Anybody know how many chain links it should be for an orange 5 with XT M8000 1×11?
32 front ring-11-42

Set it with the big to big plus 2 method and check the mech tension (will also depend on your chain ring, and not sure if the swing arms are all the same length

What angle should the RD cage be at when the chains on the 42t sprocket? I’ve let all the air out the rear shock and compressed it.

It should have some movement left in it, just needs to work across all the range.
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/chain-length-sizing#article-section-2

Pic here
Flikr driving me crazy!!!

Pretty sure the Five has 50mm of chain growth from effect of swing arm travel so following “big/big +2 links” will put rear mech under extreme stress – do you carry a spare?

De pressurise shock to allow you to fully compress and identify the maximal length and set it from there.

Your rear mech doesn’t look like it’s been fitted correctly!

Looks like it should be sitting lower on the hanger.

Cheers Dirtydog..
Sorted..stop wasn’t sitting on the rear of the mech hanger.

Can probably do with loosing another link..off to the shop to get a another chain pin!!

112 links looks ok on the 46T, but looks like it could do with being a little shorter on the 11T, the RD cage should be under some tension should it not to take up some chain slack?

110 looks a bit short on the 42T and doesn’t engage the top pulley wheel as much?
But looks better on the 11T

Photos taken with shock fully compressed

I’ve got a similar setup on my 2013 Five with the old SLX crank with a 32T Oval ring (48mm chain line) on an 11-42 XT rear cassette. I did the big-big + 2 then found there was too much slack on 11T and it was skipping so I took another link out and it’s been fine since. My mech (XT GS) doesn’t quite go as far as yours when in the 42T and fully compressed so I think you might need to add one link back in if you can. Although I doubt you’ll ever reach full travel in 1st gear.

Does your chain drop from the 42T at the back if you back pedal? I can do a quarter back-pedal ok, stop, do another quarter and I might get away with it but more often than not it’ll drop. I use a SRAM 11 speed chain on mine.

I’ve kept it at 112 links, 110 just seems to tight.
I can back pedal about 2 turns max until the chain drops off the 42t onto the 37t..

I asked orange and they said 108-110 links!

110 links looks much better to me. Bear in mind that there’ll be a lot more slack in the chain at half travel, let alone at the sag point and below, and you don’t have enough movement in the cage to take that up on the 11t with a 112 link chain. And looking at it from the other direction, how often are you going to use 160mm of travel when in your lowest gear? Even trials style wheelie drops won’t be done on the biggest sprocket.

And why do you need to back pedal two full turns?! 1/4 turn for ratcheting when climbing or changing foot position is all you need.

I’d doubt you’d be getting full travel whilst using the 42t TBH.

Chief, I’m never going to use 160mm of travel….

As i only have 150mm on the front and 140mm on the rear

I like to pedal backwards…its fun try it.

I blame that Strange Alpine thread! 😉

But my point still stands – when the loose flapping 112 link chain drops off on a descent you’ll see! At 0mm travel you’ll have the equivalent of 2 full links (4 pins) more chain slack for the mech to take up…

My plan is to see how it goes with the 112 links..if I do loose the chain then I’ll whip another link out.
I always carry my chain tool and spare pins in my camelbak, so if it is an issue I can sort it on the trail..

Crash test is spot on the chain growth is huge on a five and you can’t go big big + 2. You’ll have to suck it up and get a top chain device too because no matter how perfect you get that chain length even with a narrow wide you will still drop chains it just moves too much, it drove me crazy on my five.

There is a solution to chain growth on the 5. I’ve not tried it on a single ring setup, but it makes setting up the chain on my double and bash 2×9 setup a hell of a lot easier on the 5. The key is to use a lower chain guide. If you set this up so that it wraps more chain around the chainring when the suspension is uncompressed, and the lower part of the chain loop forms roughly a straight line through the guide when fully compressed, then chain growth is negligible.

After comparing my anthem derailleur positions (which works beautifully) I dropped another link today to 110.
Gear changes are perfect..

The back pedaling and dropping the chain off the 42 has improved.
But it can’t be avoided because of the chain line in that gear I believe..unless the chain is tighter than a tight thing..
Not that it really matters