andrewbikeguide profile

But it is also based on the 'ego driven?' requirement to have a 10T cog (to brag about gear range), some thing that three years of AXS based tracking indicates I used for about 45 minutes of 1100 hrs of riding!

Personally I would like an all steel cassette (but I can live with 52T being alloy as I choose my chain ring to ensure that 'first' gear really is a "bonking badly or carrying a guide pack up another 15% climb" bail out gear) and a range of 50 - 14T with much nicer shift spacing across the 12 gears. Why not be like Shimano (coughing heard in the board rooms) and offer an athlete cassette (52-10T) and a weekend warrior/ normal human cassette (52/50-14T)? As long as it does negatively affect my suspension I don't care if I have to run a 30T or 28T front chain ring whilst the pros and 24 year old ego driven enduro-bros are stomping their 32 or 34T chain rings.

One of the things I like best about the Transmission is the better spacing across the four lowest gears (52-44-38-32) compared to the Eagle cassette.

AXS is amazing and the new T-type derailleur is a pretty impressive bit of engineering. It is way easier to set up but novices and "I don't read the instructions" types might still struggles as it requires knowing the chain stay length, reading a chart and counting links. If one can manage that then it is even quicker to set up than AXS Eagle is.

As to the pod: "Since I don't mention the 'POD' anywhere else. It's backwards compatible to all other AXS drivetrains and folks either like it much better or much worse than the previous shifter. Test ride, then decide" - possibly the truest words ever written by AM. With Matchmaker and with the Infinity loop bracket there is no position (that I can find) that is an ergonomic improvement on the AXS paddle shifter (either version). It is as if someone decided that the mechanical shifter was the greatest invention ever made and went about designing a shift pod to emulate it, ignoring all the advantages that electronic, almost effortless, shifting might offer.

No just the oil that sits in the lowers drains out when the rebound knob/ bolt is removed. No damper bleed required for the lowers service.

Nah it would reduce battery life and the speaker would be a potential ingress point for dust and damp.

I think the hesitation for the pros is the loss or lack of ability to adjust HSC on the fly. Whilst it seems like a small matter when they are racing for seconds over 5-7 stages it obviously makes a difference. Probably more at rounds where there is a significant difference in track characteristics between stages. For mere mortals the fact that the basic HSC setting is neutral is probably good enough. 

The Flight Attendant system is awesome and it makes a noticeable difference on long technical climbs where the systems shifts itself extremely quickly and always seems to be in the right mode. I have spent about a year testing the difference between the different settings and "off" on trails that I know well and ride regularly. It is long climbs like Nimby in Pemberton and Yummy Numby up to Bring on the Weekend in Whistler style of trails where one really feels and sees the difference. 

Denis point about batteries is fair but it is easy to keep on top of with the notifications that come through the AXS app. I average about 20 hrs for the front suspension, 35 hrs for the shock, 175 hrs for the pedal sensor. As each AXS component battery is meant to be supplied with a charger it is easy to end up with the four chargers one 'needs' to charge a Flight Attendant bike's worth of AXS batteries simultaneously:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SRAMAXSOwners/permalink/3422404848039915/

It makes such a difference in efficiency that I quite often choose to ride my Sight (155 rear/ 170 front) on trails that would seem to make more sense on my 2020 Optic (125 rear/ 150 front).

My new go-to tubeless set up for Mulefuts:

Use the SunRingle rim strip to plug the holes.

Use Tuck tape (yep the red, tyveking my house stuff) all the way to the edge of the rim bed making sure that you cover the little weld air bleed holes that are in the bead groove in the rim.

Strong light and cheap, stick that in your axiom Keith!!!

And it holds air like a champion.

Rider = 188 cm/ 95 kg (6'2"/ 205 lbs - old money)

2020 Sight ~ 34 lbs = Code RSC  running sintered pads on 220 mm HS 2 rotors (or 200 mm TRP R1 rotors @2.3 mm thick)

2020 Optic ~ 32 lbs  = Code RSC  running sintered pads on 220 mm HS 2 rotor front & 200 mm HS 2 rotor rear 

2021 Borealis Crestone (one of the those old school geo fat bikes) ~ 25 lbs = Level T running sintered pads on 180 mm rotors.

As Agleck7 intimated fat biking is different, even the best snow and most aggressive studded tyres doesn't offer up the same level of anchor drop that the best loam and mountain bike tyres. Lower peak speeds and generally less steep and adventurous terrain.

The only immediate criticism/ observation is that choosing a 104 x 4 standard means the smallest chain ring is 30T. 

Fine for a fit rider dealing with Whistler/ Pemberton/ Rockies/ Alpes & Madeira type climb grades but not really small enough for fat biking or bike packing. Exactly the type of bike that a shorter crank that encourages a higher cadence might benefit from.

Perhaps a "spider"/ carrier that allowed the use of DM chain rings would open these cranks up and make them more versatile.

Too true re the non Protection APEX or Black Chilli models.

Until Covid messed with supply chains the Premium Conti tyres were also selling for $75-85 dollars so until last year they were also significantly cheaper than the so called equivalent tyres from the other brands.

Not that they would ever admit it but one wonders if the cost of living (energy costs in Germany) has driven the price rise to $120 ish per tyre or someone on the Conti Board had a profit epiphany "Can you believe that the Americans* are paying $135-145 for a tyre, we can make more money if we put our prices up!!"

Either way they still represent great grip/wear/dollar.

*everyone in North America (Canada and USA) is an "American" to a European unless they have travelled to Canada (or worked with Canadians).

I used to see it every day. 

And it is about every brand, it is easy for someone to think that I am "picking a brand and being a d*&k about it" with Continental but I do try other tyres and I meet a lot of riders and listen to their experiences with their tyres.

I also happily ride Michelin and if I couldn't get either I would ride Butcher T9s or e13 for a bit. I wouldn't be as "don't have to think about the tyre performing" happy as I am on my favs but I would still have a boat load of fun and probably not crash any more than I already do because of the tyres.

One would think that riders would try something different in the hope of finding a better tool for the job but the fear of buying a lemon or riding something that has a learning curve or a slightly different behaviour is really off putting to people. People would rather use the same and either moan about the wear/ cost or doggedly defend their choice regardless of the contrary evidence.

There are a lot of riders who hold a 'die in a ditch' strength opinion about all sorts of aspects of mountain biking based on a sample size of one.

@ShawMac: Using other more well known tyre brands/ models as a comparison what is the Vittoria Martello like please? Always wanted to give them a try and the fact that We Are One was willing to spec them on their bikes speaks in their favour but not had a chance to get my hands on a set yet?

Pop the liner in a bucket with near cold water and Euculan (a gentle wool wash detergent - https://www.eucalan.com/our-story/our-history) and then rest helmet on top of container so that straps sit in the water. Leave it to soak for a few hours (the light brown stain in the water will be a good clue!). Empty, fill bucket with clean cold water and leave both to sock for 30 minutes (this is the rinse), press mostly dry with a towel and hang to air dry. Job done, stink free and clean for another few rides.

Bear with as I have quite a bit to relate: I have had three Fall lines (and no not because they don't work!! I still own two of them). I started with the 150mm in my Nomad 3 (XL - rider 6'2" with 34" inseam). 9point8 sent it to me in March 2016 and it set up easily, although the original system of cable end at the post was far more finicky and a PITA to get perfect as one guess-imated and trimmed the correct cable housing length.

As soon as the Digit remote was available I bought one of them and it is far easier to set up.

Wear and tear? I rode 1800 km in training in three months, the 2018 Trans-Provence and guided all summer without an issue.

In November 2016, when it became available, I bought a 175mm dropper as there are times when the seat cannot be low enough with the 150mm!

I switched the 150mm to my fat bike and the only issue I had was a seat collar failure (and not from over torquing) where it cracked and a piece that surrounds the angle adjustment bolt fell away, luckily this happened on the trail to work rather than miles from home on a training ride.

9point8 responded to my email within five hours, I had a return label that evening and the seat post was re-built and returned to me within 10 days which is pretty good in my opinion. As it was not as a result of over torquing they even paid the shipping.

I am fairly certain that it might have been an invisible crack from a fairly big off (fell and flipped 12' off a rock wall into an olive tree, I don't know how I walked away from that one with only scratched and small rotor burn!!) during the Trans-Provence that finally failed and I told 9point8 that the dropper post had had a fairly active life including a few pretty decent crashes. The main point is, that other than the metal failure, the seal was perfect and the action almost as crisp as the first day.

My first 175mm 9point8 developed a leak last summer (full time guiding again so lots of miles and use - I use my dropper more than I change gears on a lot of trails) and it turned out that the schraeder valve core had become loose from trail vibration. I now carry a valve core tool but luckily, at the time, the maintenance chap at Tyax had a valve core tool for his ATV that he let me borrow.

I bought a full re-build kit and after watching the video (and having t available on my phone during the service) I managed a full re-build in about 40 minutes. Other than the brake release tool, which is fairly cheap to buy, it requires no tools that most keen mechanics don't already have in their tool kit.

So the 150mm post did a full (hard) summer and two winters and is now back on the Nomad 3 as it lives with its new owner.

My Sight has a new 175mm Fall line with Digit remote, and 300 km of spring training without a hint of trouble.

My Range has the 'old' 175mm Fall line with Digit remote which has 2800 km (mostly off road) on it but refreshed with a full rebuild kit.

I have also run Lev and Lev Integra (both pretty good) on older bikes and I have used Reverbs on rental/ demo bikes (even with the new remote it is still not as crisp feeling and the seat wobbles). The best I have got out of a Reverb is six days without an issue and I honestly believe that the hydraulic remote is the biggest weakness (now that the post seal overlap issue has been addressed - apparently) and those Reverb owners I know who have converted to something like the DeHy or Wolftooth ReMote Sustain seem to experience less problems.

The question of longer dropper posts exerting more force on the seals is just physics, of course they do which is why BikeYoke are proposing bigger tubes or integrating into the seat tube (34.9mm versus 31.6mm is a 10% increase in diameter let alone the increase in volume and surface area) to make the longer posts stronger and less likely to over-load the seals. But like suspension anything with a seal that experiences some small and continuous amount of lateral load has to be serviced and replaced eventually. The fact is the home rebuild on the Fall line is simple and relatively in-expensive.

Considering how well the Fall line works, how reliable it has been for me, how simple it is to set up and maintain, how there is only an hour down time for a full rebuild, the smooth light action and replaceable mounting bolt of the Digit remote and their customer service I just don't see why I would run anything other than a 9point8 dropper post.

170 mm for the last ten years to counter the mid range sag when pedalling tech with VPP bikes, the extra 5mm clearance seemed to help a bit. 

The science behind shorter/ longer is varied but essentially if you are a spinner then shorter is better and if you are a pusher (or like standing a lot) then longer cranks make sense.

The opening the hip angle is also a very valid reason for shorter cranks.

2018 Norco Sight C9.1 but I have removed a lot of the OE build parts (everything SRAM) and added everything that I prefer to run.

I just finished building this bad boy, 2018 Norco Sight C9.1. Two rides in and it is impressing me a lot. 130mm rear and a 140mm fork. Still playing with bar height but do not let the spacer stack fool you as the head tube is surprisingly short (104 mm). I will banter back and forth as required based on the responses.

XL frame

Fox 36 Factory Fit 4 140 mm with Vorsprung Luftkappe and Fractive Tune

Fox DPX2 rear shock

Shimano XTR M9020 crankset w Stages power meter

OneUp Components 30T Oval and Chain bash

e*thirteen TRS+ 9-46T 11 speed cassette

e*thirteen TRSr carbon 31 mmm wheelset w DT240 hubset

KMC XSL11-TiN chain

9point8 Fall line dropper 175mm w Digit Remote

XTR M9050 Di2 GS RD w M9050 RH Shifter and M9051 Controller

PRO Tharsis Di2 Carbon handle bar (780 mm)

PRO Tharsis Di2 Stem 45mm (0º rise)

Ergon GE1 Slim grips and SME3 Pro Carbon Saddle

XTR M9000 levers w Saint M820 callipers & metallic pads

Posted by: ReductiMat

Thanks shoreboy, I forgot about Princess Auto.. probably the same one that KMS sells.  Would you agree that for the amount it's needed for bikes, it'd make no difference than buying "a good one"?

I have the exact same one and for the number of times it gets used each year (even with three bikes and helping friends who don't own a bearing puller) it is more than well enough built. RRP and RWC make far sexier ones but they are also 3-4 times the price.

@smegolas

Measure your current bike for these measurements:

seat (the point directly above the centre line of the seat post with the dropper extended) to centre of handle bar in the stem.

centre of bottom bracket to the centre of the end of grip (with stem pointing straight ahead).

end of grip (centre) to the floor (direct right angle) again with stem pointing stright ahead.

These dimensions essentially do not change across similar style bikes. Across 20 years of competing at WC level Steve Peat's grip to floor measurement has changed less than 10mm even with all the changes to frame geometry, stem length, suspension travel and bar width.

This is the fit that you want or need to be comfortable on a bike (ie ride for hours or ride well).

If there is anything lacking on your current bike ie you would like the reach to be a little longer then factor this into your calculation when comparing the Bronson.

Get as close as possible factoring the size stem you think you will be using/ want to use.

Short answer is if the Large Bronson is close to your current fit or the additional reach you are trying to achieve then there is no need to size up. If you can only get the dimensions you want by running a 70 mm or longer stem (or worse, being tempted to slide your seat back on the rails (worst set up mistake ever)) then perhaps you will be missing the point of the modern frame/ geometry and should look at the extra-large.

For example a friend has a Bronson V2 and a Nomad and he is running a 50mm stem on the Nomad and a 40mm stem on the Bronson (both size large and he is 5'10").

If you PM me your current bike frame and size I can work it out for you if this does not make sense.

Good combo but I find that Specialized tyres wear almost as fast as Maxxis do

You failed to mention what compound you used for the other tires as that definately has an effect on tire wear.

Fair enough.

Maxxis 3C or Super Tacky, doesn't really make much difference to overall wear, just the ST are less likely to suddenly lose entire knobs during that final 2-3 days when one is trying to get the most out of the tyre but knows that it really should be replaced.

Schwalbe Vertstar: as grippy as Black chilli but rolls slower and wears way faster, slightly grippier than 3C but maybe it is just the difference in tread patterns (Schwalbe to Maxxis).

Schwalbe Trailstar: not as grippy as Black chilli still rolls slower (especially Hans Dampf) and still wears faster.

A Magic Mary made out of Black chilli rubber with their Enduro weight case (or the new Procore) might be the ultimate tyre for all round but as it doesn't exist I am more than happy with the Trail Kings.

Conti Trail King Protection Black chilli front/ Mountain King Protection Black Chilli rear
2.4" if you are bigger/ ride really hard or 2.2" if you are a little lighter or not so hard on your gear or a bit of weight saving.

Better grip than the HRII (IMO), roll just as well (or faster in the case of the MKII) and better wear.