Incoming... What ? surely ? the country bumpkin in a mullet haircut.

[weeksy]

As you may have seen (and probably not cared about) the Bronson went bye-bye after just a few hours.

After a LOT of debates a lot of thoughts and 7,000,000 emails and messages.

s-l1600 (5) by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

It's a Specialized Status 160 2021 model.

Mullet setup so 29er front end and 27.5 rear, short chainstays make for a rowdy performer... well, according to the marketing blurb anyway.

Plan is to collect it tomorrow morning and head straight to Forest of Dean for a day playing on it. Still debating whether it's me and him or him and his mates who are riding.. We'll see on that.

A day of setting it up, testing it out and hopefully falling in love... Well... it bloody better had be or i'm selling the bike and the child

[Cousin Jack]

Keep the bike, sell the child. You know it makes sense!

[Mr Moofo]

What happened to the downhill bike - or does this replace that?

[weeksy]

What happened to the downhill bike - or does this replace that?

That's still the race bike for DH. This is the "trails, woods, again, Surrey, FoD" and the backup bike for race days

[Mr Moofo]

What happened to the downhill bike - or does this replace that?

That's still the race bike for DH. This is the "trails, woods, again, Surrey, FoD" and the backup bike for race days

Smart way of getting two new bikes ...
(Learning from Captain Hindsight, what's wrong with the disco shell suit Specialized?)

[MingtheMerciless]

It’ll be gone by this time next week, it’s in the genes.

[weeksy]

What happened to the downhill bike - or does this replace that?

That's still the race bike for DH. This is the "trails, woods, again, Surrey, FoD" and the backup bike for race days

Smart way of getting two new bikes ...
(Learning from Captain Hindsight, what's wrong with the disco shell suit Specialized?)

Which? The older Sworks?

[Mr Moofo]

That's still the race bike for DH. This is the "trails, woods, again, Surrey, FoD" and the backup bike for race days

Smart way of getting two new bikes ...
(Learning from Captain Hindsight, what's wrong with the disco shell suit Specialized?)

Which? The older Sworks?

Yes

[lostboy]

He grew out of it.

[weeksy]

Reports are, it's really good. Apart from brakes which are on cheap organic pads and can be easy sorted.

But he seems happy. Didn't get to ride it too much as he spent the afternoon with Coach on DH bike.

2022-04-13_07-23-24 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr


The best part is, it fits me nicely

[weeksy]

He changed the pads on the rear today, along with sanding the fronts to take off the glaze. We had a set of Uberbike race matrix in the spares for his brakes.

Pressures re-done on the forks and shock…. i think we’re happy.

[weeksy]

We went out playing and riding today but left @Welsh Muffin to Invisiframe the Status.
2022-04-15_02-41-39 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

The lad commented the bars were exceptionally wide, with the grips fitted they're coming in at a whopping 825mm.

So we've taken a chunk off them to get them closer to the width of the DH (and the older Sworks too)
2022-04-15_02-41-29 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[weeksy]

It's now officially the 2nd best bike ever.

Gears needed tuning, suspension tweaking, brakes setting, but it's getting there.

I think he'll be happy with it before the weekend is over.

[Mr Moofo]

825 is hugely wide for someone of my size - let alone James.
I run at 780 and think that is too wide - so lopping if 20 mm of the bars at the moment

[irie]

I'm a little over 5'10"/178cm and run 760 bars. I also use 12° rake which is really nice (SQlab 30x bars). Could use 780 with 12° rake but getting between trees is easier with 760. Have also raised the bars to give more control downhill, and with an eBike climbing is easy so the increased height is no problem. Just sayin'.

[weeksy]

825 is hugely wide for someone of my size - let alone James.
I run at 780 and think that is too wide - so lopping if 20 mm of the bars at the moment

Lol I know, that's why we cut them down

[Mr Moofo]

825 is hugely wide for someone of my size - let alone James.
I run at 780 and think that is too wide - so lopping if 20 mm of the bars at the moment

Lol I know, that's why we cut them down

The bars getting wider/ stem getting shorter and HA getting slacker is going to max out soon.
Mega wide bars may work well on the treeless slopes of MOAB and the Alps - but the are a real PITA on the "Heaven By The A27" section

[weeksy]

Well hmmmm.

One of the lads broke his brake line at bpw today, so he's out on my Trek this afternoon. I spent the morning on the Trek and felt I was going well on it.

As he borrowed it, I jumped on the Status 160 for the afternoon. PR, PR, PR, PR. Segment after segment best ever times on Strava. That was with a shock is not put enough air in and was a good 30psi too soft.

But, it's a really nice, fast and stable bike.

Massively impressed with it.

[Mr Moofo]

Well hmmmm.

One of the lads broke his brake line at bpw today, so he's out on my Trek this afternoon. I spent the morning on the Trek and felt I was going well on it.

As he borrowed it, I jumped on the Status 160 for the afternoon. PR, PR, PR, PR. Segment after segment best ever times on Strava. That was with a shock is not put enough air in and was a good 30psi too soft.

But, it's a really nice, fast and stable bike.

Massively impressed with it.

So that's it for the Trek!

[weeksy]

Nah, because most days he wouldn't use the Status anyway, he'd be on the GT, even days when we may not think it's the ideal choice.

A quick setup with shock pump and it'd be done and ready for me.

But the status isnt really what I need in a bike 99% of the time either as it's not going to be an XC mile muncher type thing, especially compared to the Trek which covers ground really nicely.