Bike Update - Scott Aspect

Hi Guys!

I've been riding the Scott lately on some XC routes round where I live. I've also upgraded the brakes and changed the rear wheel due to the freehub on the old one giving up on me. The brakes I went for were Shimano BR - M596. I went for these because of the low price they were selling at from RoseBikes and also because even though the BR - M485's I had on previously were causing problems, they only started this towards the end of their life and they had lasted over 3 years which I think is ok for a budget brake making me think another set of shimano brakes will fit the bill.

Seen as I had got the brakes from a German Dealer, the levers needed swapping over to the British way round. I knew this when I bought them. Even if they didn't need swapping, chances are the hoses would need shortening. I found an online guide and set to work.

The procedure was not to hard to follow really, all the parts except the hose cutter were included so I didn't really encounter any problems. The brakes are now on the bike and working fine. The only problem is that the back brake is not quite properly bled so when the bike has not been used for a while the lever will pull further than I would like but this is cured by a few pumps and it will be fine for the rest of the ride.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with them. They do the job just fine and for the money I can't complain.

Here's some pictures:

Here's a little arty one I eddited in Photoshop. You can tell I had time to kill :)

Getting ready to hit the trails in Wales!

It's now three days until we leave to go to Wales for two weeks. To be honest I've not been this excited about a holiday for a long while. This is probably down to the amount of mountain biking I have got planned. I've recently been kitting out both the Scott and the Giant with replacement parts to get them fighting fit. You may ask, why both bikes? Well, after evaluating the state of my dad's 1999 Specialized Rockhopper it became apparent that he would stand little chance of staying alive if he tried to ride it down MT Snowdon therefore I've decided to lend him my Scott for the holiday, coz I'm nice like that.

New tyres, cassette and chain were needed for the Scott to convince my dad that it would be safe enough to ride down some big ass mountains. For the tyres I just played it safe and went for Panaracer Fire XC Pros which are what was already on the bike. I did this because I have bad memories of buying different tyres right before holiday then realising that sellotaping bread to my rims would have been a better solution! I usually have no luck when choosing tyres so when I find a good one I tend to stick with it. Unfortunately these new Panaracers are not the red sidewall ones but I couldn't turn down the amazing deal that Merlin Cycles were doing.

The drivetrain were pretty knackered and jumpy so I bought a Shimano Deore HG-50 cassette and a KMC X9 chain which has solved the problem. I don't quite know why but I was sent a HG-61 cassette instead of the HG-50 that I ordered. I seem to get lucky often when I buy things online.

The Scott is now 90% perfect. My only problem with it is the back brake. It won't stop squealing! I've tried literally everything to get it working so any suggestions are welcome. By the way, it's a Shimano BR-M485.

Shiny New bits!

The Giant would have been fine to ride but I had a little spare change and well, my feet do slip off the pedals quite often in the wet so I treat myself to some nice new ones. They are by a brand called HT Components and are available from Ready to Ride Cycles for £38 just in case anyone wants a pair. They arrived in the post this morning and I rather eagerly fitted them then went for a little test ride. When coupled with my Shimano AM40 MTB shoes they grip like hell! Only problem is, when my feet eventually loose grip it's going to hurt. Luckily when the pins become lost under the flesh in my shins they can be easily replaced so that's good to know.

Thiiiiiinnn!!

Now that the bikes are clean and mechanically ready. I need to make sure I'll be riding them as fast as I can which is why I've bought these:

Hopefully these little sports drink tablets should keep me hydrated and able to tackle MT Snowdon and the endless surrounding trails.

That's it really. I shall report back in a few weeks concluding whether it was a great success or with me on the wrong side of a big mountain with several broken bones.

My Bike - Scott Aspect 45

Hi Guys,

Thought I'd post a bit about the bike I ride. I have a Scott Aspect 45 from the good ol' year of 2008. When it was stock it had a Suntour fork and an Alivio eight speed drive train. The forks didn't last long. After a month or so of riding they had seized up. I took it back to the bike shop and explained what had happened. They were good guys and put a pair of the same on straight away! After another month of riding the same thing had happened so I took it back again and they fitted a pair of fairly basic Rockshox Dart 2's (This was my third fork in under a year!). I had never used Rockshox before but I was already feeling the benefits over those dreaded Suntour's. I must have run these forks for around a year but I was beginning to feel the limits of what they could take. In the end I payed a bit more and opted for a Rockshox Tora 318 Air which is lasting me ages! I've got to say, it can deal with most things I throw at it.

After the forks, I upgraded components as they wore out. the next things to be upgraded were wheels and drive train. I replaced the wheels with a pair of Shimano MT15 wheels which I also rate very highly, they have come out of true a few times but they offer a good compromise between weight and strength for the £89.99 I payed for them. The gearing is a mix of Shimano Deore, Deore XT and Sram PG950 and PC951 for the chain and cassette.

Overall I am now very happy with the bike and what it can handle. After experiencing how different the bike can feel with altered components I am a strong believer in customisation because it allows you to style it to your type of riding.

Anyway here's few pictures of what I've just been talking about.

Built up and ready to hit the trails ;)

On it's homemade work stand :)

One Sexy box of bike components! :D