Ask the experts

[toast2266]

I am slowly coming to realize I probably need to just round out the quiver and get the 130. I have a serious bike addiction.

N+1 is always the answer.

[rideit]

I am slowly coming to realize I probably need to just round out the quiver and get the 130. I have a serious bike addiction.

Won’t be complete until you get a Colorado flag tattoo.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Won’t be complete until you get a Colorado flag tattoo.

Lol

I shunned the Yeti fanboi shit like everyone else for years and years......then I actually rode one.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Anyone with experience with these two packs?

Henty Enduro
https://henty.cc/shop/enduro-backpack/?setreg=us

Camelback Chase Bike Vest
https://www.camelbak.com/en/packs/mo...4aAiHBEALw_wcB

Looking for an everyday pack to ride trails. Prefer a pack with h2o vs switching around on-bike storage, plus I like the option to carry more stuff if I wish to. Curious which ‘’rides better’’

I also have the Henty. Great pack for most longer day rides assuming you don't want to carry an additional layer or a saw or anything like that.

That said I recently got the Osprey Syncro 20 to do what the Henty can't do....ie carry some more stuff.

[Boissal]

I've had good luck with just getting my chainring as close in to the chainstay as it'll go. So biasing the chainline slightly to the inside. Which obviously makes the chainline worse in the smallest cogs, but that doesn't seem to have any noticeable negative effects, and it definitely helps things out a bit on the larger cogs.

Interesting. Do you get slimmer spacers for the (threaded) BB on the drive side ? I'd have to ditch the bashguard to do that so it's definitely not ideal but I could move to a 1.5mm spacer on the DS and 1 mm on the NDS (as opposed to 2.5mm DS only) and I doubt I'd notice the difference.
The other option would be to somehow shim the chainring so it moves inward. I could see that option working if you have a spider crankarm but I don't know that direct mount chainrings have that option. Maybe there are different chainring offset options out there?

[Cocximus]

Back with the fucked up headset. Looks like the fork did not have a race installed. The bearing was sitting on the fork metal sleeve for the race. I have a FSA headset in hand and a cane creek headset on order. Should I just install the FSA race or should I wait for the cane creek headset? Is the cane creek better than a properly installed FSA orbit?

[rideit]

I’m considering a 130 to replace my 155/160 Instinct, as that bike has too much overlap with the 160/170 Altitude. (It is four pounds lighter at this point, though, so it is my ‘XC/trail’ bike.) However, I will probably wait until there is a model refresh. No idea when that might happen, though.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> Looks like the fork did not have a race installed. The bearing was sitting on the fork metal sleeve for the race.

[toast2266]

Interesting. Do you get slimmer spacers for the (threaded) BB on the drive side ? I'd have to ditch the bashguard to do that so it's definitely not ideal but I could move to a 1.5mm spacer on the DS and 1 mm on the NDS (as opposed to 2.5mm DS only) and I doubt I'd notice the difference.
The other option would be to somehow shim the chainring so it moves inward. I could see that option working if you have a spider crankarm but I don't know that direct mount chainrings have that option. Maybe there are different chainring offset options out there?

I've done some with slimmer spacers on the drive side. The most recent one I did worked with no spacers on the drive side (so 2.5 on the non-drive). But yeah, your bashguard situation complicates that a bit.

[Meconium]

Interesting. Do you get slimmer spacers for the (threaded) BB on the drive side ? I'd have to ditch the bashguard to do that so it's definitely not ideal but I could move to a 1.5mm spacer on the DS and 1 mm on the NDS (as opposed to 2.5mm DS only) and I doubt I'd notice the difference.
The other option would be to somehow shim the chainring so it moves inward. I could see that option working if you have a spider crankarm but I don't know that direct mount chainrings have that option. Maybe there are different chainring offset options out there?

I’d start over and take everything off and put back on following the instruction while pretending you have never done it before and don’t know what you are doing without reding the manual exactly. Might force you to find something stupid. Go slow, drink a beer or two and enjoy it. Clean like you are overhauling and antique collectible analog robot or something. Everything between hub and shifter, OCD with detail doodads, lube and isopropyl.

If you think it is cassette, pull it and possibly file a burr or two off and double check the spacers
or just barrow a wheel with 12 speed Shimano cassette and ride around the block.

Its amazing what hidden plant fibers can do. I'm not a big believer in chain line for better or worse

[toast2266]

Back with the fucked up headset. Looks like the fork did not have a race installed. The bearing was sitting on the fork metal sleeve for the race. I have a FSA headset in hand and a cane creek headset on order. Should I just install the FSA race or should I wait for the cane creek headset? Is the cane creek better than a properly installed FSA orbit?

Install the FSA.

If it works, great. Leave it. If it comes loose / creaks / whatever, install the cane creek.

[Boissal]

I've done some with slimmer spacers on the drive side. The most recent one I did worked with no spacers on the drive side (so 2.5 on the non-drive). But yeah, your bashguard situation complicates that a bit.

I’d start over and take everything off and put back on following the instruction while pretending you have never done it before and don’t know what you are doing without reding the manual exactly. Might force you to find something stupid. Go slow, drink a beer or two and enjoy it. Clean like you are overhauling and antique collectible analog robot or something. Everything between hub and shifter, OCD with detail doodads, lube and isopropyl.

If you think it is cassette, pull it and possibly file a burr or two off and double check the spacers
or just barrow a wheel with 12 speed Shimano cassette and ride around the block.

Its amazing what hidden plant fibers can do. I'm not a big believer in chain line for better or worse

Thanks, I'll take everything apart and start from scratch. Well, first I'll confirm that my chain line is fucked which I'm not 100% sure of yet.
If it is I don't really have options around the BB with the bashguard in place. Considering how often it saves my ass I can't really do without so I'll have to either find an oval with more offset than the standard 3 mm (doubt those exist and at some point the ring will get too close to the chainstay) or try and get a 1 mm spacer behind the cassette to offset things on that end. That's assuming it doesn't push the smallest sprocket close enough to the chainstay that the chain starts rubbing.
I hardly spend any time on the low end of the cassette so optimizing for the easy gears makes more sense though.

[Andeh]

Experts, drivetrain question.
I've documented my woes with my XT 12 speed drivetrain on here: this spring a branch nailed the derailleur and pushed it in the spokes, bending a whole bunch of stuff, primarily the hanger and the cage. I straightened everything back but the shifting never got back to perfect no matter how much effort I put into it. More recently I mashed the derailleur into a boulder which snapped the hanger. New hanger went on (I checked that it was straight) but shifting remained sub-par. I continued nailing rocks with the derailleur (alpine riding in the Wasatch isn't kind on gear) and it's now looking fairly haggard with gouges all over the cage and the body.

The main issue lately has been serious hesitation when shifting from 3rd to 2nd biggest sprocket, and to a lesser extent from 2nd sprocket to granny. Shifting is fine further down the cassette (both up and down shifts) but getting up to pre-granny often takes 4 of 5 pedal revolutions and some serious grinding about, sometimes forcing me to double shift to granny and back down (work well) or push the shifter halfway. The B gap is fine, the cable tension is fine, the hanger is straight, the chain isn't anywhere near worn (replaced at 600 miles due to a missing roller), I figured the accumulated wear and bends on the derailleur was the cause and decided to swap it out yesterday. Putting it side by side with the brand new one though it's hard to find any visible bends and other than the cosmetic beating it seems to work just as well as a new one. The cassette is beat though, much more than what I'd expect after about 1000 miles. The teeth that are meant to move the chain up on the 2 alu cogs are chewed to shit and with the bike in the stand I could see that they were basically too worn to properly lift the chain onto the bigger cogs. The next tooth (1st to engage the chain on the new sprocket) is also worn on the leading edge and the chain slips off and falls back down. The steel cogs are barely worn and the difference in shape is impressive:

Attachment 380563

So, question: can a slightly bent derailleur explain what I would call very premature wear? Something that isn't obvious to the eye but clearly affects the angle at which the chain contacts the teeth and wears them at an angle? If that's the case I'm throwing a new cassette and derailleur on there and calling it good.
The other options is that these XT cassettes are made of solid butter and 1000 miles is what I should expect out of them. If that's the case I'm going to pay the weight penalty and get a full steel Deore cassette and keep my beat up derailleur...

I tried out the new XTR last summer and ditched it this winter for a similar experience. The ramp teeth on the alu cogs were just smoked in 400 miles. I contacted Shimano and got a warranty replacement, then sold the whole setup and went AXS, since my last X01 cassette lasted 2000+ miles.

[XtrPickels]

Question

As I understand it, typically a smaller front chainring results in increased anti-squat for more "efficient" pedaling. However, I believe this assumes the use of the same rear cog (ie lowering the ratio).

What happens with a smaller chainring and using a smaller cog to keep the ratio the same? Do you lose the anti-squat gain? Is it worse?

E.g.: In general what happens to anti-squat when moving from 32/51 to 30/48 (matched for gear ratio)

[toast2266]

Question

As I understand it, typically a smaller front chainring results in increased anti-squat for more "efficient" pedaling. However, I believe this assumes the use of the same rear cog (ie lowering the ratio).

What happens with a smaller chainring and using a smaller cog to keep the ratio the same? Do you lose the anti-squat gain? Is it worse?

E.g.: In general what happens to anti-squat when moving from 32/51 to 30/48 (matched for gear ratio)

That'll vary significantly from bike to bike. There are plenty of bikes where anti-squat numbers actually increase in the smaller cogs. So potentially going with a smaller chainring + smaller cassette would yield an increase in anti-squat due to both of the changes.

[Canada1]

ideas for sourcing shimano hydraulic lines with the banjo?

[rideit]

How long do you need?
I have one that is cut a little too short for the rear, unless it was on an XS bike. Perfect for the front.
$20?

[Canada1]

I am building out a frame and it is a little longer than the previous bike on the rear, So that won't work. Thanks though! I need to spread out all of my old stuff take a photo, and stick it on here for people in a bind. I have some classic old Judy's in the shed someone might want to rebuild and use, some old 150 and 140 rear shocks that are in great shape, etc...

Has anyone used the knock off banjo's? Thinking of putting one of those on a shimano housing? I can find housing, just not the newer banjo attached housing.

[Cocximus]

Headset is solid now. Having a crown race is key. What a botched install.

[grskier]

RockShox SDU is losing air.
I'll be YouTubing rebuilds, etc, anything I should know before I get too deep?

It's a 2019/20 ish vintage.

OK, so I haven't gotten any bites here..

Also not sure if the 50 hour service will take care of it. Can't find the 200 hour kit in stock anywhere.

[Canada1]

OK, so I haven't gotten any bites here..

Also not sure if the 50 hour service will take care of it. Can't find the 200 hour kit in stock anywhere.

Yes, the 50 hour kit usually does the trick. Yes, it is pretty easy Just take your time and don't scratch anything.

[Dee Hubbs]

RockShox SDU is losing air.
I'll be YouTubing rebuilds, etc, anything I should know before I get too deep?
It's a 2019/20 ish vintage.

OK, so I haven't gotten any bites here..
Also not sure if the 50 hour service will take care of it. Can't find the 200 hour kit in stock anywhere.

When a shock is loosing air, my first air check is the valve core. A little soapy water on the valve will produce bubbles if the valve is leaking.

[Meconium]

Attachment 380563


I took a closer look at my XTR that is just shy of 1000 miles, yours looks way more jacked.
Derailleur has same miles with some rock hits, crashes, and a bunch of getting hung up on bush. It has more “float” then new but shifts the same as day one. All I do is keep things relatively clean, quick moondust mist off after every ride and then spin chain through WD40 rag and apply whatever chain lube before every ride in dust season. Guess I also hide in the shop and drink beers and get a bit OCD with a toothbrush sometimes when I get distracted from home projects. The only changes from good to bad have been plant fibers getting spooled under jockey dust cover and seeds getting wedged into cassette and flexing it temporarily bent. Dumb stuff like backass quicklink and unthreading b tension or cable housing getting yanked to bad geometry.

Anyway, I believe we ride similar terrain, something’s off and I don’t think pushing more watts is it. I think Shimano overhyped the just mash on it Hyperglide+ thing. Maybe it works so good then eats itself alive? It helps me out of a jam, but I need to consciously force my finger and legs to push hard at the same time. I’m a half stroker and still slightly clutch the legs when I shift, is that old school?

I still think something other than the aluminum rings is the problem, if you get it figured out then a new cassette should last longer, a new one might just hide the problem and do the same thing down the road.

[Beaver]

My commuter bike has Magura MT5e brakes. Pads are getting thin. Availabe pads are jagwire with 4 individual pads. On the bike are original magura pads on on each side. Jagwire pads are $11. Anyone used jagwire pads in thier 4 piston maguras?

[Boissal]

I took a closer look at my XTR that is just shy of 1000 miles, yours looks way more jacked.
Derailleur has same miles with some rock hits, crashes, and a bunch of getting hung up on bush. It has more “float” then new but shifts the same as day one. All I do is keep things relatively clean, quick moondust mist off after every ride and then spin chain through WD40 rag and apply whatever chain lube before every ride in dust season. Guess I also hide in the shop and drink beers and get a bit OCD with a toothbrush sometimes when I get distracted from home projects. The only changes from good to bad have been plant fibers getting spooled under jockey dust cover and seeds getting wedged into cassette and flexing it temporarily bent. Dumb stuff like backass quicklink and unthreading b tension or cable housing getting yanked to bad geometry.

Anyway, I believe we ride similar terrain, something’s off and I don’t think pushing more watts is it. I think Shimano overhyped the just mash on it Hyperglide+ thing. Maybe it works so good then eats itself alive? It helps me out of a jam, but I need to consciously force my finger and legs to push hard at the same time. I’m a half stroker and still slightly clutch the legs when I shift, is that old school?

I still think something other than the aluminum rings is the problem, if you get it figured out then a new cassette should last longer, a new one might just hide the problem and do the same thing down the road.

Interesting, thanks for the pic!
The ramp-up teeth on the 2nd and 3rd alu sprockets don't look much better than mine and show a ton of wear compared to the steel teeth lower down the cassette. The big difference is with the first tooth to fully engage the chain after a shift (the one directly left of the ramp up tooth). Yours are barely worn, mine are trashed. The wear on my cassette extends to the next 3 or 4 teeth whereas on yours the rest of the teeth look new. It looks like when I shift the chain is sitting weird on 3 or 4 teeth and wears them off while sliding into place while on yours the only teeth that are wearing are the 2 that are supposed to be involved in the shift. My cassette actually has 1200 miles on it, not significantly more than yours, and my maintenance program is very similar to yours, wipe chain after every ride (no WD though, just a rag) then lube with a good scrubbing every couple of weeks.
Maybe my derailleur is slightly more fucked than yours and when combined with a mildly worn cassette it's trashing the teeth super fast? The 2nd sprocket is definitely where I spend most of my time but I shift A LOT and it makes sense it's taking a beating. I never relax on pedaling while shifting either which is something I should go back to doing...

I checked the chainline yesterday, it's a hair under 52mm, perfect in theory for 12sp XT so that doesn't seem to be the problem. I can still bias things a bit with shim so the chainline is slightly better for the big cogs but at this point I'm going to test a new derailleur and see what happens. It's cheaper than a new cassette and if the shifting improves it will confirm that the derailleur is guilty.