Ask the experts

[riff]

Thanks Dee Hubs!


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[homemadesalsa]

Thanks Dee Hubs!


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Hey riff what is your front chainring? Unless you need a new cassette, you can often achieve similar gearing ratios by shrinking chainring down to 28, if it fits.

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[beaterdit]

Hey riff what is your front chainring? Unless you need a new cassette, you can often achieve similar gearing ratios by shrinking chainring down to 28, if it fits.

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I run a 30 up front and prefer the 10-50 cassettes over the 52s to keep the 1-2 ratio jump more reasonable. Downsizing up front just gives you more options on the low end, which I prefer. You can spend more in second or even third and keep fist for a true bail-out gear. Maybe I'm a wuss but I NEVER run out of top end on dirt with a 30, prolly be fine with a 28 too.

[riff]

30 x 11-42 currently, on a 9’er. Probably a 11-50 would be plenty….


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[rideit]

If you run out of top end often with an 11/30, you simply aren’t really ‘trail riding’ as much as you should be. (As in you are probably on dirt roads, gravel, or asphalt).
I run a 30/51 on the trail bike, and a 28/51 on the piggy.

[summit]

The steps between 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on the Shimano 51 tooth are much more pleasant and useful with 6/6/6/5 jumps than 10/6/4/4 tooth jumps on the SRAM 52:
Shimano: 28-33-39-45-51
SRAM12: 28-32-36-42-52
That is the single largest reason I went Shimano. I shift a LOT more on the low end than I did with SRAM.

Oval 30/51 on a 29er means that a slow cadence is just short of wander-wheel/fall-over speed. The people who have 28/52 on a 27.5... yeesh!

30/10 can run out of gas on a black/double flow trail in the bike park. If I had XD I probably would have done E13 9-50

[homemadesalsa]

I run a 30 up front and prefer the 10-50 cassettes over the 52s to keep the 1-2 ratio jump more reasonable. Downsizing up front just gives you more options on the low end, which I prefer. You can spend more in second or even third and keep fist for a true bail-out gear. Maybe I'm a wuss but I NEVER run out of top end on dirt with a 30, prolly be fine with a 28 too.

Agreed. Nice to have a spin gear in reserve. @riff it looks like we might be riding together before too long?

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[carlh]

Count my vote against truckerco. The sintered pads noticeably dropped power on my codes compared to stock. I’ve got some mtx golds on the way to replace them.

Truckerco for me too. Buy them in 4-packs (8 pads) and they're really cheap.

[Falcon3]

I’ve got a 2020 Fox36 Factory with Grip2 damper in 27.5. If I bought a 2022 Fox Performance 29 with a Grip damper could i just swap the dampers? As long as it’s a 36 frame it’ll fit, right?

(Considering buying a 29er frame and building a bike)

[Eluder]

I’ve got a 2020 Fox36 Factory with Grip2 damper in 27.5. If I bought a 2022 Fox Performance 29 with a Grip damper could i just swap the dampers? As long as it’s a 36 frame it’ll fit, right?

(Considering buying a 29er frame and building a bike)

Yep, good to go on 2015+.

[summit]

I feel like my Maguras lost power with the sintered TruckerCOs from what I remember... but I'm not sure. Gonna try something else. Could it be because I bedded new rotors with Shimano stock red pads and then switched to the Maguras with new TruckerCos without burning/sanding the rotors?

[XXX-er]

Hey riff what is your front chainring? Unless you need a new cassette, you can often achieve similar gearing ratios by shrinking chainring down to 28, if it fits.

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Pretty much from new I dropped down from a 30 chain ring to a 28 absolute black with an 11-46 rear cluster on my 5.5 cuz the riding area is all up, it definalty took the edge off

It was pretty easy to do with the RF Affect direct mount cranks, without bolt patterns the crank mount doesnt limit chain wheel size, I also had to drop a couple links

post ACL I got an E-bike and it no longer matters

[forty]

q for the spandex types...

talk to me about silicone bar tape

the tape on my trainer bike stinks and im looking to swap it to something that wont make me want to hang an air freshener from my bars

im seeing some silicone tapes available that sound interesting, anyone used them before?
any other stink free material to try out?

[Flyoverland Captive]

Cork is my go-to, but it’s not for everyone.

[J. Barron DeJong]

q for the spandex types...

talk to me about silicone bar tape

the tape on my trainer bike stinks and im looking to swap it to something that wont make me want to hang an air freshener from my bars

im seeing some silicone tapes available that sound interesting, anyone used them before?
any other stink free material to try out?

I tried the Pro (Shimano) Race Comfort silicone tape and wasn’t a fan. Can’t remember exactly what I didn’t like about it, but went back to the Fizik tape I like pretty quickly: Tempo Bondcush 3mm Soft. It feels like fine suede, but grippier. (https://www.fizik.com/us_en/tempo-mi...cush-soft.html)

I’ll probably try Silca tape when I need to replace since it won a big group test in Tour Magazin. Price is a bit ridiculous though, cause Silca, but I guess the Fizik tape isn’t cheap either.

Cinelli and Profile cork were the go to standard in our shop back in the day, and while I think there are nicer tapes than those, they’re perfectly fine, and price is pretty reasonable.

[jamal]

Yeah I really liked my silca piloti tape but wasn't able to salvage it when I swapped bars and then we didn't have anymore so I went with shimano race comfort, which seems fine but is a bit thicker than what I had, and wanted. The zipp service course cx stuff is pretty good too and I have that on my cx bike. Lizard skins also seems pretty popular although I haven't tried it.

And then I also generally put on new tape at least once a year and ride the trainer with a towel over the bars.

[forty]

damn that silca tape aint cheap at all, but the esi silicone i was looking at isnt much better
https://esigrips.com/product/rct-wrap/

current cheapo cork tape is only a few months old and already smells less than pleasant, im used to swapping tape as needed but this is faster than usual

i dont care about vibration damping at all, this will purely be on the trainer bike so sweat and smell resistance is all that matters

my hr monitor on my forearm causes sweat to pour down my arm onto the bar
ive got a stack of towels but still end up with a puddle under my left bar by the end of sessions

leaning towards the esi, wolftooth has a silicone tape as well and usually impressed with their quality but esi seems like more reviews out there

maybe i just need to find a sweatband for my wrist and embrace the 80s vibe, it is a '89 bike after all...

[climberevan]

Dude, you need some fans.

For as much as I ride I'm not particularly picky with bar tape. However, I've found a couple of cheap options that are fine. Chain Reaction has a synthetic one that's like $10 and is pretty grippy and nice. I have it on my gravel bike.

I also just bought what I thought was a knockoff Fizik tape from AliExpress. It turned out to be the real thing for $13 shipped.

Also:

[ticketchecker]

Put together a parts bin set of XT discs that I can't seem to make not squeal. Older calipers were a gift from LeeLau that I mated up to some XT levers I had around. New pads and the rotors were quiet when I had different brakes on the same bike. I've wiped the rotors down with alcohol, scuff sanded the pads, re-checked caliper alignment and that everything is tight. Done about 3 runs down the hill in my neighborhood pulling the levers trying to bed the pads.

Still squeals like Ned Beatty, Bueller?

[toast2266]

Put together a parts bin set of XT discs that I can't seem to make not squeal. Older calipers were a gift from LeeLau that I mated up to some XT levers I had around. New pads and the rotors were quiet when I had different brakes on the same bike. I've wiped the rotors down with alcohol, scuff sanded the pads, re-checked caliper alignment and that everything is tight. Done about 3 runs down the hill in my neighborhood pulling the levers trying to bed the pads.

Still squeals like Ned Beatty, Bueller?

Do a bigger descent. Get them hot.

[Dee Hubbs]

I also just bought what I thought was a knockoff Fizik tape from AliExpress. It turned out to be the real thing for $13 shipped.

There are 3 major factories that make 90% of all the bar tape for every brand out there.
Heres a great article from Cycling Tips, that visits one of the factories.

[jamal]

My aliexpress sunglasses came with the right packaging and case and logos and everything too!

then broke in half after about a week.

[BFD]

I am 5'2 and been riding a medium Ripley. I think it is to big. My arms seem tired maybe from the reach. I checked out a Stumpjumper Expert today in an S1. Felt pretty comfortable. I was thinking about buying it and putting the 935 weelset on it. Would that be good way to go? Hopefully a better fitting bike that rides as well.

[Eluder]

I am 5'2 and been riding a medium Ripley. I think it is to big. My arms seem tired maybe from the reach. I checked out a Stumpjumper Expert today in an S1. Felt pretty comfortable. I was thinking about buying it and putting the 935 weelset on it. Would that be good way to go? Hopefully a better fitting bike that rides as well.

A medium Ripley is probably big for you but a S1 is effectively a XS. Do you think two sizes smaller sounds right? Can you try an S2?

[BFD]

Thanks, not many sizes around in Anchorage.