Good to see the Forum up and running again, and to hear news from people.
My main news is that I no longer have the Ripio. It is now . . . . a Sherpa! I really was lugging too much weight around for the sort of riding I do now, and the geometry did not seem to suit my slow plods up hills. So, the kit was swapped over by our good friend Dave Whittle onto a Sherpa (red) frame with 853 forks. Around 2.8kg lighter than the Ripio, makes a real diffference on the hills around Sheffield. And yes, that fork really is comfortable.
Still getting used to it, off to France in a few days time.
Take care everyone
Lewis
(P S - the Ripio frame and forks? hanging up in my garage at present, my son has a 26" wheel bike with good (Grizzly) wheels, but not able to take his daughter to nursery on a child seat (at present she is in a cockpit type seat) together with room for kit for his ride to work. He is a strong, hard rider, so the Ripio, with its front rack for work gear and sturdy rack for child seat, may suit him v well. Not many bikes offer that facility now, except drop tourer types. We'll see. I suspect he's getting lazy and preferring the car, though . . . . .)
