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@Andrew Is the chain line argument really relevant anymore for rear hub spacing? Bike designers have managed to build bikes with short chainstays, front derailers, 142mm spacing and decent chainlines.  I can’t quite believe that they couldn’t do the same with current 1x, long chainstay bikes. Quite a few bikes can actually be run with non-boost chainrings, so the problem seems a bit artificial.

On the other hand, it’s a buyers market right now and pissing of customers with yet another incompatible standard with questionable benefits might not be quite the winning move.

„you get old because you get slow.“

I’m not so sure about that.

I’m not at that age yet, but I’ve seen quite a few people who used to be fast or very good at their sport but thought they could keep going the same pace as in their youth. Far too often they would blow themselves up. Sometimes so badly they had to give up the sport. My takeaway is that knowing my limits becomes ever more important as I get older.

I’m not entirely sure if I’m more impressed or perturbed by Andrew’s casual ways of writing about bikes as if they were girlfriends. 

Anyway, great looking grips! 

And a quick question for the push-on grip aficionados: Do you know of a good, medium thickness option that isn’t extra-long and is available in fire-engine red?

Awesome video, thank you!

There is an entire video series about alpine safety and rescue by the same narrator.  Voice in German but with pretty good English subtitles:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVvDUrPM_IwXszYlX8miFPS7KVPg2-2d6&feature=shared

I’ve seen too many sidewall tears that plugs can’t fix to ever ride without a tube. 

That view may be colored a lot by the types of rocks one is likely to encounter.

I'd think that assumption is correct. Stanchions are just tubes of uniform thickness which can be made en masse to very precise tolerances. Lowers are cast and then pressed together with the bushings. Both processes are much harder to do to precise tolerances.

I'd be more worried about alignment, both on the side of the crown and the casting side.

[Edit:] Here is the thread on MTBR with all answers. TL:DR: Keith says its not as easy as just changing dropouts and keeping everything else the same. Someone else made a prototype with Banshees help, but unknown what compromises that entails.

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/udh-dropouts.1216402/

Good point. I didn't think of the pressing process potentially introducing distortion.

Most suspension tuners and even some service shops offer burnishing of bushings. For the invidual, that is probably the much cheaper option when added to a regular service.

From what i observe both among amateurs and among pro racers, anything from 25mm to 30mm works perfectly fine with modern 2.3-2.5” tyres. Above 30mm, some tyres (e.g. Michelin) start to become very square and some people dislike that.

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

Lyrik from me to me. With love.

Hah, same here! It came with a little extra TLC from the tuning shop, adapted for my weight and riding style.

How are you folks getting along with the limited selection of springs for the Z1 coil? I was tempted to buy one but would have ended up right between two of the four total available spring rates.

It’s a process. My riding style and locations have changed a bit over the past few years and tire choice has adapted. Now I look for threads/compounds that work reliably and predictably in a wide variety of conditions and temperatures. 

Right now for me that’s a Magic Mary ultra soft on the front and a Conti Krypto Rear on the back wheel. 

Price doesn’t really play a role because I don’t go through tires all that fast. Origin is more important. Which is why I ran Hutchinson Griffus (made in France) for a while. Good tires but better for firm rather than loose conditions.

Sadly, the current crop of Schwalbe tyres are quite heavy for their strength. In terms of real, on scale, weights.

The trail casings are in the same weight range as the Conti DH casings. 

They do roll fast for their level of grip, through.

Hm, tricky. The DHR 2.4 Exo is one of the lightest proper trail/enduro tyres around. Current gen Magic Marys aren't any lighter.

For large volume but light weight (~1000g) you could try the Hutchinson Griffus 2.5. Not so great in the mud but pretty good everywhere else. Rubber is somewhere between Maxxterra and Maxxgrip.

Posted by: tashi

This is good to hear, I'm running the Same Butchers front and rear, just did my first rotation, and am wondering about running the Eliminator out back to get a little more wear resistance.  The big casing on the 2.6 should give plenty of traction I'm guessing.

Surprised to hear that you consider the Eliminator for better wear. My Eliminiator T7 was a nice tyre but wore much faster than i would have liked. The tiny knobs in the three-across part of the pattern were gone super fast and with them a lot of the braking edges. I'd guess that the Butcher in the same compound lasts longer and rolls very similar.

I had one custom made by the dentist. Apparently many tooth injuries in sport are caused by the mouth slamming shut violently upon impact. A chin guard doesn't necessarily protect against that.

When riding i hardly notice it, doesn't affect breathing at all. Not cheap but so is dental work. Would heartily recommend.

Posted by: [email protected]

I simply use whatever makes sense for the ride plan.

I always have a water bottle on my bike because why not? Does anyone really notice the difference between a full and an empty water bottle on their bike?

On my back:

Shorter local rides (= most rides): minimalistic 1L Evoc hip pouch for tools, tube, pump, wallet, keys, phone, energy bar.

Medium length rides or unknown trails = Osprey Raptor 14 (still using the one I reviewed) for more water, food, layers.

All day big mountain adventures = big Camelbak Mule or Kudu pack with 3 L water and lots of food, layers, spares, first aid etc.

This! I don't get the trench warfare between "backpack riders" and "hipback riders". All packs have their place and using only one type for all my riding would be impractical.

PS: Seeing how many people use the EVOC packs with back protectors, i'm not surprised about complaints that backpacks are too hot. While the Evoc packs sit snugly and are well made, they are  by far the hottest packs i ever tried. And they are heavy, even unloaded.

Protection from wind is usually more important than isolation after sweating. Throw on a wind-resistant or windproof jacket once you get to the top.

Mesh underlayers are great in cool or cold temperatures. I found them to work much better than anything merino for wicking moisture away from skin. Wear the merino stuff over the mesh if you like.