vincentaedwards profile

Wow, that’s a lot of light for $95 - I might need to check this one out.

I’ve been pretty impressed with the outbound hangover light. 105g +20g for the mount. Medium is plenty bright for general riding. I’d describe the beam pattern as spot + flood. It’s not as big and even as a Seca 2000 system, but it’s great as a helmet light. 

I’d say nearly 1/3 of riders are now using the hangover on our weekly night rides. 

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I go back and forth between Taz 1200 and Seca 2000 system on the bars, depending on the ride. I’ve  been tempted to pick up the Seca Comp, but as you mentioned the price/performance seems to be lagging this year.

Considering the weight and price of this Blackburn, I could see running two on the bars. Having 3 of the same light would provide plenty of backup - redundancy. And would still cost under $300

Very good points.

FWIW, XT gear cable coating seems to last longer than XTR- I should try the ‘regular’ stainless cables again though. I switched when I had a bike with a tight bend in the housing, and it made a noticeable difference for me on that bike.

I’ve had good luck with lifespan on my aluminum cogs, so I like the weight savings. But yeah- hyperglide plus with SLX and deore give you great value / durability options. Sunrace too.

How do you like the shifting on sunrace vs shimano? I haven’t tried sunrace products yet.

I’m still a bit hesitant to add lots of weight on the rear axle with a FS bike. This is another place where (GX) AXS falls short- it trades unsprung weight in the form of cables for ‘sprung’ weight in the form of batteries and a motor. Maybe I need to get over these things and just try it? I’ve only had the parking lot test and the beeps were a bit off-putting.

I’ve had very similar thoughts regarding AXS replacement parts and the ease of removing them from a bike… 

I also go so far as to suspect that 12 speed is in part a scheme to get riders to switch to electronic drivetrains. 

It just takes so little to knock a 12 speed drivetrain out of alignment. I ran 11 speed XT for years, and it was much more forgiving than 12 speed XT. (Which I admit is excellent when it’s setup correctly) 

So I’d present 2 options for best value drivetrain - 12 speed) XT shifter and chain, SLX Cranks, Deore RD, SLX Cassette. 

11 Speed) XT everything with 11-46 cassette. Yeah the jump into 46 is a little funny but it’s easy to live with.

(And for both, spring for the XT or XTR gear cable with SP41 housing)  

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I also gain a certain satisfaction out of keeping my mechanical drivetrain tuned. 

I’m not sure I could learn to get that same joy from keeping my batteries charged / remembering them.

I know it partially misses the point of this article- but the Spur will take an Angle-set. A Spur with a -1 and a 130mm fork would get you close to a 64.5 degree HA. 

To the bigger point though- it would sure be nice if more manufacturers used IS headtubes to allow for HA customization. 

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… if you can find a rear swing arm assembly to do this with- I look forward to the next article! 

(I wonder if placing a wanted ad might turn something up? Most swingarms are not size specific- what you need is someone who has a bike that’s no longer under warranty with a broken front triangle…)

I have based frame purchasing decisions around my Chris king iso-b hubs. Pivot, evil, knolly, salsa… off the list. 

If frames use a threaded BB and 31.9 seat tube- even better!

But another key point here is the bike shop. Think about how many bottom brackets and brake pads they need to stock in order to keep customers happy / supported. 

A broken bike that takes weeks to repair due to a proprietary part is NOT a better bike in my book,

If we are bringing batteries into the mix, I’d love to see a wireless lockout system that unlocks suspension when you actuate the dropper.

Would it work for SRAM to use a remote like the AXS shifter on the left, where the lower toggle opens the suspension and actuates the dropper, and the upper button locks the suspension?

I like the photo shoot - feels spot on for the intent of this bike. #4 wins for me.

This bike is super tempting, as I’m missing my old Tallboy V3. This has very similar geometry at a lower weight and slightly more race tuned suspension platform. Back when I bought the TB3, Kona was phasing out the 111. The travel and geo were sooo close- it felt like buying the carbon 111 that Kona never made.

I’ve played around with a number of options over the years- Ergon GA3, GE1, and GD1 / SQ Labs 711 R / plus some more standard options like sant Cruz and lizard skin grips. Of those, the Ergon GD1 (now GFR1)  were my favorites. 

But, things really improved for me when I tried the Chromag Wax push on grips. The extra cushion, sticky rubber, and width to move my hands in/out on the bars feels great. On long descents, these things provide a lot more comfort and control. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried anything with a shape as dramatic as a GP1. The benefits I’m getting from the Wax grips track with your experience in the Ergon. I’m running ibis lo-if carbon bars - low rise with 9/5 sweep/rise. 

Thanks for sharing your findings, and questioning the status quo!

Wera’s basic 05073593001 set and the knipex 86 03 180 pliers are life changing. I wasn’t aware of these additional options for bikes- thanks for the great review!

They have simple paint jobs on the new N9 now! ... and chrome is back, too.

Thanks for providing such excellent and relevant service articles!

I have a Kona Process 29 AL/DL. It climbs well and has good trail manners for such a capable bike. I use it at the bike park, and for rocky technical trail riding. It’s a bit more work than my Tallboy3 when climbing, but still very manageable. 

I think the geo and suspension kinematics are really key to how well it performs. I find that steep SA paired with short chainstays and long-ish reach really work for me. It’s also very quiet and composed on rough dh sections. It’s a bike that loves to go fast.