The "Photos From Today's Ride" thread...
Discussion
croftsj said:
Were the barriers still down on the Malaucène route yesterday?
Weather turned to s
t in the afternoon, we were going to ascend again but decided to do the Gorge du Nesque instead an shot thoroughly pissed wet through.
We did the ride on Saturday, barriers were down but road is totally fine.Weather turned to s
t in the afternoon, we were going to ascend again but decided to do the Gorge du Nesque instead an shot thoroughly pissed wet through. We were lucky with the weather. You still there?
Is the nesque road the 10 mike climb to the view point? If so that’s a lovely road. I did that on Sunday.
Tall_Paul said:
I rode this round QECP today on the demo day, awesome bike. Has overtaken the Canyon Spectral as contender for my next bike, utterly brilliant and the spec is to die for.
Wow - that low gear..!! I'm not sure I could pedal fast enough to stay on the bike with that one. 
Bike looks fabulous.
Mixed Day here....
Had an entry for Ride Clwyd, on the roads local to me.
The 70 mile route took in 6k climbing, and a lack of fuel meant I bonked at 57 miles and abandoned....first time ever on an organised ride or Audax.
The only positive was the personal ambition to ride the Horseshoe pass, climbing from Ruthin to the Ponderosa, then down to Llangollen and up onto the Panorama.
Took this at the top of the HSP.
Had an entry for Ride Clwyd, on the roads local to me.
The 70 mile route took in 6k climbing, and a lack of fuel meant I bonked at 57 miles and abandoned....first time ever on an organised ride or Audax.
The only positive was the personal ambition to ride the Horseshoe pass, climbing from Ruthin to the Ponderosa, then down to Llangollen and up onto the Panorama.
Took this at the top of the HSP.
Watchman said:
Tall_Paul said:
I rode this round QECP today on the demo day, awesome bike. Has overtaken the Canyon Spectral as contender for my next bike, utterly brilliant and the spec is to die for.
Wow - that low gear..!! I'm not sure I could pedal fast enough to stay on the bike with that one. Bike looks fabulous.
Zippee said:
Tall_Paul said:
I rode this round QECP today on the demo day, awesome bike. Has overtaken the Canyon Spectral as contender for my next bike, utterly brilliant and the spec is to die for.
Which model is that - quite like that one 
Hired these in Moab a few weeks back, Stumpjumper 650B with 3 inch tyres. What a revelation, felt like they were capable of anything. Knarly drops that I would usually have walked, I just rolled over, even more shocking so did my wife which had me worried. Absolutely great fun, thought they would be heavy and cumbersome but not at all. Seriously considering an upgrade but not sure my local terrain justifies it.
Tall_Paul said:
Zippee said:
Tall_Paul said:
I rode this round QECP today on the demo day, awesome bike. Has overtaken the Canyon Spectral as contender for my next bike, utterly brilliant and the spec is to die for.
Which model is that - quite like that one HoHoHo said:
Tall_Paul said:
Zippee said:
Tall_Paul said:
I rode this round QECP today on the demo day, awesome bike. Has overtaken the Canyon Spectral as contender for my next bike, utterly brilliant and the spec is to die for.
Which model is that - quite like that one 
I honestly don't know how they managed to spec it like they did for the price, it's better value than a lot of direct sale bikes, yes still has shop support.
I rode a 2018 29er stumpjumper a few weeks back too, very good bike but overall I prefer 27.5 bikes. The stumpy and stereo look pretty similar in terms of geo, not hugely slack or long, but not steep or short at all. The stumpy is slightly slacker, same reach, longer chainstays and lower BB, with a longer wheelbase. Not by much though. I'd imagine the new (and old) stumpjumper in 27.5 versions are very, very good bikes.
Going back to the spec, if you want to see:
Fox factory 36 HSC/LSC vs Fox 34 Rhythm (basically top of the range 36 vs bottom of the range/OEM 34)
Fox DPX2 factory vs Fox float DPS
GX Eagle vs SLX/XT (my £1850 FS bike has an SLX drivetrain, not sure I'd want it on a £3500 bike...)
Code R vs SLX brakes
Fox factory transfer vs X-Fusion Manic
Newmen 1600g 30mm wheels vs Roval/Specialized wheels (not sure on the weight).
That being said I do like the frame quality you get with the big brands like Trek and Specialized, like the SWAT system, and overall quality. Not saying the Cube frame isn't good quality - far from it, it's got a massive downtube which obviously helps with the stiffness and some nice touches like the hidden pivot points.
For me, spec is a large part of my buying decision, the direct sale brands and better value bikes are just too hard to ignore for me. When you start adding up the cost of the components on the Cube it's getting close to the price of the bike without the cost of the frame... £1000 fork, £500 shock, £300 dropper post, £600 wheels, £350 groupset, £250 brakes - that's £3k already.
I'd say the £2500 Race version of the Cube is more direct competition with the £3500 Stumpjumper, same forks/shock, same groupset, 2x11 but that's easily fixed, very similar bikes tbh. However I wasn't amazed by the race version - it's a very good bike but not outstanding. The spec level of the TM model brings it waaaay above the lower end model IMO, the stiffness and plushness of the forks along with the lightweight wheels made it handle brilliantly.
I reckon (in my short experience) it's as good as, or better than the Canyon Spectra CF8.0 that I rode a few weeks back and that won MBR bike of the year.
Oh and I'm also a fan of a little gold touches on my bikes, here's one of my others that's sat in my garage:
Me and the Cube with it's gold forks/shock/seatpost... well it was meant to be really
Tall_Paul said:
Best not look at the spec sheet
I honestly don't know how they managed to spec it like they did for the price, it's better value than a lot of direct sale bikes, yes still has shop support.
I rode a 2018 29er stumpjumper a few weeks back too, very good bike but overall I prefer 27.5 bikes. The stumpy and stereo look pretty similar in terms of geo, not hugely slack or long, but not steep or short at all. The stumpy is slightly slacker, same reach, longer chainstays and lower BB, with a longer wheelbase. Not by much though. I'd imagine the new (and old) stumpjumper in 27.5 versions are very, very good bikes.
Going back to the spec, if you want to see:
Fox factory 36 HSC/LSC vs Fox 34 Rhythm (basically top of the range 36 vs bottom of the range/OEM 34)
Fox DPX2 factory vs Fox float DPS
GX Eagle vs SLX/XT (my £1850 FS bike has an SLX drivetrain, not sure I'd want it on a £3500 bike...)
Code R vs SLX brakes
Fox factory transfer vs X-Fusion Manic
Newmen 1600g 30mm wheels vs Roval/Specialized wheels (not sure on the weight).
That being said I do like the frame quality you get with the big brands like Trek and Specialized, like the SWAT system, and overall quality. Not saying the Cube frame isn't good quality - far from it, it's got a massive downtube which obviously helps with the stiffness and some nice touches like the hidden pivot points.
For me, spec is a large part of my buying decision, the direct sale brands and better value bikes are just too hard to ignore for me. When you start adding up the cost of the components on the Cube it's getting close to the price of the bike without the cost of the frame... £1000 fork, £500 shock, £300 dropper post, £600 wheels, £350 groupset, £250 brakes - that's £3k already.
I'd say the £2500 Race version of the Cube is more direct competition with the £3500 Stumpjumper, same forks/shock, same groupset, 2x11 but that's easily fixed, very similar bikes tbh. However I wasn't amazed by the race version - it's a very good bike but not outstanding. The spec level of the TM model brings it waaaay above the lower end model IMO, the stiffness and plushness of the forks along with the lightweight wheels made it handle brilliantly.
I reckon (in my short experience) it's as good as, or better than the Canyon Spectra CF8.0 that I rode a few weeks back and that won MBR bike of the year.
Oh and I'm also a fan of a little gold touches on my bikes, here's one of my others that's sat in my garage:
Me and the Cube with it's gold forks/shock/seatpost... well it was meant to be really
Not quite what I expected I honestly don't know how they managed to spec it like they did for the price, it's better value than a lot of direct sale bikes, yes still has shop support.
I rode a 2018 29er stumpjumper a few weeks back too, very good bike but overall I prefer 27.5 bikes. The stumpy and stereo look pretty similar in terms of geo, not hugely slack or long, but not steep or short at all. The stumpy is slightly slacker, same reach, longer chainstays and lower BB, with a longer wheelbase. Not by much though. I'd imagine the new (and old) stumpjumper in 27.5 versions are very, very good bikes.
Going back to the spec, if you want to see:
Fox factory 36 HSC/LSC vs Fox 34 Rhythm (basically top of the range 36 vs bottom of the range/OEM 34)
Fox DPX2 factory vs Fox float DPS
GX Eagle vs SLX/XT (my £1850 FS bike has an SLX drivetrain, not sure I'd want it on a £3500 bike...)
Code R vs SLX brakes
Fox factory transfer vs X-Fusion Manic
Newmen 1600g 30mm wheels vs Roval/Specialized wheels (not sure on the weight).
That being said I do like the frame quality you get with the big brands like Trek and Specialized, like the SWAT system, and overall quality. Not saying the Cube frame isn't good quality - far from it, it's got a massive downtube which obviously helps with the stiffness and some nice touches like the hidden pivot points.
For me, spec is a large part of my buying decision, the direct sale brands and better value bikes are just too hard to ignore for me. When you start adding up the cost of the components on the Cube it's getting close to the price of the bike without the cost of the frame... £1000 fork, £500 shock, £300 dropper post, £600 wheels, £350 groupset, £250 brakes - that's £3k already.
I'd say the £2500 Race version of the Cube is more direct competition with the £3500 Stumpjumper, same forks/shock, same groupset, 2x11 but that's easily fixed, very similar bikes tbh. However I wasn't amazed by the race version - it's a very good bike but not outstanding. The spec level of the TM model brings it waaaay above the lower end model IMO, the stiffness and plushness of the forks along with the lightweight wheels made it handle brilliantly.
I reckon (in my short experience) it's as good as, or better than the Canyon Spectra CF8.0 that I rode a few weeks back and that won MBR bike of the year.
Oh and I'm also a fan of a little gold touches on my bikes, here's one of my others that's sat in my garage:
Me and the Cube with it's gold forks/shock/seatpost... well it was meant to be really
However, I’m pleased your pleased and I’m pleased I managed to get my new bike for just over £2k
Don’t ask how, but your write up (which is good, thanks), does make me feel a bit better
HoHoHo said:
Not quite what I expected
However, I’m pleased your pleased and I’m pleased I managed to get my new bike for just over £2k
Don’t ask how, but your write up (which is good, thanks), does make me feel a bit better
Ahh, well a carbon Stumpjumper for just over £2k is brilliant value for money! However, I’m pleased your pleased and I’m pleased I managed to get my new bike for just over £2k
Don’t ask how, but your write up (which is good, thanks), does make me feel a bit better
That does change things a bit I rode the expert 2018 29er bike, I rated it 9/10 at the MBR demo day, cracking bike and the fox forks were lovely, think it has the performance versions. The spectral I rated at 10/10, awesome bike. The Cube... well, I suppose it's 11/10.
My bike has 2018 revelations and riding the fox 36 factory forks at the weekend has ruined them for me
they're still great forks but once you had a taste of the top end it's hard to go back to regular level Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff