“The Ti frame weighs 2lbs (1800 g) less than the Steel version”.
Hmm, I’m guess the “2” got stuck in your head, you up, and so you doubled the 900g difference again after converting from pounds to grams?
@Cooper Quinn, great write up. Another piece of good story telling on NSMB.com.
I do have to wonder who thought it would be ok to send a race along a lakeside bikepath, on a Sunday no less?
I often use the lakeside bikepath for commuting here in town, and even that can be an issue, and I am going well below 30km/h solo.
I know, the ethos of gravel races is: ‘no closed courses’ , but that doesn’t mean you choose something like that.
If that’s the only way into and out of town, adjust the finish, have a neutral rollout, what ever it takes. Sending a paceline of racers down a path at 40 km/h, where an old couple is out for a stroll, a toddler is running around their parents, and a 4 year old is learning to ride their bike?
Big negative props to the organizers for that.
My friend and his son share the same size bike, and have an Stumpy Evo and Enduro. Most of the time, even for the Enduro races, his son (very fast kid) prefers the Stumpy Evo. That is for around here in the Midwest, where courses might be rough, and they might be steep, but they are seldom rough, steep, fast and wide open all at once.
Out west he chooses the Enduro.
Yeah, I didn’t have real problems with the boost chainring either, and neither does my daughter with the alloy.
My S6 also has 551 mm chainstays, so that helps a bit to make chainline less critical.
Still, with my wimpy legs, I spend a lot of time in the easier end of the block, so just for wear and drivetrain efficiency, I decided to swap. Marginal gains baby!
So, I am not saying others should do so as well, just that if you wanted to, you can.
Are you sure about that? I considered that for my bike, and I thought you still can buy the air shaft, they just don’t sell it that way as a complete fork.
I might be mistaken though.
The crown race spacer was both a cheap and easy way to test the geometry change, as well as most people not recommending running a 36 at 170mm of travel due to the increased leverage.
https://nsmb.com/articles/were-being-slowly-boiled-super-boost/
On my Carbon Stevo I run a 30t non-boost chainring, with no clearance issues. I think it would fit on the alloy frame too, but have not tried.
I have the S6, so low BB is an even bigger problem than on shorter frames. At the same time, with that long front center, there is no way I would ever run it in high/short chainstay setting.
I finally got fed up with smacking the bashguard (not just the pedals. Those too, and at 6’5” with long legs, 170 is pretty short already).
Easy fix:
Install mullet link (but keep 29er rear wheel in there)
Install crown racer spacer:
https://reverse-components.com/en/products/05°-angle-spacer-tapered-forks
For USD 75.00 and an hour of easy home mechanics, I raised the bb about 12 mm from the low setting it was at before.
Rode a rocky, techy flat/climbing trail and it worked great.
The bike always climbed great, but I just couldn’t pedal any where that wasn’t smooth, and the bashguard was getting hammered, making me gun shy of rocks that stick up.
My 14 year old daughter and I built up from the alloy frame kit (so comes with basic Performance X2 shock) for her this past winter. Mostly similar parts to this build.
We put a 170mm airshaft in her Lyrik Ultimate (that she had at 150 on a shorter travel bike last year), to raise the bottom bracket a bit.
At 6’/183cm, she got the S4 too. She runs it with the mullet link (which lowers the bb a touch, hence the slight over forking), and in the low setting. Not to get it lower, but to get longer chainstays. According to the chart it’s only 7mm different in height.
Running 165mm cranks and a full bashguard/chainguide (https://cascadecomponents.bike/products/iscg-05-full-chain-guide) she has not complained about a low bottom bracket.
We put the takeoff Code RS ! updated with the new 2.0mm thick HS rotor for better heat resistance in rear, but in 180 mm for the smaller wheel. 200 mm in front.
Also using the XO1 shifter and derailleur from my bike on there, with a X01 10-50t cassette (smaller steps in the lower end of the gearing), a 180mm One up dropper, Syntace 20mm riser bar and 60mm stem.
Galfer Pro pads front and rear.
She has some Bontrager carbon wheels with the 2.6 T7 Eliminator (27.5) rear and T9 2.6 Butcher up front. Rimpact pro in back sometimes.
My thought was the bigger rear tire would help claw back some bb height and rollover lost to the smaller wheel.
For park she has a alloy wheel set with cushcore, Grid Gravity T9 2.6 Butcher rear, and 2.5 Maxx grip Exo+ Assegai up front.
It was fun build over the winter, including her doing her own Ride wrap. It looks great with the bronze/gold accents, including my swapping the Lytick decals to match, it is one of a kind, and it rips for her enduro team practice (on our shorter terrain here in the Midwest) while not being a joy killer on the many easier trails around here.
Agree with the two points above: it’s a case of asymmetric optimization:
(Generally) steep head angles are easier uphill, and slack HA’s are better downhill.
But the effect of having the wrong set up is not equal:
As the people above mention: too slack on the uphill is annoying, but you compensate reasonably well, and if you don’t, the result is a dab.
Too steep on the descent is much harder to adjust for, and if you get it wrong the result is injury.
Since most mtb rides consist of both uphill and downhill, it makes sense to skew towards the slacker end of the spectrum.
I see the new Hillbilly in 2.4, no more 2.3 and 2.6. I am guessing that they don’t sell many of these tires (as many people consider them specialist designs, same with the Shorty).
So making 4 molds probably seems like they thought wouldn’t get their money out of that.
I also notice a trend of many people dissing 2.6 sizes, so I think demand for that size is diminishing.
I too would love to try a 2.6 Hillbilly Grid Trail T9. In the spring and fall we ride a neighboring area, fairly flat, and sandy, loose rock, gravel, roots and leaves.
In the wet it can get a bit loose, I like more volume to wrap over that stuff, so that at least some part of the tire is still making contact with something grippy, instead of just pinging and sliding every which way.
But I certainly don’t need the Gravity Casing on the front for that.
And noticably beefier than the previous BLK DMND (I want to buy a vowel please).
Where do people find these road jerseys with sleeves down to the elbows? With my skinny biker arms, I do not need cuffs that end mid bicep, yet that what I get. Also, for cool weather jerseys (most of my gravel bike riding is spring and all, when trails are closed), all the way to elbow is warmer, and holds arm warmers better.
Saw, file or drill…
I ran the OG Samurai tire plugger in my Ergon grips. Can’t remember how long and how, but it only took a few minutes to open the end of the grips.
Weird. We are not, and can’t get many either, at least Maxxis
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