Frorider profile

I feel like SC is trolling us with their prices.

For mtb drivetrain nerds I think the best combination of range / weight / shifting / rock clearance is the 11 spd SRAM xx1 shifter / derailleur with the E13 9-46 T cog set.   

511% range obviously blows the setup in the article out of the water.  And you don’t need to modify the derailleur.  

But yeah, for anyone forced to use the older Shimano freehub this Garbaruk option is nice.

On the subject of rear hubs…the Project 321 with the ‘silent’ pawl version is in my experience the best combo of engagement, reliability, insanely low resistance.   The light weight is an added bonus.  The preload system has been faultless on my two sets.   My experience is with CK, Hope, DT, I9…several others…I’ve avoided Onyx however.

Good comparison.   #Indie4life.

If you ride a lot & have several bikes and/or a parts bin, you find yourself swapping out brakes or shifters or dropper remotes semi regularly…for various reasons….and inevitably the integrated clamp thing becomes a giant PItA (I have a mix of 3 different brake brands and 2 shifter brands).  

Then one day you find yourself (ie Me) saying No to the whole fiasco.  Especially when your brake levers can now be inboard as much as needed

28 spokes F and R yes?  Are they Comp Race spokes?

Totally agree.  I’m 6’3”, long legs, and while I do use the full 185 mm on my oneup on Squamish types of trails I’m also using a bit less on many trails.  The engr in me can’t overlook the fact that longer travel droppers are heavier and wear out bushing interface faster all else being equal.

Exercise = health.  I think it’s great to see videos and photos that encourage everyone to ride, no matter their age, income, BMI, favorite color, or shoe size.

Isolating one factor (like STA) can lead to misleading conclusions.  For a taller rider like me, a steep STA is great provided the Reach has been lengthened enough that the ETT (that ancient metric) is long enough.  On the other hand, a slackish STA can feel ok on climbs if the CS length is long.  

Net net: I’m a huge fan of slack HA, steep STA, longish CS trend BUT all these factors can combine together to create a wheelbase that’s too long.   Fascinating article in Enduro mag that used timed descents to establish why pros avoid overly long WB....

Was confused by the ‘I'm down with extension cables and expensive separated systems’ bit near the end....seemed to contradict the preceding review...then I realized you probably meant to say ‘done’.