Ask the experts

[SchralphMacchio]

wife's Pivot Shadowcat

Lee, can you post a review? That bike is very high on my window shopping list for next one. That and Transition Scout are my top two, but I haven’t yet demoed either (I demoed almost every Transition except for the Smuggler and Scout last week, lol!)

[Andeh]

Per my search the latest discussion on ultrasonic cleaners was about 60 pages ago. Gunder had recommended a cleaner from Grizzly Industrial but I don't see any listed on their website.

Would an ultrasonic cleaner from Vevor be up to the task? They have pretty good reviews. Don't think I'd need one bigger than what a cassette would fit in.

edit: this is the specific unit I'm looking at
https://www.vevor.com/ultrasonic-cle...p_010392924762

I have one of the smaller Vevor ones. It seems to work fine for degreasing a new chain. I did a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, water, and Dawn. I think I ran it for about 30 minutes, not sure. After that, the chain felt like it had a tiny amount of grease residue, but was far, far better than the heavy stock condition. I'm sure I could have cleaned it better with nastier cleaning products, but I just wanted to get the worst of the heavy grease off. I then did 2 applications of my preferred lube (Squirt), and it started out much nicer than prior attempts at cleaning a fresh chain. (There was no initial tendency for the chain to accumulate dirt and dust due to factory grease.)

[Toddball]

Anyone gotten through to JensonUSA customer service recently? Have an order that has been sitting in "label created" purgatory for 12 days, and Jenson's contact options are:

1. Call and leave a message
2. Call and request a text message with a callback time, which never comes
3. Text via their online chat function, which results in an irrelevant AI-generated response

Should I just dispute the charge with my bank and go buy stuff from my LBS, or is yet hope for this package to show up sometime?

[XXX-er]

Coil the chain in the bottom of a jam jar, cover with 1" of naptha AKA white gas

in the morning the chain will be spectacularly free of grease or oil

as in how did it get that fcuking clean ?

and will completely dry soon as you take it out

[skaredshtles]

Coil the chain in the bottom of a jam jar, cover with 1" of naptha AKA white gas

in the morning the chain will be spectacularly free of grease or oil

as in how did it get that fcuking clean ?

and will completely dry soon as you take it out

[skinipenem]

Anyone gotten through to JensonUSA customer service recently? Have an order that has been sitting in "label created" purgatory for 12 days, and Jenson's contact options are:

1. Call and leave a message
2. Call and request a text message with a callback time, which never comes
3. Text via their online chat function, which results in an irrelevant AI-generated response

Should I just dispute the charge with my bank and go buy stuff from my LBS, or is yet hope for this package to show up sometime?

I thought we didn't shop at Jenson?

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[Toddball]

I thought we didn't shop at Jenson?

Hadn't heard that before; probably won't shop there in the future.

[toast2266]

Just here to confirm that Jenson customer service fucking blows.

[Boissal]

It's the same clutch in all of the Shimano RD's. XTR, XT, SLX (cover is different on SLX below, with out an external adjustment hole)

Sidebar on this: I've been running SLX rear derailleurs since I find no difference with the XTs in terms of performance. I swap the clutch cover with one from an old XT to get the little port that gives access to the clutch tension adjustment bolt. Gives 100% of the functionality of an XT derailleur.

[Duffman]

Coil the chain in the bottom of a jam jar, cover with 1" of naptha AKA white gas

in the morning the chain will be spectacularly free of grease or oil

as in how did it get that fcuking clean ?

and will completely dry soon as you take it out

Do you have to rinse it off or anything like that after or can you go straight to your fav lube?

[XXX-er]

Do you have to rinse it off or anything like that after or can you go straight to your fav lube?

no, naptha evaps really fast, if you ever spilt fuel filling a coleman stove you know it drys instantly

so your chain will be so clean you will not believe it, just a very clean dry chain with no residue

[homemadesalsa]

Lee, can you post a review? That bike is very high on my window shopping list for next one. That and Transition Scout are my top two, but I haven’t yet demoed either (I demoed almost every Transition except for the Smuggler and Scout last week, lol!)

Yo Schralp my friend Kait Boyle says that the Shadowcat mullet is her favorite bike, and she's a Pivot team rider.

Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

[Tailwind]

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Shadowcat… it’s annoying that everyone seems to want it mullet but it isn’t sold that way from Pivot.

Yo Schralp my friend Kait Boyle says that the Shadowcat mullet is her favorite bike, and she's a Pivot team rider.

Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk

[Meconium]

That reminds me, I was cleaning the garage and found about a 1/2gal of white gas from the whisper light days. cans a bit rusty but garage hasn't burned down in a firry death.
previous owner left behind a 55gl drum of something that smells like creosote, almost passed out after I cut the lock.

[skaredshtles]

That reminds me, I was cleaning the garage and found about a 1/2gal of white gas from the whisper light days. cans a bit rusty but garage hasn't burned down in a firry death.

A lot of clean bike chains in your future...

[LeeLau]

Lee, can you post a review? That bike is very high on my window shopping list for next one. That and Transition Scout are my top two, but I haven’t yet demoed either (I demoed almost every Transition except for the Smuggler and Scout last week, lol!)

Have to ask Shar for her impressions. What do you want to know?

Edit - she's running it 27.5
She wanted a 27.5 as she wanted a nimbler pedally bike (already has a Yeti SB150 that she mulleted as a plow bike
Replaced a Mach 5.5 which she also really liked
Has the Shadowcat XT/XTR version running it stock
Bike weight is 29lbs but she doesnt care overmuch about weight.
Use-case; Fromme, Seymour, Whistler, Squamish "pedally" trails and has done some light shuttling trail use. Also hauled it around on more longer rides into alpine etc. Seems to have an alarmingly large range
Set up for more squish - ie sag 30% and definitely suspension tuned to downhill

[El Chupacabra]

Not good. The first one off my wife's Pivot Shadowcat would not extend fully whether from all the way down or from halfway dropped. I lubed the post and that would help but then it would stick. Sent back to Fox over winter last season

It's happened again.

I bought a Fox Transfer about two years ago - the older style, not the current one with the drooped over looking top clamp. It failed within six months, on one of many bikes. Fox tried to do some warranty fix, that failed immediately. Then they warrantied it again with a new model, which I promptly sold.

Mrs C has a bike that came with a current style Transfer, and it's starting to exhibit that sticking at near full extension. If you pull it up with the trigger depressed, then it'll extend fully.

I'm avoiding Fox droppers in the future.

[g_man80]

Thanks. Those two reviews are enough to reinforce my thoughts to stay away.

[XtrPickels]

Thanks, that's what I'm looking for but you weren't kidding on the price tag. And with xtrpickels durability comment, that's a tough one...

They discontinued the ShakeDry material, which may say something.
When I tested it in the environmental windtunnel, I had a sensor stuck to the material and when I peeled it off it took the membrane with it.

(for those interested, the testing was like this, but with outerwear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_42Uc03d6WU)

[jm2e]

Yeah, a no hood rain jacket seems odd though

I can't stand a biking rain jacket with a hood. The theory makes sense, but in practice it just doesn't work. How often do people actually tuck the hood up under their helmet or pull it up over the top like they're belaying someone up the Hillary Step? I never see it. I don't even see it in reviews where they mention how important the hood is. MTB isn't a sport that caters well to a hood.
I do see a ton of hoods flopping around ....... like hoodies do. Which means it's getting water and debris inside. Then if I ever do decide to flop it up over my noggin, I instantly regret the decision. Fuck that. Give me a nice high collar that actually zips up around my neck. I'll pack a smartwool beanie in case I'm actually cold.

[rideit]

Agree that the XTR derailleurs are bomber. I have two that I have had since Dec of '18, and both still function flawlessly. I feel that I ride sufficiently often, in a clumsy and bashy way, that I can comment.

[climberevan]

I use the hood on my rain jacket (OR Helium) when it's really coming down. I use it over or sometimes under the helmet. Ofc that's only on bikepacking trips, as I'll just wait it out rather than MTB in serious rain.

[D(C)]

Best value Sram Eagle 12 spd chain? XO1? GX aint cuttin it. TIA.

X01. Roughly double the cost of GX but lasts 3-4 times as long before reaching 0.5% elongation. Pretty sure X01 and XX1 chains are the same minus fancy colours, and I personally wouldn’t pay the extra for XX1.

[kootenayskier]

I bought a Fox Transfer about two years ago - the older style, not the current one with the drooped over looking top clamp. It failed within six months, on one of many bikes. Fox tried to do some warranty fix, that failed immediately. Then they warrantied it again with a new model, which I promptly sold.

Mrs C has a bike that came with a current style Transfer, and it's starting to exhibit that sticking at near full extension. If you pull it up with the trigger depressed, then it'll extend fully.

I'm avoiding Fox droppers in the future.

I bought a Fox Transfer a couple of years back on the recommendation of my local shop. I’d had nothing but trouble with a RS Reverb, and a KS Lev before that, and I was told the Transfer had the least issues of any dropper they deal with. Based on a couple of years experience, mine gets a little stiction (sometimes needs a bum bounce to get full extension) towards the end of a long summer of riding, but that gets fixed with my winter service. Otherwise no issues. Given how much I use it (the lever is worn down to bare metal), and the horror stories I hear constantly from owners of other products, count me as a satisfied customer.

[Roxtar]

I was told the Transfer had the least issues of any dropper they deal with. Based on a couple of years experience, mine gets a little stiction (sometimes needs a bum bounce to get full extension) towards the end of a long summer of riding, but that gets fixed with my winter service. Otherwise no issues. Given how much I use it (the lever is worn down to bare metal), and the horror stories I hear constantly from owners of other products, count me as a satisfied customer.

That's been my experience. I've been using Fox droppers since the early pre-Transfer models (forget the name). Last years well documented issues with the return seem to have been quickly cleaned up (I had one, sent it in, and it was replaced with no issues since). Myself, Mrs Roxtar, and most of my riding buddies have been on Transfers for years, pretty much problem free.

The interweb is a very misleading place to gauge quality. With every mountain biker in the world having access, every breakdown gets reported and this blows issues way out of proportion. You have to keep in mind that huge numbers of products are sold world-wide. A few will break. Most don't. Products that work rarely get press.

What I'm saying is...
It's a pretty safe bet that:
All Shimano brakes don't have lever stroke issues
All Crankbros pedals don't explode
All 5Dev cranks don't break
All X2 shocks don't leak
All Fox 36s don't creak

And when some of these things do happen, most manufacturers are pretty quick deal with them.