LONG TERM RIDES
The latest on our team bikes – where we’ve ridden, what we’ve changed on them and what we’ve broken this month!
When not testing tyres, Ben’s getting them as high in the air as possible
Over the past few months I’ve been bitten by the jumping bug and have been having the best time getting airborne on the Mega. The bike’s supportive suspension platform and predictable feel mean I can carve up lips without ploughing through the travel on take-off, and the low-slung frame makes it easy to shift my weight around. Now that I’ve upgraded the wheels – replacing the stock 25mm (internal), alloy Mavic XA Elites with 31mm, carbon Race Face Next Rs – the sturdy build has allowed me to get away with a multitude of flatlanding and casing sins with just my pride bruised.
The bearings have started to show signs of wear, with play developing at the pivots connecting the seatstays to the rocker link. They’ve lasted fairly well, given the miserable winter conditions we’ve had and my obsession with tarmac cutties, and the wear may have been accelerated by the pivot and shock-mount bolts regularly working loose. If you own a Mega, it’s worth checking the tightness of these bolts periodically – I’ve now removed them all and added threadlock to reduce the chance of this happening again in future.
I’m very impressed with the SRAM Guide RE stoppers. They
offer a ton of power, delivered with a modulated lever feel, and have never left me wanting more, even in South Wales’s steepest ruts. I also haven’t had to touch them, mechanically speaking, since I picked up the bike, except to change the pads (multiple times, due to the extended winter), and they still have a predictable bite point. This is probably for the best, since my brake bleeding skills are average at best!
Our trail tyre grouptest (see page 128) has seen me regularly switching between different sets of rubber in recent weeks. In the process, I’ve developed a close relationship with the rim profile of the Race Face wheels. The bead-seat shape and width make it a challenge to seat stubborn tyres. So, if you fancy a set and are planning on running dual-ply or particularly stiff tyres, it might be worth investing in some spare thumbs! The flipside is that, once they’re seated, tyres feel incredibly secure, so you’re in for a good challenge trying to schralp them off the rim. www.hotlines-uk.com £1,548 www.silverfish-uk.com