New FS Bike Setup and Prep

[ADKmike]

My new Devinci Troy Carbon is coming this week, so I'm prepping for first FS bike ownership, and first carbon bike as well. Got a basic Fox shock pump to get it setup with. Had a few questions, mostly related to things to do before first ride:

1. Frame protection - I noticed unlike other bikes in it's category, the Troy doesn't seem to come with any downtube protection/guard or chainstay protection. Santa Cruz/Yeti/most brands seem to offer foam/rubber stock ones based on what I've seen. Did some searching, looks like a couple aftermarket stick on types are available, but also read that they can peel off the finish when removed - so what's the point anyways? How many of you guys actually put frame protection tapes on? Seems like a lot of work, for questionable results when removed if they damage the finish of the bike.

...trying to decide whether I should bother or not.

I did use some self adhering rubber insulation electrical tape (not the typical thin regular electrical tape) on my hardtail as a chainstay protector, and it actually works and looks really good. Lays up pretty "neat". Might just wrap the chainstay and lower downtube with this, as there's no adhesive involved.


2. Setting sag - what's a good start point, 30%?

3. Any "break-in" type things I need to know about?

4. Anything else to do with setting up a new bike that should be noted? Obviously all the ergonomic adjustments, but I'm talking more mechanical stuff that could cause damage if not done right out of the box.

Pretty excited to get out and ride the thing - scared it might get dirty tho (just kidding!!!)

Thanks
Mike

[milestogo]

Word from my mechanic friends is that almost all headsets and bottom brackets are insufficiently lubed when shipped from factory, so I'd look into that. Frame protection is important as well--I wouldnt worry about it taking off some of the finish since its unlikely they will ever be removed and without them the damage will likely be more severe than some scuffed finish.

Sag is dependent on suspension and frame design. They should give you specific recommendations.

[Peruvian]

You should be able to find a neoprene chain stay pad for under $10.

[Anospa]

I got a fair bit of chainslap on my Troy, you'll definitely benefit from wrapping it up nicely. I added a lot of mastic tape and its silent now.

I'd sit between 28-30% sag if you can, pedals very well and still feels good on small bumps.

I added a few layers of clear helicopter tape to the downtube, would have probably been happier with a thicker tape if I were to get the frame all over again, but so far so good.

The only cable rub I experience is the rear brake at the end of the chainstay closest to the BB. I'd definitely add some protective tape to other areas too though, better to have it than not.

If you can get your hands on some, throwing some volume spacers in the shock isn't a bad idea. Its an incredibly progressive frame, but I had to run a bit higher pressure than I wanted to reach 30% sag (just under 200 pounds all geared up). Adding some spacers solved that issue and bike behaves very nicely.

[ADKmike]

Are you guys covering the entire frame with protective tape or just key areas?

3M helicopter tape is the accepted go-to product?

[Anospa]

Just key areas.

Shelter tape seems like a sweet way to go, I have a bunch of 3m stuff still though, so will likely use that for next few bikes.

[jqualls]

I used normal electrical tape in a lot of areas on the rear triangle. I do a few wraps where the tire crosses the rear triangle and where my heal sometimes rubs the rear triangle. I also put it in the typical rub areas. It is much cheaper and works well. It comes off easy and leaves little to no residue on the frame. Definitely not as good looking as the clear tape but prevents a lot of typical wear.

[ADKmike]

The bike is all black so electrical tape may not be a horrible idea. I like the lack of adhesive residue that electrical tape offers. Have a feeling it would need to be changed out often though, but it's cheap.

[HankScorpio]

I did all this with my first carbon FS bike, similar to others' ideas but here's my .02:

Shelter tape on the bottom of the downtube and places cables might rub are essential. 2 seasons later the Shelter tape on my SC Hightower is still perfectly in place. Keep an close eye on other spots that get rubbed or scratched as you ride it more, add more as needed.

I always wrap the chainstay with a old tube cut lengthwise (1-1.5 in wide), secure it with a zip tie. Cheap, quiet, easy to replace and no adhesive left behind.

As for break in, bolts may come loose, the headset may need to be tightened, shifter cable will stretch - keep a close eye on stuff "settling in" first few rides.

Carbon paste on the inside of the seat tube.

30% sag is a good rule of thumb but also carry a shock pump with your the first few rides to play around with air pressure.

[DaHeel]

Black Mastic tape works great for the underside of the down tube. Devinci does ship with some rubberized protection for the chain stay and the inside of the drive side seat stay. My Troy has the Debonair can and needed some bottomless bands (4) for me to find the sweet spot. The bike is a brawler and continues to amaze me how deep it feels for a 140 rear. I'm looking at extending the Pike up to 160 and putting in an offset bushing but only because I'm a Clyde who likes to run lower pressure in my fork with some volume reduction. The progressive rear took some getting used to when it came to air time but offers soo much support at mach looney that it's a blast. Ride fast, take chances!

[stuckathuntermtn]

Old tube works great for chainstays protection. Put it on however you like. There's no one way.
Never heard about BBs or Headsets not being lubed enough. Are you talked about the grease for pressing/screwing them in? Don't mess with that. The actual bearings? Cartridge.
Find the company's recommend amount of sag for that specific model and year and approximate psi for your weight. There is usually a tech/customer service email if you can't find numbers and suggested starting points for pressure and sag on their website.
From one suspension jong to another: try to measure sag in the forward leaning riding position, not sitting up. You may need a friend/neighbor/unfortunate passerby for this. There is a little break in as the oil moves around and seal fill up or whatever. Cables/housing can settle. Brakes should be good to go. For me, the hardest thing was getting the front and rear to feel balanced. Especially with old, low end suspension bits. Your's is probably waaaay better than what's on my old Kona.
You may want to take a shock pump with you on your first few rides. Then once you get it dialed. Try not to mess with it. There are lots of YouTube videos to help, maybe even some for your specific bike.

[evdog]

Are you guys covering the entire frame with protective tape or just key areas?

3M helicopter tape is the accepted go-to product?

I used to go to a moto shop and get a sheet of thick 3M protective film, similar to helicoptor tape. Mainly I'd put it on the downtube, before protectors were a thing, and on any spots where cable rub was likely. It worked great, low maintenance, and always looked good enough that I never took it off when selling a bike.

I went nuts on my first carbon frame putting it anywhere I thought could get worn or scratched, mostly rear triangle and top tube where the cables ran. The film didn't work well on chainstays because of curved edges and varying dimensions. It will separate near those edges if trying to wrap a piece around, and where I used smaller pieces the corners eventually peeled up. The film did its job though and 8 yrs later spots still covered by the film look great. But since the rest of the frame looks beat (issues with early Ibis finishes deteriorating) all that effort was kind of a waste. I won't go that far again with any new frame, will just put film on a few key places. I would use it again on the downtube if I can't get a bolt on protector. Cable rub is less of an issue with internal routing, but still keep an eye out for wear.

Ask around other Devinci owners on MTBR, sometimes bolt on protectors from other brands will work. An Inner tube wrapped around the chainstay always worked great if there is enough tire clearance. Neoprene protectors are ok, but if chainstays are narrow it can be hard to find one that stays tight in place.

[XXX-er]

carbon frame you wana use the carbon paste on the seat post

I covered the top of the top tube & bottom of the down tube and some of the swing arm with 4" wide 3M paint protector, you spray the tape and frame with soapy water and it goes on really well, if you get any bubble prick with a pin and squeeze out the air ...its pretty un noticable

the Yeti frames are pretty fucking curvey so to get the tape to conform i used a 25% solution of alcohol & water as instructed and I was pretty happy with the results, I will try and post some picts

[ADKmike]

Carbon paste on the inside of the seat tube.

carbon frame you wana use the carbon paste on the seat post

So what's this carbon paste all about? Does having a dropper post negate the need?

[radam]

Keep notes on your setup as you adjust things, namely the suspension. But tire pressures and cockpit adjustments will affect how the bike feels as well. With the suspension, you've got air pressure, rebound adjustments, compression adjustments and probably air volume adjustments for both the fork and shock. Each adjustment is going to have some kind of effect on the the other adjustments. NSMB had a good writeup a while back about the method behind it all https://nsmb.com/articles/rock-shox-tuning-camp/.
Yeah it's a little more work but it's especially helpful when your bike feels like shit one day and you realize the one click here, one click there adjustments you've made over the course of a few rides ended up being 5 clicks from your normal setup, even though you swore you weren't changing things up all that much. Or you let a friend ride the bike and they fiddle with things... or when it eventually comes time to do a rebuild, you're not spending a half dozen rides getting the bike setup again afterwards. You just check your notes and you're good to go.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I believe carbon paste is grease with beads in it for grip. The grease keeps things from seizing, the beads keep things from slipping.
I put a dab of grease recently - not carbon paste - on my KS Lev installed on my steel Nimble 9. If anything, a dropper most is more in need of something than a regular post, because the post doesn't get moved up and down. Often, a dab of grease is fine. Anyway, the grease + being up just past the minimum line was not a good mix and it kept slipping. I think I used too much at first, but in the end, I had to clean it all off. And you can make the seat clamp pretty tight on a steel frame without coming close to breaking things. Guess I should shell out for the few bucks a packet of carbon paste costs before putting the bike into winter hibernation. YMMV

[creaky fossil]

So what's this carbon paste all about? Does having a dropper post negate the need?

Having a dropper INCREASES the wisdom of using carbon paste. Droppers are tube-within-tube construction, and too much torque on the seat collar (where you tighten the seatpost against movement) can cause internal binding, resulting in poor performance or even failure to return.

Carbon paste increases friction with its polymer beads, letting you run the lower end of torque for keeping your seatpost from twisting or dropping.

Grease, on the other hand, will increase the likelihood of your dropper twisting or sinking in the frame, unless you put relatively higher torque on the seat collar. Which causes the problems I mentioned above.

If you already put grease on the seat tube interior, or the dropper post exterior, then you need to clean the greased surface, rag + alcohol is what I'd use, until it's grease-free. Then use the carbon paste in a thin coating on each surface.

**********

stuckie, you really shouldn't talk like an experienced hand, because you're not one. Your advice often is dangerous.

[XXX-er]

So what's this carbon paste all about? Does having a dropper post negate the need?

no the fox dropper post (which gets a very good rating) was creaking IN the frame on our identical Carbon Yeti 5.5 's

I couldn't get the carbon paste here so i tried wax based chain lube figuring it would be pretty benign which eliminated almost all the creaking

Junior got some of the paste and he sez it stopped all the noise completely so I got some but i haven't had a chance to try it yet due to a fucked up back

[jqualls]

I have been surprised how long plain electrical tape holds up. On my bikes it still looks fine after 1-2 years. It has been on my wife's bike for about 4 years. She doesn't ride as much as some but the bike gets a fair amount of use. It is starting to look well worn now but the bike is old enough now I don't care enough to redo it.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Did creaky just say a sane thing to me?

[stuckathuntermtn]

no the fox dropper post (which gets a very good rating) was creaking IN the frame on our identical Carbon Yeti 5.5 's

I couldn't get the carbon paste here so i tried wax based chain lube figuring it would be pretty benign which eliminated almost all the creaking

Junior got some of the paste and he sez it stopped all the noise completely so I got some but i haven't had a chance to try it yet due to a fucked up back

Oh yeah. Chain lube can work. You just don't want stuff to seize after being in a shed over winter.

[TahoeJ]

So... I didn't bother and kind of wish i had. Note the distance between frame and cable.



Oh well, tools not jewels... but still.

[jono]

Creaky pretty much nailed the carbon paste. Increasing friction is a good thing, keeps you from clamping down too hard. Wax and grease and such sound better than dry but you're going to decide how hard to gank on that seat post clamp by what slips and what doesn't. And carbon paste works with about half the torque vs. a lube.

[ADKmike]

Got the bike last night - survived the shipment across the country aside from one little paint chip (of course it has to end up on the seat tube triangle where you see it !!!). I'm figuring that even new bikes aren't perfect since they get handled so much between shipments and assembly before getting to the customer. I'll prob catch shit on here for even bringing up this cosmetic comment haha...but I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes new shit to look new at first!

Ended up coming with chainstay protection in certain areas on the rear triangle, I'll prob still completely wrap it. Just need to figure out the downtube protection still but not going to go nuts with frame tape all over the place. Maybe for the cables, but that's all.

What I did find strange - was that it came with a pack of RockShox stickers to match the frame colors - I thought this would have been applied at the factory. Just gonna leave the black stock Pike ones, kinda like the way that looks anyways. Is this typical for buying a new bike?

Also came with a shock pump, which appears to be a rebranded 'Devinci' Fox 300psi one... (I just bought one too - damn! Anyone wanna buy a Fox shock pump for discounted rate!?)

[ADKmike]

the stickers are for your car.

Oh no shit what a coincidence since I decided to keep the black ones on the Pike I already put the silver ones all over my cars front struts....looks sick!