I’m currently working on a Mojo HD – XT cassette, XTR mech, SLX triple chainset, KMC chain, Fulcrum Red Metal wheels.
All very lovely, set up properly (in theory) and everything seems to work. However, when it’s in the very top of the cassette (11t) the tolerances look REALLY tight – indeed, the chain appears to have worn the top of the lacquer off the carbon. Doesn’t seem right to me.
Rubbish phone pics;


Damage to lacquer

So what do you reckon? Is it a case of California specific bike design (some pretty daft tolerances elsewhere on the frame I thought)
Is something to cock? – I know the likes of Intense have a bit of a rep for wonky frames but know very little about Ibis.
Or – perhaps more likely – am I being a bit of a spud – setup wrong? Nothing’s actually wrong with it?

Any help/ insight appreciated.

Merci

It’s the extra width of the gold anodising on the chain 😉

My faith in LBS mechanics has just been restored 🙂

have you got another wheel you can try ?

I’ll have a look at mine when i get home and let you know what its like on mine.

Is it a 10spd chain?

Is there some sort of spacer behind the cassette?

I also thought there was an issue with some wheels (Crank Bros possibly?) that caused the cassette to be too far out.

Too many spacers behind the BB?

It’s not rubbing by the cassette, only by as the angle changes.

Might just be the photo, but that tyre looks hellish close to the chainstay too. Is the whole wheel in squint?

Also running an xtr mech and xt cassette (10sp, but single ring up front) on my HD and mines very similar though not quite as bad. It’s a common issue and there’s lots written about it on the ibis section at mtbr.

Plastic spoke saver fouling the cassette stopping it locating properly, or 9spd chain on 10spd cassette…

I had a set of Fulcrum rims and I sold them on for exactly this reason, they came up very tight in exactly the same place on a Marin. Less clearance than the wheels they replaced. Check with another brand.. ?

Druidh, the tyres are pretty tight on these, I copter taped the chain and seat stays at exactly these points to stop mud being dragged round by the tyre and damaging the carbon…

142 adaptors on wheels the wrong way round? (dunno if this is possible with Fulcrum it is with Hope’s)

My hd is exactly the same. Fwiw mine hasnt actually worn anything significant on the frame in the year ive owned it despite being tighter than a nats chuff.

Edit: just looked at the photos again and maybe mines not quite as tight as that, but its pretty tight

Have you got the correct spacers in the BB?

Can you take more pics?

is it the same drop-out/stay design as this maxxle one?

if so, certainly looks to be a stupid design with too little clearance.

TBC removing a 2,5mm drive side BB spacer will make next to **** all difference to a frame with such poor chainstay clearance.

I’d be re-spacing my hub end caps for acceptable clearance

I have found the pattern on the plates of kmc chains rubs on the roller of my blackspire stinger making peddling feel gritty. Changed back to xt problem solved.

The tyre in the first photo looks closer to the ds stay than it is to the nds stay. Is the hub wrong?

Cheers for the responses everyone – I’ve checked over a few things.
The chain is definitely a proper 10sp one – interesting comment on KMC chain though – I’ve got a SRAM one lying around so I could see if that makes any difference at all.
BB spacing is 2 spacers on the drive side, 1 on NDS – I’m told this is what Ibis recommend but I’m not 100% on that.
Tried with a few different rear wheels and it’s the same story.

Checked tyre clearances though, and there’s definitely more clearance on NDS than DS. More rubbish pics;

The tip of my little finger fits in the gap here;

And here I can fit my whole finger in;

Certainly looks a bit odd to me. Maxle dropouts, so not really possible to have the wheel in squint. Could the rear triangle itself be to cock in any way? I believe the owner of the bike has already ordered a new one from 2Pure, so maybe that will do the job.

Any further thoughts?

Thanks very much.

My money is on the hub being spaced wrong. I don’t think carbon frames/swingarms can really be misaligned as they are layed up in a mould rather than welded in a jig. If one is out a whole load will be out and that is unlikely as the moulds are so expensive and measured extensively. This is why evil made the undead out of carbon, there is less opportunity for error.

Unless of course one/both of the removable dropouts is bent. That would offset the wheel in the frame.

Had a similar problem with my titus and raceface cranks I moved a 1mm spacer on the crank axle from drive to non drive side and that rectified the problem.

Ok, one last bump.

Just had a look at the seatstays and there is about 1mm of clearance to the seat tube on the drive side vs 3mm of clearance on non drive side. I know there’s some asymmetrical bits elsewhere but is that normal? Could it be to do with bearings/ linkage being in a bit wonky or something?
Might be contributing to overall wonkiness somewhat?
Still not been able to get hold of 2Pure yet so if you lot have any further input that might help…

Cheers y’all

Have you looked on the Ibis forum over on MTBR?

Looked at my sl last night. XTR cassette sram hollowpin chain and superstar leggera hub.2.2 conti x king tyres. A lot more clearance than that. I reckon the whole rear swingarm is out of cock.

Looking at fulcrums site are the adapters swappable? ie ds to nds? If you put wheel in wrong way round does it still sit to one side?

I’m running Sram 10sp cassette and chain, mavic 2012 ST’s and have more clearance than that, more than enough in fact.

I have just checked mine and although a little tight, I don’t have the same rubbing issue you have – I have checked the swing arm vs. seat tube and the clearance on each side is the same…

So I would say your swing arm if off centre? Therefore I can only think that maybe the bearings on the linkages are not seated properly or the linkages are actually bent/twisted?

For info: I am running a Sram Cassette & Chain – I also have the Crank Brothers wheels which require the spacer behind the cassette to stop the hub fouling the cassette.

I think its got to be the wheel…if it was the swingarm, surely the wheel would move with it. There’s no way there would be that much deflection if the bearings weren’t seated right, especially with chunky stays like the HD’s.
Like Druidh and Rickmeister have said above, it could be a spoke protector/spacer too. I’ve seen that problem on Mavic Crossmax’s.

My HD has more clearance than that (Hope Pro II Evo hub) so something’s amiss…

If it was the swing arm he wouldn’t have the offset tyre issue the tyre would align with the centre of the swingarm.

Put the wheel in the wrong way round and see if the tyre is offset to the NDS. If it is this will prove that the problem is in the hub, probably the spacers. Try swapping the spacers around.

If the top linkage on the drive side was ‘pulling’ in towards the seat tube could it not effect the whole of that side, i.e. wheel clearance & chain clearance – we are only talking a few mm at the top and even less down at the chain end?

are you sure its not just a sticker?