Wasabi. I get them in the local Spar when in the Alps. Awesome.

I was there this evening and all was good, despite the heavy downpours. No floods or major puddles to speak of. Going when it’s quiet is good for wildlife spotting beyond the ever present trailside crows and wood pigeons: I have seen a lovely roe buck, several other roe deer, a fox (on the trail running towards me) and a greater spotted woodpecker recently. Have fun.

Like doombrain, I spaced out my RF NW with 2mm spacers. I’ve not done this on my other bike, which is also running 1X10, as I use a normal 11-36 cassette. Both bikes use an XT triple with the NW ring in the middle position, but I found by spacing the T-Rex setup inwards it improved overall performance by centralising the chain into the gear range most used and also kept things quieter in the lower gears. By eye, 2mm seems to have moved things inwards by about one cog on the back. I would rather have a better chainline in the lower gears than in the higher ones as this is when I am more likely to be putting greater torque through the drivetrain.

That’s it, Alex. It brings simplicity, weight loss, fewer components to service/clean/go wrong. You can decide on the front ring in terms of what suits your local topography (I use 32T) and then run 11-40T out back. I find this covers everything locally (mainly Swinley), but also got on fine in the Alps. I love the simplicity and the fact that it just works. I was so pleased with the Trance I went 1X10 on my Anthem, albeit without the T-Rex, and it’s still a flying machine!

Cool. Give it a go. I’m loving the simplicity and functionality and don’t regret the change at all.

Thanks, Jules. I’ve now shortened the steerer and only run a very slim spacer beneath the stem. I still have the top cap, but removing that could be a useful option in the future. My stem is zero rise, so no point in flipping it. The bike rides really well, but it’s good to know I could weight the front end further by removing the headset top cap.

Here you go:

Hope this helps.

Once my kids are asleep I’ll nip into the garage and take a photo of the bike in tenth gear to show you.

In tenth gear the cage is fully relaxed and there is potential for chain slap, despite the clutch mech. This has not been an issue in practice as that gear is not in use on gnarly descents! This may be the slight price to pay for getting the chain long enough to cope with the setup, anyhow. I think I know what you mean about the chain, but this doesn’t happen. Overall, I’ve been really pleased. I took the bike to the Alps over Easter and the gear range and general performance was spot on. It was odd, but fun, to ski in the morning and ride in the afternoon… That’s what I call a holiday!

I use a Hope T-Rex with an XT cassette and a Zee FR mech on a Trance X and have no problems. As another thread currently running points out, chain length and B Screw adjustment seem critical, but I suffer no back pedalling issues and have found things to have got better with time as chain and cogs have worn in together. I did find an XT chain better than my KMC. Up front is a Raceface 32T NW ring.

I had this to start with. I had fitted a new chain. Also, the Hope 40T was new. Fine tuning the B screw and wearing all the components in together seemed to do the trick. The B screw was very sensitive indeed.

It looks like this.

Yes. Hope supplied a longer B screw, so no problems there.

My Zee mech (FR) runs with a 40t cog with no problem at all. I used it in the Alps and, with 32 up front, found the gearing fine.

Just got back from Swinley. Managed to crash on the way there and do a superman down the tarmac. Lucky for me no one saw… Moral of the story: avoid wet smooth red brick pavement edgings.

Anyway, the bike rode well, but did seem a little upright with the new forks. The front was not as planted (although conditions were wet) and a bit more vague on climbs. Half way around I lowered the stem by putting a spacer on top and this made an immediate and very noticeable positive difference. The bike felt like it did with 120s, but the added travel gave it a more plush feel, while still allowing it to climb well. A good compromise, I reckon, if it’s a compromise at all. Just wondering if I can now cut the stem shorter. Not too sure about the aesthetics of spacers on top of stems. Looks iffy, to me.

All the best,

Dom

140s fitted and look lovely. Off to Swinley tomorrow to try them out. I’ll let you know how the bike feels.

Sprocker – 120 feels ok around Swinley, but I was out in the Alps last week and I definitely felt the need for more travel and a slacker head angle on the long, steep descents. I just hope the bike will still climb well with 140s as it does so very well at the moment.

Many thanks for the useful replies. I’ll give it a go!

I bought my 16t from Rosebikes. Yes it took a few weeks to come, but it did arrive the same day as a new 40t-rex and a new chain, which was handy. I’d just order and wait.

Oakesy2001uk – yes, it works perfectly for me with a Zee mech. I tried a long cage mech, too, and there was no difference in shifting.

I’m running a Hope 40T cog on an XT 11-36 cassette with a Zee mech and having no problems at all. I ditched the 17T cog, but also removed the 15T and replaced it with a 16 to smooth out the ratios.

Going skiing in the Alps tomorrow, but the MTB is coming too…. Can’t wait!

I have now fitted an XT chain and ridden a fair few miles, and the setup is good. The Shimano chain definitely shifts better than the KMC one, which I have kept as an energy spare as it was pretty good and happens to be the right length. All in all I’m very pleased and think the T-Rex is a great addition to the whole 1X10 thing.

I use a Zee on a Trance X and it works fine with the T-Rex. I tried a long cage XT mech, and there was no difference in performance, so I stuck with the Zee.

Im running a KMC on my Shimano cassette and can’t help thinking/wondering if it doesn’t shift quite as well as the Shimano chain that was rendered too short by the fiitting of a Hope T-Rex. It is strong and shiny, though, and was a chunk cheaper than the XT chain equivalent.

Went this evening. Mostly open, apart from a couple of sections on the red and Stickler. It was dry enough, such that my bike was only dusty when I got in, which made a change….

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hope-trex-40t

Some thoughts here.

I started with Zee and Zee, but missed the ability of my XT shifter to dump more than gear aya time, so changed to a Saint. I find it very positive and am impressed. The Zee mech is great, too, and so small and out of the way. Shimano stuff just seems easy to fit and just works.

I also noticed today that after a ride everything is a bit smoother than it was on the stand last night when I fitted the components. Bearing in mind that that involved a new frame and two new cogs into the existing setup,then what I am hoping for is that once everything has bedded in together shifting might be fine across the entire range. I used a KMC X10 chain, but have a niggling doubt that an XT chain might be better. I’m going to try that next. All in all, I must say I’m pleased that the Zee mech works and think the 40T is a good idea. It didn’t really get much use at Swinley, but I know it will in the Alps…

Sweet

Just got in from Swinley. Gearing worked really well, except for where I have replaced the 16 with a15……? I can always put the 15 back in, I suppose.

Zee FR mech and Hope T-Rex work on my Trance X. Used the longer B screw and had no issues.

I have one ready to fit from 18 bikes, so they’re out there.

Yep – found it. It’s in good nick, too.

Think I’ve got one in the spares box that came with a frame I bought. I use Shimano cranksets, so I’d be happy to sell it.

I have them on my Anthem and they’re great. Dial them in how you like them, then ride.

Going to try mine with a Zee. If that works, GS should.

Andy – I’ve got an XT M770 triple for sale if you’re interested in the classifieds.

Try a shorter stem and wider bars and check your saddle fore/aft adjustment. Also, saddle height may have a bearing, I.e. Is it too high?

OK. This one:

http://www.rosebikes.fr/article/shimano-pignon-xt-cs-m771-10-10-vitesses-16-bl/aid:574089