Any mountain bikers??

[Mark Reccord]

So, I went to my LBS and picked up a SRAM Type 2 clutch derailleur and after installing it I can only wonder why it took so long to come up with this idea. For those of you that don't know, a clutch derailleur has a roller bearing clutch in the spring assembly for the cage that keeps tension on it and keeps it from bouncing around on rough terrain. It also has a button so you can push the cage forward and lock it, leaving slack in the chain, which makes it really easy to pop the wheel on and off and to install/remove the chain.

I didn't realize how noisy the chain was on my bike until I installed this thing. There is no chain noise any more. The loudest noise my bike makes now is the shifter cable housing vibrating against the frame. Unreal.

I'm also stoked about the 1x10 setup. Running a 32t ring up front and 12-36 in the back. Still have the front derailleur on there for now as a chain retention device but I'm going to change it to an e13 XCX upper guide. Don't need the lower guide with this derailleur. 32-36 is about equivalent to 3rd gear with the 22-32 granny/largest cog combo I had running 2x10. Pretty easy to spin on most terrain. Probably going to be tough on some of the really tech climbs, but I'm hoping it will force me to get stronger and carry more momentum through the rough stuff.

From this morning: On frozen pond!

[bassteban]

Yeah, that clutch is something I've been watching- the 1x is also cool

Edit: OK, on iPad now, can express myself...
Mark, does your bikes chain length change much? I'm wondering if that would have any affect on the clutch. I'd certainly like it if I ever gear up my carbon hard tail, but Im also wondering how it would do on my old Gemini, which I believe has a substantial amount of chain growth, being a pretty long-travel(140/150mm)single-pivot.

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Yeah, that clutch is something I've been watching- the 1x is also cool

Edit: OK, on iPad now, can express myself...
Mark, does your bikes chain length change much? I'm wondering if that would have any affect on the clutch. I'd certainly like it if I ever gear up my carbon hard tail, but Im also wondering how it would do on my old Gemini, which I believe has a substantial amount of chain growth, being a pretty long-travel(140/150mm)single-pivot.

My bike does exhibit a good bit of chain growth. The chain is a full link longer at maximum suspension compression. I didn't notice any issues today but it was my first ride with it and I didn't get into anything really hairy. I did ride some very chewed up and hard as rock snow at high speed and all I noticed was the sweet sweet silence. Just went out to my carhole and checked the handy O-ring on my shock and it looks like it got to about 80% compression at least once this morning. Downshifts seemed a tiny bit slower than with a regular mech but I probably don't have it fully dialed yet. I'll keep you posted.

I know they're using them successfully on DH rigs and lots of those have big time chain growth so I figure it's probably ok.

[MakiSupaStar]

I'm loving all these pictures of bikes in the snow.

[iamdenialNJ]

shuttle-run 1-13-13

[MakiSupaStar]

^Damn. That looks insane. Is that slippery? I've never ridden in snow.

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

^Damn. That looks insane. Is that slippery? I've never ridden in snow.

If the snow is dry and not too packed the grip is actually ok. Btw there are studded tires for mountain bikes.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Duke21

If the snow is dry and not too packed the grip is actually ok. Btw there are studded tires for mountain bikes.

I really didn't need to know that. Now I want some.

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by Duke21

If the snow is dry and not too packed the grip is actually ok. Btw there are studded tires for mountain bikes.

We had 70+cm of snow last Friday after which it warmed up to a couple of degrees above freezing for a few days. A bunch of local riders "groomed" one of the local trails by compacting the snow with snowshoes. It froze up on Tuesday and when I rode it Wednesday morning you definitely could have ridden it without studs. I'd recommend them for riding on frozen ponds though.

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

I really didn't need to know that. Now I want some.

If you look closely at the pic of my bike on the pond you can see the studs in my tires. You can see them better in this one:



You can make your own with stainless steel screws and duct tape but it's time consuming but they had better grip than factory ones until these came along:

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_ti...ice_spiker_pro

They're pretty expensive ($100ea or so) but they're ridiculously good. They make a frozen pond feel like a dry trail.

[fokof]

Originally Posted by Mark Reccord

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_ti...ice_spiker_pro

They're pretty expensive ($100ea or so) but they're ridiculously good. They make a frozen pond feel like a dry trail.

I received mine and went to try them on a hockey rink , I was unable to fall ...... serious !
I had Conti's before (Made by Nokian) , they had about half the knobs of the Schwalbe , these Spiker are incredible !!
And @ 930g each , not that bad for the amount of traction.

Can't wait next week , I'll go try them on trails on my new bike

[iamdenialNJ]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

^Damn. That looks insane. Is that slippery? I've never ridden in snow.

It was in certain spots but that's cause it was icy. If you rode in a straight line (kinda like in mud) it wasn't bad at all. The snow covered rocks so it made the trail less rocky. I kinda liked it!

[Electricblue]

Anybody know what fluid to use when bleeding a Magura HS33? I'm looking for a thinner substance than the Magura Blood mineral oil to get a more responsive feel from the brake.

People say water but I don't like the idea. Plus it would freeze at lower temperatures and I wouldn't want to bleed it before next winter. It's not been bled since I bought it in2009 (I think)

Can anybody shed some light? Bearing in mind I want my brake to last a long time

[bassteban]

Water seems wrong- I'm thinking * hello, rust*... I'll ask at my LBS today, although wise old* Mark Reccord will likely chime in w/pertinent personal experience before I get back.

*Yes, one can be younger than I AND still *old*

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by Electricblue

Anybody know what fluid to use when bleeding a Magura HS33? I'm looking for a thinner substance than the Magura Blood mineral oil to get a more responsive feel from the brake.

People say water but I don't like the idea. Plus it would freeze at lower temperatures and I wouldn't want to bleed it before next winter. It's not been bled since I bought it in2009 (I think)

Can anybody shed some light? Bearing in mind I want my brake to last a long time

Originally Posted by bassteban

Water seems wrong- I'm thinking * hello, rust*... I'll ask at my LBS today, although wise old* Mark Reccord will likely chime in w/pertinent personal experience before I get back.

*Yes, one can be younger than I AND still *old*

Not this time. This is way out of my league. I had no idea there was even a such thing as a hydraulic rim brake.

Definitely not water, though. I'd be inclined to think that there are limited other things you can put in them other than the oil they were designed around. Have you asked the question on the Magura forum? They seem to be pretty responsive.

Personally, I think mineral oil is an excellent fluid for hydraulic brakes. I had a set of Shimano hydros that used mineral oil. I used them for 5 years and never had to bleed them once. Can't say that about any other brake I've owned. The oil doesn't break down the same way that DOT fluid does.

[bassteban]

Trials guys use hydro rim brakes, and theres at least one trials forum

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Trials guys use hydro rim brakes, and theres at least one trials forum

I did a little digging because work's boring and it intrigued me:

Apparently Magura makes more hydraulic rim brakes than any of their disc ones.

Electricblue: At least 2 people from Magura regularly post on mtbr.com, so maybe asking the question on the brake forum over there might yield some answers. How old is the fluid you have in there now?

[Electricblue]

Originally Posted by Mark Reccord

I did a little digging because work's boring and it intrigued me:

Apparently Magura makes more hydraulic rim brakes than any of their disc ones.

Electricblue: At least 2 people from Magura regularly post on mtbr.com, so maybe asking the question on the brake forum over there might yield some answers. How old is the fluid you have in there now?

I've searched a LOT of forums but they all seem to recommend water and Magura guys would recommend the proper fluid. I don't trust the forum people to be honest. One guy said he's using WD40 in his, even though it's pretty much made of bubbles.....

The fluid's been in there since early 2010, not been changed at all

I think I'm looking for these factors, unless I'm missing something:

1. Won't compress noticably.
2. Won't ruin the seals in the brake.
3. Won't freeze or change much with temperature.
4. Runny.

[iamdenialNJ]

Poaching with Orlando Bloom on Groundhog's day. 2/2/2013

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

Poaching with Orlando Bloom on Groundhog's day. 2/2/2013

Very very cool!
Btw, where is the snow?

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Trials guys use hydro rim brakes, and theres at least one trials forum

Still using rim brakes?