kperras profile

Amazing Rampage report; best one I've seen to date.

Cushcore tip: make sure the spare tube you're packing is of the long valve stem variety. You can install the tube on top of the cushcore and poke the stem through it, and out the valve stem hole in the rim. Of course some tire levers might be nice, especially if you're running tough casing tires. The one included with the OneUp tool works well enough for the time I had to do this exact repair.

Example for our 2020+ Slayers, and 2021+ Altitudes and Instinct BB exit panel, just below the MP and above the BB. Cutouts so that these pieces can be removed and installed without affecting the housing. The point of the rubber panel is to be a wear item for the 5mm of cable growth/shrinkage throughout the range of travel. Ignore the hardware shown in that photo haha. Not the correct bolts.

While I support some forms of ICR, I call for the death of headset ICR and any other variant where housing passes through hardware without cutouts. I chuckled a bit when I read that the housing passes through the MP on the Ghost(?) bikes.

At Rocky we spent quite a bit of time on our ICR solutions, and of course minimizing cable growth is very important, but not at the cost of piercing the MP hardware.

I've been using these cranks for over a year but, more interestingly, with the same new PF92 BB that features a nice, integrated lip seal. That BB is still spinning smoothly despite my constant need to wash my bikes even when they don't need one.

My one gripe with the older Turbines was the wider q-factor so it's nice to see it get a little narrower. Seems like such an inconsequential detail, but if you ride clips, and have used the same shoes/shoe brand for years, you can feel the difference in q-factor changes.

My apologies as I completely mis-remembered the weights. I have a pair of EXO 3CT 2.3 DHF and DHR tires on the scale in front of me right now and they are 950g and 870g respectively.

The new Element, and any modern DownCountry bike, exists along a very fine line of capability when the trail points down. The (excellent if I do say so myself) geometry is cashing cheques the 120mm travel can't always handle when things get really rough, and there will be instances where the rider forgets that. The reason why we don't want more travel, and thus increase the capability of the Element, is that one would quickly lose sight of the end goal for this bike (lightweight, efficient, comfortable, long distance, capable in a wide range of wheels-on-the-ground type riding) and we'd end up building a completely different bike. "Proper" 2.5 tires for example would kill the character of the Element. My middle ground for around here is a set of ~900g 2.3 Minion DHF + DHR tires. Given the dry conditions, I'm currently enjoying a new Forekaster on the back for fast rolling speeds.

We don't actively participate in XCO anymore, and XCM for us consists of multi-day events like BCBR which this bike is very much tailored to. BCBR is all about high quality, technical singletrack and this type of ride profile, covering 40+km in a few hours, blindly but confidently and with minimal fatigue, is exactly what we built the new Element for.

Locally on the North Shore, it can be quite hard to make good use of an Element but I certainly do. My current builds alternate between a Fox DPS + 140mm 34 GRIP2 or a Rock Shox SIDLuxe (or Deluxe) + 140mm Pike. The added travel up front is more suited to the steeper descents around here, and although this affects the climbing position a touch, the trade off is worth it. A 7th + Expresso lap is a good example of where I prefer to ride my Element over an Instinct or Altitude. With Trail and Enduro bikes now weighing in at 32-35lbs, a 26lb Element feels like rocket ship.

For those with 11spd Sram Rival drivetrains, you can get the Ratio kit and upgrade to a Sram 12spd cassette and derailleur. 

https://ratiotechnology.com/product/12-speed-upgrade-kit/

Kamloops is a great riding destination, and should part of any mountain bikers' pilgrimage, but there are many reasons why some trail networks and locations are left off Trailforks and other mapping apps.

5 years from now, the same article will be written about shift and brake cables routed through headsets. You've been warned.

1 key with a fob on a keyring. Hyundai branded. Found it on Severed D before getting to the Dear John entrance. PM me if you know who it belongs to.

The Fox Frame looks really good and seems to have the latest of every technology. If it fits right, that would be my first choice. Plus it comes in the best colour that never goes out of style or looks like shit after one muddy ride.

Not a chance.

Sweet. Just re-uploaded my profile pic.

No more rep :(

Years of hard work gone ;)

Easiest is park at Old Buck Parking lot, or Parkgate Mall. Ride up Old Buck and turn left at the Powerlines. Climb till you get to Pingu. Ride Pingu then any of these trails: Pangor, Boogieman, Dear John/John Deer, Severed D, then return via Bridle Path to wherever you parked.

Climbing trail only good till the last few switchbacks. Lower Oil Can is good except there's a tree down about 3/4 of the way down. Tiny one, only requires a hand saw.

I thought I'd share with you fellow board readers.

You can match Shimano SLX lever (or XT/XTR/Saint) and MT5/MT7 caliper. Such combination is even better than original Magura set :)

After one of winter crashes I completely broke my MT5 brake lever into pieces. Looks like the plastic it's made of is utter crap and will break easily. There are several reports here in Europe about MT5/MT7 prone to breaking. The same happened to fellow biker I know with his MT7.

You just need proper Shimano lever (newest ones) like M7000, M8000 M9000 etc.

My current set is SLX M7000 lever + MT5 caliper (with original Magura hose) bled with Shimano mineral oil.

There are several pros of this combination
- Shimano parts are lots cheaper than Magura stuff and they are available everywhere
- Shimano levers are tough made, not from platstic-fantastic like Magura
- brakes work better: Shimano levers are less spongy than original Magura and you get lots of extra power just from changing lever
- you can choose SLX, XT, XTR or Saint levers an pair them with either MT7 or MT5

What about the modulation? I find the gradual increase in power to be a substantial benefit to the Magura brakes.

It's a move to improve margins not lower retail prices.

Incorrect. It's a move to maintain competitive pricing. As soon as one manufacturer re-engineers the pricing structure others must follow or close their doors because they aren't selling bikes for two reasons:

1)They are priced appropriately when produced domestically but everyone complains about the high prices because company XYZ is cheaper for the same spec or

2)They are priced appropriately when compared to the competition but now the margins are so low or non-existent that the company is longer able to keep its doors open.

The norm now is to have goods produced overseas; don't kid yourself. Everyone is on a level playing field so to speak.

I think weight is pretty important for kids. If you have a fixed price in mind, I'd consider getting the lightest (but also highest quality) bike possible, which might not include duallies. If you want to add comfort and confidence to your kids bike, getting some high volume, good quality tires are a good place to do it.

I typically prefer Maxxis tires, but the selection of 24" tires are limited to DH options which don't apply here. Schwalbe has 24" options in a few casing options. Much better than getting low end, plastic feeling, XC tread patterned tires.