Ask the experts

[rideit]

The resin ones are kinda shit, IME.

[saukit]

Had a creak in my rear wheel that I swore was the spokes. I’m a wheel jong so I went in armed with the Internet. Just about to start tweaking spokes then noticed that the rear wheel was wobbling from the axle. Tightened up the preload nut on the hub and the wobble is gone...I probably tightened too much but we’ll see once I have the chance to ride it. Hope the noise is gone I really don’t want to start turning spokes.

[Roxtar]

99% sure XT pads are interchangable with XTR.

[Sandbox]

Building a Chromag Stylus... has a port for internal routing of a dropper post, do you simply drill the rubber grommet the same diameter of the cable? Anything special or techincal about it? being steel i'm a little more concerned about moisture/debris getting in there so want it to be fairly tight #thatswhathesaid

[Dantheman]

Building a Chromag Stylus... has a port for internal routing of a dropper post, do you simply drill the rubber grommet the same diameter of the cable? Anything special or techincal about it? being steel i'm a little more concerned about moisture/debris getting in there so want it to be fairly tight #thatswhathesaid

There isn't a hole in the grommet already? It should be a tight fit, just shove it in there


Moving on--Anyone know where I can buy M2x2mm set screws? I need a few to fix my kid's RC car and the best option I've found so far is this https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-a16022...KMA/ref=sr_1_3 but the estimated delivery date is June 24-July 16. Do LBSs typically have these lying around?

[Sandbox]

There isn't a hole in the grommet already? It should be a tight fit, just shove it in there


Moving on--Anyone know where I can buy M2x2mm set screws? I need a few to fix my kid's RC car and the best option I've found so far is this https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-a16022...KMA/ref=sr_1_3 but the estimated delivery date is June 24-July 16. Do LBSs typically have these lying around?

Nope, no hole at all. just a rubber piece covering it completely.

[El Chupacabra]

Nope, no hole at all. just a rubber piece covering it completely.

If you're going to drill that plug, remove it from the frame first!

[Roxtar]

Building a Chromag Stylus... has a port for internal routing of a dropper post, do you simply drill the rubber grommet the same diameter of the cable? Anything special or techincal about it? being steel i'm a little more concerned about moisture/debris getting in there so want it to be fairly tight #thatswhathesaid

Did you buy it new? If so, I'm sure it did, or was supposed to, come with different grommets with holes. Attempting to drill actual holes in soft rubber is an exercise in futility.
Call Cromag for the right grommets.

[Sandbox]

If you're going to drill that plug, remove it from the frame first!

HAHA... done and done... but yes i can see that being an issue...

[Sandbox]

Did you buy it new? If so, I'm sure it did, or was supposed to, come with different grommets with holes. Attempting to drill actual holes in soft rubber is an exercise in futility.
Call Cromag for the right grommets.

Used... yah i'll call chromag and see what they say.

[Dee Hubbs]

Moving on--Anyone know where I can buy M2x2mm set screws? I need a few to fix my kid's RC car and the best option I've found so far is this https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-a16022...KMA/ref=sr_1_3 but the estimated delivery date is June 24-July 16. Do LBSs typically have these lying around?

Bike pedal pins are usually M4.
Ace Hardware should have the size you need. I recently needed set screws for a few different jobs and Ace had all the sizes I needed. On the third trip for a single set screw I just ended up buying 4 of each size they had in stock, just to have on hand in my garage hardware.

[Dee Hubbs]

Used... yah i'll call chromag and see what they say.

The frame hole should be just big enough to pass the cable (no grommet). The grommet is only to seal the hole in frame if you dont run a cable though there.

[toast2266]

The frame hole should be just big enough to pass the cable (no grommet). The grommet is only to seal the hole in frame if you dont run a cable though there.

this.

[D(C)]

this.

They make 2 versions of that plug - one that's solid and one that has a hole in it for a dropper cable. The dropper cable version looks like what's shown below.

My 2015 Commencal Meta AM used the exact same plugs as Chromag, so you could check with them if getting plugs is easier than getting them from Chromag.

You could run it without the plug, but I think it would make it easy for water to get into the frame. Drilling a hole in bb shell is not a bad idea (the 2 Rootdown frames I've had didn't come with the hole), because a bit of water is going to get in there even if you do have the correct plug, which can seize your bb bearings.

[Sandbox]

so i took the plug out.... it obviously ripped into 2 pieces... i've super glued it back together, drilled it out while off the bike and i'm currently manhandling it back into place....ugh.... i'm gonna order a new one but this should work for now. My fork is still at Rockshox and i'm waiting on some other parts so it won't matter for now.

[D(C)]

so i took the plug out.... it obviously ripped into 2 pieces... i've super glued it back together, drilled it out while off the bike and i'm currently manhandling it back into place....ugh.... i'm gonna order a new one but this should work for now. My fork is still at Rockshox and i'm waiting on some other parts so it won't matter for now.

They're pretty tough to get in and out. Using a flathead screwdriver to gently pry or push the plug is the best I could come up with, but they do tear after a couple of removals.

[Dee Hubbs]

Thats a new routing on Chromags. Not the same type of dropper hole I have on my Surfas.

[volklpowdermaniac]

What the shit happened to my front brake-
XTR 9120

I sort of know/think the answer is to do a proper bleed at the caliper but just in case I’m missing something
this was the order of events
Changing to finless pads
removed the old,
Put in new
Had some rotor rub
Did the caliper alignment a handful of times
Went outside to the driveway, bedded them in, felt great,
Came back inside and still had rotor rub so went for some tire lever splitting, removed the pads, got everything worked out with pistons, did the caliper alignment a few more times
Then suddenly - lever was mostly to the bar and felt like crap.
Bled at the lever, not much improvement, didn’t see many bubbles escape.
Still had a touch of rotor rub so figured I’d come back to the lever feel situation
Finally got the rotor sorted. tried flicking the cable and coaxing air up, bled again at the lever. Nada.

If I take the reach adjustment and push it way out away from the bar, it’s fine-ish. Rideable, but not ideal.
As soon as I adjust the reach where the lever gets about halfway to the bar or more, feels like shit again- so that’s the part I don’t totally understand the physics of, if it’s just air, why does moving the lever out all the way help, and lastly- is it definitely just air in caliper somewhere, or could I have screwed something else?

Ps: don’t think it’s the typical shimano wandering bite, I know what that feels like and that, to me, is more intermittent in the course of a single DH section, this is just a consistent weirdness.

[Dee Hubbs]

You have air in the system. Its very common to get an air bubble trapped in the caliper. And once you tried to spread the pads after the bleed, it forced the bubble into the system. This is why I like to remove the caliper and dandle it a straight line from the lever.


Pads removed, Bleed Block in.
Bleed with funnel on lever and gravity bottle on the caliper. (straight line dangle with the caliper to the lever if possible)
Close caliper bleed port, and re-install pads, use pad spreader while the funnel is still in, pump the lever, close up the system.

[volklpowdermaniac]

You have air in the system. Its very common to get an air bubble was trapped in the caliper. And once you tried to spread the pads after the bleed, it forced the bubble into the system.


Pads removed, Bleed Block in.
Bleed with funnel on lever and gravity bottle on the caliper. (straight line dangle with the caliper to the lever if possible)
Close caliper, and reinstall pads, use pad spreader with funnel still in, pump the levers, close up the system.

Cheers, thanks man kind of figured, what’s the theory behind why the lever functions a little bit with it moved way away from the bar but not close in?

[Andeh]

How do people convert suspension manufacturers' recommendations for service (in hours) to trail riding time (most easily measured in miles, with, say, Garmin Connect or Strava)?

My gut feeling was that my fork needs an oil change, last done just before Christmas but I've been riding a ton. My typical rides are 8-10 miles in about 1:45-2:00 hours. So I figured about 5 miles per hour, and at 50 hours per oil change that's like 250 miles. Strava says I've done ~490 miles on that bike since mid December, so that means I'm well overdue. Thinking back, it's probably been at least a couple months (since basically before COVID) since my fork would show a slight sheen of oil after a firm compression. The only reason I'm second guessing that conversion is that like 95% of the actual riding time is climbing.

[D(C)]

How do people convert suspension manufacturers' recommendations for service (in hours) to trail riding time (most easily measured in miles, with, say, Garmin Connect or Strava)?

My gut feeling was that my fork needs an oil change, last done just before Christmas but I've been riding a ton. My typical rides are 8-10 miles in about 1:45-2:00 hours. So I figured about 5 miles per hour, and at 50 hours per oil change that's like 250 miles. Strava says I've done ~490 miles on that bike since mid December, so that means I'm well overdue. Thinking back, it's probably been at least a couple months (since basically before COVID) since my fork would show a slight sheen of oil after a firm compression. The only reason I'm second guessing that conversion is that like 95% of the actual riding time is climbing.

I just got a phone app called ProBikeGarage that links to Strava and allows tracking of service intervals based on things like distance or moving time. I am only a couple days into using it, but it seems pretty slick and plays right into my OCD.

[Roxtar]

Go with your gut. You can't over-service your forks. Oil change=good.

[Billow]

https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-a16022300ux0219-M2x2mm-Socket-Screws/dp/B01FF3JKMA/ref=sr_1_3[/url] but the estimated delivery date is June 24-July 16. Do LBSs typically have these lying around?

http://www.marshallshdw.com/

[Andeh]

Go with your gut. You can't over-service your forks. Oil change=good.

Well it definitely needed it. Oil that came out looked like Coke. Foam rings by the wipers were almost completely black. And riding it today, it felt way better (mostly more active over brake bumps and roots/rocks). So for me at least, service time should have been sometime well before 490 miles.