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if a newbie, that is a pretty advanced bike. i wish i could afford it, it fits exactly the style of riding i prefer.
generally new riders here are advised to purchase a used bike, or one not crazy expensive, until they figure out the style of riding they grow into. the range is a pretty aggressive bike more for the ride down (and the jumps on the way) than a goater. the bike has huge potential for you to grow into as your skills improve.
great choice. good luck!
adjust rebound
if it’s set too fast you can pogo stick, and too slow pack up.
thanks for posting this mtbgreg. i think it brings up a topic that after some years now of strava, needs to be reassessed. below is my viewpoint from personal experience at this one site. i wish it were an isolated incident, but it is not.
these are areas i ride. strava is a big problem. trails just north off of mission trails regional park, spring canyon, had some of the nicest trails in the area. these are the illegal trails in the beginning of the newscast. they were all stravatized for faster times. when nice little techie bits and small jumps get straightened and flattened, rock gardens of decades old trails get raked aside so they begin to look like bowling alleys, and trees and bushes cut aside for a better line of sight, you know you’ve been hit.
these trails are off the park and unsanctioned and have been used for decades by bikers, joggers and horsey peeps with little concern by the rangers or cdf&w. kind of a ‘no harm, no foul’ relationship. that began to change when these idiots used strava to establish koms there, also establishing the usage these trails were getting, and plowing down the brush and altering trails to get faster times. it was at this point the cdf&w stepped in and began the current enforcement. even more mindless is this area borders on military land used for shooting ranges. those borders were passed. the military was not too keen seeing bikers up on the crest line trying to best their times during firing practice. both the rangers and military have had news spots on tv demonizing mtn biking and the ‘utter destruction’ they leave in their wake. mtn bikers are now public enemy #1. nice stuff.
some early pictures here (pg 4 or so):
http://dirttreaders.com/phpBB3/viewtopi … =2&t=13722the pictures don’t tell the whole tale of what these trails looked like before, and unfortunately that post detailed just the beginning of the stravatization.
lots of sales/bargains on 9 speed drivetrains these days.
slx is well made comparable to xt imho for the most part, unless you’re looking at shaving grams of weight. i like sram, probably because i’m used to it.
get a good rear derailleur. there is less difference in categories (sets) for the front. for example, if you go X7 for everything, try to get X9 for the rear d.
small chainring, unless you’re a racer type, go steel. not much weight penalty, but will last longer and is cheaper.
much of the build has to do with how and what you ride, or how and what you want to ride to balance weight-price-toughness of components, such as wheels for example. the conditions you ride will also determine the tires, to some extent. for socal, you’ll not need to worry about clearing mud.
"Doomed" wroteThanks for the input everyone. I guess the real question is, is the wieght penalty and extra maintenance worth the gain in plushness and smoothing characteristics of FS?
yes, absolutely.
maybe not so much on stravatized, eh, groomed and sanitized xc trails, but with roots and rocks you’ll be bouncing around trying to pick the best lines instead of absorbing the terrain.
but then i’m old and i like my couch too.
interesting story. traveling around europe where there are more cyclists on average, there appears a different dynamic between cyclists and motorists.
"Furks" wroteHi !
Yes you were so right , it’s a great chainring !
For half the price of an alu chainring I got maybe double the strength , who knows.
Worked brilliant with the e-13 and this is a strong piece of metal.
The chain never jumps and looks good too .5/5 chainrings for this one.
Sorry I did not put It on a scale but who cares .
Guess you could go crazy and drill in it if weight is an issue but I could not be more satisfied.
Since my setup is 1×9 , the extra weight cant be very much.i run a 2×9 and always buy a steel granny. difference in weight is nominal and steel lasts longer. obviously a bigger diff in weight between steel and alu for a 36t ring, but as that’s not an issue, great choice. it should outlast several chains. have fun!
"MTI" wroteI never thought I would be on this thread. On April 25 I dropped a rock on my right big toe at work and broke it. Ouch 😢 I rode the next day (with Schwim at Tanasi, than the next day at my failed attempt at the Cohutta (It was the mud, rain and crappy weather not the toe). I took two weeks off from riding but now my foot is swollen up and barely fits into my shoe. I tried a regular pair of tennis type shoe with flats but the power transfer is aweful and all the bending of the shoe hurt the foot more. I stuffed my foot in my regular riding shoes today and after 30 miles it was killing me. Any suggestions on a stiff riding shoe w/out cleats for flats? I’ll buy it a size larger for my screwed up foot. And taking time off from riding is not an option. I am still pissed about my DNF at the Cohutta and am gearing up for a 90 mile gravel grinder. Haven’t told the wife and kids about the toe/foot or they will take my bike away! 😆
my take on shoes for flats: 5.10 impacts are stiffer than the freerides or spitfires. all are stiffer than skate shoes. none are as stiff as traditional spd shoes. i don’t know about the gravity-spd’s (probably on par with the impacts), but that might be something to consider as you have spd pedals. 5.10 has pretty good online customer service. good luck with the toe.
"Shabiham" wrote[quote="JSatch":h0wmrbo7]i know people who use the flashlights sold at costco. used to be 3 lights at 120 lumens, i’ve heard they changed their led and are now rated 200 lumens, all for $20. you have to rig them to your bars or helmet though. but 2 on the bars and one on the helmet should be a good bit of light.
Can you plz inbox me about the finix flashlights price ?
I wanna buy some.[/quote:h0wmrbo7]i bought some of these for home use awhile back. lumen rating upped to 200 lumens/light and may be higher now, but same price, about $20. item #609650
900 lumen l.e.d. bike lights on amazon are running in the sub $40 range last i looked. check it out.
"swaltman" wroteI’m new to the sport – what’s the best chain lube out there ?
there are as many opinions about chain lube as there are about tires. what is true to both is it depends on what you’re riding: dry, muddy, etc.
i like rock’n’roll (http://www.rocklube.com/). in dry, dusty socal it doesn’t pick up a lot of dirt. i used pedro’s for awhile and my rear derailleur pulleys were gunked with muck each ride. (muck = lube + dirt) had to clean the chain often. i’ve tried chainsaw oil too, just as bad. prolink was better in that regard than pedro’s and if you need a wet lube it’s pretty good and easily accessible from performance. i have buddies that swear by drumondes, but for the moment, i’m sticking with rock’n’roll.
the lube on the inside is likely not keeping your seals lubed, unless you have an inverted shock. the lube needs to be compatible with the seals or you’ll increase their drying out and aging- ie, make it worse than not lubing.
there are lubes on the market for shocks. couple of drops around the stanchion, pump it a few times and wipe it off. i generally do it on rare occasions after a ride when i wipe the bike down. i do mean rare. do not do it before a ride as it may attract dirt.
at least that’s my 2¢ on this.
as mentioned, if weight was an issue not a good choice. however, as it’s not, the steel will outlast a weight weenie chainring. sounds like a good choice for your use.
"gar29" wroteSo I’ve noticed everyone seems to love the Sam Hill FiveTens. Is there a particular model that works best? A checked Amazon and realized they have a decent selection of different models. I was a bit surprised to see they are over $100.
initially people went towards waffle bottoms (as in vans) to hold the pegs, but with the advent of 5.10 rubber (designed originally for mtn climbers) that started the new direction. not only better sticky rubber, but lasts a heck of a lot longer than the vans waffle soles too. so 5.10 modded their ascent shoes that bikers were using to be more bike specific.
the model depends on the riding you’re doing. if you are doing hard core dh, the impacts have more protection from getting shredded. sort of body armor for your feet. if you’re not wearing body armor, this may be overkill. otherwise any of the other selections in the 5.10 bike section are good with basically the same pin holding rubber.
i have a pair of these and they work great (and i paid more). and they are lighter than my impacts.
http://shopfiveten.com/P-4059040010041/ … QgodUWAA3Athe signature models are fancier, but don’t seem to add much if anything other than bling. not that that’s not important. the sam hill i believe is a version of the impact model, for example.
well played, bravo!
as per mtbgreg1, this is an old topic. good reference links.
as per jtorlando25, i also switched from clipless to flats and will never look back.
for competition, clipless gives an edge not only on up-stroke, but hopping things. but for recreation and hitting areas that will give you some worries clipped-in, flats are funnerer.
fwiw, before committing to flats i switched from candys to mallets. the platform allowed me to get it going prior to clipping in, but the contact surface of the mallet is not the same as a real flat. so yes, you can clip out in tech sections, but i don’t think you will get the grip of flats w/ 5.10s or tevas. and it’s those sections you want the grip. coming off a jump and your foot slides out? been there. not fun or funnerer.
helmet = good
besides, you’re harder to recognize when poaching
not that i would.
geez, nice wheels. cost more than my bike.
and oh, fun article too. keep ’em coming.
just looking at the trek site again, that’s a really nice bike. it’s not just a little starter model.
lots of good suggestions by everyone as how to fine tune it to your style of riding, type of terrain you ride, etc.
i have a friend who got a trek, a slash or something. he came from a giant reign-x and loves it. it’s only got a single ring up front, so not sure if it’s the slash (last years model). they definitely make nice bikes.
anyway, you’ll have plenty of time to get itchy for an upgrade when your skills and passion move on. maybe they will move you to a carbon xc machine, or a downhill bomber. or both. but for riding singletrack, it’s a keeper.
anyway, just have fun and good luck with the tweaking. check friends bikes, different tires, tire pressures, wider bars/shorter stem, tweaking the suspension, etc. hope the suggestions were useful.
that looks like a pretty sweet ride.
your changes might depend on what your riding centers around.
me, i like a short stem and wide bars, but i also hate climbing, fwiw. from the trek website i couldn’t tell what the stem length and bar widths are. this can impact you descending (shorter/wider- less nervous at speed) or climbing (too short/wide and more nervous front wheel).
dropper can make a big diff if you use it a lot. i had one, loved it, it broke and now i don’t miss it. i’m usually doubled over at the top of any climb anyway. plenty of time to drop the seat. so it really depends on the riding you do, and the terrain changes.
tires also depend upon your riding and terrain.
as said, swapping out your drivetrain bits and pieces will do little for you. slx is good stuff, and an xt rd, no worries mate. going with a bashguard is a good idea (unless you’re an xc guy in the large ring a lot). if so, you might want to consider swapping your middle chainring to a larger one to split the difference, so to speak. also, if you do go to a dlbe ring and add a larger chainring that the previous middle ring, you may want the center your chain line as it’s different from a dble than a triple. just adding a spacer on the drive side will usually do it.
just have fun. i have an old bike i constantly think of upgrading. once i’m on the trail i don’t even consider it (although i do wish she would lose some weight……….)
flats
you can thank me later
😀
