Bearing list https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11915712/Hub%20bearing%20list%200810.pdf

For bearings but from here http://www.akbearings.co.uk/default.asp

and other bits from superstar

You’re asking for option without an anchor but I presume you’re locking to something very very secure as without that you’re wasting your time, I know of metal work bench legs being cut through to remove bikes so a proper anchor is essential

Almax and Pragmasis (security for bikes) are the only chain and locks I know of that are virtually unbreakable, 13mm is probably best compromise between security and practicality (bigger chains risk damaging bikes) http://securityforbikes.com/proddetail.php?prod=P13-x.x-SS50CS&cat=14

CM and Smorg are both great tubeless IME

I’m using a BBB Powerhead http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bbb-powerhead-compressor-adjuster-bap03/rp-prod29884

It’s on an aluminium steerer though as the stem and star nut where slipping, it is torqued up super ******* tight and has solved the stem slipping and apears well made but can’t comment on it’s use with a carbon steerer

Looks like Rockshox 0w30 is Maxima Ultra 0w30 ester synthetic motorbike engine oil, same bottle…

Rockshox http://www.artscyclery.com/descpage-RSPO1L.html

Maxima http://www.racefx.co.uk/product-details.asp?Submenu=1&Depth=1&productID=4846&CatID=112&ParentID=111

Excellent :D Rockshox are using engine oil instead of damper fluid to lube the lowers. I’ve been using it in the lowers of my Reba’s for ages and it does make them feel smoother/plusher. I got onto it after seeing the enduro fork seal website recommending it and bods on MTBR doing far too much testing and proving it was fine and lubed better. Get fully synthetic and avoid extended life stuff, Mobil 1 is the best and I got 0w40 New Life from halfords http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_218746_langId_-1_categoryId_165581

Oil viscosity explained…

Most oils on the shelves today are “Multigrades”, which simply means that the oil falls into 2 viscosity grades (i.e. 10w-40 etc)

Multigrades were first developed some 50 years ago to avoid the old routine of using a thinner oil in winter and a thicker oil in summer.

In a 10w-40 for example the 10w bit (W = winter, not weight or watt or anything else for that matter) simply means that the oil must have a certain maximum viscosity/flow at low temperature. The lower the “W” number the better the oil’s cold temperature/cold start performance.

The 40 in a 10w-40 simply means that the oil must fall within certain viscosity limits at 100°C. This is a fixed limit and all oils that end in 40 must achieve these limits. Once again the lower the number, the thinner the oil: a 30 oil is thinner than a 40 oil at 100°C etc. Your handbook will specify whether a 30, 40 or 50 etc is required.

The Mudhugger front is pretty obviously Mucky Nutz inspired, or looks that way, but made from much thicker moulded plastic, possibly slightly less clearance as a result.

I’ve found the XL fine in the Peak with a RS Rev and 2.5 Minion DHF, but then there’s not much claggy mud. I holed one on my singlespeed at a quagmire Mayhem though in the space of six or seven muddy laps. I guess it depends somewhat on the type of mud

My tyre would jam solid with a mudhugger, my fork is a 2006 or 2007 Reba made for tiny XC tyres…so I put a 2.4 Chunky Monkey in :D The guard is to protect the fork brace from being worn away as much as it is to keep me clean :lol:

The seals are more important unless they are full ceramic rather than hybrid. SKF, FAG, INA etc have great seals so last longer than cheap bearings and if muck gets in ceramic hybrid then the steel races wear. I guess SKF ceramic would be the answer but god knows how expensive they are

There is sod all clearance between my fork brace and nearly too big tyre so proper mucky nutz only lasted one ride before they got ripped apart. The one I made out of 1mm polycarbonate has lasted 6 months with just scratches, if they made them out of stronger plastic I wouldn’t need to make my own but then they would sell fewer. For fairness the original lasted ages with a smaller tyre and more clearance and they are great.

Most grease gets too thick and sticky when it’s freezing cold hence the reason to use gear oil

Anything really, as above just don’t use too much to stop the pawls from engaging. I actually find a good squirt of float fluid is just as good and the re-engagement feels crisper.

This…but then float fluid is gear oil which is good stuff to use.

Yes they are the shizzle, mine stays on all year. Fit a crud catcher and rear guard when it’s wet but be prepared to get a load of e-abuse for not being rad and having the brown stripe of gnar on your arse

Gorilla tape for me too

I’m using Finish Line Fiber grip which has tiny beads in it with an aluminium post in a carbon frame to stop it slipping, it works and the anodising and frame aren’t wearing but it doesn’t last that long as the beads get crushed. When it runs out I’ll get motorex carbon grease which works by chemically increasing friction rather than mechanically. Also as carbon is a conductor galvanic corrosion still occurs so you need this stuff to stop the seat post seizing especially with droppers that are moved less frequently, don’t use normal grease though.

3M 8671HS Polyurethane Protective Tape

Proper 3M 8671HS stuff is best, 100mmx3M will do a whole bike and comes out at £43. Could try to find it cheaper on fleabay but you know you’re getting genuine 3M tape from the above. If you don’t think you’ll be able to apply it well then probably worth getting a shop to do it who are good at it

Loctite 222

Loctite 222 Low strength, general purpose Threadlocker, Breakaway torque 6Nm

Your benefits:
?Ideal for low-strength threadlocking of adjusting screws, countersunk head screws and set screws
?Good on low strength metals which could break during disassembly, e.g. aluminium or brass

Technical Data:
?Maximum thread size: Up to M36
?Strength: Low
?Breakaway torque M10 bolts: 6Nm
?Fixture time steel: 15 min.
?Fixture time brass: 8 min.
?Fixture time stainless steel: 360 min.
?Service temperature range: -55°C – +150°C
?Pack sizes: 10ml, 50ml, 250ml

Rigid singlespeeds.

Lol, how very STW

Excessive cleaning/hosing of any bearings will get crud in them but it will get in anyway so you need to maintain them. Pop the seals off and fill them with waterproof marine grease (search “Morris K99” on ebay) and also put a layer of grease on the outside of the bearing to catch the crud before it gets in the bearing but this will need cleaning and replacing regularly otherwise it will be counter productive. When they are knackered replace them with good quality bearings which have much better seals (e.g SKF, INA, FAG, EZO etc)

Nice one Ollie :tup:

What LEDs are in the X2 lights you’ve got?

nealy fair enough in your opinion, but to counteract that i had one wet 30 mile ride on sunday in the peak district grit/wet/mud/sand and my organic pads still looked the same as before, and there was plenty of braking involved

and they have been in for over a month already, and done very similar rides in that last month with no ‘major’ wear

im only 11stone though so whether that makes a difference i dont know

im not saying they will outlast sintered by any stretch in winter, but if they are bedded in properly and get close enough to longevity of sintered then id sacrifice that for silence any day!

Are you saying I’m fat :lol:

To give a bit more info, about 1 1/2 years ago I went up to Rivi for the first time in the wet with almost new organic pads that probably weren’t bedded in properly in Avid Elxirs that were dragging badly due to them being Avid Elixirs and they lasted 2 hours before they were so worn down the pistons locked out. At the time I was 13.5 stone (now down to 11.5 \o/) but the dragging brakes were no doubt the main reason they wore out so quick. Since then I’ve been using sintered from Superstar and Uberbike and got SLX brakes a year ago so don’t have dragging brakes anymore. The sintered were howling like a banshee over summer so I stuck the original Shimano organic pads in which were great and quiet but didn’t see the point in destroying them in the wet so got the Race Matrix pads which perform the same and fingers crossed will last well.

Sounds like you’re getting good life from organics if they are lasting that long in the Peak District, bedding them in properly does make the pads harder but still impressive.

Nealy means these ones I think:

http://www.uberbikecomponents.com/category/426/View-all-Race-Matrix-Disc-Brake-Pads-here

FWIW I threw 2 sets in the bin after a day in the half in the alps, as they were shit, hopelessly inconsistent (when they were good, they were good, mind, but they varied in performance from stop to stop) But ymmv.

Yep those. Since bedding them in properly AND bleeding them properly as they were quite soft they have been great. Very similar in feel and performance to organic so progressive, smooth, quiet and powerful and mine have been totally consistent. Off for a 3 day jolly in Wales in a couple of weeks so that will give them a proper test but been round Saddleworth/Dove Stones and Rivi with them in so they have had a bit of work.

Organics are a mistake in winter IMO as they won’t last one wet, gritty, long ride. If the Race Matrix last a few months then I’ll be happy

Are they saying you need to sand the discs for every new set of pads or only if you have that problem?

Definitely if you’re changing pad compound and as you need to bed in all new pads it’s prob best doing it if swapping like for like.

daveR – Organic pads don’t last 5 minutes in winter, stick with sintered or take a punt on Uberbike race matrix which are “mega” now they’re bedded in properly with properly bled SLX brakes (not that the brake brand matters)

It’s the discs not the pads. You need to clean off pads with both disc cleaner and emery paper to get back to a completely clean braking surface. Bed your pads in again and it will go.

Worked for me

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Tech-Tuesday-Silence-That-Squeaky-Disc-Brake-2011.html

This +1

I had a bit of a search on bedding in brakes and you need to start with new rotors or sandpaper and clean them then bed them in properly which requires the pads and rotors being hot and then many repeated hard brakings without coming to a complete stop. Once you’ve got an even layer of pad material on the rotors it will continue to build up the more you use them although I’m not entirely sure how it will hold up to some wet gritty rides!If the pad material is not even spread around the rotors they will make a noise.

Saying that I don’t like Superstar/Uberbike or any other sintered pads as although they are long lasting I don’t like the feel of them and they are noisier. I’ve recently fitted Uberbike Race Matrix pads which feel and sound like organic but are meant to last longer than kevlar and nearly as long as sintered, took a fair bit to bed them in but they are great now.

Waterproof marine stern grease is best, search on ebay for “Morris K99” and buy the cheapest 500g tub which will last for every.

The problem with trying to combine the batteries with the case are twofold:
1) Batteries aren’t from the same shop as the case
2) Royal Mail wont deliver the batteries (from the group buyer to individuals).

Just to do the group buy on the battery box and order the cells individually from fasttech…sorted.

have a look at the last post (at time of me typing!!) here

http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/battery-thread-2013-a-834295-9.html#post10081585

I’ve emailed the guy posting and am having a battery pack off him for £12 – I’m not sure how many more he may have

Is that the Solarstorm battery box? Looks like it is just the box without any cells in it. They do look good though and a great way of ensuring you’ve got good cells in your pack which can be individually charged to balance them and replaced if any fail, tempted myself.

http://www.rxsport.co.uk/products/Fogtech-Advanced-Instant-Anti%252dFog-Bottle-%252d-30ml.html

The Tactic rims do seem pretty decent on paper but they need to buy a new set of scales as my AM490 wheels were 170g over the claimed weight (not a huge deal as cheap and heavy anyway) and I often see other rims, hubs and wheels weighing heavier than stated. I’d definitely consider the Tactic rims on my next wheels as I’ve gone off the idea of Pacenti TL28 rims as they seem very very prone to denting and I like to run low pressures.

What I really want is a set of American Classic Wide Lightning but they won’t be cheap and don’t come in 26″

Northwind: mostly I’m using putoline motorbike chain wax now on TJ’s recommendation- and it’s brilliant. Chain looks a little dirty, as the grease is black, but it’s fairly low stick and it lasts better than anything else I’ve used. Extra faff to apply but not that much over time since you apply it much less often. And the tin seems like I might be able to hand it down to my grandchildren.

My dad told me the best motorbike chain lube was the tin of melted wax stuff but never tried it as had an o-ring chain without a split link.

Roughly how many wet muddy rides and hose downs does it last? I’ve started alternating two chains to spread the wear and save the cogs so the tin of melted wax wouldn’t be a big hassle really.

Uberbike or Superstar sintered work all year round although I’ve gone off sintered as they feel hard and can be noisy. I put the original Shimano organic pads in over summer which felt great and were quiet but they won’t last one ride in winter so I’ve just fitted Uberbike Race Matrix which are progressive, strong and feel/sound nice like organic but by all accounts last very nearly as long as sintered in gritty muddy conditions. Happy with them so far so hopefully they last long enough

Rock n Roll Extreme all year round. Doesn’t turn into a horrible black sticky mess and keeps the chain lubed as long as anything else I’ve tried on all day muddy rides. You need to apply it as stated but then a quick hose and scrub with plain water before relubing is all that’s ever required in winter and in summer it lasts a few rides then you can just wipe with a rag before reapplying

^ I’ve got the same X-Tool one and it’s great, it pushes pins out of KMC chains with no bother and the handle unscrews to make it pack easier plus there’s a spare pin in the handle not that I’ve needed it

Yep, it’s fine. All mine are hung by alternating wheels to save space using BBB Parkinglots. The bikes hung by the front wheels get their fork wiper seals lubed which is a bonus. Never had a problem with brakes although if there is air in the lever I suppose it could make its way into the hose.

5,000km on my Switch hubs with original freehub and it’s still fine if a little chewed up by the cassette. Bearings were replaced after about 1,000km with EZO and are still smooth

Use ammonia, google it

thanks folks,
Nealy; are the batteries that come with the 2 kits you specified rubbish? is that why you suggest getting a magicshine battery too?

Yes. In my experience the batteries that come with bike lights from China (DX, eBay etc) are rubbish and have very small capacity. I only got about 1 1/2 hours out two 4×18650 packs linked together with a 3xT6 LEDs light but that 6 cell Magicshine pack lasts at least 3 hours and I’m yet to ride long enough for it to run out as I only got it in March. Genuine Magicshine lights are more expensive than they used to be and might not have the latest LEDs but they are very good. Also the guy who is behind http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/ sells decent lights and seems to have sourced good battery packs.

The latest and most efficient (brightest per amp) LED is XM-L2 so try to get that. Next best is XM-L U2 then XM-L T6

Skyblustu – maybe this? http://www.magicshine.co.uk/accessories/complete-uk-charger-mj-6012uk.html

This battery http://www.magicshine.co.uk/batteries/rear-bicycle-light-max-85lm-mj-818-5.html

With one of these lights (with the new superduper XM-L2 LEDs) http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S021882 or http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S021404

…or this 7 x XM-L2 if you’re feeling stupid http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022241

Topeak Hexus II

I’ve got a couple of the Raleigh RSP Astrum lights which are the same as the On One Phaart dual half watt lights, they are brilliant to the point of being offensive on group rides. Whichever you get put some silicone grease or Vaseline on the rubber seal to make it more waterproof although I did this once a couple of years ago which has now wore off and the lights haven’t played up after many long wet 2012 rides

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart_bleep_dual_05_watt_led_rear_light

Pacenti TL28 rims on superstar switch or Tesla hubs with big tyres, sorted.

^ That +1 on all counts, my motivation for pedalling hard is to get back for to the brewery for beer and chips