toodles profile

When I bought my new bike, I got the shop to change the stock SRAM cranks to XT before it even left the shop.  Problem solved.

The B-tension was set using red plastic jig thingy at the shop.  The pulley wheel jamming isn't an uncommon failure either by the sounds of the forums - they're really soft and actually seem to be narrow-wide so they do some funny stuff.  I admit it is perfectly functional in good conditions, but it seems finicky and susceptible to  conditions too much.  I jsut hope SRAM warranty my old Eagle mech so I can sell up and get the 11spd replacement running.

I'm changing back to a 11-46 XT 11spd cassette with SRAM shifting gear.  I was tempted by the e.13 and Hope offerings, as well as the OneUp 45T option for SRAM 11-42 cassettes, but the XT price was excellent.  It's a hassle changing pretty much a whole groupset, but I can't risk having another mech stuff up when I'm on some backcountry trail or away for races.

I hate being 'that guy' whinging about components, but the GX Eagle on my two month old Kona Process hasn't been that great.  Sure it clicks along fine in dry, dusty conditions - but in muddy conditions it skips and crunches far more than my old SRAM 11spd ever did.  I also had a rear mech destroy itself when the chain got jammed beside the lower jockey wheel while I was standing up and pedalling.  The jam caused the deraileur to twist backwards and up ruining the mech body.  I bought a replacement mech to keep the bike running but I've been waiting a month for warranty response and a quick google search shows that this is far from an isolated incident.

I've had nothing but grief with my new GX Eagle specced bike unfortunately - I'm waiting to hear back about warranty on a 3 week old rear mech which had the chain jam on the bottom pulley and self destruct, and its replacement can't handle riding in mud at all.  With a big season planned for 2018, I'm opting out and going back to the bombproof 11spd I've run for the past two years.

Great pics. Hopefully they get at least one dry race this year.

Same, a little folding saw (Silky Saws FTW), gloves (riding gloves are fine) and a bit of time per ride clearing fallen trees and branches counts IMO.  Rainy days are good for getting out and putting in the little features that you've been eyeing off for weeks as well.  Organised trail days are often a gong show of different egos arguing over how technical a section can be and so little actual work gets done.

Gotta love the real trail fairies that carve new lines in though - the real MVPs.

Danny Hart and Ben Reid are no where near the same height I'm pretty sure?  I could be wrong though.  Danny Hart is 1.78m - hardly at a disadvantage on a 29er really.  I think 29ers will actually be the first step to making DH favour taller riders.