Tom Booth

Its so good isn't it! The pop he gets out of some of those jumps is insane haha. I don't understand how anyone can get through berms like that either. His welcome to the team Marzocchi videos worth a look too if you haven't seen it already.

I've absolutley love the Cotic, and contemplating keeping hold of it to have the luxury of swapping back and forth, but realistically know I won't, I'll just stick to the hightower haha. I do know what you mean about line choice and riding habits with the HT, other then pines I'm lucky enough to have some nice short trails around here that have been well worn in, you can plow through them on the 5010 but the HT just takes abit more finessing through I suppose. The HT has taught me alot about my jumping too and ironed out some bad habits too, which was nice! Pines has some new sections which are like quite long berm-y slightly downhill runs, not too extreme as its only blue but it's super flow if you pump the speed out of it. The difference in grip is night and day between the HT and the FS I'd say, you can really dig hard on the FS and it just rewards you with more speed and push out the other end, the HT feels mega fast in but seems to die flat abit in the middle. That's probably more to do with me though and not trusting it enough to dig in.

The bank found some money Sold the 5010 and a load of spares I had, Cotic frame wil be up for sale too. Sold some other hobbies I don't get time for or choose to go biking over. Its not quite a Tallboy but it's slightly bigger brother, an XXL Hightower V3. After riding the cotic for a few months and realising 29 is my bag, I kept going back to the 5010 and absolutley loved the amount of grip and speed it offered over the cotic. Not saying the cotic was a slouch by any means, but 100% can push the full sus harder and far more fun in the corners. The hightowers slightly longer in the reach and taller in the stack, but top tubes slightly shorter then the cotic so I think it's gonna puffer more for my long legs/short torso frame. Really excited to get on it (and have 1 bike that does it all ). I'm away for a week in Wales and it's waiting for me when I get home (holiday with the inlaws so no time for a bike staying about 20 minutes from Dyfi bike park too!) But building it as soon as I'm home!

Forgot to post this for a few months now Jennys been wanting to get back into cycling, she used to come with me some evenings to ride pines or local single-track, she got very good at one point and super competent with body positioning and keeping speed/line choice, but she had an OTB when pines changed a section on red route, she wasn't expecting to comeout a corner and be looking at a rock slab rolldown. She did it all on £500 worth of rockrider 8.1 which was an awesome bike for the money, Sram x7 gearing, SLX brakes, RS Toras and most other bits deore. Recently she's wanted to get back into it after a few years off, got on the rockrider and it looked like a child's bike for some reason, just didnt fit well. She's always wanted the ability to get her feet down if she panicks which the rockrider being a big old square XC style bike didn't really allow with the saddle set properly, so got thinking and built her this with new parts/parts from my old Orange 5. Ragley Mmmbop in large RS revelations 150mm (super impressed with them!) Deore drivetrain, XT shifter, Saint pedals Hope Pros2 on mavic 319s Maxxis Aggressors (yes the same tyres that left me on my face ^^^ up there ) Renthal fatbar @760mm, nukeproof horizon stem M7100 SLX brakes Since the picture its had a 150mm brand X dropper, Sam hill enduro saddle and nukeproof Nuetron 38mm ride bars. Its way too much bike for the riding she does, but the geometry lends it's self to her so well, long low and slack so the saddles outta her way, the slack head angle gives her loads of confidence on the descents aswell as the room in the front triangle giving her space to move around. Shes never gonna be an XC champion, or a steezy jumper, but it fits what's she wants to do perfect.

They're some awesome results Ads, nice one! The tallboy looks great, there's a hughe following for the tallboy, stick a 120/130 pike on there and it's an awesome 29 fun ripper. The new v4(?) I think just came out with the vpp lower link, I'd love to try one but the bank says too much money has been spent this year What's happened with the Vitus? That's a shame to hear as a few of my friends ride escarps and have built some awesome bikes from them. Cannock chase sounds a win, I'd be well up for it. Especially if you come in that lycra...

It does look a weird size in photos haha, I dunno if it's because the proportions are better suited to a medium/large frame, then stretch it to an XL and it looks abit gangly.

A few changes since it was last posted, Burgtec ridehigh38s Minion DHF F+R (the Aggressors left me face down in a berm a few weeks ago ) Oneup components 240mm dropper, its a long way down but makes for an awesome do it all bike. I love the 5010 so much, its really pushed my riding over the last 10 months. Super fun playful bike, loves a berm or jump. The Cotic BFEMAX on the other hand is an absolute jekyll and Hyde story Sails up climbs super delicate somehow, just at the top before you know it but descents are like a run away train, just hang on and let it rip haha. I love it for that, I've even got the hang of jumping the barge, it's pretty nice once you get your eye in!

Haha no escaping it! It's a massive adjustment and there's nothing that really braces you it. Sleeps the big killer, or lack of it. We've been massively fortunate with Ray, fr.about 10 weeks he's slept through the night pretty solidly, he had a regression at 6 months which was torture after being so lucky with sleep. It seems awful at the time, but really it's just like a 2 week knock back Our friends had a baby 2 weeks after us, they've had pretty rough time with sleep as their daughters never been that much of a sleeper, 7hour is the best they've managed so far but it's played in their favour when she had abit of a regression, it wasn't as big of a knock for them in a weird way. Glad you're getting into the swing of it though dude, it doesn't feel like it but it all comes together pretty quickly

To be honest he's more annoying now he can crawl, he's finding gaps that he can go in then get stuck in, because his shoulders won't pass through, atleast if he's walking he's the same width top to bottom and can turn around easier It does get easier Mike, just think when you bugger off back to work and see the chaos for about 2 hours maximum a day while Sheryl's on maternity leave. I feel bad when I get home and get frustrated with Ray and I only see him from about 5.30-7.30 in an evening haha.

Don't worry its not permanent, just keep your head down and get through this bit of adjustment for everyone and you'll reap the rewards in no time. The first time they go down for a 30 minute nap or whatever is just a huge victory, there's loads of that feeling coming.

Embrace the quiet Congratulations to you both, its sick having a baby for the most part. Ray is nearly 1 now and it's awesome, hes nearly walking so its exciting, proper excited for it. It gets alot easier very quickly so don't give up hope if you do find it difficult. By 6 months 7 or 8 feeds a day becomes 3 or 4 so you get alot of time between feeds, it all starts to feel alot less consuming. The first night at home is the maddest thing ever though Just kinda sent off in the deep end with zero idea what to do.

Can't really get on-board with Prey, I don't think it's a bad film at all but I cant see the reason for the hype its getting.

Nice! I had the same reaction when I rode the cotic for the first time, 29's are still fun bikes! You just have to pick your paths a little differently.

Looks super fun, bet that's an absolute flying machine.

Theres so many questions about 2 huge time bumps.

Watched the new semenuk video last night, its a joke . How is anyone that skilled.

Yeah everything feels tonnes faster, the last hardtail I had was my OnOne456 summer season which was a slack steel pony but was 26 and super heavy. This is light and fast rolling, absolutely love it. I only hit some local stuff, the trails are steep and about a minute long if you pin it down them, plenty of roots and jumps so it's a pretty fun thing to have locally. It's a bummer when you forget at the bottom of the trail is a sharp 90* right hand bend otherwise you're into the stream that runs across the bottom of the woodland .

I'd forgotten how fun hardtails are pinned downhill Such a laugh, I don't think my knees were ready for a hardtail though. Cotics wild fun, I picked up some 50mm rise burgtecs from leisure lakes last week and tried them on the bFe, wasn't a fan so pinched the 35mm from the 5010 and put the 50mm onto the 5010, such a nice improvement on both bikes! The cotic has a fun poppyness about it even with long stays, and the 5010 was playful before, but with high bars its a riot, look forward to heading to the jumps with it soon!

The Cotic turned up about 3 weeks early, really impressed with it! Built it up this morning, the brake hose for the rear is too short from the Orange so just waiting on a BH90 kit to turn up then I can get that sorted. Been a quick pedal around the industrial estate though and it's lightening fast, I can see the appeal of a 29er! Doesn't feel quite as playful as I was hoping, but I think that's because I'm used to loose goosey carbon with abit of flex, not rigid Reynolds. Tempted to try some 50mm rise burgtecs on there though to see if it livens it up a little..

Ooni ovens are the best/worst thing to happen to my waist band

Shame they don't send out the yellow pages still to mount this stallion.

Wheels, tyres and forks and drivetrain have turned up over the last few days, 150mm on 29s is going to make for a tall front end

Gotta have optionssssssssss.

I pre-ordered a Cotic BFEmax about a week ago, frame to be delivered in August . I fancy trying a 29er, purely to see how I fair with one as I'm a taller rider at 6ft5, I'd love to have built a hightower or something similar but can't justify having that much money in 2 bikes, so thought go a cheaper route. A friend of a friend has a Cotic Solarismax and really gets on well with it, but he's alot more XC/trail based, where as I'd like to think this will be a trail, jump, bike park kinda build so the bfe seemed the right choice. Just want a solid build that's gonna be minimal hassle. Parts on order/being accumulated, mostly second hand which is a win. Spec's looking like- Lyrik select+ 150 Hunt trail wide wheelset, minion dhr f+r Oneup 35mm risebar and stem combo M7120 4pt brakes (have them left from my Orange) Hope evo crankset/chainring/bb XT shifter, derailleur and 51-11 12 speed Charge spoon saddle and 210mm oneup dropper.

Rainbird you mong.