I was going to say Conti Xling super sonic 2.0″. Race kings are prety good as well. Never tried the speed king.

Well I run a 34:16T single speed if that helps in suffolk. 34-11 seems fine to me on flatish ground.

I still ride a 2003 Evo2 and love it although all thats left of the orignal bike is the frame, stem and bars. Everything else broke or was upgraded. However the bit that Orange had built, the frame is brilliant and I will ride till the frame breaks, no sign of that yet though.

Oh that weightis with brass nipples to.

If the OP changes his mind after visting his LBS and looks to factory wheels please please look past the total weight of the wheels and think about the weight of the rim. Loosing weight at the rim, through a lighter rim, lighter tyres, lighter tubes and rim tape will be significantly more noticeable in the way the wheel/bike accelerates than any weight lost at the hub. Think about the ratio of rotational K.E and lateral K.E in a moving wheel.

The stans ooptions or the mavic 819’s are the best I can think of to. I don’t ride tubeless so I never have this worry.

I would also go with handbuilt. A customer came asking about the RS80’s and we chatted and he asked about handbuilt and we worked out a few different options. to start with the RC80 are 1530g but with skewers you can add 100g.

This has been already suggested, the venreable 32H 105 + open Pro is a good wheel set but built with Sapim race spokes DS rear and laser everywhere else (assuming that the OP is less than 85 kg kitted up) would be 1880g for the pair. With sapim race spokes front and both sides on the rear that weight would climnb to 1950g. Hardly light.

The rim is a good light one at 430g but changing the hub to Miche RC2 would drop 66g from either build. Using Ambrosia Zenith hub would drop at total of 146g over 105 hubs. 105 hubs ~630g and ~£65, miche rc2 564g and ~ £70, ambrosio zenith hubs 484g. All these weigths include skewers. So Ambrosio + sapim laser/race + opern pro would be 1800g total. The weight saving though is at the hub though but would only add £10 to the build.

The built that picks this customers ear up was with Stans Alpha 340 rims, 28H Miche RC2 (he liked the look of these hubs), sapim laser 3x front and sapim race DS 3x rear and spaim laser 3x NDS. This build would be 1600g including skewers. With Ambrosi zenith hubs you can shave another 80g of that but at the hub where it least useful.
This guy is 10stone though. Price wise the same as a pair of RC80’s.

The plastic saint bash ring I had for a few years must be one of the lighest being well plastic.

What do you mean by posh? there is hardly an accpeted definiation.

I doiubt it as to go from 82 mph to 100 mph will require 80% more power assuming Obree has the same drag coefficient and frontasl area as the rider in the 82 mph record.

His drag CdA value would have to be 0.0237 for this to succed whichout windtunnel testing it is impossible to know the cd value. A aero cowling would be needed to recuse the cd value down to about 0.14, if that where possible then the attempt might suceed. I am assuming a peak power output here of 1300W which is possible in very short sprints.

Well think of SLX a a ford Focus diesel. It does the job. XT is a focus TDI with all the options, it still does the job.

The anology fails as XT is a bit lighter but thats the main difference nut both function in the same way and have similar durability.
I cannot comment however one how SLX and XT brakes compare as I have never tried both. XT brakes a fab though.

If the chain ring teeth are pointy then replace. If the chain was changed at 0.75% wear (I recomend as chain checker like the KMC one) then the cassette will not need changing unless it is skipping. If the rings are worn then it probably worth replacing them. I have put new chains on old cassettes before with no problems at all so long as the chain is changed in time.

If fluid is on your pads you will need new pads too. Pop to an LBS and ask them for a bleed kit. Try a Giant dealer. However the cost of the bleed kit may be more than the cost of a bleed.

Well I am biased as I build wheels but I see noithing wrong with a eyeleted rim like the EN521 on XT hubs or hope with 32 Sapim Race spokes/brass nipples in a 3x pattern. It works well.

I would focus on getting the bike riding how you want it to , rather focus on reducing weight and end up with something you don’t want to ride.

I stock them, I only keep grade 25 or better in all sizes. I can’t be the only shop that does.
Ceramic balss are unneccisary and are very hard. I do not know how hard they are compared to the hub shell but I would suspect the balls are harder which may accelerate wear of the hub shell and cones. Although I have no experience of fitting cermanic balls in shimano or campag hubs and running them for a few years to know what the outcome would be.

I ran a Pt cruiser 2.0l on LPG for a 2 years and put 50,000 miles on it with gas. LPG is less dense than petrol so fuel ecomony will be 73% of the petrol fuel economy if it is set up right.

Lack of fuel stations is one drawback the other is the tank. Given the lack of fuel stations especially in East Anglia (you have to go out of your way here) you need a big tank. I had a 90l but becuase it LPG the most you could get into it was 70l giving about 400 miles range in that car. Given the number of miles I was covering that meant filling up twice a week and thats a long time holding that damm button and going out of my way to fill up. Given the size of the tank I needed a spare wheel well tank was ruled out so the tank was mounted in the boot reducing boot space.

If you live near a LPG station or commute on your way past one then LPG makes sense as you can get away with a small tank. If you don’t have one near you then you need a bigger tank. Also LPG eats through spark plugs at least it did on the Cruiser.

Also most systems on modern cars need the petrol tank to be kept and start on petrol.

I sold my Cruiser and bought a 1986 BMW 525e and lived with the mid 30’s mpg from that car instead. I now have 88 530i. No going back to LPG unless it is on an older car and I have the cash to install a sinple single point LPG system which can be started on LPG alone so the petrol system can be ripped out. Also I would need the cash to have the engine rebuilt with a high CR (static about 13:1) to make the most of LPG high octane rating. That would make sense but until then I ust stick with petrol and drive less.

Why not take him on trails with the bike as it is if its al working fine and get his options on what it like to ride. Get your son invovled in the changes so he becomes an proper MTBer.

Ball come in different grade. Shimano normally use grade 25 stainless. Go for those. Ebay balls could be grade 100 or 1000. I know the weldite balls are grade 1000 which have no place in a precision bearing. The lower the grade the rounder the ball is and the smoother it is. Hardness also changes a little I think.

That sheldon link is useful but the conclusions are not complete. I am not disputing their result I should point out, the results are correct I believe and for the test method. When a wheel is in use under acceleration the wheel sits at an angle while a torque is applied to the axle. This results in a lateral force opposite in direction to the lean which is a good thing or the bike would fall over. This load at the contact point between the road and tyre cause the rim to deflect. Now let us assume the lean is towards to the DS of the wheel. This means the rim is bent towards the NDS and this means the NDS spokes will reduce tension and the DS will increase in tension. (I think I have this right what I do know NDS spokes can go slack under acceleration). The result is in high power sprints the lateral load on the rear wheel can be high enough to cause the NDS spokes to go slack so only the DS spokes in the senario are holding the wheel together. After this point is reach rim deflection as function of load increases substantianlly. Low spoke tension would result in this point being reached sooner. So spoke tension does have an infulance on lateral stiffness.

The sheldon article is correct proabbly for the test method used that is not how a wheel is loaded in reality. Infact thinking about what was written that article did say lateral stiffness droped when spokes very nearly slack. That can happen in breakaways.

So high tension spokes do not increase wheel stiffness the delay the point at which wheel stiffness is lost. Other wise deep section rims, spoke diameter and bracing angle all affect wheel stiffness. Which is why on a rear wheel I won’t build with anything less than 2.0/1.8/2.0 spokes on the NDS.

What a lovely bike. Surely you don’t have to part with it. If you do I hope it finds a good home.

Also with a KMC Z82 or the Z510 chains being so cheap I don’t really worry about the wear issue.

I don’t go with recieved wisdom I try for myself and then judge what works best. I gave up on the BB tensioner method after several years as I fouind I had remove cranks and remove bolts and apply some grease/copperslip every three months or so I could then make the necessary tension adjustments that where needed without finding the bolts had siezied (Oh don’t blame pressure washing as I never did that). Moving the roller up did not work with the gearing I was using as the roller was running very close to the bash guard and I still required a daft half link. This regular unscrewing and torqing up eventually caused one of the threads for these bolts to wear and fail. Threads do wear and fail eventually with use.

The tensioner less solution with regualar application of rock n roll extreme chain lube sems to have solved these “issues” I used to have. The “downside” is every 6 months or so I spend a few pounds and change the chain. Hardly a biggie.

It works for more than short while I can assure you.

Rock n roll super for bearings. They runn butter smooth afterwards. Weldite grease is know for this problem. It cheap for a reason and is only good for greasing seatposts.

I think for £800 you could do alot worse than by picking up a second hand frame and then do a custom build. Bits like hubs, shifters, mechs and brakes can all be had second hand. The the hubs laced to some new rims and that way you can guarantee (if you use a good wheel builder) decent wheels and assemblke the bike or get you LBS to do it. Every sub £800 XC bike I have seen generally comes in with a complaint and upgrade are needed to rectify them. Anything from wheels that fail due to poor building or hubs that are knackered to headsets that have poor sealing.

I also don’t like/trust SRAM kit. One chap who came in had to have his X-5 mech replaced as the spring at the mounting pivot had failed.

If it can be narrower then the Geax Barro mmub is pretty good in the mud. I have the 1.7″ on one bike and they a a bit sketchy over loose surface oir rocks/stones but in the mud not much sticks to them. I have got used to the way they handle and have grown to like them.

On the point of chain stretch, they don’t chains wear. The load reequired to stretch a chain is way beyond what your legs can provide. On my converted bikes I change the chain at 0.75% wear which is what you should do anyway regarless of what drivetrain you use. If you do this then chain wear will not become an issue. I get a few hundred miles (no odo so I cannot tell exactly) before slack becomes an issue, I have found that is when the chain reaches 0.75% wear funnily enough. Change it at 0.75% wear and you will not have a problem on a tensioner less setup. Using a rensioner may allow to run the chain for longer but this leads to it own potential problems.

I have tried tensioners such as BB mounted one like the black spire picturted above and hanger mounted ones and with all I found chain wear caused issues with these too. The BB mounted one needed adjustment regularly which was a pain and the hanger mounted ones never worked well in muddy conditions. Tensioners work but they are not the only solution.

Oh with my tensioner less solution I have never had a chain jump of so it must a good solution.

You may or you may not it depends on the gearing you are running. If you get the ratio’s right you will find that magic gear that will a chain with a hlaf link or a tensioner and from that you can work out the other magic ratio’s.

A magic geared bike.

Another one

I’m too lazy to change tyres on any bike and while differeent tyres make a big difference to way a tyre feels I tend to stick to a tyre I trust. I now have several tyres I trust all have been fitted to different bikes but on ever to that bike. Every new bike gets a different tyre.

Custom build is the way to go. I will never buy a stock build bike as there is something on the spec of nearly every off the self bike that I would change.

KMC 10-93 is a good chain it what I use.

SRAM 10 speed chain do not have re usable master links.
KMC 10 speed chain have reusable master link.
Shimano 10 speed chain have that silly joining pin.

No 10 speed chain should be joined after being broken without whatever joining method that chain perscribes.

I run 34:16T on mine but I could run 38T:16T with a new chain with an extra 1″ added in. You can generally find a ratio that is suitable with vertical dropouts with no tensioner. It is just easier to setup with sliding dropouts but it is far from essential.

3rd option, verical dropouts an no tensioners. Just pick the right ratio’s. It is very doable and relaible.

Pick the right ratios and you won’t even need sliding dropouts or any for of tensioning device. That way you can run conventional Q/R skewers.

I have this set up on to bikes and it works well and good tension is maintained. After a few hundred miles of off road riding the chain will wear and need changing but this is the case with any bike. chain should be changed at 0.75% wear. The other advantage of this approach it is cheaper as less parts are needed.

Make sure you take care and de-gas the fulid in both syringes. Take some time over this as it really helps the bleed. Otherwise the bleed proceedure is pretty simple once you get your head around it.

I would go with Deore too. The only good brakes Avid make are they V’s and cable operated discs. Simple to bleed too for the home mechanic.

Damm good tyre. I am still using the Mountain kings 2.0″ base model from 2010 and it is a damm good tyre.

Sometimes, depends on the frame/wheels and some don’t specifiy any. There is a rider in WSW& tri club on some Dura ace wheels and he weighs ~120kg.

Fulcrum say check your wheels reguarly if yo are over 85kg and as an aside a Whyte 901 MTB has a rider weight limit of 105 kg and that a Alu alloy frame.

Pick the right cog sizes and you can run a vertical dropout frame without a tensioner. It’s not hard and any LBS shoul be able to do that.

Are you on a hardtail or full susser? When I ran 1×9 on a hard tail around Thetford I did it without a tensioner and never had a chain come off. I kind of depends on the type of riding you do as well.

On a full suspension bike however a guide/tensioner is probably more essential.

Shorter teeth sounds like a likely solution to the buzzing sound.