Chief

Could be a bike fit issue. Our bodies are changing all the time and a refit should be done every couple of years. If it's your knees it's probably a saddle position issue to high/low to forward/aft.

Are you sure it's the window and not the roof? Water leaks will always find the path of least resistance.

Stans have gotten worse since the MK3's. Very soft and they have a terrible weld joint that makes getting the wheel true and round very difficult at best. DT have been the truest roundest wheels I've dealt with and the easiest to build aside from carbon hoops.

I've only broken two spokes on my MTB due to snagging rocks with the spokes. Recently my gravel bike has been breaking spokes for no apparent reason other than being 24h wheels. So onto another wheel build for my gravel rig. Going DT Swiss 350 straight pull 28h laced to DT RR481 hoops with comp spokes.

I had been running Schwalbe's exclusively and never had a flat or torn a sidewall, and I ride brushy 5 times a week. They did shed lugs like dandruff though. I'm now running a Maxxis Aggressor out back and a DHF up front. They seem to wear better than the Schwalbe's did. I do about 5 miles on pavement from the house every time I ride at Brushy so that took a lot of life out of the tires. The Maxxis have much stiffer sidewalls compared to Schwalbe.

Those are probably XR391 hoops. Still a good Wheelset.

I have XM481's with Hope pro4 hubs on my hardtail. They were on a set of 350 hubs previously. These rims have been on 3 different bikes and are still going strong. Will be building a set of RR481's on 350 hubs for my gravel bike probably this week sometime. Hubs and hoops get here tomorrow. Just need to get spokes. And yes XM481's with 350 hubs are bombproof. Mine are 28 hole and I weigh 235 geared riding Brushy Creek as my main trail.

Just make sure the wrench is clean😉. I usually tape the jaws on mine before touching any rotor.

What I know about wider bars is they allow more leverage thus giving more control. My only issue with wider bars is the sweep usually being not enough. Shallower sweep angle is fine in the attack position when your elbows are bent and your wrists make a straight line to the bars. Unfortunately the shallower sweep angles aren't ideal for everyday riding causing finger numbness due to severe wrist angle. I had 3t bars on my last bike that had a 12* sweep which I liked a lot.

760 is the sweet spot for me for the trails around here.

That'd work too.

How about a gravel rig? You can come do some miles with me in the mornings. It definitely improves your cardio.😀 I think I'm somewhere around 800 miles since July 22.

I've had three MTBs since 2013. Didn't test ride any of them. Bought these bikes off of real rider reviews from forums like MTBR. My first bike was a '12 Niner RIP9. It was a good bike for the trails around here but took a little bit to get it to where it felt comfortable, the RP23 shock was a POS and I added offset bushings to slacken the HA and drop the BB. Currently riding a V1 Following which is a great bike right out of the gate. Built all my bikes from new previous year parts at a good discount compared to buying complete. I recently rented a Ripley in Durango not the new version but the last model it was a very capable bike and felt very much like my Following except for the steeper seat angle which was really nice on the climbs. I had no problem letting the bike go on the descents and it handled very predictably. It was 120/120 and punched above it's travel especially considering where I was riding it. I don't recommend testing more than say 4 bikes, too many bikes gets confusing and you start to second guess your thoughts. Always trust your gut, the one that feels good right away is usually the best choice. Like mentioned earlier there really are no bad bikes out there right now it's just a matter of getting used to the bike and how it feels.

I believe 9 thru 11 are compatible on a Shimano free hub. Meaning a free hub made by Shimano not Shimano compatible.

The free hubs may look the same but the shoulder where the cassette makes contact on the free hub may be different heights. I only know this because of the Hope hubs I have on my HT. The Hope hubs require a spacer behind the cassette for 10/11 speed Shimano to get the correct spacing. I have an extra spacer I'll let you have if you're interested.

But...what about Chris Squire?

Nuvinci. But the hub weighs 12lbs.

I personally always go a gear higher then I think I need.

I think we're all safe on this one. I don't know a single person running a Rotor drivetrain. They're the company that makes a hydraulic shift system. Oh great something else that needs to be bled.

Oh and back on thread topic. The sweet spot for any gear ratio is the one that feels best to you for your style of riding. Biomechanics plays a bigger part in what gear ratio is right for you than a gear ratio calculator does. Also the difference between 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 speed is not so much the ratio itself but the closeness of ratios making shift jumps smaller therefore making the amount of effort to spin those gears easier. More gears creates more sweet spots for a broader range of riders.

Well that looks fantastic! Yet another company trying to make proprietary bullshit that will be impossible to service and also be absolutely non future proof. That shock looks like an absolute nightmare being built into the rear triangle like that. well done Trek! Taking cues from Cannondale are you? Oh BTW two manufacturers of bikes I'd never buy.

The old AR XB turntable. I had one of those. They were pretty good for their time. I've got a B&O kicking around that hasn't been used in sometime thanks to digital.

Found a pair of sunglasses today at Dub Step. If you lost a pair PM me a description and we can figure how to get them back to you.

Tastes like a malty Margarita. Pretty good, but for me that's a one beer beer. Flavor gets a bit overwhelming.

Invetero lingo. You wouldn't understand😂