UFO profile

This. My kids' hardtails run the XT 11-36 cassette with a 40t add on cog. The 10sp XT/XTR shifters are so smooth and buttery but also not too 'clicky' like 11sp XT+. They run XTR RD bodies with Zee short cages, so I'm also constantly looking for lightly used cheap Zee shortcage RD's to keep in inventory

I'm late to the party, but this brings me back 20 years when I had a separate set of Marz  crowns installed in my 243 and VPS and could hot swap the fork between those 2 (bikes also shared wheels)

I really like this bike, I think it'll be perfect for me to finally move off my hardtails. I just realized (again) how expensive bikes are these days, I'd be looking at the most basic Alloy 10 trim (at 33.9 lbs) and basically swap all the parts over from my hardtail and transfer the Rocky's parts onto the hardtail. I think I can get the alloy build to near 30-31 lbs with my own build. But that pressfit bb, even in aluminum trim uggggh.

Kids cranks should be even shorter IMO. I moved a set of OE 135mm gxp cranks that use a 104 bcd that came with my younger kid's 20" Norco to my older kids 24" hardtail and it's about right; I fitted some 115mm square taper cranks onto the 20" bike instead. Previously, she was using 152mm Suntour cranks with their own proprietary ring mounting standard which worked ok for us. But the 135mm cranks certainly look like the better fit vs. the 152mm. The 152 cranks have moved over to her FS bike which she isn't full grown into yet, and I've got a set of those same Suntour cranks in 160 as well when she's ready.

I was referencing Cam's final verdict on the Scor bike, where the too short OEM Manic was seemingly the cause of the whole bike not performing up to his expectations. Well that, and running the bars a couple inches wider effectively on one side than the other side

"First of all, it's really not that hard to manage a dropper post where the fixed cable end is at the remote and the crimp end is at the post"

Tell that to Cam who managed to turn this issue into a probable 1000+ word essay, and almost writing off a review bike completely ;)

Zokes (THE Zokes, not Marzocchi).... I hope you did not have the pleasure of riding one of these back in the day. Definitely at least 4mm extra lateral/radial/axial/all direction travel when the top caps backed themselves off and the stanchions started to loosen

In response to these products being too expensive, my daughter enjoyed the Macride for about 6 months before she got too big, I wish I had ponied up for one earlier as it's better in everyway than the iBert that she spent so much time in as a toddler, but money. Her brother got to use it for a solid 1.5-2 years, and we used it especially since he had a tough time keeping up with us on his little bike.

That would be my one beef with these systems, they are so awesome they can demotivate a slightly less motivated kid to ride on their own.

After we were done with it we passed it on for what we paid for it second hand 👌

I totally get this point, and it makes absolute sense.

To play devil's advocate however, the counterpoint I would like to make is why are warranties any longer than a year, or two years maximum. Given the nature of the sport, things get subject to use and abuse. If there was a manufacturing flaw or issue, these will arise within that 1-2 year time frame. If you crack a weld or snap a chainstay 5 or 7 years down the road, is that really a manufacturing flaw at that point?

Imo warranty in and of itself is a marketing exercise. Brand A offers a longer warranty, lifetime even, which gives it a competitive advantage (all things being equal, would you rather a bike with an SLX or XTR rear derailleur). Brand B not wanting to get left behind want needs to catch up, or even offer something even more enticing. Because at the end of the day people will pay more for that piece of mind of increased perceived value

I think this just goes to show the amount of damage a marketing company trying to sell mountain bike parts can do, Crank Brothers are probably nearing a decade from their rock bottom.

Yet having said that you also have to give them credit for pushing boundaries. Who was making a good reliable dropper post back in the Joplin days? Despite the propriety and price of the Iodine wheels, they seemed to offer some performance advantages to be able to justify their price tag as well. And best packaging in the industry for the time as well.

Cable entry at the back of the seat tube is actually ideal IMO if your cables run under the bb shell

Posted by: Kenny

Ergotec - 12 degree, 780 wide, about 40 bucks. 

This the 70 rise option but they have lower rise ones I think as well

https://www.bike24.com/p2373711.html

I was only able to find the more 'normal' rise bars in a too narrow 700mm width, and I'm not ready to jump to 70mm rise bars yet. 

The Salsa do look interesting though, I'll have to check in with my LBS that deals with Salsa

I totally hear and share every sentiment above -- except for the not being passed part. Just have to live with the ugliness of exposed seatpost 

I'm also surprised that I've had zero bites on my 160 Revive that I feel I've priced really well for what it is.

Looks like you can fit a longer dropper. But I also see you've got a set of seat tube mounts so maybe not depending on how much insertion depth you have left.

Posted by: craw

Looks like we have the same seatpost 'issue' ☺️

Posted by: craw

If it's any consolation I think it looks really good. That extra tool mount under the top tube makes a lot of sense.

Thanks, I really like how it turned out and do enjoy the ride. I haven't put the top tube mount to use yet, I would have preferred the bottle mount be pushed as far down the down tube as possible to make way (possibly) for a second inline bottle mount higher up. But where it is currently is super accessible to grab the bottle while on the move.

The current st length is 395mm, my previous NS was 440mm. I should be able to stuff a ~200mm dropper in there to satisfy my aesthetic needs, but I don't see any practical need for the seat to be dropped any lower than where it is currently with my 160mm dropper. I've tried selling this Revive to fund an upgrade to a longer one, but the pre-owned market has been very slow over the past couple months.

and ps: internally cable routing blows. Hard.

I've got a real soft spot for green bikes, so I jumped on the opportunity to upgrade from my NS Eccentric a couple months ago. The Torrent here is definitely a more compact/aggressive fit compared to the NS, and the super short seat tube really bugs me aesthetically despite the more than adequate 160mm dropper.

I've been trying to find a 'decent value' equivalent of the sq labs 12°. At basically $200cdn for an aluminum bar, its hard to justify. I compare it to the 'free geometry' of a good modern hardtail.

The salsa salt flats are a good tip, if there was something in the region of a 30-40mm rise it would be perfect for me

Posted by: RAHrider

Talking to de kerf directly sounds like a clever idea. How much did he charge? When I spoke to chromag, it was really reasonable - like 200-300 i think.

He charges $350 for a basic repaint. Back then, he stocked the Primer and Surface decal sets in black and white, I imagine different different colour decals would be an upcharge. The clear coat is applied over the decals. He can also have the decals painted on in choice of colour, I believe it's a $200 upcharge for that. A multistage fade paint job would probably be an extra cost of at least a couple hundred bucks. But easiest to get in touch with him and see.

I can't imagine Chromag would charge any less for a 'factory refinish' if you used them as a middle man.

It's really cool to see his shop and the various projects he has going at any given time, and to talk shop if even for a few minutes with a local legend

https://www.dekerf.com/paint/