning graphite-black and aluminium but then again its the specs that truly matter and as soon as we get hold of one to test we'll post a review... Watch this space.

Pace RC400 (Extract taken form PACE 2007 Online Catalogue (pdf)). Click on Image for a larger view or download catalogue.



If you have been lucky enough to test drive the RC400 or have some constructive opinions, feel free to leave a comment.. .. The Active Brits Possie.

Panaracer Cinder Kevlar 2.1 Review.

Well its been several months now since i stuck a new set of Panaracer Cinder 2.1's on the GT and i can honestly say i'm well impressed. I've thrown everything at them, mud, gravel, tarmac, grass fields, rock runs and they really seem to to the job properly. I have used Panracer XC Pros for years and have been moderately impressed but the Cinders seem really suited to the UK mixed transitional routes and are excellent during edging manoeuvres on fast flowing corners where you like to keep momentum. I went for the Kevlar beaded model to reduce a bit of weight and they seem really strong and well constructed. The only downside i have discovered is that you could sometimes do without the incredible grip on uphill tarmac sections, you can actually hear the tyres sticking to to the road. It will be interesting to determine the longevity of the tyre but i would imagine by the level of grip and increased friction that the overall lifespan will be slightly reduced (i'll be prepared to buy an extra set of tyres in favour of performance). They retail out at about £20-25 a tyre which is on par with the XC Pros and in my opinion are definately worth checking out.

You can find more information on the Panaracer Website

Just cant stop drooling... SANTA CRUZ bikes... Ahhhhhhh

What a weekend the Active Brits crew has had.. It doesnt get much better than a stonking beer filled Saturday night with quality banter, top mates and great pub scenery ;o) followed by a trip up to Bike Treks in Ambleside to spend all afternoon drooling over the latest range of bikes before heading off for a few hours to search for some new routes to nail..

While the rest of the Active Brits possie rummaged around for new bike parts, i must have spent about an hour just hanging around a couple of high end Santa Cruz bikes that where on show. I went into full on trainspotter mode, reckon i should have taken a thermos in with me and a comfy chair. I just entered the 'wishlist' zone and started to think how cool it would be to be able to actually get a mortgage to buy one of them.. I've always liked the looks of Santa Cruz bikes, i've seen them performing on the open trails in Canada and the USA and they seem to just scream quality and robustness with huge welds and sleek lines. I've come to the conclusion that they are definately bikes designed for single people.. If ya happily married, forget it, we are talking awesome stunning rigs that you'll never grow tired of, serious divorce material..

BLUR XC - Click Here For Info

BLUR LT - Click Here For Info

NOMAD - Click Here For Info

Say no more eh.. truly amazing bikes, well worth getting hold of a giant piggy bank then spending the next 5 years saving for one..... For more information more bikes within the Snta Cruz range check out SANTA CRUZ or if you know of any competitions to win one (or several)then please let us know :o)

A few of us are seriously going to try a couple of these out for size by the end of the year so any personal comments/ reviews by fellow mountain biking bloggers would be welcomed..