Tech/Maintenance

[Teamsloan]

1 minute ago, Kyle said:

If you want to ride a bike hard and expect great performance and durability you've gotta DIY.  There's really no way around it, unless you find that one unicorn mechanic who does a great job AND does all the work himself AND you don't mind putting his kids through college.

Hi, I'm Brian.

[WLemke]

I'm not so sure this was a mistake on the part of whoever assembled this bike. Older dropper posts often attached the cut end of the cable with a pinch bolt at the bottom of the post and attached the cable to the lever with the head of the cable. As mack_turtle mentioned, this made it difficult to get proper tension on the cable (without the use of a barrel adjuster at the lever) and made it more likely to have a failure due to the pinch bolt/cable connection failing for some reason. Most newer posts attach the cable to the post using the cable head and then have a pinch bolt at the lever for the cut end of the cable. It's WAY easier to get the cable tension correct with this setup.

Sure. I don’t think it was a mistake. I’m guessing they did it intentionally for the reason you stated, it’s easier to adjust. Maybe the fact that it disconnected was a fluke but at the same time the cable head/anchor/whatever isn’t exactly secure in the actuator as it’s designed to be used with a cable clamp. I personally feel it’s sloppy work but for all I know this is a common practice.


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[AustinBike]

Bled XT and XTR today. XTR are soooo much better.  Normally I am cheap, but the extra price on XTR is worth it. 

[ATXZJ]

9 hours ago, Kyle said:

If you want to ride a bike hard and expect great performance and durability you've gotta DIY.  

this^

Plus, it's kinda fun

[TheX]

6 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

this^

Plus, it's kinda fun

Seriously. The hardest part is collecting enough tools to start being self-supporting. Youtube has videos on virtually everything you need to know.

[4fun]

On 11/19/2020 at 2:45 PM, ATXZJ said:

I hadn't thought about it until I held both sets in my hands. Wow!

My buddy had no business with those on his bike. Hell, I wouldn't run them on mine either........

Those XTR's look sweet!! The elephant in the room🤪Whatcha doing with those XT's? I'm picking up a 24" Hotrock tomorrow morning to start a build for my 7 y.o. daughter and if they are for sale or trade(beer/whiskey) I'd be interested!

[ATXZJ]

Just now, 4fun said:

Those XTR's look sweet!! The elephant in the room🤪Whatcha doing with those XT's? I'm picking up a 24" Hotrock tomorrow morning to start a build for my 7 y.o. daughter and if they are for sale or trade(beer/whiskey) I'd be interested!

thanks! gonna hang onto them for another build i'm putting parts together for. 

[TheX]

Just got a new XT 11 speed rear derailleur in the mail today. Did you know that the pull ratio on Shimano road rear mechs, and the MTB versions are slightly different? 

[Chief]

10 hours ago, TheX said:

Just got a new XT 11 speed rear derailleur in the mail today. Did you know that the pull ratio on Shimano road rear mechs, and the MTB versions are slightly different? 

Yes I did. Wolftooth makes an adapter to allow you to use road derailleurs with MTB shifters.

 https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/drivetrain-1/products/tanpan

[TheX]

1 hour ago, Chief said:

Yes I did. Wolftooth makes an adapter to allow you to use road derailleurs with MTB shifters.

 https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/drivetrain-1/products/tanpan

That's a clever way to fix it, but the new mech was just slightly more than that.

[TheX]

Testing products for Wolftooth would be a blast. I'd like to see some of the crazy ideas that never went into production.

[4fun]

Here's the new project! She went to pick it up with me and on the way I explained to her we would slowly start switching parts out to make it lighter and better. She was all onboard until we got it! Now she loves the color of the heavy forks and bars a wants to keep them😂. Fortunately for her the two forks that were in the running appear impossible to source right now! Along with a lot of other options I had in mind. Hopefully with a rediculous amount of patience we will turn this into something beutiful!

[rockshins]

Installed a Shimano 6120 caliper to 8000 lever on my bike. Caliper doesn’t have the banjo connector on the hose or the screw in retaining bolt for the brake pads, so not as adjustable or nice as the higher end options. They bled nicely, did a gravity bleed initially to get oil down to the caliper and then pushed up oil to the lever. Opening up the freestroke and changing the lever reach while flicking the lever gets all the last little bubbles out. Came with D02 metal pads so that was a plus. Performance wise they feel just as powerful as my front 8020 caliper and they do fit the finned pads. I like a slightly weaker rear brake so installed a 180mm rotor instead of the 203mm I was using with the 2 piston brakes. Happy with the purchase, while not as nice as the higher end stuff, performance is the same and saved $70!

 

[TheX]

Getting ready for the rainy season to *eventually* hit. This will be the first full winter service on the Bronson since I bought it. I have to say that the SRAM Code R brakes work great for me, but...I hate bleeding/servicing them with DOT 5.1 instead of mineral oil. Having the proper kit helps, and the bleeding edge connector works well. I just hate the fluid itself. 

[Teamsloan]

I don’t get the disdain for DOT 5.1. As long as you’re tidy (which the SRAM kit is) it’s easy to deal with.


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[TheX]

I prefer mineral oil.

[mack_turtle]

IME, dot fluid requires more frequent bleeding. I lost track of the number of new bikes sold that came back to the shop within a month because of noisy, spongy brakes—always SRAM brakes. We had SRAMs phone number memorized from calling them so frequently. Shimano-brake equipped bikes didn't have that problem.

Edited November 26, 2020 by mack_turtle

[AustinBike]

1 hour ago, Teamsloan said:

I don’t get the disdain for DOT 5.1. As long as you’re tidy (which the SRAM kit is) it’s easy to deal with.


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Some of us are not tidy 😉

I trust myself better when I am dealing with Shimano, the fluid is more forgiving.

[Teamsloan]

IME, dot fluid requires more frequent bleeding. I lost track of the number of new bikes sold that came back to the shop within a month because of noisy, spongy brakes—always SRAM brakes. We had SRAMs phone number memorized from calling them so frequently. Shimano-brake equipped bikes didn't have that problem.

My take is that’s a SRAM quality issue, not a fluid issue. My 10yr old Hopes rarely need a bleed, but it’s been pretty easy the couple times I’ve done it. Same for the new Hopes when I was installing them (internal routing). I like Hope’s reasoning (waving my fanboy flag)…

“When water does get in, the fluids behave in different ways. Mineral oil is hydrophobic, meaning that it doesn’t mix with the water. On the plus side, this means that its boiling point doesn’t change. On the down side the boiling point of the brake system is defined by the weakest liquid, so is reduced to 100°C. To make matters worse, water is heavier than mineral oil, so it tends to pool at the caliper, where it is subject to the most heat. Doh!

DOT fluid is hygroscopic (it absorbs water) and that’s generally thought of as one of its drawbacks. As DOT absorbs water (even just from the air), the boiling point gradually falls. On the upside, this means that your brake is much more tolerant to water contamination. On the downside, it’s best to not go buy a huge bottle of DOT fluid as its shelf life once opened will be limited. Buy small volumes and don’t use an open bottle after a year or two.”

I’ve got nothing against mineral oil either really. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.


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[AntonioGG]

15 minutes ago, Teamsloan said:

My take is that’s a SRAM quality issue, not a fluid issue. My 10yr old Hopes rarely need a bleed, but it’s been pretty easy the couple times I’ve done it. Same for the new Hopes when I was installing them (internal routing). I like Hope’s reasoning (waving my fanboy flag)…

“When water does get in, the fluids behave in different ways. Mineral oil is hydrophobic, meaning that it doesn’t mix with the water. On the plus side, this means that its boiling point doesn’t change. On the down side the boiling point of the brake system is defined by the weakest liquid, so is reduced to 100°C. To make matters worse, water is heavier than mineral oil, so it tends to pool at the caliper, where it is subject to the most heat. Doh!

DOT fluid is hygroscopic (it absorbs water) and that’s generally thought of as one of its drawbacks. As DOT absorbs water (even just from the air), the boiling point gradually falls. On the upside, this means that your brake is much more tolerant to water contamination. On the downside, it’s best to not go buy a huge bottle of DOT fluid as its shelf life once opened will be limited. Buy small volumes and don’t use an open bottle after a year or two.”

I’ve got nothing against mineral oil either really. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

100% this.  I've only ever had to bleed my Hopes b/c I replaced a pinched cable.  And the bleed is super easy and I don't need special tools.  I just bled my son's SRAM level brakes.  F%*# that!!!  I hate it.  

It's like this (both for brake feel and for easy of bleeding):  Hope>>Shimano>>SRAM Level

[TheX]

I have never had a single issue with the SRAM brakes, but I flush, and bleed brakes on all bikes every winter. Part of the overall yearly maintenance.

[crane]

Has anybody tried waxing their chain with something like Molten Speed Wax?  I’m skeptical, but it seems like there’s a group of riders online that swear by it and claim it’s particularly good for dry conditions.  It seems like a lot of work, and I’m not quite willing to be a guinea pig... especially if somebody else here has tried it or knows somebody that has.

[Chongo Loco]

Has anybody tried waxing their chain with something like Molten Speed Wax?  I’m skeptical, but it seems like there’s a group of riders online that swear by it and claim it’s particularly good for dry conditions.  It seems like a lot of work, and I’m not quite willing to be a guinea pig... especially if somebody else here has tried it or knows somebody that has.

VERY old school. Had roadie friends doing it in college in the mid 80’s. Yes it works probably a little better than wax based drip lubes. Yes it is a lot more work. Most people I know that do it have multiple chains they swap out and re-do the whole bunch at once. You can buy cheap paraffin in the baking aisle and a tube full of graphite to toss in it at HD or pay a ridiculous amount of money for premixed wax.

 

Edit: also useful to buy a small crockpot at a garage sale to dedicate to the garage for the job.

 

 

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[TAF]

On 11/25/2020 at 7:43 PM, TheX said:

I have never had a single issue with the SRAM brakes, but I flush, and bleed brakes on all bikes every winter. Part of the overall yearly maintenance.

How much do you charge?

[TheX]

1 minute ago, TAF said:

How much do you charge?

LOL, there isn't enough money to do other people's stuff. I don't fix computers for friends and family. I only paint for me. I know it sounds selfish but it's easier that way.