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Sorry, no cleats (the only part that wears faster than their pedals).

Got stuff: (2) pair Time Alium pedals (1) pair Time ATAC XS pedals (2) pair old M525 SPD pedals (1) set Shimano 105 levers and hoods (1) pair training wheels (1) Profile AirStryke I aerobar with armrests

James Balentine with VeloFix - he's awesome! 512.800.9266

On the ergonomic front, I've got a Salsa Rustler Carbon 800 mm handlebar now for sale. Haven't listed it yet. 11 deg backsweep, which is why I got them for hand numbness. Excellent condition. Used less than one season per original seller and I did one ride with them. They have some 3M paint protection film on them to prevent pogies from rubbing the finish. Rise isn't quite enough for me and I can't add spacers to the get the height right. pm me if interested.

Trying out an 11 deg sweep bar... Thanks!

Big reason why I do all my roadie on my mtb. I can't imagine adapting to and managing 2 vastly different bikes!

Geometry = .75 x Bike Geo + .25 x Component Geo (*my* geo)... but don't dismiss that 25%! I'll spare you the full rabbit hole, but I tried to improve upon my *perfect* geometry and it didn't work out. At all. Mostly, I had my bike pretty well dialed for 3 yrs and then I convinced myself that I could improve my technical riding skillz with improved geometry. Specifically, I wanted to shift my cockpit rearwards to help with really steep climbs and do more technical climbs seated. I happen to be at low end of the height range for my bike size (XL), which has slightly longer chain stays over the S, M, L sizes, and which I felt constrained my leverage, primarily. Also, being at the low end of the range gave me the sense that I could expand or shift my cockpit without drastically altering the handling. Originally tried swapping my 50 mm/6 deg stem for a 35 mm/0 deg, but didn't have enough steerer tube to compensate for the lost stack and rise. So, I extended my Fox 36 from 150 to 160 mm with a replacement air shaft assembly, then switched to the shorty stem. This was in Aug 2019. Fast forward to now and I'm back on the 50 mm/6 deg stem and keeping the 160 mm travel. Technically, my riding is probably better than last summer, but it's hard to tell, between improvements in skillz and fitness, erroding trail conditions, fuzzy pre-change memory, etc, etc. I did learn a lot - the hard way - but feel like I 'lost' the better part of a year dickin around with this. I definitely like the increased travel and .5 deg slacker head angle! My bars are back at their previous height but my saddle is a few mm closer to the bars. Once I made the initial change, I realized I couldn't simply replicate *my* geometry, just shifted back, which initiated a seemingly healthy effort to reestablish *my* new geometry. While I kept saddle height constant, *my* geometry was strictly bar height and saddle fore/aft. What I 'forgot' was that my bb didn't change location, so moving my saddle back lost that over the pedal feeling that I like and that the steep eff seat tube angle enabled. So I had to shorten my cockpit, which reduced my leverage for manuals, etc. It also meant that my hands and feet got too close, which meant hitting my knees on switchbacks, less comfortable and less efficient out-of-saddle riding, and way worse climbing steeps since my hands were effectively lower and too close to my chest. It also put my center of mass higher, which seemed to compensate some for manuals but was less stable through rock gardens and jra. So I went through many, many iterations, changing saddle fore/aft and bar height, but never really getting it right. What I've learned: -I'm very sensitive to *my* geometry. More so than to the bike's. -If it ain't (too) broke, don't (try to) fix it (too much) - sometimes the optimal set up is only recognizable after you jack with it, but then again, why jack with it if it's working? -Bike geo is important, but less so than fit and your *my* geo. That first 75% is the easy part of the solution (ie, a great ride). The last 25% is *my* geo and that's what really matters and can easily compensate for any perceived shortcomings of one bike's geo over another. Which is why I don't rely on demos when shopping bc I'm not likely to get *my geo* consistent on bikes I'm comparing. I may think one bike manuals better, for instance, but it could easily be a 5 mm difference in bar height. Then you add in suspension set up, tires, etc - it's a crap shoot because you can't isolate variables. I think you buy based on the what feels right for you and your riding (bike geometry, price, components, suspension design, colors/decals, etc) and you'll adapt to it, especially with good *my* geo. -*My* geo is different for different bikes. Transferring your dimensions from old bike to new is a good place to start, but part of finding the right *my* geo is aligning your balance and leverage points with those of the bike's. -What feels good in the driveway rarely translates to the trail. -Tinker with One. Variable. At. A. Time. That was hard for me on multiple levels. About the time I started this odyssey, I had to replace both my shoes and my saddle because of wear/breakage and neither were still available (though I eventually found the saddle, phew). I was having knee pain on one side with the new shoes, but thought it was due to saddle location. So I was trying to factor into *my geo* adjustments, but was chasing my tail, it turns out, when I realized my cleats were too far back. That's one level. The other being occasionally changing both bar height and saddle fore/aft, which was great when it improved *my geo*, but frustrating when it didn't (duh). Hope this helps someone. Kinda helps me to write down...

My 4 yo FR935 has been great. I do find that it acquires a lot faster if you're stopped (ie, haven't started riding yet). If I start off without acquiring first, it does take much longer. Tree cover also slow the acquisition process.

Yep, freezer makes all the difference. I use 3 nuun tabs in my 3L bladder most of the year for every ride. Used to store emptied but not rinsed in fridge and would have to clean at least 2x yearly. Been converted to freezer - emptied, not rinsed, and 1/2 inflated - and have not needed to clean for ~6 mos. Inflation keeps bag insides from sticking/freezing together...

Friendly reminder that Velofix will come to you and service it same day in a couple of hours...

Shoulda said SAME DAY...

Check out James at Velofix! Great guy that used to own City Limit Cycles (another mobile repair) and is top notch! I'm told he wrenches for the Special Olympics all over the world. He was contact-less before it was cool. Your bike gets fixed in a day without you having to lift a finger. He gets my bike from the garage, takes to his van on the curb, fixes it, and puts it back. He can do full suspension rebuilds (though parts may need to be ordered).

FWIW, I've had 3 Stan's Neo rear hubs blow-up on me in less than 2 yrs. Ratchet ring came loose at least for 1 of them... None were fixable and all 3 warrantied. Stan's finally gave me a Hope Pro 4 after the 3rd time and that's been solid for over 2 years!

PM me if it's yours or you have contact info.

But the light head is great...just need a replacement battery. Consumable, of course, but 2 in year?! May just try amazon again for battery...

I'm now having problems with my Duo 1500. Got it just a year ago after my 4 yo Xera fell off the car on 360 (found it - still worked! But couldn't mount it anymore). With 2-cell battery from Xera, it worked great. Once it crapped out I tried a cheap Amazon 4-cell, but that didn't last. Went back to Gemini for an OEM 4-cell but after not too long it plug crapped and it wouldn't charge. Had to pay shipping to return it. The exchange I got worked fine over the winter, but this week it was overheating even on reduced setting and dimming significantly. It'd do it when I stopped and I'd have to start moving to get it to cool off, but like yours, it would throttle even when going slow... Did you try get relief from Gemini? So far they've been very slow - with previous inquiries - and now they're likely to be even slower...

Say 'hi' for me...

I've got 50 mm 6 deg rise Aeffect you're welcome to borrow. PM me...

I've used an adjustable wrench many, many times without cleaning and without issue. So long as you don't put your fingers on the rotors you shouldn't have any problems. Course, no harm in spit n shine (without spit)...

FWIW, adjustable crescent wrenches are ideal for truing rotors...

I’m so over times. Started with spds in 96 then switched frogs for a few years then to atacs. I’m duck-footed and float was my priority. Rode times from 04-05 till 2016. Most of that was on Aliums, which seemed to offer the best combination of float, platform, reliability, consistently. But after being disco’d I went from used pair to used pair. That got tedious - trying to find them as they’d wear out. Bit the bullet and tried my old XS’s then newer Times (MX), but some of the issues I had with them all along never went away and started to bother me more. Rock strikes on the underside causing releases and the cleats wearing so quickly that they never really felt as consistent as I thought. MX seemed promising but the platform’s teeth made clipping out really hard when I wasn’t completely upright. It was basically impossible if I was leaning (or falling!). Meanwhile, all of my friends were on spds and never had the issues I did: Rock strike release, clear wear and inconsistent feel, bent bars , etc. Their spds lasted much longer and were far more reliable. Somewhat reluctantly Switched to XTs in 2016 (only about 6 wks before EB!) and by then they had widened them. Got em at performance so I could return. FF 3 yrs and I’m on the same pedals AND cleats. That was never the case with times over the ~15 yrs I used them. Cleats needed replacing every year or two (and wasn’t riding nearly as much) and their performance would degrade with wear. My XTs have been so incredibly solid - consistent, durable, few unintentional releases. Can’t believe I put up with Times for so long. It’s like when your shifting degrades over time but you hardly notice... And my XTs still spin like new...

I'll offer a bit of heresy, I suppose: Don't bother with test rides! Read reviews from riders who test ride for a living, decide what you 'should' like, and pick a bike based on how many boxes it tics off. There are so many variables when test riding - from bike set up to trail conditions to how you feel, etc - that I know I can't really tell how well a bike is suited for me. Hell, when I jack around with my bike's set up, I can go from loving it to meh. And set up can be everything from suspension to cockpit config, etc. Granted, I may be especially sensitive. But then again, if you're not, then it may be impossible to accurately assess a bike, let alone differentiate. Like me, you'll more than likely 'adapt' to the bike you get, once you get it set up optimally for you. Test riding extremes may be worth while - very steep STA or slack HTA, lots or little travel, for example. My last 3 bikes have been bought, ridden, and loved with test rides... YMMV

1. I don't think there's any advantage from a warranty perspective. Each piece (frame, component, suspension, etc) is going to be warranted by the manufacturer and most deal only through shops. And, most shops will process your warranty without regard for where you bought. 3. Yes, keep if you like - money spent on wheels is of higher value! Shorter fork offsets are not that common and, as noted, while they have their advantages, you aren't likely to encounter with a shorter travel frame (since prolly not as slack). 4 . Deservedly so! I've gone through 3! warranty replacements on the rear neo of my MK3s (in 2 years) and they finally replaced the last one with a hope hub... 5. No crystal ball, but given the amount of 11-sp out there, it should be around for as long as 10-sp. I'm happy with my GX 1x11 and rarely spin out, so no incentive to change... No long-term experience with 12-sp but have wondered if harder to maintain tune since tolerances are tighter. In spirit of full disclosure, I do have a NIB XT 12-sp group on craigslist that's save you a lot if you got the build route.

Another reason why I'm sticking with SRAM - I'd have to replace my hub...

From what I can tell, https://enduro-mtb.com/en/shimano-xt-m8100-slx-m7100-12-speed-drivetrain/