Ask the experts

[Eluder]

New bike has an ispec cockpit on XT brakes. They are too on-off and have a slight bite point wander.

I wanted to bring over my Magura MT Trail Carbons with their great balance and modulation, but being bar mount I'd also have to redo the whole cockpit, shifter and dropper, because no ispec.

I was told to Shigura instead: XT levers with Magura calipers, and that this is the best of all things... and also lets me keep the ispec.

Anyone tried this? I assume I'll need to re-barb the line on one end?

The only thing Shigura solves is the weeping caliper issue, the wandering bite point and lack of modulation comes from the levers. Just get a set of shiftmix clamps https://www.magura.com/2021/Bike/Pro...y_2021_ENG.pdf

[MegaStoke]

New bike has an ispec cockpit on XT brakes. They are too on-off and have a slight bite point wander.

I wanted to bring over my Magura MT Trail Carbons with their great balance and modulation, but being bar mount I'd also have to redo the whole cockpit, shifter and dropper, because no ispec.

I was told to Shigura instead: XT levers with Magura calipers, and that this is the best of all things... and also lets me keep the ispec.

Anyone tried this? I assume I'll need to re-barb the line on one end?

It won’t help with the wandering bite point, but MTX Red pads are a great upgrade on XTs. The modulation they give is impressive, with very little loss in power. They’re also quiet, and long wearing in my experience.

If you do go Shigura, the recipe is:
Shimano lever
Shimano compression nut and olive
Magura barb
Magura brake hose
Magura caliper
Shimano brake fluid

[simple]

The only thing Shigura solves is the weeping caliper issue, the wandering bite point and lack of modulation comes from the levers. Just get a set of shiftmix clamps https://www.magura.com/2021/Bike/Pro...y_2021_ENG.pdf

I find the magura shiftmix to be limited in range of adjustment. I struggled to get the shifter in the perfect spot.

[radam]

So I've tried a bunch of things with my v1 Hightower to quiet down the chain slap... top guide, bionicon c-guide, padding on seatstay, 3m mastic tape bumps on the chainstay, clutch tension at the high end of the spec, shimano clutch tension at the low end of the spec, somewhere in the middle, freshly greased clutch, not so freshly greased clutch, have also run a sram clutch on there in the past, fresh chainring, fresh chain....... just can't quite figure it out. The other day on a ride I was remembering the STFU chain silencer thing and was thinking I'd just order that and give it a try but their website says 5-6 weeks delivery time and I don't know if I want to wait that long just to find out if it does anything.
Is anyone here using one and is it worth it? Or would I be better off just trying to do another raised-bump/ridge style mastic tape deal similar to what a lot of bikes are coming with stock now?

[toast2266]

Maybe just ride smoother trails?

[east or bust]

zip tie foam on the chain stay


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[radam]

Maybe just ride smoother trails?

I'm thinking a few cubic yards of topsoil and our trails should be good to go.


Perhaps I should've added that my Kona Hei Hei seems quieter on the same trails, ridden at nearly the same pace. Other bikes I've ridden have been quieter as well. I've legit sold a bike due to a creaky pivot that could only be silenced for a few miles at a time. I guess I just get fixated on things easily. Maybe it'd be better to fix that personality trait, but no luck so far in that regard.

[sethschmautz]

I'm thinking a few cubic yards of topsoil...

Try putting the dirt in the clutch. I think that's the only combo you haven't tried yet.

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[Eluder]

I find the magura shiftmix to be limited in range of adjustment. I struggled to get the shifter in the perfect spot.

I agree with this statement with all the mated shifter/levers besides Sram with an X0, XX1 lever. I still think its better than setting up Shagura though.

[summit]

Useful info thank you

[Dee Hubbs]

Try putting the dirt in the clutch. I think that's the only combo you haven't tried yet.

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Like his clutch purse?

[summit]

Hub engagement:

Past a certain point can you not notice the faster engagement?

Is there such a thing as too rapid engagement? Do you actually notice kickback when descending? When? Are certain suspensions more prone? Which? Is it

I sure as hell can tell that low engagement makes it harder to ratchet up through tech. People love high engagement in tech.

So if one believes that rapid engagement helps climbing and hurts descending, it would seem more engagement for climbing and less for descending except low engagement makes it noticeably harder to throw in that one extra pedal stroke when speeding into a jump or out of a berm...

My musing from riding 150T and 216T hubs on my last bike (tracer) and now having a 36T hub on my new bike (Spire) which I might upgrade to 54T... and getting a second wheelset with either a 54T DT or a 690T Hydra.

[grskier]

Hub engagement:

Past a certain point can you not notice the faster engagement?

Is there such a thing as too rapid engagement? Do you actually notice kickback when descending? When? Are certain suspensions more prone? Which? Is it

I sure as hell can tell that low engagement makes it harder to ratchet up through tech. People love high engagement in tech.

So if one believes that rapid engagement helps climbing and hurts descending, it would seem more engagement for climbing and less for descending except low engagement makes it noticeably harder to throw in that one extra pedal stroke when speeding into a jump or out of a berm...

My musing from riding 150T and 216T hubs on my last bike (tracer) and now having a 36T hub on my new bike (Spire) which I might upgrade to 54T... and getting a second wheelset with either a 54T DT or a 690T Hydra.

Someone posted somewhere about what they thought the sweetspot was, and that 54 T was pretty close to it.
I enjoy that level of engagement but have only been on a I9 once or twice to compare it to so...

[Andeh]

That's a Controversial Topic, with capitals. There's a few things to understand. First, unless you've got a bike with an idler (you don't) but have fairly high anti-squat for pedal efficiency (you do), your bike will have pretty high pedal kickback (typically 10-20 degrees). So for a compression from full extension, the chain tension will cause the pedals to rotate backward that amount. After that things get sorta complicated, depending on what gear you're in (less kick the further into your cassette you are) and how much the travel reset before the next hit. Then, depending on your hub's engagement, you could either be fully engaged, fully disengaged, or somewhere in between. It ends up averaging out to the middle, but the practical effect is that after a hit with the hub fully disengaged (where the hub soaks up the most of the kickback), the hub will be fully engaged for the next hit.

Having ridden DT hubs with 18t, 36t, and 54t, and also Hydras, this manifests differently. The Hydras are essentially almost always on, so going through bumps the pedal kick always feels the same. With DT and a small tooth ratchet, going through a series of brake bumps, some of them feel softer than others, and some I hear a loud clack as the freehub engages. I wouldn't say one is worse than the other, but going from one to the other, if you're really paying attention, you hear and feel a difference.

My personal opinion is that I'd rather have a high POE hub because the feel through quick repeated hits is more consistent, so I can tune my shock to preference. It's also quieter.

I'd be really interested to try a hub with a sprag clutch (like Onyx) and see how that design's engagement interacts with pedal kick. I've heard that it has a sort of soft engagement, which could feel better than a DT ratchet's hard engagement kicks.

I've also started using an O-Chain (with a Hydra) and have some impressions. It definitely soaks up pedal kick on bumps up to a certain size, which feels like a calmer rear end. I was also able to close LSC a little for more pumping support without sacrificing comfort on small bumps. The tradeoffs are that ratcheting becomes more difficult again, and it weighs / costs more.

[toast2266]

Agreed with most of what Andeh said. I've ridden an Onyx hub, and while the engagement is a little bit "soft," it's not soft enough to make any real difference in terms of pedal kick.

Personally, I think high engagement hubs make the suspension feel worse (for the reasons Andeh said, although I'm less inclined towards the "high engagement for consistency" argument). High engagment hubs don't make the suspension feel a lot worse, and it's not worse in every situation, but it's nevertheless worse some of the time (mostly at slower speeds), and it's never better.

But I also dislike low engagement hubs because they make techy climbing harder.

So that leads me to the conclusion that I want a hub with the lowest possible engagement that's still high enough that it's not a limiting factor on techy climbs. For me, that's 50-ish points of engagement. So yeah, I see DT Swiss hubs with the 54t star as the perfect compromise.

[Boissal]

I did back to back "testing" on my trail bike with Hydra vs DT350 54t. Exact same rims and tires on both wheels.
Prior to testing the high engagement hub I had many miles on the DT hub and was well used to how it felt. The biggest difference with the hydra was up tech sections where the quick engagement was a nice difference. On the down the hydra allowed me to finally notice pedal kickback which is something I knew about but had never felt. Once I understood how it felt and went back on the DT I could tell it was there but barely. It never bothered me with either setup and I honestly couldn't feel a difference in suspension performance going back and forth (and I'm fairly picky with suspension setting these days). I ended up moving the Hydra to my big bike cause it's more blingy and keeping the DT on the workhorse trail bike.

The other day I was pedaling around on Ms Boissal's bike (same model as mine) and realized I had not upgraded the ratchet on it, it was still at 18t. I felt sorry for her for having such a shitty bike mechanic and husband.

[jackstraw]

Cannot find this anywhere! Anybody holding?

RockShox Rear Shock Mounting Hardware - 3-Piece, 1/2", 8 x 30

[Eluder]

Most shocks use the 1/2 size, Just order a MRP mounting kit assuming you have the bushing.

[skinipenem]

Given the recent floor pump discussion does the following pump exist:

1) accurate at low pressures 3-30 psi
2) capable of inflation to 110psi
3) Presta and Schrader compatible
4) release valve to let pressure out of over inflated tires
6) ideally least important factor, portable air compression (yep i am getting lazy)



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[summit]

Andeh, Toast, Boissal

Thank you for the responses.

I'm in a first world problem situation where I have an al enduro set I was going to use for shuttle/dh that has a 350 36t and I was going to buy a lighterweight second wheelset. The wheelset I wanted (Nobl TR37), I can't do a DT 54t on so I was going to do a i9 1/1 (90t), but they don't have that so they'll build with a Hydra, or I could go with a Roost i31AM with a 240 54t. So its a little more for the TR37 with Hydra 32h, little better warranty, little stronger, 90g heavier, little more $ vs the i31AM with 240 54t 28h.

I have analysis paralysis.

[jackstraw]

Most shocks use the 1/2 size, Just order a MRP mounting kit assuming you have the bushing.

I don't see that or know what that is exactly? My shop is looking for this for me and we're coming up empty. I working with Santa Cruz also. It's a supply chain issue from our perspective at this point. My shop can get the shock, but not the mounting hardware.

[toast2266]

Andeh, Toast, Boissal

Thank you for the responses.

I'm in a first world problem situation where I have an al enduro set I was going to use for shuttle/dh that has a 350 36t and I was going to buy a lighterweight second wheelset. The wheelset I wanted (Nobl TR37), I can't do a DT 54t on so I was going to do a i9 1/1 (90t), but they don't have that so they'll build with a Hydra, or I could go with a Roost i31AM with a 240 54t. So its a little more for the TR37 with Hydra 32h, little better warranty, little stronger, 90g heavier, little more $ vs the i31AM with 240 54t 28h.

I have analysis paralysis.

Why can't you do the 54t 240 on the Nobl's? They offer it as an option.

That said, hub engagement would be my lowest priority in that situation. I'd get whichever wheelset you think is better, regardless of the hub engagement.

[summit]

For me it isn't an option, I pm'd the dets.

[rideit]

Andeh, Toast, Boissal

Thank you for the responses.

I'm in a first world problem situation where I have an al enduro set I was going to use for shuttle/dh that has a 350 36t and I was going to buy a lighterweight second wheelset. The wheelset I wanted (Nobl TR37), I can't do a DT 54t on so I was going to do a i9 1/1 (90t), but they don't have that so they'll build with a Hydra, or I could go with a Roost i31AM with a 240 54t. So its a little more for the TR37 with Hydra 32h, little better warranty, little stronger, 90g heavier, little more $ vs the i31AM with 240 54t 28h.

I have analysis paralysis.

Given all of those options, I would go with 240 54t all day long.

[Eluder]

I don't see that or know what that is exactly? My shop is looking for this for me and we're coming up empty. I working with Santa Cruz also. It's a supply chain issue from our perspective at this point. My shop can get the shock, but not the mounting hardware.

Sorry I'll explain it a little better. You don't need to use Rock Shox branded mount kits with a Rock Shox shock. Just have your shop source another brand that uses the same bushing configuration. An example of this is MRP https://mrpbike.com/products/rear-sh...14941752393770

That said, hub engagement would be my lowest priority in that situation. I'd get whichever wheelset you think is better, regardless of the hub engagement.

This, there are a lot of fast people racing downhill, enduro and XC on high engagement hubs and doing just fine. Most of their bikes haven't even started on fire!