joseph-crabtree profile

I like the DHR2 w/EXO+ as a front tire on a 40 mm internal rim to get the side knobs digging in sooner but I LOVE my Dirt Wizard though it's over 1200 grams but the supportive casing is worth it.

Last summer I was going down a nasty, rooty chute and managed to tuck my front wheel behind a particularly large one and launched out the front door. Upon landing on another big one I heard this CRACK and felt my leg twist in angle nature did not intend. All I could think about was how the hell I was going to get some help as I don't normally ride with my phone and was about 1/2 mile from the road at the bottom. After about a dozen attempts I managed to get the bike upright and pointed the right way down the trail, get my foot on the pedal and scootered to the bottom. A nice lady with her kids and dog were just pulling into the trailhead and instead of just calling for an ambulance she took me to the hospital. Within 2 hours I was in the operating room to bolt and plate a fractured femur.

It has been 8 months and am just again feeling the flow after lots of pain and rehab. Everyday seems to get a little better and I find myself pushing it once again and riding some of those spots that scare me a bit. I am also much more aware of the consequences and am definitely holding back some but that comes from realizing that I am mortal, something that I never really thought about before.  BTW I am 68 yrs and still ride by myself most of the time, with my phone now but I'm aware that bottom line, there is no substitute for healthy regard for safety and self-reliance.

The suspension linkage above the BB looks like it would be great for masticating leaves to loam.

Mine had an angle machined in to help align the headset press with the -2 degree headset bearings.

"Remember when joking about stuff like e-powered stationary bikes was actually joking?"

I saw a photo of Eli Tomac on a trainer with an e-bike to warm up for his moto last weekend. WTF!

I mounted my Park TS-4 next to a wall with just 1 bolt and wing nut so it can pivot it out of the way when I'm not using it. The vise gets a clear space and is securely bolted down as it gets some serious reefing on occasion.

When I broke my femur last summer I pulled out a trainer that hasn't seen use in a few years and got a Robert Axle Project trainer axle for my cross bike. I had to really juggle to get it in with a 142 spacing so hopefully the modern trainers are setup for wider axle spacing.

Have you tried pulling a brake hose from a tube in tube setup after a few seasons of rain and muck?

I've still got my Ergon seatpost also though I just got a dropper and am curious how that will go.

I just want to know how you accurately torque the lockring to 40nm with that tool, seems a 3/8 square interface would be a better way to go if I were to offer a tool and advise on torque specs.

BTW, most of my bikes have at least 1 Wolftooth component on it, just got their -2 headset that is a thing of beauty so not slamming their stuff.

At the risk of sounding elitist our sport is tech driven and if you can't maintain your bike then you better find someone to do it for you. There is no shortcuts, doesn't matter if its a hardtail or FS there is a minimum maintenance required to make a reliable riding bike. If that's not for you I would recommend taking up something else.

Kind of how I feel about E-bikes, if you don't want to get fit enough to get to the top of the hill on your own power find another sport. I think there is nothing sadder than seeing a able-bodied person riding an E-bike up a hill.

I built up a bike with XX Eagle recently and the extracting cap was loctited in with a green substance from the factory. And while I've never lost one myself I did have one break the outer part off when pulling a stubborn crank arm.

Posted by: tashi

Posted by: joseph-crabtree

Back when I was using XC Pro group (90's) on my bike I wrecked the rear derailleur and all I could find was Shimano for a replacement. I spent a lot of time playing with different cable setups and the only thing that seemed to work was making a custom spacing on cassette with a few different thickness's of spacers. The setup I have on the commuter is all XC Pro including the rear hub and cassette and is still works great.

Ya up to 7-speed Suntour had variable cog spacing, 8-speed is even and basically equivalent to Shimano 8.

I wonder about cable pull personally - my temptation with thumbies is for an thumb shifter, clutch derailleur (Shimano preferably) and 8 or 9-speed 11/12-46/48 cassette.

I have no idea if this has anything to do with MEATengines anymore so sorry for that OP.

I did experiment with various cable anchor attachment points to change the pull ratio without much luck. As you said, the 7sp had some funky spacing most likely having to do with the derailleur geometry.

Shimano compatible thumbies such as https://www.microshift.com/models/sl-t09/ is your best bet if you want reliable indexing. 

These are a nice friction option,  https://www.interlocracing.com/shop/product/56020-ird-power-ratchet-thumb-shifter-set-3885?search=shifter

Back when I was using XC Pro group (90's) on my bike I wrecked the rear derailleur and all I could find was Shimano for a replacement. I spent a lot of time playing with different cable setups and the only thing that seemed to work was making a custom spacing on cassette with a few different thickness's of spacers. The setup I have on the commuter is all XC Pro including the rear hub and cassette and is still works great.

Posted by: joseph-crabtree

RE; Under bar shifters. I did this on my XC race bike back in the early 90' and I ended up using them pivoted way back so I could get my thumb under it to down shift as they interfered with the brake levers otherwise. They had the old band style perch/full fiction so I was able to swap left & right.

I did this on my XC race bike back in the early 90' and I ended up using them pivoted way back so I could get my thumb under it to down shift as they interfered with the brake levers otherwise.

RE: No boring bikes. Your barrel  adjusters look like the those that come on the SunTour XC Pro thumbies I have on my commuter. I also have one on my BikeYoke dropper remote on my hardtail as they do look mighty classy.

Yes, even rotor bolt but I still give each one a final check with a wrench. One of my favorite sayings' is "trust in god but row toward shore"

I do work on a lot of bikes with ti bolts and light weight parts so it behooves me to take all necessary precautions for my customers' safety.

"A tool to die for" funny, as a professional bike mechanic for almost 40 years I do use a torque wrench (a Park beam type) but still back it up with a hand check. Even rotor bolts!

I'm running a flat bar so rolling doesn't move the grip position much fore and aft like a riser bar will and I'm picky about upsweep, about 2 degrees for me.  I find that more critical to my wrist comfort than most other factors as long as there is at least 10-12 degrees of backsweep.

I prefer the center of the grips to be about 15-20 mm in front of the steerer axis so with my 16 degree sweep bars I end up with a 60mm stem