Puzzles

So I finally got my hands on a set of the new XTR cranks, and things didn't go smoothly fitting everything up. Normally changing cranks is a 1/2 hour job...this it turned into a full on 80 minutes!

Removing the old gear went smoothly, fitting the new chains was OK, adjusting the front derailleur I hit problems. Because the outer ring is 39t I had to drop the derailleur down and there wasn't enough clearance on the chainstay for the bottom of the derailleur. Moving it back up resulted in a gap of about 9mm or way to much above the big ring, even though it shifted perfectly.

Cursing and swearing ensued until I decided to pillage the SRAM XX derailleur off the Salty. Cue having to break two chains removing and swapping the derailleurs and readjusting the stops. And I was finally done.

Shifting is OK with the SRAM derailleur but definitely not as smooth. I'll get it on the dirt tomorrow and test it out. Again though I have full range of gears with no rubbing on the cranks or derailleur, it's great!!!


Still in the box


The old


The New...yay 30gms!

New XTR Goodness

Profile of the pedal hasn't changed for 2011


But the surface area has

Well the new XTR is slowly hitting the net at the moment, mainly through ebay with along of the larger internet retailers still not having the stocks in.
So I decided to upgrade a couple of bits. Over the last couple of months I have been becoming more and more dissatisfied with my CB pedals. The lack of a positive engagement and the ability to cant your feet when clipped in lead to a very vague feel.

So I decided to try out the new XTR 980 race pedals. For 2011 shimano have made a couple of tweaks to their existing 970 design but nothing to radical. They have gotten lighter and the platform has increased. I have to admit straight SPD's are one system I have never used having always opted for CB or time in the past. I decided to try these because of the larger platform surface and the adjustable tension.

So have scouring ebay I managed to pick a pair up from someone here in the ACT who won them at the 2010 Scott event as a lucky draw prize. Funnily enough she rides CB and decided to stick with those and ebay these ones.

Once I got my filthy little hands on them first thing I did was the "tail of the scales". All up they are 80gms heavier than my modified CB eggbeaters.

Next it was playing around with the spring engagement/ release tensions. It took me about 5 minutes to get them where I wanted, having cranked them up to the stiffest setting then winding them back off to find the point where I could clip in without having to fully weight my feet to get the clack.

The engagement is very positive with a real audible clack as the cleat engages.

Having been out on a couple of rides with I don't have alot more to say. The platform is solid with no rocking of the cleats, engagement has been faultless so.


New XTR Front Derailleur

The other item I have replaced is the front derailleur on the 29er. When I initally swapped the parts over on this bike, I left the SLX front derailleur on figuring that a front derailleur is a front derailleur. But after struggling to get it set up with my dual-control levers, I cracked and bought a one of the new XTR derailleurs.

Out of the box it's profile has changed to the previous model and in fact it almost looks as though they have beefed it up to improve the shifting, not that the old model had any problems with this.

Setup was straight forward, 34.9mm clamp bolt straight on, set the height, set the rotation, cable tension....done.

First spin around the driveway and it just works. All the gears minimal rubbing. Clicks are positive but not super stiff, so the changes are easier. And this was the issue with the SLX derailleur, it felt like the weight of the spring was to much and you have to fight it to move it up through the gears.

In comparsions I have a SRAM XX front derailleur on the dually and I have to say I prefer the action of the XTR. It feels smoother even though the XX derailleur is lighter.

Upgrades

Finally finished, new wheels, tires, seat and post


Easton Haven wheel set with Hope Floating Rotors

So the new wheels for the 29er turned up last week, along with the other bits to get them up and running however the tires I was sent were 26" not 29" so I had to send em back. I had abit of think as to where I could get tires on short notice and ended up heading into Lonsdale St Cyclery during my lunch break.

There on the wall they had a number of the new Specialized 2bliss tires in 29" so after steering at them for about 5 minutes pick them up and putting them down I grabbed a Fasttrak for the front and a Renegade for the rear. I was tossing up whether the Renegade would have enough grip for the front and hence ending up mixing the two.


Specialized 2Bliss Renegade


Specialized 2Bliss Fast Trak

Also the new seatpost and seat arrived so it now matches the saddle on the roadie. I opted for a Prologo Scratch TR again, it's not the lightest but it is comfortable.


Prologo Scratch TR

Also on the weekend I finall got around to applying the frameskins to the bike...well kinda. I started, got air bubbles in the first one before wifey took over and finished the rest for me. I figure its not a boy job...requires to much patience. The end result is fantastic, you can't actually tell its there in most cases.


Installed FrameSkin Protection with no air bubbles thanks to Wifey

Side Project

Over the last couple of weeks I have had a steady follow of packages arriving thanks to my little Brother. A while back I offered to build his bike up for him once he got all the pieces sorted. So on Sunday I finally got it all assembled and boy is it something different.

My brother opted for an all-mountain build based around a GT Force frame. When this turned up I had to throw it on the scales and I couldn't believe it when they read 3.0kg including the shock.

From here it's been XT parts and other suitable items, thomson, easton, dt swiss, White Industries. Alot of it is brand new but about 1/3 was stuff I had laying around.

I set it up to initally to weight and measurements and took it for a quick spin on pavement. And all I can say is different..... 150mm travel, slack angles, and a more up-right position is totally removed from what I'm used to.

He flies into the country tomorrow, and we're supposed to be riding Friday so I should get a chance to have a play with it then off road.


Little Brother's All-Mountain Bike/Tank

Calibration

So I have been mentally been telling myself that, "I need to check the calibration of my MTB powertap" for a couple of months now, but just haven't got around to it. I know a number of the guys with them have started having various problems so, I thought now was a good time to check the accuracy.

So today, decided was the day and I created the spreadsheet and set aside 1/2 hour to do the testing. The testing procedure is also the same as for a SRM, except with the powertap you test various gear combinations. The only equipment required is something with a know weight, either youself or a couple of lifting plates of at least 20kg and a spirit level for leveling the cranks.

The spreadsheet is just a series of basic calculations, Torque= weight * crank length * 1/25.4 * (rear sprocket/ front chainring).

The yellow powertap headunit displays the measured torque value if you hold the select button for 2 seconds.

So this is the result,


Firstly, the powertap is reading ~ 3.0% low aross the gear range or about 8.9w at threshold. Secondly you can see that the 12t & 36t produce the highest levels or error. This is a consequence of the chainline and way that torque is applied to the hub. 3.0% is double the quoted accuracy from Saris for their hubs, but at this stage I am not worried enough to send it back to be adjusted.

Something up the sleeve

Shimano have just launched their site for the new XTR due out in October. And as everyone has been speculating there is a new double XTR....the one crank to rule them all!

Shimano are going to be offering XTR in two options a trail build with dyna-sys and triple crankset and a racer build.



However there are a couple of things I'm not liking. First is a propriety bolt pattern again. 88bcd x 4 bolt (SRAM is 120/80). Secondly this limits the minimum chainring size offered to 40x28. Now this crank is being marketed as a "racers" crank, but we all know that even a 28x36 is very tall gear. SRAM OTOH have their 26x39 and paired with a 36 gives a gearing range that almost equals a standard triple setup.

The crank has been designed with a narrower Q factor and tweakwd chainline to 48.8mm to get rid of the normal MTB stance feel.

The other thing I'm really sad about is that Shimano have abandoned their dual control system on the 2011 range. I am a real fan of this coming from a road background the braking and shifting is just natural and very "road like".

Everything else in the range has been re-jigged as well including calipers, cassette, chain, derailleurs, and wheels.

All up it looks as though this is going to give SRAM a good run for their money in terms of weight and performance. Also Shimano don't release new products until they are spot on so it should be good to go straight out of the box.

2011 XTR Crank

First pic's on the new crank. I'm not happy if this is all that's on offer for next year! Where is the double crankset???

2011 XTR

Rumor is 300gms lighter than 2010.
There is a information embargo till June 30th so details are sketchy (no details on the crank yet).... to be honest I'm not feeling it, it just doesn't look like the XTR of old.

The Damage Toll

Well Saturday was Capital Punishment...and well boy did me & the bike get punished here are a couple of photos till I can get my head together to right a full report of the torture session.

Brake Pads. Swiss Stop Formula Oro. As you can see I pushed them way past where a maybe a more sensible person would stop. Note the middle one has half the backing gone!


Pile of dead parts. Rear derailleur, chain, and bottom bracket. Rear derailleur was half dead anyway so not crying over that.


Note the teeth on the bottom pulley...maybe this is why the shifting sucked?

Current damage bill $300....
-rear dearailleur
-bottom bracket
-chain
-new cables
-new brake pads

Thank god I do all my own repairs. Otherwise I think there would be another $80-$100 for labour on top of that!

Not good for your lungs or bike

One of the parting comments after finishing the Nowra 8hr was how bad the dust was and how it had stuck to everything.

Me somewhere later in the race, notice the grime.
Copyright Kelvin

During the race my rear shock never felt right and while I had a fiddle with the rebound it just wasn't happening. So after the 8hr I sent it back to Dirtworks for them to have a look at and they discovered something like this...



The oil in the shock was black and used as though it hadn't been serviced for a couple of years, not 3 months ago. Also it was in a sealed portion of the shock this crap shouldn't have been able to get to.

So Dirtworks are going to re-service the shock as in there opinion something weird has happened to it and I a bit happier knowing that it wasn't me making things up because I was tired and getting sloppy during the race.

Something a Little Bit Special

I placed an order last week to stock up some items I was running low on in my spares collection. The store didn't have any of my beloved XTR chains in stock, but they did have these for just a little bit more....I couldn't resist!

Shimano Yumeya Chain



"Yumeya" translates to dream workshop...basically fruity bits for your XTR or Dura-ace groupset. I've not been interested in any other of the bits but thought the chain was "interesting". The chain has Titanium Nitride inner plates the are "supposed" to help with oil retention.

If the hype is just that, then I bought a couple of cool coloured chains, time will tell.

Follow up FSA Cranks

So I have had 4 rides and clocked over 10hrs on the new cranks including 1x XXC race. It’s time to give a further update on their performance.
Firstly I have not had to touch the front derailleur alignment since set up, it really has been set and forget even though it is mounted too high.
I have had one dropped chain, and that was sprinting against a truck at +50kph from the lights. It was dropped to the outside not inside which is unusual. There have been no drops to the inside which is where you normally have it throw off.
Despite hammering through Pork Barrel multiple times and yesterdays rough XCC race, the chain has not bounced off the rings which I have had happen in the past with the XTR cranks.
At the moment the biggest issue is probably the 12-36 cassette. It could do with more in the way of mid-range cogs and the jumps can be a bit extreme at times but this is unrelated to the cranks themselves.
Given FSA’s poor reputation with cranks and chain rings in the past I am pleasantly surprised with how well everything is working out. I think that at the present moment, this crank set is the best value option for someone looking at heading down the two by option of front chain rings. I am sure this will change later in the year as SRAM release more of their range with double chain ring options.

Review- FSA Afterburner 386 Crank

FSA Afterburner Crank 386, 40x 27 Chainrings

So I received my FSA afterburner 386 cranks in the post yesterday and thought I would post up some inital impressions.

Weight
They are 30 grams heavier than the XTR cranks they are replacing, despite being only a dual ring setup. Looking at them you can see straight away that the arms are most substantial than the XTR crankset. Whether this translates into a stiffer set of cranks I can’t say at this stage.

Finish
These are kind of a love it or hate. I like the finish which is similar to the older XTR anodizing (deep grey) but am not so keen on the shape. They just look bulky and industrial, where as the XTR cranks have a more rounded profile.

Ease of Installation

Left hand Crank and mounting bolts

Unlike XTR cranks these don’t require two separate tools to remove. When I first got the XTR cranks I was a WTF? Could they have made these anymore complicated to install? The cranks have a plastic ring which needs to be removed before the exclusive XTR crank only tool can be screwed in and the crank bolt backed out to pull the crank off.
The FSA cranks are similar in design to the XT level cranks and have a dual set of bolts on the left hand crank for fastening the crank to the axle. Bearing pre-load is adjusted through a threaded cap on the left hand side... and yes as I found out it is possible to do it up too tight!

Other set up Issues
I had to adjust the front derailleur because the new big ring is a 40T so it meant having to lower the height and here I “may have” run into a bit of a snag. Because of the shape of the frames tubing and pivot points the XTR dual pull derailleur is sitting a couple of mm’s higher than I would like. At the moment it doesn’t seem to be affecting the shifting but a full field trial will tell whether I need to swap this out for a top mount derailleur.

36-12 Cassette

I also threw on a 12-36 cassette and fresh chain at the same time and what a difference it made to the feel of the drive train. You kinda forget what fresh clean stuff feels like if you don’t replace it regularly ie 3-5 months. There seems to be enough clearance for the 36T with a normal XTR rear derailleur...but it is tight. Unlike a road rear derailleur there is no b screw to adjust the top pulley away from the cassette. Again a couple of test rides to see if this is going to be a problem or not.


Right Hand Crank

End Result
So I now have a drive train where I can use all but one gear (40x36) for about the same weight. The front shifting, I think is on par with the XTR cranks it’s replacing but I wouldn’t say it’s an improvement. From reading some of the descriptions of the SRAM XX stuff there are a lot more ramps and pins for shifting the chain which the FSA cranks are lacking.
I will be taking this out for a thrashing on Sunday to field test drive train and see what adjustments I need to make and will give an update then.

Mellow Yellow

No not the softdrink...these


Mavic Fury

After giving The Rhino sh!t about getting a pair a month ago, I ended up buying a pair.
They are lighter then my Sidi Dragons, and the fitter is definitly better. While I have been happy with my Sidi Ergo II's the Dragon's have just never cut it.
And they are lighter to boot.

First ride tomorrow at the CORC 3hr.

Lust

While surfing last nite I came across a picture for this and now I have some serious bike lust. It's just plain sexy, the helix tubing reminds me of a gun muzzle.



Lynskey Pro 29er with Lefty and BB30


mmmmm Sexy

Lynskey Performance Designs is founded by the Lynskey family who originaly started Litespeed in 1986 and later sold the business in 1999. The production facility at Lynskey Performance is operated by David Lynskey and his crew of fabricators. Lynskey work with U.S. milled aerospace grade 6al-4v and 3al-2.5v titanium pretty much the same as what they were doing back at Litespeed.

In the Post

Maxxis Medusa's 1.55

In all the pre-Husky race talk about rain, I decided I needed to add some mud tires to the arsenal as I didn't have anything. So 5 days before the event I started ringing around shops trying to find out who had what in stock.

Well from all my ringing around I concluded this was most of the importers idea on the subject, "We don't need mud tires because it doesn't rain enough". No one had anything in stock. BikeCorp don't bring the medusa into the country anymore, the distributor for Michelin don't have any in stock, and pretty much the same from the other importers.

Well given the recent conditions at the the Sydney 24hr, Threadbo national round, and conditions at Nowra on Sunday I think they need to re-think their idea.

So I placed a rush order with CRC and paid extra for UPS express shipping to try to get it here by the Friday. As things would have it.. it all turned to sh!t given time differences and the tires eventually turned up today.

So I am now the owner of a set of mud tires, now I just need a race to try them out in.....

Performance Upgrade of the Week

I recently decided to change pedals back to Cranks Bro's eggbeaters due to these guys making a shorter axle to reduce the Q-factor on the pedals.

So I bought a set of SL's off Fleabay and ordered the sortened Ti axles and finally got all the parts yesterday.

So below are some pictures during the upgrade.



Egg Beaters pre-tuning


Ward Industries Ti Axles


The Standard Crank Bro's Axles


Post Upgrade

So total weight savings of 44 grams and a 8mm narrower Q-Factor

On the Menu for Sunday

From looking at the long range forecast there its going to be a wet/ muddy race on Sunday for the Husky 100k. Have to go sort some tires out...thinking Maxxis Ignitors

More Push Tuning

The bike shop rang seems they forgot to give me the dyno tuning graphs when I picked up the rear shock.
AS you can see there is a noticable difference in the profile of the shock post tuning.


Pre-Tuning

Post-Tuning

Super Sofa

This is Part II of my review of my Push tuned rear shock.

When I first got my El Salt I described it as being as comfortable as a big sofa to ride. Well I can now say that it's the "Super Sofa".
When I sent the rear shock off to Dirtworks I asked them to tune 2 things,
-The pro pedal settings for my weight (These just weren't working, it was like the three bears with 2 settings too firm and the other too soft)
-The stock rebound speeds (At times the back end felt sluggish even with the rebound dampening switched off)

So testing these two tweaks yesterday through Stromlo and yes it's now riding like I want. The rear is a bit more responsive and "race like" in feel but still having the same level of comfort.

Riding Pork Barrel, I had forgotten how much more fun a dually was through the rough stuff. The shock was using all it's travel yet not bottoming out.

So my recommendation is that it is worth considering having your rear suspension "pushed" if,

1) Your a picky b@stard

2) You are not happy with how your bike is performing and can't adjust it out using rebound/ air pressure

3) Have to service your shock anyway ($350 vs $150-$200)

Push It!

So I got a call from the LBS today. My rear shock had comeback from Dirtworks, freshly "Pushed"

So what does $350 buy you?

-A fancy sticker

-Blue O-ring

-A bag of spare parts

-And hopefully a custom riding shock




When you send the shock in to be serviced you are also asked to fill in some basic details, and also list exactly what characteristics you are want to have tuned.

Tomorrow will be the maiden ride so I'll report back how it goes