mammal profile

Same noise issue with my Saint Brakes as with the XT's here. Some people add some soft-side velcro to the caliper, where the fins contact, to quiet them down. I glued a single strip of zip-tie (about 8mm long) to that spot on the caliper, and it spaces the pads perfectly so they have less that a mm of movement in the rattling direction.

So I could replace my crap NX components with something quality/affordable before Deore came out?

More great info.

The Saint brake choice also came down to all 4 of my household brake sets currently using mineral oil (at least the most commonly used ones). I'm sure I'd be happy with Codes, as I've heard nothing but good, but sticking with mineral for now. I do love my saints.

Re: NX derailleur... I considered whining for warranty, but anticipated a poor result, so never bothered. I will contact the shop soon, maybe they can do something about it, and I can promptly sell it to someone else who has the same issue;)

Good info, thanks. I knew it was DUB, but didn't know how that differed from the SX interface, I understand now. I've never really been one who's hard on cranks, but I do ride them pretty hard. Haven't noticed a stiffness issue, so I'll probably be OK.

I'd be interested to hear your opinion on whether the NX cranks/BB are running the same interface, and perhaps susceptible to the same issues. If it's more due to crank material than design, perhaps it's less of a worry with NX? 

My cranks are the only NX component that I've been completely satisfied with on my new bike. Everything else is boarder-line crap.

As someone who bought an NX-level bike in late January, I'm SOOOOO happy I made that choice when I did, as the bike world is now sold-out. That said, it's my first Sram experience in many many years, and I was sorely disappointed in the NX derailleur (no clutch after a month) and Guide-T brakes (just... Bad). I promptly dropped cake on Saint Brakes and an SLX derailleur, to take care of my issues. Then comes Deore 12spd, and I'm positive I would have been more than satisfied with that spec on my bike instead of the NX crap.

Again, very happy I pulled the trigger because of the industry/global circumstances, but there will be a whole lot of happy campers buying value-heavy bikes in 2021.

My household has been on 10spd SLX mechs (goat link) with sun race 11-46 for a while now. No complaints at all.

Traditionally being a Shimano guy, and after buying my first new complete bike in 13 years, I was interested in comparing the NX stuff on my new bike to what I was used to with the hacked 10 speed Shimano wide-range stuff that me and my girlfriend have been on for years now. Shifting was "fine", but the quality certainly wasn't there at all. I was hoping it would offer an SLX-comparable experience, but the shifter felt vague, the derailleur B-pivot was loose after a week, and the clutch gave out within 2 months of sparse covid-riding. Absolutely unacceptable from my perspective, regardless of NX's position in Sram hierarchy.

Then I see Deore release, not just a good quality groupo in the fashionable 12-speed version, but also in 11 and 10(!) speed versions as well. So they're basically saying "for those of you who care more about value per dollar than fashion, we've got your back with product on the shelves for years to come". The Deore and SLX 12-speed stuff will get some OEM sales for sure (the new NX bike I bought, is now only available with Deore), but the 11/10spd stuff is going to kill it in the aftermarket game as well. As a present and future consumer, this is what has me most excited I've been about the drive train stuff in years.

Believe me, I was skeptical, and ordered the ties anyway because they're super handy for other stuff too.

They work great, even when things get super muddy and crusty. I think I've taken a brush to one strap, at one time, because it was a bit more caked with mud than usual. Seriously, they hold nice, and don't really peel back or anything.

I have the old Max Protection version of the Proguard (made for zip tie attachment). I've threaded re-usable cable ties (the velcro-like kind) into the zip-tie slots of the fender, so it can be quickly mounted between different bikes. It takes all of a minute to swap between my 27.5 hard tail, and my 29er trail bike. Once you get used to them, you can cinch them quite tight and securely. So anyone who want's one of these fenders, and doesn't have the threaded mount locations, it's still possible to have a convenient option.

As for the fender itself, they're the cat's ass. I've had mine for over a year now, and have used it everywhere from WBP (Older Boxxer) to general aggressive trail riding (DVO Diamond), to faffing around on my hard tail ('14 Fox 34). It's sooooo nice to not worry about crap in your eyes or continuously cleaning your goggles. I got caught in a proper North Van squall yesterday, just as I began my ride up No Quarter on Fromme. Didn't even care, and not a drop of spray or particle of grit in my eyes for the entire ride.

The ties I use for quick attachement:

https://www.amazon.ca/VELCRO-Brand-Reusable-Fastening-Organizing/dp/B001E1Y5O6/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=cable+ties&qid=1593020899&sr=8-7

My GF and friends went looking yesterday, still at large.

100% agreed with what cerealkilla_ wrote... 

But I'll add: Aside from ebikes attracting the "jerks" perhaps more than a regular bike would, they are also attracting complete beginners. And although they may not intend to act in a "jerk manner" the natural progressive nature of traditional mountain biking (beginning on lower/shorter trails, not having the fitness to blow past others) tended to keep those people somewhat in check until they have gained more knowledge of the nuances and etiquette of the sport. The popularity of Ebikes has "short-circuited" that natural process in many cases.

The "aggressive ebike jerk" on the uphill has been an issue I've been struggling with a surprising amount, mostly since the start of Covid times. I think a lot of people pulled the trigger, after either being very infrequent mountain bikers, or always having thought it was something they wanted to get into. Either way, there's way more people on them over the last 6 months, and a lot of those folks don't have experience with the etiquette side of the sport. I was amazed to encounter this same situation on 4(!) consecutive rides up No Quarter on Fromme in May (why wouldn't you ebike up the fire road??). And let me tell you, after being practically pushed off the trail at your upper cardio threshold, it's not the easiest time to play the good samaritan, love thy neighbour, "just glad everyone's out here", free instructional guide to the motorized newbies. I don't give a flying F how you get up the hill, but have a bit of respect for the fact that people are working their asses off to accomplish the same thing. And yeah, don't be a dick, ESPECIALLY if you aren't even getting out of breath or breaking a sweat whilst being a dick.

Squamish is a great place to ride, and I think that every riding area in the Sea2Sky is seeing an uptick of use from all types of riders during the Covid times. None of the issues there are absent on the Shore, but I think issues in Squamish may get noticed a bit more because it's so friendly to all rider types/skill levels, and is right in the middle of the Sea2Sky sandwich.

Posted by: DanL

Can confirm it's open now - what's the story with Hyannis/Old Buck ?

Seymour and Cypress park were officially slated to open today... So I'd assume they are open. Not sure about the lot at the bottom of Old Buck, but I'd assume that's part of Seymour.

Posted by: Xorrox

The last time I was up on Seymour they still had a closed sign at the top of Corkscrew. While I understand why they might not want vehicle access up the mountain (for the reason you mentioned), there is absolutely 0 reason to close trails. At the very least, they should open all self powered trail access and the Old Buck parking lot.

I agree with trail access, but that tiny section of Corkscrew is only closed because the park is closed. They aren't really enforcing that at all, because they know that none of the mountain bikers they let past the gate-check (and there are LOTS!) are coming back down the same way. They are mostly turning a blind eye, with regards to the Corkscrew access.

As for the parking lot, I don't necessarily agree. I think parking lots are the highest risk areas, when it comes to the people being outdoors. The Safeway 2 blocks down has tonnes of parking, even allowing extra spots between cars in most cases, as has been the case since the park closure.

Posted by: Xorrox

That said, I hope people will not go into full idiot mode this weekend and next week by gathering in groups, sharing food and drink, or shuttling with 10 of their best buddies crammed in a truck. 

I think this is exactly why I think they aren't planning on opening Cypress and Seymour soon (and no plans currently in place to do so), as per the current parks status: http://bcparks.ca/covid-19/parks-affected/

The week before they closed Seymour, I was riding up the road to access Corkscrew and countless shuttle trucks were flying by, packed full of riders. Social distancing protocal was in full swing at that point. They know full-well that's what will happen when they open those two parks up. Cypress is a bit of a downer, but Seymour can still be accessed by bike, so not really an issue unless you're looking to shuttle.

Hilarious actually.

Posted by: D_C_

Parking is one thing, but it's the "No mountain bike drop-off" sign at Mountain Highway and Coleman that pisses me off. Residents up there getting annoyed about kids getting dropped off at the yellow gate is nimbyism at its finest. We are all inconvenienced by this pandemic.

Right before they stopped allowing dropoffs, I witnessed a line up of 15 cars trying to access the same dropoffs option. You can imagine how that works out on such a constricted residential stretch of road. It was the district controlling mayhem, not nimbyism. You can still drop off 4 blocks down the hill, really not a big inconvenience.

Posted by: Bull_Dozer

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be generally entitled to park in front of your own house under normal circumstances, I’m referring to the special circumstances we are in right now. We’re in a global pandemic, the Fromme parking lot is closed, mountain biking is a safe and healthy activity to continue doing and you can effectively “social distance” while doing it. I don’t think homeowners being able to park in front of their houses should be the top priority at this current time (especially since 95% of them have a garage/driveway). The overall situation sucks for everyone and we all have to make some additional allowances vs. our normal pre-virus lives. It’s temporary and once the Fromme parking lot opens (I assume in the not too distant future) this “problem” will largely disappear.

And speaking of the Fromme lot opening - does anyone know if this is part of the "Phase 2" easing of restrictions that I think go into place tomorrow?

Considering that neither of the local provincial parks (Cypress/Seymour) are slated to open soon, I wouldn't expect the fromme lot to open up any time soon either. Trails are generally much easier to manage distancing than a packed parking lot.