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VelociBacon posted:Is it really necessary to practice an XC loop? I guess if you're riding anyways why not. As a kid I signed up for an XC race because I was already doing dual slalom and downhill at the same event and figured I'd go test the track a few hours before the race started and I came back basically as they were starting - whoops. It makes a huge difference to know the loop and specifically the obstacles. Even if it's mostly grass or smooth trails, knowing where you can carry speed and don't have to slow down is an enormous advantage. Not to mention if there are obstacles, knowing the lines can make up multiple positions at one time. I try to recon every course I can.
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Aug 12, 2021 01:51
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My normal ride is 6-8 miles of trail to all-mountain stuff so a 12 mile xc "race" sounds pretty fun even if I finished last just to learn how events and poo poo work. Hell someone might even dq or have a mechanical and then you beat someone! It'll also give you a good base time for next time. Race against yourself, not everyone else at first.
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Aug 12, 2021 04:23
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VelociBacon posted:Is it really necessary to practice an XC loop? It is when you're as slow and as heavy as I am. I've been to this trail like a dozen times this year but it sounds like they're reversing some sections for locals like me. The day prior they'll open the course up for practice rides though so it shouldn't be too bad.
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Aug 12, 2021 13:15
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(nearly) New bike day   After fearing I wasn't going to find a new bike until well into 2022, I happened to walk into my new local Trek store yesterday and found to my surprise that they had a Fuel EX 7 in my size, unclaimed. I test rode it and subsequently put a $500 deposit to hold it while we move some money around. I should be able to pick it up this weekend (when a ton of rain is expected, natch). I'm feeling odd trepidation coming from eleven years on a single speed steel hardtail with an 80mm fork and outdated geometry. Having had that experience, I know very well the minimum requirements for my local trails. And not to sound like a douche, but I frankly haul rear end on my single speed and it's an aggressive style that really suits me. Aside from a couple sections of local trails (parts of the black loop of Fountainhead for locals), it requires driving an hour north (Gambrill, the Shed) to get to anything really justifying a full suspension bike. But I am getting up there in years (44) and I feel I have earned some comfort and I do look forward to a completely new approach to my local trails. But I am worried about everything feeling slower (though it very well may not be the case). I plan on keeping the single speed since the frame cracked last year and was repaired professionally, thus utterly destroying its resale value. If I find I really like the Trek a lot, the Jabberwocky will likely be converted into a big BMX bike with cool cruiser riser bars and platform pedals. I sold a 26" BMX cruiser to help fund my purchase so it will be cool to still have a neighborhood cruiser in the stable. The Trek comes with a thirty day guarantee so if I hate it I can return it for a full refund, which helped solidify the decision. This will be a "five year" bike for me instead of an eleven year bike and I'll start stashing money each month to allow me to really splurge on a new bike for my 50th birthday. For now a "meager" $3,500 top budget dictated the ride of choice. me your dad fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Aug 12, 2021 |
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Aug 12, 2021 22:22
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Congrats! You can cheaply ($30) upgrade the rear hub for better engagement if you so desire. Just need a few pawls and springs.
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Aug 12, 2021 22:40
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Suburban Dad posted:Congrats! You can cheaply ($30) upgrade the rear hub for better engagement if you so desire. Just need a few pawls and springs. I found that out and I already requested them to do that modification! They had the parts in stock.
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Aug 12, 2021 22:55
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me your dad posted:I found that out and I already requested them to do that modification! They had the parts in stock. I did it, very worth it so good call. Congrats on the new bike.
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Aug 12, 2021 23:53
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Went into the shop in Big Sky to borrow their chainbreaker and the guy working the counter's eyes about popped out of his head. "WHOOOAAAAA, where did you find an Eagle chain?"  "I bought 3 last year when it was clear poo poo would be hitting the fan"Scooted myself over to the lift ticket window and find out the lift stops at loving 5. 
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Aug 12, 2021 23:54
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Any goon riders around Pierce or Kitsap counties in Washington? Just moved here a little over a year ago and don’t know the local trails at all. Thanks COVID!
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Aug 13, 2021 06:26
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That awkward moment when you realize that the shop that sold you a somewhat expensive bike made not one, but multiple mistakes during assembly. Having never ridden with a clutched RD before, I early on noticed the weird little lever on the RD - and that when I flipped it, the RD wanted to 'lock up'. Weird, I thought, being naive - that must be some sort of lockout position for working on the mech or something. And thus, left it how I received the bike, lever down, arm able to easily be moved about. 2 months, 1400km later, idly reading the blue book with regards to the tubeless conversion process - it notes that to remove the rear wheel, I'm going to want to turn OFF the clutch, which will make the rear mech easier to move. Wait, the thought occurs, it's SUPPOSED to be in that difficult-to-move state by default? Surely not! So off I go, to flip the switch, ride around the neighborhood, and notice how much more pleasant shifting feels. This does not inspire confidence, and I get to draft an awkward email to the shop today explaining my concerns. Upside: riding has gotten more pleasant on, quite literally, the flip of a switch.
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Aug 13, 2021 08:40
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Yeah my bike came like that too! Shimano XT derailleur and I've only had SRAM before so I just assumed the clutch was activated. The first few rides the chain was making so much noise slapping around and I finally looked up the manual and flipped that switch, now my bike is so nice and quiet.
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Aug 13, 2021 08:48
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Aphex- posted:Yeah my bike came like that too! Shimano XT derailleur and I've only had SRAM before so I just assumed the clutch was activated. The first few rides the chain was making so much noise slapping around and I finally looked up the manual and flipped that switch, now my bike is so nice and quiet. Yep, Shimano XT here too. My girlfriend has same model, different spec that came with a SRAM NX RD and when I first noticed that "Wow, flipping this switch makes the mech really tough to move" and I didn't want to *force* it - I checked her rear mech and since it moved kind of freely I used *that* as a baseline understanding of "Ok yeah - this is how things are supposed to feel", which is clearly not correct. Really inspires getting more and more tooling to just do as much work as possible myself. Though I start to wonder about the feasibility of that with regards to stuff like a press-fit bottom bracket.
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Aug 13, 2021 10:12
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You can’t really turn the clutch off on a SRAM RD, you can just lock it out for taking the wheel off and such. It’s a pretty small thing to miss w Shimano IMO and I wouldn’t necessarily read too much into it (the shop built your bike incorrectly). Should have been turned on, yes, but not enough to flip out on the shop IMO.
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Aug 13, 2021 12:53
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Cuntpunch posted:That awkward moment when you realize that the shop that sold you a somewhat expensive bike made not one, but multiple mistakes during assembly. I cannot imagine you can notice any appreciable difference in shifting with the clutch on or off. Emailing the shop because you never read the manual and don’t understand how a clutch works is pretty insane
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Aug 13, 2021 12:58
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To be honest if it was your first bike and they knew that they should have gone over that stuff with you Maybe that’s not the situation though I dunno
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Aug 13, 2021 13:29
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:I cannot imagine you can notice any appreciable difference in shifting with the clutch on or off. When the chain is slacker, you do notice. I only have one Shimano clutched RD, but that one does seem to vary on vs off more than my SRAM ones.
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Aug 13, 2021 14:17
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vikingstrike posted:You can’t really turn the clutch off on a SRAM RD, you can just lock it out for taking the wheel off and such. It’s a pretty small thing to miss w Shimano IMO and I wouldn’t necessarily read too much into it (the shop built your bike incorrectly). Should have been turned on, yes, but not enough to flip out on the shop IMO. Yup, SRAM has that cute little lockout button to hold slack - going to be super helpful when it comes time to change that chain. And not really flipping out on anyone, it was an awkward "Hey FYI - just wanted to let y'all know I found these issues, would kinda suck if other customers actually had this stuff develop into issues, have a nice day" email. They gonna find out somehow, why not try to ensure it's in a chill polite way. Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:I cannot imagine you can notice any appreciable difference in shifting with the clutch on or off. Excepting the fact that I've had some really rough shifts since adding that extra link of slack to the chain, which have also now gone away under identical conditions, sure. It's also pleasantly less noisy. And I'm sorry, Karen, I'll get right to reading the manuals for every component on the bike - because the bike's manual itself definitely doesn't cover this. Should I start ground up with the tire compounds and the spokes, or maybe interface-down with the grips and stem? Levitate posted:To be honest if it was your first bike and they knew that they should have gone over that stuff with you There's a lot of bits and bobs to go over, and I'd hardly expect them to go over most generalized service concerns like turning off the rear mech clutch, lever bleeding, or any such thing. Any more than a car dealership stopping to explicitly teach replacing a spark plug. Mostly a "right-and-tight at purchase, there's a service schedule in the manual - including some self-service like cleaning and lubricating the chain."
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Aug 13, 2021 14:24
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I personally don't think that's a huge deal. If you work on your bike even a little bit it's one of the things you needed to learn anyway. Check. What else did they do wrong that you alluded to?Cuntpunch posted:That awkward moment when you realize that the shop that sold you a somewhat expensive bike made not one, but multiple mistakes during assembly.
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Aug 13, 2021 14:45
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Suburban Dad posted:I personally don't think that's a huge deal. If you work on your bike even a little bit it's one of the things you needed to learn anyway. Check. What else did they do wrong that you alluded to? Noted later in the replies - they goofed on chain length - nothing critical - but definitely wrong. Given it was a link short - I chalked that up to an "Oops, using 1x11 measurements instead of the 1x12 measurement" mistake. But given my "bootstrapping my maintenance knowledge from near-zero" status, it just lends to a certain wariness and sense of just needing to put the bike up on the stand this weekend and do a full check of everything. Which is a kind of weird feeling for a relatively new bike.
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Aug 13, 2021 14:54
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Cuntpunch posted:Yup, SRAM has that cute little lockout button to hold slack - going to be super helpful when it comes time to change that chain. Nice meltdown because you can’t figure out a clutch. Should they teach you how to use the shifters too?
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Aug 13, 2021 14:56
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:Nice meltdown because you can’t figure out a clutch. Should they teach you how to use the shifters too? Generally pleasant replies all around barring, uh, your weird gently caress-off-newbie snobbery.
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Aug 13, 2021 14:58
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Cuntpunch posted:Generally pleasant replies all around barring, uh, your weird gently caress-off-newbie snobbery. Where’s the snobbery? You never asked the shop to give you a rundown of the bike, you never did any research of your own, and now your plan is to email them and call them out for not having the clutch on when you picked up the bike? It takes literally under 1 second to turn it on. Probably under 1 minute to post a picture and ask “hey, what’s this?” or find the answer yourself. The irony of you calling me a Karen when your plan is to send an email complaining about the most trivial of things is rich.
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Aug 13, 2021 15:08
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:Where’s the snobbery? Ok loser. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Aug 13, 2021 15:13
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Shifting will be worse with the clutch on. The benefit is not losing your chain and less chainslap.
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Aug 13, 2021 15:18
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Not turning on the clutch when delivering the built bike -- not a big goof but certainly confusing for someone new. Not sizing the chain right -- moderate, especially if it's within the range of preference on how it feels. What else did they get wrong? pinarello dogman posted:Shifting will be worse with the clutch on. For mechanical shifting, I think it's just how much force the shift paddle resists with, and having maybe different lever displacements at where the chain derails over to the new cog. On shifts to bigger cogs, of course. To smaller, shift quality might be different but won't feel different in the shifter.
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Aug 13, 2021 15:25
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kimbo305 posted:... Only difference I notice is the upshift resistance, but I would argue that more resistance is worse. I basically adjust my clutch to have as much resistance as I can tolerate.
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Aug 13, 2021 15:30
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Cuntpunch posted:Noted later in the replies - they goofed on chain length - nothing critical - but definitely wrong. Given it was a link short - I chalked that up to an "Oops, using 1x11 measurements instead of the 1x12 measurement" mistake. I'm unclear on why you think the chain length is wrong. If you're having rough shifting with the clutch off because the chain is effectively longer maybe something else is wrong besides chain length. Cuntpunch posted:There's a lot of bits and bobs to go over, and I'd hardly expect them to go over most generalized service concerns like turning off the rear mech clutch, lever bleeding, or any such thing. Any more than a car dealership stopping to explicitly teach replacing a spark plug. Mostly a "right-and-tight at purchase, there's a service schedule in the manual - including some self-service like cleaning and lubricating the chain." If your expectation is not to hear all the details about the bike why are you going to email them about the clutch?
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Aug 13, 2021 16:14
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JUST MAKING CHILI posted:Any goon riders around Pierce or Kitsap counties in Washington? Just moved here a little over a year ago and don’t know the local trails at all. Thanks COVID! I’m in Seattle but I think I’ve been over to Bainbridge or Bremerton 4 times in the past 6 weeks for camping/road riding. I need to get out for more MTB now that RAGBRAI is done. I don’t know the trails over there but always happy to explore on the weekends if you want to DM me.
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Aug 13, 2021 16:33
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Cuntpunch posted:Ok loser. Please don't attack other posters who are trying to help you. Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:I cannot imagine you can notice any appreciable difference in shifting with the clutch on or off. On the other hand, this isn't the right way to respond to someone encountering a new feature they've never seen before.
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Aug 13, 2021 16:47
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:Where’s the snobbery?
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Aug 13, 2021 17:04
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Dren posted:I'm unclear on why you think the chain length is wrong. If you're having rough shifting with the clutch off because the chain is effectively longer maybe something else is wrong besides chain length. The bike would usually arrive from the manufacturer with the chain already installed. Unless it is a custom build by the shop they probably didn't touch the chain. Though plenty of stuff comes from the factory already messed up, so who knows.
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Aug 13, 2021 17:07
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He posted about the problem with the chain in the maintenance thread starting here: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3933901&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=46#post516735615 To sum up: * He got a new chain for unspecified reasons. He sized it using the instructions from the Shimano dealer's manual and got a result that was 4 links longer than the old chain he removed. He said there was some slack in the new chain when on big/big. * Tobin told him there shouldn't be any slack on big/big. He appears to have not taken this advice into consideration. * He destroyed his chain while trying to install it then got a new chain. We do not know how he sized the new chain. * With the new chain and the clutch off he says "Excepting the fact that I've had some really rough shifts since adding that extra link of slack to the chain, which have also now gone away under identical conditions, sure. It's also pleasantly less noisy." * He believes the shop messed up the original chain length by a link. To which I say, are you sure the shop sized your chain wrong by one link too many? cuz it sounds like if you took a link out your problems with rough shifting would go away.
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Aug 13, 2021 19:03
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I really thought there was going to be a post of one of you eating complete poo poo. In good news the AQI was below 100 for the first time in weeks in Denver. Breathing is cool.
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Aug 13, 2021 19:19
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Car Hater posted:"WHOOOAAAAA, where did you find an Eagle chain?"  
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Aug 13, 2021 19:32
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Beans Bullets Bandages Bike Parts
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Aug 13, 2021 19:49
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Screws tho
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Aug 13, 2021 19:55
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Dang, I'm glad people weren't as lovely to me when I first got in to biking as some of y'all are being to this poster. Most shops suck rear end. Not enough data to know if the shop you shopped at sucks rear end or not, but I can empathize with the frustration of having things be 'not dialed in' on a new bike. Learning to work on your own poo poo is cool and good anyway.
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Aug 13, 2021 20:04
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bicievino posted:Most shops suck rear end. My buddy stopped by yesterday after a shop put a new derailleur on for him last week. He went on 3 rides and said the shifting was getting worse and couldn't get into his two easiest gears on the last ride. It looks like they put a new cable in as well. Now cables stretch some and you need to give them a check after a bit...I pulled 2.5 inches of slack out of it. No wonder it wasn't shifting....
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Aug 13, 2021 20:21
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probably didn't snug down the pinch bolt enough and the cable slipped I guess?
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Aug 13, 2021 20:40
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bicievino posted:Dang, I'm glad people weren't as lovely to me when I first got in to biking as some of y'all are being to this poster. Basically this, but also bike shop people don't get paid a lot for the level of expertise they require. You're getting your bike built and worked on by someone who would earn a similar wage at McDonald's. That doesn't mean you should put up with lovely work, but maybe temper your expectation of premium customer service.
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Aug 13, 2021 20:48
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