Just a point, most of what I have read and been informed of by “informed” people in the industry is that straight pull have a distinct advantage when used on 29er wheels.

Not being one of the “informed” people you speak of, would you care to share the reason why?

When I worked for HSBC in Hong Kong we spent may a happy lunch hour going through the staff directory. Some of the highlights I remember were – Kontrol Kong, Hitler Wong, Spoon Poon, and wait for it… drumroll … Fanny Pong!

Crikey … $100k … that’s rather steep so how does average Joe or Sheila survive? Average income?

They own their own house, bought years ago when prices were about half, so don’t have to pay exhorbitant rents, or pay off a large mortgage like new arrivals…

What stuff to take etc etc

Warm & waterproof clothes, including non-slip/non-marking deck boots, sailing gloves (lots of rope handling on competant crew course), and sea sickness tabs if you suffer…

Some good info here – Previous living in Perth thread

I’m thinking opposite(damn those even numbers of spokes!) the valve would seem “right”, but what is “pro”?

In terms of wheel balance, the best place for the magnet is opposite the ‘heaviest’ part of the wheel. This is probably the valve as you say, but on some wheels the pinned rim joint opposite the valve is heavier, so just spin your wheel, see where it settles, and put the magnet opposite that.

You realise the new Saint is small cage only? 2013 saint is 1×10 exclusively 🙁

I did a three day tour with a well loaded Bob Yak (original) trailer and my FS Trance. The trailer certainly puts a lot of extra forces through the rear axle that I think would ruin any bike in time – and after that experience I wouldn’t put a trailer anywhere near anything expensive and carbon!

But the handling was way way better than my touring mates who had panniers on hardtails, and I really appreciated having my usual ride and the comfort of FS. And, if you’re going to tour with a FS there’s not many alternatives to attaching a trailer. One of my mates had the best solution, he borrowed his brother’s bike so he wouldn’t ruin his 😆

Thanks Timn34 – that sure is a good deal!

Unfortunately I need the 15mm thru-bolt front wheel version, and those are QR only 🙁

Links to cheap MT65’S please!

Got the same fork on my Trance. It’s a special size for Giant. Component manufacturers will often do a special size, colour, fitting for a big bike manufacturer who orders thousands of the thing!

I just follow the service guide for the 120 fork on the Fox site…

Interesting…. Anyone had experience of Shimano tubeless rims? I’m thinking of my first foray into the confusing world of tubeless, and my choice will likely be the new Shimano SLX level MT66 wheels.

Shimano list these as “Rim type: UST” and “UST tubeless compatible” so I’m hoping they’ll work perfectly with UST tyres, but anyone had experience with Shimano’s UST rims before? Thanks.

Great, thanks – that starting to make sense now!

Now can’t wait until the new MT66 wheels hit the stores 😀

Thanks guys – can’t help noticing the theme here is to “use the goo, daft not to”, but why is that?

Is it for puncture protection or to help the bead seat and seal? As I said, the first isn’t much of a reason for me, but the second could be. However, I thought ‘true’ UST rims & tyres weren’t supposed to need this – afterall we don’t run goo in our car tyres, and I don’t see many of them having burping problems!

I just that I don’t see the point of messing around with the sticky stuff if it isn’t necessary – but willing to be persuaded if someone can convince me of a real benefit…

you need the goo if you don’t want the first thorn that goes through the tyre to let all the air out

Good point, but where I ride I’ve never had a ‘normal’ puncture, only pinch flats, so I wouldn’t use goo just for puncture protection, only if its necessary to get the trye & valve to seal properly. Or are the UST tyres more prone to punctures for some reason?

A 28/40 double crank would probably give the best gear spread if I go up to a 36 cassette

You’d still need to use the granny & middle positions if converting a triple to a 40/28 double. It’s just not possible to fit anything smaller that a 32T ring in the middle position on Shimano 104 BCD cranks, the attaching bolts would be too close to the teeth, and foul the chain.

Would it be fair to say that folk generally use the granny and middle when ‘downgrading’ to a double?

Yes.

Sorry guys I forgot to add that I would probably want the big ring for speed.

And presumably you need the granny for getting up hills – this is a mountain bike we’re talking about isn’t it?

Which kinda begs the question – why are you thinking of converting to a double?

It’s a serious question. If you really need a 44/11 then best stay with a triple…

Step 1. Take big ring off
Step 2. Replace it with a bash ring like this
Step 3. Screw in ‘H’ screw on FD until it will no longer shift past middle chainring position
Step 4. There are no further steps, you have a double & bash and are ready to ride!

Optional bits: Once you’re happy that a double is for you, you can tweak things by shortening the chain a bit, try different chainring sizes, and consider a double specific FD.

Here’s a little taster of the kind of trails you find around Perth…

I moved to Perth with my wife and 3 year old daughter 4 years ago, but not from the UK so can’t make any direct comparisons.

Perth will certainly give you the relaxed lifestyle you seek, and is a very outdoorsy place. It’s a great place to bring up kids – safe and healthy, if a bit unexcitimg! The weather can be too hot in the height of summer, but for the rest of the year its wonderful for spending time outdoors camping, swimming, surfing, hiking, biking etc. etc.

The MTB scene is small compared to the UK, but growing very rapidly, and I’ve been hitting the trails every weekend for a year now, and still haven’t got bored!

The lifestyle is typical Ozzie suburban (think Neighbours!) and can be a bit parochial, but that all depends on whether you like to spend your time at the theatre & galleries, or at the beach & BBQ. The rest of Australia is a long flight away, but if you’re on a good salary then this isn’t a problem, and all the possibilities of Asia are on your doorstep.

The economy is currently booming in WA because of the resources industry, which has created a “two speed economy”. Meaning that if you work in mining or related industries you’ll be very well off, but for the rest of us its a bit of a double edged sword in that it forces rents, prices etc higher. Migrants in the medical profession used to have to do their time in rural communities before living in Perth, which is a whole different world, so better check how the current rules would apply to your wife.

Whether you’ll settle well in Perth or not will probably depend on your attitude more than anything else. They may speak English, but its still a foreign country with its own culture and way of doing things. In many ways its more like suburban America than England, but without the poverty & crime! And don’t forget you are the guest in their country – too many Brits come over with a superior attitude thinking they are ‘owed’ something, and quickly crash & burn.

If your life is at a natural crossroads, you’re looking for a change and a fresh start, and you’re willing to make the effort to fit in, then you should thrive. However, if you’re leaving behind a very strong network of friends and family, then you may not survive the transition period where you have to build up a totally new support network from scratch. Don’t worry about the kids, they’re the most adaptable, its you and your wife who will need to think carefully whether you’re really ready to start all over again, because thats the reality of moving half way around the world.

Hope those thoughts are of some help – I’m sure you’ll get a variety of views from others on here…

On my hybrid bike I’ve done as you are going to do, and have two sets of wheels. One has off-road tyres and an 11/32 cassette, the other has road tyres and a 12/23 cassette. I find that on the road the closer ratio cassette gives me smoother shifts, and greater granularity to deal with small changes in terrain and yet maintain most efficient cadence. I’ve stuck with the standard 22/32/44 rings up front, and haven’t run out of gears at either end of the spectrum yet. My XT RD takes the change in ratios at the back in its stride.

Aren’t the Shimano banjo fittings crimped on? I thought you had to buy the right hose with one already fixed on one end, like this

Or Goodridge seem to do a Shimano kit which has seperate banjo fittings here

Thanks anyway – for a tenner I’m going to try some SS organics – if they turn out to be crap then I haven’t really lost much compared to buying shimano at £30!

You should try shopping around a bit – I just bought some genuine Shimano pads for my 2012 SLX for six quid off a German site.

Have I missed something here? What’s wrong with the Shimano ones?

oliverd1981, on a double you’re much more likely to use big/big, and as its in the position of previous middle chainring there’s not the same issue with cross-chaining, so there’s no reason not to use it. So, to have your chain so short that you preclude yourself from being able to use this combo, and in fact would destroy your rear mech if you accidentally changed into it, is not good advice IMHO. TJ is correct – big/big without going thru mech +2.

However, do agree with you that a 34 or 36 would give more useful ratios…

+1 for caron assembly compound – sorted out the slipping seatpost on my hardtail!

By the way, when I baulked at the rediculous price they charged for a little sachet of the stuff, my LBS suggested I just mix some sand in with normal grease for the same effect at a fraction of the price 😯

m8 = “mate”?

😳

but you try searching for HT II bolts

Shimano call them “crank arm clamp bolts” so try searching for that. I’ve always found Slane Cycles[/url] useful for small Shimano spares, but any LBS should be able to order them in from Madison. By the way, all the ones I’ve got (Deore, SLX, XT) are M6 not M8.

I’ve got a Deuter ‘Essential Bike’. Clips onto the bike like a pannier, but smart enough to take into the office.

If you’re talking about Camelbak Podium bottles, then yes – you’ll never go back to a normal bottle again 😀

will the gold insert not fit then as i have 2 new ones lying around

If you’ve got M666 and BH90 hose, apparently not! Although the olives are the same for BH59 and BH90 hose because the outside diameter is the same, I’m told the BH90 hose has smaller ID, and the silver inserts are both smaller diameter and shorter than the gold ones.

Edit: confirmed by the Shimano tech doc here

Just be aware that the hose and fittings are different between different generations of SLX. So, if your set is M665 you need BH59 hose and Shimano’s gold coloured barbed insert. But if they are the new M666 brakes, you need BH90 hose and the silver coloured insert on one end, and a banjo fitting on the other.

I understand the reason Shimano label rotors like RT-51/53 as “resin only” is because they aren’t hardened steel. So, if you use sintered pads with them they will wear faster, that’s all.

As he ^^ says, you need to cut the hoses anyway. My SLX from BikeComponents.DE came with two spare olives and inserts plus the clamp to hold the hose while you put the inserts in.

From the Shimano website:

Ready for track and trail, the mode converter easily adapts between two settings for MTB cassette gear ratios (11-32, 11-34, 11-36) and road (11-23, 11-25, 11-28).

So looks like 11/36 is no problem, even tho’ its only a short cage.

According to Pinkbike, this is too short…

And this is just right…

Edit: Epic fail on posting pictures into thread, so go read it yourself here

What did you expect, its for DH bikes.

It’s official then, I’m not hard core enough for Saint any more 🙁

Single chainring and short cage mech only – no thanks, I’ll go SLX.

It’s a stainless steel bolt 8.5/9mm long with M5 metric thread. Take a look at the Shimano Parts Diagram for the part number, then search the internet or ask your LBS to get one in. I find Slanes Cycles[/url] are pretty good for Shimano bits & bobs if you can’t find it locally.

Alternative is to just go to your local hardware store and get any stainless steel M5 bolt of about the right length, it’s nothing special. If you’ve lost the plate that grips the cable too, then that is a bit more tricky, and you should get the proper Shimano replacement, though I dare say a washer would make a decent temporary solution!

Have you thought about the new ‘LS’ models (Octane LS, Charge LS) that have side pockets

Correction LR, not LS, stands for Lumbar Reservoir.