Definitely Tech Lite brake levers. My first trade show purchase as a shop rat at Interbike (East) in Philadelphia PA. Maybe 1993?

On a lighter note, it’s hard not to see that model without hearing Banky from Chasing Amy screaming “Your mother’s a tracer!”

Sadly there’s little more USA! than an entirely gun-themed model naming scheme.

No UDH? Not looking to go electric but it’s hard to argue with widespread (think road trip or overseas holiday) replacement hanger availability and drivetrain future-proofing. Otherwise awfully tempting.

Re: pads
After a pandemic-induced purchase of Trickstuff pads for my M8120 XTs, I’ll say there’s a difference (which makes me wonder how much of the Trickstuff magic could be down to pad compound). So much so that I ordered up another set to have on hand. And at the risk of tempting fate, I’m not experiencing Shimano’s trademark wandering bite point with Trickstuff 2mm rotors.

YMMV

“To those that say ‘they are all motorbikes’ that’s like saying a Tesla is the same as a mobility scooter.”
Hyperbole fight!

Also Superboost frames.

Those ME5s are fantastic. I’ve been running a set for over a year now and have zero complaints for ‘trail’ riding. So riding, walking, dabbing, etc. Not bro, not too pro: just a good honest trail shoe.

After riding the XT & XTR 12s and seeing a little of the SLX, I’d suggest that route if at all possible- the shifter ergonomics are (for me) a big step up and the derailleurs are lower profile and seem better made at any given level. You can combo with an Eagle cassette if needed, but SLX or XT cassette is generally going to be cheaper. The design of XD just makes the cassettes expensive: GX runs about double what SLX does, leaving more than enough for most Micro Spline drivers (if available for your wheels).

XX1/X01 cranks are significantly lighter than XTR/XT, but I’m back to metal after my 10st of rage killed a Canadian carbon set.

That nuts ‘Alps Epic Trail’ all the way down to Filisur from the top of the Jakobshorn is phenomenal.

Funny- I saw IMBA on the Davos website and given their rock-hating, machine-building, ‘flow’-fetishizing reputation over here immediately wrote it off. But if it’s more natural-style riding than PdS, you absolutely have my attention 🙂

Thanks all,
I did attend an event in Lenzerheide maybe six or seven years back and it was pretty but didn’t seem to have the endless opportunities of the Portes du Soleil.

I’ll look at St. Moritz and Davos too- the wife and I spent a night at the tail end of our honeymoon and loved our short time there. May need to consider any flack I could catch for returning on my own 😉

Does anyone have any go/no-go bike hotel recommendations? Don’t need much, primarily meals and a secure lockup for the bikes.

@Crimson,
That’s a current (as far as I know) Niner RDO thru-axle/tapered 29er fork. I had a bolt-thru RockShox axle so threw that on in place of the stock (and strip-prone) Maxle Lite that came with the fork. There’s some self-amalgamating tape at the crown to hold the brake hose on the disc side and to cover the red logo (which really stuck out) on the drive side.

Hey Shandcycles and Tang!

Sorry to be late to the party. It is my bike and as I own Lindarets and work for Wolf Tooth it’s got a lot of our bits on it. I wanted a gravelmonster that would allow some gravel touring on 29x2ish tyres and maybe a suspension fork. Here we go:

The high points (weird stuff):
[*]Ritchey P-29er frame (medium to get top tube length right while playing with the idea)
[/*][*]Niner RDO fork with all of the spacers
[/*][*]Shimano Ultegra-level STIs
[/*][*]Shimano SLX calipers for the adjustable hose banjo (road are fixed-exit and don’t play well with the seatstay routing)
[/*][*]Wolf Tooth Tanpan to allow shifting with a mountain derailleur
[/*][*]M8000 XT rear derailleur with…
[/*][*]Wolf Tooth WolfCage to shifts better and improve chain wrap on 10- and 11-46 cassettes if fitted (and it was already on the derailleur)
[/*][*]Generic carbon rims on XD-driver DT Swiss 1501 hubs
[/*][*]SRAM XX1 cassette with Wolf Tooth GCX44 for a bit more range
[/*][*]Clearance Rotor Rex 110bcd mountain crankset because it was a great deal and pairs perfectly with the…
[/*][*]Wolf Tooth 110bcd x 40t oval chainring[/*]

Other:
[*]Giant carbon post because it was long and flexy enough
[/*][*]Ancient Elite Ciussi(?) cages because they’re black
[/*][*]GT Grade OEM flare bars because they were in the workshop (and feel really good)
[/*][*]Stan’s Raven tires because they’re terrifying for proper mountain biking
[/*][*]Prototype Bedrock Bags seat pack
[/*][*]Exposure flare rear daytime running light[/*]

I’m really happy with the ride overall. Would like a more function-specific frame but has been a great way to get my feet wet. I don’t care much for the rigid fork on technical terrain, but on smoother singletrack or long mixed-terrain rides it’s a blast. Better for loose gravel than my “allroad” bike but unsurprisingly slower on tarmac.

Vondally,
The gearing is just about right- the 4:1 high gear and tall tires put it in the neighborhood of a a 46:11 with a 23c tire and (spinning at 90rpm) is good for 7-31mph. Would probably go lower for touring but it’s only seeing day use now.

As far as colo(u)r charts go, I’m in love with the Prussian Blue…

Marc

Sorry- Labo(u)r Day holiday over here so was out on the trail most of the day 😀

I’m glad that the GoatLink has helped! The skipping you felt at the bottom of the cassette was almost certainly due to insufficient engagement- the cause being the funky hanger and exacerbated by the additional B-tension required by the oversized cassette.

While the GoatLink will help bring things back towards stock, you’re still unwrapped a fair bit relative to what one would expect with a conforming hanger and 11-36t cassette. (If anyone wants to get into the weeds: stock is ~140 degrees engagement in the 11t and as photographed it looks like you’re closer to 110 degrees (chain entering around 8:15, leaving at 12:00).) If you spend most of your time in the top half of the range things will likely be fine. On the other hand, if you spend a lot of time in higher gears (commuting, riding to/from trails, or just being a badass), you’ll probably see faster drivetrain wear (cassette wear and chain stretching)- something you’ll want to keep an eye on and probably be proactive about replacing chains.

Also, as the top jockey wheel moves away from the cogs, shifting won’t be as crisp as it could/should be in high gears- but that’s less noticeable than you’d feel with fresh cables and housing.

Ultimately, it looks to be a solid improvement- but I hope that the manufacturer comes through for you with a conforming hanger/dropout. There’s enough going on there that a custom dropout won’t be inexpensive- the machinist be starting from a fairly thick plate, machining from both sides, and using some uncommon (in the US) taps. An alternative would be to file a few mm off of the GoatLink where it contacts the B-stop. The GoatLink is pretty stout- just try to stay square to the mounting face and keep the file aimed at the center of the mounting bolt. Good luck!

Marc

As someone who’s spent a bunch of time with stock and tweaked derailleurs (and the guy who designed the GoatLink), I’m going to say that (as others have suggested) the hanger looks way off. Here’s Shimano’s specification:

The b-tab looks to be quite a good 10-15 degrees further clockwise from where it should be, which will muck with the derailleur position, reducing chain wrap and impacting shifting. Shimano DM rear derailleurs (with a DM link) aren’t really adjustable there, so any weirdness is amplified. Have Production Privee been responsive to any messages?

Mouldy,

Thanks for your interest! If 18 Bikes don’t have the IS-II in stock (you might want to reach out to Si), then a direct order would be your best bet in the short term. We’ve just (press release today) licensed our library to Wolf Tooth Components, who will be handling manufacturing and distribution going forward. Once that settles, we should have much better UK availability, including all ReMounts, Boostinators, and some new stuff that we’re really excited to share.

Benny,

Thanks for your interest! Our UK distributor[/url] isn’t carrying the Boostinator at the moment, so your best options are to purchase direct or through our Swiss distributor (Ruchti Bicycle[/url]).

We haven’t seen any editorial reviews yet, but there are a handful of testimonials on MTBR and Ibis are using them to Boost their house-brand wheelsets: http://reviews.mtbr.com/ibis-mojo-hd3-plus-sized-rear-end-retrofit-how-to/3 Of course we think that they’re awesome, but we would 😉

If you ever want to join me for 3peaks, I’m sure I can put you up for a few nights.

Ooh- tempting! That would mean getting in much better shape though 😕

3 peaks? Big range 1x and cheap clutch mech. I didn’t get on with SRAM cx1

Absolutely! If we were only big enough to justify the trip over as a marketing expense. 3 Peaks is exactly the sort of thing we had in mind- and it’s on the ‘before I die’ list for sure.

Marc

Am I correct in thinking that it would need to be used with an 11speed MTB cassette and not an 11 speed road cassette?

Notmyrealname,

The Shimano/SRAM 10s mountain and road cog pitch is the same and while some published numbers disagree we’ve been told by Shimano and SRAM that the 11s pitches are identical or effectively so- meaning that the Tanpan will work on either.

That said, there aren’t many 11-36t and larger road cassettes for either 10s or 11s, so we expect that most will be on mountain cassettes.

And yes- the clutch mech/Shimano hydro combination is ace 😀

Marc

oxym0r0n,

No idea whether it works with a road or mtb cassette though? I thought these were’t interchangeable on 10 speed?

Thanks for your interest! The Shimano/SRAM 10s mountain and road cog pitch is the same and while some published numbers disagree we’ve been told by Shimano and SRAM that the 11s pitches are identical or effectively so- meaning that the Tanpan will work on either

That said, there aren’t many 11-36t and larger road cassettes for either 10s or 11s, so we expect that most will be on mountain cassettes.

Marc

All,

Thanks for the suggestions- and we’re thrilled to announce that 18 Bikes in Hope is now stocking Lindarets products!

Candodavid,

Ace- thanks for the pointer!

Marc

Thanks Happybiker! We’d love to get UK distribution set up- if anyone knows anyone established with other brands, we ought to chat…