AndrewMajor profile

Thanks!

I’m always surprised when shops don’t have one or the other at least. Obsession stocks the Boeshield lube (or did recently). Any shop can easily get either so I know plenty of folks who’ve had their preferred shop bring in the Dumonde Tech but I don’t know who stocks it.

I’ve had really good luck with this Boca tool for pressing in bearings: https://www.bocabearings.com/products/bike-bearing-installer-i0002079

It’s not a daily use shop tool, the price/job for the home wrench is solid if you’re doing frame bearings. 

I haven’t come across a need for a blind puller for some time. I always just punch bearings out. Although, now that I’ve said that...

It rains here a lot. Wire keeps the water out and the glue keeps the grips from spinning. I absolutely wouldn’t run rubber push-ons without glue + wire.

I don’t like the silicone grips (various brands). I know people have good results with those sans glue + wire.

Magura/Formula 2.0mm - replace at 1.7mm

Shimano/Hope 1.8mm - replace at 1.5mm

With worn pads and rotors near the minimum it’s enough to affect performance notably running Shimano/Hopewith Magura/Formula.

I love fresh cleat day.

Getting it perfectly aligned is a little bit of a PIA. Once it’s golden the Works is an awesome piece. Easy to go back if you decide you prefer the stock geo.

Good one! Never mind the potential of a cracked rotor it can really affect performance.

On that note, when buying rotors it’s a good idea to look at starting thickness. For example, the fancy Hope rotors some folks like to run are thinner from new and that can affect how some brakes can perform as they get into their pad life.

I’m very interested in the Trickstuff pads. Anything for more bite from Guides.

Shimano sintered pads in TRP brakes makes such a difference - it would be cool to try the Trickstuff Shimano pads as a comparison.

The original working title was ‘Awesomize Your Budget Ride - A Spring Service Story’ since it’s mainly grounded in this bikes.com Growler 40. These things change for a variety of reasons. Glad you liked it anyways!

Absolutely! Take the shock out and cycle that back end. Wrench Now, Ride Later covered popping the bearings seals and greasing them - makes a big difference to bearing life with our (usual) winters.

It’s a great point on experimenting with basic fit. Bar roll - a real difference from a minor change.

This is fore-illuminating two reviews and an editorial I’m working on, but the Works headset is my favourite piece of kit I’ve come across in the last year. 

It used to be the lack of good headsets that made me adverse to drop-in bearing headtubes and just when King and Wolf Tooth and Hope step up to take that complaint away - hello simple Angleset. 

It’s a relatively cheap way to refresh an old bike (slacker HTA / longer Reach), beef up the applications of a budget bike or XC bike, and it’s all accomplished while being a true K.I.S.S. product. 

I also wouldn’t be surprised if folks buy them to steepen things up a degree with the accompanying changes to Reach & Stack.

Posted by: DanL

Did I miss an episode or have you done a strip down of the one up dropper?

I haven’t had a OneUp post for testing; not something I’ve been inside.

I run the, coil spring, e13 TRS+ 170mm on both my personal bikes. Awesome remote and 100% mechanical with nothing that can really fail (like anything it does get sloppy and require new key ways). An adjustable wrench, strap wrench, and Shimano cassette tool are all that’s needed besides hex keys for a full rebuild.

I recommend pre-stretching the coil spring and a bit of Slickoleum under the seal head for best performance.

Gentlepeople,

The entrance to 7th Secret smells like the un-serviced port-a-pisser at a week long asparagus growers convention in August. 

In other words, its f*cking disgusting. 

Obviously there’s a need to answer nature’s calling in nature but let’s spread it out it a bit please. 

It is not hard to jump in the bushes at the 6th or ride up around the 7th and as an added benefit to a piss-smell-free trailhead you won’t flash unsuspecting fellow trail users your sweaty junk. 

Please ask your friends to urinate sociably when urinating socially.

Thanks,

Lots of service only shops open(ing).

Bicyclehub (Dave) and Wheelthing (Jeff) are both service only bike shops in North Van. There’s also Essential (Jaclyn and Jessica) which does repair and rentals but doesn’t sell bikes. There’s also Inside Line in Calgary and I know of a few other service only and service primary shops starting up in BC and Alberta.

Actually, I should include Darren at Dream Cycle on that list. He sells custom builds but it’s a service primary shop and he’s been on Commercial for more than a decade.

Here's another one: Bootleg Bikes in Kimberly BC. Jody has a great reputation as a tech (and for customer service) coming out of Winnipeg and Canmore.

Lots of service only shops open(ing).

Bicyclehub (Dave) and Wheelthing (Jeff) are both service only bike shops in North Van. There’s also Essential (Jaclyn and Jessica) which does repair and rentals but doesn’t sell bikes. There’s also Inside Line in Calgary and I know of a few other service only and service primary shops starting up in BC and Alberta.

Actually, I should include Darren at Dream Cycle on that list. He sells custom builds but it’s a service primary shop and he’s been on Commercial for more than a decade.

...

That said, online (and previously mail order) bikes have been a reality forever. I’ve never worked in a shop that wasn’t happy to charge a fair price to build a bike out of a box or install a part bought elsewhere and I’ve been around a while.

It’s a problem when folks show up with incompatible parts and expect a shop to trade them, and it takes longer (and therefore costs more) than most people expect to do a pro job building (or rebuilding) a bike out of a box. There’s also a queue for service from April-ish through early September.

Aside from being realistic about those factors I can’t fathom where the issues being brought up derive from. In my experiences - and again I’ve worked for a few shops and with a lot of them - that’s good paying work anywhere people are charging money to turn wrenches on bikes.

Sherry @ Sateen. 20th & Lonsdale.

http://sateenalterations.com

Posted by: JBV

why not interested in Sram drivetrain? i have xt 11-42 plus 47 oneup on the 29er. it's excellent, but a PITA and $$ to upgrade a cassette. the small wheeler uses a Shimano xtr 10 speed shifter with 11-42 Sunrace cassette. sometimes i'd prefer more range but rarely and the xtr shifter is awesome.

On my wife’s bike we’re running a 10-Spd XTR shifter, 11-Spd XT rear derailleur (no faffing about shifting bigger cogs), and a Sunrace 11-46t 10-Spd cassette with a 28t Wolf Tooth narrow wide oval ring (64BCD w/ 104BCD Blackspire Granny God).

I opened the clutch and detuned it probably 25% which makes for much nicer shifting and still has notably more resistance than SRAM.

It shifts as well as any Eagle drivetrain I’ve ridden with the added benefits of Shadow and tuneable clutch resistance.

Posted by: FlipFantasia

Fresh warranty frame and a new XT 1x drivetrain that cost about what 1 SRAM 11/12spd cassette would be.

That's weird, there's a mount on the seat tube for something... just above the single front chainring.

Posted by: Mic

It seems I can not edit the above post. The only thing I can do is mentioning why I wanted to edit a post but unable to write.

Just a note re. Editing: the main page comments on articles can't be edited after the fact either...

...so if for example you make a sarcastic volley (say about cheese plates and porno music vs. Gary Fisher and E~Bikes) you can't take a mulligan if it misses the mark. 

I don't mind it personally. Have to really sit back and think before hitting Submit. May help with forum congeniality too?