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Also, sad news, Monkey Wrench is closing its doors at the end of July.  Another instance of a long-term viable shop being made unviable by rising rents in Austin. 


I had a feeling. I loved Joe's vibe
I gotta make a point to go over and see him


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1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

You'll get used to 11sp and not having to think about the front ring.

The mental adjustment was already happening on my one short ride!  

There is one "princess and the pea" gear interval right in the middle, but again, it's simply an adjustment to something new after 13 years of the same drive train. 

9 hours ago, Cafeend said:

I had a feeling. I loved Joe's vibe
I gotta make a point to go over and see him

Shop's currently open noon to 6 pm on weekdays:  mwbicycles.info/

He has a wealth of information and has great shop rates on repairs. 

Edited by June Bug
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11 hours ago, Trailrider said:

I'm done with using Shimano's thin grease on their derailleur clutches. Been using a thick grease for about a year now and the clutch just works better for a longer maint interval.

I had no idea this was a thing you could do.  My strategy has always been to just gradually increase the tension over time.  Thanks!

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14 hours ago, June Bug said:

Have to remember there's only one chain ring up front, though. 

You'll get used to it. Then you'll love it but not really realize it until you get back on a 2X or 3X drivetrain and you have to "think" about shifting. 

1X is still the best "innovation" to come out of recent MTB tech. 

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16 hours ago, June Bug said:

The set up is now 2008 (?) titanium Fly Team mountain bike from Bikes Direct, original 29er wheelset (old-school quick release skewers) with narrow commuter tires, MRP rigid carbon fork,  Surly Terminal Bar handle bars, original cranks/bottom bracket and new drive train from Box One.  All good. Great for commuting + rail trail/bike path/gravel road, credit card touring. 

Picture please!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I made a derailer hanger alignment tool cheap. Here's how you can make one too:

1" punched square tube, 36" long $15.52 at Home Depot 887480030372

M10-1.0 x 60 mm bolt $3.90 at Home Depot 570032

M10-1.0 nuts X2, $0.65 each 598980

10mm or 3/8" washers. I used five. use whatever you want as spacers.

for less than $30, you can make two of these and give one to a friend, because the 1" punched square tube is twice as long as you need.

the process is simple:

  1. cut the square tube to half its length. 18" is more than enough.
  2. drill out two holes at one end of the tube for the 10mm bolt. the 3/8" holes are a tiny bit too small for it. a 25/64" drill bit or 13/32" should do it.
  3. slip a washer onto the bolt and slide the bolt into the widened hole.
  4. slide some washers/ spacers onto the bolt until the non-threaded part (if the bolt you chose has a non-threaded segment) is covered
  5. thread on a nut until snug. thread on a second nut and tighten it against the first one. this is just like setting up the cone nut/ lock nut on a bicycle axle. get it tight enough that the bolt can rotate inside the tube, but with minimal play.

291571387_ScreenShot2021-06-04at8_48_35AM.thumb.png.3289cc6bbcee24812639a24a9111e4c6.png

Now you have a functioning DIY DAG tool, but at about 1/5 the cost. follow the basic instructions for the DAG tool, but use a ruler held perpendicular to the tool to get the hanger within 1/8" or alignment.

206617092_ScreenShot2021-06-04at8_48_24AM.thumb.png.bbf17c605a4bfa0d4082eece64d7921c.png

possible improvements:

  • if you can find a way to thread the bolt into the hanger with a larger, hand-friendly interface, that would be ideal. right now, my plan is to use a wrench on the bolt head. not a big deal but it would make it more ergonomic.
  • "hold a ruler perpendicular to the tube" is not precision! it will get you closer than just guessing, but if someone can think of a way to attach a metal item to this that would allow it to slide and be fixed in place as a reference point, that would be ideal. I'm open to suggestions.

If this design works, feel free to make it for yourself! I will keep improving the design and, if there's demand from people who don't want to bother, I'll make them and sell them for a little more than what the parts cost me. the Park tool costs a lot more and is currently out of stock. I would not trust this in an actual bike shop, but you can use this at home and throw it in your car when you drive to a ride for emergency fixes.

*bonus info* you should probably check most new derailer hangers for alignment when you install them. on some frames with precision machined hangers, this might not be needed. but on older and cheaper bikes with flimsy hangers, installing a new hanger after you bend the old does one does not guarantee that the new one will be anywhere near straight enough to support adequate shifting.

Edited by mack_turtle
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3 minutes ago, WLemke said:

@mack_turtle Very cool!

similar to the DAG, I bet you could pick up a metal rod that fits snuggly in the holes. Throw a rubber o-ring on each side and you’d have a built in measuring device instead of using a ruler. 

I thought about that, but the holes are too far apart to make them line up with the rim that your are using as a reference point. the measuring tool needs to have more adjustment along the tool.

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9 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

I thought about that, but the holes are too far apart to make them line up with the rim that your are using as a reference point. the measuring tool needs to have more adjustment along the tool.

Not necessary this exact item, but something similar to this. You could screw the clamp down to exactly where you want it on the square rod, and then screw down the measuring rod to hold it in place.

Bracket Clamp

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27 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

"hold a ruler perpendicular to the tube" is not precision! it will get you closer than just guessing, but if someone can think of a way to attach a metal item to this that would allow it to slide and be fixed in place as a reference point, that would be ideal. I'm open to suggestions.

The perfect clamp is the best idea. But if you don't find it: 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-3-8-in-x-72-in-Zinc-Steel-Punched-Flat-Bar-with-1-16-in-Thick-802077/204225774

With some bending work, you could make a square shape which just fits around the DAG, and can be tightened up by two tabs using the threaded rod reference. The you can place it wherever. 

Quick, crude sketch: 

image.png.f56273fb2914be272b2ea295cab30fe4.png

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anyone know how wide a tire i can run on Flow EX (older) 27.5 rims?   Stan's site has "max tire pressure for 2.7."  I'm guessing that's it.  my Banshee Spitfire frame and fox 34 will take a 2.7."  is that the latest goodness?  I think i've got 2.5 DHR's on it now.

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there's no actual maximum tire width (within reason) that you can use on any rim. of course, a 5" fat bike wide tire on a 15mm wide road rim would cause problems, but a 2.8" tire is not going to blow off a Flow rim. it might not provide optimal handling and feel, but it will work. what's the inner width of that rim? the original Flows were, what, 25 or 26mm wide inside?

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anyone know how wide a tire i can run on Flow EX (older) 27.5 rims?   Stan's site has "max tire pressure for 2.7."  I'm guessing that's it.  my Banshee Spitfire frame and fox 34 will take a 2.7."  is that the latest goodness?  I think i've got 2.5 DHR's on it now.

Google tells me the IW is 25.5mm on the EX rim. 2.3-2.4” tires would give you an ideal tread profile. 2.5” would be fine. Anything bigger is going to give you a lot sidewall flex while cornering.

I’d personally run a 2.4 up front and a 2.3in the rear. That would give you a good balance between traction, rolling resistance and sidewall support.


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7 minutes ago, WLemke said:


Google tells me the IW is 25.5mm on the EX rim. 2.3-2.4” tires would give you an ideal tread profile. 2.5” would be fine. Anything bigger is going to give you a lot sidewall flex while cornering.

I’d personally run a 2.4 up front and a 2.3in the rear. That would give you a good balance between traction, rolling resistance and sidewall support.


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And I would go bigger if you want to run a tire insert. I run 2.5-2.6 on similar ID rims all day, no problems. Now that I have inserts in that wheelsets I am around 16psi and all is good.

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SS/geo experts, can I turn my 135 QR SS bike into 12x142 by changing to from 135mm to 142mm paragon-style sliders?  Obviously wheels/hubs too.  Also, I see Paragon no longer sells the sliders.  I see a few options but maybe this is incentive for me to finish setting up my milling attachment to my tabletop lathe and modify my current ones.

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