Strengths: Cheap; durable; roll well enough on tarmac, grip OK on (dry) dirt; the puncture-resistance seems to work (no flats yet).
Weaknesses: Nowt.
Overall: Everything's a compromise. These seem to be good tyres for rough touring, based on a few thousand kilometres this summer (no flats and still looking almost new). They'd also make good heavy duty commuting tyres (they're noticeably quicker than knobblies despite the 700g weight). I'm about to start a two-month tour on my existing pair, 'nuff said.
Strengths: Strong; still looks like new; easy to make fine adjustments once the saddle's sitting in the rails; zero creak; no saddle movement (unlike Raceface posts).
Weaknesses: A bit fiddly getting the saddle in place, but then easy to fix and adjust.
Overall: I bought this in 2000 because it was the only 400mm 31.6mm seatpost I could get my hands on at short notice. It's since on its fourth frame and looks as shiny as the day I bought it. I'll shortly be replacing the clamp bolts, simply because I feel perhaps I should rather than because there's any sign they'll fail.
Strengths: A doddle to set up, adjust, change pads. Little to go wrong; the calipers front and rear are identical, using the appropriate post/IS adapter so they can be swapped round in the event of one failing. Good stopping power (185mm disk), even on a loaded touring set-up. Can be adjusted precisely to eliminate drag, while getting exactly the bite point and lever feel you want. Now cheaper (less than 65 quid each).
Weaknesses: Potential problems with gritty cables.
Overall: I've been running these for 9 months, Jan-April in the UK and since then in the dust of NW China. I bought them because I wanted a simple but effective brake, with the option of swapping out to Vs in the event of brake failure. I now use them with XTR levers, although the cheap old 1999 Avid levers I initially used were also fine.
These have been flawless here in China; what surprised me was how effective they were during the test period in the gloop of a Lake District winter. After four months the rear brake was losing a little modulation as the cable gritted up, but the front was still fine (presumably due to the shorter, cleaner cable run).
The need for occasional pad adjustment is actually a plus in my opinion. I hate dragging brakes, and these can be set-up exactly where you want them. Pad adjustment really is a doddle - wind up the inboard dial so the right pad is almost on the disk, then set the outboard pad where you want it depending on how much lever travel you like. Takes seconds.
These brakes are spot on for my needs. I'm not sure I'd choose them over hydraulics for exclusively UK riding, but they're certainly worth considering.
[Update 19/03/08] A year on and the brakes were fine during the 2700km rough tour I've just done, new pads half worn. They enabled me to keep riding when a spoke broke, without having to stop to true the wheel/adjust the brakes. Replacing a spoke over a beer on the hotel balcony is much nicer than doing it by the side of a dirt road...
BB7s are currently less than forty quid at Chain Reaction.
Strengths: Tough; stitching still intact, no sign of visible wear after six months other than a pleasing fade to the colour. Look good enough for the pub. Seem to clean up well after getting covered in mud. Generous sizing that should fit even the UK's generally fat-arsed riders. Most important for me: no padded inserts.
Weaknesses: No UK dealer as yet, thus extra expense incurred due to P&P.
Overall: I bought these in NZ towards the end of a trip because the cheap running shorts I'd been wearing for the previous couple of months were getting offensive. N-ZO make shorts with padded liners, but I prefer unlined shorts. Less padding = less nappy rash when you're on the bike for long periods.
After a season of use I like them enough to have ordered a couple more pairs.
[Update 06/11/06] The original pair are still going strong...
Strengths: Reasonably comfortable; seems to provide at least some support without restricting movement or cutting off circulation. Not as sweaty as I expected. You tend to forget you're wearing it once you're on the bike.
Weaknesses: Tight fit if you've got big hands; if your wrist is tender you'll have problems pulling the neoprene sleeve over your hand without it hurting. They're not worth wearing unless you're recovering from an injury.
Overall: I bought this after breaking my wrist and lower arm (radius). Will it save me further injury now I'm back on the bike? Well, hopefully I won't find out. It comes with two thick neoprene pads that I am actually running on the underside of my arm because that's where the injury was. I think they'll provide protection in the event of a flat impact to the damaged bone, but am less optimistic about whether they'll handle shock transmitted up the arm from a palm first, breaking-a-fall kind of landing.
Strengths: Good puncture resistance. Tread lasts a long time.
Weaknesses: The rear tyre doesn't hook up too well on loose offroad surfaces, but I guess that's a trade-off with lack of rolling resistance when on road.
The bead blew out after 2700 km, resulting in complete tyre failure - not very good for a tyre that is aimed at the expedition market.
Overall: It may be that the tyre was stressed by using it with a narrow rim (Mavic 618), leading to the bead failure. However, given that it is supposed to be a reliable expedition tyre that you can ride forever, I've had to give it a reliability of '2'. Note that I had no punctures in the first 2600 km of the trip, until the bead (as I later realised) had started to go.
[Update 04/08/09] Six years on and I'm using the current folding XRs with no problems - very little wear and only one puncture after over 4000km of poor/dirt roads.
Strengths: Light, strong, very well sealed, creak free.
Weaknesses: Hed Doktor doesn't work very well. The design of the fork crown race (two flanges sperated by a seal) means you can't just bash it down onto the forks with a piece of wood - you really need to use a proper tool to avoid crushing the flanges (NOTE - once on the bike it's fine, and that sealed design is worth the trouble).
Overall: Just stripped this down for the first time in six months of pretty intensive riding - not a trace of trail debris or corrosion inside.
Well worth getting, but don't throw away your star fangled nut and top cap just yet.
Strengths: Good suspension action; all controls externally sited and, unlike some forks, messing with them actually DOES make a difference to the way they handle...
Cowled dropout design means it would be impossible for the wheel QR to pop out under extreme disk braking (you have to almost completely undo the QR to get the wheel in and out). Dropouts have removable inserts to protect the magnesium of the fork legs.
Stanchions are not bonded into the crown, but triple bolted on each side. There is no discernible lack of stiffness as a result, but it does mean that replacing the steerer tube would be a cheaper option than with most forks.
Nice little touches like the brake hose guide on the back of the left leg, and (hallelujah!) no crap collecting webbing on the back of the fork brace (one of my personal hates).
Weaknesses: Only real gripe is that home fettling is discouraged by Magura, who provide no info on the fork's internals in the manual. They offer a 24 hour turnaround service, uh...service instead, which (after 7 months of riding these) I have yet to need to use.
The dropout design (see above), while adding security if using disks, means that initially setting up a disk brake can be pretty tortuous.
Overall: These appear to be the Holy Grail, maintenance free suspension forks that just keep working; wipe off the stanchions after a ride and that's your lot.
I've only run them at 90mm travel because that's what my hardtail takes, but I see no reason why they wouldn't be fine at 125mm too. I weight 13 stone but the spring weight is fine, occasionally bottoming out on the bigger hits.
Strengths: Simple, strong, light; friction shift option in case of mech/frame damage; available in 8 or 9 speed; non-indexed front shifter enables fine tuning of mech position; can be bought singly or in pairs.
[Update 09/02/06] Three years down the road, these shifters are still working perfectly - they've been used in temperatures between -30 and +40C, and altitudes from below sea level to over 18,000ft. Snow, dust, rain, desert - nothing stops them. Coupled with full length outers and a couple of Middleburn oilers they're as good as shifting gets.
Weaknesses: Increased arc of movement on the 9 speed version means that the lever doesn''t lie in a handy position when in the smallest cassette ring.
Overall: I've been using both 8 and 9 speed versions on two bikes (rear gears only), and like these shifters very much. I haven't missed a gearshift since getting them, and find them very comfortable (with the one caveat mentioned above).
They're perfect for foreign trips, where durability and a friction shift option can be important.
One interesting possibility they open up is that of a Campagnolo equipped mountain bike. You can buy the clamp mounts without the bar end shifters included (£18 each); the square fixing point is compatible with Campy downtube shifters. Hmmm....
Strengths: Light, stiff, cheap compared to the competition. Work fine with 7 & 8 speed setups too.
Weaknesses: Chainrings wear quite fast - mine were trashed after a 4000 km tour in Asia, when other chainrings have done such mileages without a problem.
Overall: I'm 6'4" and mash the pedals, yet I've had no problem with creaks or BB failure. If you grease the BB threads and the splines, you'll have no problems; just make sure you nip up the crank bolts if required after the first few rides, until they're bedded in.
I've now replaced the chainrings with 24-36-46 Middleburn ones. The chainset is worth buying just for the cranks - destroy the cheesy Shimano rings then replace with some of your own choice. This still works out cheaper than the boutique equivalents.
