martin profile

Wow! This is exciting, I love your writing and I'm glad to see you added to the NSMB crew. This website's vibe and community feel more real and more open minded than many others, that's probably why I love it and your addition to the team will surely contribute positively to the ecosystem. Welcome and have fun!

All of the routes haha! I have tried most main highways and many secondary roads from QC to BC, but from the Alberta/BC area, I drove up the Alaska highway most times. I've driven up the Cassiar highway twice teo, which is is much nicer/more wild and probably closer if coming from the West. 

All was done on a '92 Corolla and a '99 Civic without any hiccup (including the Dempster twice!) so you don't need a Unimog to drive up North!

I drove from Quebec to Whitehorse 6 return trips (by myself most of the times) to go working and riding in the summer. There is definitely something special there and it still feels like my second home even if my last visit was in 2015. 

It's easy to be in awe in the wilderness there, but the Yukon's hidden gem is the people! Plus as Jonathan said, the relaxed mood, positive vibes and willingness to do things is something I haven't found yet anywhere else. And the Boreale Explorers crew (and lodge) are the best ever!

I'm sorry that I have to add to this, but it has so many similarities to Chromags and it's coming from Knolly, who recently tried to sue Intense for having a similar seat tube angle/placement to theirs...

Just completed the 20 year flat pedal challenge too and I have no plans to go back to clipless. I rode them from '96-99 because it was the cool thing to do, but then I started racing downhill and felt better on flats (with hiking shoes of course!). 

Then feeling like having a little newness, I bought clipless pedals for my mtb in 2012 and sold them a few months after. Then I bought a pair for my commuter/road bike 5 years ago and sold them last year. I just like to be able to wear whichever shoes I feel like wearing when I'm commuting or riding on the road and I didn't feel like it gave me that much more in my riding "experience". 

Flat pedal shoes are so much more comfortable than clipless shoes (the ones I've had weren't high-end) and feel more "natural" to me. Weirdly, it was riding technical climbs that I didn't like on the clipless. I was always affraid that I couldn't unclip and fall, so many times I stopped and walked up on climbs that I would clear on flats. To each their own thought!

Awesome thanks! Yeah I think I found the holy grail too with Squirt. I bought the 500ml bottle and I'll probably have enough for 5-10 years, but after that, I'll try the WPL dry lube :)

I really love the WPL products that I've been using! I use ForkBoost to clean my fork, shock and dropper stanchions after a ride and wipe dry after a few pushes. It's perfect to pick up the leftover dust/dirt left after a quick clean, and everything feels super slippery afterwards. I do it religiously after/before a ride and I feel that it keeps dirt out of my lowers as much as possible.

The 15Wt oil is perfect for fork lowers lubrication and is compatible with the WPL grease when the latter is used as a Slickoleum alternative. I was hesitant to use the WPL grease into bearings as it was a bit thin feeling, but this year I've packed a few with it and wow, they roll so much better than with the MucOff grease I was previously using! I'll see after a year how the grease hold up, but I was impressed by the slippery feeling. Next lowers service I'll use it too on my bushings/seals.

The only place where I didn't substitute for WPL products yet is chain lube. I had a few bottles of the old ChainBoost which was too sticky and picked up a lot of grime. It was too messy to use so I gave them to friends to try. This year, I've been amazed by Squirt (which contains no organic solvents, <1% cov, isn't harmful either when reading the MSDS and biodegradable), but I'm curious to try the new WPL dry lube formulation. Squirt stays dry and doesn't pick up any dirt, which means I just run the chain into my mechanical chain cleaner without any liquid just to clean dust and debris. Then I add a drop of Squirt on each link and it dries before my next ride. So easy and clean, I honestly can't see how it could be better. (I have previously been using ProGold chain lube  for the last 15 years).

I've always been really cautious with chemical products (I am the kind to read the MSDS before buying any chemical product) and I'm happy to use almost exclusively bio-friendly products for my bikes. (Mineral-oil is mandatory for my brakes too). I already feel bad for driving my car to the trailheads, at least I want to limit my impact in the environment when riding. And now with a kid, I try to limit his exposure to chemicals as much as I can. Thanks to WPL for helping with their awesome eco-friendly products! 

Has anyone used Squirt and the new WPL dry lube formulation to see how they compare?

In 2012 I found a new old stock '09 Norco Shore frame. It had a threaded 68mm BB, 150x12mm rear end, 20x110 front axle, 180mm coil suspension front/rear with 38mm stanchions (Marzo 66). My current ride is a 2020 Commencal Meta AM with a pf92 BB, 148x12mm rear axle, 15x110 front axle, 35mm stanchion fork (Helm coil), coil rear shock and it weights exactly the same with pretty much the same tires. 

11 years after the Shore, I've gone back to the same kind of bike, with the same kind of parts, same weight and I'd have just as much fun on my '08 shore today! Sure, the Meta's angles, bigger range cassette, larger wheels and longer dropper make it even better, but I wouldn't have felt a stiffness difference from anything between the two bikes. I'd be curious to compare a timed run with both bikes, but the fun amount would be pretty much the same.

Yesterday, blasting through roots and being impressed by my suspension's action, I was reminded my trusty old Shore and thought "wow, has this changed that much in 10 years?".

My thoughts exactly Uncle Dave! Thanks for bringing another point of view on this. It seems like Quinley and most of the Pinkbike staff (listen to the newest podcast episode with Outside's CEO) just embrace the same mentality and it's depressing to read.

Wow! Awesome project and results! As an as-much-as-I-can DIYer, that would be a dream project, but I clearly don't have the knowledge and ressources to do so. It's really interesting and inspiring to see other people's creations though.

Please let us know when the 170mm frameset will be for sale, it ticks all my boxes 😁 Great work, keep it up!

I was about to sell my 16hrs-old Helm Coil Mk1 but you guys are making me reconsider the idea. I have sent it to Suspension Werx to get checked for a weird feeling in the travel (Cane creek thought the damper could be sucked down since it was built in 2019 but unused since then) but I'll see when I get it back. @heinous if you're looking for one and I decide to let it go, I'd do it for a fair price.

I can discuss you later, thanks for your precious information on Leatt shoes.

In related news, I had shin splints from jogging this summer since I apparently started too intense. I bought some Hoka Bondi 7 and they were the only shoes I could walk with for a few weeks (seriously!). 

Stay away from jogging and keep riding instead 😅

Very nice colour and build indeed! I rolled on that bridge a few hours ago, always a good spot to snap a picture : ) Cheers!

I'm using DT 350 classic hubs too, Sapim double-butted spokes with Sapim brass nipples and Sapim nipple washers. I've used WPL thick chain lube on the spoke threads and nipple heads/washers, tensioned my spokes to 105kgf on the rear drive side and front disc side... never touched them and never heard a spoke sound coming out of there in 3 years. Using WTB KOM Tough and Asym rims without any issue. I've never had this happen on any wheel I've had, that's a weird one.

Did you build the wheels with the same exact spokes brand/model and same brand/model rims as the last ones? Otherwise I'm out of ideas. You could try posting in the  "Wheels and tires" forum on MTBR, there are quite a few professional wheelbuilders actively responding on the forum.

https://www.mtbr.com/forums/wheels-and-tires.60/

Just a thought, but since you've built them with a used hub, do the current spokes come out of the hub flange holes in the same orientation as the previous build? The original spokes often leave a small indentation where they touch the flange, maybe if the new spokes are coming at a different angle it's enough to make them slightly  rub/click on the flange's little indentation/bump?

Posted by: rnayel

Posted by: martin

@rnayel I never had to do this procedure before, but I just got a shock back from DVO USA (sent in for warranty/service) and FEDEX delivered the package without any paperwork/invoice. Then today, a month later, I receive a Fedex invoice for 70$! I bought some gloves (25$) but the rest was shipping fees, parts to fix the shock and labor. From what I've read, only the gloves would incur a customs fee.

Do you know if self-clearing the package at CBSF office works even if Fedex already sent me an invoice? (I have received my shock a month ago and they didn't ask me anything!) Thanks!

no, but you can contact them and tell them that your intention was to self declare the package. Then you ask them to reduce or cancel the FedEx processing fee.

I was caught by the same thing recently, with the invoice coming a month after the delivery. They charged PST on bike parts which are exempt in BC. They couldn't cancel the taxes as they'd already remitted them on my behalf to the CBSA but they could cancel their $50 processing fee, which they did.

Thanks, that's good to know! I called FedEx this morning and they told me to send them an email to contest the fees. The CBSA told me I could send the paperwork afterwards to get the taxes refunded, but at this point it's going to be too much time and I'll just try to get FedEx to cancel their processing fees.

@rnayel I never had to do this procedure before, but I just got a shock back from DVO USA (sent in for warranty/service) and FEDEX delivered the package without any paperwork/invoice. Then today, a month later, I receive a Fedex invoice for 70$! I bought some gloves (25$) but the rest was shipping fees, parts to fix the shock and labor. From what I've read, only the gloves would incur a customs fee.

Do you know if self-clearing the package at CBSF office works even if Fedex already sent me an invoice? (I have received my shock a month ago and they didn't ask me anything!) Thanks!

Here in Quebec it's getting crazy too. There was an accident involving a car and an emotorcycle (I wouldn't call that an ebike) in Quebec city a few weeks ago : https://zone911.com/accidents/31182-limoilou-accident-impliquant-un-velo-electrique-sur-la-3e-avenue

Still, the police officers never hand out tickets or enforce the law in any way. I've often seen police cars parked at a stop sign and seeing emotorcycles passing right in front of them on the cycle path and they never did anything. 

On the cycle paths it's pretty much a 50:50 ratio of human-powered bikes and motorized things of all kinds, but most of the time it's 70% electric things. Some people even drive small two-seated cars on the cycle path (anywhere in fact) and are totally fine with that. https://www.daymak.com/boomerbuggy-x.html

When or where will this stop?

Regarding the Baratza Encore, I have two (my parents had one and gave it to me since they didn't use it anymore) and they have been working fine most of the time for the last 5 years, but even if I clean it weekly (around 250-300g), some parts are not up to the amount of grinding I do. The propeller broke twice, then the plastic drive ring, 3 plastic burr holders. Maybe a few other parts that I don't remember.

The last time when the main drive ring broke teeth, one of the plastic frame screws had gotten loose inside (this one had never been opened yet) and the threads were cracked. So I need a frame for this one to make the drive mechanism stay straight and grind properly. I figured this out when the grind was all over the place and the pressure wouldn't go up in the espresso machine.

I'm been using exclusively pretty hard and dry beans for the last 3 years though, so that might be harder for it and the plastic parts give up. If those were made of metal (frame, drive ring, burr holder), it would go from good to great. For the price and most people's use, it's a good buy though.

AND I love the fact that it can be fixed at home with easily available spare parts. Baratza even have super detailed pdf documents and videos on Youtube to help the process. It makes it easy to keep them running. Since I needed 80$ of parts to fix both Encores (one was a backup/parts donor recently), I bought the 1Zpresso jx-pro manual grinder, which is wayyy sturdier, precise, durable (so far) and the grinding action is smooth as. It takes longer but you can rest assured that no parts will break and the grind will be exactly how you want it.

Posted by: RAHrider

Whoa, that's an amazing looking manual grinder. Great option for a sleeping baby (what a great baby shower gift that for couples with a new infant?).

I have a MACAP grinder that has worked flawlessly for the past 6 years, but it is loud. It clumps a bit more than I'd like but I have a ground distributor that fixes any lumps for me.

I bought a Rocket R58 6 years ago as well, and although the cost of annual maintenance is more than most people spend on a basic coffee machine - it's worth it for me. It also looks great on the counter and keeps my cups warm.

I don't actually listen to freebird every time I pull an espresso shot though ;)

Whoa that's a dream kit you've got there!