# Opinions on this bike, please :)



## lulubel (10 Oct 2012)

OK, I need your opinions on this bike before I go ahead and click the buy button.

Corratec X-Vert S0.2 2011

CRC have it at nearly half price, presumably because it's a 2011 model, so 2 years old now, and it's a small man's frame, and they're difficult to sell.

It will be my bike for messing around on (sorry, practicing technique!) and getting some experience before I move all the components over to a new Cotic Soul frame that I intend to buy.

The frame is nominally slightly larger than the Soul, but the ETT is the same length, so once I've got it set up right - probably shorter stem and straight seat post - all the components should transfer over without me having to change anything. The head tube of the 2012 model (I couldn't find a geometry chart for this exact model) is 10mm longer than the Soul, so there shouldn't be any problem with the forks fitting.

There's nothing about the wheels in the description, but the rims pictured appear to be DT Swiss, so presumably quite good. I'll be changing the saddle for my preferred female specific one.

Is there anything I should be wary of, or just go ahead and buy the damn thing?


----------



## Motozulu (10 Oct 2012)

Xt throughout and Roxshox reba - all looks good to me - I'd ask about the Avid brakes though - seem to see a lot of stuff about them being prone to failing? They can't be that bad though else they would'nt sell a bike with em equipped? Go for it I say!


----------



## GrumpyGregry (10 Oct 2012)

Motozulu said:


> Xt throughout and Roxshox reba - all looks good to me - I'd ask about the Avid brakes though - seem to see a lot of stuff about them being prone to failing? They can't be that bad though else they would'nt sell a bike with em equipped? Go for it I say!


No. They really are as bad as everyone says. They don't fail exactly. They just stop working properly, become noisy, pistons stick, etc., etc., the once. Then you buy Shimano fitnforget brakes instead.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (10 Oct 2012)

dry weather tyres..... but you're in Spain! Other than that it looks tidy. For the money very tidy.


----------



## VamP (10 Oct 2012)

Well it looks gash 

But for your purposes I think it's nigh on perfect. Not sure if it ships with those wheels, and it may be worth a call to CRC to check that it does.

See how the brakes pan out, unlike Greg I would point you at nice Hope brakes if they don't.

Obviously Rebas in white are twice as good as Rebas in black, but at that price I guess I could live with black.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (10 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> Well it looks gash
> 
> But for your purposes I think it's nigh on perfect. Not sure if it ships with those wheels, and it may be worth a call to CRC to check that it does.
> 
> ...


I'd point lulubel at Hope if she was in Blighty!


----------



## Cubist (10 Oct 2012)

Its great for the money if the wheels are half decent. Sell the brakes as soon as you get them and order some slx from Germany. Not Hope, not in Spain. Black Rebas on your Soul. White would be like black knickers under a white skirt.


----------



## VamP (10 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Its great for the money if the wheels are half decent. Sell the brakes as soon as you get them and order some slx from Germany. Not Hope, not in Spain. Black Rebas on your Soul. White would be like black knickers under a white skirt.


 
Just because you have black Rebas on yours 

White knickers under a black skirt if anything.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (10 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Its great for the money if the wheels are half decent. *Sell the brakes as soon as you get them and order some slx from Germany*. Not Hope, not in Spain. Black Rebas on your Soul. White would be like black knickers under a white skirt.


This.


----------



## Cubist (10 Oct 2012)

I


VamP said:


> Just because you have black Rebas on yours
> 
> White knickers under a black skirt if anything.


vodka was the answer I seem to remember.


----------



## VamP (11 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> I
> vodka was the answer I seem to remember.


 
That's always a good answer


----------



## VamP (11 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Its great for the money if the wheels are half decent. Sell the brakes as soon as you get them and order some slx from Germany. Not Hope, not in Spain. Black Rebas on your Soul. White would be like black knickers under a white skirt.


 
What maintenance woes are you guys anticipating with Hope brakes. My mono mini's have gone for years and years with the occasional bleed only. Genuinely


----------



## Cubist (11 Oct 2012)

I like Hopes, don't get me wrong, I put them on Cubester's Ragley, and they are awesome, even if they do need bleeding occasionally. I bought some original M4 monos off the 'bay set about fitting them with all the shims, brackets, IS to PM adapters and so on, before giving up, selling them and getting new Tech M4s. The experience with the M4s left me with two distinct opinions. One was that it was simple enough to go to anywhere that stocked Hope bits. They knew what you wanted and either stocked it or could order it. What's more the tech guys at Hope were great, answering even the most stupid of questions. The brakes themselves look beautiful, have parts that are sensibly modular and interchangeable, the fittings are chunky and easy to work with when faffing with hose lengths. So I went through a cathartic process along the way. About two weeks of choosing, swapping, researching, bleeding, shimming, and ended up with some pretty powerful brakes, nicely set up and fitted, at a cost of about £300 without rotors. They are very easy to bleed. But need regular bleeding. The second opinion was therefore that it seemed like an awful lot of buggering about to get some brakes fitted. 

For my bike I got some SLX, £120 without rotors from Rose, shortened and swapped the hoses and rode the damn bike. I haven't touched them since, except to swap them onto another bike, which was ten minutes with an allen key. They are every bit as powerful as the Hope, if not more so, cost less than half, don't need to be faffed with.


----------



## Cubist (11 Oct 2012)

Oh, and I've changed my mind about the black knickers thing. More like black tights with white shoes and miniskirt

@lulubel

have you pulled the trigger yet?


----------



## VamP (11 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Oh, and I've changed my mind about the black knickers thing. More like black tights with white shoes and miniskirt
> 
> @lulubel
> 
> have you pulled the trigger yet?


 
I think that you're trying to justify your colour choices a bit too hard  you know you want white forks on that Soul really don't you?

I fitted this in replacement for my front Hope Mono this summer. Bolts direct to Reba (no bracket needed) and has been entirely plug and play. Not needed bleeding yet either. 

I am not saying that SLX are a bad choice BTW.


----------



## Cubist (11 Oct 2012)

that Evo X2 looks awesome.

I got a brand new pair of XT for 134 quid, so in terms of bang for buck its gotta be Shimano. Hope kit has a certain je ne sais quoi. I totally get the "hewn in the pennines from a single billet of mithril" thing, but have yet to be convinced that it's all as good as it looks. I love bling, and their wheels are awesome, but in an open market they were leaders until others found where to source good Taiwanese hubs, and they no longer have the monopoly on anodised CNC bolt ons. They still ooze flash northern grit, so maintain a market share they deserve, but I'm no longer as convinced as I was.


----------



## lulubel (11 Oct 2012)

OK, thanks for the advice. I'm going to buy. I'm just holding off until tomorrow when my CC bill is issued, so I get another month to pay it off without having to pay interest on it.

I'm getting serious itchy buy-button finger, though.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (11 Oct 2012)

YAY!

and we want photos from delivery to first ride please....


----------



## lulubel (12 Oct 2012)

It wasn't me! I didn't buy the damn thing.

I checked yesterday, and it was still available, went on to buy it today, and it was gone.

So, I bought this Cube instead 

I know the spec isn't quite as good (although it does have Shimano brakes), but I'll be able to ride it straight "out of the box" without having to mess around getting different stem/seatpost.

Just need to go into the bank on Monday to transfer the money to their account.


----------



## billflat12 (12 Oct 2012)

Great Choice, now you can really "push the button" . and yes we will be expecting a fully detailed review of your progress complete with photo,s , Some may be relieved when your too busy out riding instead of posting that Spanish inquisition ,  ( seriously though any heads up would be most welcome )


----------



## Cubist (12 Oct 2012)

Very nice. When does it land?


----------



## Motozulu (12 Oct 2012)

Yes agreed - apart from being in an exotic location  it's great to hear other opinions/reviews/criticques etc...


----------



## GrumpyGregry (12 Oct 2012)

we approve.


----------



## ultraviolet (12 Oct 2012)

have you tried one? if it rides good, go for it.


----------



## VamP (13 Oct 2012)

GregCollins said:


> we approve.


 
Speak for yourself, Collins!

I also approve, but solely on my own behalf


----------



## VamP (13 Oct 2012)

ultraviolet said:


> have you tried one? if it rides good, go for it.


 
You've not really followed this thread have you?


----------



## Cubist (13 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> You've not really followed this thread have you?


Harsh. 


GregCollins said:


> we approve.



I really feel there has been a comittee working on this one. 
@lulubel ignore them all, but you must be absolutely hyper now!


----------



## lulubel (13 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> @lulubel ignore them all, but you must be absolutely hyper now!


 
Just a bit 

I think it's going to be a bit of a wait, though, because the payment will take a few days to transfer - it isn't instant like it is in the UK now - and then they say allow up to 2 weeks between them receiving payment and shipping it.

I just looked at it again on my laptop (rather than the full widescreen monitor on my PC) and I'm surprised to see how short and tall it looks. And the wheels are round instead of oval. Who'd have thought it


----------



## VamP (13 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Harsh.


 
Possibly. Had a bit of a spill at 30mph yesterday and the resultant achiness and road rash *might* be making me grumpy.


----------



## Cubist (13 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> Possibly. Had a bit of a spill at 30mph yesterday and the resultant achiness and road rash *might* be making me grumpy.


Ouch

How did that happen?


----------



## Cubist (13 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Just a bit
> 
> I think it's going to be a bit of a wait, though, because the payment will take a few days to transfer - it isn't instant like it is in the UK now - and then they say allow up to 2 weeks between them receiving payment and shipping it.
> 
> I just looked at it again on my laptop (rather than the full widescreen monitor on my PC) and I'm surprised to see how short and tall it looks. And the wheels are round instead of oval. Who'd have thought it


And there we were thinking we'd see pics of you riding it by the weekend.....


----------



## VamP (13 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Ouch
> 
> How did that happen?


 

Sorry for the massive OT lulubel.


An hour and a a bit into an all day ride (heh) I was coming down Ewhurst Hill (it's easily a 40mph hill without pedaling), and approaching the bend at the bottom caught a huge skid as I put brakes on to slow down for the bend. It's totally safe to negotiate that bend in the wet at cca 25mph, but I had to get completely off the brakes to recover the skid (spilled diesel/wet leaves??) so would have been cca 30 in the corner, and anyway.... next thing I know I was scraping myself off the tarmac about 40 yards further down the road. Bike traveled another 20 or so further, and miraculously, apart from scuffs and two flat wheels appears fundamentally unharmed. 

Changed the tubes and on I went, with a small detour into Horsham to pick up a couple more tubes. Cut the day a bit short, but still good for 90 odd miles. Feeling a bit sorry for myself today though 

Big shout out to the lovely lady in a Disco who helped scrape me off the floor and took me to her house to drink hot tea and work out if I needed A&E or just a bit of MTFU


----------



## lulubel (13 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> And there we were thinking we'd see pics of you riding it by the weekend.....


 
I'd like to get it sooner, obviously, but the option of paying by bank transfer is so much more convenient for me that I couldn't do anything else.


----------



## lulubel (13 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> An hour and a a bit into an all day ride (heh) I was coming down Ewhurst Hill (it's easily a 40mph hill without pedaling), and approaching the bend at the bottom caught a huge skid as I put brakes on to slow down for the bend. It's totally safe to negotiate that bend in the wet at cca 25mph, but I had to get completely off the brakes to recover the skid (spilled diesel/wet leaves??) so would have been cca 30 in the corner, and anyway.... next thing I know I was scraping myself off the tarmac about 40 yards further down the road. Bike traveled another 20 or so further, and miraculously, apart from scuffs and two flat wheels appears fundamentally unharmed.


 
Ouch! That sounds painful. I hope you're not too sore today.


----------



## VamP (13 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Ouch! That sounds painful. I hope you're not too sore today.


 

Ah, my beloved coated my wounds with manuka honey, which I scoffed at, but feel not too bad today. Went for a little 10 mile recovery ride earlier, and ...managed. Let's just, erm, leave it at that.


----------



## lulubel (13 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> Ah, my beloved coated my wounds with manuka honey, which I scoffed at, but feel not too bad today. Went for a little 10 mile recovery ride earlier, and ...managed. Let's just, erm, leave it at that.


 
Perhaps she's been watching Wartime Farm. They were saying on the latest programme that WWII farmers started keeping bees to supply the pharmaceutical industry with honey, which was used for its antiseptic properties.

Glad you managed to get on the bike, anyway. That's a step in the right direction.


----------



## GrumpyGregry (13 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> Sorry for the massive OT lulubel.
> 
> 
> An hour and a a bit into an all day ride (heh) I was coming down Ewhurst Hill (it's easily a 40mph hill without pedaling), and approaching the bend at the bottom caught a huge skid as I put brakes on to slow down for the bend. It's totally safe to negotiate that bend in the wet at cca 25mph, but I had to get completely off the brakes to recover the skid (spilled diesel/wet leaves??) so would have been cca 30 in the corner, and anyway.... next thing I know I was scraping myself off the tarmac about 40 yards further down the road. Bike traveled another 20 or so further, and miraculously, apart from scuffs and two flat wheels appears fundamentally unharmed.
> ...


Not a nice place to crash at speed. GWS mate


----------



## ultraviolet (13 Oct 2012)

VamP said:


> You've not really followed this thread have you?


 
well, it was late when i posted :-)


----------



## VamP (14 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Perhaps she's been watching Wartime Farm. They were saying on the latest programme that WWII farmers started keeping bees to supply the pharmaceutical industry with honey, which was used for its antiseptic properties.
> 
> Glad you managed to get on the bike, anyway. That's a step in the right direction.


 

Ah no, it's a big thing in the horse community to use manuka on horse wounds, apparently. I consider myself privileged to receive same high level of my four-legged colleagues get. Couple of square feet* of road rash, not a hint of septicemia, so 

* possibly a slight exaggeration for effect.


----------



## lulubel (19 Oct 2012)

BIKE UPDATE: I've received an email saying it's being prepared for despatch, and will be handed over to the carrier in the next 4-7 days.

You did want updates - right?


----------



## GrumpyGregry (19 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> BIKE UPDATE: I've received an email saying it's being prepared for despatch, and will be handed over to the carrier in the next 4-7 days.
> 
> You did want updates - right?


You even needed to ask?


----------

