Well, with everything taken apart the bearings in the hub shell seem fine but the bearings in the freehub (particularly the drive side) are stiff and squeaky. I would imagine it is these that are causing the issue. I will take it to the LBS for a second opinion and see what Hope say…

Bike is a Santa Cruz Superlight

Thanks Will, I will have a go by hand before contacting Hope. Great advice, thanks

Yes definitely the hub bearings. They barely spin in my hand and it got so bad on the last ride that the hub end caps are trying to rotate in the dropouts and wearing the end caps/ dropouts- not good for keeping QR tension either!

No pressure washer, just a brush and soapy water as I am not posh/ lucky enough to be able to avoid the extra elbow grease.

Sounds like bad luck then

My Shimano BB has lasted for roughly 2 years and is still going strong which is what makes me wonder if the rear hub bearing failure is a little premature…

No worries on the highjack dirtbiker100! I would love to know where to buy the best after market replacements too :D

Just average mud in South Wales :D

Following on from njee20;

– If you need a wide spread of ratios and don’t mind a jump between gears then go for XTR.
– If you don’t need a wide spread and like your ratios a little closer together then Dura-Ace is perfect off road.

I agree though that if you are going for 1×9/10 then a Dura-Ace may not be ideal due to the smaller spread.

I guess the message is stick to Shimano for cassettes :D

I would personally recommend a Dura-Ace cassette rather than either of these options. I have been getting on really well with mine (12-28)

Similar weight to the Recon but with the life of XTR. There are plenty of new/ barely used ones on ebay. If you read up on weightweenies you will notice that the life and shifting of the Recon probably isn’t a good investment although it initially looks tempting.

Really glad you mentioned J. Davies Ioum. I’m really glad to see him in the kind of form that originally got him called up tot the Wales squad.

It will be interesting to see how the Welsh backline fare against France and England as I don’t think they will brush aside the tackles so easily. Barrett looked good in defense and Rougerie seems to be in a good bit of form too- not small guys themselves. France in particular have properly speedy, cunning backs which could cause the big Welsh backs all sorts of problems.

Just a quick update:

I emailed Garmin and they have offered to replace the strap under warranty. Fingers crossed everything will be sorted!

Titec Pork Rinds are essentially the same profile super light weight grip but they actually have a good fit on the bars. Can’t fault them!

Horses are fine compared to the deep ruts MX’ers leave throughout the winter. Riding through knee deep ruts that are narrower than the pedals is just a no go when there is no other line choice on tight singletrack. More fun than riding a horse though I guess…

I have been religiously sticking to the 15 hour maintenance intervals so fingers crossed!

At first I was a little skeptical (especially having not touched my older Fox Forks for years) but when you think of the wear that chains/ cassettes/ chainrings/ etc go through in the winter mud it isn’t unreasonable to expect the same from your forks that collect a lot of mud. There’s plenty of videos on the web to help and it only takes 30mins or less to get everything cleaned and lubed up again.

Thurman Merman- are there decent XC routes in Longleat Forest?

Cardiff!

Awesome road and off road on your doorstep, plenty a decent bike shops, plenty of transport links to rides further afield (e.g. Cwm Carn), great bike club in Caerphilly and a damn cool city with everything you could ever need…

Downsides? “it’s in Wales” is not acceptable :D

Chris is a damned talented rider it has to be said.

I remember watching him suicide no hand a 20ft drop near Cheddar over and over again, never quite happy it was 100% perfect- looking blimmin’ smooth to me!

Shame he has never made more of his talents on the bike :? (as in got the recognition he deserves)

Any links to cheap compatible Polar straps? …As I am a little lazy today :)

I’m thinking a new strap may be the cure and it’s somewhat good to know that this seems to be a common problem

I always wet the strap in the right place. Interference shouldn’t be a problem as it happens in the middle of nowhere.

If Garmin can’t sort it I think I’d just get the plastic strap…

The sc superlight is a fantastically balanced little bike- I love mine! Bob isn’t an issue as some suggest- the basic shock is more than fine :)

I am 5’9 and ride a medium with a 16mm layback post and 110mm stem. I would have thought a medium should be fine but best try one if you can. Enjoy!

Ah ha, so I’m only a semi-numpty :D

I like the look of Rotor cranks but am a bit put off by the fact you don’t see too many (or any actually!) around. XTR cranks are just such an easy choice

Hi guys, I’ve been getting a bit too involved in this thread but… :D

While the change in angle/ hand movement may be small the change in moment acting around the fork steerer centre as a result of changing bar width for the same force acting on the bars may be more noticeable. Just thinking out loud, may be talking pure BS! :D

Does Sram Red not use a different size BB like the MTB components then Lardlover? Shows how much I know! :D Sorry to be so useless turneround!

P.S. How do you guys like the Rotor cranks? They look like great weight/ value/ Q-factor and I have been strongly considering these for the MTB

As far as I know you can’t as Sram is a GXP fitting, correct?. The Rotor BB is the same size as a normal Shimano fit (i.e. different to Sram’sd GXP).

Someone will no doubt correct me if I am wrong

I bet in a poll of shoulder width vs. bar width on here you wouldn’t find much correlation. It would appear logical although selling shiny stuff to the MTB masses isn’t always about logic and function :D

As the others have said, the current trend (trend as in becomming the norm rather than new equipment design) is towards “Trail riding” or “OverbikedTrailMincing” as it is known as for the majority. People want to ride downhill and plod in between so look for (usually) long travel skill compensation on what are really ‘normal’ XC routes.

While this has it’s appeal I like to ride what used to be called a ‘mountainbike’ so go for the correct fit for pedalling and carefully choose frame geometry, stem length, etc to ensure handling is as I wish. Bikes are designed for riding after all! :D

The only things that matter regardless of all other factors is body position relative to pedals (correct biomechanics for pedalling) and body position relative to wheels (correct wieght distribution for handling characteristics). Frame design may mean a short stem is well suited but I don’t understand the fad of shorter and shorter stems regardless of all other factors such as geometry.

Enjoy the trails and see what works for you :D

Trend :D

Nowadays a 90mm stem is generally considered “long” :roll:

Get your saddle in the right position (correct position of hips relative to knees, relative to feet, pedals, etc) and then choose a stem based on the reach that feels comfortable.

Do not move the saddle around to get the reach right for a certain stem length. The saddle should never be moved to accomodate a preference in reach.

The arguement is that short stems and wide bars add control. I personally think it’s a bit of a fad but then I may be converted :D It very much depends on your body shape/ height/ etc and frame geometry. As I said, get the saddle in the right place then pick a stem length to get the reach correct.

/Boring post

It will have to be bloomin’ amazing for that money! I would have expected it to be cheaper also

Great, thanks for the help guys. I thought this was probably the solution but wanted to check I hadn’t missed something stupid first.

Ta! :D

The original pads were the ones that came stock on the R1’s. New pads are Formula too but I guess the new pads may be slightly thicker. It’s the only thing I can think would change and prevent new pads fitting.

Strange thing though that the front brake is fine and just the rear causing trouble :?

Not light but not super heavy either even for an average XC hardtail. Super light hardtails are around 1kg while super light full sus frames are around 1.8kg. Not many people on here ride anything like that though

As I said, same approach to rides as I would on the MTB. I can’t understand what you’d want to be changing as road bikes are much more all round machines than MTB’s. Conti Gatorskins or similar tough tyres are great no nonsense essentials IMO.

For me I am really liking Lusso Max Repel bib tights with 3/4 fleecy bibs underneath, merino socks and Endura overshoes to keep the feet toasty, an Endura FS260 hat under the helmet, windproof gloves, a couple of long sleeve layers on top with a windproof gilet or full waterproof jacket if appropriate and decent eyewear- nothing spectacular and no changes to the road bike either. I really don’t get roadies who whinge about winter! A quick wipe down of the road bike is all that is required even in the worst of winter and is a darn sight easier to maintain than a full sus MTB that looks like it’s been dragged through a bog after the first 60 seconds off-road :D

I think I have to agree with the last few MTFU comments- Road riding is a welcome, cleaner break from the MTB in winter. Certainly not a “grim experience”!

If you ride the MTB in Winter then just wear the same water proof stuff and take the the same care of your road bike as your MTB- it’s not rocket surgery! The only extra things are definitely lights and hi-viz stuff as previously mentioned.

The NHS info on a previous post is pretty good.

Bear in mind that nothing like this is “standard” and the expectations of you may well be very different to the expectations of someone who sits on their bum all day doing nothing.

Don’t rush anything and stick to the physiotherapy to give yourself the best chance of a good outcome. Some people may be fine in a few weeks while others have much longer term struggles. Don’t compare yourself to others and take it easy.

As TJ said, prepare for a long break and hopefully you’d then end up pleasantly surprised. No doubt you’ll come back stronger with more zest for biking :)

Best of luck and heal soon!

KMC!

I use an X9-SL which cost around £25 online. It is reliable, durable and super light- can’t ask for more.

SRAM amy have improved lately but I found they sretched very quickly and seemed to eat up cassettes. Similar for Shiamno but not to the same extent.

I’d also echo the rusting of Shimano and SRAM comments above regardless of how much love I gave them

Taking a step back here…

Why was “No Fare” unable to use logic and human reasoning if he indeed had a valid ticket. Why swear and act like a numpty? Would you not ask other passengers for help if you indeed believe the guards eyesight was suspect. Least of all act like an adult and a human about it. If you don’t have a ticket or money do the right thing and get off.

If I knew I was pushing my luck by not paying and got booted off like that then I wouldn’t be too uspet.

One way or another MTFU :D

In summary:

1) 10spd isn’t worth it for an easier gear- smoother cadence, yes, going double up front, yes.
2) 22-36 is daft be it 9 or 10 spd. It isn’t so different from 22-34 which is itself far too easy a gear. Climbing on any surface that is vaguely loose will result in loss of traction or climbing anything vaguely steep and technical will most likely have the front lifting. Granted these effects can be reduced by various means but 22-32 or preferably 22-28 should be practical for most people.

Just my 2 cents to reiterate what other have already said :D

Those spinning back kick things were lethal!

YSSFGDDLFLXHV6 for anyone else lurking :D

Happy Christmas!

I think the voice replicates that of some boring couch potatoes I’ve worked with… and also some roadies I’ve met come to think of it :D

Good post, it’s all true :D

“I feel more pain than giving birth to a 14 pound baby without an epidural”

“It is a great feeling to suffer this much, you should try it, I think you would enjoy yourself”

“I would rather be twice as fat as a biggest loser contestant than subject myself to that”

“So let me get this straight, to be a cyclist it requires that you shut off the part of your brain that provides you with all of your common sense…”
“That is correct”