Vikb profile

Looks like a nice bike. Also sounds like the suspension could appeal to us hardtail fans for whom a more supportive rear suspension platform would still feel "plush" compared to a rigid back end.

I don't know how you would photograph micro abrasion holes. After 15 years of use the fabric is perforated in many spots. Particularly near the bottom. Like a delaminating waterproof jacket this seems like a far harder repair to effect than if you had a large tear in the fabric that you could easily patch even DIY at home. OTOH if you fixed 90% of the tiny holes it would still not be waterproof.

I'll just keep using it in its current form. It still holds stuff. It's just not reliably waterproof for something expensive and delicate, but that's the same as most cloth backpacks.

I think Ortlieb would do a repair like if you ripped your shoulder strap off or you put a large puncture hole in the pack. You would have to send the product to Germany and then get it shipped back to Canada. 

Having tiny perforations along the whole bottom seems like a bigger job in the sense you'd have to cover the entire area some how and it's not a simple flat shape. The process would require you to ship the pack to Germany for inspection and if you were not willing to pay the cost of what they determine a repair entails or if they were unable to take on the repair you'd have to ship the unrepaired pack back.

It's not clear to me that this ^^^ makes sense. The pack still holds stuff and keeps the wet out mostly. That said there is a big difference between mostly and fully waterproof.

For folks that live close to their repair centre though it's a pretty sweet option.

No problem. I mean I'll still spread the rumour that you are trying to bro-mance me and stuff, but that's harmless right? ;-)

I've had a few 10+ year old packs  that took on regular use with solid durability. One was a Camelbak pack that I eventually retired when it started to fail in many different areas and the fabric delaminated. There was no easy repair option. It was like breaking up with a long-term GF and to this day I still reach for it only to remember it's history.

I also have an Ortlieb pack that's 15 years old or more. Its claim to fame was that it was 100% waterproof. It's now about 90% waterproof with the bottom full of tiny pinprick holes. I've thought of getting a new version because being fully waterproof was nice for stuff like hauling a $$ camera or laptop in Coastal BC winter weather. I've also thought about trying to repair it with various sealant products, but nothing comes to mind that wouldn't be so F-ugly I'd be disinclined to want to keep using the pack.

Given how hard it is to find a sweet pack that fits great and has all the features you want without a ton of features you don't want having a local repair option to keep it in service as long as possible is very nice. Especially when, as you note, sending a pack back for warranty/repair work from Canada isn't super financially practical/environmentally sensible.

> *Vic Gioia is a legendary local trail builder

Oh. All this time I thought that was a mostly nice, but slightly creepy mis-spelt ode to me. Ha! Ha!

I tried a 200mm dropper and de-travelled it back to 170mm. I'm 5'11" so not crazy tall, but not short either. I don't notice a difference in that extra 30mm drop when going downhill. The saddle is out of the way enough at 170mm so 200mm felt the same standing. But, I did notice that the lowest position was too low to sit on comfortably. I like to sit and coast for a bit here and there, maybe crank a few pedal strokes without raising the saddle. At 170mm that was comfortable while at 200mm it was not.

My other droppers are 150mm and 175mm x 2. 175mm feels better than 150mm although I don't care enough to replace the 150mm dropper. When it does get replaced I'll get another 170/175mm unit.

I've only ever run the shock in Plush. I run it in open mode 95% of the time with the "climb" switch activated only for road segments and even then I often don't bother. The bike climbs really well in open and I don't like messing with settings on a ride so I just leave it alone.

I'll pay the same $$ for a exceptionally well made metal frame as I would for a high end carbon frame. I mean I do appreciate the lower cost of metal in general, but that's not why I am buying it. I don't look at metal as the lesser quality/performance frame material even though that's the current trope in MTB marketing.

The GG carbon cable cover is better than internal routing, but I'd stick with plain old external routing if given the chance.

TB it's a AMS protection kit. I went a bit nuts with it. 

https://www.allmountainstyle.com/products/ams-honeycomb-frame-guard-xl-maze

Yeah! Awesome to see some GG love on NSMB. My 2018 Smash is going strong. It has taken second fiddle to my hardtails recently, but every time I do ride it I am reminded how much I love it. The geo seems perfect for me as a do-it-all Coastal BC bike and for SW desert road tripping...pretty much my riding menu. I rarely buy a complete, but GG offered such a great build kit and back before COVID mixing and matching parts was a possibility.

I've missed it enough I am thinking of hanging up the hardtails for the dry months this summer [if that ever happens] and hunting down the steeper more gnarly lines in the area where full monkey motion will put a smile on my face. In theory it's a mid-travel bike at 160mm/140mm, but coming off a lot of hardtail riding it feels super burly and 140mm rear travel is a ton vs. 0mm.

I wish GG was still making metal bikes in the USA, but their carbon frames look pretty cool. I get to enjoy checking out my GF's carbon Smash on the trails and in the work stand. However, I'm planning to keep my metal frame going as long as I can. It rides so well I have not been tempted to try the carbon version.

Photo from my last Smash ride Sept 2021.

Posted by: halfton

best place in vancouver area to do this

Assuming your current derailleur will support a wide range cassette that's a job any LBS can tackle without much trouble. I'd just use GMaps to see what bike shops are close to you and give them a call.

We had a couple PF BBs in the fleet for ~4 years and never had any creaking or premature wear with them. I am still not excited about PF BBs, but if a frame was perfect for me in everyway except that it had a PF BB I'd still buy one.

Here is a 10 speed wide range cassette --> https://www.microshift.com/products/groups/advent-x/

You'll need to verifying the ability of your derailleur to handle a 48T cog.

LBS out of my tire of choice? LOL I would have one on the shelf of my garage. It would be a personal failure not to have a spare. ;-)

A lot of my frankenbike-ishness comes from buying quality bike components and taking care of them. Some of what's hanging off a frame today is because of a decision I made 5-10 years ago. Brakes that keep on braking. Cranks that keep on cranking. Wheels that keep on rolling. Etc.. Etc.. Etc.. The rest is largely due to getting of the crazy train that is today MTB marketing hype. When the new 13 speed Kashima coated AXS drivetrain and electronic suspension/dropper integrated system is "reviewed" simultaneously on every MTB media site and IG feed my brain says "nope!" Instead I've got a pile of parts that could use a new home so the frame only options catch my attention. 

Occasionally a complete bike gets the nod, like my GG Smash, because the parts kit is both sufficiently close to what I'd like that there will be little waste/hassle from take offs and the overall cost is attractive. At the time the mid-range GG build was decent and they'd swap in different parts if you asked them. Kind of the best of both worlds. Then there are other bikes like a Surly complete I helped my friend put together where I looked at most of the parts coming out of the box and thought "Junk! That needs to go!" I've owned quite a few Surly frames, but never bought a complete.

It was about 16 deg C today and sunny. I wore a pair of Endura Singletrack II Trousers. They were wam, but not bad. If the good weather holds I'll be switching to shorts going forward and back to pants in September most likely.

Posted by: Endurimil

Vik, interesting to note this year bar end wise. Seen a few guys adding  old school outer bar ends to their bikepacking rigs. Hell at a recent gravel race saw three guys riding flat bar type gravel bikes with their old bar ends on.

Those inboard bar ends were an experiment. I have removed them. Nothing wrong with trying some bar ends though. It's a cheap way to try out some different hand positions for longer rides. They might not always be the right answer, but the cost/effort is low.

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

Thanks!  I just noticed the picture of your friend's yellow Rootdown pages back as well.  Good to know you can put one of those racks on a rootdown.

You should be able to put an OMM rack [or similar] on any hardtail with a bit of thought.

Sort of related....it doesn't hurt to pull your seatpost out of the frame and clean/relube it on your winter bike - road or mountain.

Posted by: TristanC

I love the versatility of a rack & mini panniers. I tried the all-bikepacking-bags thing for a while, but the rack opens up so many more options for strapping weird stuff to the bike.

Agreed. The key for me is a rack allows full dropper use which is the difference between surviving techy singletrack or having a blast shredding it. It also has the advantage of making the bike a lot more useful when not on tour for a run to the shops or to the post office, etc...