Broken Axle?

[Schemeboat]

I love that a potentially repairable rear hub on a 17 year old bike turned into purchasing a brand new trance. A lot of action here today, folks.

[GoldMember]

^^ I didn't need too much encouragement.... When my wife asked me if it was time for a new bike, green light was on.

[GoldMember]

I picked up the new bike today and took it out for an 18 mile ride. It's definitely different than my old bike, a little bit bigger which is fine. The old one felt a little small so this fits me better. The bars are quite a bit wider which will take some getting used to. I did manage to wreck due to the wider bars. I ride in some tight spaces on single track and there's one bush that's grown enough that it encroaches the trail a bit and I caught the bar on, lost control a bit and swerved off the trail onto a soft hillside and went down. No damage to me or the bike.

The front rake is shallower and the wheel base is about 1.5" longer and will take a bit to get used to but, overall, a really impressive ride. At first, the cornering didn't seem as quick (wheel base and being a bigger bike) but I was getting better at it as the ride progressed. The suspension is sweet! It's much smoother through the rock garden sections, probably a combination of better shocks and the shallower head tube. It's lighter so easier to handle except that the wider bars require more movement to turn; not a big deal and just something to get adjusted to. I tried the dropper post a few times. That will take some adjusting for me but I think I'm really going to like that feature. It looks great and is really fun to ride. It kind of seemed like I was riding slow, which I'm sure I could have been faster but wasn't feeling all that great today. However, my time for that loop was a couple minutes faster than the last time I rode it on my old bike when I felt better. I think that's partly due to the suspension being smoother so it just didn't seem to be going as fast. All in all, a great first ride on it and I'm really looking to see some improvement as I get more comfortable with the change from the old.

As for the old bike, blown hub and new wheel set, or at least a new wheel to remedy it. I'm fixing it and consigning through my buddy's shop so I should at least recover the cost of repair and a couple-three hundred bucks over that. Not that bad for a bike that's seen 17 years of riding, even though it's basically been totally rebuilt. Ah, the cost of having fun...

[iamTRuTH]

Nice Bike! your going to love it.

[muted]

Nice. You can cut the bars a bit ya know, but a little goes a long way so do it gradually. I think I only took an an inch or so off mine and it made it manageable.

On one hand, I probably shouldn't be giving riding tech advice to anyone who is an advanced rider, on the other hand here's some basic help: leaning forward into turns, especially flat ones, really helped me when I went to a modern bike. Took me a long time to figure this out.

[GoldMember]

Nice. You can cut the bars a bit ya know, but a little goes a long way so do it gradually. I think I only took an an inch or so off mine and it made it manageable.

Yeah, I can cut them but I think I'll want to ride it for awhile without doing that. I expect to adjust to the width, it's just not yet 'normal'.

On one hand, I probably shouldn't be giving riding tech advice to anyone who is an advanced rider, on the other hand here's some basic help: leaning forward into turns, especially flat ones, really helped me when I went to a modern bike. Took me a long time to figure this out.

I had read that before somewhere in a thread, here. I was starting to get that feel for it as I rode. With the front end raked out like it is, I was definitely getting more comfortable with weighting the front wheel and it helps. Again, just need some more time to get to know the bike. I was already getting it by the second half of the ride and my cornering was faster with better control. Technique comes with experimenting and experience.

[GoldMember]

This will be a big upgrade, you'll really feel the difference descending. A 67* head angle will be night and day form your old 71*-70* head angle.

You were right on this point. The ride on this is so much softer, for lack of a better term, than my old bike that what used to just rattle my way down rocky descents was much more floaty, if you know what I mean.

[mtngirl79]

Yeah, I can cut them but I think I'll want to ride it for awhile without doing that. I expect to adjust to the width, it's just not yet 'normal'.

You can also move all the stuff inward after popping the end caps out of the grips to find the best spot.

Just be careful it's way harder to judge if you can fit between trees or how close you can get if your hand isn't on the bars.

LBS guy likes to tell people to "fall" to the ground and catch themselves in a pushup position and that's how your bars should be.

[skaredshtles]

<snip>

I had read that before somewhere in a thread, here. I was starting to get that feel for it as I rode. With the front end raked out like it is, I was definitely getting more comfortable with weighting the front wheel and it helps.

Those are your endurbow's:



Is that the 2019 Trance 2, or is it the Advanced 2? Crabon frame? What fork is on that thing?

[GoldMember]

2018 Trance 2 with ALUXX SL frame. Fox 34 Rhythm 150 fork. It's a sweet fork.

[jono]

I had read that before somewhere in a thread, here. I was starting to get that feel for it as I rode. With the front end raked out like it is, I was definitely getting more comfortable with weighting the front wheel and it helps. Again, just need some more time to get to know the bike. I was already getting it by the second half of the ride and my cornering was faster with better control. Technique comes with experimenting and experience.

You're on point with the width. I didn't feel a need to use the full bar width on my current bike until a day on that super rocky lift served. Prior to last week I was usually just a half inch in from the ends and was almost ready to cut, but those trails had me leaning the bike so far over that my hands went right to the ends. Kind of mixed on my normal trails now.

My recent switch was to a 65.5 HA, so take this FWIW, but I also found that during the transition it helped to swap spacers and lower the stem a bit. Got me more forward for pedaling and made the forward weighting seem more natural. Seemed to effect desired bar length slightly, too, so that might be something else to settle before cutting.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> It's a sweet fork.

I suspect that's mostly because your old one was so shitty.

Oh - and good job getting the red one!!

[GoldMember]

^^ Well, maybe. I had a RockShox Reba on my old bike. I think it may be more related to the head tube angle, too. The old bike was 71* compared to 67* on this bike.

[GoldMember]

You're on point with the width. I didn't feel a need to use the full bar width on my current bike until a day on that super rocky lift served. Prior to last week I was usually just a half inch in from the ends and was almost ready to cut, but those trails had me leaning the bike so far over that my hands went right to the ends. Kind of mixed on my normal trails now.

My recent switch was to a 65.5 HA, so take this FWIW, but I also found that during the transition it helped to swap spacers and lower the stem a bit. Got me more forward for pedaling and made the forward weighting seem more natural. Seemed to effect desired bar length slightly, too, so that might be something else to settle before cutting.

Yeah, I'm in no hurry to cut the bars, I think I'll adjust to them. The only downside, really, is that I find myself hitting encroaching tree branches with my hands on some of the narrower single track on my ride. The width was on my mind on some of those stretches yesterday but it was only my first ride on it so.... I just need to have a few rides in before I do anything crazy.

[skaredshtles]

^^ Well, maybe. I had a RockShox Reba on my old bike.

Yup.

There you go.

[XXX-er]

Lean out over that fork with elbows out and don't cut the bars

[beaterdit]

Nice bike, congrats!

Sounds like you're on board but here's a third or fourth DON'T CUT YOUR BARS! Hahaha.

There's a limit depending on your size but generally speaking, wider is better. I doubt your Trance came with 800mm bars. Actually looks like 780, that's a nice width IMO. It is more movement to turn them but less force. You have a lot more leverage against deflection. Huge difference in fatigue on the DH. I think someone said it above but on your new bike with the slacker head angle, think about leaning it more and turning the bars less. And yeah, weight forward, elbows out.

Dropper post, better than rear suspension IMO. You're gonna love it once you get used to it!

I had the same thing regarding speed when I went from 26 to 27.5. I was faster on everything without trying. First thing I noticed was I'd be braking where I never had because I was coming into things with more speed. Then just carrying more speed everywhere and not even noticing because it just felt comfortable. Bikes are awesome these days!

[GoldMember]

Lean out over that fork with elbows out and don't cut the bars

Nice bike, congrats!

Sounds like you're on board but here's a third or fourth DON'T CUT YOUR BARS! Hahaha.

There's a limit depending on your size but generally speaking, wider is better. I doubt your Trance came with 800mm bars. Actually looks like 780, that's a nice width IMO. It is more movement to turn them but less force. You have a lot more leverage against deflection. Huge difference in fatigue on the DH. I think someone said it above but on your new bike with the slacker head angle, think about leaning it more and turning the bars less. And yeah, weight forward, elbows out.

Dropper post, better than rear suspension IMO. You're gonna love it once you get used to it!

I had the same thing regarding speed when I went from 26 to 27.5. I was faster on everything without trying. First thing I noticed was I'd be braking where I never had because I was coming into things with more speed. Then just carrying more speed everywhere and not even noticing because it just felt comfortable. Bikes are awesome these days!

Thanks! Yeah, no, I'm not cutting the bars. Yes, they are 780. Again, it's me getting used to them and modernizing my riding technique. I was kind of feeling that as I rode yesterday so will work on it; more over the front, elbows out, moving the bike under me to angulate the turns. I kind of rode my old bike that way but couldn't really commit due to certain old-school limitations. I can definitely see where the dropper makes the angulation easier by not having the seat in the way, for one thing. Today's bikes are doing for us what happened when we got shaped skis. Suddenly, it's easier to 'carve' on these. I just need to tune myself to meet the bike.

[GoldMember]

Ride report from Saturday: Well, I definitely was more comfortable on this ride than the first one. Still not fully adjusted to it yet but I think it's coming along. After 17 years on the old bike, this won't be learned completely in two rides.

I went 20 miles and was much quicker in the corners than the first day. I'm also more comfortable with the wider bars, although I did manage to clip a tree in some tight S turns and nearly went down. One screw up was not checking tire inflation before I rode. The rear felt sloppy laterally, under-inflated. I didn't bother to stop to fill it with my hand pump (knew I was okay to get back to the truck) and checked it when I got home. It was down to 11 psi and the front to 17. The front seemed fine to me but I've put them to 25 and will see how that feels tonight. One thing about this new bike, the rock gardens seem almost non-existent. I really, really love the suspension on this thing!