Vikb profile

I have two new drivetrains sitting on my desk waiting to go on. Both basically Shimano XT 11 speed with RF cranks. I hope the drivetrain wars keep making these parts cheaper as they get less and less popular with most people. I like how easy they are to get in my hands, the price and the function.

Every time I read an excellent drivetrain related article like this I get tempted to really optimize my setup by picking the absolute best parts in each category and combining them into the Death Star of drivetrains without the pesky fatal flaw that a single X-Wing can exploit....then I realize I am no Resistance Fighter and I've forgotten what was the best combo and I grab an XT 11 speed cassette, derailleur and shifter...throw it in my cart and feel guilty about what a great deal it is and the fact I didn't buy it at my LBS.

My two rules for getting warranty help are:

1. Don't be a dick.

2. Have reasonable expectations.

I usually end up happy. And more than once I have received above and beyond CS when I had an issue that was not covered by the warranty, but I asked politely if there was anything we could do to keep "X" product out of the landfill.

For the most part I am impressed by how great the MTB tech we get to use these days is and how well it works for a long time despite my craptacular maintenance skills.

I remember when we rode MTBs on the weekend maybe once and then took it to the LBS to be fixed for the next weekend.

I thrash my bikes now mercilessly and 9 out 10 times they be like "That's all you got chubby?" ;-)

I sold my last motorcycle and managed to kill my aftermarket tuning VW habit before either of them managed to kill or bankrupt me. Focusing on mountain bikes in my 50's means I can ride pro-level equipment, custom tuned suspension and have a 2-3 MTB quiver without derailing my retirement plans. 

That and riding MTBs is actually healthy for me since I manage not to crash badly very often.

I do have a nice pick up truck, but I paid cash for it 10 years ago and will be driving it another 10-15 years.

The way most riders think warranties work and they way they actually do is pretty divergent based on what I read and hear people say.

I was carrying my phone in my fanny or in a pouch on my the belt of my fanny for a while, but a crash last year where I landed on my expensive phone and killed it convinced me I needed to protect it more. I settled on carrying it inside a frame bag on my bike. Fairly easy access, but much better protected.

I've been thinking about carrying a real camera on rides again and having killed a camera in the past that was in a pouch on my waist belt I'll do the same thing and put it inside a frame bag where it's better protected.

All that empty space on the V2 WW just screams for another frame bag that'll get rid of the fanny pack for that bike anyways. :)

I have two new drivetrains ready to go for a couple bikes. Both Shimano 11 speed. Good price. Work great and they fall to hand easier for me than SRAM. But, you're not going to sell a new bike with "obsolete" tech like that on it! ;-)

Interesting take on OEM specs. I can 100% relate to the need for reliability in your supply chain. I've also had problems with the last few versions of Shimano brakes. So I can see why bike companies are going with a lot of SRAM build kits.

OTOH SRAM has made it hard for me to buy their parts at a decent price so as someone that doesn't buy complete bikes often I'm kind of Shimano by default. I don't really care about brands and if Shimano can sort out their brakes I'm happy to run their stuff.

I've been intrigued by the smaller drivetrain companies, but when it comes time to buy something my laziness wins and just going with Shimano or SRAM is easier and less hassle so I never break out of that part of the market.

Looks great. I have all SRAM forks and no mounting holes sadly. :-(

I've got a nice ziptie RRP fender ready for my new build and a Mudhugger for the rear. I just leave my fenders on all year round. There always seems to some unplanned rain and hence mud on summer rides. Not to mention creek crossings once the alpine opens up.

I'll look forward to the day I can bolt on my front fender!

I'm with you on the frame bags. I love having everything on my bike.

A complete bike you don't change any parts on is a beautiful thing. Nice work RM. I've lucked out on a couple bikes like that lately and they've changed my usual aversion to complete bikes.

Posted by: DemonMike

Was swapping new pads on the Guides. Went to fit the clip after installing the pad retaining bolt. I had dropped it on the lawn, grabbed a magnet stick. And managed to find it. Guess that,s what you get for working on the lawn.

I've lost the same clip. Never found it and that was inside working on a rubber mat.

I've done that to a Santa Cruz frame. It's been used for many years without issue and a buddy is still riding it.

Posted by: RAHrider

Not sure if you are planning a lot around Cumberland but there are definitely a few ways to spice up your ride around Comox lake. There are a few fun trails in port Alberni as well. Send me a PM if you need any tips.

PM sent. We won't be doing any just for fun trail riding [no time], but if there are trails/deactivated logging roads/old double tracks going where we need to go we'd rather ride those than the main logging roads.

Posted by: Endur-Bro

I recall Banshee announcing they were going Direct 2 Dealer a few years ago. 

I spoke to Banshee in March of this year about a hardtail and they would only sell through a LBS. I did not have any Banshee dealers locally so they were okay to sell to any LBS that was willing to work with them. I decided against getting the frame so I never bothered.

Photo of my buddy's Chromag Rootdown loaded for a quick overnighter from Chemainus to Lake Cowichan/Youbou to Gillespie Lake and back around to Chemainus we did yesterday and today. Considering it's not designed as a bikepacking rig it did great. :)

We'll be doing a week long tour in a couple weeks from Victoria to Nanaimo over to the Sunshine Coast to ride the BCBR course north to Powell River. Then over to Cumberland and around Lake Comox to Port Alberni and back to Victoria on logging roads. Our setups won't change much. What we need for 2 days we need for 1 week or 4 weeks other than food/water, which we'll just get more along the route as needed.

This route would be a nice one day ride unloaded as well, but we wanted to sleep outside so we started late on Friday.

Posted by: craw

What kind of trip would you be able to do with this setup as far as distance, elevation, carrying enough food and technical terrain?

The only limit to the above setup is that I wouldn't want to carry more than ~5 days of food in my pack and I would not have clothes for really poor or widely varying weather. So winter trips = no. Long trips without resupply every 4-5 days = no.

It's ideal for summer bikepack trips on technical terrain that are either 4-5 days long or where I can get more food every 4-5 days. I've spent a decent amount of time touring in the Chilcotins and that experience has pushed me towards more and more capable mountain bike touring setups. Where fun riding the bike is the priority. Not camping comfort. The good news is that the same setup is more fun on less demanding terrain like a logging road tour.

I've taken this loaded bike down local enduro stages. It does fine. Obviously I have to ride it with less fury due to the fact it's a hardtail and heavier than an unloaded bike, but it can still get air and rally pretty well. I can't take credit for anything as I am just following in other people's footsteps, but the geo and the lighter setup is key to having it ride like a mountain bike not a dump truck.

FWIW - I have the ability to load a 2L bottle under the DT and carry 750ml x 2 bottles on the bars. I won't do that unless water is in short supply. In Coastal BC....most of the time finding water is not an issue.

I've got 35mm, 50mm and 80mm rise bars on my various MTBs. Really just depending how short the dang headtubes/steerers are. I know where I want my bars now and I just buy the rise I need to get there. That perfect place has changed over the years so I can't tell you what to do, but for me 35mm rise from 17mm rise is not a crazy huge change. You can always adjust the effective bar height with spacers above/below the stem assuming you can a bit of room there to maneuver.

Posted by: RAHrider

Nice bike dude. Looks like a lot of fun.

My wife and I used to tour a little. I retrofitted her rocky mountain thin air with clamps like your friend. We were carrying a bit more on our racks than you guys though. Frame bags weren't invented yet and she likes to sleep in style. By the end of our first weekend her rack was barely holding onto the frame. But, if that little bag is all that goes on that rack, you could attach it with dental floss and it might hold.

Your kit looks pretty light weight. How much load do you carry? 10-15lbs? Do you bring food and a stove?

I'm not sure how much my gear weighs. I should weigh it sometime for interest sake. Over the years I've been moving towards carrying less and less stuff as I realized I bike camped because I liked riding places I couldn't get to on a day ride and the less stuff I had the more I enjoyed the ride plus the further I could go. I car camp plenty throughout the year so I leave all my camp luxuries for those trips.

I'll skip the stove whenever I can. Food is pretty essential, but I'll try and carry only what I need to depending on resupply options. Sometimes I can sit down for a hot meal everyday. Sometimes I have to carry every bit of food I want with me from the start for the whole trip.

The load on the rear rack is only ~4lbs...sleeping bag, pad and bivy sack. I could run a much lighter rack, but I already own a few of these OMM racks and I haven't seen anything else compelling enough to get me to spend the $$ on it. Mainly I want to be able to use my dropper as my ideal bikepacking trip is riding alpine technical singletrack which gets steep and chunky so being able to ride the bike at something like full performance is important....also the motivation for bringing less stuff. 

Most of the time I'll wear a small pack when touring. I find having some weight on my back and off the bike is helpful for technical riding and makes the inevitable hike-a-bike sections easier as well. Plus it's handy to have some extra capacity when a strap breaks and I need to move gear around or I get motivated to buy a 6 pack of beer! 

My GF has shown limited interest in bike camping. If she did I'd have to pack a few more luxuries, but we'd probably be rolling along a logging road or something else chill so it wouldn't matter.

Not sure if I posted a shot of the Daambuilt setup for bikepacking. Now that we can travel in BC I'll be heading out for some bike camping. :-)

RAH - my bike has mounts for the rack. That's what you get for a custom frame at 3 x Rootdowns in cost.

Just had a look and I can get the Lyrik as a 29er 150mm fork and there is a 140mm airshaft available. You can buy the Yari as a 29er 140mm fork. Not great damper, but it's cheap and will take an Avy aftermarket damper or other damper for higher performance. I like 20mm over-forking so that could be fine for a 140/120mm 29er.

MRP Ribbon 29er fork can be internally adjusted anywhere between 140-160mm. No parts required. Just drop the lowers.

I'm not as familiar with FOX forks or other brands. I think Andrew runs a short travel 120mm Helm on his Waltworks V2 though.

Anyways if 140mm is short enough fork travel seems like there are options for a 29er.